Sacrifice Love: Saints Protection & Investigations

by Maryann Jordan

  Plunging in, they both gasped—her, at the delicious sensation of fullness and him, at the exquisite torture of tightness. Thrusting in and out, slowly at first and then with more vigor, he closed his eyes in awe of the beauty that was all her. His fingers dug into the flesh at her hips, careful not to bruise but desiring to crush her to him.

  Her slick channel grabbed him, causing her entire body to tingle. The electric jolts shot from her pussy outward as the friction increased. Her fingers clutched the sofa cushions in an attempt to hold her body in place as his thrusts pushed her forward. Digging her heels into the pillows on the floor, she was grateful for his hands on her hips holding her steady.

  The movements were hard, but not harsh, tying celebratory and sensual all into one package. There was no one in her mind but Chad…no other thought but their two bodies coming together. Adam had been a gentle, even playful lover, but nothing prepared her for the perfection of she and Chad. As she felt one of his hands slide to hold her tummy with his fingers splayed she knew without a doubt, he loved this baby.

  His balls tightening, he was close to coming. This woman…this baby…it all tied together for him to love. If it made him a bastard to be glad to have this chance with them, then so be it. With a final thrust, he powered through his orgasm as his thumb pressed on her clit, pulling her along with him.

  Coming together, they both screamed out their torturous pleasure. Collapsing onto her back, he held her with one hand to keep from crushing her against the sofa. His legs threatened to give out and he began to question the wisdom of not taking her to the bed. Prying his eyes open, he saw her standing in lacy-topped stockings, heels, her hair tousled, and his come sliding down her legs with a well-fucked expression on her face. Hell yeah!

  Forcing his body to move, he scooped her up in his massive arms and she threw her arms around his neck as he stalked up the stairs to the master bathroom. Setting her feet gently down on the floor, he wet a warm cloth and washed between her legs. Tossing the cloth to the tub, he turned her body to face the mirror, plastering her back with his naked frame.

  His eyes once more moved from the top of her head down to her rosy-tipped, full breasts, to her rounded tummy. Then he caught her eyes in the reflection.

  “What do you see, Chad?” she asked softly.

  “I see perfection, little mama.” Placing his hand on her tummy with the other arm wrapped around her chest pulling her back against his body, he repeated. “I look at both of us and I see perfection.”

  Chapter 18

  Chad pulled into the parking lot of the active living community apartments. The neat grounds and early spring flowers gave an indication of the care given to the outside appearance. He was always pleased that when he visited his grandmother, he found the buildings to show just as much care. He walked up the pathway to her unit and entered the warmly decorated interior. Making his way down the hall, he raised his hand but the door flung open before he had a chance to knock.

  “Chad,” his grandmother called out, enthusiastically grabbing him in a hug, “I’ve been watching for you.” Her small, but strong body gave him a squeeze. “Your parents called to check on me this morning. I told them to stop worrying and enjoy their vacation.”

  Grinning as he kissed the top of her head, he returned her embrace. Her long, grey hair was pulled back with a headband and the soft silver layers fell down her back. “Hey, gramma,” he greeted, as she reluctantly turned him loose.

  “Come on in, boy,” she said, ushering him into the apartment. The inside was as warm as the rest of the building and she had decorated with many of the paintings she had finished over the years.

  “The place looks good,” he commented, eyeing her walls. “Looks like you’ve got some new paintings up.”

  Bobbing her head, she grinned in reply. “I’ve been spending time at the new studio that is near here. Not as good as the one I used to have, but a good one nonetheless.”

  Lorna Casinella, born in Italy, had come to the United States as a college student studying art fifty years ago and never left after falling in love with a dock worker from New Jersey. After retiring, they moved to Virginia to be nearer to their son and his family. Chad’s grandfather died several years ago and Lorna decided to give up the stress of a home and move to the apartments specifically for older adults.

  “You still like it here?” he asked, more out of politeness since he already knew the answer.

  “What’s not to like?” she laughed. “No yard to care for, someone else grows the flowers, I have bus transportation to wherever I need to go when I don’t feel like driving, no shoveling snow, lots of time to work on my paintings…it’s fabulous!”

  Patting the sofa next to her, she said, “But enough about me! Tell me what’s new with you.” She peered at him astutely as he sat down. “And I can tell something’s on your mind!”

  Grinning again, he nodded, certain there was no way he would ever be able to keep anything from her. Leaning forward, his forearms on his knees, he wondered where to start.

  “Chad, don’t worry about me,” Lorna said softly. “Just start talking, boy, and I’ll catch up.”

  With that, he began telling the story of he and Dani, going back to when they first were together with Adam. As the story unfolded, he watched his grandmother’s expression waver with the different emotions the story brought out. But finally her smile grew as he related where he and Dani were at this time.

  Leaning back, she said, “That’s quite a tale, my boy. This woman has been through a lot.”

  Shaking his head ruefully, he added, “Yeah, that’s what drives me crazy. Looking back, we could have saved ourselves so much heartache.”

  Patting his leg, Lorna stood up as the teakettle whistled and moved to the kitchen. A few minutes later she came back in with two steaming mugs. Setting them on the coffee table, she sat down in the chair facing the sofa.

  Chad smiled at her lovingly. Her floral broomstick skirt hung to her ankles, her purple top flowing over the waistband. A large, turquoise necklace around her neck. And a twinkle in her dark brown eyes. She settled her gaze on him and he waited, knowing she had been pondering what to say to him.

  “Your grandfather loved working on the docks, the wind in his face, and the hard work honing his muscles. Your namesake was a big man…his blood was Welsh as well as Italian,” she reminded, although Chad had no doubts about where his stature came from. “One day, I got a call from his boss. My Chad was injured and they had taken him to the hospital.” Shaking her head as the memories came back, she said, “When I got to him, he was so angry. The injury would keep him from going back to his old job. The company gave him a desk job, but at the time, he was like living with a hornet.”

  Chad smiled, watching his grandmother reminisce.

  “After a couple of years, he was able to be in a position in the company to make a difference in the safety of the other dock workers. They used to stop by his office just to thank him after new safety regulations had been passed that he started and forced through. As it turned out, he ended up in a position to help. The sacrifice of one career for another became a good thing. No more looking back…no more wondering what if.”

  “So what you’re saying is…”

  “Your grandfather was named for St. Chad, the Saint of sacrifice. Your parents and we were always so proud of you, both in the Army and when you worked for the ATF, but we were so afraid. Your willingness to sacrifice yourself…walking toward a bomb…” a shudder ran through her before she continued. “We recognized it was just who you were on the inside, but we were not sad to see you leave that job.” She cocked her head to the side, saying, “In a roundabout way, the situation with Danielle was what made you leave that profession.”

  He nodded slowly, having never thought of how his career choices affected his family. He looked up as she leaned over, patting his leg again.

  “Don’t make yourself crazy thinking about the past. What you didn’t do or didn’t say. The circu
mstances around Danielle’s widowhood are tragic, but you two are back together now. No looking back. Just look forward. No more what if!”

  He stood, embracing her once more, and then turned to walk to the door.

  “Chad,” she called, fiddling with a chain around her neck as she pulled out a diamond ring dangling on the end. Holding her arthritic knuckles up, she said, “I can’t wear my diamond anymore, but would be so proud if you wanted to take the diamond and have it reset.”

  Stunned as he looked at the diamond solitaire, he remembered so well as a child seeing it on her hand. “Are you sure?”

  “Oh, yes,” she exclaimed. “Your grandfather would be so proud to see the diamond he gave me so many years ago on the hand of his only grandson’s wife. And you need to hurry up before that baby comes!”

  “I’d be honored, gramma,” he said, a lump forming in his throat.

  Smiling widely, eyes twinkling even more, Lorna clapped her hands in delight. “The baby will have lots of love…from her biological grandparents, your parents, and goodness…for me, a great granddaughter after all these years of sons in the family! God be praised!”

  *

  Dani left the Human Resources office, having informed them about the pregnancy and her approximate due date. She could not keep the smile off her face as she walked to the elevators. Entering, she saw Jahfar was the only occupant there. Still smiling, she stepped to the side as they made their way to the fourth floor.

  “You and I were hired about the same time,” Jahfar said. “I was so busy learning the business I did not learn much about my co-workers.”

  His statement did not seem to indicate a comment was warranted, so she just nodded politely and looked up at the elevator numbers again.

  “I understand you came from the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Department. That must have been interesting.”

  Once more, a polite nod seemed to be the only required response, but she wished the elevator would hurry.

  “I did not realize you were a widow,” his smooth voice said.

  Immediately, her eyes jumped from the floor of the elevator to his. Cocking her head to the side, she stared at him, dumbfounded.

  “I wanted to offer my condolences,” he continued. “The circumstances of his death must have been…devastating.”

  Heart pounding, Dani heard a roar rushing through her ears. Throwing her hand out, she balanced herself against the wall. Just then, the doors opened, and she hustled down the hall to her office. Inside, she sat heavily in her chair. Why does he give me the creeps? Am I just paranoid? Stereotyping? Is he just trying to be polite? Or is there something going on with him?

  She hated that she allowed his presence to mar her feelings of excitement about the baby. Sucking in a deep breath, she pulled those feelings back to the surface. Her computer calendar alarm buzzed and she grabbed her notes and headed back down the hall to the conference room.

  Inside, she avoided Jahfar’s eyes and took a seat at the farther end of the conference table. Sitting next to Ethan, she noticed he shot her a questioning look. Shaking her head slightly, she mouthed Tell you later. Todd and Cybil Marsden walked in and the meeting began.

  Two hours later, Dani squirmed in her chair. Uncomfortable, and needing to pee, the conference was almost unbearable. Unable to last any longer, she slipped out to the ladies’ room and then hurried back to her seat.

  Ethan leaned over and whispered, “What’s going on?”

  “Too much to even begin to describe,” she whispered back.

  Just as she thought the meeting was over, Cybil stood up and started her presentation on a new project that would be culminating in the fall. As assignments were discussed, Dani realized she would be on maternity leave at the crucial time of the project. She planned on waiting to let others know about the pregnancy, but realized she needed to let her co-workers know for assignment purposes.

  Clearing her throat, she said, “I need to inform you of something that will affect the timeline from the military sales division. Next fall, about the time the project is finalizing, I will be on maternity leave.”

  The room was silent for a second before Congratulations were heard all around. Cybil hustled over to offer her a hug. Todd lifted his cup of coffee in a toast.

  “It was a surprise, I admit. I did not realize it until right after Adam’s death.” As soon as she said the words, she realized what a pall it created over the assembly. Looking around, she said quickly, “I was stunned at first, but it’ll be fine.”

  The others smiled once more, continuing to offer their congratulations. Looking to the side, she was surprised to see Ethan’s face a mask of doubt. Cocking her head to the side, he caught her expression and his face cleared.

  “Sorry, Dani. I was just selfishly thinking about the project and how to make it all work while you’re gone.”

  Patting his hand, she said, “Well, I’m not gone yet. We’ll have the summer to plan.”

  “Unfortunately, we won’t—”

  “Since this seems to be the time for announcements,” Todd declared, “I’d like to announce that Ethan has been promoted to Head of manufacturing production security. It’ll be his job to make sure our shipments get where they’re going…on time…and intact.”

  Another round of congratulations followed. Leaning forward to look at Cybil, Dani got a glimpse of Jahfar…looking angrily toward Ethan.

  The meeting broke up at that point and Dani found herself having difficulty getting out of the room with all the well-wishers. She saw Jahfar leaving immediately and wondered what he really felt about Ethan being over production.

  The rest of the day flew by as her news had she and Cybil re-working the timeline for the new project. As they finished their work, Dani said, “I just have to ask about Ethan’s promotion.”

  Cybil nodded but stood and walked to Dani’s office door to close it before speaking. Sitting back down, she smoothed her shiny, black hair away from her face and said, “We’ve gotten some warnings from your former employer—the ATF—that there are terrorists hoping to infiltrate into munition plants. Dad and I talked it over and decided we needed to increase our security before something becomes a problem.”

  “Do you have any suspicions?”

  “No, we’ve never been lax in security, but you never know.”

  “Was this a job Ethan wanted?”

  Cybil’s face scrunched in distaste as her sharp gaze sought Dani’s. “Actually, Aaron wanted the job. It would be a promotion and I know he felt as though he should have gotten it. I’m hoping it does not create a problem between egos.”

  Dani turned that information over in her head, but found it was hard to imagine laid-back Aaron involved with security. The two women finished their meeting, but thoughts of Jahfar continued to weasel their way into her thoughts. By the end of the day, she was exhausted. Leaving, she was startled when Jahfar stepped into her office.

  “I wanted to congratulate you personally on your news,” he said. “Children are a blessing from God.”

  “Yes, they are,” she answered, her eyes sharply watching him. As he nodded and turned to walk out of her office, she quickly stopped him. “Jahfar? What did you think of Ethan’s promotion?”

  His dark eyes held her gaze for a moment. “I understand the need for ultimate security in this business. I have some concerns though.”

  Cocking her head to the side, she waited to see what else he would say. Concerns about a lack of security or MES increasing their security? He did not offer anything more and she was surprised when he stepped closer. She did not have to lean her head back as he moved in; she was determined he would not intimidate her in her own office.

  He stopped a foot away, his face cold and hard. “There are those here, I am not sure I trust.” He leaned in further toward her, lowering his voice. “Have a care. Snakes can hide in the grass.” He then turned and stalked out of her office.

  Dani was glad her desk was directly behind her, as her ass landed on i
t when she leaned back heavily. What the hell was that? A threat? A warning? About what?

  *

  The Saints gathered for their meeting and before Jack could begin, Luke said, “Sorry, boss. But something came up from the Dallas location that I’ve got to go over with you all.”

  Gaining Jack’s nod and curious look, Luke turned to Cam and Blaise, asking, “Did you guys see anything personal at all in the apartment? I know you said it looked like it was not lived in.”

  “That’s right,” Cam answered, “At first I thought the recruit was just neat, unlike the slob Bart and Jude had. But then I checked out the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. Nothing. Not even a bottle of water.”

  “What’s going on?” Blaise asked, his eyes pinning Luke.

  Shaking his head while chuckling, Luke projected his messages from his mystery assistant onto the white board. It only took a few seconds for the Saints to read, understand, and then quickly break out into What the fucks all at once.

  “So what does that mean?” Cam asked, irritated at being played. “Are they a recruit? Or…or…hell, I’ve got no idea what to think.”

  Luke, looking at Jack, said, “All along, I’ve figured that the person helping me must be one of the brilliant computer techies who works solo. I’ve wondered if they worked for an underground criminal organization…or for the government on a contractual basis. They mentioned that it wasn’t safe for them to communicate too often or too clearly, and at first that had me concerned. Thinking about it though, that could really mean anything. Techies, the really good ones, and this person certainly is, like to stay under the radar and anonymous—wouldn’t want to give me any clues on how to track them. Whatever the answer is…they discovered me working on our last assignment and helped out. Now, they contact me occasionally and continue to help. I’m wondering if they haven’t figured out what some terrorists are doing and are working against them. Lester Wyant doesn’t exist, but whoever this is was in contact with Habib.”

  “I wondered why it was so easy to get him out of the apartment,” Cam grumbled.