“Yep, I’d say that he knew all along that you were coming…when you were there…what you were going to do…and probably smiled at you as you left.”
“Fuckin’ hell,” Marc cursed. “Do we ever really know who the good guys and who the bad guys are anymore?”
The group fell silent, each pondering his question. Finally, Chad spoke up, asking, “So other than him, did we get any intel from the others?”
Nodding, Luke said, “Yeah, we did. We’ve got a list of a few more people they were in contact with, which of course has been turned over to the FBI. That helps expand their list and it also gives them IP addresses to follow the trail to others.”
Monty took over. “According to Mitch, they’ve identified two more sleeper cells in rural Virginia, so it’s not just near D.C.”
“And we can’t check them out,” Bart groused.
“No fuckin’ way,” Chad answered. “Even ATF now have to go in so carefully, especially with the explosion that killed Adam.”
“How do they do that?” Jude asked. “How do they enter a house with known explosives?”
Shaking his head, Chad just responded, “With a fuck load of training and the right equipment. If possible, we’d identify the explosive device, either ourselves or with the robot. The world’s getting crazier, though. With the newer explosives, especially if someone gets their hands on manufacturer’s grade detonators along with the easily-made, but highly unstable explosives, a small amount can do a tremendous amount of damage. Even in purposeful detonation, to get rid of the risk is difficult. We’d let the robots do as much as they can.”
The other Saints looked at Chad, knowing he used to suit up and walk toward explosives the way most others ran from them.
“Damn, man. I knew what you did, but fuckin’ hell, you have to be about as selfless a person possible to volunteer to walk toward a bomb.”
Shrugging, he looked at the others and chuckled. “Yeah, so say the SEALs, Special Forces, CIA, FBI, DEA, and undercover police that’re sitting at this table with me. We’ve all been to the cave and seen the critter. I’m no different than you.”
“And found the Saints,” Jack added drolly. The others laughed before turning their attention back to the agenda.
“So here’s where we are with our contract,” Jack continued. “We were given three locations to acquire computer information for the FBI, and that has also been shared with Roscoe at ATF. Luke has done the preliminary analysis since his equipment…and friend…is far superior to what they have. Essentially that concludes our initial contract. Now…” he looked over at Chad. “Chad has asked to look into the death of Adam Turner. I’ve given him the go ahead. But there’s a new twist to everything and it may involve Chad directly.”
This announcement gained Chad’s full attention as he looked around the table, seeing that none of the Saints seemed to know what Jack was about to say.
“I was contacted by Todd Marsden, from Marsden Energy Systems, one of the nation’s largest producers of explosives. His company supplies the U.S. military as well as civilian and government contracts…mines…road building…that kind of thing. He got my business name from the FBI, who will also be looking into his concerns. It appears he has some security concerns and wanted to discuss what the Saints might be able to assist him with.”
“What is he looking at?” Chad asked, his thoughts immediately on Dani.
“Right now, he has no crime that he knows of, so the FBI has nothing to investigate. I also told him that a feeling of possible security issues doesn’t give us much to work with either. But Chad, with Dani working there, I wanted you to know of his concerns. We do not have a contract with MES at this time but be aware that something could come in. Other than that, you all can check your new assignments on your tablets.”
The meeting ended and as Chad left Jack’s compound, his mind rolled over Dani, the note from Adam, MES security issues, Adam’s death, the terrorist cells…the strange puzzle pieces that were not fitting. Hell, I don’t even know it they’re from the same puzzle.
Chapter 19
Dani reached into her large, leather purse, grabbing her sunglasses as the clouds separated allowing the sun to pierce through the windshield of her car. She glanced over, seeing Chad pull his out of his shirt pocket and, with a one-handed flip, open and slide them onto his face as well. She agreed to let him drive, knowing as chauvinistic as it was, he wanted to be behind the steering wheel. It only took about thirty minutes to drive to her parents’ house and soon they pulled into the driveway.
As he turned off the engine, she sighed loudly. Reaching over, he took her hand, lifting it to his mouth, placing a sweet kiss on the back of her fingers.
“You okay, babe?”
Smiling, she said, “Actually yes. I’m excited about telling mom and dad…I just had a flashback to when I was here last. I’m not sure I’ve ever been so alone in my life.”
He nodded and pulled her hand over as he leaned toward her, meeting in the middle of the console. Kissing her lips, he murmured, “I’m here for you now and I vow to never have you feel that alone ever again.”
“I know,” she replied, returning his kiss. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she said, “Okay, let’s get this show on the road.”
Assisting her from the passenger side, he threw his arm around her shoulders, tucking her protectively in his side. “Lead on, little mama.”
Before they made it to the porch, Dani’s parents came out smiling and waving at the couple. Dani’s mother was an older, mirror image of Dani. Chad noticed their eyes darted between their daughter and him. He realized that, just like Dani, they had gone through a lot of changes in the last few months. Suddenly nervous, he wondered how they felt about everything.
He watched as her parents swooped her into a huge hug then turned their attention to him, as Dani made the introductions. Her father stepped over, his hand outstretched. Chad shook it, surprised when the much smaller man pulled him in for a hug as well.
“Thank you, son, for everything you’re doing for our Dani,” he said.
Barely stepping back, he was immediately hugged by her mom as well. “Come in, come in,” she offered.
The two women moved into the house, but Chad stopped her father on the way inside. “Just to be clear, Mr. Houston. You don’t have to thank me. I’d sacrifice anything for her and the baby.”
The older man’s eyes teared, but he nodded as he cleared his throat. “Come on in, son. And call me Paul.”
They made it into the living room, where Mrs. Houston had a spread of food out for them. Small sandwiches, cookies, and drinks sat on the coffee table. She looked up at Chad and said, “Don’t worry, this is just a snack. We’ll have a full lunch in a little bit.”
“Mrs. Houston, it looks lovely,” he said, sitting next to Dani on the comfortable sofa.
“Please call me Tammie,” she said. Her eyes sought Dani’s and she threw her hands up to the side and said, “Well?”
Laughing, Dani said, “I guess you’re a little anxious to see what I’m having.”
Bouncing in her chair, Tammie threatened her daughter lovingly if she did not hurry. She reached over and clutched her husband’s hand.
Dani smiled at Chad and then bent over to pull something from her large purse. A newborn baby’s outfit was in her hand, still on the hanger to show it off to perfection. And it was a little pink dress.
It took her parents a second to process the outfit before her mother screamed, jumping up from her chair in a hurry to hug Dani again. Her mom rushed her and would have pushed her back into the sofa if Chad’s arms had not been tucked around her. The two women began immediately gushing about baby girl clothes while Paul sat quietly, a silent tear sliding down his cheek.
Looking over at Chad, he said, “Son, let’s go fire up the grill.”
As they moved onto the deck, Paul cleared his throat again, gave his eyes a quick swipe and said, “You have no idea how good it is to see Dani smiling ag
ain. Chad, I’ve got to tell you that about four months ago, I didn’t know when I’d ever see my girl happy.”
Nodding, Chad assisted with the grill and said, “Sir…uh, Paul, I understand. I have to tell you, I take a lot of responsibility for her unhappiness.” Seeing Paul’s look of confusion, Chad explained what he and Dani discovered about their feelings two years earlier and the mistakes they made.
Her father listened patiently but as Chad finished, Paul said, “I’ve lived a lot of years, made my share of mistakes, goofs, and some just plain dumb decisions. But they were mine. I owned them. I worked to redeem myself when I did them and then learned from them.” He pierced Chad with a hard look and continued. “Now my Dani…she’s done the same as you. She could have told you how she felt about you before you left. She and Adam made a decision that cost them. I’ll be honest, I never thought Adam was a good match for her and I know they got married because of her pregnancy, but…” he shook his head, staring out into his yard, “her mom and me thought it was rushed and not well thought out.”
Chad listened respectively as Paul reminisced, respecting the man’s views.
“Now, Adam was a lot of fun, and Tammie and I never doubted that he was fond of Dani and seemed happy about the pregnancy. But…” breathing out a heavy sigh, he said, “we wanted more for our daughter. We wanted someone who would put their life on the line for her. The kind of marriage her mother and I’ve had. Adam just wasn’t that man.”
Holding Chad’s gaze, he said, “You’ve confessed to me what you thought your mistakes were and essentially they were just not expressing your feelings before going to a war zone, which I don’t necessarily think is a mistake. And separating yourself from them when you got back. Don’t know about that, Chad. But what I do recognize is that you accept what you think you did that wasn’t good and you’re taking care of your business now.”
Chad took Paul’s words in, churning them over in his mind as he flipped the steaks. Own my mistakes, redeem myself, and learn from them.
“Now enough about all that heavy stuff. Tell me what’s going on with my daughter and that little baby girl she’s gonna have,” Paul said, handing him a beer.
Inside the kitchen, Dani stood at the sink overlooking the porch, seeing her dad and Chad talking. Or rather, her dad was talking and Chad appeared to be listening intently. Startled when her mom walked up, wrapping her arms around her daughter to watch the men, she asked, “Mom, what do you think they’re talking about?”
Her mother placed her arm around Dani’s shoulders, pulling her in for another hug. “If I know your father, he’s letting Chad understand how glad he is about the two of you.”
“Really?” Dani asked, smiling at the thought.
“Honey, it’s no secret to you that neither your dad nor I were all that enamored of Adam. We respected your choice and we respected Adam’s willingness to get married. But we knew he was not the love of your life. But this young man,” she said, nodding toward Chad, “he makes you sparkle.”
Laughing, Dani replied, “Sparkle?”
“Absolutely!” her mom insisted with a grin.
*
Later that night, Dani got to show Chad her sparkle when he had her in the shower. Her ass in his hand, her back against the tile, the water pelting Chad, his other hand next to her head on the tile, and his cock in her as he thrust.
He’d started out with her on the bathroom counter, on his knees between her legs with her feet around his back, licking and sucking until she screamed out his name. Then he turned on the shower, waiting until the water was warm before helping her in. Washing her hair and then her body, paying close attention to her enlarged breasts and stomach now protruding more, before hefting her in his arms. Now, he felt his balls tighten and he wanted her to come with him.
Dani threw her head back, her body molten as every nerve tingled. This man, right here with me…this is it. What I wanted almost two years ago—
Before she finished the thought, her orgasm slammed into her, the electricity jolting from her sex out to her fingers and toes. Screaming his name, she felt him swell even more as she clutched his shoulders and tightened her legs around his waist.
Her fingernails dug into his shoulders, creating small crescent divots he would wear proudly. Hearing her cry out his name, Chad poured himself into her, his legs almost giving out with the intensity of his orgasm. The thrusts, first fast and furious, gradually slowed to an easy cadence until every drop was wrung from his body. As he slowly came back to full awareness, he felt her body pressed against his with such clarity. Her distended stomach against his rock hard abs. Her legs wrapped around his hips and her delectable ass in his hands. Mine. Finally, irrevocably mine. I need to do something about that. But after what she had been through with Adam, he was not sure how she’d respond to another proposal. I need to—
“Chad?”
He heard her voice call his name as her fingers found his face. Looking down, he saw her concern.
“Honey, where’d you go? I was calling your name but you looked as though you were completely lost in thought.”
“I’m sorry, babe. My dick may be out, but my mind was still firmly planted inside of you.”
Turning off the water, he wrapped her in a fluffy towel and began to dry her off. Quickly drying himself, they walked into the bedroom, sliding under the covers. Chad drew them back up over their bodies, tucking her into him in his favorite position. She was on her side, where she was more comfortable with her growing womb, and he spooned around her. His body was so large, he engulfed her in his protectiveness.
For once, sleep came quickly to him, but Dani found herself lying in his embrace for a while, thoughts rolling through her mind. What was he really thinking? Is this too much for him? It’s one thing to say you want a baby…even another man’s baby. But as it gets closer, does he truly want this? He told me he talked to his parents about us reconnecting and they were pleased. But he needs to tell them about the baby. What will they think? Squeezing her eyes tighter in an attempt to purge her rushing thoughts, she knew he had been right when he said being pregnant means they can’t go as slow as she originally thought they could. Unable to find the answers, she drifted off to an unsteady sleep.
*
Jahfar, almost home from work, glanced down at his phone as it buzzed an incoming call. Seeing the caller, he detoured, needing to continue to drive as he took the call.
“Yes?”
“Can you talk?”
“Yes, I’m alone in my car. What is going on?”
“It seems some of our new recruits have been compromised,” Fazan answered. “Muhammad is finding out now, but we’ve got to move carefully.”
Jahfar sucked in a breath. “What does this mean for us and the cause?”
“Tread lightly. Pieces are coming together, but they seem to revolve around Ms. Turner.”
“How can that possibly be?” he asked.
Fazan replied, “I have no idea. She did not know what her husband was up to…at least that is what we supposed. When he was out of the picture, we thought that would end the involvement. Muhammad has his eye on her and wants no problems.”
“I’m on it…I’m working it,” Jahfar promised. “She’s going to be contained.”
“She’d better. If it looks like she going to be a problem, he’ll want her neutralized. You know what that means.”
“She’s getting curious…I can tell. But she announced that she’s with child.” Silence met this statement, so he continued, “A woman bearing a child will not be a problem. She’ll focus on her condition and not on us.”
“You’d better hope she does,” Fazan noted. “If not, things will become messy.”
Another silence and then Jahfar asked, “Did the shipment get through?”
“Yes, it’s in place. A new group is in the home working on it.”
“Does anyone suspect?”
“Not on my end, but are you sure about yours?”
“
I’ll take care of MES…you take care of yours.”
With a final goodbye, Jahfar disconnected the call, tossing his cell phone onto the seat next to him. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he glanced around not recognizing where he had driven. Seeing a familiar shopping center ahead, he pulled through the fast-food restaurant ordering dinner for his family. A surprise…the children will like that. Sucking in a deep breath, he knew his wife would wonder. Closing his eyes for a second while waiting for the take-out to be handed to him by the pimpled-faced teenager working the cash register, he prayed. Keep my family safe. Let this endeavor be over soon. And let the right side win.
*
Getting home from work, Dani saw that Chad was not home yet. Making a cup of herbal tea and a piece of toast, she settled in the rocking chair to watch the birds at the feeders in his yard.
Her back ached and she shifted in her seat, unable to find a comfortable position. For some reason, the cushioned padding of the rocker bottom felt lumpy on one side near the back. She smiled, thinking of the chair being re-upholstered several times by her family. Glancing down, she realized the sky-blue material did not match Chad’s living room décor. I’ll be sitting in it every day so I could re-do it in a more neutral color. Maybe tan. Or a dark burgundy. Curious as to how difficult it might be to re-upholster it by herself, she stood and eased the rocker over on its side to see the underside.
The rocker was old, unlike any she had seen in recent years. The underside was a combination of heavy, zig-zag springs that were exposed with the padding and material covering the rest. The material appeared torn in one area and she realized the chair would need to be re-finished soon anyway. As she squatted down on the floor, she noticed the tear was quite long—at least six inches. Knowing her parents’ propensity for completing projects almost perfectly, she was surprised at the large tear in the material. Did the movers damage it during the move?
And then she saw it—the corner of something tucked inside the tear. Her fingers felt the object and with a jerk she could see the bottom half of a notebook poking through. Pulling it the rest of the way out, she looked at the small, spiral bound notebook. Her heart pounded, not knowing what she had found. Instinctively though, she knew it had something to do with Adam. His letter! He mentioned the old rocker in his note! Had that been a clue I was supposed to figure out?
Sacrifice Love: Saints Protection & Investigations Page 17
