Remember Me (Men of Honor Series Book 1)

by Lara Van Hulzen

  “Aimee, please believe me. I love your sister. I’ve always loved her.” He leaned back in his chair, rubbed his hands along the legs of his jeans. “When I called off the wedding, I did it because I was given a chance to avenge my parents’ death. Now I see how stupid that was. How much I gave up.”

  “So walk away.”

  “I can’t.” His heart tore in his chest. Looking into Aimee’s eyes was too much like looking into Tess’s.

  “Can’t, or won’t?”

  “A little of both.”

  “Okay. I get it. There’s only so much you can tell me.” Aimee reached her hand across the desk. Ben covered it with his own. “Ben. Whatever you do, get out of this thing as fast as you can. Tess needs you. She’s hurt right now, sure. But you two belong together. Do whatever it takes to get back to her.”

  “I will. I promise.” The tenderness in Aimee’s eyes was like a salve to his wounds. How he longed for that same look from Tess again. “And promise me something. Keep an eye on her.”

  “I will.” Aimee let go of his hand and stood to leave. At the door she turned back. “Is there some way I can keep in touch with you that won’t compromise your safety?”

  “Yes. Through Dane.”

  Dane reached in his shirt pocket and handed her a business card. She smiled at him and looked one last time at Ben. “One last thing. If you hurt her again, I’ll come after you myself.” She turned on her heel and was gone.

  ***

  Dane took the seat Aimee had vacated. “She’s something else, isn’t she?”

  “Yeah. She’s…something.”

  “You okay?”

  Ben rubbed his beard. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

  “Liar. Why did you tell Aimee you couldn’t get out of this thing? You know you can.”

  “I know. But what if I did? I don’t even know if Tess would take me back.”

  “I think she would.”

  “Oh yeah? What makes you think that?”

  Dane shrugged. “Just a hunch. But my hunches are usually right.”

  Ben shook his head. “I pray you’re right. But I need to help Sophia. You know that.”

  “You can’t save the world, man.” Dane shook his head.

  “I know. But I can save this one life. Besides, I was close to finding out who Carlos works for. He’s not the main one in charge. I get that guy and help Sophia out of the drug dealing business, and then I’m done.”

  “You really think Sophia’s gonna be happy if you put her brother behind bars?”

  “She knows what he does for a living. The people’s he’s hurt. Continues to hurt. She wants out. I can’t in good conscience walk away and not even try to help her.”

  “Okay, then. If this is what you really want.”

  Everything in him wanted to walk away. Forget the whole mess and run to Tess, beg her forgiveness. But he couldn’t just leave a helpless young woman in an ugly situation. Surely Tess would understand. And he prayed someday she’d forgive him. For everything.

  ***

  Ben had parked his Jeep a few blocks away from the police station. He weaved through side streets and alleys to get back to it, hoping to throw off anyone who might be following him. Sophia said Carlos had given up on him, but he didn’t want to take any chances.

  His cell phone rang just as he reached his vehicle and hopped in the driver’s seat.

  He hit the answer button. “Wilson.”

  “It’s Sophia.”

  “Hi, Sophia.” His heart hurt for Sophia and all she’d been through in her life, but he longed even more to be done with the situation and back with Tess.

  “Can I see you?”

  “Of course.” He turned the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life. “I’m free right now if that’s okay.”

  “Yes. How about the pier in twenty minutes?”

  “Perfect. I’ll see you then.”

  He closed the phone and tossed it in the cup holder next to the gearshift. It was time. Time to find out who Carlos answered to, and time to give Sophia a new life. If only things could be that easy. Things would get worse before they got better.

  ***

  Ben stood not far from the end of the pier. His elbows resting on the railing, he watched the waves below glide towards him then crash into the pilings below. He prayed his life wasn’t about to do the same thing. Sure, he was gliding along okay, leading Carlos to believe he was a faithful follower, but was he about to slam into something he couldn’t survive?

  He made sure he got there before Sophia to scope out his surroundings. The beach was full of families enjoying the summer sun and surf. Kids running back and forth into the waves, some gathering sand for sand castles. Couples strolled the pier hand in hand. Another woman held her sandals in one hand and an ice cream cone in the other.

  Peaceful. Slow-paced. Just as summer should be. Hopefully he and Tess would spend time down here again. Surfing. Strolling. Enjoying time together. He shook his head. Who was he kidding? The look on Tess’s face when he left said it all. She was broken because of his actions, and he would be the last one she’d allow to piece things back together.

  A flash of red in the corner of his eye pulled him back to reality. He turned his head. Sophia came toward him, in black shorts and a red T-shirt. Her gold sandals shimmered in the sun. The end of her dark ponytail blew in the breeze. She was beautiful. But he felt nothing for her except friendship.

  “Hey, stranger.” She leaned forward on the railing next to him and nudged his shoulder with her own.

  “Hey, yourself. You doin’ okay?”

  “I’m the same.” She slipped her sunglasses off her face and onto the top of her head. Her eyes were dark, like her hair. The polar opposite of Tess’s gold locks and emerald eyes.

  “Is Carlos still giving you a hard time?”

  “Carlos is always giving me a hard time.” She rolled her eyes.

  She stood straight and held on to the railing. Ben did the same. Taller than Tess, she almost reached his shoulder. He had to stop comparing the two. They were nothing alike. And one held his heart, his whole world, while the other only his compassion.

  “So, where’d you go?”

  “Nowhere important. I just needed to see an old friend. Say good-bye.”

  She nodded in understanding. “You were gone a long time.”

  “Yeah, well, some things happened that were beyond my control.”

  She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. Can I ask you a question, Jake?”

  “Sure. Anything.”

  “Why are you doing this? I mean, you seem like a good guy. Why would you want to be involved with my brother?”

  It was important to tread carefully. Although Sophia was the only one in Carlos’s gang Ben trusted, she still had no clue he was a cop. A fact he intended to keep quiet as long as possible.

  “I’ve told you why. I have nothing. And no one. I need the money.”

  “I know what you’ve told me. I just have a hard time believing someone like you would want to get caught up in a world like this.” She laughed. “Ironic, really. You want in and I want out.”

  “Why do you want out so bad? I know Carlos can be hard on you, but the money’s nice, and you know you’ll always be cared for.”

  Unfortunately, playing devil’s advocate was his best chance at getting the truth from Sophia. He didn’t like doing it, painting her brother to not be that bad of a guy, but getting close to her was his best chance at information. And figuring out a way to help her.

  “Everyone always thinks money is the answer. There’s more that I want from life.”

  “Oh yeah? Like what?”

  She took her sunglasses off her head and placed them back on her face. Her classic move to keep him from seeing her eyes tear up. A tough young woman, she was still a woman just the same.

  “Like someone to love me for me. Not just my money or because they’re someone loyal to my brother, my family.”

  “You’ll find someone someday,
Sophia.”

  Her laugh came out harsh rather than humorous. “Easy for you to say. You’re not a woman trapped in a man’s world. In some macho family where I’m ‘protected’ by my brother and his gang. What a joke.”

  “What has Carlos been up to while I was gone?”

  She shrugged, apparently fine with the abrupt change in subject. “The same. Like I said, he had his eye on the police station because you left, but now he’s back to business.”

  Ben thought of Tess’s accident. His fists clenched. Having Carlos’s men watching him was fine. But the mere idea of anyone near Tess made him see red.

  “What made him think I was going to the police?”

  “I don’t know. You left without a word and never returned, so he started there. Kept watch.”

  “Followed me, you mean.”

  “No. Not really. Besides, I told him you were back, and he seemed pleased. He likes you.”

  “That’s good.” He leaned on the railing again, trying to mask his true feelings. Ben didn’t want Carlos to like him. He wanted to be the man responsible for his incarceration.

  “You said he was back to business. What’s going on?”

  She shrugged. “Same old thing.”

  A large wave crashed against the pilings beneath them. A young girl nearby squealed as water nipped the base of the pier along with her feet and ankles.

  “Jake. How do you feel about me?” She leaned on the railing beside him again.

  Her question brought his attention away from the girl now wiping her legs with a towel to Sophia’s deep, dark eyes.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know what I mean. Do you have feelings for me?”

  He took her hand and looked her in the eye. “I care about you a lot, Sophia. We’re friends. I’d do anything to help you if you needed me.”

  She dropped her head. “That’s what I thought.”

  “I’m sorry. I know you want to hear something else.”

  “It’s okay. You were honest with me, and I appreciate that. Not too many people in my life are honest with me.” She pulled her hand away from his and wiped her cheeks, now damp with tears. “Is there someone else?”

  His heart lodged in his throat. Hurting her was never in his plans.

  “No.”

  “Honestly?”

  God forgive him. He hated being a liar. “Honestly.”

  ***

  Tess shielded her eyes from the sun, her glasses not quite enough to guard from the brightness. Ben stood at the railing, the dark-haired beauty, Sophia, next to him. He took her hand in his as he talked. Even from down the pier, Tess could see how he cared for her, for this other woman. Friend or not, she meant something to him.

  She turned and walked back down the pier. Why did she believe Aimee and her crazy notions? An undercover job. Hardly.

  She tossed her sandals into the passenger seat of her car and got in. Without even a glance in the rearview mirror, she drove home.

  Chapter 17

  Moonlight cast an eerie glow across the water. The marina was quiet when Ben got to the Hideaway. He’d have to spend the night at his undercover house to keep up appearances, especially now that he’d made contact with Sophia and Carlos knew he was back. But he’d left his other cell phone on the boat and wanted to check his messages. One missed call.

  He grabbed it off the table in the galley and punched in the numbers for his voicemail.

  “Hey, Ben. It’s Tess.”

  His heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice. He leaned against the counter, the phone gripped in his hand. Her message continued, every word a beacon of hope.

  “I just wanted to call and see…well, Aimee said to give you the benefit of the doubt. Shocking, I know. So I came down to see my family and thought maybe we should talk. Meet me at the pier in an hour? Our regular spot.”

  She paused, a slight rustling sound in the background. He smiled. She was rubbing her bottom lip, thinking of what to say next.

  “So, I guess I’ll see you there. Call me if you can’t make it.”

  She hung up.

  Ben checked the time of the call. This afternoon. Not long before he met with Sophia. Of all the bad timing! He banged the phone against his forehead.

  But Tess wanted to talk. She was willing to give him a chance to explain everything. That was definitely a step in the right direction. He just hoped standing her up hadn’t ruined his chances. If only he’d remembered to bring his cell phone with him! He mentally berated himself for leaving it behind.

  He dialed Tess’s number and prayed it wasn’t too late to call. Or too late for second chances. In his case, third and fourth chances. He was going to need a miracle.

  ***

  Tess sat on the back porch with Mike and Emma. She’d gotten home late from San Diego. Mike was waxing his surfboard in the garage when she pulled up. He took one look at her swollen, red eyes, and whisked her to the back porch to talk. The iced coffee Emma made her sat on the small table between their chairs, the moon on the water giving a soft glow to the evening.

  “You don’t have to talk about it tonight if you don’t want to, T.” Mike’s voice was soothing, gentle.

  Emma put a hand on her arm. “Yeah. Whenever you’re ready, we’re here.”

  “It’s okay.” Tess sniffed. Emma handed her a tissue. She blew her nose and tossed it with the others, a small teepee of them on the ground next to her chair.

  “I went down to San Diego to see my family. I got to thinking about what Aimee said, that maybe I should at least give Ben a chance to explain. So I called and asked him to meet me at the pier where we used to hang out.”

  She took a sip of her drink and continued.

  “When I got there, I saw him talking to someone. Turns out it was this Sophia woman who was in the picture with him on his phone.”

  “Maybe it was someone else,” Emma offered.

  “No. It was her. They didn’t see me, but I was close enough to tell.”

  “Tess, just because he was talking to her doesn’t mean there’s something between them.” Mike tried the voice of reason.

  “I know. But he was holding her hand while they talked, and he looked…concerned. He cares about her.”

  “You can care about someone without being in love with them though.” Emma tried to sound confident, but her attempt fell flat.

  “Whose side are you on anyway?” As much as she loved Mike and Emma, their response wasn’t exactly helping. She wanted…no needed them to rant and rave and say what a jerk Ben was. Because he was. Wasn’t he? Her head spun.

  “We’re on your side, of course,” Emma said.

  “I think what Emma means, T, is that Ben told you Sophia was a friend. There could be a good explanation for what you saw.”

  “Maybe.” Tess took another tissue from the box on the table and rubbed her eyes. Curse these tears. Would they ever end?

  Mike’s phone rang in his house. He got up and went inside to answer it.

  “Did you tell your parents about all this?” Emma asked.

  “About seeing Ben with another woman?” That would be a huge mistake. Her dad was already poised to string Ben up by his thumbs. This would certainly send him over the edge.

  “No, of course not. I meant did you tell them about all that’s happened these last few weeks? That Ben was back, his amnesia and stuff.”

  Tess shook her head. “No. I thought about it but then we were hanging out, having a nice time. I didn’t want to worry them. And I wasn’t sure how things would end up with Ben. If we got back together, I could tell them then. But if we didn’t, there was no use in giving them all the gory details.”

  She heard Mike’s voice. He had his back turned, as if to shield them from his conversation.

  “And now I’m really glad I didn’t tell them. Ben is gone and with someone else. I need to continue moving forward just as I was before this whole ridiculous scenario crashed into my life.”

  “You really bel
ieve that?”

  “Believe what?”

  Emma looked her in the eye. “You really believe he’s with someone else and out of your life for good?”

  Tess took a deep breath. The tissue in her hand now a soggy ball.

  “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.” She shrugged. “What I do know is that I’m exhausted. I’m done riding this roller coaster. He’s in my life, he’s out, he’s in my life, he’s out. I can’t live like this, Em.”

  “I know.” She patted Tess’s hand. “I know.”

  ***

  Mike picked up his phone on the third ring.

  “Mike! Hey, it’s Ben.”

  “Uh, hey Ben.”

  “I’ve been calling and calling Tess’s cell phone but she won’t pick up. Do you know where she is?”

  “She’s on the back porch.”

  “Great! Can I talk to her?” Ben paced the back of the boat, his excitement palpable.

  “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, Ben.”

  Ben stopped short. “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “Well, I guess I’ll just give you the short version. She said she asked you to meet her at the pier. When she got there, she saw you with this Sophia woman and you looked pretty chummy.”

  Ben’s heart sank to his stomach. Impossible. Tess was there at the exact same time he was talking to Sophia? He couldn’t cut a break. There was no way Tess would let him try and talk his way out of this one. He sat down hard on the bench behind him and rubbed his beard.

  “She’s pretty upset, dude. And I can’t say I blame her. You wanna let me in on what’s going on? Maybe I can help soften the blow, ya know?”

  Ben blew out the breath he’d been holding. “I wish I could, man, but I can’t. All I can say is Sophia is truly just a friend. What Tess saw was a…misunderstanding. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Misunderstanding or not, I suggest you give her some time. The past few weeks has been a whirlwind.”