Wounded at Work

by Mitzi Pool Bridges

  Would she come back?

  You bet she would. Benjie knew something. She wanted to know if Hank did as well. And to see if she could get what they knew out of them. There was only one way to find out. She got out of there, but not before she saw Hank reaming Benjie.

  What was that about? She wanted to find out who was the boss. And more.

  She went to her Harley and headed out. A car pulled in behind her. Was she being followed? If so, there was no way she would lead them to her apartment or to Doc’s. It took a good half-hour of whipping up one street then another before she was comfortable dumping the bike and switching back to her car.

  Why would someone follow her?

  Had Amy Strong been murdered and the killer wanted her to stop asking questions?

  Anything was possible.

  Once in her apartment, she let out a sigh of relief. She should be hungry since she hadn’t eaten much today. But when she opened the small pantry, she scanned the many boxes and cans of food. Nothing looked good. Nothing in her overflowing fridge appealed either. Grabbing a banana and a glass of milk, she headed for the bedroom.

  From the time she finished college and started working, she’d made sure there was an abundance of food in the house. Never again would she go hungry, and never again would she have to depend on someone else to bring her food so she wouldn’t starve. There was no way she could eat as much food as she bought, so once a month she took everything out that had an expiration date a few months in the future, and took it to the food pantry. She knew about being hungry.

  Before dropping off to sleep, she remembered Matt’s warning.

  Someone was targeting women resembling her description.

  She turned over to get more comfortable. Not her. That would be too much of a coincidence.

  Carrie fell right to sleep.

  ****

  Matt fought the covers as the dream wormed its way into his head.

  He was in Afghanistan. There was an explosion. He couldn’t get to his brothers. His feet wouldn’t move. Their cries broke his heart. He inched closer. There. Amid the smoke. They were alive. Closer now. Blood. Everywhere.

  When he got to them, they were gone. Carrie looked up at him with fear in her eyes.

  Once more he awoke with his Tarzan yell clogging his throat, his hands shaking. He crawled out of bed and staggered to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face.

  What the hell was going on?

  Was it the case? Was it the fact that his cousin was after the Trust? Why would either bring Carrie into his nightmare? Maybe it was because Carrie fit the serial killer’s target profile? Or maybe it was the chili he ate before going to bed.

  Without turning on lights, he went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water.

  Sitting in the dark, he let his thoughts drift. Everyone, from his family to his co-workers, thought he was the one who had it together. He was the one they could depend on in an emergency. He was the tough one. Hadn’t he saved his and his brothers’ lives in Afghanistan?

  But behind that polished veneer he showed the world, tension rippled. He’d been scared out of his skull the day their Hummer had been blown up. To this day, he didn’t know how he’d managed to run straight into enemy fire screaming his crazy Tarzan yell and firing two AK-47s.

  The only thing he could think then was that he couldn’t live without his brothers. They didn’t know it, but they had saved his life when they were kids, long before he saved theirs.

  In all respects, he’d been an orphan. Instead of living in an orphanage with strangers, he lived in a mansion with hired help who’d raised him as best they could.

  He didn’t remember ever being cared for by his parents. At first there were nannies, then housekeepers and chauffeurs. He didn’t remember being loved. Cared for…yes. The cook made sure she served his favorite foods and the chauffeur always wanted to know if there was somewhere he wanted to go or something he wanted to do.

  There was nothing other than school and basketball to look forward to until Coop and Dirk entered the picture.

  Matt took a sip of water and remembered the day of the basketball game that changed his life. That game had been no different from all the others. Though a good player, he tolerated the elbow jabs, and accidental shoves that sent him flying. It was the same at every game. Why his fellow teammates hated him, was still a mystery. He minded his own business. He was a good student. Not an excellent one, but good enough to stay on the honor roll. Since the school had rules about name-calling and bullying, the kids hissed their hatred under their breath. He didn’t fight back. It would do no good, as the kids were too smart to get caught.

  Maybe he’d had too much money. Not him, his parents. He was the only one driven to school in a stretch limo. The only one whose parents never showed up for parent-teacher meetings, and the only one who felt so alone. Or so he thought.

  In middle school, after a basketball game where his school played against Coop and Dirk’s, they asked him if he would like to go fishing on the pond at their farm. Matt had never been fishing in his life, but he couldn’t wait to go. The chauffeur went to the nearest store that sold fishing gear and bought him a rod and reel.

  From then until that Saturday, he wondered why they had asked him. It wasn’t until he was a grown man that he found out they had seen how his teammates took every opportunity to trip him up or jab him with an elbow. When he had asked if they had invited him because they felt sorry for him, they laughed and told him they just wanted to know why his teammates mistreated him.

  After that day until he graduated, Matt didn’t care how much he was ignored at his private school because he knew when he left, he would go to the farm and do everything from toss a ball, fish, play computer games, or just plain mess around with his newfound friends. Shorty took him under her wing and treated him no different than Coop or Dirk. Before long, the trio became her boys. To this day that hadn’t changed.

  His life had.

  If not for their love, he had no idea who or what he’d be right now. Rich. Sure. But he could have ended up a hateful, distrustful, and bitter man.

  He wasn’t. He had the love of a wonderful family. Not only from those who took him into their hearts so long ago, but also from the women his brothers had married.

  So what was his problem?

  Why the nightmare now, of all times? And where did Carrie fit in?

  He had lived through nightmares before. When they invaded his waking hours, he had sought help and got it.

  He couldn’t go through that again.

  There was too much on his plate.

  He sat there until the sun barely peeked over the horizon, then went to exercise, take a shower, and get dressed.

  He’d catch his brothers at the dog pens and ask them what Carrie was up to.

  A chill ran through him at the thought of anything happening to her.

  Why was he so concerned when no one else seemed to be?

  Chapter Eight

  It was Saturday all too soon. Why had he waited until the last minute to figure out what he was going to serve at the get-together tonight?

  This wasn’t Matt’s normal mode of operation. He usually had the meal planned and ordered days in advance.

  Not today. He could make the excuse that his mind had been on more important things. But that didn’t wash. As a SEAL, he’d been capable of multi-tasking on a daily basis. Even in the FBI he had no trouble following more than one line of thinking. But here it was mid-morning, and he hadn’t talked to his brothers, and he didn’t have a clue what he was going to serve. He picked up his cell phone and dialed. Lanie answered on the first ring. “You didn’t tell me what you wanted for dessert, so I’m making a huge chocolate sheet cake, and two trifle bowls of banana pudding. Is that all right?”

  “Sounds wonderful.” Even before Lanie became part of the family, she had taken on the task of providing desserts for their Saturday night get-togethers. They were always mouth-watering delicious. “T
hat’s not why I called. I have a problem.”

  “What can I do?”

  “It’s almost eleven o’clock, by five, I should have food ready. The problem is, I haven’t given it a thought. Do you have any idea what I can serve? It will have to be something I can pick up in town.”

  Conroe was just down the road and there were several restaurants to choose from. But right now, he couldn’t think. That crazy dream was imbedded in his brain.

  “I can make a pan of ziti. With a salad and French bread, it would work.”

  “Lanie, I didn’t call so you would volunteer to take on the entire meal. I just need some input.”

  “Coop told me you’re working a big case and you’re worried about the difficulties with your cousin. It’s no wonder you didn’t take care of the meal before now. Leave it to me.”

  “I can’t do that, Lanie.”

  “Just this once, Matt, take me up on my offer. It’s not like you’ve done this before. Let’s just call it an emergency.”

  Matt let out a huge sigh of relief. Coop had won the lottery when he talked Lanie into marrying him. “I’ll pay you.”

  She laughed. “I’ll give you a bill for the ingredients. Take care now, and stop fretting.” She hung up. He should have known Lanie would offer to do the meal. She was that kind of person.

  He walked through the rooms on the lower floor to see what, if anything, needed to be done before the get-together. He had a cleaning woman who came from Conroe twice a month. In between, he took care of things himself. The kitchen would be fine once he put the dishes in the dishwasher. He took a dishtowel, sprayed the countertops and wiped them down. When the granite gleamed, he went to the next room.

  The large living area looked the same as it always did. Two oversized sofas faced each other with two matching wing chairs opposite the fireplace. Since he never used this room, everything was as it should be. Heavy drapes covered the wide windows and let in little sun. He opened them to let in more light and waved a dust wand over the dark mahogany furniture before going to the long room in back where all the action would be.

  The walls were natural beaded wood from floor to ceiling. His brothers had gifted him with a large portrait of themselves with several of their military dogs. Each of the guys had a shit-eating grin on his face. One dog’s teeth were bared. The photographer had probably hightailed it out of there as fast as he could when he was finished.

  Most of the paintings in the living area came from the estate, and were museum quality, but this blown-up photograph of his brothers was his favorite.

  He lined up the tables precisely the way he wanted, made sure the chairs were wiped clean, and surveyed the room. This was the fun room in the house. Though he had a state-of-the-art gym and a media room upstairs, this was the room where the group gathered, ate, and played games.

  After making sure the house passed inspection, he went outside. Late summer in this part of Texas was almost always hot and muggy. This morning, the weather was Texas-nice with a high-seventy-degree temperature and clear skies.

  Everyone would be there later. Which was a good thing. For the first time, he wished they didn’t have the rule that you couldn’t talk shop at the get-togethers. He could use some input.

  His brothers pulled up in Coop’s pickup. They were coming to work on his case. Thank goodness he was finished with the cleanup. Minutes later, they all headed for the attic.

  After spending hours in the attic going through a mountain of papers, they hadn’t found a thing. This could take way too long. Coop and Dirk left to take care of the dogs and get dressed for the gathering. Going downstairs, Matt made ready for his guests.

  Lanie and Shorty were the first to arrive. They dragged in pans full of wonderful-smelling garlic, onions, pasta, and tomato sauce. Then came desserts that made Matt’s mouth water. When everything was inside with paper plates and plastic forks at the ready, he grabbed Lanie and gave her a hug. “How can I ever thank you?”

  Lanie laughed. “It wasn’t that big a deal. Shorty helped.”

  He reached over and gave his mom a hug as well. “The two of you are amazing.”

  “Before you start in on that, ‘I’m going to pay you’ nonsense, here’s the bill for what we spent.” Lanie tucked a piece of paper into the pocket of his nicely starched white shirt. “We’re family, Matt. Sometimes, you seem to forget that.”

  Shorty gave him a look that told him not to argue and turned to talk to the guests who were arriving.

  Lanie laughed when she saw the expression on his face and went to join the others.

  Matt had to admit that at times he did forget. Which didn’t say much for him, did it? When he heard Carrie’s voice, he hurried to the group in the family room. His gaze went straight to her. The feeling of relief that swept through him at the sight of her pretty face was unexpected. She was comfortably dressed in a pair of jeans and a scoop-necked, lightweight, green T-shirt that matched her eyes. A narrow black belt sat slightly below her waist. Her black leather knee-high boots made her look like a runway model. It didn’t matter what the lady wore; she always looked sensational.

  Their eyes locked. Carrie smiled and gave him a little salute. He couldn’t help but smile back. The urge to get close so he could smell her perfume was powerful. Maybe it wasn’t perfume, but it was Carrie’s spring flower scent and he liked it. What was happening to him?

  As host, he made the rounds and welcomed his guests. When everyone was there, he called out, “Is anyone hungry?”

  A loud roar was his answer. “You know where the food is—help yourselves.”

  Which they did. Carrie hung back. The next thing he knew, she was next to him and he was inhaling flowers and sunshine. Her eyes sparkled.

  “Have you made any headway on your case?” He couldn’t help but ask.

  She put a finger to her lips. Lips that all of a sudden looked enticing enough to kiss. He mentally kicked himself. This was Carrie. “Can’t talk shop.”

  “Then stay after, so we can hash over our cases.”

  “It’s a deal.” She gave him a brilliant smile that made his heart turn over before she joined the food line. What was it about the woman today? She wasn’t dressed any different than she was on any other Saturday night. Her jeans were tight. That wasn’t unusual, but tonight they made his mouth water. She looked amazing. And no different from the cute, flirty Carrie he’d been introduced to over three years ago. At that time, she’d been right out of college and had been out of the Army four years. She never talked about that time. Never talked about her past. His brothers called her their mystery employee.

  Matt knew they did a background check on their employees, even their part-time ones. But they had never mentioned what they found. Of course, he hadn’t asked, either. Why would Carrie and her past be important now? Could it be because the present situation made everything about her important—last night’s crazy dream making it even more so?

  He went through the motions—made sure everyone had enough to eat—made sure they knew the desserts were ready, and afterward, with the help of his brothers, cleaned up. It wasn’t long before everyone was settled into his or her favorite game or sitting in a circle talking. As a sad ballad belted from the speakers, he went to join the table where Carrie, Shorty, and Doc Louise, the doctor who had saved Dirk’s life and Coop’s leg in Afghanistan, were sitting.

  “I’m going to clean your clock tonight.” Carrie shuffled the cards with a flourish and dealt. For the next hour he tried to pay attention to the cards, but his mind was on Carrie. She was getting under his skin in a way she never had before. The feeling worried him. By the time they declared the game over and Carrie the winner, his stack of pennies was gone. He had to laugh at the glee on Carrie’s face. It was as if she’d won the lottery.

  “I warned you, Matt.”

  “That you did.” He scooted his chair back. “There’s always next week.”

  She grinned. His heart bumped out of rhythm for a minute. Something it h
ad never done before. He was too young to have heart problems. Besides, he’d had a perfect report at his last physical.

  “Thanks for coming,” he said over and over as his guests left. Coop, Dirk, and their families were the last to leave.

  Coop had Maggie, their sleeping two-year-old baby girl, on his shoulder. Shorty had a bowl of leftover ziti in her hand. Lanie was holding two pieces of chocolate cake, which he knew were for Coop, since it was his favorite. Knowing Lanie, there was another bowl of banana pudding in their fridge.

  He turned to Sky. “Thanks for the chili the other night. It was great.”

  “I’m glad. I can’t seem to make a small amount.”

  “Anytime I can help in that department, just give me a ring.”

  She was laughing as she and Dirk left.

  “Later,” Coop said as he took Maggie to his truck to buckle her in. Though the homestead wasn’t more than a few hundred yards away, Coop would take no chances.

  “How can I thank the two of you?” He pressed a bill in Lanie’s hand. You saved my life.”

  She looked at the bill he gave her. “I’ll get your change to you later. But really, Matt, it was no big deal.”

  Shorty kissed him on the cheek and whispered, “Of course, if you had a woman like your brothers…” She left the rest unsaid.

  “Don’t go there, Shorty. I’m going to be the bachelor in the family.”

  Shorty looked over his shoulder and smiled. “I seriously doubt that.”

  When he shut the door and turned around, Carrie was there. “You wanted to talk?”

  “How about a cup of coffee first?”

  “Works for me.”

  The two went to the kitchen where Matt dumped out the old coffee to make fresh. While it was dripping, Carrie helped herself to a small piece of the chocolate cake. “I’m as bad as Dirk when it comes to Lanie’s desserts.”

  Matt grabbed a bowl and scooped up some of the banana pudding. “I know what you mean.”

  Once the coffee dripped, they each grabbed a mug and finished eating. “Now, tell me what’s going on with your case?” Matt did his best not to look into Carrie’s cat-green eyes, or at her mouth, otherwise he couldn’t look away. What was happening to him? He’d known Carrie a long time and never felt like this before. Was he being overprotective because of his case? If so, why would he want to kiss her?