For Hope

by Jeannette Winters

  “Women like her, they . . . like to flaunt their beauty and tease you. They look at you, and you know what they want.”

  “And what is it they want?” David didn’t want to hear the gory details of what Peckham wanted to do to Jada. He wanted to permanently shut the fucking man up.

  Peckham sat up, holding himself proudly. “A man to take control. They are tired of men who worship the ground they walk on, telling them how beautiful they are and treating them like they are gold. They want to hear the truth. What they are really on this earth for and trust me, it isn’t just to be looked at. Women like Jada want, no need, a man who is not afraid to take what he wants.”

  David’s gut twisted in a knot because he knew what Peckham meant. But it couldn’t be left to interpretation.

  “And you think you’re that man? The one Jada wants?”

  “I know I am. She pretended like she didn’t want me. But when I held her during our brief dance, I could feel her desire for me.” Peckham glared at David and said, “But we were rudely interrupted. That won’t happen next time.”

  You’re not going to see the light of day, never mind touch Jada again.

  “And what were you going to do to Jada?” He was going to need details so the recordings could be handed over to the FBI. Because this was done in multiple states, jurisdiction was tricky.

  “Make her mine for good.”

  “And how do you do that?” David forced his voice to sound less confident. He needed Peckham to feel as though he was the alpha. Not in a million fucking years will you ever be my alpha.

  Peckham looked at him as though he wasn’t sure he could share his savvy moves. David knew he needed to up his game.

  “Dennis, you saw her. The way she dresses and walks, yet she doesn’t give me the time of day.”

  Peckham laughed. “Why is there only one rooster in the henhouse? Is it because he’s the best looking?” David shook his head no, and Peckham smiled. “It’s because he’s the toughest. The one who will do anything to keep his hens in line.”

  “And you have a lot of hens?”

  “More than you can imagine. I make sure they know if they refuse me anything, I will scar them so badly no doctor will ever be able to make them beautiful again.”

  Knowing Jada was on Peckham’s list infuriated him. Intention to do Jada harm was not enough to put this man behind bars. A restraining order wasn’t going to be enough either.

  “David, you need to challenge Peckham. You have to call him out as though you believe he’s all talk and nothing more,” Gabe instructed over the earpiece.

  David knew his job; Gabe had seen him in more difficult situations than this. But Gabe obviously was concerned that David might be too close to the situation to be effective. That sure as hell wasn’t the case. He cared what happened to Jada as a person, but that’s as far as it went. He would go to these lengths for anyone. But Gabe was right about what David’s next move needed to be.

  “Are you telling me you’re that rooster? I don’t believe it.”

  “That is why you will never have women the way I have. They do not respect you the way they do me.”

  “Prove it. How do you make women respect you without them going to the police? One time I yelled at a woman and I spent the night inside of a cell.” If David was questioned by the police regarding that statement, he was able to back it up. The woman was a commanding officer in the Navy, and the cell was actually the brig on the ship that had been transporting them. And as far as yelling, he honestly used profanity in her presence.

  Peckham had no problem trying to show David he was the man when it came to women. The more details he shared, the further Peckham dug his own grave. David listened to Peckham boast about not just smacking women around, but physically tying them down and torturing them into submission. Peckham was more dangerous than any of them had anticipated. How law enforcement hadn’t been able to identify him as a serial abuser was beyond any of them. Each time Peckham paused, David pretended to be in awe, and Peckham ate it up. The man couldn’t shut his mouth once he started talking. It was as though hearing his own voice turned him on. He listed names and places and every detail of what he had done to those women. And it was all caught on tape.

  By the time David finished the interrogation, he was emotionally raw. He thought the people he had encountered overseas were the most evil. He’d been so fucking wrong. Peckham wasn’t just an abuser of women. He had actually choked a few to death. Gabe was listening and crosschecking names with unsolved cases in police databases, confirming names to David. There was no way Peckham had read or heard about these murders as some of the details he had provided were classified. You just sealed your fate.

  “The FBI will be there shortly. I suggest you guys get out of there now,” Gabe advised through the earpiece.

  Bill and his team could hear the conversation as well and nodded in agreement. They were no longer active duty military. As veterans, they were acting on their own, and it would be in everyone’s best interest to keep a low profile.

  Bill tossed David the keys to the SUV and headed out the door with his team to the waiting Limo. David was the one who had already revealed himself to Peckham. It was best that the FBI believed he was the one who had brought Peckham to this location for questioning. With David’s background, they wouldn’t question whether or not he was capable of pulling this off alone. Although, everyone knew the FBI was observant and would notice two sets of tire tracks. But without Peckham to corroborate that anyone else was in this garage, he didn’t believe it would be an issue. The only thing the FBI was going to truly care about was the video backing up everything that had just transpired.

  It would mean David wasn’t going to make it back to Jada right away. But the urgency was no longer there; Jada was safe. His services were no longer required. David had every intention of informing her personally, but that would have to wait. No matter how well they had documented everything, the FBI would have a few choice words for David, as was expected. And Gabe would have edited the recording to remove Jada’s name. They’d do whatever they could to cover their tracks so nothing would lead the FBI in Jada’s direction. It would appear as though David was simply trying to solve one of the murders, and he just happened to stumble upon Peckham.

  Everything was on a need-to-know basis and David at no point doubted the loyalty of Bill and his team. They all wanted one thing right now. To make sure Peckham is put away for good.

  Chapter Seven

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  No matter how many times the man tried to explain that David was preoccupied with something else, it still pissed Jada off. David had demanded that she return immediately to her dressing room, and when she had, he had vanished. If her father was paying him even a nickel for his services, he was overpaid. Although his replacement was pleasant enough, he wasn’t big on conversation. He stood motionless, which drove Jada crazy. When she couldn’t take it anymore and threw him out of the hotel room, he seemed surprised. She assumed David had not informed him of her reluctance to have security around.

  Being alone meant she could relax. It had been too much to have to think about not only what the media was doing, but David as well. She grabbed the newspaper off the coffee table and flipped through it. It was wonderful. Her name and photo didn’t appear anywhere. Although, from a business perspective, that might not be such a good thing. She was thirty-four years old and competing with models much younger. How much longer was she going to be able to keep this pace to keep her name and face well known? She wasn’t so naïve to believe her sponsors weren’t going to think about making a change, keeping it fresh. It was all about selling product. Whether makeup, clothing, or the latest diet fad, Jada currently was a hot commodity, and her opinion was valued about all of it.

  There were times like today she wouldn’t mind if her career slowly slipped away. She had invested her money wisely and could easily retire now. But what else would she do? All she knew was her modeling career. Someone had on
e suggested she become an actress. Jada found that humorous because she was acting all the time already. But what difference did it make if the media sought after her as a model or an actress? Her life would still not be her own.

  That’s truly what she was seeking. That one day she would be able to get up, throw on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, and go out any way she desired. And the only cameras that would ever flash would be those capturing life events, not public events. I’ll need a life first.

  David was so busy trying to contain her, he’d probably hadn’t noticed she was already a prisoner. Not in the physical sense, but her life was controlled by everyone but her. She was surprised people didn’t tell her how to feel. But they would have to care first.

  Jada wasn’t sure why resentment consumed her at the moment. David had let her down, but she had been let down by so many others that she should be able to brush her shoulder off and move on. It wasn’t so easy with him. She had no idea why, but his not being there when she returned to her dressing room had hurt. Jada didn’t think anyone could hurt her any longer; she thought she’d become immune to such feelings. After everything the media had said about her, the many times her name had been dragged through the mud—always suggesting her life was for all to judge—why would anything about David matter to her?

  Because I’m an idiot. Somehow she was attracted to David. Yes, he was a handsome man. And built? She couldn’t close her eyes without picturing what he looked like. When they were at the cabin, David had thought she was sleeping as he’d exited the makeshift shower. She’d watched as he’d removed the towel from his waist, and dried himself from head to toe. Her heart had been racing and her body yearning, but she made sure he didn’t know she was awake and watching. I’ve been around male models for years, but they had nothing on David’s rugged physique. Nothing.

  But it had to be more than his dynamic good looks. She had become immune to physical attraction to the bevy of male models surrounding her weekly. Jada knew that made no sense because she wasn’t blind, and she could appreciate beauty, but it was no different than appreciating a portrait hanging on a wall. Out of sight, out of mind.

  It was her coping mechanism for living in a make-believe world. She had met many nice people on her journeys but was never in one place long enough to actually make friends, not to mention have a lover. Maybe because David would not leave her side, it felt as though there was a bond when there truly wasn’t one. She wouldn’t be alone right now if there were. Alone. Jada chuckled softly to herself. David might not be there, but he still had eyes on her. And I don’t even know who it is.

  If David intended to leave her in someone else’s care, he should have had the courtesy to inform her himself. But that proved she was nothing to him. Jada was tired and knew it was time for a visit with her father. Maybe then everything would be back in sync because, right now, she felt as though she was a newly shaken snow globe, and she had to wait until everything settled again.

  Jada didn’t need David’s permission to change her itinerary. She picked up her cell phone and called her father.

  “Hello, sweet pea. Is everything okay?”

  Her father only called her that when he was worried. She wouldn’t give him any cause to stress any more than he already was. “Yes, Dad, everything is fine. I just finished another show, this one in Miami. It’s so hot down here it’s making me miss home even more.” It was only half true because she loved the heat, and if she had her way she would always be by the ocean. She hoped her father had forgotten that.

  “Then why don’t you come home for a visit? I’m about to make my famous shepherd’s pie.”

  It didn’t matter when she came home, it seemed her father made that every single time. She understood why. It had been her mother’s favorite dish, and her father said he’d made it for her every Sunday afternoon when they were married. Jada had eaten it so many times growing up that you’d think she would’ve grown tired of it, but instead, it felt like a warm blanket wrapping around her each time. Comfort food. So rare in this cutthroat world where every calorie counted.

  “Make it a double, Dad, ’cause I’m going to stay for a few days if that’s okay.”

  “Of course it is. Why don’t you bring your friend with you?”

  Friend? “Who do you mean, Dad?”

  “Mr. Turchetta. Bring him with you. I hear I owe him a debt I can never repay.”

  Her father had no idea what he was talking about. She hated to do this to him, but she had to tell him the truth. “Dad, you owe him nothing. He’s not even here. You hired him to watch me, but instead, he disappeared without a word.” Jada hoped her own disappointment in David’s behavior wasn’t evident. She’d learned the ability to hide her feelings from her father. Even from myself.

  “What do you expect from a man who’s saving your life? Did you want him to stand up in the crowd and scream to the world what his plan was? If so, I never would’ve hired him in the first place.”

  There was no way he knew David’s plan. If so, he would’ve put a stop to her going to the cabin alone with David. But once her father had something set in his mind, there was no changing it. At least not over the phone.

  “Dad, I’m coming home alone this time. Maybe next time . . . next time David can come.”

  “I’m sure he has a lot of loose ends to tie up. The FBI is not always easy to work with.”

  FBI? She felt as though they were not having the same conversation. David had brought on more help, but they surely were not FBI agents. Jada wasn’t sure exactly what they were but she was positive they had served in the military somewhere, somehow. They didn’t say much, and like normal security details she’d dealt with in the past, none of them bragged about their conquests. To her, that meant they were the real thing.

  “Dad, I don’t know where you think David is, but he’s not part of the FBI.”

  “I never said he was.”

  She feared the stress of everything going on with her had started to affect her father, and he was beginning to lose his mind. Nothing he was saying today made any sense. Going home now was more imperative than ever before. “Dad, I’ll be there tonight. Don’t worry about making dinner. I’ll have eaten.”

  “But—”

  “No, Dad. I mean it. I simply want to come home and sleep in my own bed tonight.” And see for myself that you’re okay.

  “Okay, Jada. You know the door is always open.”

  That was no lie. They didn’t even have locks on the door, which had scared the crap out of her when David suggested someone could actually go after her father to get to her. Of course, that can’t be the case since you’re not even worried about me anymore. I guess something more important than my life came up.

  Jada had no idea why she was so bitter about David’s actions. What she did know was that a few days away from him and all this nonsense was exactly what she needed. And Dad wanted me to take David with me. He really can’t be doing well. I never take anyone there. He knows that.

  All she needed to do now was shake her lingering babysitter. That wouldn’t be difficult. After all, he’d left her hotel room. That was great news for her, but somehow she knew David would rip him a new one when he found out. And I’m taking a little trip and not telling any of you.

  Jada wasn’t going to bother packing all her things. She had the hotel room for a few more days and would consider the payment a storage fee. Grabbing her largest purse, she threw a few necessities into the bag and headed out the door. She didn’t call for a limo. Instead, she hailed a taxi to take her directly to the airport. It was a three-hour flight to Boston, then a two-hour drive home. She would get in late, but at least she was keeping her word. She would see her father tonight.

  It was going to be a long and stressful trip. Not because Jada was worried about herself, but because she had no idea what was going on with her father. He was her friend, the one person who had never asked anything of her yet had always been there. He was more than simply a parent. Th
e last two years, her schedule had become so busy that conversations and visits had become shorter and shorter. Now she feared the energy she’d been using to build walls around the rest of the world had somehow built one to blind her to what her father needed most. Time. Me.

  Jada wished she could have slept on the flight to Boston, but it was impossible. There would be no resting until she saw her dad. Even then she wasn’t sure if that wasn’t going to be the beginning of even more worrying.

  She rented a vehicle at the airport for the two-hour drive. When she arrived home, the lights were all on, and her father was standing on the porch, as though he had been waiting for her. She parked the car, grabbed her purse, and practically ran up the path and threw herself into his waiting arms.

  He squeezed her so tightly she could hardly breathe, but she knew her arms were holding him just as snugly. It had been too long. Never again. “I’ve missed you, Dad.”

  “I’ve missed you too, sweet pea.”

  She didn’t want to let go but the air was chilly, especially after leaving Miami. And if her father was sick, she wanted him inside and warm. “Dad, it’s chilly out here; let’s go inside.”

  “Where’s David? I thought he would have come with you.”

  Not again. “Dad, it’s just me today. Maybe next time he’ll come.” Like never.

  As they walked inside the house, her father said, “I really thought he would be here. After everything he did, I can’t believe he’s not here yet.”

  Jada really hoped that was not what they were going to talk about all night. It seemed no matter what, the topic continued to go back to David. This was going to have to be addressed and quickly. She hoped she could bring him back to reality, and then tomorrow she would try to talk him into going to the doctor so they could determine what was going on.