“At the time we didn’t have much to go on, not even a name,” Jake disclosed. “It’s fair to say, we were all more than a little skeptical in Kit’s ability.”
“Imagine, from one reprehensible deed that night, an empire was born that nurtured and condoned murder whenever it suited their purposes simply because two evil women wanted it that way,” Trevor philosophized.
“And it took all of us to bring the evil to its knees,” Reese acknowledged, raising his glass of whiskey in salute. “Here’s to a job well done.”
CHAPTER 26 Book 3
The marine layer and notorious June gloom disappeared only to turn into a simmering, hot July.
The lure of a cookout, the promise of a stellar Fourth of July fireworks display over the San Madrid harbor had brought everyone out to Crandall House once again.
They had a lot to celebrate.
This time, the fear and unease that had dominated the past two months had dissipated. A slew of childhood nightmares had eased. Not altogether, maybe, but enough so that Kit, Baylee and Quinn could began to look forward to a different kind of future, a future minus so much pain and anger.
By ending the evil that began on that hot August night so long ago before they’d ever been born, the three women had turned a corner of sorts.
They could finally take that first step to putting their self-doubts to rest, as well as all those deep-rooted nightmares. Old habits might be difficult to break, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t be done—eventually.
On the last day of June, Baylee said her final goodbye to William Scott. The man had slipped peacefully away without ever getting another chance to say anything more about Sarah Moreland’s death or what part he played in keeping it secret.
Dylan had watched as Baylee stood at his bedside in agony wanting so much for the father she loved to wake up and explain more. But in the end, William kept whatever secrets he held about Jessica and Alana to himself.
Even though she wasn’t sure it was the right thing to do, Baylee decided to bury him next to Sarah, the woman whose memory had haunted him for over two decades. Maybe if there were a resolution in death her father would find it for himself.
At the urging of both Kit and Ben, the next day, John Griffin had turned himself in to the authorities. Later that afternoon, it had been his children who accompanied him to the home of David Foster’s family.
There, John had finally admitted to the boy’s mother and her other children that he had been the one responsible for taking the life of her youngest son that day on Benedict Canyon, a day that had forever sealed John’s commitment to Alana and Jessica. Because after that day, the three of them had entered into a series of evil schemes and wicked acts, each of which, had altered a number of lives thereafter. Their bond had certainly unleashed the chain of events that led to Kit’s growing up tormented by the likes of Alana.
John Griffin’s hearing had been scheduled for August. He was looking at either a year in county lockup or six years in state prison. Either way, he’d have to pay for what he did. Any defense attorney worth his salt though would suggest he plead guilty in exchange for the sentence in county.
Together Kit and Ben stood by their father, but whenever he grumbled, his children would simply remind him he got off light.
Even though the police were skeptical of their story of how exactly the boat blew up, they could find nothing to contradict that version. The Boyd brothers had brought explosives onboard the Sea Warrior from another warehouse they owned and the police later discovered its existence in Thousand Oaks, filled with weapons and all kinds of explosives.
Days later, they officially closed the investigation and went on to other, more pressing, cases.
During that time, Quinn made plans to visit Lisa Redfield’s mother in Santa Barbara and get to know a grandmother she’d last seen at the age of thirteen months. Even though she definitely didn’t remember the woman, she wanted that connection to a part of herself she had never before experienced.
Something about knowing she’d had family less than a hundred miles away made her angry and wanting resolution. It hadn’t been necessary for Quinn to spend all those early years in dirty motel rooms with a heroin addict for a mother. It was all just one more lie to add to a growing list, a list Alana and Jessica personally put together.
Consequently Quinn desperately wanted to get to know Lisa’s mother, sample a small taste of what real family ties might be like, tangible enough to reach out and touch another person who had known Lisa Redfield.
Thanks to numerous long-distance telephone calls she had also assured Nick’s mother in Dublin, a grandmother she remembered only slightly from dreams that she would gladly take the trip over to Ireland for a long visit just as soon as she could manage taking time off.
While Reese, Jake, and Dylan appreciated the fact Trevor had helped put an end to a nagging problem that had spiraled out of control from the beginning and put the women they loved in harm’s way, they also learned something new about themselves.
If they were forced to do it all over again, they could and would cross the line in order to protect the people they loved.
It wasn’t until the first fireworks speared into the night sky and reverberated with pops and blasts that Reese was able to pull Quinn aside and get her alone. “I not only got you back on rotation, I got the hospital to agree there would be nothing noted about what happened in your personnel file.”
“I know and I don’t even have to go before the review board. I already got my notice from Mendenhall I’m back on rotation starting tomorrow, my last free night before insanity.”
“But you wouldn’t have it any other way.”
She grinned. “No, I guess I wouldn’t.” She glanced over at Nick Tyler sitting in a circle of lawn chairs, deep in conversation with her friends. “Would you look at him? I can’t seem to get him to leave.” She laughed. “He might be here a while. He’s even making plans to go on rounds with me as soon as I give him the go ahead, especially to visit the pediatric cancer ward and visit those who are going through chemo.”
“I heard he agreed to donate a substantial amount to the brand-new children’s wing at the hospital. Besides, I don’t think you really want him to go anywhere.”
Her smile grew wider. “No. It really is nothing short of amazing to have him in my life now. My father, who knew? I didn’t think it was possible to stop hating him, to let go of all that anger. I owe that to you for pushing me, for making me take that step.”
“You’d have gotten there one day.”
“No, Reese, I don’t think I would have. And to know my mother had this incredible talent as an artist is—inconceivable. She wasn’t a drug addict, but a sweet-natured artistic type that happened to trust the wrong people. It’s amazing, isn’t it? After all these years, Kit gets a mother and has her father back in her life.” She glanced over at Gloria and Trevor. “She might even have a new stepfather soon. It seems the only one of us who loses is Baylee. She lost her father and her mother all over again.”
“She held up well at the service for both of them. With you and Kit for support, she’ll do just fine.”
“She will. And let’s not forget Dylan. He really is this remarkable source of energy for her. We all need that.”
Reese toyed with a few strands of her hair as he brought her closer. Picking up her hand, he kissed the palm. “We make a pretty good team, too, Tyler, or haven’t you noticed?”
Wary, she inched back to look up into those gray eyes, so cool, so calm. “I’ve noticed. It scares me. The only team I’ve ever been a part of for any length of time is what I’ve had with Kit and Baylee. We both know that isn’t the same thing, Reese. I don’t do well in relationships. I’ve never had one.”
“So you want to go on like we have been? Nothing serious, just hitting the sheets.”
She tightened her jaw. “I don’t see why not.”
“I would agree with that, except for one little thing.”
&n
bsp; “What’s that?” She was afraid she already knew. In spite of the fear tightening her stomach muscles she really wanted to hear him say it, hoped like a kid at Christmas he’d use the L word first.
“I’m in love with you.” His arm snatched her around the waist, bringing her up to eye level. “I want you to marry me, Tyler. I want the whole package.”
She whooshed out a breath. “Good, because I’m in love with you right back.” She grabbed him by his shirt. “The question first and foremost on my mind, though, is that little striptease you did just a one-time deal, or do I get that anytime I want?”
He nibbled her ear. “Why don’t you come with me and find out?”
“Hmm.” She nipped his lower lip, breathed in the night air. It was time to risk even more. “Okay, but what would you say to a couple of kids down the road, once I get my clinic up and going, that is?”
“I’d say I’m a very lucky man.”
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Promise Cove
The first book in the Pelican Pointe Series
Promise Cove
Prologue
One year earlier
Twenty miles southeast of Baghdad
The combat post was rural, more like a farming community stuck out in the boonies. The roads were primarily unpaved, dusty twenty-four / seven, and at the moment littered with burned-out equipment. The convoy they were riding in was going a sluggish twenty-five miles an hour in a hundred-twenty-degree heat. There was no AC, no hope of grabbing an artery-clogging, delicious-tasting, fast food burger with a pile of over-salty fries, or even indulging in an after-duty dip in a cool, sparkling blue swimming pool.
Because this particular stretch of road had seen its fair share of hostile action the past couple of days the entire unit had to be extra vigilant.
As they made their way up a rise, a grove of palm trees came into view. The wind picked up causing the fronds of the trees to bend and sway. The hot, arid breeze kicked up the loose grit, causing the tiny grains of sand to become airborne and burrow in and under any exposed pore and crevice of skin it could find. A thick layer of sand stuck to their faces, to their uniforms, and their weapons. Homemade masks made from scarves and bandanas hid their sweaty faces and did little to protect them from the elements.
Dressed in full combat gear, the stifling heat inside the Hummer caused perspiration to pool down their backs. The prospect of a hot shower, a mere dream in the back of everyone’s mind, was as far off at the moment as the idea of ever getting to go home.
But even in a war zone confined in the cramped space of the Humvee, the soldiers did their best to make light of their predicament by laughing and cracking jokes. Sitting in the back seat, two officers kept up a steady stream of chatter. At least one did. Glancing up briefly when another new barrage of sand hit the windshield, Captain Scott Phillips barely noticed as he yanked the bandana from around his mouth so he could talk. And the Captain loved to talk, especially any bit of conversation that crept into his head that had anything to do with his wife, Jordan, and their baby daughter, Hutton, a daughter he had yet to lay eyes on firsthand or even hold.
As had become his habit, 1st Lt. Nick Harris listened as patiently as he could. What else was he going to do in such close quarters but listen to the Captain’s long-winded stories about home? Nick indulged him, not only because he was a captive audience but because, like most everyone in the unit, he genuinely liked Scott. The men who served under Phillips liked the no-nonsense way he ran his unit, liked the man who could routinely go from all-business to light-hearted in the blink of an eye.
And light-hearted usually meant Scott kept up a non-stop dialogue about his family back home. After spending a year of active duty with the guy, Nick felt certain he knew every nuance about the man’s personal life. There wasn’t much info Scott held back or didn’t share. When it came to his wife and newborn daughter, the man simply refused to shut up.
On the surface the two men had little in common. Scott was blissfully married while Nick, unattached, single and happy about it had a bevy of women waiting for him back in Los Angeles. But despite their differences, Nick’s affection for the guy overrode any annoyance over knowing every detail Scott chose to share. It seemed to Nick, Scott’s family life back home in California was an open book, which made him long ago accept the fact that Scott just liked to talk. Period.
Nick watched as Scott tapped his flak jacket and reminded, “I promised Jordan I’d wear this thing 24/7 as long as I’m over here. I didn’t have the heart to tell her it won’t do a damn thing to stop an IED.”
“There’s no stopping an IED,” Nick agreed amicably.
“When we get out of this mess promise me you’ll come to Pelican Pointe for a visit, meet Jordan and the baby.”
Here it comes, thought Nick as he shook his head, Scott crowing once again about his hometown and the people in it. Nick responded the way he always did whenever Scott mentioned Pelican Pointe, he made some smart-ass comment, making sure to insult the Captain’s small town in a good-natured, guy kind of way. “Now why would I want to spend time in a Podunk town that sounds like a bird sanctuary? I’m a big city kind of guy, Captain. I’d go nuts in a small town. Besides, small towns are cliquish.”
“Pelican Pointe’s different.”
“I doubt that. Everybody knows your business in a small town.”
“When we get out of this mess, you come for a visit. I guarantee you’ll see for yourself what a great place it is, how great the people are. They’d do anything for you, Nick.” Without taking a breath, Scott went on, “God, I sure miss Jordan. And I haven’t even laid eyes on Hutton. I wish I’d been there the day she was born. I hate it Jordan had to go through childbirth without me. She’s almost five months old, can you believe it?”
“How does it feel to be a dad?” Nick didn’t have a clue about being a father, but it seemed the right thing to say at times like this when Scott got that distant look on his face, that wistful gaze in his eye, the look that said he was homesick and wanted nothing more than to get back home to his family.
“Being a father is great, I think. I’d like to be able to hold her though, you know. Pictures aren’t the same thing. You ever thought of having kids, Nick?”
A panicked look crossed his face. “Hell no. I can’t even see myself married.”
“Marriage is exactly what you need. Might settle you down.”
Nick couldn’t imagine it. “Marriage would be like a rock around my neck. Too many sweet things out there in the proverbial sea I haven’t sampled yet.” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down.
“Get yourself in trouble is what you’re gonna do. You need to think about finding that special someone. If you ever found a woman like Jordan, you’d change your mind in a heartbeat.”
Before Nick could argue, he heard the sound of a rocket blast pierce the air.
Someone yelled, “Look out, incoming!”
Nick heard an explosion, saw a blast of fire, and then a wave of smoke surrounded the vehicle so thick, he could barely see or breathe anything but fire and heat. Soldiers started running toward the lead Hummer. He heard more yelling. His lungs burned.
“Go. Go. Go!” someone shouted.
Chaos reigned as Nick watched the Humvee just ahead of theirs disinteg
rate into pieces. He saw burned metal fly through the air before he realized it wasn’t the lead Hummer at all. He turned to where Scott had sat beside him and saw his buddy’s face twisted in pain. Nick heard screaming.
“Promise me, Nick…”
Don't miss these other exciting titles by bestselling author
Vickie McKeehan
The Pelican Pointe Series
PROMISE COVE
HIDDEN MOON BAY
DANCING TIDES
LIGHTHOUSE REEF
STARLIGHT DUNES
LAST CHANCE HARBOR
SEA GLASS COTTAGE
LAVENDER BEACH
SANDCASTLES UNDER THE CHRISTMAS MOON
BENEATH WINTER SAND
The Evil Secrets Trilogy
JUST EVIL Book One
DEEPER EVIL Book Two
ENDING EVIL Book Three
The Skye Cree Novels
THE BONES OF OTHERS
THE BONES WILL TELL
THE BOX OF BONES
HIS GARDEN OF BONES
TRUTH IN THE BONES
The Indigo Brothers Trilogy
INDIGO FIRE
INDIGO HEAT
INDIGO JUSTICE
INDIGO BROTHERS TRILOGY BOXED SET
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vickie McKeehan is the author of twenty-two novels.
She makes her home in Southern California.
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Evil Secrets Trilogy Boxed Set Page 106
