Operation Ginger Avenger

by Heather Rainier

  “Don’t worry, honey. After all this is over, they’ll still be the same men, and you’ll still be the same woman.”

  “You’re right.”

  “I’m more worried about that creeper coming around and scaring you, anyway. You okay? You got kind of quiet and pale.”

  “I’m fine. Just reminding myself that things can change in a heartbeat.”

  Her palpitating heart told her she was also fighting the urge to rush over to the daycare to get Bella, go home, lock the doors and close the drapes, and hide.

  * * * *

  “You had fun at the daycare, didn’t you?” Jessica asked Tank as he helped her into his truck.

  She was so self-sufficient, using the handgrip to pull herself up, but he still gave her a boost, just so he could have the pleasure of helping her.

  He was enjoying the view so much he didn’t realize she was looking over her shoulder. “You enjoying yourself?”

  Of course his face flooded with heat, but he chuckled along with her. “In my defense, it’s a very nice view,” he said as he pulled out the seatbelt catch and placed it in her waiting hand.

  “You’re just lucky I’m not some triggered feminist, berating you for your overt sexist behavior.”

  “Yes, I am, sweetheart. Was that too sexist?”

  “Nope. I enjoy being called sweetheart. This is Texas after all…sugar.”

  He gaped in feigned shock. “I think you just triggered me.” He stood there, smiling like a loon up at her, in no hurry.

  “I’ll be your safe space, Tank.”

  “Careful, you’re gonna trigger something else, with me thinking about your safe spaces.”

  Jessica’s laughter topped off an already great afternoon. She didn’t laugh often, but when she did, it was an all-over body experience, which gave him a sense of accomplishment.

  “You didn’t answer my question,” she said when he climbed in on the driver’s side.

  “What question? My brain fritzed out while staring at your sexy body.”

  “Sexy body? This? Please. No, I asked whether you had fun at the daycare.”

  “Oh yeah, that was a lot of fun. But then I got a look at the daycare’s security system.”

  “What security system?”

  “Exactly. There isn’t one.”

  “Let me guess. You were affronted?”

  “To say the least. I asked the owner about it, and she said that they couldn’t afford a big setup with cameras and sensors, but at least they have a decent protocol in place for emergencies.”

  He looked over and caught her staring at him, an expectant brow raised. “What did you do?”

  “Uh…that depends on exactly what you mean. ‘What did you do?’ is a really broad question, you know.”

  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Today, at the daycare, while you were there, talking about security systems. Is that specific enough? That’s a small privately owned daycare. I like that it’s small. I don’t mind that they don’t have a security system.”

  “That’s where we must agree to differ, darlin’, especially given our current security concerns. I told her I know some guys who could set her up with an in-house system that wouldn’t require any monthly monitoring fees. I talked to Ace and Kemp, and then I called Hank.”

  “You called Hank?”

  “Yes. He said only one daycare that he knows of has a full security system. The rest are independently owned small businesses. He said he’d like to get with Ace and Kemp and talk about installing panic buttons for the daycares, like the one we put in your kitchen last year. You know how security conscious he is. He’d also like to host a security and safety seminar with all the owners and expand on it later to include their workers. Before you say it, because I can already hear you giggling, I know I have a sign on my forehead, okay?” He couldn’t help but grin.

  “You do. And what does your sign say?”

  “It says, ‘Sucker for keeping my girls safe.’”

  “Your forehead isn’t big enough.”

  “I’d also like to put a panic button in your office.”

  “Tank…we’ve talked about this.”

  “Come ooonnn…” he murmured, smiling, knowing she couldn’t deny that cajoling tone.

  “Fine,” she said with a sigh. “But only because the memory of being in such close quarters with that scary creep is still fresh. He had to know I’d figure out who he was, telling me his nickname and leaving me that coin.”

  “I’m pretty sure he did.” In fact, Tank was certain of it. “I think that was his calling card, designed to put you on edge and keep you there so he can enjoy knowing he’s scared you.”

  “Has Brian heard any more from him?”

  “No. But Troy is with him, so I will if he does. I think it’s safe to assume Four Bits knows he came to us. That might’ve been his purpose all along, to maneuver him.”

  Jessica frowned and opened her mouth to say something but then stopped. “Have you ever felt like you were missing something important? I feel like I’ve forgotten something.”

  “Did you turn off your coffee pot? Curling iron?”

  “Both are auto shutoff, thanks to people like me. The iron is unplugged. The oven is off. Maybe it’ll come to me in a bit. So Ace and Kemp are setting the daycare up with a security system. That must cost a pretty penny. If my rates go up—”

  “Don’t worry about that. They won’t because Ace and Kemp are putting the system in at cost, and Troy and I are splitting that amount.”

  “That’s outrageous, Tank. You can’t do stuff like that. It’s too expensive. She’ll be in pre-school starting next year anyway.”

  “Pre-school? She’s a baby.”

  “She’ll be four next summer and more than old enough next fall.”

  “Well, until then, she’ll be attending the most secure daycare in town.” At least until I can finagle Jess into letting us keep Belly-blooper on the ranch with us where she’ll really be safe.

  “Have you heard from your mom lately?” she asked. “I imagine she wants you two home for Thanksgiving, huh?”

  “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. Do you have plans for Thanksgiving?”

  “Not yet. I was thinking about making a small feast for me and Bella and then get an early start online with my Christmas shopping. I made the mistake of telling Lydia that, and she told me that unless I made official plans with you guys, I’m supposed to go to their house for Thanksgiving. She can be bossy when she wants to, you know?”

  “Lydia? Don’t I know it! She shook a spoon at me one time when I forgot to put my plate in the sink after supper one night. But you know she just doesn’t want you to be alone on a holiday.”

  “I wouldn’t. I have Bella.”

  “And now you have me and Troy. We want you to come to Thanksgiving at our parents’ house, with our families.”

  “Families?”

  “Yeah, we grew up next door to each other. Didn’t I tell you?”

  “I think I would’ve remembered that.”

  “What about your family? We could visit your mom if you’d rather?”

  Her halfhearted chuckle held a dryness that spoke volumes. “Thanksgiving in a Las Vegas casino buffet line? Nope.”

  “That’s where your mom is?”

  “As far as I know. I’ve never had a close relationship with my mother. The last I heard from her was a Christmas card with ten dollars tucked inside for Bella, from Las Vegas. She says the holidays are her busiest time, but I think pretty much any time is her busiest time when it comes to family reunions. And I don’t exactly push to make them happen either. At some point Bella will want to know her, I suppose. I wouldn’t mind, but I’m not going to push it. Coming from your background with close-knit family, it must seem strange to you. I’m sorry. “

  Tank shook his head. “You apologize a lot for things you shouldn’t feel sorry for.”

  “Sorry. My doctor says that’s common for people with a history l
ike mine.”

  “Well, with me, you can save your ‘sorries’ for when you really mess up. What were you apologizing for?”

  “I allow people to form the impression that my mother is dead. When my dad left, she had a lot of anger. Since he was no longer around for her to take it out on him, she’d blow up at me. She’d regularly get sick of me and pack me up and drop me off with my grandmother. It got to where my granny got sick of me having to change school districts over and over again, so she moved to be in the same area with us. Then I could come to her house without it requiring an act of congress.”

  “I’m glad your granny was there for you.”

  “Me, too. She was strict with me. Now that I have a child of my own, I understand. I can’t confirm it, but I think she had regrets for the way she raised my mom and she saw me as a chance to make that right. A do-over.”

  “Baby, you’re no one’s do-over.”

  “It’s okay, really. Not everyone is the lovey-dovey sort, but she definitely stood in the gap for me when I needed her.”

  “Was that when you moved in permanently?” He had a hard time envisioning Jessica’s mother giving her up, at any age.

  “Yeah, Mom wanted to move—again. By that time I was sixteen, and my grandmother told her she would fight for custody of me if she had to, but to be honest, Tank, I doubt Mom would’ve fought for custody of me. She gave a paper to my grandmother, signing her parental rights over to her so that Granny could make any medical or legal decisions for me until I turned eighteen. I wasn’t sad to see her leave, and life was peaceful without her blowing in and then raging off like she’d done over and over.”

  “Sounds like she had a temper.”

  “She did. I do, too. She told me so all the time.”

  “You? Please.”

  “Well, in her defense, I was a trying teenager. She told me so in not-so-glowing terms on many occasions.”

  Tank had a hard time picturing her like that, but he also knew trauma changed people. He liked that she’d had spirit back then, a backbone that he was pleased to see more often.

  “When was the last time you saw her?”

  “A few years back.”

  “When your grandmother passed away?”

  “No. When my grandmother died, Mom was working in Las Vegas and couldn’t get the time off to come to the funeral.”

  “What about when you were taken?”

  “I found out after the fact that Bob let her know and kept her up to date, but that she didn’t expect him to ‘go out of his way.’ That she’d hear from me whenever I resurfaced. You have to bear in mind there were periods of my life where no one knew where she was, so it evidently didn’t concern her when he told her I’d disappeared.”

  “Pretty screwed-up thinking.”

  “No lie. Bob contacted her again when I was found, thinking she’d surely want to know what had become of me. She surprised me by actually coming to the hospital in Houston where I was being cared for. By then I knew I was pregnant. When I told her she was going to be a grandmother, she didn’t hesitate. She said to abort ‘it.’ When I refused, she got angry, which surprised me, at least at first, because then she said that I should trust her, that the last thing I’d want was to be responsible for the baby of a man I despised. Tank, I did despise Trevor Dornan, but I never for a second blamed Bella or considered that she’d just be too inconvenient.”

  Tank suspected why the mom would say something like that but kept it to himself until she confirmed the thought. “So her solution was to have an abortion?”

  “According to her, no one would blame me for aborting or giving up a child of rape. Then she looked me in the eye and told me that I’d better not be holding out hope that she’d help me raise ‘it’ just because my grandmother helped raise me. That hadn’t occurred to me at all. She’s the last person I’d ask for help with my child.”

  “I’m happy you made the choice you did.”

  “I told her that the mothering gene might’ve skipped her but it hadn’t passed me by. I was in my twenties, and well settled, all things considered. I knew I could handle it. I’d already been in touch with my employer, and they were thrilled to have me back.”

  “Why did she even bother coming to Houston to see you, I wonder?”

  “Bob was upset when he called her. When she told him that she couldn’t just take off from work without notice, she said he got uppity with her and made her feel bad. She felt judged, and maybe she felt guilty. I don’t know. I assured her I could take care of Bella on my own without help from her. I let her off the hook, which is what she wanted.”

  Tank held back from the need to mention that the woman obviously cared more about what other people—strangers—thought of her than her own daughter. That said a lot to him about the woman’s character. “You think she’s still in Las Vegas?”

  “Yes. We get cards from there every so often. I sent her a picture when Bella was born, with occasional follow-ups, just in case she wants to know about her only grandchild. Maybe it’s dumb, but I figured maybe one day she’d change her mind.”

  “There’s nothing I can say to make up for what happened in your past, Jess. But I can guarantee you, when you meet my family, they will adopt you.”

  She made a noncommittal sound as she smiled at him. She didn’t know what that kind of acceptance would be like, though.

  “I don’t expect you to believe me. Just wait and see, Miss Doubter.”

  “That’s Mizz Doubter, thank you very much.”

  “I see your micro-aggression and raise you a sexist overture,” he said with a wink.

  Ding!

  Jessica looked down at her phone, gasped, squeaked, and then did a little bouncy dance in her seat that made him grin like a fucking loon.

  “EEEEEEEE!” She balled up her fists and shook them like pompoms, and it was impossible not to enjoy the way her breasts bounced and jiggled with her movements. He didn’t care how sexist it was that he noticed.

  “What is it?”

  “EEEEEEEE!” Her face was flushed by this point, and except for the fact that she was smiling, he would’ve worried when he saw the tears in her eyes.

  “Don’t keep me guessing. What is it? Must be good news.”

  “Grace had the baby!”

  “Aw, man, that’s awesome! Did they send pictures?”

  She picked up her phone and held up a finger. “The text message said pictures were coming—oh!” Her lower lip curled out, and she sobbed.

  “What?”

  “It’s a picture of Jack holding her. He’s crying! The message says, ‘Welcome to the world, little Calliope Elizabeth Warner. Born at 3:15 p.m. today.’ Look at that sweet little pink face!” She shoved the camera close so he could see it for a split second before taking it back and squealing as the next picture popped up.

  He pulled into the little parking lot at the daycare and took a few seconds to get a close look at the pictures. Jack looked like he was about to burst with pride in the picture of him holding his little red-faced baby girl. The picture with Grace holding the baby, and Jack, Ethan, and Adam all flushed and shiny-eyed, did a number on his vision. He was so proud for his friends and their sweet wife. He cleared his throat. “Sending all these pictures must be a lot of work.”

  “He just sends them to Charity. She set everyone up in a group text message so she wouldn’t have to send multiple times. See? Everyone is replying now.”

  “I’ll go get Bella. You sit and enjoy the pictures.”

  “Okay,” she replied, nodding, her cheeks still rosy and eyes shiny. “That’s sweet of you.”

  “Sweet’s my middle name,” he murmured as she leaned over and gave him a warm kiss.

  So his chest was a little puffed up as he strode up the sidewalk to the front door of the daycare. Maybe he was imagining doing this on a regular basis. Who could blame him?

  Chapter Eighteen

  Troy adjusted Bella’s pink hat on her little head as she rode in front of him on
Vinnie, the most docile quarter horse the Rockin’ C Ranch owned. That had been Jessica’s one request, that they choose the most laid-back horse for Bella to take her first ride on. He’d wanted to lift the little girl into the saddle and then walk beside her while she held the reins, but one look at Jessica’s face had made him change his mind. They’d take it in baby steps.

  “How you doin’, punkin?” he murmured as he leaned forward to look at Bella. With her rhinestone-encrusted sunglasses, she was quite the little princess fashion plate, and he couldn’t help but love it.

  “I’m awesome, Toy. How come his ears go flappy flap?” she asked, pointing at the horse’s ears and doing a parade wave with her hands.

  “Vinnie’s listening to us talk and listening for other sounds. His hearing keeps us safe. We can also tell if he’s upset or happy by his ears.”

  “Weely?”

  “Of course. See? He turns his ears back toward you because he’s interested in you.”

  “Think he likes little girls?”

  “I’m sure he does. He’s letting you ride him, isn’t he?” Troy looked over at Jessica and grinned. The woman had never been on the back of a horse before, and Tank was sticking close to her. Troy knew that wasn’t just because Tank was concerned for her safety. They’d been orbiting each other since before eating an early supper. When he’d brought the horses up from the stables, there’d been a nearly palpable heat between them, kept at a slow simmer because Bella was still awake.

  Knowing what last night was like, he had every intention of wearing little Bella out with riding so she’d sleep well that night. Then Tank and Jessica wouldn’t have to worry about waking her.

  “How’s the new horsewoman doing?” he asked as he angled Vinnie closer to the other two riders.

  “Uh…I’m okay, I think. He hasn’t bucked me off yet.” She’d been nervous when she’d first climbed onto old Brutus’s saddle, and his ears had twitched for a moment before he’d gone back to nipping at the grass in their front yard.

  Tank chuckled as he watched Jessica, evidently judging how she was doing. “And he’s not going to, either.” He cast a sneaky glance at Troy and pointed toward a break in the trees by the creek and angled his head at it with a grin.