by Elicia Hyder
He knelt down in front of her and cupped her jaw in his strong hand. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m never going to let anything happen to you. I can promise you that.”
· · ·
After Marcus confirmed that the grocery store was clear of anyone from the Drake family, he strapped on his Glock 22 .40 caliber and escorted his wife and daughter to the grocery store and her parents’ house. Recently, he had a growing suspicion that Emerson’s biggest drug dealer was back in town, and Journey’s encounter with him confirmed it.
Brian Drake was being investigated by the DEA for heroin trafficking. There had been two overdose deaths in their small town so far that summer. Being that Emerson was between Atlanta and the coast, the federal government was anxious to find out the connection. Now that Brian had personally confronted his wife, Marcus was anxious as well.
Marcus knew better than to underestimate Brian, and he took all of the precautions he could through the police department. As soon as Marcus had made the initial phone call into the station, several groups of officers immediately began to search. A few, including Curtis, went to work on their day off. He also increased patrols near their home and planned to alert their closest neighbors to be aware of any suspicious activity. Everyone in his department immediately made capturing Brian Drake a top priority.
Once Marcus and Journey got home after dinner at her parents’, and he did a thorough sweep around their house to ensure it was safe, he led Journey to their bedroom. He took Genna, who was sleeping peacefully in her arms, and laid her in the center of their king sized bed. He positioned pillows around her to keep her from rolling.
“Come with me,” he said and pulled open the door to their huge master closet. He had designed the closet to be able to house his gun collection. He opened the first of two safes and searched for a moment before locating the Taurus Millennium G2 he had purchased for Journey when they got married.
She backed up a couple of steps. “Oh no,” she said, shaking her head.
He removed the clip, locked the slide to the rear, and checked the chamber and magazine well. “I don’t care what you say, Journey. You’re going to start carrying this for a while.”
She let out an exasperated puff. “And where am I supposed to carry it, Marcus? In the diaper bag between the formula and the butt rash cream?”
He scowled. “You can carry it taped to your forehead for all I care, but you are going to keep it with you at all times till we lock him up.”
“You know how much I hate this.” She carefully took the small handgun and kept it pointed safely away from them.
He folded his arms across his chest. “Tell me. Would you have been quite the disaster today if you had known you could blow his head off if it were absolutely necessary?”
She didn’t answer.
Journey could outshoot some of the guys on the police force, and she had agreed, at his insistence, to get her concealed carry permit when he bought her the gun. However, much to his dismay, her gun stayed locked in the safe if they weren’t behind the house shooting at targets.
He slipped his hand behind her neck and pulled her in for a soft kiss. He rested his forehead against hers. “Do it for me?” he asked, stroking the soft skin of her neck with his thumb.
She nodded, and he pulled back to examine her eyes. She was wearing a green top, which always brought out green in her golden eyes. Perhaps it was because Marcus was from a broken home, or maybe it was because he had spent so many years trying not to fall in love with her, but he actually ached with love for his wife. Her unfortunate rendezvous that day probably scared him more than it even scared her.
He kissed her again and cradled her face with both hands. Her nails pressed into his right side as he slid his hand down her arm and took the gun from her. He rested it on top of the safe before pressing into her body again. Her hands pushed his shirt up over his stomach, and her nails scraped down his bare skin causing him to shudder. He grasped her ponytail and released the band from her hair, letting it fall down around her shoulders. He ran his fingers through it and pulled her to his lips again.
And then there was a soft cry from the bedroom.
He groaned, and she covered his mouth. “Shhhh…” She silently laughed. “Maybe she will go back to sleep.”
He squeezed her hipbones and waited before he got himself any more worked up than he already was. Sure enough, loud cries erupted from their bed. He closed his eyes and let out a slow, deep breath. “Damn,” he growled.
“Nature’s birth control,” Journey laughed as he followed her out of the closet.
He leaned in the doorway to watch his wife crawl onto the bed and scoop up his baby girl into her arms. She kissed Genna’s face. “What are you crying about?” she cooed at her.
He smiled as their daughter nuzzled into her mama’s chest. “Want me to get a bottle?” he asked after a moment.
“Please,” she replied. “And her jammies from the diaper bag.”
The diaper bag was at the bedroom door. He retrieved the pajamas and the bottle of water and powdered formula dispenser. As Journey changed Genna into a pair of purple pajamas, he mixed up her bedtime bottle. “Want me to feed her?” he asked.
“You can if you want to,” she said.
He held out his arms, and Journey placed the baby in his care. He kicked off his shoes and sat back against the pillows. Journey stretched out next to him as he offered Genna the bottle. Genna’s sleepy eyes were fixed on his as she opened her mouth. He smiled, and Journey rested her head against his bicep. She was playing with Genna’s finger, and Marcus noticed her fingernails were painted black. He smiled.
“I’ll carry the gun,” she said after a little while.
He nodded. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “We can get some shooting practice in tomorrow before I go into work.”
“I wonder if they make diaper bags with built-in holsters,” she said.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t be surprised. Honestly, I would rather you carry it on your body for at least a little while. We could get you a concealed waistband holster.”
She sat up a little and looked at him. “Or a thigh holster or one of those new bra ones,” she suggested.
He pressed his eyes closed and groaned a little. “Please don’t talk about that right now. I’m having a hard enough time as it is, if you know what I mean.”
She giggled and pushed herself up. “While you feed her, I’m going to get my pajamas on.”
He looked at her seriously. “Either you wait until she falls asleep and I put her in her room, or you go change in the damn bathroom with the door closed.” He laughed. “I mean it woman.”
She laughed also and looked at him for a moment. Finally, she leaned over and kissed his lips. “I think I’ll wait.”
14
Ghosts
Marcus picked out the plot of land where he built his house for a few very specific reasons. At the top of the list was that it was outside of city limits. That meant lower taxes and less restrictions on what he could do on his private property. One of those benefits included not having to worry about strict firearm discharge laws. He could hunt and target shoot on his own property without interference from the city. Their secluded, wooded property line backed up to absolutely nothing, so Marcus built his own portable shooting range out of plywood and two-by-fours.
As promised, the next morning Marcus set up the targets in the backyard for some shooting practice. Twenty-five yards away, he set up a folding table and prepared the pistols and two spare magazines for each. He set out an extra box of ammunition as well; he knew how competitive practice shooting with his wife would probably become.
When Journey laid Genna down for a nap in her crib, she came outside with a ball cap and sunglasses on. She carried the baby monitor in her hand. When she reached Marcus, he took the monitor and clipped it to his utility belt. Watching him, Journey doubled over laughing.
“What?” he asked.
She
giggled and kissed him. “Nothing, baby. You’re just such a good daddy.” She pulled out her cell phone and took a picture of him, still snickering. “That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Shut up,” he said and stuck up his middle finger.
She laughed and tucked the phone back into her pocket. He watched as she picked up a pair of ear protectors and slipped them on before picking up her handgun. She was wearing jeans and a white halter top. As she slipped a magazine into the well and chambered a round, it was all he could do to not grab her. Watching her handle a firearm was one of the sexiest things he had ever seen.
Her triceps flexed as she raised the gun, aimed, and pulled the trigger. The target board shook with fury as she emptied her clip. She dropped the empty magazine out, checked the chamber, and placed the Taurus back onto the table. She held up her empty hands. “Your turn.” She smiled, daring him to compete.
He laughed and put on his hearing protection. He picked up his Glock and chambered a bullet. “Are you ready to lose that grin?” he asked before firing one continuous round after another.
She was clapping when he removed his ear protectors. He checked his pistol before laying it down beside hers. “Not bad, Officer Garrett.”
“Detective Garrett,” he corrected her.
She bowed to him dramatically. “Excuse me, Detective.”
He charged toward her like a linebacker and grabbed her around the thighs. He tossed her over his shoulder and smacked her on the butt. She kicked and screamed as he carried her across the yard to the targets. He surveyed the impact spots from their bullets before setting her down. “Maybe someday, you’ll be able to shoot like a pro, but you’re not there yet,” he teased, showing her how the majority of his shots hit the two inner circles center of his target.
She examined both targets before placing a finger near a stray bullet hole on the plywood. “And is this a pro’s shot right here?” she asked, pulling her sunglasses down to the tip of her nose and flashing her eyes up at him.
“That’s yours,” he insisted.
She jerked up straight, letting her ponytail fly back into place. She pointed at him. “Lies!” she shouted.
He laughed, knowing he had missed the target altogether on at least one of his shots. He shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t want you to feel too bad about yourself.”
She kicked him in the shin, and he winced.
“Wanna go again?” he asked.
She repositioned her sunglasses. “Heck yeah, I do!”
An hour later, they were out of ammo, and it was time for him to go into work. She helped him clean up the yard before he went inside to get dressed. As he was changing clothes, she walked in carrying Genna in her arms. “Look who woke up just in time to tell Daddy to have a good day at work.” She bounced the baby on her hip.
He finished strapping on his tactical belt before reaching out and tickling Genna’s hand. “Hey, sweet girl.”
“Da, da, da, da,” she sputtered.
He loved that sound.
He leaned over and kissed her and then kissed his wife. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”
She followed him to the refrigerator in the kitchen. He tapped the list that he had hung up with a magnet just above the ice dispenser. “This is the schedule of the patrol officers that will be coming through here. These are the officers’ names and their cell phone numbers. If you have any problems, or see anything weird, call them directly. Don’t waste time trying to call dispatch.”
She nodded. “Thanks for doing that, honey. It makes me feel better.”
He reached for her hand. “I can take the night off if you want me to. I can get someone to pick up my shift.”
She squeezed his fingers. “No, don’t do that. We’ll be OK. I know you’ll come running if we have any problems. I want you to go in and find that jerk.”
He nodded. “Well, if you change your mind, just call me. Making sure you feel safe is the most important thing to me.”
She kissed his lips. “I know.”
“What are you going to do tonight?” he asked while he opened the refrigerator to pull out some leftovers to take for dinner.
She retrieved his lunchbox from the pantry. “Kara is going to come over for dinner. We’ll probably watch some movies or something.”
“Good. I’ll feel better if you’re not here alone,” he said.
Outside, a car’s horn sounded in the driveway. “I’ll bet that’s her now.”
· · ·
Kara walked into the house without knocking. “Hello, hello!” she called from the foyer.
“In the kitchen,” Journey answered as she helped Marcus pack his meal for dinner.
Kara came in wearing a navy velour sweat suit and tennis shoes. “There’s my favorite godchild!” She took Genna from Journey and kissed her face.
“Godchild?” Marcus asked, catching Journey’s eye. “Are we Catholic now?”
Journey just laughed and shook her head. She pulled some frozen ground beef out of the freezer and placed it in the stainless steel sink. “How does baked spaghetti sound for dinner?” she asked Kara.
“Perfect,” Kara replied. She danced around the dining room table and sang to the baby.
Marcus leaned over and kissed Journey on the lips. “I’ve gotta go. I love you.”
“Love you, too. Be careful,” she said.
He pointed at Kara. “You, try not to corrupt my family while I’m gone.”
Kara laughed. “Corrupt your family? You’re married to Journey, and you’re worried about me?”
Journey threw a dish towel at her. “Hey!”
Marcus laughed. “You know she has a point.”
“You go to work!” Journey barked at him.
“I’ll be off at ten,” he called from the doorway.
When he was gone, Kara pulled out a seat at the breakfast table. “OK, what happened yesterday?”
Journey retrieved two Diet Cokes from the refrigerator and sat down. She told Kara the whole story about seeing Brian Drake the day before.
“Are you going to press charges?” Kara asked.
Genna shoved her fist into her mouth and drooled onto Kara’s lap. Journey got up and handed Kara a paper towel. “No. He didn’t actually threaten me. Marcus is looking for him though. He has a warrant out on him.” She peeled a banana and smashed it up in a bowl.
“I’ll bet Marcus was furious,” Kara said.
Journey carried the bowl and the spoon back to the table. “Oh yeah, he was,” she answered, offering Genna a spoonful of bananas.
“Wasn’t Steven eligible for parole a while back?” Kara asked.
Journey nodded. “Yeah, but Marcus heard it was denied because he assaulted a deputy.”
Kara looked surprised. “Assaulted a deputy?”
“I was kinda shocked too, but Marcus said it was pretty common. Like, probably some kind of initiation thing for getting in with white supremacists in order to get protection in prison.”
Kara thought for a moment. “But wasn’t he only sentenced for four years? Shouldn’t he be getting out soon?”
The thought alone made Journey shudder. “I’m not sure, but it seems like you might be right.”
Kara thought for a moment. “Would he serve four years from when he was arrested or from when he was sentenced?”
“I’m pretty sure that all the time he spent in jail would count toward his time served,” Journey said.
“He was convicted in June of 2000, right?” Kara asked.
Journey nodded and did the math in her head. She swallowed hard. “That means he should be out already.”
Kara frowned. “That’s not good. Are you worried about it?”
Journey pondered the question for a long moment. “Well, I’m sure he’s not out or I would’ve already heard about it. I’m not thrilled about him being released, but I don’t think I’m exactly worried either. I mean, I don’t think he would try and come after me. Hopefully after spending
four years in prison, the last thing he would want to do is risk going back, right?”
Kara shrugged and pushed her hair back off her shoulder. “That is the point of prison, I guess. She didn’t sound convinced.
“Besides, even if he did want to hurt me, Marcus would kill him,” Journey added.
Kara nodded. “And Marcus will certainly keep an eye on him when he gets out and will make sure he doesn’t put a toe out of line.”
Genna sputtered bananas at Journey. “You little stinker.” She laughed and wiped the baby’s mouth and then the front of her shirt.
“So, what else is new with you?” Kara asked.
Journey rolled her eyes. “Marcus brought home a new toy yesterday.”
Kara laughed. “A new assault rifle?”
“Close,” Journey said. “A computer. He signed us up for Internet service and everything. I may never see him again.”
Kara laughed loudly. “Look at you finally catching up with the rest of the universe! I’m so proud of you both!”.
Journey rolled her eyes. “Shut up.”
“You’re going to start text messaging soon. I can feel it.”
“Whatever,” Journey said.
“Where is the computer? I want to see what he got,” she said.
“It’s in the office. I’m going to go change Genna’s outfit if you want to go figure out how to turn it on.”
Kara rose from the table and cuddled the baby to her chest. “No way. I wanna change her. You go and boot it up.”
Journey laughed. “OK. She probably needs a new diaper too.”
Kara held Genna up in the air. “Aunt Kara can handle it. Isn’t that right, baby girl?”
“Don’t give her cigarettes and alcohol while I’m not watching,” Journey teased.
Kara chuckled as she started up the steps. “I’ll save my bad influences on your daughter till she’s at least sixteen.”
“You’d better not let her Daddy hear you ever say that,” Journey said.
She walked into the office and flipped the light on. After a few seconds of searching, she located the power button on the computer and pressed it. Melodic bells played as it booted up. A picture of the New England Patriot’s logo came up on the screen and small icons hovered over it. There was a button that said ‘Mail’, and she clicked on it. There were two inboxes: one for ‘det.garrett’ and one for ‘journey.garrett.’ She clicked on her name. There were no new messages, but Marcus had added a few contacts for her, like her mom and her sister.
