Honoring Lena

by Sara Blackard

  “Will do, but only if you promise to answer the phone with a smile. You’ve been cranky as a bear lately.” He grunted like a grizzly at a bait stand, then laughed. “Love you, Lena. Stay safe.”

  “Love you too.” She stared at the phone as the call ended and the screen turned black.

  Yeah, well, he’d be cranky, too, if he was doing this job. She shoved the phone in her pocket at the lie she was trying to sell herself. The job, though not as dangerous as some of her others, wasn’t so bad. That was, when she didn’t want to strangle her boss. She’d miss Carter more than she cared to admit when this assignment was over.

  She scanned the scenery one last time, cocking her head when she spied Tony at the edge of the yard. He had his wrist up to his mouth, his lips moving. Oh, to be able to go outside and patrol the grounds like Tony and the other guards did. She’d even take the night shift. It’d feel more normal than the nanny business.

  She stepped toward Mr. Rand’s office with a huff. She might not feel like a glorified babysitter if she had a clue what was going on. Her boss’s evasion was over.

  As she approached the open doorway with determination, her hand poised to knock on the frame, she saw him and froze. Marshall Rand stood at the window, his strong shoulders drooped and eyes glassy as he stared across the lake. Grief and regret filled the room, almost pushing her back. He rubbed his hand across his chest like it ached.

  She knew that feeling and clenched her fingers so she wouldn’t touch her own. How could her chest still hurt even though it was empty? It had been two years since Ethan had died. Shouldn’t the pain fade, or was she doomed to live with it forever?

  “Oh, Amara.” Mr. Rand dropped his chin to his chest with a heavy sigh. “What am I going to do?”

  The heaviness in his voice twinged something in her she didn’t understand. Was it empathy? Maybe guilt for being such a jerk to him since she got here. She shook her head and took a step back. She had every reason to not like Mr. Rand. He’d ruined her life, after all. She’d do her job and protect Carter, but that didn’t mean she had to like his father.

  Stepping backward, she planned a retreat. She’d let him sulk in whatever misery he probably deserved. Her stomach soured at the merciless thought. When had her heart turned so black? No one deserved that.

  She inched back another step, hoping Mr. Rand wouldn’t notice her. She had to get out of there. Her skin turned clammy as her pulse picked up. She’d just call Zeke, tell him to find someone else to take this position ASAP.

  Her watch beeped and vibrated, jerking her to a stop. Carter rolled over in his bed, clutching his teddy to his chest and releasing Lena’s breath that had bottled up in her chest. She glanced up, and her gaze collided with the dark blue of Mr. Rand’s. She should have snuck away when she could.

  Five

  Marshall marveled as Lena Rebel’s expression warred with emotion. It was the first time in two months that something other than disdain or flat-out dismissal had crossed her face when in his presence. He knew she had other emotions. He’d witnessed them when he’d spied on her with Carter. Well, not spied, rather supervised. What played across her face now resembled doubt and maybe guilt.

  Lena Rebel didn’t doubt. At least, not that he’d seen. And she’d definitely never expressed remorse around him. Just what had she seen in his expression to cause the unflappable woman to flutter? He turned fully to her, not wanting to think about his perceived weakness.

  “Something wrong? Why aren’t you with Carter?” He used his big boss voice, hoping she’d just leave him in peace to grieve over his failures.

  Lena’s beautiful eyes flashed, and a shiver of awareness raced down Marshall’s spine. He shifted, not comprehending if the reaction was in fear or excitement. His pulse beat like a duck’s wings before taking off—fast and violent. Excitement couldn’t be right. She despised him, and he hadn’t been attracted to anyone since Amara. Never would. So, it must be fear, though the buzz running through him felt nothing like any fear he’d experienced before.

  “Carter’s fine. You’re the one acting like a ground squirrel when the grizzlies come hunting.” Lena stepped into the room and the buzzing skimming along Marshall’s skin intensified and made it hard to concentrate.

  “Did you just call me a squirrel?” Marshall crossed his arms over his chest to ease the discomfort her presence brought.

  “Yes. You’re acting squirrelly, and I need to know why.” She stopped with her feet planted wide, and one perfect brow raised above her dark brown, almost black, eye.

  “Why?” Marshall parroted, and Lena’s eyes rolled.

  After all this time, why did his brain have to go and decide it found Lena Rebel, of all people, attractive? She was the exact opposite of his tenderhearted Amara. Where she was light and vivacious, Lena was hard and callous, unless she interacted with Carter. Her sharp tongue and steely demeanor melted away around his son. The memory of her lyrical voice singing along with Carter’s sent another shiver down his back. This wouldn’t do. Wouldn’t do at all.

  “Yes, why.” She sat in the chair in front of his desk and muttered below her breath, “I thought he was supposed to be smart.” Her quiet comment wasn’t soft enough to escape his notice and shook him out of his stupor. He moved to his seat behind the desk as she continued. “Why are we holed up on the far side of Lake Coeur d’Alene? What made you drop everything and run scared?”

  He sat up straighter as heat filled his chest. He wasn’t running scared. His leaving was well calculated, especially until he could assess the extent of the danger.

  “Yesterday, while at lunch with an investor, I received a message.” Fear chilled his defensive anger just thinking of those words.

  “A Facebook message from a jilted lover? An invitation to go fishing with a long-lost friend?” Lena motioned to the lake outside, her increasing annoyance evident in her voice. “Don’t be obtuse, Mr. Rand.”

  He stifled the grin that threatened at her sharp words. People rarely challenged him anymore, especially employees. When they did, it wasn’t so upfront and in his face. He liked it, more than he cared to admit.

  “Read for yourself.” He pulled the receipt from his back pocket and tossed it across his desk.

  As her eyes scanned the words, her light brown skin paled.

  “The only lover I’ve ever had is buried back home in Kentucky.” Marshall swallowed the grief always skimming under the surface. “I won’t let that happen to the other half of my heart.”

  Lena lifted her gaze to his, and he was shocked to find regret there. Fiery passion pushed the regret away as her chin hardened.

  “They won’t hurt Carter.” Purpose and a promise laced her voice. “As long as I’m alive.”

  They stared at each other across the desk, a sense of camaraderie stretching between them. They may not know each other well. Her underhanded disapproval got on his nerves, and it was obvious she didn’t like him very much. They both loved Carter, though, and that was more than enough to bind them together to keep him safe. Lena shifted and broke their connection by glancing back at the receipt.

  “‘Do what we say.’ What is it they want?” She tossed the paper back toward him.

  “About ten minutes after they slipped me this, I received a text on my private line demanding I stop supplying your friend June with materials for her inventions and that I forget about my push for term limits in the legislature.” He sighed, grabbed the note, meticulously folding it into a square, and placed it back in his pocket. “Basically, stop everything I’m doing or else.”

  “That’s what you’ve been doing in DC?” Lena’s face scrunched in confusion. “But you’re no longer in Congress.”

  “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to see change.” His ego ruffled. He was getting sick of how every word she said caused his defenses to rise. “My term in Congress showed me how having lifetime appointments has denigrated our system, allowing corruption and money to influence lawmaking rather than the good of the pe
ople. If lawmakers only had a limited time in the capitol, then maybe they’d spend less time stuffing bills to appease their money masters and more time representing the people who elected them.”

  Marshall blew out a frustrated huff as Lena’s eyes widened. Why did he always have to get so riled up? He needed to learn how to respond without calling on his best Braveheart persona.

  “Sorry.” He shrugged, laughing at himself. “I get a little passionate.”

  “If this is how you feel, why’d you get out after only one term? Why not stay longer to push change from the inside?”

  Maybe she’d stop shooting daggers his way if she understood him better. He shook his head. He obviously needed a vacation, a retreat, something. His mind hadn’t been this distracted since college. How could he answer without telling the whole truth and exposing his own treason to the citizens he’d sworn to protect?

  “After Amara’s murder, I inherited her family’s company.” He ran his hands along the smooth wood desktop. “I couldn’t do that, raise Carter, and fulfill my congressional duties.”

  “I don’t remember her death being a murder.” Lena’s voice softened, almost like she was shifting blocks of knowledge in her brain so they’d fit right.

  “Officially, it wasn’t. She died in a car crash.” He should have told Zeke that info when Marshall had contacted Stryker for security, but he’d kept the reason for his need for a bodyguard general. Shame had a way of piling secrets.

  Marshall fisted his hand on the desk so he wouldn’t reach into his pocket to finger the paper he’d torn from his wife’s journal. The letter his dear Amara had sent from the grave, detailing the intimidation she’d been under to convince him to vote for the border bill. She’d begged him to forgive her, that she’d only been thinking of Carter, though she knew the bill had issues neither of them agreed with. He’d found the page a week after the bill passed, his yes vote in honor of his deceased wife sealing it into law. In a need to be closer to her, he’d read her journal only to find that his flipping his support for the bill he questioned wasn’t for her, but for some unknown organization that had leveraged Carter for her cooperation. He had kept the paper in his pocket, rereading it anytime he questioned what needed done, so he’d never forget the price of failure again.

  His gaze connected with Lena’s. “But from that threat, it’s obvious my wife’s crash was no accident.”

  Lena didn’t have to know that he’d figured that out two years ago. All she needed to know was that the threat was real, and that her job had just gotten more intense. His leg bounced with the need for action, the need to fix this before it escalated too high for him to contain.

  “I wonder if it’s the same group that attacked June last fall?” Lena bit her bottom lip in concentration. “I’ll contact my team and see what they can find out. Maybe digging into your threats might be what’s needed to blow this whole thing apart.” Lena’s watch beeped, causing her to glance at it and stand. “Carter’s up.”

  She stopped and stared at Marshall. Her gaze bounced between his eyes like she searched for something. Finally, she wetted her lips and swallowed. “Maybe you should come play with him for a while. Since we’re here just hanging out, it might be a good opportunity to get some quality time in with him.”

  He nodded, his throat tight with the implication he didn’t know his son like he should. With the invitation issued, she spun on her heel and marched out of the room. Marshall stared after her until she turned the corner, then he stared at the empty wall as he stuffed whatever attraction he felt for her in a mental box and locked it tight.

  It wasn’t her, per se, which drew him, though there was no denying she was drop-dead gorgeous. It was the stress of the situation and her affection for Carter that had his mind zinging. It was his stupidity to come to this town that had been his and Amara’s first vacation together that had his heart pounding in his chest. He had let the fear of the threat control his emotions and distract him from his focus. It didn’t mean there was actually anything to his sudden pull to Lena.

  Just so his brain never forgot what happened when he didn’t stay sharp, he pulled out Amara’s journal page from his pocket. She’d sacrificed so much to protect their son, and he hadn’t even noticed. The words burned in his heart, searing it anew with a call to action. With his purpose fully restored to the forefront of his mind, he strode down the hall to bond with his son.

  Six

  Marshall squeezed Carter’s hand as they trekked through the city park back to the vehicle. He was glad he’d made the security team leave their phones on the plane and left the pilot with explicit instructions to continue his zigzag across the nation. Because of that, Marshall was confident that a trip into town so Carter could ride the historic carousel would be fine. They had let Carter play on the Fort Sherman Playground, done two rounds on the carousel—since Carter had two favorite horsies and he didn’t want to hurt their feelings—and now they sipped on the fresh-squeezed lemonades they’d gotten from a vendor as they meandered down the shaded sidewalk.

  “Me love going round and round.” Carter jumped, pulling on Marshall’s hand. “Me love horsies.”

  He neighed and galloped around Marshall and Lena in a figure eight, the backpack he’d insisted on wearing bumbling against his back. It had annoyed Marshall at first that Carter wanted to wear his pack everywhere like Lena did. Wasn’t a boy supposed to want to be like his daddy? Carter couldn’t copy anything of Marshall’s but his hurried conversations and quick kisses. He wanted to change that, which made this time even more important to him.

  He glanced around, the presence of his three other bodyguards helping him relax even more into the experience. When was the last time he’d taken Carter out to have fun? Marshall couldn’t remember, and the fact sank hard into his gut. No wonder Lena looked at him with such contempt.

  That would change too. He’d lain awake long into the night thinking about his relationship, or lack of, with his son. He would never honor Amara’s sacrifice if their son barely knew him. He didn’t have to be everywhere at all times. That’s what he had Ed for. Marshall needed to loosen the reins a bit and delegate more. Ed could handle it—would relish it, actually. This time of limited communication would be the perfect test of just how well Ed could run things.

  A man stepped out from the bushes that lined the sidewalk, pulling Marshall’s attention back to the present. He looked like every other person they’d encountered that day, wearing shorts and a T-shirt, and carrying an ice cream in his hand. Something about the way the guy eyed the bodyguard leading the way caused the hair on Marshall’s scalp to rise. He snagged Carter’s hand as he galloped by. Lena’s sucked breath shot Marshall’s gaze to her, where Tony, the head of Marshall’s security, held a gun against her side.

  “Did you honestly think you could escape, Mr. Rand?” Tony smirked, condescension thick in his tone. “Running will only bring more trouble.”

  Marshall pulled Carter against him as his gaze darted to Lena’s. He followed hers as it jumped from the man from the bushes, now pointing a gun at the other bodyguard, and the mirror situation with the third guard that had been trailing behind. At least there was just one traitor among them and not all of them. Marshall returned his attention to Tony and Lena, and stifled his surprise when she winked. She had a plan, and he needed to be ready to act. Four years in the Air Force hadn’t been for nothing, even if he had been just an analyst.

  “Please, I’ll do whatever you want, just let Carter and Elena go.” Marshall put as much pleading in his voice as he could stomach, hoping to buy Lena some time.

  “Daddy?” Carter looked up at Marshall, confusion on his small face.

  “You lost that chance when you decided to run.” Tony tightened his grip on Lena’s arm. “There’s someone who wants to chat.”

  Lena exploded, her arm swinging up and nailing Tony in the Adam’s apple. His eyes bulged as he dropped his gun and clutched his throat. The other two guards followed Lena’s lead a
nd attacked. Marshall lifted Carter into his arms, holding him tightly.

  Lena took off through the park, grabbing Marshall’s arm as she passed, and jerked him with her. He stretched his legs to keep up with her, his daily five-mile run paying off. Carter whimpered against Marshall’s neck and wrapped his tiny arms so tightly Marshall worried he’d choke. Lena dashed just ahead of him, her hand poised over her side where she probably concealed her sidearm. She seemed to know exactly where she was heading, so he kept his focus on planting his feet and holding Carter close. He chanced a glance behind him just as the guy who had stepped into their path burst from the bushes, spotting them an instant later.

  “Lena, they’re coming.” Marshall pushed harder, willing his legs to move faster.

  They emerged from the trees into a parking lot. His harsh breaths and the slapping of their feet on the pavement thundered in his ears. Where was she taking them?

  “Marshall, get ahead of me.” No strain or exhaustion was apparent in her voice as she slowed just enough for him to pass her. “Keep going. Straight ahead, through those trees.”

  He aimed for the trees, hoping refuge waited on the other side. His lungs burned. He obviously had been taking his runs too easy.

  The pop of a small caliber gun caused him to duck and tuck Carter in front of him. Why were they shooting? He couldn’t chat if he was dead. The fear that adrenaline had pushed out of his brain skated back up his spine.

  Lena grunted behind him. Had they shot her? He peeked back just as she spun and took out their pursuers with two clean shots. A thrill of excitement tingled and twisted along the fear. This was insane … and exhilarating.

  He crashed into the trees, covering Carter’s head against the limbs. They emerged at a busy intersection just as the crossing signal beeped. How had she known this was here?