Silver Shield Security Box Set

by Dee Bridgnorth

  Emily Silver sat on the old rocking chair in what used to be the nursery of the old mansion that housed the Silver Shield headquarters. It was the home she had grown up in and she now lived in one of the wings with her mother. She had drawn the blinds and did not bother to put on the light. There was no one home anyway; they were all at the cookout.

  She should have been there as well, but she was just too beaten down to make the effort. She was in a deep, dark, desolate desert…and she must be in a really bad state if she was thinking in alliteration.

  Emily sighed and kicked out with her leg so that the chair began to rock. She wanted to go to a place of total mindlessness where she did not have to think or feel the pain that was searing through her entire being.

  What she needed to do was give up. For the first time since her daughter disappeared over nine years ago, the thought of giving up crossed her mind. The police investigators had given up. Hell, her ex-husband who had fathered her child had given up. And after her trip from Arizona, she was starting to think that maybe they were right. Maybe it was time for her to give up the search. Nine years was a really long time. The trail had gone stone cold.

  But I’m so close...! She could feel it.

  She could feel it, but she could not stop the despair that washed over her. Each time she closed her eyes, she could still see the smiling eyes of her baby. Eyes the same cobalt blue as her father’s, but Emily did not hold it against her. Taylor was vivacious, full of life and mischief. She was also a very sweet little girl, who would be turning seventeen that year. She had missed nine years of her daughter’s life. Nine crucial years.

  Emily felt tears form in her eyes and roll down her cheek. She clutched the arm of the rocking chair, refusing to give in to the desperate need to have a meltdown. It was this way each time she followed a lead that led to a dead end. Like the one that took her to Arizona. She came back raw and torn up and common sense said she needed to stop doing this to herself. But if there was a chance, even one chance that she could find her daughter, she was going to take it.

  Just then her doorbell rang.

  She used a side door that led to her private quarters, and it served as the entrance to her wing. She could still access the Silver Shield offices from her apartment, but generally, she preferred using her own entrance.

  She reached for her phone, which was lying on an ottoman not far from her feet. She slid across the screen to wake it up, then after feeding in her password, tapped on the surveillance app. Through it, she could see who was standing outside her door.

  She groaned when she saw Sierra through the app. She was tempted to ignore her, but knew from experience that the woman was not going to budge an inch until she opened that door. With a sigh, Emily got to her feet and walked slowly to the door.

  Sierra took one look at Emily and drew her into a tight hug. Emily paused, then relaxed and let the warmth emanating from the other woman flow through her. As strange as it sounded, when Sierra stepped back, she felt weirdly comforted.

  “Hey,” Sierra said with a warm smile.

  Emily tried to smile and gave up. She stepped back for Sierra to enter the house then shut the door.

  “Why are you here, Sierra?” she asked tiredly.

  “To see you?”

  Emily arched a brow. “Are you not supposed to be hosting a cookout or something?”

  They were in the living room now and Sierra sank into one of the armchairs with a loud sigh.

  “I didn’t see you and got worried.”

  “I was just tired, that’s all.”

  Sierra gave her a piercing look then her eyes clouded over in sympathy. “Another dead end?” she asked gently.

  Emily nodded.

  “Aww honey, I’m so sorry.”

  Emily took a deep breath and let it out in a shaky sigh. Her eyes felt scratchy and she wanted nothing more than to brawl.

  “Do you think I’m wasting my time, that maybe I should just give up?” she asked suddenly.

  Sierra took a moment to think about it. “What do you feel, here?” She touched a hand to her chest.

  “I feel that if I just keep going…” Emily said in a soft whisper.

  “That you will find her?”

  Emily nodded.

  “I think so too,” Sierra said.

  Emily looked at her in surprise. “Really? You don’t think I’m just setting myself up for failure? I know the guys think so.” She saw it in the way they looked at her, sometimes with pity.

  “No, they don’t, and I don’t think so either,” Sierra denied firmly. “A mother’s heart knows, and if yours says she’s out there, then she is and you will find her someday.”

  Sierra’s words were like a soothing balm on her raw and bleeding heart. She felt a ray of hope as the dark cloud that had surrounded her began to recede.

  “Thanks, Sierra.”

  Sierra flashed her a smile. “You can thank me by coming with me to the cookout.”

  Emily groaned. “Come on, I’m tired and I just want to be by myself. I’d make for lousy company at the moment.”

  “Yeah, well come anyway.”

  But she was shaking her head. The last thing she needed was to see the pitying gazes of her people. She knew they loved her and were there for her, but she needed to get through this period alone.

  “I’m sorry, Si. Today is just not a good day for me.”

  She saw the hurt and disappointment in the other woman’s eyes and felt terrible. But she did not want to be among people at that time.

  She stood up to walk Sierra to the door then paused as she noticed the light in her answering machine blinking.

  “Huh, that’s strange.”

  “What is?” Sierra asked, getting to her feet.

  “The answering machine…I didn’t notice it before now.”

  “Well, have a listen,” Sierra urged.

  Emily walked over to the machine and pressed play.

  “Hey Em, this is Wayne. I’ll be at your place in an hour. We need to talk.”

  She stared at the machine in horror as she listened to the voice of the last person in the world she had any desire to see. She checked the time the call was recorded, that was almost forty minutes ago. How had she missed that?

  She turned to Sierra with a funny smile on her face. “Guess what? Change of plans, I’m coming for that cookout after all.”

  “Yay!” Sierra clapped her hands in delight. “I don’t care if you’re running away from your problems, I’m just grateful to have you there.”

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

  Emily grabbed her purse and a coat and then hustled Sierra to the door. They needed to be out of there before Wayne got to her house.

  They decided to go with Sierra’s car. Emily knew she could always get a ride back with Ryan.

  “I’ve been thinking…”

  She turned to look at Sierra in apprehension.

  “Hey, don’t look at me like that, this is serious!” Sierra said, laughing.

  “You can’t blame me. You always come up with the most extreme ideas.” She would feel sorry for Ace if he wasn’t having the time of his life.

  “Mock me all you want, but this is something I’ve been thinking real hard about.”

  She sounded serious, so Emily paid attention. “What’s up?”

  “I’m thinking that your girl would be over sixteen now, right?” she asked in a hesitant voice.

  Emily understood why Sierra was treading carefully. She usually did not discuss her missing daughter with any of them.

  “She will be seventeen this year,” she said quietly.

  “I don’t know, but I was just thinking, she might have applied for a driver’s license. If you have her fingerprints, couldn’t you get Russ to run a check for you? I’m not even sure if that’s actually a thing, it’s just an idea that crossed my mind…” Her voice trailed off.

  Emily was staring at her in wonder. How had that not occurred to her? In most states, sixteen year old
s were allowed to get an intermediate license. She had no idea what kind of life her little girl had been subjected to all this time, but what if she was in a position to get a license?

  “I’m sorry, it was just a thought,” Sierra mumbled.

  “No, no…it’s brilliant actually! I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.”

  Sierra shot her a glance, a wide smile on her face. “Really?”

  “It’s a long shot, but it’s definitely worth a try. I’ll speak to Russ about it.” If anyone could do this, it was Rusty Rosabelle. Suddenly, Emily could not wait to be at the cookout.

  **

  Hope was having a really good time at the cookout. She liked Rusty’s friends, although the more time she spent with them, the more she could see that they were actually a family. Everyone was nice and friendly and they were so down to earth.

  They had been surprised to see Tamika and her fiancé, Nico. She had seen the joy in Rusty’s eyes when he’d seen his best friend. Even now, they were seated in one corner of the patio, deep in conversation. It made her feel…to be honest, she was not sure how she felt.

  She took a swig from her bottle of beer and looked around her. She liked Ace and Sierra’s house. Well, the back of it anyway. They were on the patio, which was attached to the house. It had a fire pit for barbecue and stuff and a cozy fireplace, which made it warm and comfy. She hadn’t seen Sierra though and when she’d asked, she was told that she went to get Emily.

  She glanced at the men around her, each one yummier than the one before. It was like living in an alternate universe where the men came in three specs. Hot, hotter and hottest.

  “Having a good time?”

  She turned to see Ryan leaning on a pillar with a bottle of beer. She had no idea how long he’d been standing there.

  “Yeah, it’s great.”

  “I was surprised to see you,” he said honestly.

  Hope arched an eyebrow. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Why is that?”

  He walked over to where she was sitting and sank down on the sofa next to her.

  “Well, don’t forget that I was in the night club and saw how things went down between you two.” He gestured to where Rusty was sitting using his beer.

  Hope shrugged. “That’s all in the past.”

  “How magnanimous of you,” Ryan said with a smirk.

  “You would rather I held a grudge?” Hope was intrigued.

  “I would just love to see someone bring that cocky bastard down a peg or two,” he grumbled.

  Hope laughed. “He is cocky, isn’t he? Unfortunately, I’m the wrong woman for the job.”

  He gave her a once-over and said, “Pity,” before drinking his beer.

  “What do you have against him?” she wanted to know.

  Ryan sighed, “Nothing. It’s just, there’s this woman and she’s giving me a hard time now, but she’s worth it.”

  “But Rusty doesn’t think so,” Hope said intuitively.

  Ryan laughed bitterly. “You guessed right. But that’s just him. It’s Keisha I don’t understand.”

  “Keisha, that’s a lovely name.”

  Ryan dropped his empty beer bottle on one of the tables around them then stuck his hands into his pocket.

  “She’s beautiful and sweet. I know she loves me, but she’s asked for time.”

  “You love her.” It was not a question, she could see the emotion in his eyes when he mentioned her name.

  “I do, and her little girl.”

  “Then maybe she just wants to be sure. If she loves you, be there for her and give her the time she needs. She’ll come to you eventually.”

  Ryan gazed at her in thoughtful silence. “You’re not at all what I expected,” he said at last.

  Hope shrugged. She was used to that. For some reason, people had preconceived ideas about her, it didn’t bother her.

  “He hasn’t taken his eyes off you in the last ten minutes you know,” he said.

  “Who? What are you talking about?” Hope frowned at the sudden change in subject.

  Ryan gave her a lopsided smile. “Rusty. He’s looking like he would like to mow me down with a four-wheeler.”

  Hope chuckled in amusement. “I’m sure you’re exaggerating.”

  He just shrugged. “You’re sure you are the wrong woman for the job?”

  She remembered their earlier conversation about taking Rusty down a peg or two. “Damn sure,” she said cheerfully.

  “Too bad. Well, I need to go get some food so I’ll see you later?”

  “Yep.”

  He reached out and brushed her hand with his in an unconsciously affectionate gesture. “Thanks for listening.”

  “Totally my pleasure.”

  She watched him leave with a puzzled look on her face.

  **

  “You really should stop glaring so hard,” Tamika said with a smile.

  Rusty glanced at her and smiled at the mischief dancing in her eyes. Even if he felt very close to murdering that bastard, Ryan, it still felt good to see Tamika so happy.

  “I’m not glaring.”

  “You so were, dude,” she said, taking a sip of hot cocoa. “If you don’t want someone else honing in, you should be there with her.”

  He chose to ignore her as he turned back to glare at Ryan and Hope. They were at the other end of the patio and though it wasn’t such a huge space, they were far enough that he could not hear their conversation. He watched as Hope tilted her head back and smiled at something Ryan said. He wanted to growl. He felt like marching to where they were standing, swinging her over his shoulders and getting the hell out of there.

  “You’ve got it bad, man,” Tamika said with a chuckle.

  Yeah. He had no idea what had come over him, but he knew he did not want Ryan touching Hope like that. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly and focused his attention on Tamika. He took in the glow on her face, the light in her eyes and the cocoa in her cup.

  He gazed at the cup for some time then held her gaze with his, a question in his eyes. As he watched, she broke into a beautiful smile and nodded.

  Rusty couldn’t believe it. He wanted to shout with joy but she placed a finger on her lips.

  “You aren’t kidding? You guys are pregnant?”

  Nico came up to them, snaked an arm around Tamika’s waist and kissed her soundly on the mouth.

  “Yep. It’s why we came down here. She wanted to tell you all in person,” he said, grinning at Tamika.

  Rusty saw the way they looked at each other, with so much love, and felt a pang. He was happy for them. Nico totally adored Tamika and if he didn’t, they would have fixed that. But he also liked the fact that Nico did not belong to the tense world of security operatives, which meant that when Tamika was not on duty, she could really unwind. Still, he could not help wondering if he would ever have what they had. If some woman would gaze at him with so much adoration, the way Tamika was looking at Nico.

  “So when do you intend to make an honest woman out of her?” he asked, fixing a hard stare on Nico.

  “Rusty Rosabelle, please Jesus, tell me he did not just ask that dumb ass question. Don’t answer him, Nico.” Tamika stood with a hand on her waist and glared at Rusty.

  Both men ignored her. Their attention was on each other. Nico smiled at Rusty.

  “It’s another reason why we’re here. We’ve set a date.”

  “Oh shit. I wanted to tell them specially,” Tamika shot a reproachful look at Nico, then she hit Rusty on the arm.

  “Ow, what was that for?”

  “For being a nosy bastard. Now if you still want to have even half a shot with that woman, you better take her something to eat,” she said, gently pushing him towards Hope’s direction.

  “I didn’t say I wanted a shot with her,” he protested.

  “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

  With a sound of disgust, he left the pesky woman and walked to the barbecue stand. He had no idea what Ho
pe wanted to eat, but he figured he could load a plate and they could share.

  With his plate filled with different delicacies, he walked over to her, his heart beating rapidly.

  “Would you like to join me?”

  She turned to him and smiled when she saw the food, then frowned.

  “You expect me to eat all that?” She sounded insulted.

  Rusty sighed, the woman was so prickly and sensitive about her body. “I was hoping we could share.” He sat next to her on the spot Ryan had just vacated.

  She held his gaze for a moment then hers softened. Her face filled with color and she lowered her lashes.

  “Thanks,” she said softly.

  Rusty let out the breath he hadn’t even known he was holding. He felt a strong desire to kiss her and wished he had the freedom to lean forward and close the distance. It was not just about the desire he felt for this woman, he really liked her as a person.

  But he didn’t think she saw him as more than her bodyguard and the man assigned to solve her current problem.

  He looked down at the platter he had carefully placed on his lap and held back a sigh. He had never worked to get a woman’s attention before and he hadn’t thought any woman was worth it. But maybe, just maybe, he was wrong?

  Chapter Thirteen

  Hope glanced at the man seated beside her from beneath her lashes. There was a sort of tense awkwardness between them and she didn’t like it. She looked up with a smile.

  “I like your family.”

  “Yeah? They’re pretty cool,” he said.

  She felt the tension ease from his body with relief.

  “Jared’s the only family I have. It must be nice to have so many people who have your back.”

  Rusty nodded thoughtfully. “I guess they are my family. They’ve been there for me.”

  “Heard from your mother again?”

  The tension was back, this time with a frown on his face. “No.”

  She popped a piece of steak into her mouth and almost moaned with pleasure. It was exactly as she liked it, well-seasoned and well cooked.

  She knew she was pushing it, but while she respected boundaries, it didn’t stop her from pushing them once in a while, particularly when she cared about the person.

  Wait, did she care about Rusty? She didn’t want to examine that thought too closely.