Page 38

Chapter 37

Tossing salads

Big Al

A week later - Climax, Georgia

J onesy folds his large frame into the driver’s seat of the SUV, grumbling under his breath. “It’s muggy as fuck here.”

As soon as he starts the ignition, I mash the Max A/C button. “Didn’t realize how much I’d miss the sea breeze.”

“Don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone, huh?” He clicks his tongue, shaking his head despondently. “Story of my fucking life.”

I’m tempted to prompt him to talk about whatever’s bothering him—it’s clear he’s not enjoying our trip to this Podunk town. However, I let it simmer for now. It might sound selfish, but I have my own fucking emotional shit to deal with tonight.

Junior jumps into the back seat, rounding out our trio.

I crane my neck to look at him. “You ready, kid?”

He lightly taps the back of my seat. “Let’s do this.”

We pull out of the parking lot, leaving the rest of our contingent behind at the hotel.

And no, that term isn’t an exaggeration. We’ve assembled a small army of people for this brief trip to my daughter’s hometown. With the Lenkov threat hanging over our heads, I’m taking no chances.

I reserved a block of rooms, all of them clustered together. The hotel seems safe enough. Even with the festival in town, it’s not too crowded, so the number of people coming and going is minimal. And I brought enough guards with us for around-the-clock protection.

Although this trip was primarily for Lettie and me, the passenger list got bloated awfully fast.

Maddie asked to come so she could support me and be here for any fallout Lettie might experience after confronting her grandmother. They’ve become quite close since being stuck under the same roof. I love how everyone has accepted my daughter into the fold. It’s like she was meant to be here.

At first, I shot Maddie down, preferring to keep her safe at HQ. Then the idea of being a state away from her started eating at my insides. I’d rather keep her near and protect her myself.

Once Maddie was on the manifest, Leo insisted on traveling with us for extra protection, which meant Sue was also coming.

I can’t blame them for wanting to turn this into some type of unconventional vacation. We’ve all been going a little stir-crazy, even Sue, who never wants to go anywhere. That’s how you know it’s gotten bad.

I sent Junior, Josh, and Scotty on a commercial flight two days ago so they could scout the area to get things prepped for our arrival, secure the hotel, and so forth. Jonesy and Aaron traveled with us on a chartered plane yesterday, along with Lettie, Tomer, Maddie, Leo, and Sue.

Thankfully, Lettie’s friend Stella also made the trip after deciding to return home. It’ll be nice to have Jonesy back in the usual rotation.

However, now that I’m chewing on this, I wonder if he’s concerned about leaving Stella unprotected here in Climax when we fly home tomorrow. It isn’t unusual for a guard to become attached to a charge when they’re protecting them. You spend so much time and effort watching over them and looking for trouble around every corner. We’re not machines, so bonds are formed.

I just hope he hasn’t gotten so attached that he crossed a line.

Meh . That’s a problem for future me.

For now, I need to get my thoughts in order for what’s to come.

As we drive away, I peek at the side mirror, watching the hotel’s lights get smaller in the distance.

My gut doesn’t signal any trouble.

With all the extra guards, I’m not worried about leaving Maddie at the hotel while I confront Charlene Holt. It’s my turn to pay the woman a visit. Lettie was able to talk to her today at the damn CLIT festival. No, it wasn’t a sex fest. It stands for Climax Lemon-Infused Tea, which is as stupid as it sounds.

So far, this town is... something else. I suspect the English language doesn’t have the words to do this place justice.

My phone buzzes, signaling an incoming text. A grin slips into place as I read it.

Maddie:

Just one more time, I need you to promise me you won’t get yourself into trouble.

Me:

Trouble? Me? How could you even suggest such a thing?

Maddie:

Seriously, Alan. These hot flashes have me ready to punch someone as it is. If I have to bail you out of jail, it’ll only make it worse.

Me:

What makes you think I’ll end up in jail?

Maddie:

She seems like the type to call the cops. And you don’t have your “friends in high places” up here to smooth things over for you like you do back home.

Me:

I’ll be on my best behavior.

Maddie:

You better be. Or I’ll take you over my knee.

Me:

You keep threatening that. Sadly, you haven’t delivered yet.

Maddie:

I’m proud of you, Alan. Say what you need to say to her so you can find peace. But behave and stay safe in the process. I love you.

Me:

Love you too. And I noticed how you didn’t comment on the other thing. I’m gonna circle back to it another time.

Maddie:

Ignoring that.

As I set my phone in the cupholder, Jonesy points his chin at it. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Just Maddie reminding me to be on my best behavior.”

Junior chimes in from the back seat, his tone chipper. “Where’s the fun in that?”

We stop at a traffic light. My gaze does a circuit, scanning around the vehicle for threats. I notice Jonesy doing the same from the corner of my eye.

After the light turns green, he glances in the rearview. “Junior, you must be enjoying your break from babysitting duty.” He smirks at me, brows raised high. “Did you make him toss your salad to get off that detail?”

“Nobody’s tossing anybody’s salad.” I stifle my laughter, simultaneously horrified and amused by his joke. “Val is doing home school. She barely leaves HQ anymore unless it’s to go to the gun range. He’s better utilized with us.”

Junior jumps in to defend himself. “It’s not a bad gig. Val’s a good kid. So what if she’s a little dramatic at times? It’s no big deal. It isn’t her fault she was dealt a rough hand.”

Correction. He was defending Val, not himself. Every day, I grow more confident that he was the right choice to protect her.

Jonesy shrugs. “I don’t know, Boss. If I were in charge, I’d have made Junior stay there and guard her door. He hasn’t earned his stripes yet. And now, he’s out here, hanging with the big dogs.”

“This coming from a guy who got taken out by a cup of coffee,” Junior murmurs.

“Fuck you, little man,” Jonesy barks back, only a little heat in his tone.

My gut sinks at the memory of him getting drugged when he was guarding Val’s aunt at the hospital. She died on our watch. First time that’s ever happened to Redleg. Damn sure better be the last.

I’m not surprised they can joke about it. Dark humor is how most soldiers cope with bad shit. As long as they don’t do it around Val, I’ll let them process their issues however they need to.

Junior lightly shoves the back of the driver’s seat. “What’s your problem, man? Your cheeks chapped because your little girlfriend left you to come back to this shithole town?”

At that, my head cranes slowly toward Jonesy. With my brows drawn in tight, I glare at his profile, daring him to react to the accusation. To his credit, he barely flinches.

I clear my throat to prod a response out of him. All he does is glare in the rearview at Junior for ratting him out.

Growing impatient with his silence, I ask, “Do we have a problem, Jonesy?”

A solid three seconds pass before he meets my eyes. “She’s not our client anymore, is she?”

“Nope.”

“Then we’ve got no problems.”

After throwing my hands up in defeat, I let them flop onto my lap. “Do I have any guards capable of keeping it in their pants?”

“You’ve got me, Boss,” Junior offers.

I squeeze the bridge of my nose, rolling out my shoulders to release the tension. “Nobody likes a kiss-ass.”

Jonesy tries to lighten the mood with a joke. “You also have Kri, Deb, and Marley. No doubt they’re keeping it in their pants. Only by default, though.”

“Agree to disagree on Kri, big guy,” Junior quips. “She and Shep were assigned to guard Val before they adopted her. And you know they were?—”

All right. That’s enough.

“Is it raining dicks?” I whip my head around to look pointedly at Junior, then shift my glower to Jonesy.

“No, Boss,” Junior answers, taking me literally.

“Then why the fuck are your mouths open so damn wide?”

Jonesy apologizes despite not looking or sounding the least bit contrite. “Sorry, Boss.”

“No more talking until we get there,” I snap.

Jonesy puts on the turn signal. “Well, I’ve got some bad news.”

I huff, my spine sagging. “What now ?”

Great. I’m whining like a petulant fuckface.

Jonesy grins. “You won’t be getting any quiet time. We’re there.”

Well, this is terrific. I’m about to walk into this conversation, already pissed off. I didn’t expect that to happen until Mrs. Holt opened her mouth for the first time.

The SUV jostles as he turns off the pavement onto a dirt road. Correction. This is the driveway, not a road. A ranch-style house is set off the road by about three hundred feet. As we approach, more of the structure comes into view, and I find myself leaning forward in my seat as I take it all in.

This is the house where my daughter was raised.

It’s a large one-story home with a wrap-around porch. Potted plants hang every couple of feet. With only the front porch light on and minimal streetlamps in the area, it’s hard to tell the house’s color, but I suspect it’s white or beige with dark shutters around the windows.

There’s a large oak tree in the front yard. The type you could hang a tire swing from.

Unbidden, my mind brings forth an image of a little girl climbing the tree just before sunset. Her blond hair is tied in pigtails, and she wears a lavender tank top with cut-off jean shorts. A faceless man watches her from the porch. When she reaches the first branch, she grabs it with both hands, swinging like a little gymnast with her feet dangling ten feet off the ground.

The vision plays out in slow motion before me.

Worried she might need help, he sprints off the porch. He wants to be there to catch her if she falls or gets scared.

But she doesn’t fall. And she isn’t frightened.

Because she’s strong and a bit wild.

Like he was when he was her age.

While swinging from the branch, she laughs and laughs. The sound surrounds him like a chorus of pure joy. Looking up at her, he could swear sunshine was born from her smile.

He reaches over his head toward her, encouraging her to come down. After one last swing, she lets go, falling right into the safety of his arms. They both laugh while he twirls her around. She throws her head back, her blond locks fluttering in the breeze. Once he sets her down, she stutter-steps to one side, dizzy from the spinning. Without looking back at him, she runs to the tree to climb it again. Before ascending, she turns around to ensure he’s still watching.

But he isn’t there anymore. He’s gone.

Vanished into thin air.

Her face falls, sadness overtaking her features. My heart aches for the little girl. The pain pierces my chest, the sensation strong enough to yank me abruptly from the vision.

Jonesy shifts the vehicle into park. My gaze sweeps around in slow arcs as I steady my breathing.

Junior jumps out before I have a chance to get my bearings. “I’ll do the first perimeter sweep.”

“You okay, Boss?” Jonesy claps me on the shoulder softly. “You got pretty quiet there for a minute.”

I shake off the haze. “All good. Why don’t you help Junior? Go around the other side of the house to meet him in the back.”

Although Jonesy might want to hover or ask again about my state of mind, he doesn’t, which I appreciate immensely.

Once he’s out of the SUV, he takes the opposite path Junior took. In the quiet and stillness of the night, I empty my mind by sheer force of will.

If I go in there with that vision lingering in my head, I might end up in jail. And that’ll piss off Maddie, which in turn will piss off everyone else.

Kidding.

Not only would I never harm a woman, I don’t want to hurt the person who raised my daughter. I just want some fucking answers.

And it’s now or never.

Done pussyfooting around, I exit the vehicle and scan the yard, preparing to march to the front door.

Junior and Jonesy finish circling the perimeter, meeting about ten feet from the SUV.

Jonesy nods. “All clear.”

I didn’t need to bring two guards with me, but Maddie insisted. And since I’ll be distracted, it seemed wise. As a bonus, this is a chance for me to see them in action and ensure they’re as attentive as needed when on a detail. Even a lower-risk one like this.

“Hey, Boss. They have chickens,” Junior announces gleefully, his thumb pointed toward the backyard.

Idiot.

Actually, that’s an unfair assessment. He’s just young and easily impressed. By shiny things and clouds. And, apparently, chickens.

Jonesy shakes his head and tuts. “No shit, you oxygen thief. Haven’t you heard Lettie’s stories about Colonel Sanders?”

I chuckle at the reminder of one of Lettie’s colorful tales from her childhood, grateful for the moment of levity.

Junior stops a few feet between me and the house. “Do you want us to come inside with you?”

With a flick of my hand, I wave him off. “Nah. Just watch the exterior.”

Jonesy’s expression remains stoic as he tips his chin at me and says, “Good luck, Boss.”

“I don’t think this is a situation where luck comes into play.”

“You might need it anyway,” he tosses back, his expression still draped in concern for me.

It looks odd on him. I don’t like it.

“Fuck off,” I jest as I turn on my heel and stride toward the porch.

As soon as the front door is within reach, I knock with a bit too much gusto. While waiting, I tuck my hands behind my back and focus on slowing my racing pulse.

Footsteps inside the house grow louder with her approach. On my right, the curtain in the window flutters. I don’t look toward the movement, preferring to see her for the first time when she’s directly in front of me and can’t avoid looking me in the eye.

An extremely lengthy and irritating thirty seconds later, the door cracks open with a painful slowness. Fuck . It’s like she’s intentionally dragging this out.

Bitch.

And I don’t use that word often.

Standing in the dead center of the doorway, she raises her chin and eyes me down. “Hello, Alan. I’ve been expecting you for a long time.”