Home to Stay by Maryann Jordan
22
All the missions he’d gone on. All the rescues he’d participated in. All the successes he’d had as a member of the Special Forces. Nothing meant as much to John as the feel of Lucy in his arms.
As soon as he’d seen her pull up to Paula’s house, fear had spread throughout him. That sixth sense that had saved him and his teammates so often had him shout to Bray that he was heading to Paula’s house. With Josh at LSI to monitor the cameras and provide backup, Bray accompanied him as they raced into town, making the thirty-minute trip in only twenty. While Bray drove, he’d continued to watch the security feed on his tablet.
When Lucy had stepped inside Paula’s front door, he knew he’d made the right decision in trying to get to her, not trusting Paula at all. Watching as Griz rode in on his bike before heading straight to Paula’s door, John had felt his body tighten with anxiety, knowing Lucy was still in there.
Mace, on the line with Bray, had assured them he’d called for the police and the task force. Just as they arrived, Bray jerked his vehicle to a halt, calling out his recognition of someone from the drug task force. John hadn’t waited to talk to anyone at the sight of Griz’s motorcycle still parked on the side street. He’d raced toward the front of Paula’s house with Bray on his heels. When they’d rounded the corner, Griz was handcuffed, surrounded by law enforcement along with another handcuffed man.
Bypassing them all, John had raced up Paula’s steps and into her house, seeing Lucy kneeling on the floor. He’d growled, unable to halt his progress until he had her in his arms, pressed against his chest.
Now, she was staring up at him, assuring him that she was fine. Christ, Almighty, I never want to feel that helpless ever again.
“She hid me in the basement. She didn’t tell him that I was here,” Lucy said, her gaze now on Paula as they loaded her onto a gurney.
Paula looked up, one eye swelling and fingerprint bruises around her throat. “Lucy?”
At the sound of her name, Lucy squirmed to have John let her down. He acquiesced, although reluctantly. She moved past the EMT and leaned over Paula, taking her hand.
“I’m sorry,” came the hoarse whisper. “I never meant for any of this to happen. I certainly never meant for any of this to touch you.” Looking beyond Lucy, Paula caught John’s eye. “Take care of her.”
Stepping closer, he put his hands on Lucy’s shoulders. He choked back the words of anger and guilt he wanted to heap upon Paula and instead just nodded. “I will.”
As the EMTs rolled Paula out, Lucy twisted her head around to look up at him. “What’s going to happen to her?”
“I don’t know, babe. I don’t know her level of involvement. But as soon as we saw Griz was in the area, the International Drug Task Force was alerted. They’ve already been investigating him, and they’ll be the ones to talk to her and decide if she’s committed any crimes.”
As soon as those words left his mouth, Lucy’s shoulders slumped, and he wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her into his chest again, offering what comfort he could. “Why did you come over here today?”
“She stopped by my room earlier and said that she missed me. Missed our friendship. Then she invited me to meet her for drinks at a restaurant around the corner. I got here early and was trying to decide how I felt about everything. If I’d judged her too harshly. Or maybe if our friendship was based more on convenience and not true feelings. Anyway, I was sitting in my car and saw her pull up and stop at the storage facility. She got out, but instead of going through the gate and into the office, she just walked to the fence where she waited until a man came out. I saw her pull out a thick envelope and shove it through the fence. He took it, looked through it, and it appeared they were having not-happy words. It was like something out of a movie or TV crime show. While I couldn’t be sure, I was almost certain that I was watching some kind of handoff or payoff.”
Now, she lifted her cheek from his chest and leaned her head back so she could peer up into his face. “Oh, John, I got so angry. She drove to the back of her house and went in, and I climbed out of my vehicle and stomped straight up to her front door. Righteous indignation was pouring from me, and I was ready to tell her our friendship had no meaning. Now, I’m so embarrassed.”
“Lucy, babe, you’ve got no reason to be embarrassed. While we don’t know all the details, it’s pretty obvious that Paula was involved with a known criminal who’s part of an organization that runs drugs, guns, money laundering, and who knows what else. I’m just sorry as fuck that she was trying to hang on to your friendship at a time when she needed to protect you by staying away.”
Bray walked over, his hand landing on John’s shoulder while he looked at Lucy. “Hey, Lucy. I’m Bray, one of John's coworkers. How’re you doing?”
“Damn, I should have asked if she needed you,” John said, grimacing. Seeing Lucy’s crinkled forehead, he added, “Bray is a medic.”
She smiled and shook her head. “It’s nice to meet you, but no, I’m fine. Really. A bit overwhelmed with the last hour’s events, but that’s all.”
Bray offered a chin lift to go along with his smile. Turning his attention back to John, he said, “Mace said once Lucy has given her contact information to the Task Force, then we’re good to go. They’ll talk to her sometime soon but not today.”
It only took a few minutes for Lucy to talk to the agent after Bray led her and John over, giving a preliminary explanation of why she was there and what she’d seen. The agent thanked her and said he’d come by in the next few days to take her formal statement. John wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her down the sidewalk. They stopped at Bray’s truck, and he turned to clasp his friend's hand. “I can’t thank you enough, man.”
Bray waved him off. “Hell, there hasn’t been that much excitement on surveillance in a long time. Normally, it’s boring as shit.”
Rolling his eyes, he laughed. “Next time, I hope it is boring as shit.”
“Don’t worry about your vehicle. I can come to pick you up tomorrow morning.” Bray inclined his head slightly toward Lucy, holding John’s gaze. Catching his friend’s silent question, he nodded to be picked up at Lucy’s house in the morning. No way was he going to leave her side tonight.
Bray grinned, nodded, then reached out and kissed Lucy’s forehead. “I’m glad you’re okay. Next time we have a Keeper get-together, have this guy bring you.”
John then pulled Lucy back into his side as they walked to her car. “I’ll have to scoot the driver’s seat back so I can fit in behind the steering wheel, but I’m driving, sweetheart.”
She handed him the keys and laughed. “If I wasn’t having such an adrenaline crash, I’d fight you over who could drive my car.”
On the drive back to her house, he’d worried about her state of mind, but now that the crisis was over and Griz was in custody, her relief was obvious.
That night, lying in her bed, naked in the aftermath of making love with legs tangled, chests pressed together, and her head on his shoulder, he peered into her eyes as his finger traced over her jaw. “What would you say if I told you that I want to stay?”
Lifting a brow, she smiled. “What would you say if I told you that I don’t want you to leave?”
A deep chuckle erupted. “What would you say if I told you that I’m not just talking about tonight?”
“What would you say if I told you that I’d like you to move in with me but I don’t want to take you away from Gramps?”
His heart began to pound. “Gramps’ house is only ten minutes away from yours.”
“My house needs a lot of work.” He could hear the tremors in her voice.
“It’s a good thing I know how to fix a lot of stuff. Plus, together, we might get more things checked off your to-do list and make your dad happy.”
For a moment, neither spoke, silent words and warm emotion filling the space around them. When he could hold back no longer, he asked another question. “What would you say if I told you I love you?” At that, she didn’t say anything, her breath seeming to halt in her lungs. “The truth is, I do love you, Lucy. I think I’ve known for a while, but I don’t want to hold back anymore.”
She blinked away the moisture gathering in her eyes. “You sent a message today where you said ‘love you’.”
“I couldn’t stand the idea of you being in danger and I’d never told you. But now you need to hear it from my lips. I.” He touched his lips to hers. “Love.” He kissed her again, ever so lightly. “You.” This time, his kiss was deep, his head angled to delve into her warmth. And it didn’t end until they’d made love once more.
* * *
John sat at the large table, listening to Mace debrief the group. “James Kinder, otherwise known as Griz, is being held without bail. He’s being charged with multiple felonies, but it will be a toss-up as to who gets him first, the U.S. or Canada, considering he’s wanted in both countries. One way or the other, he’ll be in prison. He’s just one small cog in the Hell’s Angels and Minotaurs wheel, but at least he won’t be a problem anymore.”
Mace looked over at John. “I don’t know how much Paula will turn over. She’s scared and rightly so. But she did admit to her part in what happened. It appears she let Griz talk her into being the middle person for a storage unit to hold some of his personal belongings. He told her that because he was a Canadian citizen he couldn’t rent it, and she believed him. She had no idea what was in it—it held stolen weapons. She received cash from a variety of people, deposited it into her bank account, and then weekly gave it to the man at the unit. All under the table, of course. By the time she realized Griz was dangerous, it was too late to refuse him.”
“Is she facing jail time?” John asked, his thoughts on Lucy. While Lucy had confessed her conflicted feelings about Paula, he knew she would hate for her to go to jail.
Mace shrugged. “I don’t know at this time. Perhaps not, especially if she tells what she knows.”
“And the fuckin’ Minotaurs?” Clay asked. John recognized the man’s face was always set in granite every time they talked about the gang that kidnapped Clay’s fiancée. He now understood, knowing his expression was the same.
“Due to our proximity to the Canadian border and our numerous cases that can take us to Canada, the International Drug Task Force has asked us to continue to work with them on a case-by-case basis, so I’m sure we’ll run into those fuckers again.”
John started to push his chair back, thinking the meeting had ended and anxious to get back to Lucy. She was spending the day with Gramps under the guise of helping his grandfather out, but in truth, Gramps wanted to keep an eye on her, and John had been glad for the suggestion. Before he had a chance to stand, Mace called his name. Looking up, he observed all the other Keepers smiling at him. “Yes?”
“I just wanted to say that your probationary status with Lighthouse Security Investigations is over. Welcome aboard as a full-fledged Keeper.”
As the others threw out their congratulations, he swallowed hard, fighting the lump in his throat. He’d never thought to find another team like the one he had in the Army Special Forces. He’d never thought to find employment that fulfilled his desire to plan and execute missions, knowing at the end of the day he was helping others. He’d never thought he would be able to do this work with his limited vision.
But here he was. A Keeper. And the two people he couldn’t wait to tell were at home waiting on him. The man who helped raise me and the woman of my future. Gramps and Lucy.
