Bringing Benjy Home (Security Ops) (3 page)

He spoke to the airline desk and was able to get an extra seat on his flight for Jaida. He hadn’t expected any difficulty. He was traveling first-class and the section was rarely full. Then he made a second call to Lauren’s home and gave a brief explanation of the change of plans to Mac. He and his wife, Raine, had been staying with Lauren in Trey’s absence. He was the one man in the world Trey could entrust Lauren’s safety to. Mac was also the only one in Trey’s acquaintance who would agree to follow without question the instructions Trey proceeded to give him.

A slight frown marred his brow as he looked in the direction of the bedroom the women had disappeared into. He’d expected Jaida to ask their destination, but how the hell had her grandmother known? Obviously there was something about him that had given away the state he’d called home in recent years, but he was at a loss to explain what that might be.

“Granny, don’t lift that thing. Let me do it.” Jaida hurried into her bedroom. Granny had dragged the big suitcase from her closet and was preparing to lift it onto the bed.

“You’ll do no such thing,” the old woman said tartly. “I’ve told you before, Jaida, I’m no invalid. Now, get your clothes out and fill this bag up. That Mr. Garrison don’t strike me as the patient sort.”

Jaida made no move to obey her grandmother. “Just how did he strike you, Granny?” Despite her faith in the older woman’s visions, something about Trey bothered her. A lot.

“He has a strong chin,” she muttered. And then in a louder tone she added, “He’s a determined one. That’s a fella who gets what he wants. But you’ll be safe with him. I seen enough to know that.”

“But he doesn’t really believe in my ability, Granny. Didn’t you read that from him?”

Granny turned to face her only grandchild. “No, he’s here for his own reasons—that’s a fact,” she agreed. “But them reasons can’t stop you from finding the boy, now, can they?” Not waiting for her granddaughter to reply, she continued, “And whether that man knows it or not, he needs you. He’s got a powerful big void inside him that’s eating him alive, but he’s a stubborn one. You’ll have your work cut out for you this time.”

She moved to the closet again, and Jaida rose to help her. Certainly she’d help Benjy in any way that she could. Now that she’d met his uncle and heard of the little boy’s plight, her conscience wouldn’t let her do otherwise. But she was troubled by what else her grandmother was intimating. If there was an emptiness in Trey Garrison, it was hidden far deeper than she could see. And what could that possibly have to do with her, in any case? Her gift sometimes enabled her to help find missing persons, but it didn’t extend to helping people find pieces missing from themselves.

“I don’t understand,” she finally murmured. “What else can I possibly help Trey Garrison with?”

Granny Logan carefully placed a homemade sachet in the suitcase, between the neatly folded clothes. It was filled with bits of dried flowers and herbs, and its aroma would be a lingering reminder of the hills of home. Jaida went to the drawer of the small table next to the bed and took out a bottle of pills. Exchanging a glance with her grandmother, she dropped the bottle into her purse.

“Trust me, child. That man needs you, in more ways than one. Jist . . .” The old woman hesitated, peering at her granddaughter. “Jist you be careful, girl.”

Jaida gave a quick laugh. “Granny, don’t be silly. Trey might be maddening, but I’ve dealt with ignorance and disbelief before. I can handle it.”

Her grandmother gave her a sad smile. Her precious child, so full of talent and energy, was much too innocent. Life had hammered her once before, sent her running back to this safe valley, but the girl couldn’t hide here forever, no matter what she thought. She followed Jaida out the bedroom door and joined the man in the living room.

Granny walked up to Trey, who was standing at the window. He turned at her approach. Standing very near him, she surveyed his chin again. Whatever she saw didn’t disappoint her. This might be a hard man and a stubborn one, but he wasn’t evil; he still had a soul. He just needed a little help remembering that.

“You take care of my girl, Mr. Garrison.”

The woman’s tone was fierce, and Trey felt a hint of respect. Whatever shortcomings Jaida West might have, her grandmother’s love was apparent. He gave her a short nod and reached to take the suitcase from Jaida. His fingers collided with hers, and again he felt a strange spark at the touch. She snatched her hand away from his as though she had been scorched.

Turning away from the electric contact, Jaida embraced her grandmother. “I’ll call you as soon as I reach California,” she promised.

Granny Logan snorted. “I don’t need no checking up on, young lady. I’ve been doin’ for myself since long before you was born.”

Jaida rolled her eyes. “So you’ve said. Take care, then, Granny. I’ll be back soon.”

The old woman stood in the doorway, watching them leave. They were halfway down the drive when she called, “Garrison.”

Trey turned inquiringly.

Granny pointed an arthritic finger at him. “You hurt my girl and you answer to me. Understand that?”

Jaida watched the two stare at each other, their gazes clashing. Then Trey turned away without answering and continued toward the Jeep. Jaida blew her grandmother a fond kiss and joined him.

The Jeep was long out of sight before Granny Logan closed the door of the cabin. Despite her faith in her sight, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d just thrown her lamb to a very hungry lion.

Jaida pushed her heavy sheaf of straight hair away from her face, reached forward and turned the air conditioner on. “The Jeep was a good choice,” she told the man driving silently beside her. “How’d you know that a car wasn’t going to be much use where I lived?”

“I’m always prepared,” he told her shortly.

She’d bet he was. He looked like someone who would plan for every eventuality. He was, as her granny had said, a man used to getting what he wanted.

Those had been the first words he’d spoken since they’d left the cabin. Jaida had pointed out landmarks in the town they passed through, Dixon Falls. The small school building, lone bar and two stores hadn’t elicited a comment from him. Nor had the gorgeous countryside they’d passed through for the next hour and a half.

Now, as she recognized the city limits of Little Rock, trepidation filled her. The turnoff for the airport was nearing. “Why don’t we stop and get something to eat?” she suggested hopefully, delaying the inevitable. “I didn’t have lunch.”

“You can eat on the plane,” he answered.

“I don’t think so,” she mumbled. She knew from experience that all traces of her usually healthy appetite would disappear at first sight of the airport. “I don’t suppose you ever use the train?”

Trey looked at her oddly. “Do you have a problem with planes?”

Only while they’re in the air
, she replied silently.

They turned the vehicle in at the rental agency at the airport and checked their bags. “Come on,” he said, reaching for her elbow. “Our plane is loading now.”

Jaida took a step backward, avoiding his touch. “Wait a minute,” she said, stalling. “Let’s talk about this.”

“On the plane,” he said firmly. “Hurry up or it will leave without us.”

“We should be so lucky,” she muttered. She took a deep breath and reluctantly followed him through the airport, onto the plane and into a seat. She immediately put on her seat belt, rechecking it for secureness several times. The luxury of the first-class cabin was lost on her. As the plane taxied up the runway, her fingers clenched the armrests.

Trey settled his large frame into a seat comfortably. Once they were in the air he turned to Jaida and remarked, “You can tell the flight attendant what you want to eat when he comes by.”

“I don’t want anything,” she mumbled.

He raised an eyebrow, noting her white knuckles and pale cheeks. “You aren’t by any chance afraid to fly, are you, Jaida?”

Afraid? “Certainly not,” she lied, tilting her chin up. She instinctively knew that it would be a mistake to show weakness in front of this man. He didn’t trust her. And any hint of vulnerability she showed could be used against her if he so chose.

But her body conspired against her. She waited for the plane to level off and the seat-belt sign to disappear. She practiced her deep-breathing exercises, but the moment she saw the attendant come toward them with an assortment of food, she knew the battle was lost. Unbuckling her belt with frantic hands, she headed for the rest room.

She locked the door behind her and leaned weakly against it. She was a nervous flier at the best of times. Her stomach was doing jumping jacks, and her heart was hammering from the strain of being confined in the first-class cabin with a stranger in the seat beside her. A seat that, despite its extra roominess, was too close to hers for comfort.
He
was too close for comfort.

She closed her eyes, mentally drawing on all her energy. The only way she was going to make it through this plane ride without disgracing herself was to avoid even the thought of food, and under no circumstances could she glance out a window.

Of course, it would also help greatly if she could ensure that Trey Garrison didn’t touch her again.

Chapter 2

The plane’s landing was a little better than its takeoff, but only barely. Jaida had, however, managed to control her stomach’s inclination to rebel. Trey eyed her white face and unsteady composure as they disembarked and headed toward the LAX luggage-claim area.

“You never did eat anything,” he observed. “Are you sure you’re not hungry?” She looked as though she could collapse at any minute. And though he was impatient at the thought of further delay, he didn’t want to deal with a fainting female, either. Especially this female.

“Make a note, Garrison,” Jaida muttered. Her eyes met his. “The only places on the face of this earth that I’m not hungry are airports and planes.”

Trey dismissed the unnecessary information. Her obvious discomfort on the plane almost made up for the times today that she had really annoyed him. But his use for her would soon be over. Then she’d be free to choose any mode of transportation she wished to return to Arkansas.

Their rapid pace through the airport was halted by the crowd gathered around the luggage belt. Jaida eyed the mob of people and swallowed. “I’ll wait back here,” she murmured to Trey, and he nodded.

Now that he was so close to home, to Lauren, impatience was eating at him. From his brief conversation with Mac earlier he’d learned that his sister was still confined to bed. In light of the damage that damn drug had done to her system, she was lucky to have been sent home so soon. She’d lain in a coma for the first two days, and when she’d awakened he’d been faced with telling her of Benjy’s kidnapping.

He still wasn’t convinced that her wild idea to consult Jaida West wasn’t the result of remnants of that drug in her bloodstream. He’d tried to gently dissuade her from the idea, and then, confronted by her stubbornness, had been less than gentle. His efforts hadn’t altered the outcome in their contest of wills. He’d spent years in military intelligence, had faced down terrorists bent on destroying entire cities. But he’d never mastered the art of denying Lauren something she wanted.

Trey picked out their baggage and strode over to Jaida. There was something almost forlorn about the picture she made, sitting well away from any other people, her purse clutched on her lap. He pushed away the unwilling tinge of sympathy. He should reserve the feeling for the gullible people she preyed on.

“Let’s go,” he said brusquely.

She rose. “I’ll carry my suitcase.”

He shot her an impatient look. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Her chin jutted mulishly. Her face was finally beginning to regain its former color. I can pull my own weight.”

When her hand reached for the bag, he felt that unfamiliar electricity again as their fingers barely touched. He watched her snatch her hand away, as she had earlier that day. “I’ll get it,” he said tersely. “From the looks of you, just not fainting will be enough of a chore.”

His long legs ate up the distance to the parking lot, leaving Jaida to trail after him. The thought came to him then that if he ever needed to curb this woman’s unfortunate stubborn streak, all he had to do was touch her. That seemed to have the effect of scaring her off. For some reason, the knowledge was inexplicably annoying.

The drive to Lauren’s helped restore Jaida’s equilibrium. And when they turned onto the Pacific Coast Highway, she was completely enchanted. She rolled her window down and inclined her head to catch the balmy ocean breeze.

Trey cast her a glance. For once she’d fallen silent. She’d bombarded him with questions about his nephew and his sister, none of which he’d had the slightest intention of answering. Now she seemed content to feel the wind in her face. Her eyes were closed and a half smile tilted her lips. A strand of her pale-blond hair drifted across her shapely lips, and he was disconcerted by the impulse to brush it away for her.

His fingers tightened on the wheel, and he returned his gaze to his driving. Just another hour or two, he promised himself grimly. And then he’d send this woman back to the Arkansas hills where he’d found her.

Jaida opened her eyes when she felt the car slow down. They were pulling up to an ornate wrought-iron fence. Trey stopped the car and got out. Approaching the gate, he flipped open a box mounted on the side of one of the concrete pillars and punched in several numbers. Red lights winked from the box, and he punched in another series of numbers. He repeated the process once more before the gates swung open. He closed the lid of the box and got back into the car.

“‘Open sesame’ would be a lot easier,” she quipped. After they drove through the opening, Jaida turned in her seat to observe the gates closing silently behind them. “Do you install operations like that?”

Trey’s gaze never moved from the private drive he was maneuvering. “We installed that one, yes.”

“Pretty fancy. But I can’t imagine people wanting to live this way. It would make me feel like a prisoner, like I was the one locked in.”

“It usually works the other way,” he responded dryly. “With the owners of the property feeling more secure.”

Jaida’s eyes widened when she saw the large beachfront home they were approaching. A thought struck her then and she winced. “This isn’t . . . I mean, you don’t live here, do you?”

The private drive forked then, and Trey turned away from the house. She didn’t sound impressed, he reflected. Her tone was almost horrified. “No, I don’t live here. Why does the thought of that bother you?”

Jaida was craning her neck to get a better look at their destination. “I just don’t like the thought of you inside here, I guess,” she replied absently. “You’re already locked up too tightly as it is.”

He glanced at her sharply. But her attention was reserved for the guest house they were approaching.

“Oh, this view is marvelous! And this little house is cute, isn’t it?”

“Lauren’s employer owns the property. This is where Lauren and Benjy live.”

“Trey . . .” Jaida hesitated as the ordeal ahead of her loomed abruptly. She shot him a tentative look. Then, shoring up her nerve, she continued, knowing it had to be said, “You’ve mentioned that your sister isn’t very strong right now. Is she going to be strong enough to hear the truth?”

His eyes met hers then, and they were so cold she could feel an icy shiver skate down her spine, despite the balmy California air.

“And what truth might that be?”

“Sometimes what I ‘see’ isn’t what people want to hear. Is your sister going to be able to accept it if I have to tell her that Benjy —” Her voice caught, before she forced herself to go on. “That he may not be . . . alive?”

Pure, deadly rage crossed his countenance. In the next instant he deliberately blanked his expression again. She didn’t know which made her more wary—his first evidence of fiery emotion or his iron control over it. The command he spoke next was cloaked in velvet.

“Under no circumstances . . . will you tell her that.”

“False hope is cruel, Trey.”

Her words so accurately described his feeling about her presence here that he could feel his jaw clench. “At least we agree on something. But you aren’t getting out of this car before promising me that you won’t say anything to upset her.”

Their gazes clashed, battling silently. Finally, she nodded. She knew from experience that just being the bearer of such bad news would be excruciating. She didn’t want to be responsible for the impact such information would have on Lauren’s already precarious health. “You can be the one to decide how much to tell her,” she said.

He stared hard at her, but she seemed to be sincere. Nodding, he got out of the car and left her to follow him up to the small house. He wasn’t trusting enough to take her at her word. He’d be watching very carefully to ensure that Jaida had no opportunity to further upset his sister.

Mac met them at the door. “We didn’t expect you for a while yet.”

“The plane was actually early for once,” Trey replied. He let Jaida precede him into the house. Then he inquired in a low voice, “Did you have time to do as I asked?”

His partner nodded. “All the pictures of Benjy have been removed. And I made the purchase you requested,”

“Thanks.” He noticed that Jaida had turned to eye them quizzically. He raised his voice. “Jaida West, this is Mac O’Neill, my partner.”

“My wife, Raine, and I have been taking care of things on this end while Trey tracked you down, Miss West.”

“Mr. O’Neill,” she acknowledged faintly. She didn’t particularly care for his choice of words. The idea of being
tracked down
by Trey Garrison made her feel a bit like prey. She studied the man. He was at least as tall as his partner, and his shoulders had almost filled the doorway he’d walked through. His blue eyes were as hard as twin chips of ice. She sighed inwardly. Apparently Mac shared something with his partner. Neither of them had trusting natures.

“Well, Lauren is still asleep. I guess that’s the best thing—” The woman who’d entered the living room stopped in mid-sentence. “Hi, Trey. Glad you’re back. And you must be Jaida. We’re so excited you’re here.”

Mac walked across the room and slipped his arm around the newcomer. “This is my wife, Raine,” he said.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Jaida said sincerely. Raine’s was the first genuine welcome she’d received since arriving, and she couldn’t help responding to it.

Mac’s massive arm looked heavy around his tiny wife’s shoulders. But somehow, when he was standing next to Raine, one noticed his size less than the expression he regarded her with. He was a man clearly entranced by his wife.

Raine’s smile lit up her wide, golden eyes. “Can I get you anything? Airline food can be pretty unappetizing, I know. Or maybe you’d like something to drink?”

“No need,” Trey said dismissively.
She won’t be here that long
, he thought. At that moment, Jaida’s gaze met his and held it. When she looked away, he was left with the uncanny notion that she knew exactly what he’d been thinking.

“How’s Lauren doing?” Trey asked Paine once they’d all sat down.

“She’s getting stronger. She seems to think she should be getting out of bed and on her feet, but so far I’ve managed to dissuade her of that idea.”

“Thank God,” Trey muttered.

“She should be awake shortly, if you’re ready—that is, if Jaida wants to begin.”

Trey flicked a look at Mac and then shook his head. “I don’t see any need to wait for Lauren to wake up. And I’m sure Jaida wants to get on with this. Don’t you, Jaida?”

Jaida returned his gaze equably, wondering if she was the only one to hear the challenge in his voice. “I’m willing to try, yes. I’ll need one of Benjy’s belongings to focus on, preferably something he kept with him often. A favorite toy or book, perhaps.”

“I’ll get it,” Mac offered, disappearing from the room. He reappeared a moment later, carrying a stuffed bear.

Raine frowned. “Mac . . .”

“Hush,” he said, effectively silencing her. “Let Jaida concentrate.”

The bear was soft in Jaida’s hands, its plush fur showing no signs of wear. In another year or so, the rigorous life of being loved by a toddler would be apparent, but right now the bow on its neck was still saucy, its fur as yet unmatted. Jaida let her eyes close. She had to fight the familiar instinct that would have her shoring up barriers against the accompanying emotional onslaught. She needed all her defenses lowered, her senses completely open. Only then would she feel the full force of the psychic sensations.

But the familiar sensory overload was different this time. It was present, but the elements were muted, and jumbled badly. Jaida frowned unconsciously, clutching the bear more tightly. Try as she might, she was unable to pick through the fragmented scenes for one clue of Lauren’s missing son.

Long minutes later, admitting defeat, she slowly opened her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said almost inaudibly. “I didn’t see anything.”

Her sense of failure grew as the silence in the room stretched. “I’m sorry,” Jaida said again. This had happened before. Not often, but when it did it never failed to make her feel helpless. “I’m willing to try again. Maybe there’s something else of Benjy’s I could use . . . an article of clothing, perhaps?”

“I don’t know which of you two I want to kick harder.” Raine addressed both men scathingly. “Sometimes you’re both as dense as granite.”

Jaida stared at Raine in surprise, and then comprehension began to dawn. She looked down at the toy in her hand again, reassessing its condition. No wonder it had seemed so fresh . . . so new. Anger bloomed within her. She rose from the couch and stalked toward Trey. He hadn’t moved, and he was still watching her with that shuttered, assessing look that told her exactly who was behind this charade. She shoved the soft bear hard at his chest. His hands came up to take it from her. “I assume that you were behind that little test.”

“Test? Your psychic powers seem to have escaped you, Ms. West. Maybe you need a new spell.”

“If I had one,” she informed him. “I’d use it to turn you into a human being.”

“Trey, what have you done?” All heads turned in the direction of the softly worded question. There was no doubt about the identity of the woman standing in the doorway of the bedroom. Her pretty face was a softer, more feminine version of Trey’s, minus a cleft in her chin. Her eyes were the same dark-green hue, her hair just as dark. Right now a mask of weariness and worry marred her attractiveness. As she began to make her halting way toward the group in the living room, Trey sprang to his feet.