Of All the Luck! (13 page)

“But, I don’t want…”  He picked up the wooden spoon and targeted her sit spots.  She hollered and cried and finally begged Cal to let her stand in the corner.  He put her on her feet and marched her over and moved the rocking chair aside so she would have room.

“Stay put, little girl.”  He turned and after a couple of minutes to watch and make sure she was actually settled, he left the room, closing the door behind him.  He had questions and he wanted answers.

The two men looked up when Cal came out of the bedroom and walked into the kitchen.  “I’m sorry about Liz’s temper,” he offered, hoping they would understand.

“She didn’t expect to find us here, Cal.  I understand,” Griffin offered apologetically.  “Victoria is angry with us because Liz is in trouble with you.  I’m sorry for causing trouble between the two of you.”

“She would have found some reason to explode,” Cal said diplomatically.  “My girl needs to have the lines drawn every so often.”  He looked at Jacobson and asked, “May I assume that you are CIA?”

“Something along those lines, but I’m not at liberty to say.  So is Griff, and Victoria is, too.  She just took a break for a while.  She doesn’t like our boss,” he added with a grin.  “She also writes books; that isn’t a falsehood.”

“How much danger are we in…?  What are the chances of them finding us here?” Cal wanted to know.

“If they followed you here, we’ll know it shortly.  They’ll give us some time to relax and think you made it here without a tail, and then they’ll hit and hit hard.  The thing is, if you weren’t followed, then we are safer here than we would be anywhere else.  Do you agree, Griff?”

Griffin nodded.  “I think we should stay here and be ready just in case.”

“The one thing that might keep us all safe is the fact that we’ve been planning this vacation for the last three weeks, and Liz has been telling her clients that she would be off for this entire week.  Victoria didn’t call her, and hasn’t been to the salon in at least eight weeks now.”

“You keep track of Victoria’s hair appointments?” Griffin wasn’t quite sure how to take that bit of news.

Cal grinned.  “No… Liz was going over a list of people she should have called but didn’t, and she mentioned Victoria.  I told her that if those people called the salon, one of the girls would explain that she was on vacation and they could make an appointment for when she returned.”

Griffin nodded.  It made sense.  “It might just be enough to keep us all safe, but we can’t count on it.  We’ll keep watch tonight; take turns so that all of us can get some sleep.  I recommend staying dressed and keeping guns handy.”

Cal nodded grimly, and then went to a decorative shelf on the wall.  He pulled it out, and then unlocked the door behind.  To their surprise he had several guns and lots of ammunition tucked in there.

“What branch are you?” Jacobson asked, caught completely off guard.

“Retired Special Ops,” Cal said quietly.  “Liz doesn’t know.  And you can all be thankful I wasn’t armed when we came through that door.”

Jacobson nodded.  “There was no way to warn you without giving ourselves away.  Victoria thought of this place, and at the time, we were pretty desperate.”

“I know that feeling; you’re welcome here.”  He sighed, and then said, “I need to go and finish dealing with Liz.  I’m sure she’ll be apologizing for acting like a spoiled child when she comes out.”

“She isn’t used to these types of situations, Cal.  Go easy on her…” Jacobson suggested.

“Like I said, she’s been gearing up for an attack.  It was time to lay down the law on her backside, and, not to worry… Her pride got the worst end of it even though her butt isn’t going to like those chairs for a couple of days.”  He smiled at them and then headed back to the bedroom.

Liz was not in the corner; she was lying on the bed, crying.  “You are supposed to have your nose in that corner, little girl.”

“I tried, but I couldn’t do it.  I felt helpless, Cal.  It made me very small again.”  Her eyes begged him for understanding.

“Did he do that, too?” Cal asked quietly, but not for the first time since he met the love of his life he wished he could have ten minutes alone with that bastard uncle of hers.

“Yes!”

“You should have told me right away,” he said soothingly, sitting down on the bed and gathering her close to hold her.

“I thought I could do it, but I couldn’t.  Please don’t be mad at me,” she whimpered.

“I’m not mad at you… Him, I could kill,” he stated forcefully, and to his surprise she giggled.

“I love you, Cal.  I’m sorry I was such a brat.”  She meant the words and he knew it.  As far as he was concerned, they were square again.

“That’s what I wanted to hear, sweetheart.  Let’s put this behind us now.  Pull up your pants and we’ll go out and try to figure out how to make them feel at home in our home.”  He chuckled.  “This is certainly an unusual situation.”

“I hope I didn’t upset Victoria…?” Liz fretted as she fixed her clothing.  “I would hate to lose her friendship.  I saw her for lunch in between appointments sometimes… when she wasn’t too involved in a book.  She is a great cook, too.”

“Good.  Maybe she’ll whip up something special for dinner tonight if we ask her nicely.”  He took Liz’s hand and then led her out into the common area of the cabin.

Liz took a deep breath and then said, “I apologize for the way I behaved earlier.  I was surprised to find you here and I reacted badly.  Please forgive me.”

“There is nothing to forgive, Liz.  We are the ones who are out of line; breaking in and staying here without your permission is wrong,” Griffin said quietly, doing his best to make her feel better.  He looked at Jacobson, and the other man would have had to be blind not to realize what he wanted.

“Don’t worry, Griff.  I know what I need to say.”  He grinned at the other man.  “Liz, I was rude to you and I’m so sorry that I took an attitude.  This situation is serious; a true matter of life and death.  It really concerns me that you and Cal are here, and now in danger.  That concern falls on my head, and keeping you safe became my responsibility.  I didn’t stop to consider how damn bossy I sounded.  I hope you’ll forgive me and give me an opportunity to show you I do have some manners.”

Liz smiled at Jacobson and then at Griffin.  “Thank you for giving me the benefit of the doubt.  You are being nicer to me than I deserve.”  She looked around and then asked, “Where is Victoria?  I want to let her know that I’m not a bit upset you all are here.  I am thankful she knew me well enough to know that coming here to be safe was definitely all right.”

“She’s in our room, Liz.  You’re welcome to go on in and talk to her.  She’s not very happy with me or with Jacobson,” Griffin sheepishly admitted.

“It isn’t your fault that my mouth got me into trouble,” Liz muttered, and then she headed for the other big bedroom.

* * *

“Excruciating pain or millions of dollars, Xavier?” General Weatherby taunted the other man from the front seat of the limo.  “You have little time to decide.”

Xavier reached a decision.  Why should he turn down all that money to keep that snotty bitch safe?  It was a damned shame that Ian and Griffin would die, too, but it couldn’t be helped.  His body was already in pain from the torture he’d suffered earlier.  He wasn’t going to face that again, not to protect a woman who hated his guts.  Given a choice of saving him or earning over a million dollars, the redhead would sell him out in a heartbeat.  He was going to lie to Weatherby, but by the time the old man learned it was a lie, he would be safely out of the county and he would disappear after removing all the money from the Cayman account.  “I’d rather have the millions, Weatherby.  If that bitch was sitting right here she would spit in my face.  I’ll tell you where she is hiding once the transfer is complete.”

“You wouldn’t be planning to screw me over, would you, Xavier?” Weatherby asked, looking at him in the rear view mirror.

“I am a man of my word; you should know that by now,” Xavier said smoothly.  One thing he knew how to do after all these years was how to lie.  He was one of those rare individuals who could lie and still pass a lie detector test.  That was a secret that he kept close; never knowing when his life would depend upon the skill.

“Your very life depends upon the truth, Xavier.”  It was only ten minutes later that he pulled into a warehouse, using a remote control to open the large door so he could maneuver the car inside.  Several men approached, waiting for orders from General Weatherby.  “Assist Xavier into my office,” he ordered, and then slowly made his way to the room that looked like a war room.

Xavier was smart enough not to give the men any excuse to pound the crap out of him.  He was ordered into a chair and had to smile when he was hooked up to a lie detector.  “I’m disappointed in you, General.  Don’t you trust me?”

“I wouldn’t trust my own mother if she was alive,” the man answered. He hated his mother, and when the opportunity presented itself, he put a pillow over her face and smothered her.  He figured it was a just payback for all the time she mistreated him when he was little.  Soon enough he would have to face the Almighty and answer for his crimes, but he wasn’t scared.  He was a real bastard and he knew it.  When someone crossed him, he saw to it they paid, and if Xavier gave him an address he could use to find Victoria Conway, then he would reward the man.  He could go to his grave knowing he’d paid back everyone who’d ever made him suffer, and the Conway bitch had to die… and soon.  He could feel his body dying inch by inch, and the pain engulfing him was intolerable.  If not for that woman, he would take a shot and end it all.  “Hook him up.”

Again Xavier cooperated.  The thought of all that money was making him giddy.  Why shouldn’t he cash in and retire in the sun?  After all these years of serving his country faithfully, he was broke and in debt up to his eyeballs.  Giving up Victoria would be sweet revenge.  He tried to come up with a viable address that the General would believe and once he did, he relaxed.  It would be sweet to be able to afford to do everything he’d ever dreamed of doing.

* * *

Liz tapped on the door of the bedroom just in case Victoria was asleep.  She didn’t want to wake her.

“I do not want to talk to you, Griffin Conway!”

“It’s me,” Liz said, giggling as she pushed open the door so she could enter.  She immediately closed it behind her.  “Your temper is as bad as mine is, Victoria.”

“I am so sorry those two idiots got you into trouble with Cal, Liz.  I could wring Griffin’s neck!”

“Oh, don’t do that,” Liz said cheerfully.  “I don’t think Cal would like it.  Those three men are acting like long lost friends.”  She walked on over to the bed.  “Do you mind if I join you?” she asked, and when Victoria motioned for her to climb in bed, she eased herself onto the bed, lying on her tummy, just like Victoria was doing.  “My bottom doesn’t feel like sitting right now,” she admitted.  “I want to apologize to you for acting like such a bitch.  It had nothing to do with you, Victoria.  Seriously.  It was just a shock to get here and find all of you inside, and then to have Jacobson get all bossy with us, as if we couldn’t think for ourselves.  I lost my temper,” she admitted.  “Please forgive me.”

“There is nothing to forgive, Liz.  We are the ones who need to ask for forgiveness.  We broke into your home, knowing full well that this could turn into a shooting gallery if we were discovered.  That is a pretty serious demand on a friendship.”

“I’m glad you turned to us, Victoria, and you can stay here as long as you wish.  I promise I won’t have another tantrum like that one.”  Liz was embarrassed.

“Did Griffin tell you what this is all about?” Victoria wanted to know.

“Some.  I have the feeling they shared more with Cal than with me.  Cal was Special Ops, but don’t tell him I told you.  I’m not supposed to know, and the only way I found out was by doing some serious snooping.  If we have trouble, he will do his share to keep all of us safe.  I know how to use a gun, too,” she admitted.  “Cal doesn’t know that, but my Dad made it a point to teach me how to protect myself.  I’ve never had the occasion to put any of it into practice, but if need be, I won’t hesitate.”

“You sound so brave, Liz.  I’m quite impressed.”

“I’m not brave; I’m actually afraid.  I would like to step out there and tell all those people to just forget it.  No shooting allowed!  Why are they after you, Liz?  Griffin said you have a stalker, but I don’t believe that is all of it.”

“I put this man behind bars; he was trafficking in human flesh.  He was released on a mercy leave because he is dying, but before he dies, he wants to see me dead.  He’s been chasing me all over the country.  Each time we settle in somewhere and think we are safe, he sends his men to capture me and kill anyone I am with.  Griffin is concerned they will come here now.”

“We’ll deal with them if they do,” Liz said with confidence.  “Don’t you worry, hon.  You are safe here.”

“Liz, you are very special.  Thank you.”  Victoria was touched.  “I suppose I should see what I can find to fix for dinner.  Griffin will start hollering in a few minutes and complaining that he is hungry.  Does Cal have any foods like he especially likes or dislikes?”  The last thing she wanted to do is upset the man by fixing a meal he wouldn’t touch.