Tidal Falls (Wounded Hearts Book 1) (18 page)

Sara seemed entertained by his
friend’s antics and took no offence, a smile breaking across her gorgeous face as she watched the byplay before catching his gaze, eyes sparkling with mirth. He loved her. He sat back in his seat, the sounds of the busy restaurant, the continued bantering between mother and son, the ring of the till amid John Denver’s “Take me Home” blaring from the old jukebox. It all faded, leaving him staring at her and her staring at him, her smile slowly evaporating as she finally…finally acknowledged him.

***

Sara had avoided looking at Nick ever since she’d arrived at the coffee shop. When she’d first walked in her senses had known where to find him almost before her head. They were like opposing magnets, drawn together by the sheer force of their attraction for each other, even over the dictates of her mind. Corny, maybe, but true.

He
looked handsome, lounging in the big booth near the kitchen. The busy sounds of the morning breakfast crowd, the sizzle of smoky bacon cooking on the grill, and the splat-dribble-dribble of the nearby coffee machine starting its third pot to try to keep up to the boisterous crowd, all muted the moment she saw him.

He’
d been waiting for her to arrive, she could tell because he’d looked up as soon as the door opened and hadn’t taken his eyes off her since. Even though she was a hot mess inside, she pulled her shoulders back and slowed her hurried stride to more of a hip-rolling walk, as if she were performing a mating dance. Crazy.

It looked as if he’
d had about as much sleep as her last night. His eyelids at half-mast over those deep pools of blue, and his jaw sporting a five-o’clock shadow, drew her right back into her bedroom. Her thighs clenched imagining those bristles against her tender flesh. And his lips—she gulped—the visceral pull of his full sensual lips tugged hard at her belly. She wished things were different. She’d thought they had a chance before…yeah, before everything went to hell in a hand basket.

The timel
y reminder shadowed her to the table, and though an obvious seat was left open beside him, Sara chose to sit with Jared. She gave a quick hello around the table, ignoring the sardonic look darkening Nick’s face. Space, that’s all they needed. With time she could probably forget the kindness he exhibited to her daughter. She could even forget his gentleness with Jake. In a while the laughter and warmth would fade. The safety and security she felt in his presence would be replaced by steel and locks once more. But the essence of him…the woodsy scent, the leathery skin, the tenor of his voice whispering in her ear…those would take far longer. Space.

She couldn’
t believe Grace was Jared’s mother, though even when she first met him something had seemed familiar about him. Now it was glaringly obvious, they shared the same Caribbean blue eyes, and the smile was a dead giveaway. No wonder she’d felt at ease around him right from the start—flirting aside.

Frank sat to
her right. His solid presence made her a little uncomfortable. He could squash her like a bug if he wanted to and she wouldn’t be able to do a thing to stop him. The others seemed sure of him, but Sara sensed a lot of darkness in him.

Nick sat
across from her and the occasional brushing of their legs under the table amped her awareness of him up to unbearable. The hostility emanating from his broad form whenever Jared happened to flirt a little, even though it was obviously in jest, gave her perverse pleasure.

After being pulled into a tight hug from Grace and a promise to return
Frank and Jared left for Seattle to pick up the DEA agents. Which left Sara with Nick. Awkward didn’t begin to cover it.

The last time they’d sat in the restaurant
together they had spent the time getting to know each other, laughing and talking. This time in marked contrast, Nick sat silent, a forbidding scowl on his attractive face. Sara fiddled with first her cup and then the place settings, not sure whether she wanted to apologize or not. What good would it do? They were over, so if he wanted to think her capable of moving on with some other man that fast, maybe it was just as well.

“Look Sara…”

“Maybe we…” At the simultaneous sound of each other’s voices, they locked eyes, remembering all the times they had done that in the past. Sara’s breath hitched in her throat, her chest tightening at the thought of not having times like this with him ever again.

“Look
, Sara, I think we should set everything else aside for now. Let’s just concentrate on getting your friend free and Sheridan and company behind bars. I’m already not very happy with the part you’re going to be playing in this. I could just as easily be the one to phone and say you’ve changed the stakes. You don’t need to be involved at all.”

“Don’t you get it,
I am involved. This whole mess is because I’m involved.” Her voice rose, and a couple of pensioner’s at the next table swiveled like a pair of bobble heads, hoping to catch some juicy gossip for the next senior’s bridge game, no doubt.

Sara waited until they gave up trying to turn up their hearing devices and turned back to complaining about
so and so’s dog peeing in the hydrangea’s. Lowering her voice, she said, “I get that you’re worried about me, and I appreciate it, really. But here’s the thing. My whole life, decisions have been made for me, and I’ve had no choice but to follow along. Even after I was married—actually it was worse when I was married. I need to choose my own path, Nick. I need to be responsible for my own resolution, my own life. I know what we’re attempting to do is dangerous. I admit I’d like nothing better than to take my daughter and run as fast and far as I can go to get away from here, but what’s that going to accomplish? Another town, another identity, how many times should I put Jess through that?”

B
ridging the gap between them, Sara slid her cool fingers between his, and closed her eyes briefly at the sensation of his skin against hers. Then, scanning his face to try and ascertain whether anything she’d said made any kind of impact on him, she continued, “Nick, please. Trust me. Help me to do this.”

He sat for a long while
, gazing out the window as he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. She’d almost given up hope when he looked back to her, resolution in the strong planes of his face. He gave a light squeeze before turning them over and setting a soft kiss to her palm, closing the fingers gently to seal it “We’re going to need to prepare so you’re ready for anything he might throw at you.”

“So that means you’ll help?”

“Yeah, I’ll help.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Frank and Jared stood
in the southern satellite terminal of Seattle’s SEA-TAC Airport for the agents to clear security. Rain splashed against the glass making wavy grey ribbons of the runways as aircraft of varying dimensions landed and took off like an intricate dance choreography.

Frank turned
from his search for Holt—for about the tenth time, not that he was counting—and gazed at the slumped shoulders and blurred face of his friend reflected in the window. He knew it’d been hard for Jared going home. He’d tried to talk to him about it a few times over the years but Jared remained close-mouthed. You could ask the guy almost anything else, from a date he’d been on the night before, to how to hotwire a car, and he was happy to share, but ask about his hometown? Not so much. The fastest way Frank knew to morph the easy-going man they all knew into Mr. Inimical.

Talk of home was a way to keep the ghouls at bay.
They’d all been so Goddamn close as a unit, it was hard to imagine any of them holding secrets from the others. That kind of life, it bled out the confidences, a way to pass the long dark hours lying in their tents waiting on the next adrenalin-fueled mission.

Speaking of ghosts.
The wavy mirage taking shape in the glass to his right was the spitting image of Adam O’Connor. His curly blond hair and pretty boy looks gaining him adoring looks from passersby, caused Frank to grin in remembrance. The apparition gained substance as it came to a halt a few feet behind him, and Frank wasn’t grinning anymore. He rubbed his eyes, half afraid to turn around in case what he’d seen was all a figment of his imagination. Jared’s eyes bugged out of his head as he looked at the phantom in the glass before pulling a one eighty and falling back against the cool panes as reality almost knocked him off his feet, and Frank knew. Secrets indeed.

“Hello
, Sir, it’s been a while.”

“
Holy, sweet Mary, mother of Christ.” Jared whispered.

Slowly revolving around on the broken down heels of his old boots, Frank
barely acknowledged the pretty Agent Holt, now standing a step in front of O’Connor as if prepared to protect him, which she just might need to do. His gaze moved to his old teammate and cataloged five years of changes even as he brushed past the vigilant Maggie, grasping Adam in a body-clinching man hug.

Emotions
like a volcano set to erupt bubbled inside him. His throat locked and tears sprang to his tightly closed eyes. All these years of anger and pain over the loss of yet another important person in his life. Yet now here he was, holding him in his arms. Alive.

Reluctant to let him go
in case he disappeared, he eased back, adjusting to the reality of seeing his friend. Gone were the laugh lines around his mouth and chocolate brown eyes. Gone were the ropey muscles and lean form. This Adam had broader shoulders and well-defined musculature, his lean face more mature, his eyes seasoned, sure.

“You’re l
ooking pretty Goddamned healthy—for a dead man.” Frank said, dealing with the problem directly, no use beating around the bush.

“Yeah, about that…
”

Jared, still looking a little
shell-shocked, came up and punched Adam hard in the jaw, setting him back a step. “You cocksucker, scaring the living shit out of us like that.”

“Hey
!” Adam grimaced, rubbing his face.

“Step back.” F
rom an obviously armed Agent Holt, turning Frank on and pissing him off at the same time.

“Let’s all take a breath here. Y
ou have to admit this is something of a humdinger. You can’t blame us for feeling somewhat flummoxed. Last time we saw your ugly mug the medics were pumping blood in as fast it was flowing out. And then a couple days later we were informed you hadn’t made it. Christ man, how do you think we’re going to feel to suddenly see you again?”

“I know
, Chief, I get it. If there had been any other way I would never have allowed them to pull that on you, I swear.”

Raw anger dripped venom from Jared’s tongue, “That’s fucking bullshit man. D
o you have any idea how hard it was to watch them take you away, not knowing if we’d ever see you again? I can’t fucking believe you were alive all these years and never said a fucking word.” He was hurt, hell they all were. “Did Nick know?”

“No,
no one did, not even my family. I had to totally disappear. Look, I realize you’re angry, but if you’ll let me explain maybe I can shed some light on why.”

“I don’t mean
to interrupt the cozy reunion,” Maggie said, aiming a belligerent look Jared’s way. “But I think we should carry this out to our ride. We’re attracting a crowd.”

Sure enough, here came airport security, n
o doubt alerted to the fact the four of them were standing there creating a sideshow for dismounting passengers. Way to keep on the down low.

“Is there
a problem here?” A portly TSA agent asked, hand twitching by his sidearm as he registered the sheer size of Frank.

Flashing her badge, Agent Ho
lt replied, “No, everything is fine. We were just leaving. Thank you, officer.”

He kept his eye on them as
Maggie grabbed Adam’s wrist and began to haul ass out the door. Temper rode every stride she took with those mile long legs, her long braided hair, snapping against her back. She’d dressed more conservatively today, a feminine version of Adam’s dark suit and tie, though much more evocative on her lithe form.

“Where to?
” She glanced over her shoulder, spearing him with her sooty lashed, cinnamon colored eyes.

Frank nodded towards the Impala resting in the loading zone, a little surprised when she gave him an approving look on his vehicular choice. At least someone got that it was about blending in, hiding in plain sight.

Stowing their overnight bags in the roomy trunk, Adam and Maggie climbed in the back, leaving Jared and Frank the front. As he eased his oversized frame in behind the wheel and turned the ignition with a satisfying rumble, Frank couldn’t help himself, he had to take one last peek at the living, breathing ghost in his backseat. Their eyes met, both a little moist. “I’m glad you’re alive, so fucking glad. Pardon me, Agent Holt,” He apologized yet again for his fabulous fricken vocabulary.

Adam grinned back, “Good to be alive
, Chief, more than you know. And don’t worry about Mags, she’s heard plenty worse.” He reached over and gave her thigh a squeeze. Frank turned back to the front, and pealed out of the parking lot with more zeal than warranted.

“So
, do you want to explain where you’ve been for the last five fricken years?” Jared asked, still uncharacteristically acrimonious, slouched in his corner of the car; a pair of dark sunglasses covering his eyes. Something was eating at Jare’s insides. It was past time he confided in someone.

One thing at a time
though. “Yes, I think you better share with us what happened. And how do you come to be part of the DEA team which happens to be in on the same case that we find ourselves neck deep in?’ Frank stopped at a red light and glance over his shoulder.

“You’
re right, it’s not a coincidence. Maggie and I have been working this case for years. We’d catch a break at one end and everything would unravel from the other end. It’s been a real clusterfuck, but Sheridan is the key. I’m sure you guys noticed I spent a fair amount of time keeping an eye on that prick. The DEA had already tagged me. Before I decided to try my luck on the Teams, I’d looked into joining the Drug Enforcement Association. When I happened to be on the SEAL team assigned to safeguarding Sheridan, they asked me to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. He was on their watch-list for connections to some, shall we say, unsavory characters.”

O
ther than the whistle of wind through Jared’s partially open window and the muted roar of thousands of motorists trying to beat the afternoon rush home, silence reigned. How the hell did someone the Feds already have their eye on manage to get appointed to a hotspot, with a team of SEALs no less, watching his six? Jared was right. It was bullshit.

“
Obviously they caught on to what I was doing, hence the attempt to have me killed. If not for you two that night, I probably wouldn’t have made it. Believe me, I’ve wanted nothing more than to catch up and let you know I was alive and to thank you for saving my sorry ass. But the higher-ups decided that I had to stay dead, both for my family’s safety and for the case.”

“So you’re telling us that you getting shot, and
presumably killed
, then subsequently disappearing for the last five fricken years, were all due to Sheridan? Fuck man, why didn’t you talk to us about it? You know we would have had your back. Maybe then we wouldn’t have had to spend all this time feeling as if we failed you that night.” Jared flung the words at Adam, his eyes shooting daggers into the back seat.

“Jare
, it’s all right. The man was following orders, you need to respect that.” Frank knew most of Jared’s anger was self-directed. Hell, they’d both had trouble getting over watching their friend shot down right in front of them. He had to live every day with the responsibility. His commands had placed them behind the town well. He’d never forgiven himself. One of many fucked up decisions that had cost the people he cared for.

Shaking off the darkness of his thoughts, Frank glanced into his rear-view mirror, his attention absorbed by the beauticious Ms. Holt seated directly behind him. Her scent, a bouquet of lilac, vanilla, and old-fashioned ros
es drifted around him, amping his awareness of her. She sat gazing out the side window, her profile full of mystery, the shadows created by the swiftly passing trees flirting with the dips and planes of her body. She and Adam seemed pretty close, sharing the comfort of long time partners. But there was more. He’d caught the meditative looks Adam kept sending her way. Just then as if sensing his regard, Maggie brought her gaze to his in the mirror, and awareness flashed to life. Not good, not good at all. He didn’t poach. Especially on newly returned from the dead friends.

“No
, I get it, I really do.” Adam’s voice jerked Frank’s attention forward, breaking the connection. “If there were any way I could have done things different, believe me I would have. It’s not exactly been a picnic for me either. I hated having to let my family, my friends, believe I’d died. But in order to stop the person at the head of this organization, the DEA needed me to go undercover. Sheridan was—is, our link to this person.” At the zero response from Jared, Adam’s voice rose, “He’s also a human smuggling, drug pushing, gunrunner who we’ve been doing our Goddamn best to take down. So you can stay annoyed with me for as long as you want, but none of this was my idea. When it first began I figured okay, cool, I’ll play spymaster, catch me a bad guy and then get back to doing what SEALs do best, blow shit up.” He grinned and slapped Jared’s tense shoulder. “Seriously, we all took a vow to defend our country no matter what that entailed.
The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday
, remember?”

Again the hum of
tires as the car ate up the miles and they all acknowledged the motto and their pledge to protect with their lives if needs be.

The smooth, silky contralto of M
aggie’s voice broke the silence. “Listen, I think we’re all forgetting the important thing here. Sheridan. I’m sure by now you must have realized the game we’re playing is high stakes—you should like that, Ford.” Jared accepted her little dig with a shrug. “I think it’s in all our best interests to set aside our differences until we catch this creep.”

Frank nodded
his agreement. “She’s right, boys. We need to team up and take care of business. We can hash the rest out later. With that in mind, how about a sit-rep on what you have compiled so far?”

Chancing a backward glance, Frank caught Adam waving
his hand toward Maggie, giving her the floor. “Okay, here is our bullet list so far, 1) Sheridan somehow pulls strings, and joins SEAL Team 5 right after they are deployed to Iraq.

2) He
makes contact with a known group of smugglers hidden under the guise of the Peshmerga militia.

3) He uses his ships
, magically clearing all security checks, in the conveyance of drugs, arms and humans to Europe and Africa.

4) Sheridan finds out that O’Connor is a little too curious and
shoots him.

5) Back in good old U.S.A Sheridan continues
his lucrative career as a lawyer and has the suspiciously good luck to fall into a relationship with none other than Ramos Guerra, right hand man of El Chapo, head of the Sinaloa Cartel.

6) Everythin
g is coming up rosy for our boy. The drug trade is booming, he has a beautiful wife, Sara Wilcox, a daughter, and reaps the rewards of becoming Massachusetts next U.S. Attorney.

7)
Rumors abound, is he beating his spouse? He pulls her out for a variety of functions; see perfect couple, no problems. Then a couple of years pass, he’s preparing to run for governor and we hear he has a big reward out for his missing wife and daughter.

8) One day I’
m out with vice, chasing leads on a bunch of missing hookers that seem to track back to Sheridan, and I hear word on the street about a multimillion-dollar deal in the pipeline between the Cartel and our man.