Arms of Serenity (Rock Services) (2 page)

“I was busy.”
Nick had been busy that night. He had been entertaining a bottle of scotch and a red-head. He smiled to himself. She was fun and kept his mind, and other things, occupied until early in the morning. He might have to break his one-night-only rule and see if he could find her when they got to the club. Nick shook his head to clear the thought. “Would you please go on so we can get out of here?”

Todd continued
. “7
th
Gate is a drug ring that has been gaining strength in the city for a year or two. It’s one of the highest on the DEA’s hit list and is run by a guy named Morris or as he prefers Master.”

“Come on
, you have to be kidding me. Master? Is this guy for real?” Nick wanted to find the guy just to help him come up with a better drug lord name.

“He’s for real
, or at least he proclaims to be. There’s an urban legend in Southern Pennsylvania, where he originates from, that there are seven gates to hell. Morris preaches that he found and walked through all of them and emerged the Master armed to do the ‘devil’s’ work.” Todd used his two fingers to air quote the word devil.

“Nick
, this guy is no joke. He’s built a small army of people he calls his legion. He’s a psychopath, but he’s smart. To be a full member of 7
th
Gate, you need go through seven initiation stages. He gives them tasks to perform, starting with something small like transporting drugs and works them up to killing. Klingerman said the DEA thinks up to fifteen murders were committed as one his initiation tasks. He uses them as a way of keeping his hands clean.”

Nick shook his head, “Why hasn’t the DEA been able to take him down?”

“They can’t get anything on him. His disciples do all the dirty work. The few they have gotten won’t turn over on him.” Todd shrugged. “These people are loyal. The closest they’ve gotten was the ‘devil made me do it’ and their ‘calling is to rid the city of the unjust and non-believers’. They just keep shoveling crap like that in their statements.”

Nick was having some difficulty grasping what Morris was all about. “It sounds more like a cult than a drug ring.”

Todd looked at Nick. “It’s both. That’s why he’s so dangerous and gaining ground in the city. He has these fools believing his shit, and he protects them like his own family. He uses the money from the drugs to set them up in apartments, clothes and the best defense lawyers in the country when one gets caught. He takes them in, takes care of them, and for most of these guys, that’s more than they have ever had.”

“Jesus, no wonder they want him.”
Nick could easily understand why the DEA wanted Morris off the streets. Todd still hadn’t explained how any of this involved Rock and their team. “So why does the CIA want us to investigate DEA agents? Why not Internal Affairs?”

“The DEA has been trying to get Morris with one of his shipments.
They have someone on the inside that had given them the time and place for the last three. But when they’d gone for the bust, Morris and the drugs weren’t at the designated location.”

“They think someone inside is leaking back to Morris.”
It was a statement, not a question. There were only two possibilities that three different busts didn’t go down as planned. Either the inside man was dirty, or someone was tipping off Morris. “Could the inside guy be feeding them bad information?”

Todd shook his head and looked down at the floor. “He hasn’t checked in for over a week.
They think Morris figured it out, and he’s presumed dead.”

“This just gets worse.
I’m still not getting how we or the CIA got involved.”

“They don’t know how far or how deep the corruption goes.
Speculation is that Morris could have a foothold in every damn agency. They want someone on the outside to do the preliminaries to make sure no warning flags go up. That’s where we come in. Klingerman was given a long list of potentials. He needs backgrounds, financials, surveillance, and the rest of the basics on all of them. Then if we see anything that raises suspicions, we hand the names to him.”

Nick still wasn’t convinced they should take on the assignment.
They were looking at a lot of hours, and the last Nick knew they barely had three people for the team. “Do we have the manpower for this?”

Todd crossed his arms and frowned at Nick. “If you were around you would know everyone we were trying to recruit has signed on with us.
Evan, Colin, and Davis start in a few days. Shane is going to stay on with the CIA National Clandestine Service in cyber-warfare. But, he’s on board with us when we need him. He’s actually the one who hooked us up with Klingerman. That gives us six including you and me, and I’m meeting with a Sara Fallens in two weeks. She’s ex-LAPD Metro SWAT, and rumor has it she’s one hell of a sniper. I would like you to meet her with me and get your input.”

Nick didn’t want to be involved yet.
He wasn’t ready to get back in the game after their last mission. He still felt the weight of losing one of their team members—of losing Jack.

Rock Services Group might have been founded honoring Jack’s dream of starting a private security team, but Nick didn’t need any help in remembering the man or how someone so young had lost
his life. He sure as hell didn’t need any help remembering the role he’d played in it, either. The further he kept from the daily operations of Rock Services the better.

“You don’t need me.
You’re doing a hell of a job and have everything in motion. Just let me know if you need more money for anything.”

Todd shot forward and slammed his hand
on the desk. “Dammit, Boomer, I was there. I lost him that night just like you. You need to get over this and move on with your life. You’re more than the financial backer for this team—you’re the damn leader.”               Seeing Todd angry was a surprise. He didn’t lose his cool easily. But to hell with that. Todd didn’t have the guilt. He didn’t think about that mission every day and night since it had happened. The images were still vivid, as if they had been burned into Nick’s memory.

The way Jack’s face had been frozen with a look of shock while his empty eyes stared blankly at the sky. How the
stench of blood and dirt filling the air had almost overwhelmed Nick while he fought back the waves of nausea, and how Jack’s lifeless body had felt in Nick’s arms as he had carried him off the ridge. It had been Nick’s hands that were covered in blood, not Todd’s. Nick felt the familiar anger boil up inside of him, and he glared at his friend.

“You’re right you lost him that night
, too. The whole unit lost him. But none of you were the one that gave him the order. I was the one that sent him to his death.”

Todd sat back and sighed
. “You were following protocol. If I was in command, I would have given him the same order. It was your job, and it was his. We all knew the risks when we signed on. It was always a possibility that one or all of us might not come back every time we went out on a mission.”

“It doesn’t matter.
I was his commanding officer, and my order got him killed.” Nick stood up not able to stay still any longer. He was angry at himself, at Todd, at the military and anyone else he could point a finger at. He couldn’t forgive himself. He didn’t want to forgive himself.

“Missy wants to thank you in person for the trust funds you set up for the kids.
It might be good for you to talk to her.”

Bringing up Jack’s wife and kids was Todd’s way of trying to help him come to terms with happened.
Todd had gone to see her and had come back at peace with the loss. Nick wasn’t ready to face her.

“I know
. She’s called and left messages. I can’t see her yet. I wouldn’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything.
She’s not expecting anything. She’s worried about you—we all are.”

Nick shook his head.
“I’m just not ready.”

Todd stood up and sighed.
“Ok, man. It’s dropped for now. Let’s go get a drink. You look like you could use a distraction for the night.”

Thankful that Todd let the subject go, Nick came around the desk and slapped him on the back.
“Now you’re talking. With the day I’ve had, I could use two distractions, preferably a blonde and a brunette.”

Chapter Two

Rebecca Klayton stood in front of her full-length mirror.
She turned slowly around trying to see herself at all angles and then cocked her head to the side, silently deliberating over her reflection. The gown was gorgeous with silver beading on the bustier that accentuated the light blue satin. She loved the material and color. That wasn’t the problem. It was the
lack
of material that was causing her internal dilemma.

What the hell had she been thinking when she ordered the dress off the Internet?
Becca gave a frustrated grunt. She knew exactly what she was thinking. She needed a gown for the party, and the thought of spending a day shopping for one made her skin crawl. Who was she kidding? Shopping in general was not high on her list of fun things to do for any reason. She would much rather spend her time in the kitchen of her bakery or curled up with a good book.

In Becca’s opinion, on-line shopping kicked serious ass.
A quick search, a little surfing and a couple of clicks later not only could she accomplish her shopping goals, but it was delivered straight to her door.
Score!!

This time her lack of shopping enthusiasm
had bitten her straight on the butt. She knew that clothing was the one exception to her on-line preference. But she had taken one look at how stunning the model looked in the gown and was hooked. She had reminded Becca of a modern day princess with the only accessory missing being a tiara. What girl didn’t want to look like a princess? With credit card in hand, she had ordered the dress and mentally checked it off her to-do list.

Becca now stood staring at herself in the mirror with a huge case of buyer’s remorse.
The error was in her inability to remember that fitting rooms were in clothing stores for a reason. The model had been the stereotypical runway type with flat lines. Becca’s curves were not meant for this type of dress.

The amount of cleavage that was showing was literally way over the top
, and with her long legs and curvy behind the gown barely reached mid-thigh. Thank goodness there was a train that flowed down to her ankles. At least if she bent over, the whole world wouldn’t get a perfect view of her panty selection for the evening. Not that she could bend over because her girls were ready to pop out of the top and show themselves in all their glory as soon as they got a chance.

Becca shook her head at her reflection.
The dress was way out of her comfort zone. Her closet was filled with sweaters, T-shirts, hoodies, and jeans. The most daring piece of clothing she owned was her token black dress with a scooping neckline, and that dress ended at her knee. Add in the stilettos that she had gotten to match the model and she was so far away from her norm that she felt like she should just hang up her apron to work the strip in Vegas.

What made it worse was that the party was only four days away.

“
Crap!” She was going to have to suck it up and brave the nearest mall during the after-Christmas sales and gift return rush. Just the thought made her groan and want to invest in an economy sized bottle of aspirin.

Becca heard the door to her apartment open and a second later an unmistakable voice bellowing from the kitchen
.

“Becca!
Where are you, chicky?”

Anne Bilsten did nothing quietly or in moderation.
She was a walking tornado stuck in a five-foot body. She had a loud personality, carefree attitude, great sense of humor, and the biggest heart that Becca had ever seen. Her compassion, strong will, and loyalty had forced Becca back into the living more times than she wanted to admit. Anne was, in the truest form, her best friend.

“I’m in the bedroom
, and before you ask I look like Cinderella if she was a hooker.”

Anne strolled through the room chuckling and wrapped her arms around Becca from behind.
“I think the politically correct term these days for that type of employment is horizontal pleasure professional, and if
that
is what they get to wear I’m going to have to re-think my career choice. You look amazing.”

Becca chuckled and turned to watch Anne sit down on the bed.
“I think Josh—you know, your husband?—might have something to say about you giving up your happy housewife status, and besides you might want to wait until Junior is born.” Becca pointed her finger to the slight belly bump visible through Anne’s fitted gray shirt. “If anyone looks amazing it’s you. There really is something about the pregnancy glow. You look…” Becca searched for the word. “Radiant. Yep, that’s the only word that fits. Radiant.”

Anne smiled and instinctively put her hand on her belly
, rubbing in circles. “I know. I haven’t stopped smiling. Well, except when I was on the bathroom floor praying to the porcelain god. Thank you very much that I’m over that stage. By the way, the whole myth of morning sickness is a vicious lie. It’s a 24-hour, just when you thought it was safe and there isn’t a bathroom anywhere near you, sickness. Two weeks ago, I was at the grocery store and thought I was going to have to use my purse as a barf bag.”

Becca couldn’t help but laugh.
“Oh. My. God. The thought of you hurling into your monstrosity of a purse next to the cans of creamed corn is priceless. Oh Wait. Even better, split pea soup.”

“Are you seriously trying to use a movie reference to make fun of my obvious suffering?”
Anne squinted her eyes and stuck her tongue out at Becca. “For your information, I was in the produce section and was bent over hiding behind the melons.” Becca laughed harder. Anne struggled to keep her frown in place but couldn’t hold it as her own laughter burst out.

Anne smiled down at her hand.
“Not even out yet and already tormenting and embarrassing your mother in a grocery store.”

Becca watched Anne as she rubbed and spoke to the baby growing inside of her.
Anne was going to be a wonderful mom full of warmth and love. The joy and excitement over the expected bundle were evident in her eyes and voice. Becca couldn’t be happier for her and Josh, even though she could feel the familiar twinge of sadness. It was a longing for something lost and a hope long forgotten.

Shaking the feeling off, she looked back up at Anne
, who had grown silent. She was staring at the floor and biting her lip. That was Becca’s signal that Anne was nervous or worried or both. She went over to sit beside her on the bed.

“Anne, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just…” Anne hesitated and took a deep breath. “Ok, here goes. I have an appointment for an ultrasound next week. I might even find out if it’s a boy or a girl. Becca, I really want you to be there. But I would understand if you don’t want to go or would rather I don’t ask you to do any baby stuff. I know my being pregnant can’t be easy on you and probably brings up bad memories.”

Becca closed her eyes and tried to will away the knot that was suddenly in her stomach.
Yes, there were plenty of bad memories, and no, she wasn’t truly over what happened. Honestly who the hell would be? One moment, one night had changed everything. Six years later she still carried the emotional baggage packed full of commitment and trust issues and a whole assortment of other fears. Even so, that was her own pile of crap to deal with, and the last person she wanted to hurt or push away was Anne.

She opened her eyes and put Anne’s hand in her own hoping she could reassure her.
“Anne, I love you, and you are my best friend. I want you to be happy, and seeing you happy makes
me
happy. Of course, I want to be there.”

Anne shook her head and looked back at Becca with concern filling her eyes.
“I love you, too. That’s why I don’t want to see you upset or be a reminder of what happened. What he did and said to you was unforgivable, Becca. I don’t understand how anyone could be so cruel. How could he leave you like that and say the horrible things he said? How could he not care that the two of you had just lost your baby?” Anne raised her free hand and wiped at the tears that had escaped down her cheeks. She sniffled and added in almost a whisper, “Damn pregnancy hormones.”

Becca took a long breath and felt the memory of that night weighing heavy on her soul.
She couldn’t answer any of those questions. Not that she hadn’t thought about it over and over again, twisting and turning his words and actions in every direction desperately trying to see him as more than a heartless bastard. It never worked, and she had long given up trying or wanting to understand. The reality was that Mike had walked out on her. And she would never know why he said what he said or left the way he did because he never gave her a chance to ask him.

Becca brought her attention back to Anne.
She had come to the hospital that night and had never left her side. She had been there as Becca struggled to pick up the pieces and put what was left of her life back together again. Anne had given her strength when she didn’t have any, and even now, she was still more concerned with hurting Becca’s feelings than her own.

Becca didn’t want anything to come between Anne and her happiness.
She had worried enough about Becca and should be focused on enjoying the gift that she and Josh had been given.

“Anne
, you need to stop over-thinking everything. I want to be there.”

Anne looked up at her with her big brown hopeful eyes. “Really?
You’re sure?”

Becca patted her hand and stood to move back to the mirror.
“Yes, I’m positive. Anyway, if we find out that it’s going to be a boy you’re going to need backup when you tell Josh you want to name his son Junior.”

“He is so going to freak.
I can’t wait to tell him. I’m hoping for a nice fight so we can have makeup sex.” Anne waggled her eyebrows and chuckled.

Shaking her head, Becca scoffed at her friend. “Anne, you’re incorrigible.
You have to be the only person I know that hopes for a fight.”

“What?
Make up sex is H.O.T. It’s so grrrr … How do you think I got this way? The last time we fought he flipped me over and...”

Becca put her hand up.
“Stop! I so don’t need to know how Josh had you all twisted up. Can you get your mind off of sex for a minute? I seriously need to vent about how I have to find a new gown and how I really don’t want to go to Victoria’s New Year’s Eve Masquerade Wedding Reception.”

Anne laughed and smiled at Becca
. “Sorry, can’t help it. This whole pregnancy thing has my libido in overdrive. Why don’t you want to go to the party? It sounds like a fun time.”

Becca sighed and ran her hands down the dress. Anne had always been the outgoing and adventurous one.
She grabbed onto opportunity when it presented itself and had always been willing to go to new places or try new things.

Becca was different.
She never considered herself shy or naïve, but she liked the familiar whether it was with people or staying within her small town she called home. A night out was usually grabbing a drink at Frank’s Bar and dancing to some country tunes playing out of the juke box. That was a good time to Becca. She knew what to expect, and it was simple. Exactly the way she liked it.

“It’s New York City on New Year’s Eve.
It’s going to be chaos. I’m uncomfortable already, and I’m not even there.” Becca put her hand on her stomach to calm the uneasy feeling that suddenly settled there. “I’m nauseated just thinking about all those people in that setting. Who has a masquerade party as a wedding reception, anyway? Wait, sorry, it’s not a reception. According to the invitation, it’s a gala.”

“Now who’s over
-thinking things? There’s nothing to be nervous about. It’s a party where you get to dress up, nothing more.” Becca could see Anne shrug in the reflection of the mirror. “It’s Vicky’s third marriage. I’m not Ms. Wedding Etiquette, but I’m guessing at number three you can do whatever the hell you want. I think asking for donations for the Inner City Battered Women’s Shelter in lieu of presents is a nice gesture.”

Becca snorted before she could stop it.
“It’s not Vicky, remember? That’s too common. It’s Victoria. Yeah, the donations seem generous, but what could she possibly need or want as gift at this point? It’s not that she isn’t able to keep up her Prada and Jimmy Choo lifestyle with the divorce settlements from the first two husbands. Victoria lives to be in the spotlight, and I’m guessing she will use it for publicity with every news agency in the city being there to take pictures.”

Anne lifted her eyebrows at Becca through the reflection.
“Wow, catty much? You really don’t like her, do you? She is your cousin, Becca. You two grew up together.”

“I think that’s the problem.”
Becca sighed and remembered how she and Victoria would spend their days together. They would climb trees in the back yard, run barefoot through the mud puddles, and pick flowers out of the fields. They were inseparable and exactly alike in almost every way.

“I guess I just miss who she was and who we were.
She’s changed into someone I don’t have anything in common with, and even talking with her is difficult. She lives in a totally different world than I do, and it’s one that I don’t want any part. The only reason I’m going is because Mom had insisted and dragged me to the first two weddings. She kept telling me that no matter how people change, family is always family. She would want me to be there.”