Текст книги "Slaying the Dragon"

Автор книги: T.K. Leigh

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Текущая страница: 16 (всего у книги 25 страниц)

Tyler

I PULLED MY BRONCO into the driveway of my house, wishing I had pushed Mackenzie to tell me what was really holding her back from agreeing to move to Boston with me. I knew asking her was risky, which was why I had been putting it off for the past month, but I didn’t want to go any longer with our current living arrangement. I wanted to come home to her every night to a house we shared. I wanted to be there to rock our son to sleep. I wanted to read him bedtime stories. I wanted him to be surrounded by a family who loved him.

And I wanted all of that back in Boston, not down here where we would both be reminded of our past. We had been given a chance to have a new beginning, and I didn’t want to squander that opportunity.

Entering my code into the keypad on my front door, I walked through the house, hearing animated voices coming from down the hall. I headed toward the study, surprised to see Martin, Eli, Benson, and Maxwell sitting around the table. The remainder of the team had stayed on, but I decided to only use them in a purely protective role, not investigative. I liked keeping my inner circle small, and everyone present had proved to be trustworthy, even Benson.

“What’s this all about?” I asked, sensing there must have been some sort of new development if all these people were here.

“Sir,” Eli began, shooting up from his chair. “We think we may have something. Benson and Maxwell found some questionable information about one of the missions Galloway was on while a Ranger.”

“Really?” I perked up. Over the past few months, we had hit nothing but dead ends. Just when we thought we were getting closer to figuring out who was behind everything, it turned out to be nothing. We had dug and dug into Galloway’s background…his time in the Rangers, his investigations while in Counterintelligence, even his home and family life. We had come up mostly empty-handed, which was frustrating and made me start to think that maybe he wasn’t being set up. Maybe he just wanted us to believe he was.

“What did you find out?” I asked, eyeing Benson and Maxwell as they sat at the table.

“Well, it took a while to put the pieces together, but we were finally able to access field reports from when Galloway’s unit was in Bosnia in the early nineties.”

Eyeing him skeptically, I grabbed a file off my desk and flipped through it. “I think you’re mistaken. There’s no record of him going to Bosnia. Not to mention, according to all the information we received from the CIA, Galloway had already transferred to Counterintelligence by the time of the conflict in Bosnia.” I had practically memorized the entire dossier of the missions he was involved in when a Ranger, and Bosnia wasn’t on the list. I would have certainly remembered that.

“Precisely,” Maxwell said, his excitement growing. “We always thought perhaps this guy was hiding something. He was Special Forces, then in Counterintelligence. It’s obvious he’s got some skeletons in his closet. Skeletons he had the skills and training to hide.”

Closing the file in front of me, I nodded, giving my full attention to Benson and Maxwell. “Tell me about this supposed mission he was on in Bosnia.”

“Well, his Ranger unit was sent there during the crisis in the early nineties,” Benson began. “As you know, the United States didn’t want to get involved in the civil war, but that didn’t mean we didn’t have some troops in the area. We did, and Galloway’s team was one of the units sent over there.”

“And what was their mission?”

“We don’t know,” Maxwell said, “but we found a copy of the only field report Galloway filed during his time over there, accounting for the casualty of two of his unit members. No details were given, just their names.”

“But if they weren’t involved in active combat…?”

“We had the same concerns,” Benson agreed. “So we took the initiative to look into the remaining members of Galloway’s team. We found it particularly disconcerting to learn that all of them, except for Galloway and two others, are now deceased.”

“Or missing,” Maxwell added.

“Missing?” I scrunched my eyebrows.

“Yes. Harrison Mills, Galloway’s neighbor, was on the mission and, as we know, he’s been missing for several years.”

“So it looks like we should go talk to someone who was in Bosnia with Galloway and see if there’s a connection. It may not clear anything up, but maybe we can find out a little bit more.”

“We’re one step ahead of you,” Eli said. “Maxwell and Benson are heading to Oklahoma to talk to one of them…Peter Carlyle. You and I are going to head to Florida to see if we can get some answers out of Bruce McDonough.”

“Perfect. See if you can get these guys on the phone and make plans to go talk to them on Monday–”

“Sir,” Martin interrupted. “We’ve all discussed this and think time is of the essence here. If someone has been killing the members of the unit, there’s a possibility they’re after Carlyle and McDonough. It took Maxwell weeks to even track these two down. They’ve been living completely off the grid for years, making me believe that perhaps they knew someone was after them. Granted, it’s been several years since the others died, but I’m not sure this is a risk worth taking.”

Sighing, I ran my hand over my face. I knew I needed to go talk to at least one of them, but I had promised Mackenzie I’d be there for her baby shower tomorrow. I glanced at my watch, noting it was just eleven in the morning. If we hurried and got a flight plan in place, we could be in Florida by two or three. That gave us a little wiggle room. Even if we had to track him down, as long as we were back by tomorrow morning, I’d be able to make Mackenzie’s shower.

“Fine. Let’s go. Benson. Maxwell.” I nodded at them. “You’ll most likely be getting to your target’s house first. I want a full report after you’ve spoken to him. It may help us when we’re interviewing our guy. Understand?”

“Sir,” they said in unison.

~~~~~~~~~~

“WHAT DO YOU THINK Galloway’s time in Bosnia has to do with all of this?” Eli asked as we drove from Tampa airport and out to St. Pete Beach. My thoughts had been elsewhere, thinking of Mackenzie and the argument we’d had earlier. I had tried calling her to let her know what was going on and assure her I would be back in plenty of time for the baby shower, but my calls went right to voicemail, so I knew she hadn’t cooled off yet. I just hoped she would come around so we could at least discuss this like two rational people.

“Tyler?” Eli said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Which makes more sense, or which do I want to believe?”

“Let me guess. It’s not the same.”

I sighed, leaning my head on the window of the rental SUV, soaking in the warm Florida sun. “I wish it were. Am I a horrible person for beginning to think maybe I was wrong before? That maybe, with everything going on, it makes more sense Galloway really is the one behind all of it? Everyone associated with him seems to be dead or missing, and I can’t help but think he’s the cause. The only evidence I have that he’s not is my girlfriend’s assurance he couldn’t be, even though she barely knows him. Does this make me a horrible person?”

“No,” Eli agreed, keeping his eyes on the road as we drove across a bridge toward the island. “You’re looking at everything rationally, like any good investigator should. But sometimes circumstances are such that we want to believe one thing, blinding us to the truth.”

“I know… I just wish there were some sort of tangible evidence out there other than word of mouth to go on! We have no idea who to trust or believe here. Anyone could be lying. Hell, being here could just be one giant wild goose chase.”

“Could be, but it might give you the answers you’ve been looking for. Don’t forget that.”

Nodding, I closed my eyes, wishing I had some sort of clarity about this case. I had been so convinced Galloway wasn’t behind it because Mackenzie believed it, but I wasn’t so sure now. As with everything else in this case, the more we found out, the less certain I was about what was really going on.

“We’re here,” Eli announced twenty minutes later as he pulled up to a beach house on the Gulf of Mexico. It was a cream-colored home on stilts. A flight of stairs led up to a large wrap-around deck overlooking the ocean. A vintage BMW motorcycle and a pick-up truck sat beneath the house. “Ready?” He glanced at me.

“Yeah. Let’s do this.” I opened the car door and started up the dozen or so steps to the deck. I rang the doorbell and waited, expecting to hear some sort of movement from within, considering the television was audible, but I heard nothing. No sign of life at all.

“Mr. McDonough?” I called, hoping he could hear me over the television. I knocked loudly and called his name once more. When there was still no response, I walked around the deck and peered through a window into the kitchen. I saw vegetables chopped on a cutting board, along with a pot of water boiling on the stove. “He’s got to be here,” I mumbled, heading back to the front door just as my cell phone began to ring.

“Want me to pick the lock?” Eli asked.

I looked down at the caller ID, not really liking the idea of breaking into the house of the guy we were here to get information from, but what choice did I have? I needed answers. “Yeah. Do it,” I ordered, bringing my cell to my ear. “Benson, how did it go?”

“It didn’t,” he replied, practically yelling. I heard sirens and a commotion in the background, a sense of urgency washing over me.

“What do you mean? What happened?”

“I don’t know, but when we got here, our guy’s house was fully engulfed in flames. The entire street was blocked off, but we were able to sneak in. Apparently, there was evidence of some sort of bomb. There was a tripwire that triggered an explosion when the front door was opened.”

My eyes immediately went to Eli using his lock pick set to pry open the front door and my stomach dropped. I hung up on Benson in mid-sentence as Eli turned the knob and I heard a click. Everything after that was in slow motion as I felt a rush of heat. Meeting Eli’s terrified eyes, we escaped the scorching flames the only way we could. Placing one arm on the railing of the deck, we hoisted our bodies up and over, an explosion sending us flying onto the sand of the beach before darkness washed over me.

Mackenzie

“HOW DO YOU LIKE this one?” Jenna asked, pointing to a rustic-looking crib made of reclaimed wood. “Oh, and it will transform to a toddler bed, then a twin bed, too. What do you think, Mack?”

I shrugged, indifferent about the whole process. Now that I wasn’t sure about anything in my life, the excitement of buying nursery furniture had faded. In its place was an overwhelming feeling of unease in the pit of my stomach. “It’s nice,” I said, my voice soft.

“And how about this mobile for over it?” Brayden interjected. “This whole setup is perfect, don’t you think?”

“Yeah,” I agreed, not even looking. I just wanted to get out of here and be alone. “It is. I’ll get it.”

“Really, Mack?” Brayden said. “Really? You really think it’s perfect? You didn’t even look at it! You’ve been out of it all day, and now you just agreed to give your baby boy a Disney princess themed crib.”

I finally looked at the nursery set and cringed at all the pink and purple surrounding me. “Sorry,” I offered. “It’s pregnancy brain, I suppose.”

I continued past them, running my hand against another crib that was a darker wood. Glancing up the aisle, every crib looked nearly identical. Did the kid really care what the furniture in his room looked like?

“No,” Jenna said, catching up to me. “It’s something else. You can’t fool us, Mack. We know you. What’s really going on?”

Sighing, I stepped into another nursery setup and plopped down on the glider, rocking back and forth. “It’s Tyler.”

“What about him?” Brayden asked. “I thought things were good between you two.”

“They were…until this morning when he asked me to move in with him…”

Brayden’s and Jenna’s faces lit up, displaying a level of excitement I hadn’t seen in a while.

“In Boston,” I finished. Their expressions fell just slightly, but not nearly as much as I had thought they would.

“Let me guess,” Brayden began, walking toward me. “You said no.”

“I didn’t really say anything. I yelled at him for even thinking I was willing to move somewhere I had only spent a few days just so he could be close to his friends and family. What about my friends? What about my life? Doesn’t he understand I worked my ass off for years to make the restaurant as successful as it is? How can he expect me to just walk away from all of it?”

“You said you were planning on taking a few months off from work after the baby was born anyway,” Jenna said. “The restaurant has been practically running itself for a while now. Not to mention we’ve been talking about expanding the brand into newer markets, Boston being one of the places we discussed. If you lived there, you’d be in a perfect position to manage the opening of that restaurant!”

“That’s beside the point!” I exclaimed, my face flaming. “His life is up there. Mine is down here. With everything going on, I can’t leave my dad. And I can’t leave you two! We’ve been practically attached at the hip for the past eight years! How can he expect me to pick up and leave the only family I have?” Tears began to well in my eyes at the thought of not being able to have my traditional Friday girls’ night, of not waking up some mornings to see Brayden lying in bed beside me, of not walking into the kitchen at the restaurant to another one of Jenna’s culinary experiments. When I was younger, I dreamed of finally going back to North Carolina, to the only home I thought I had. I finally had a new home, a new family that I loved more than I thought possible. I couldn’t abandon that again, not when the memory of what it was like to be forced from the only home I had was still fresh in my mind, despite the passing years.

“But we’ll only be a quick flight away,” Brayden assured me, rubbing his hand up and down my arms. “We’ll come visit as much as we can. And when you’re able, you can come see us, especially in those cold winter months.” He shivered in a dramatic manner, bringing a smile to my face. “I’m not a fan of snow, unless I’m watching it fall with a hot guy keeping me warm…if you know what I mean.” He winked.

“You moving won’t change our relationship,” Jenna added. “A few thousand miles can’t come between us, and you know it.”

“It’s just…” I took a deep breath, trying to compose my thoughts. All day, I had been trying to figure out what it was about Tyler’s proposition that I didn’t like. The truth was, it scared me. I would be in a new place, with a new family, with no support system like I had here. “Who will I run to when things get bad?” I asked with a quiver in my voice.

Brayden sighed dramatically. “You’re such a pessimist.”

“No, I’m not!” I insisted. “I’m a realist. Big difference.”

He rolled his eyes. “Who says things are going to get bad? How have things been lately?”

“Great. Better than great. Perfect…which is exactly why I’m worried. I’m just scared I’ll get there and will see a different Tyler than the one who’s been down here with me. I won’t be able to run to you guys for advice…”

“Of course you will! We’re always just a phone call away,” he interjected.

“Mackenzie,” Jenna said, her voice low. “You know as well as I do that this isn’t a place where you can raise a child. Don’t you want Triple B to be near children his own age he can play with? He won’t have that here, not when the population of this island changes each week.”

“I know.” I sank further into the glider, feeling defeated. “I guess I’m just scared of all this change at once. Not only am I going to have to completely rearrange everything because of the baby, but now I have to uproot my life? I just–”

“Do you love him?” Jenna interrupted.

I nodded without hesitation.

“And you know he loves you. If you don’t want to move to Boston, you know damn well he will stay wherever you do want to live. I think you owe it to him to at least consider Boston as an option.”

I sighed, knowing she was right. It was selfish of me to not at least start the discussion with Tyler. Yes, the idea of having to move to a completely new city scared me, but wasn’t that part of being in a relationship? Making sacrifices? Stepping out of your comfort zone? I would have been lying if the thought of Triple B growing up in Tyler’s gorgeous house hadn’t crossed my mind once or twice over the past few months. And maybe that was what was most important. Not what was best for me or Tyler, but what was best for our baby.

“I’m not saying yes, but I’ll think about it.”

“That’s my girl,” Brayden said, helping me up from the glider.

“But you promise you’ll both come visit every chance you get?”

“Of course! We can’t have Friday girls’ night without you!” He nudged me.

I wrapped my arms around both of them, pulling them in close. “Thanks, guys. I love you wholes.”

“And we love you, too, Mack,” Brayden said, kissing my forehead.

Mackenzie

SATURDAY WAS A PERFECT day. The air was crisp and warm, the sun was shining, a few clouds adding a beautiful texture to the sky, and the summer tourist season was over, leaving the island calm and peaceful for a change. On the outside, it appeared as though everything was just as it should be. But inside, I struggled to fight back the uneasy feeling growing stronger with each passing second.

As I stood on the sidewalk outside my restaurant, listening to Tyler’s voicemail pick up for the seventh time that morning, I struggled to control my anger. I had tried to reach him yesterday evening before girls’ night, but got no answer. At the time, I shook it off, knowing he’d be at my baby shower today. But now that it was thirty minutes past the time the shower was scheduled to begin, I questioned my entire relationship with him. I had told him how important it was to me that he be at my side today. I didn’t know what to think anymore.

“Mack,” Jenna’s voice cut through. I spun around to see her stepping outside.

“Hey,” I said, my expression dropping.

“I’m sorry, Mack, but it’s time.”

She placed her hand on my arm in a consoling manner and led me toward the front doors. “I’m sure there’s a very good reason he’s not here,” she offered. “He wouldn’t just not show up. That’s not like him.”

“Apparently, he’s not the man I thought he was,” I hissed. Pausing, I put a fake smile on my face, not wanting all my friends, who had traveled from far away, to see how upset I was about Tyler’s absence, especially Colleen and Olivia.

“There she is!” Brayden exclaimed, wrapping his arms around me as I entered the dining room of the restaurant that had been decorated in pastel blues and yellows. I blindly followed him as I approached each table, thanking everyone for coming. I tried to put on a smile, but my brain was elsewhere.

“Is everything okay, Mackenzie, dear?” Colleen asked, placing her hand on my arm as we sat eating lunch. I had barely touched the food in front of me.

“Hmm? What?” I responded, trying to snap out of my thoughts. I could feel the eyes of everyone sitting at our table, Olivia and Melanie included, on me.

“Are you okay?” she asked in a hushed tone.

“I’m fine. Just tired.” I continued to move my salad around my plate, a lump beginning to form in my throat.

“Does this have something to do with the reason my son’s not here?” she whispered.

I tore my eyes from my food and sighed. “I suppose.” I lowered my voice. “He asked me to move to Boston with him…”

“He did?” she replied in shock, her voice rising in pitch before she lowered it. “I had no idea he was thinking that. I thought he’d want to stay here.”

“Join the club,” I responded flatly.

“It threw you for a bit of a surprise, didn’t it?”

“Yes, but Brayden and Jenna smacked some sense into me after I told them I may have overreacted when he asked me. Now he’s just ignoring me.”

“Well, don’t worry. When I see him next, I’ll give him hell for missing this. He’s already missed so much of your pregnancy. Even if he is upset, he has no reason not to be here today.”

I placed a bit of lettuce in my mouth, a sick feeling in my stomach as I tried to swallow. I couldn’t shake what Jenna had said earlier. Tyler wouldn’t simply miss this. I never considered anything could be wrong, but I was now consumed with the idea that something had happened.

Our lunch plates were cleared and I proceeded through the spectacle of opening gifts in front of grown men and women, as if I were still ten and celebrating my birthday. Clothes, diapers, wipes, strollers, car seats… It was all there, and then some.

Finally, the guests began to trickle out. As grateful as I was to everyone for coming, all I really wanted was to go home, crawl into bed, and forget about the last two days.

“We may need a truck for all of this,” Brayden joked after the last guest had left and it was just him, Jenna, and me. I looked at the overflowing gift table. I had no idea where I was going to put it all.

“Do you want to keep all of it here for now?” Jenna asked. We shared a look and I knew she could tell I was having trouble reconciling why Tyler had missed today. “That way, you won’t be tripping over all this stuff at your place. The back storage room is empty, so we can just put it in there.”

“Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” she said, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the exit. “Now, go home and relax.”

“But the gifts… I can help move them.”

“Not a chance in hell,” Brayden said. “The only lifting you need to be doing is that of your feet and a spoon as you gorge on ice cream.”

I stared at him, wondering how he knew what I intended to do when I got home.

“I know you, Kenzie,” he explained. “Since you can’t seek comfort in a bottle of wine right now, it’s our other best friends to the rescue.”

“At least Ben and Jerry have never stood me up,” I mumbled, grabbing my purse.

“I’m sorry, Mack,” Brayden said, planting a kiss on my forehead. “But don’t worry. When Tyler shows his face again, he’s going to regret missing today. You can count on that.”

“Thanks, boo.” I stood on my toes and kissed his cheek.

After making plans to get together at my place tomorrow to watch football, which was just an excuse to order pizza and check out built men with nice asses, I said my goodbyes and drove the short distance back to my condo.

As I walked into the lobby, I paused briefly when I saw Martin sitting at the security desk. I should have known he’d be there. He was there when I left earlier. However, at that time, I was under the impression Tyler would be attending my baby shower. Now, I needed answers.

“Where is he?” I asked, my eyes fierce.

“Who?” Martin replied in an uncertain tone. He tilted his head, his lips pursing as he studied me with a furrowed brow.

“Tyler. He was supposed to be at the baby shower today and he never showed up. What do you know? Is he still upset I didn’t agree to move to Boston with him? If that’s the case, I tried calling late last night and early this morning to talk about it, but he refused to pick up!”

“Wait. Slow down, Miss Delano,” Martin said, getting up from the desk and pulling me to a corner that led down to a back hallway. “You haven’t heard from him?” His eyes were intense, his grip on my arm harsh.

“No,” I replied, my voice softening. “The last time I saw or spoke to him was yesterday morning. Why? What’s going on?”

He released me from his grasp, his gaze intense. “All I know is he and Eli went to Florida yesterday to chase down a lead.”

My heart sank, a horrible premonition forming. “Do you think something happened?”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” he replied, his voice distant. Snapping his eyes back to me, he led me toward the bank of elevators and pressed the call button, the doors opening immediately. “Go upstairs and relax. I’ll do what I can to get in touch with him and make sure he contacts you immediately.”

“But–”

“Please, Miss Delano. Don’t stress about this. I assure you. I will let you know when I find out anything. Okay?”

I nodded just as the doors closed and the elevator whisked me to the twelfth floor of my building.

A thousand scenarios ran through my brain as I walked down the hall and into my condo, disarming the alarm. I fell onto the couch and closed my eyes, keeping my phone clutched in my hands, praying Tyler’s phone call would come.

~~~~~~~~~~

A LOUD KNOCKING ON my door startled me and I flung my eyes open, staring at my darkened living room. Slightly disoriented, I sat up on the couch, wondering for how long I had fallen asleep. The last thing I remembered was talking to Martin about Tyler, then going to my condo. I had planned to relax and watch some mindless television while I waited to hear from Tyler…

Tyler.

I snatched my phone off the couch, hopeful to see a missed call or text. When I looked at the screen and saw nothing, I grew more worried. The knocking at my door continued and I jumped up. I took several determined steps into the foyer and pulled open the front door.

“Did you find…?” I stopped short when I saw Martin standing there, panic in his eyes. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach, the fear that something had happened returning. I didn’t know Martin well, but I knew enough to sense that something had to be amiss.

“What is it?” I asked in a small voice.

He unexpectedly reached for my hand and clasped it in his, his expression soft as he looked down at my small hand enclosed in his.

“Martin, please…,” I begged.

He cleared his throat and met my eyes once more. “There’s been an accident.”

“An accident?” I shrieked, my hands beginning to shake as a chill ran through me. “What kind of accident?”

“It took a great deal of digging to find out what I could. Tyler and Eli went to Florida yesterday to question someone who may have been able to help with the case, someone who had apparently served with your father. I don’t know the details, but the house exploded.”

I gasped, letting out a loud sob as I clutched onto Martin’s arms, unable to stand.

“Where is he?” I asked through the ache in my throat. There were a million things I had left unsaid with Tyler and I had no idea if I would ever be able to tell him everything.

“He’s in the trauma unit at Tampa General Hospital. I don’t know the status of either his or Eli’s condition, but I’ve been in contact with Alexander and he’s informed his mother and wife what’s going on. You’ll be heading to Florida with them to meet up with Mr. Burnham. Everything’s been arranged. I just need you to pack a bag, then I’ll take you to the airport.”

He ushered me inside my condo as I remained in a relative daze, still not truly comprehending what I just learned. All I knew was it sounded like Tyler was still alive… I hoped.

The entire drive to the airport was filled with thousands of scenarios of what really happened. I absently heard Martin on the phone, obviously irate with whomever he was speaking with, still unable to get any concrete answers about what was going on. This made me even more unsettled about what would greet me when I stepped off that plane in Florida.

I remained in a trance as Martin helped me onto the jet. The pilots and flight attendants introduced themselves to me, but their words went in one ear and out the other. Within minutes, both Colleen and Olivia climbed onto the plane, Melanie in tow. Olivia attempted to hide her emotions by keeping little Melanie occupied, constantly assuring her that her Uncle Tyler would be fine. Colleen was struggling to hold it together, her usual vibrant eyes full of the same emotion I was feeling…confusion, unease, dread.

I walked over to her and sat as we taxied toward the runway. Without saying a word, I took her hand in mine and we sat in heavy silence during the short flight to Florida.

Trying to fight back my tears, I feared I wouldn’t make it in time to tell Tyler what I should have said to him the last time I saw him. I vowed to never say goodbye to him again without uttering those three words that too many people took for granted… I love you.