Heart of a Marine (The Wounded Warrior Series Book 1) (23 page)

She stood abruptly. “I’ll help you clear the table, Mom. It’s late.” She stacked dishes and carried them inside. Silvia did the same and followed her.

Brad put his hand on Dwayne’s shoulder. “Could we have a word while I wipe down the grill?”

Here it comes. Marla wasn’t kidding. How…quaint.

“Sure, Brad. What can I do to help?”

“Just pick up the disposables and put them in the bin over there. Put the lid on tight. Raccoons have been menacing the neighborhood lately.”

Dwayne cleared up the napkins, plastic glasses, and bottles. He bundled them in the heavy paper tablecloth and carried them to the side of the house, speculating on how Brad was planning to broach the subject of his daughter’s honor.

“Look, Brad, let’s cut to the chase. I’m very fond of Marla and we’re having a great time together. I’d never do anything to deliberately hurt her. I consider myself a fortunate man that she’s even interested in me. So don’t…”

Brad put up a hand. “Understood. That’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

“It isn’t?”

“No, I wanted an update on what your ex-wife’s been up to and ask if there’s anything I could do. My partners and I have used the services of a very good private investigator for some insurance fraud claims. I’d be happy to put you in touch with her.”

He clapped Brad on the shoulder and laughed.

They were halfway to Marla’s house when she asked, “So was it terribly embarrassing when Dadley laid down the law about his daughter?”

He glanced at her and grinned. “No. I hate to break it to you, but he’s not the least bit interested in your chastity. He wanted to offer me the services of a private dick that does investigations for his firm.”

“You mean all the agonizing I did this afternoon was for nothing?”

The fact she wanted to spare him embarrassment warmed his heart. He laid his hand on her knee. “He as good as turned on the green light, Danaher.”

“He did?”

“We’re good to go.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Friday afternoon, Marla waved to Dwayne and Jack when they pulled the big trailer off her lot. They got out of the way just before the pavers arrived to begin work to resurface the parking lot. She breathed a sigh of relief that her project would be fully completed in less than a week.

“Buenos días, señora.” A burly Hispanic man approached her carrying a clipboard. “We ready for begin.” He reached over and petted Skipper on the head. “Yo quiero Taco Bell?” He winked and guffawed at his own joke then wiped his eyes with a large red bandanna.

She giggled and hugged Skip then walked through the job with the man and pointed out the areas she was particularly concerned with. “The landscape contractor is scheduled to begin next Tuesday. Will there be any problem with him parking here? Will that be long enough for the surface to…um, be ready?”

His face broke into a dazzling grin. “No problema, we gone tomorrow sundown. Plenty time, OK?”

She returned his smile. “OK.” Nodding, she went inside the building to do a final check of Miss Emmaline’s apartment. It had to look perfect for the old woman she’d come to love.

Before entering the elevator, she checked to make sure all the shiny new mailboxes in the lobby had keys in the locks. As soon as the elevator doors opened on the second floor, Skipper trotted down the hall and stood waiting for her at Emmaline’s door. “You’re a smart doggie, Skippy.”

She took her time. Adjusted a picture frame here, moved a lamp there. Kneeling, she ran her hand over the new, short-pile carpeting. “Look, Skip, isn’t this nice?” She was amazed at what a good job Dwayne had done putting the place back together just the way Emmaline had it. “She’ll love her new home.”

Lifting Skipper, she slid her purse over her shoulder and opened the front door. She jumped back and gasped at the man standing in the hall blocking her exit. Skip barked and bared his teeth in a low, menacing growl.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Momentarily paralyzed with indecision, she held her keychain with the apartment key gripped firmly between her fingers in case she needed to use it as a stabbing weapon.

“Mean little bastard, ain’t he?” The wiry, unshaven man with dead black eyes stared back. A faded rattlesnake tattoo wound around his ropy neck.

She had no idea who he was. “Get out of here, whoever you are. You have no business in this building.” She prayed the pulse pounding in her throat wasn’t betraying her fear.

“I came to tell you to keep your nose outta my wife’s business. You’re asking for trouble.”

What in the name of all that’s holy was this thug talking about? “I don’t know you, and I’m sure I don’t know your wife. Now, please leave.”

“You’re the bitch fuckin’ Dempsey, aren’t ya?”

A blow to her stomach wouldn’t have robbed her of her breath as much as this evil man’s evil words. Unable to breathe or speak, a cold wave of nausea built in her throat, sweat bloomed on her forehead.

He sneered with satisfaction. “I see we understand each other.” He turned on his heel, his retreating steps snapping loudly on the hard surface under battered, black cowboy boots.

Tears of raw shock flooded Marla’s eyes. She sucked in a ragged breath, backed into the apartment, and flipped the lock. Leaning her back against the door, she slid down and landed on the carpet with a thump, dislodging Skipper from her arms.

He whimpered and stared into her eyes, silently imploring her. “It’s OK, baby, it’s OK.” But was it?

She rose and crept to the window overlooking the parking lot. No sign of him, but he wouldn’t have parked where the paving crew was working. She moved to the corner window with a view of the street and spotted an old, battered blue car disappearing down the road.

Hadn’t Dwayne or one of his brothers said something about a blue car the night Francine showed up on her dad’s birthday? The man must be her husband, Luke Henry, the convict. A cold chill raced down her back and she hugged herself for warmth.

Should she call Dwayne? Marla paced and nuzzled her dog for comfort. “What should I do, Skippy? I feel like a coward for allowing that bad guy to scare me. You were ready to defend me, weren’t you, baby? And him a Goliath compared to you.”

On a sudden inspiration, she took her cell phone and called Rosie. She answered on the first ring.

“Hi, girlfriend. What’s up?”

“Rosie?” Her voice broke and she cleared her throat. “Rosie, is Dylan in the factory?”

“He just walked in. Do you want me to find him?”

“Yes, please.”

“Hang on.” Rosie said something to someone. Marla couldn’t make out the words, but she got the sense Rosie was walking through the showroom into the factory. “Dylan! Marla Danaher wants to talk to you. He’ll be right here.”

“Hey, babe. What can I do for you?”

To her shock and embarrassment, she was unable to answer.

“Marla? Hello? I think I lost the call.”

“No! Um, Dylan.” She swallowed. “Did I overhear you say Francine was in a blue car the night of my dad’s party?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong? I can tell from your voice that something is wrong.”

She cleared her throat again. “Um, give me a minute.” After a calming breath she said, “I’m at my building, Dwayne left almost an hour ago. I think…I’m not sure, but I think Luke Henry was just here.”

“What did that bastard want?” His voice took on an angry quality that reminded her of Dwayne.

She closed her eyes and took a breath. “I’m not sure it was him, but he threatened me. He told me to stay out of his wife’s business. And something else I won’t repeat.”

“Did he touch you? Are you hurt?”

In the background, Marla heard Rosie say, “What happened, Dyl. Is she OK?”

“He didn’t hurt me! He scared me.”

“She’s not hurt. Where are you, Marla? Are you in a safe place?”

“I locked myself inside Emmaline’s apartment. It’s probably OK for me to leave. I saw a blue car drive away toward Simi.”

“No! You stay right where you are. I’m coming over there. Give me half an hour.” He clicked off.

The phone rang before she had a chance to put it back in her purse. “Hello?”

“Marla, it’s me, Rosie. What happened?”

She dragged herself across the room and slumped into Emmaline’s recliner. Skip jumped to her lap. “I got a scare, but I’m OK. Here’s what happened…”

She told Rosie the whole story including the part she wouldn’t say to Dylan. Rosie insisted on staying on the phone with her until he got there. Talking to her friend calmed her to the point where her breathing went back to normal and tears no longer threatened.

The doorbell buzzed. “Rosie, there’s somebody at the door.”

“Don’t open it until you know who’s there. I’ll stay on the line.”

“Marla, open up, it’s Dwayne and Dylan.”

“Rosie, it’s…”

“I heard. I’ll talk to you later, OK?”

“OK, thanks. It was a big help talking to you.”

“Marla!”

“Coming!” She opened the door and in an instant Dwayne had his arms around her.

“Are you OK, honey?”

“I am now.” She rested her forehead against his neck where the pulse in his throat tapped rapidly.

“I’m going to find that sonuvabitch and strangle him with my bare hands.”

A nervous giggle escaped her. “My hero.” She hugged him hard and said, “I don’t want you to kill anybody for me, but I wouldn’t mind if you scared the pee out of him.”

The brothers laughed.

* * *

When Dylan’s van pulled into Big D Construction and his brother hailed him, Dwayne knew something was wrong. Heart pounding, he met his brother at the front of the building and prayed that nothing had happened to Amber or their mother.

After Dyl related Marla’s phone call, his vision was blurred by a haze of red rage. The thought of anything bad happening to her was more than he was prepared to consider. “Let’s find them. Enough is enough. I’d like to kick the shit out of both of them.”

He laid a hand on Dwayne’s shoulder. “Me too, but that’s not gonna happen. Marla wasn’t hurt. We’ll take her home, then see if we can find Francine and Luke. Like your lawyer said, your next step is to file a complaint.”

Jaws clenched so tight his teeth ached, Dwayne hadn’t felt this level of tension since his last combat mission in Iraq. “I know, I know. I don’t want to do anything stupid. I’m glad she called you instead of me. God knows what I would have done.”

“She’s a very smart lady.”

“I’m in love with her.” He paced in a circle and clutched the back of his neck. “Francine created this shit storm. I want to be rid of her.” He hadn’t realized his fist was clenched so hard. He deliberately relaxed his hands and flexed his fingers.

“I’ll go inside and tell Slim and Jack that I’ll be out for the rest of the day. Let’s take your van. I haven’t had time to unload my truck.”

“I’ll wait for you out here. I want to call Grace and let her know what’s going on before we go looking for them.”

“I’ll be back in five.” He rushed inside, found his two main guys, and quickly related what he knew. “Jack, call Cluny and give him a head’s up. I want everybody to keep their eyes peeled for Francine and Luke, and let me know the minute they learn anything.”

“We’re on it, Gunny.”

He headed for the door and stopped. “Oh, Slim, would you finish unloading my truck?”

“Yep. Beat it, we’ve got it covered here.”

Now his woman was safely in his arms. She’d never felt so precious to him. “I love you, Danaher.”

“I love you back, Dempsey.” He held her tighter, never wanted to let her go. “I’m taking you and your mutt home.”

“My
mutt
was eager to attack that snake tattoo on Luke’s neck. I had to hold him back. He’s my brave little protector.”

Dwayne looked Skip in the eye. “That right? OK then, Private Danaher, I’m giving you a battlefield promotion. You’re now Corporal Danaher. Let’s go.”

Dylan sat behind the wheel, Marla and Skipper in the middle, and Dwayne on the passenger side of the front seat of the furniture factory van.

“Which way was the car going when you saw it, honey?”

Marla leaned forward and pointed straight ahead. “Simi Valley.”

“Before we take Marla home, let’s take a run down that way. We might get lucky and spot the car.”

Dylan’s van was already facing the direction he wanted him to go, so he eased back onto the road. They drove through the hilly, mostly undeveloped land between Simi and Spring Grove. “I doubt we’ll find them, but it’s worth a try. If we don’t see anything by the time we hit the east end of Simi, we’ll turn around and take you home.”

“You don’t need to take me home. I’m fine. I’d rather help you look.”

Dwayne leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Whatever you say, boss.” He admired her spunk. She was strong and smart. How did he get so lucky?

She chuckled. “I’m not your boss anymore, remember? I already paid you off so I could be rid of you.”

Dylan chimed in, “You may not be his boss, but I doubt you’re rid of him.” They’d reached a fork in the quiet road. “Which way do you want me to go?”

“There’s nothing up there, go left. It’s more likely they’re staying in one of those fleabags at the edge of town.” Not sure what to do if he found them, Dwayne took out his wallet, found his lawyer’s card and tapped the number on his cell.

Marla nodded at his phone. “Who are you calling?”

“My lawyer. I want him to know what happened.” The man was with a client, so he left his number. The receptionist told him it would probably be at the end of the day before he’d call back because he’d be in court all afternoon.

“Dylan! There’s the car! Over there. See?” Marla bounced in the seat and flapped her hand at the pot-holed parking lot of the Nighty Nite Motel. “I’m sure that’s the car.”

“I’ll park by the office.”

Dwayne’s heart rate increased. He squeezed Marla’s knee. “We’ll go inside. You stay in the van.”

“But…”

“Dammit, just do as I say for once, please!” He didn’t miss the offended expression on her face, but he didn’t care either. He yanked open the door and stepped out.