Mercy: Second Chance Military Romance (87 page)

“Yes, baby,” she said, stroking my wet hair.

I leaned forward and kissed her on the lips while still inside her. We enjoyed the afterglow with the stars and moon shining down on us. The heavenly bodies had nothing on her.

THIRTY-THREE

Heidi

Threats and Consequences

I never wanted to leave Brent’s cabin in the mountains, but we drove back to the city the next morning. After he dropped me off at my house to get my car, I drove to the DEA office to finish my resignation letter and turn it in.

As soon as I walked through the door and got to my desk, Ron Glass walked up.

“Keller wants to see you,” he said with an evil grin.

Without saying anything to him, I got up and made my way to Keller’s office. Part of me wanted to just give him a resignation letter and walk away, but I had to talk to him.

After making it to his office, I knocked once then walked in. He looked up from his desk with a look of disapproval on his face.

“I just got in,” I said. “You wanted to see me?”

“Sit down,” he ordered.

I sat in an armchair across from him, ready for anything. Well, almost anything.

“You’re suspended until further notice,” he said.

“What? Why?”

“You’re in a relationship with Brent Stone, the man you’re supposed to be watching.”’

“This is bullshit, but you know what? I don’t care. This job meant something to me at one time. I was going to quit today anyway.”

“There will be a formal investigation into the charges. If anything untoward is found, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Is Keller corrupt too? I wondered.

He had never been nice to me, but this was above and beyond.

“But I didn’t do anything! There’s no proof.”

“We have a witness,” he said calmly.

“Is it Ron? He’s the one you need to be looking into.”

“You know I can’t discuss that with you.”

Because you’re corrupt too?

“Fine.” I got to my feet. “Either way, I’m not coming back here. If you think you have real evidence I’ve ever done something wrong, you can talk to my attorney.

Full of fury, I left his office. A security guard stood outside, waiting for me.
How long have they known they were going to do this?
Nothing made sense to me anymore except for Brent.

I drove straight to his house after being escorted out of the building.

* * *

When I made it to his house, I parked in front and walked up to the door while trying to control my emotions. Before I knocked, the door opened, and I saw Keifer standing in the doorway.

“Heidi,” he said. “Good to see you.”

“I need to see Brent, please.”

“Come in. I’ll get him.”

“Is he upstairs?”

“Yeah. In the study.”

“I know where to go.”

“Okay, then,” he said.

I waved then walked up the grand staircase at the front of the house. A minute later, I knocked on Brent’s study door then opened it. He looked up at me as I entered the room, shutting the door behind me. All the emotions going through my body poured out in that instant.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he stood up and rushed over.

“I’m fine. Keller suspended me today. He said they’re bringing charges against me.”

“Against you? What the hell is wrong with him?”

He hugged me tightly. I rested my head on his hard chest.

“It will be okay,” he said.

“How can you say that for sure?”

“Because I love you, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

We kissed.

THIRTY-FOUR

Heidi

Follow Your Heart

The next day, not having to go into the office, I went to talk to Dad alone. Brent wanted to go along, but I asked him to not go. He understood and didn’t give me any shit about it – another reason I found myself falling so hard for him.

When I got to Dad’s house, I found him in the greenhouse, working away. He appeared content, but he had become good at hiding his emotions over the years. With everything going on, I didn’t want to face the thought of losing him.

“Hey, Dad,” I said as I walked over to him.

“Oh, hi. I wasn’t expecting you today.”

“I just wanted to check on you. Brent has people watching, but…”

“Yeah, I saw them,” he interrupted. “Brought them out some coffee earlier. Good guys.”

“I’m glad. You’ve got me worried.”

“You don’t need to worry about me, dear.”

“But I do. After losing Mom, I’m not sure what would happen if I lost you.”

He put his hand on my arm.

“You’d be fine. Brent is a good guy.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

“Did you quit today?”

“I tried, but they suspended me and said they’re going to investigate.”

“You haven’t done anything wrong!” he cried.

“I know, but bad guys don’t play by the rules.”

“This is bullshit,” he said, getting angrier.

“Don’t get too excited. The last thing you need is to get your blood pressure up.”

His hand dropped to his side.

“You’re the smartest and most beautiful daughter I have.”

“I’m your only daughter, Dad.”

“I know.” He smiled. “Do you have time for a story?”

“Sure, I guess. Can we go inside?”

“Lead the way.”

Once we got in the house, he went to the living room and sat down on his favorite recliner. I took a seat on the couch across from him, wondering what kind of story he had for me.

“It’s about your mother,” he said, a serious look on his face.

“What about her?” I asked.

“We almost broke up before you were born.”

I sat up on the edge of my seat.

“What do you mean?”

“Before you were born, your mother and I had problems. If you’re serious about Brent, you need to hear why.” He leaned back in the recliner. “It’s all about honesty.”

I sat back too, ready to listen.

“Your mother was a great woman, but when we first started seeing each other, both of us kept secrets from the other. I understand your situation is different, but I wanted to share with you the importance of being honest with the person you choose to the spend the rest of your life with. Do you understand?”

I nodded, not saying a word.

“Good. It’s easy to say you’re going to be honest, but when you’re in a relationship with someone, you’re going to want to keep some things to yourself. The wisdom comes in knowing what should be shared with your significant other.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you want to hang onto your individuality, the reason Brent loves you, and that means you don’t have to share every single thought that crosses your mind. On the other hand, you want to make sure you don’t keep anything from him.” He leveled his gaze at me. “Are you sure this is the right man?”

“I’m sure, Dad. He’s the one for me.”

“That makes me happy,” he said. “As long as it’s true.”

“You’re funny,” I said then smiled.

“You staying long enough to eat a meal with me this time? You can’t use work as an excuse anymore.”

“I’ll stay, but only if you make my favorite.”

“You know I make the worse lasagna in the world.”

I laughed. “Yeah, but it’s made with love.”

“I don’t think I have everything I need…”

“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m just happy to be spending time with you.”

“You’ve grown into such a fine woman,” he said.

“And you’re a big part of the reason why. Don’t ever think I don’t know that.”

“Let’s see what I can find in the kitchen to whip up.” He got to his feet. “Where’s Brent at today?”

“I told him I wanted to spend some time alone with you.”

He nodded. “He’s a good man.”

“He is…”

We made our way into his kitchen. I sat at the table and watched as he moved about, trying to decide on what to cook us for dinner. None of my problems had gone away, but spending time with Dad always made me feel better.

THIRTY-FIVE

Brent

Tough Decisions

As I sat in my study thinking of the best way to propose to Heidi, Keifer came in.

“Hey, boss. There’s someone here to see you.”

“Who?” I asked, standing up. “I’m not expecting anyone.”

“It’s that guy from the DEA.”

What the hell is Ron doing here?

“Thanks. I’m coming down now. Stick around. I’m not sure what this guy is up to, okay?”

He nodded. We walked downstairs where Ron stood next to the front door.

“Nice place you have here,” he said as I approached. “Be a shame to lose it all.”

“I’m sick of this shit,” I said. “Did you have anything to do with Heidi being suspended?”

“I told you that if you don’t work with me and my partners, your life is going to shit. Didn’t you believe me?”

“No. And I still don’t.”

I stared directly in his eyes, not backing down or showing any fear.

“You’re not a dumb man, Mr. Stone. Why are you fighting me on this?”

“You have a lot of nerve coming to my home and threatening me.”

“I’m not threatening you at all, merely sharing the facts with you.”

“The fact you need to worry about is that you should leave Heidi, her dad, and me alone.”

“Maybe you’re not as smart as I thought,” he said confidently.

I moved forward an inch, invading his space. He stepped back.

“I’m leaving now, but you should think about it. All your problems would go away, and you’d become a rich man. If nothing else, do it for Heidi if you truly love the little tramp.”

My arm moved instinctively as I slapped him across the face.

“Get the fuck out of my house before I take care of you.”

“Threatening a government agent is not going to help,” he said, rubbing his red cheek.

I pointed to the door.

“Leave. Now. Final warning.”

Keifer stepped forward, huge arms crossed over his chest.

“Very well,” Ron said. “If I don’t hear from you within twenty-four hours, it’s your funeral.”

After he left, I turned to Keifer.

“Double the security on Heidi and her dad.”

“It’s going to cost…”

“I don’t care,” I interrupted. “Get it done.”

I went upstairs. In my study, I sat down and got out my phone. The sight of Heidi on the screen as I pulled up her information in my contact list helped me calm down. She would be safe on her own, but I felt better if she stayed with me until we figured out what to do.

My attorneys were still recommending I either cut off all contact with her or contact the Department of Homeland Security to let them know about the rogue agents at the local DEA branch. I still hadn’t called them because I wanted to take care of it on my own and protect Heidi.

I tapped the send call button and put the phone to my ear. She answered on the second ring.

“Hey, Brent. I’m at Dad’s. What’s up.”

“Ron just came to see me again.”

“Are you okay? What did he do?”

“I’m fine, but he threatened us.”

“What did you say to him?”

“I threatened him back. Why don’t you and your father come to stay with me for a while. I’d feel better.”

“Hold on,” she said.

I heard her saying something to her father.

“He says he can’t leave the plants right now. A lot of his advances come down to making sure everything is perfect during each stage of the plant’s growth.”

“Come over by yourself, then. I really want to see you.”

“Okay,” she said. “Give me about an hour or two. We’re about to eat.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be in my study.”

“Bye, Brent.”

“Talk to you soon.”

She ended the call. I set the phone down on my desk and leaned back, trying to sort through all the thoughts flying around in my mind. Even if I turned myself in to protect Heidi and her father, Ron and the cartels would still go after them and me.