“How much farther, Rutherford?” Ace asked, as he drove to the outskirts of town. Allen sat beside him, and Cece sat in the back, as dusk began to settle. The sky had darkened and storm clouds rolled in. Not quite cold enough to snow, the heavens looked ready to burst open with a thunderstorm.
“We’re almost there. Turn right at the fork in this road, and you’ll come to a construction lot.
They took the fork in the road, and, sure enough, they came upon an abandoned construction lot. It sat on acres of old farmland, with a bunch of empty equipment and several projects in various stages of construction.
“Isn’t this the spot where they planned to build that new mall?” Cece asked.
“It sure is,” Ace answered, adding, “but they had to halt construction for the time being while they work out a glitch in the financing.”
They parked the car and climbed out, following Allen through various pieces of equipment as he spoke. “Every day that construction is delayed, they go over their deadline and their budget, so we knew we were on borrowed time. But for someone wanting to hide a shipment of illegal guns temporarily, it’s the perfect place. No one is due back for another week, and there are all sorts of vehicles to help camouflage ours.”
They came to a stop at the back of a big truck, and Allen pointed. “I had the load stored in this tractor trailer scheduled to ship out tonight at midnight. I would have been long gone if you hadn’t arrived when you did. The guns were to be shipped abroad and sold overseas, with the profit being wired to an offshore account. I would have finally found peace on some tropical island and never looked back.”
Allen opened the back of the truck, and Ace stood in shock over the truckload of weapons and ammo before him. The person responsible had to have some serious connections.
“You might have found peace,” Cece said from behind Ace and Allen, “but I fear your soul never would have.” A streak of lightning lit up the sky.
“And neither will yours,” said a gravelly male voice from behind her, followed by the loudest boom of thunder Ace had ever heard. If he didn’t know better, he’d have sworn it was a warning.
Ace whipped around, drawing his gun all in one motion. His stomach hit the ground and his heart jumped into his throat at the sight before him.
Three-star US Army General Bruce Montgomery had his arm wrapped around Cece, securing her tightly in front of him, with a gun held to her head.
“Drop your weapon, Detective, unless you want another murder to solve,” Montgomery said, looking way too at ease and comfortable with the role of assassin. Even at fifty, he was still in great shape and knew exactly what to do with a gun. He towered over Cece as she trembled before him.
Anger and a healthy dose of fear surged through Ace as his mind whirled with possible scenarios.
“I would do what he says,” Allen said, raising his hands before him, his voice filled with resignation and acceptance like the fight had gone out of him. “He killed his own hit man when he couldn’t finish the job of getting rid of you two. Half the reason I was running was to get away from him. He means it when he says no loose ends.”
Ace had never felt so helpless. He’d promised to keep Cece safe at all costs, yet he’d been stupid enough to turn his back on her. And now he was supposed to sit there and watch her die. He couldn’t let that happen. He had to find some way to stall the man.
“General?” Ace dropped his gun in disbelief and held his hands up before him. “That’s why you said yes to speaking at the senator’s tribute. So you could come into town and finish the job. You’re a war hero. Your job is to serve and protect, the same as mine. So many people look up to you and respect you. Why would you do something like this?”
The general shrugged. “I’ve seen and done things you three can only imagine, all in the name of serving this great country we live in, but I can tell you it’s not appreciated by most. The American people just go about their days, having no clue what we go through for them and not really caring one way or the other. The way I figure it is, I’m owed at least something in return. You come across all kinds of shady people in my line of work, and all those pretty weapons and ammo were just sitting there, ripe for the taking. I lost big to Rutherford and didn’t have the money to pay him. I figured no one would miss a few guns, and I had the connections to where he could sell them for a big profit. He took the deal.”
“I took the deal because I had no choice. I was desperate. You knew that, but that should have been the end of your involvement,” Allen said.
“You’re right, it should have been, you imbecile,” the general roared, and Cece flinched, closing her eyes, but her lips moved as she prayed.
Ace wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and tell her it would be okay. And then kill the son of a bitch for touching a single hair on her glorious head.
“It was your stupid mistake to involve the senator by storing the weapons on his property,” the general continued. “You involved me by forcing my hand and making me clean up your mess. You incompetent piece of shit. Those people died because of your stupidity, not because of me.”
“You didn’t have to have Stanley killed,” Allen said sadly, his voice hitching on a sob.
“Like hell I didn’t. You’re weak. It’s not like you would have. You knew the deal: No loose ends. No liabilities. Sloan was about to confess to being involved in an illegal arms deal. He couldn’t handle the pressure. You and I both know the confessional was just the beginning. It was only a matter of time before he went to the police. I won’t let you or anyone else ruin my chance at the CIA. I’ve earned that job. Casualties are a part of any war.”
“The only war going on is the war with your conscience,” Cece said bravely. “You must know this isn’t the right thing to do, General. There’s still time for you to do the right thing. Time to save your soul.”
“I sleep like a baby at night, Sister, and my soul is at peace.” He tightened his hold, his face turning hard as he growled into her ear, “I took an oath to fight the enemy. The enemy is anyone who tries to take away your rights, your freedoms, your happiness. Anyone who stands in your way. And enemies are meant to be defeated. Unfortunately, you have all become the enemy, so now you must be disposed of. Starting with you. You should have listened to Mumfry when he warned you to keep your nose out of places it didn’t belong.”
The general lifted his gun to cock the trigger, and Ace’s intense gaze met Cece’s. Only she didn’t look desperate or panicked or afraid. She looked calm and in control and resolved.
She said, “Let us raise our elbows and pray for you.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Don’t you mean ‘bow our heads’?” the general asked, and it was just enough of a distraction for Cece to act.
Ace couldn’t have been more proud of her. She’d communicated exactly what she planned to do. The self-defense move Patty had taught her: Rising Elbows.
Cece didn’t hesitate. She grabbed onto the general’s arm and lunged with her right foot into a sumo step, then slipped her left foot behind the general’s leg in a C-step so she would be in control. Twisting her body at the hips, she used her left elbow to force the general backward. He was off balance and tumbled to the ground, looking stunned.
She ran hard in a zigzag line as fast and far away from him as she could, with Allen hot on her heels. Meanwhile, Ace dropped to the ground and picked up his gun just in time. The general had recovered quickly, rolling over onto his stomach, and they both fired off a shot at each other. Ace’s shot hit the general in the leg, and the general’s shot grazed Ace’s shoulder, knocking his gun from his hand.
Ace grunted and rolled away, still completely exposed as he scrambled after his gun.
“Not so fast there, Detective,” the general said, up on his knees and in a firing position.
Ace froze, his hand mere inches away from his gun. There was nothing more he could do. The general had him in his sights, and he wasn’t the sort of man who missed. Ace kept his breathing slow and steady as thoughts of Cece raced through his head. He’d wanted to tell her so many things like how he felt about her; to show her what she really meant to him; to hold her in his arms and make passionate love to her all night long. But he’d been too afraid.
Afraid of who she was—what she was.
And now he’d never get the chance. At least he could die knowing he’d protected her. She was long gone by now. She was safe. She was...
“Ow, shit, what the hell?” the general said. Thud! He jerked back as a second rock hit him in the head, followed quickly by a third rock that hit him in the chest.
Christ almighty, she wasn’t long gone. The crazy lunatic was throwing rocks by the edge of the tractor trailer. She would be in a shitload of trouble when Ace got his hands on her—that’s what he was thinking. The general moved his gun to bring Cece into his sights. Ace cursed and reached his gun, firing off a shot at the general a second before the man pulled the trigger.
The general fell back with a bullet in his chest and hit the ground hard.
Ace scrambled to his feet to see Cece lying face down on the ground.
“Cece!” Ace yelled and bolted over to her. He fell to his knees and rolled her over, inspecting every inch of her body. He couldn’t see that she was hit anywhere.
She blinked open her eyes and stared up at him with fear and confusion. “Stop, drop, and roll, right?”
“If you’re on fire, then yes. Not if you’re being shot at. You were supposed to keep running and not look back.”
“Oops,” she said quietly, the reality of her situation looking as though it had finally sunk in as she began to shake. “Is it over?”
“Goddamn, woman!” Ace yelled in her face, unable to get the images of what could have happened to her out of his head.
She frowned. “God doesn’t damn women, Detective.”
“Well, I sure as hell will if you ever scare me like that again.” He scooped her into his arms, pulled her up to him, and locked his lips to hers, kissing the sense right out of her.
When he finally let her up for air, she stared up at him with eyes misty and so full of an emotion he didn’t dare name and wasn’t ready to deal with. “I’m okay, Alistair,” she said softly.
“You were supposed to be long gone. If anything had happened to you, I would never have forgiven myself—whether in this world or the next. Why did you come back?”
“Watson never abandons Sherlock. I came back for the same reason. I couldn’t let anything happen to you either. We’re a team.” She touched his cheek. “What about you? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s just a scratch.” He glanced at his shoulder that had bled a lot more than he realized, and it hit him that he wasn’t exactly fine. He felt slightly light-headed.
She must have finally noticed the deep purple blood that had seeped through his shirt and the hole in his sport coat. She gasped, her eyes springing wide. “Oh, my gosh, you’re hit!” She pushed him back onto the ground and reached for his cell phone. “Hand it over. It’s not just a scratch, and you need help.”
Ace didn’t fight her. “Hit number two on speed dial. Rocco will know what to do,” he said, and that was the last thing he remembered before he passed out.
“Come on, Detective. You’ve earned a little R&R,” Cece said to Ace on Sunday morning, as she drove his brand-new truck to her grandmother’s house. She’d offered to take him home, but he’d shied away from bringing her back to his place. He wouldn’t say why, but she suspected it had to do with his issues, so she didn’t push it. She’d agreed to take him to her place so she could take care of him, but she needed to make a pit stop at Granny’s first.
“How can I possibly rest and relax with you driving my new baby?” he said from beside her. His arm was in a sling.
He’d explained to her that his new truck had come in while he was in the hospital, getting stitches in his shoulder for his gunshot wound. They’d made him spend the night because he had lost more blood than he had realized. He’d authorized Rocco to pick up his “new baby,” so Ace could drive it home when he got out the next morning, but the hospital refused to release him if he drove himself. Rocco was mysteriously indisposed, insisting he couldn’t leave because he was in the middle of another extremely urgent matter. Ace had no choice but to let Cece drive his truck, much to his obvious dismay. She sighed to herself. Silly men and their toys.
“Hey, you were the one who said Rocco would know what to do,” she said to Ace.
“I can tell you one thing. I’m gonna kill the ass—butt-wipe when I see him again,” he grumbled back like a pouting child.
“Come on, I’m not that bad of a driver,” she said, as she jerked the truck to a stop at the traffic light. She bit her bottom lip and peeked over at him.
His lips parted, but then he clamped them together, finally responding, “I plead the Fifth. Just hurry up. I need a couch, a beer, and a ball game.”
“I don’t have a TV, remember?”
He moaned. “I’m seriously being punished somehow,” he said.
“I’m sure I can find a way to entertain you, Detective. I mean, honestly, I...” Her voice trailed off at the look in his eyes. His gaze was trained on her mouth. She swallowed hard and licked her lips, then said, “Oh, look. We’re here. I just have to drop off these supplies for Granny. I’ll be right back out. You don’t have to come in if you don’t want to.”
“I’m a grown man,” he muttered at the mention of her grandmother. “I think I can handle going in with you. Besides, you said no one was home.”
Cece hopped out of his truck and jogged around to his door. She opened the door for him, stared up at him, and then held out her arms. “Need help?”
“Seriously?” Ace gaped at her. “Why don’t you just castrate me now?”
“Quit acting like a child. You only have use of one arm. I’m just trying to help.”
“I can manage.” He brushed her hand aside, vaulted from the truck, and then grabbed the bag of groceries with his good arm. “Lead the way,” he said, looking pleased with himself, but he wasn’t fooling her. She didn’t miss his slight wince or the weariness evident in his every move.
“You silly, stubborn man.” Cece shook her head at him, closed the door to his truck, and walked in front of him to Granny’s door.
She pulled out the house key Granny insisted she keep and unlocked the door. Cece stepped inside, but then stopped short in surprise. Her grandmother stood there in full robes in the kitchen, stirring something brewing in her cauldron. Her gray hair sprang from her head, as wild and frizzy as ever, as she hummed and cackled away. Granny was Granny, and Cece was beginning to think she would never change. Cece was starting to accept that fact and told herself that if she could just keep her grandmother from landing in jail or burning down the house, that would be enough.
Granny’s face lit up with she saw Cece. “My sweet angel, you’re home.” She hustled over to her and hugged her hard. “I was so worried about you. Please tell me you’re ready to stop this nonsense and go back to the church where you belong—or at least move back in with me so Charity and I can take care of you.”
Cece hugged her back, thinking her Granny and sister taking care of her would be far scarier than any future bad guys who might chase after her again. “I’m fine, Gran. I can take care of myself, and I’m not home to stay. I thought you were out in the woods.”
“I was, but I finished early so I came back to start on a new recipe. I’ve got to get ready for tonight. It’s Halloween, you know.” Her face sparkled with excitement.
“How could I forget?” Cece said with a smile of resignation, and she shook her head. “We just stopped by to drop off those supplies you asked me to pick up.”
Granny slowly leaned back, her gray eyebrows arching high. “We?”
Cece stepped aside, and Granny’s eyes narrowed to slits when they landed on Ace. He stood tall and big, still looking every inch the commando, but a little less foreboding with his skin a bit pale and dressed in a warm-up suit instead of his usual sport coat and jeans.
“Detective Jackson. Why am I not surprised?” Granny cackled.
Ace’s eyes widened. “I’m not Satan anymore?”
“Don’t push your luck. I still think you’re a devil,” she thrust a bony finger in the detective’s direction, “but you did save my granddaughter’s life, and for that I’m grateful.”
“More like she saved mine,” Ace responded, his shoulders slumping a bit wearily.
“We saved each other,” Cece interjected. “That’s why I plan to continue working with Detective Jackson in helping the good citizens of New Hope. We make a great team.”
“Over my dead body,” Ace blurted in total surprise, looking at Cece aghast.
“I can arrange that,” Granny whacked her wooden spoon as she yelled accusingly at Ace.
“Calm down, you two. I can make my own decisions, and no one’s going to die,” Cece said firmly, holding up her hands.
Candy chose that moment to walk out of her bedroom, wearing only a sheet. She stopped short. “Uh-oh.”
“Hey, babe, I thought we were alone. Did you find out where all the noise was coming from?” Rocco walked up behind Candy with just a towel tied around his waist, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck.
“You better run.” Candy pushed his face away, staring straight ahead.
“Run? Daddy likes this game. What will I get if I let you catch me?” He growled and tried for her neck again.
“A whole lot of trouble.”
“You!” Granny shrieked, turning her focus onto a new target.
“Me?” Rocco whipped his head up, his eyes bulging when he spotted Granny, and he squeaked, “Me what?”
“You must die!” Granny grabbed her robes and charged Rocco, waving her wooden spoon along the way.
Rocco let out a blood-curdling scream and bolted for the door, clutching his towel as he ran, in bare feet, out into the freezing cold without so much as a backward glance.
“My hero,” Candy said in disgust, and rolled her eyes, then marched back into her bedroom.
Kitty yawned and turned his one eye up at Cece, whined, and then trotted after Candy.
“What the hell just happened?” Ace asked, looking as though he hoped he’d masked his joy over Granny finding a new object for her spell casting.
“My life,” Cece said on a sigh. “Welcome to it. If you think this is weird, stick around, Detective. Maybe you’ll finally understand what led me to the convent in the first place.”
“Thanks for helping me,” Cece said later that evening, after handing out the last of her candy to the trick-or-treaters. She stared out at the soft white flakes drifting past the glow of the streetlamp, turned off her lights and locked the door, then faced Ace who sat on her couch.
They’d left her grandmother’s house without a word, and Cece had driven him to her place. After changing into the brand-new pink-and-purple yoga pants and matching T-shirt that she’d splurged on for no good reason—other than that she’d simply wanted it—she’d let her hair down and ordered them pizza for dinner. They’d eaten in silence, but he kept eyeing her in the strangest way. They had just begun to talk when the children started arriving, looking for candy. The detective had been a good sport and hadn’t complained once the entire evening.
“I might not like Halloween, but the kids are cute,” he answered her.
She sat beside him and curled her legs beneath her. “They are, aren’t they?” She smiled a heartfelt smile, then sobered a little. “Sorry about earlier at my grandmother’s.”
He shrugged, looking down as he fiddled with the tassels on a throw pillow. “It’s okay. Your family’s not so bad. I’ve seen worse. Take mine, for one. At least you know your family loves you, and they are doing their best.” His gaze met hers and then traced down her figure appreciatively like he was trying to memorize her features as though he would never see her again. “You almost died yesterday. I thank you for taking care of me today, but I think you need to stay far away from me from here on out.”
“You almost died too,” she responded softly. She wanted to let him know how he made her feel, but she was afraid that would push him away for good. She took in every big, virile inch of him and realized he was human too. The thought of never having him in her life again was too much to bear. “I’m not going to stop helping people, and people with problems tend to get into all sorts of trouble. I won’t shy away from that. It’s not because of you that I almost died. It’s because of me and who I am. I’d say I’m much safer with you by my side, wouldn’t you?”
“I’d say Sister Mary Stubborn suits you perfectly,” he responded on a chuckle.
“Back to you.” She touched his arm, and his smile evaporated. “I’m sure your family loves you too.”
“My mother’s a good person,” he said easily.
“No brothers or sisters?”
“Nah. I was handful enough for her.” He smirked.
Cece hesitated for a minute, then asked, “What about your father?”
Ace’s smirk turned to a frown. “We moved away after... when I was young, and we never looked back. By the time I moved home to New Hope, he was long gone. I haven’t seen or heard from him since.” Ace lifted his good shoulder in a shrug, as though he didn’t care one way or the other, but Cece was trained to read through people’s emotions and get to the heart of the matter. She could see the pain behind his troubled green eyes.
“What happened, Alistair?” His sharp gaze shot to hers, and she reached out to touch his hand. “Sometimes it helps to talk about it.”
He sat still for what felt like forever, then finally said, “Nothing much to say. Basically he went to confession one too many times, but it was definitely not good for his soul or anyone else’s for that matter, especially my mother’s.”
“How do you mean?” Cece prodded.
“Boy, you don’t give up, do you?” He pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Not when I see someone I care about in pain.”
He dropped his hand and let out a breath. “Let’s just say you weren’t the only nun to ever be caught in the confessional, but you can bet they sure as hell weren’t praying. There, are you happy now? And for the record, talking about it doesn’t help.”
Cece vaguely remembered hearing something about that from Sister Mary Ethel, but she’d had no idea Ace’s father was the man responsible for deflowering the older nun’s prized protégé. She’d never forgiven the man and had spent her life reminding Ace of the sins of his father.
“You’re not like your father, Ace.”
“No, I’m not.” He looked Cece squarely in the eye, with determination. “And I don’t plan to be, Sister.”
“You sure you don’t want any pain medication?” she asked, changing the subject and refusing to let him push her away. “You must be in pain.”
“Nope, I’m good. Pain lets me know I’m still alive.”
“Okay, then I think I know something else that will help.”
He eyed her suspiciously. “Your clinic is about as close to the confessional as you’ll ever get me.”
She smiled tenderly and held out her hand. “Come with me, chicken. I’m not going to make you go to confession. I’m simply going to make you something to drink.” She towed him after her to the kitchen and pulled down a mug.
“If I have to drink one more cup of tea, I’ll—”
“We’re not going to drink tea. We’re going to have a little party with a new acquaintance of mine named Jack.”
Ace’s expression turned guarded, and he stiffened slightly. “Who’s this Jack guy?”
“Oh, just someone my sister introduced me to.”
“Great,” he growled, sounding anything but pleased.
Cece opened the cupboard above her sink and pulled out the unopened bottle of Jack Daniels. She poured a little into a mug and handed it to him. “Here, drink this for the pain.”
Ace’s jaw unhinged, but he did as she said, eying her curiously as though trying to guess her next move. She didn’t bother with a mug, just lifted her hand and drank straight from the bottle, her eyes nearly crossing as she coughed spasmodically. Tears sprang to her eyes and her lungs burned something fierce, but it was worth it for the expression on his face. She’d shocked him good and thrown him totally off balance, which is exactly where he needed to be to ever let this happen. And she knew with every fiber of her being that she needed this to happen.
She needed him.
“I drank it for the pain, but why did you?” he asked in awe and disbelief.
“For courage.”
“To do what?”
“This.” She jumped on him, wrapping her legs around his waist and arms around his neck, as she locked her lips to his.
He grunted, stumbling back a step and flinched in pain.
She tore her mouth away and started to lower her legs. “Oh, my gosh. I’m so sorry. I didn’t think. Your arm. It’s—”
“Fine,” he growled back and grabbed her behind to hold her in place. “Don’t move.” He pressed his forehead against hers for a minute. “Please, for the love of God, don’t move.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered and wrapped her arms more tightly around him.
“You sure about this?” he finally asked, as his breathing grew heavy. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’m not a virgin, Detective. It’s just been a very long time.” She kissed his cheek. “I’m sure that if you don’t make love to me now, I might literally explode,” she said, breathing just as heavily.
He moaned deep in his throat and claimed her mouth hungrily as he carried her into her modest bedroom and laid her down on the bed. He knelt over her, his good hand tucking a stray hair behind her ear only to linger on her cheek before continuing the exploration down her neck, her breasts, and then her stomach, until she started to squirm.
“Oh my, I could get used to this.” She sighed dreamily. “I think I might have just found a brand-new habit.”
“Oh, Christ,” he responded on a groan. “I think I’m going to Hell for sure.” But that didn’t stop him from lowering his mouth to meet hers and taking her to Heaven along the way.