CHAPTER 23

Several days later – April 12

Danni saw Caleb every day that week, although she didn’t always talk to him. Even when she didn’t see him, she knew he was there.

On Monday morning, he loitered at the crosswalk where she had first met him dressed as a homeless stranger. Tuesday, he paid a visit to her condo to return Rob’s briefcase full of money, now counted, logged, and marked. On Wednesday, he stood in the shadows of an adjoining building while she parked her car behind Amoré. That same evening, she saw him start up his old Chevy pickup truck and follow her home. He waited until she stepped safely inside the elevator in the lobby of the Rutherford before driving away. The man who had once been her stalker had become her guardian.

Regardless of the security Caleb and others at the TBI now provided, she drove her car to work every day. She didn’t want to tempt fate. Plus, Jaycee had no idea about the surveillance, and her friend continued to nag her.

Danni’s initial resentment of the TBI’s intrusion upon her life had transitioned to gratitude that they had her back. Of course the Bureau’s reason for watching her was twofold. Caleb had told her they believed she would be contacted again—and not so benignly the second time. He theorized her next communication would come unexpected, just as the others had been. That meant it could come anywhere, at any time, and it could be anything from a hired street thug to a second visit from Ramirez or an encore appearance of the sandy-haired man.

Caleb had also told her that so far neither of the composites she and Jaycee had helped Amy Force put together had garnered a hit, which led him to believe the two men were either smart enough to maintain a low profile or were hired pawns with no prior arrests. Caleb still believed the man who had presented himself as Ramirez was actually a paid actor, a stand-in who had been hired to scare Danni into apoplexy. If that was the case, the man hadn’t achieved his goal. She was scared but determined not to let anything stop her in her search for the truth. Less than a month ago, she had decided to change her life for the better, and if facing down criminals who controlled Rob was part of that effort, she was willing to take it on.

Friday morning, she arrived at Amoré later than usual because of a midmorning meeting at the Tennessee State Museum, where they would soon be catering an event. She spotted Caleb sitting at the bistro bar in the far corner of the room, staring out one of the front windows. After speaking with several of the wait staff, she walked over to his table, catching him off guard.

“And how’s your service been today, sir?”

Caleb jumped and then smiled when he realized it was her.

“Wow, some great agent you are,” she teased. “The woman you’re following just ambushed you.”

He pulled out a chair for her. “And I’m not sure how I could have missed her. She looks beautiful today.”

Danni felt heat rise to her face. This man was quick to make her blush.

“Thanks.” She took a seat. “And in case I haven’t said so lately, thank you for keeping an eye on me. I have to admit I sometimes feel like I have a target painted on my back.”

“The first part’s easy.” He grew serious. “And, yes, you do. That’s the other reason I’ve been watching.”

She wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

“Is it just me of did it just get chilly in the room?” She tried to laugh. “I’ve never been targeted for anything before, so you’ll have to excuse my discomfort.”

“It’s something you never get used to, trust me.” He studied her as he sipped his coffee. “I doubt you would have been followed or contacted by anyone if you hadn’t come under the TBI’s scrutiny.”

“I’m going to respectfully disagree, Agent Samuels.” She forced a tight smile. “The problem, as you call it, would still have existed. I just wouldn’t have known about it.”

Caleb nodded, and she repositioned herself in her chair.

“I would rather know about it if it’s there. You can’t fix something if you’re not aware the problem exists.”

“You’re a smart woman.” His gaze lingered.

“Thanks . . .” She relaxed into her chair. “Maybe you should withhold your judgment on that until this thing is over.”

He smiled. “In the meantime, I want to ask you a favor.”

“Sure.” She eyed his coffee cup. “More coffee?”

He grinned. “Not right now, thanks. And that’s exactly my point. I’d like to buy your lunch today, if you have time. You’ve bought my coffee for weeks. It’s time I repaid you.”

Where was he going with this?

“That’s not necessary.” She studied him.

The normally self-assured man who she knew to be Agent Caleb Samuels disappeared behind a boyish smile. “I’d appreciate it if you would. I also want to show you something before you see Zach again on Sunday.”

“Oh . . .” Was she disappointed that this was business? “Okay. I have about an hour’s work to do before I’m free. How about 12:30?”

He checked his watch and gestured around the room. “I’m not going anywhere, so take your time.”

Danni stood quickly, almost tripping over her chair. Caleb reached out to her, but she managed to regain her balance on her own.

“Are you okay? I didn’t mean to run you off.”

“No . . . no, you didn’t.” She backed away. “I’ll meet you right here at 12:30.” She smiled and turned around, heading for the sanctuary of her office.

Why did she let her guard down like that? How could she even think he was asking her for a date?

“See you then.” His reply trailed behind her.

As soon as she took a seat at her desk, Jaycee stepped inside the room. “Do you realize you’ve seen Caleb Samuels more in the past few weeks than you ever see Rob?”

“Very funny.”

“What did he have to say this morning?”

“We talked business.”

“Is that all?” Jaycee raised an eyebrow.

“Actually, it’s a bit embarrassing. I’m not sure I want to talk about it.”

“What do you mean?” Her friend closed the door behind her.

“He asked to take me to lunch.”

Jaycee pumped her fist and looked skyward. “Thank You, Lord!”

“It’s not a date.”

“Are you kidding me? What else would it be?” Jaycee’s smile flickered, and she took a seat.

“He wants to show me something relating to Zach. It really is just business.”

“I’m not buying that.”

“Please don’t go there.” Danni couldn’t believe she was about to admit this. “I’m already concerned he may think I’m interested in him. It’s embarrassing.”

“And you don’t think that feeling is mutual?”

Danni shook her head. Jaycee completely misunderstood the situation. “Jay, this man spends his days protecting damsels in distress. I’m sure he has women falling at his feet all the time.”

She almost had, literally, a few minutes ago.

“But how about you?”

“What about me?”

“Are you interested?”

“Not really.”

“That means yes.” Jaycee leaned across the top of the desk and took Danni’s left wrist in her hand. “Do you see a ring on this finger?”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“It’s obvious this guy is attracted to you, Danni. And you’re about to blow it because you don’t have enough confidence in yourself.” She settled back in her seat. “Please give him a chance.”

Danni stared at her friend. “Why are you so passionate about this? About him?”

“You don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what?”

“God is giving you a second chance to get out of your relationship with Rob. Please don’t make a commitment to Rob that you can’t undo before you’ve explored other options.”

Danni’s mouth opened, but nothing came out.

“You don’t have to marry Caleb Samuels, but at least follow your heart.”

“I promise. Whatever that means, I’ll do it.” She picked up a stack of papers. “But you’ll see, Jay. This is going nowhere.”

Caleb took Danni to his favorite restaurant, a meat and three near the heart of Nashville’s downtown. The little red diner located on Eighth Avenue South and handy to Music Row and the Gulch was always packed with locals as well as tourists. Arnold’s Country Kitchen wasn’t the fine-dining experience his lunch companion was used to, but there was no better way to show her who he was than to bring her to his favorite place. One that reminded him of his childhood.

Hopefully she could find something here to eat that she would enjoy. Even if she was one of those high-society types who preferred their meals to be vegan, Arnold’s served a variety of vegetables, as well as a number of entrée options.

Caleb hadn’t just memorized the weekday specials, he usually ate them by regimen. Fried chicken on Monday, meatloaf on Tuesday, catfish on Wednesday, country fried steak with gravy on Thursday, and chicken and dumplings on Friday. Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed on the weekend.

Although his mouth was watering for the chicken and dumplings, he would forgo them today. They were a bit messy for a first date.

Not that this was a date.

“Know what you want?” He asked Danni as they approached the serving line.

“Wow . . . I don’t know.” She scanned the hot bar with its double rows of steaming food pans. “I’ve always loved my grandmother’s chicken and dumplings, but that’s messy. I think I’ll try the fried shrimp. I’ve never had that here.”

The irony brought a smile to his face. “So you’ve eaten here before?”

“Are you kidding? They received the James Beard award a few years ago. I have to stay up on my competition. Have you ever had their fried green tomatoes?”

He nodded. “The best in town.”

“If you love Southern cooking, you should try Jaycee’s family restaurant in Laverne. It’s a drive from here, but they have some of the best diner food in Middle Tennessee.”

“Your chef’s family runs a diner?”

She gave him a knowing smile. “You look surprised.”

“I am. I would never have suspected your gourmet chef grew up on Southern cooking.”

“Hmmm,” she teased. “Someone needs to do his homework.”

“That’s twice today you’ve found me out. I’ll try to be more careful.”

She smiled, and he realized he could get lost in her beautiful eyes, more green than gray-blue today.

After lunch, Caleb turned his old Chevy truck toward East Nashville. It was time Danni saw how others lived. She might enjoy good diner food, but every night she went home to a high-rise luxury condominium with amenities some people couldn’t dream of having in a lifetime.

In recent years Nashville had fallen prey to man’s cravings for modernization. Demolition and reconstruction had replaced many of the older structures—unfortunately, some rich in history and lost forever—with high rises that reached toward the sky. The Rutherford, not many blocks away from where they were now, was just one of those buildings, physical evidence that today’s movers and shakers wanted to live in a manufactured urban paradise rather than commute. That was not Caleb’s kind of world.

Conversation languished as he and Danni crossed the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge, which spanned the Cumberland River toward East Nashville, toward Zach and his mother’s rundown house on a dead-end street.

They too had been victims of man’s cravings of a different kind. Ginny Franklin’s former husband, Zach’s dad, had never made an attempt to support his family. He was far too interested in his next high.

After Wade Franklin went to prison for possession, dealing, and attempted robbery, Ginny had done her best to make a home of their structurally sound but badly neglected frame house. Thankfully, it was situated in a decent neighborhood, and it might one day acquire enough equity to help them build a better life.

Because their home wasn’t far from his office, Caleb routinely stopped on his way home to help Ginny and Zach with maintenance. As far as he knew, no other consistent adult male influence existed in their lives.

“Where are we going?” Danni asked, breaking the silence. Caleb had been lost in thought since they left the restaurant.

“It’s not much farther.” He glanced to her. His dark eyes reassuring, despite her growing discomfort. “I want to tell you a little more about Zach, and to do that, it helps to show you where he lives.”

“Do you live out this way too?” she asked, trying to connect the dots, even though Caleb didn’t appear to be ready to show her the whole picture.

“No. My place is west of town.”

After a few more minutes of silence, she broached the subject again. “I’m fine with doing this, but I can’t help but wonder why it matters where Zach lives.”

Her words must have broken the spell. Caleb pulled his old truck to a stop in front of a ramshackle cottage on a small lot between two similar homes. The landscaping left a lot to be desired. In fact, there were only a few scraggly evergreens growing near the sidewalk and the house.

What lay in front of her took her back to a place and time she rarely revisited. “Wow . . . this reminds me of my mother’s house.”

“Really?” It was obvious her words surprised him. “It’s Zach’s house.” He clicked off the ignition. The old motor ceased its roar, and silence overtook them.

Momentarily staring out the window, Danni collected her thoughts and then turned to the man beside her. “You obviously haven’t done your homework again, Agent Samuels. My mother left me, my sister, and my dad when I was a kid. Occasionally my father would drive us past the house where she lived, although we never attempted to contact her.”

She shook her head. “In my childish dreams, I never understood that, but my dad always said, ‘She’ll come home when she’s ready.’”

“And?”

Danni turned away from him and focused on something in the rearview mirror. “She died trying.”

“I’m sorry.”

The pity in his voice caught in his throat. But Danni had shed too many tears through the years to bring them back now. Or maybe she had just stuffed her feelings into the deepest, darkest regions of her subconscious.

“She was killed when I was eight. My daddy told my sister Chloe and me that she was on her way home to us when the accident happened. I guess I’ve always wondered if that was true, but it was comforting to a child.”

He nodded.

“So what did you want to tell me about Zach?”

“You have a lot in common.” His voice was soft. “More than I knew.”

She nodded.

“Zach’s dad left him and his mother. He’s serving thirty years in the state prison for armed robbery and possession of narcotics with the intent to sell.”

“Now I know why you care about him like you do.”

A part of who Caleb was had begun to make sense to her.

“That’s not exactly the whole story.”