Healing Hearts 12: Road to Happiness Read online

  “She’s in counseling?”

  “Has been for more than a year. She sees Kiana, actually.”

  “Oh shit, Corona saw her.”

  “I know.”

  “What about your brother’s military connections? Can’t they get some more info?”

  “They are working on it now. They’re also working on getting information on her brothers and where they’re at.”

  * * * *

  Amber got out of urgent care and was expecting to see the guys, but instead, she was shocked to see her brother, Rusty, and his team. She ran to him, and he hugged her tight, spun her around, and squeezed her to him. The others gave her hugs hello, and concern then filled her heart at seeing them here in Mercy. Her first thought was there was trouble, but then she hoped that Charles was dead and that was why they were here.

  “What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

  “Everything is fine. We’ve been running for months now. We wanted to check in on you,” he told her, and she saw something in his eyes. Was he lying to her? She didn’t truly trust Rusty or the team. Not since he caused her to be taken by Charles and all because of his criminal activities. She pulled back.

  “Don’t lie to me, Rusty. Look what happened the last time.”

  His hands were on her hips holding her in place, and she gripped his shoulders hoping he told her the truth.

  “That is something I have to live with for the rest of my life.”

  “Maybe if you stop getting involved with criminal activities, you won’t need to worry about that,” she countered.

  “I never was involved with criminal activities, sis. We never explained our part in the whole Charles Muller thing.”

  “I don’t think I want to know.”

  “I think you should know, so you trust us to take care of you. Especially since we aren’t staying long, and you’ll be coming with us.”

  “What?” She was shocked. He placed his arm over her shoulder.

  “Come on. We’ll grab something to eat and then talk. There’s a lot to discuss, and you need to listen and be smart,” he said to her.

  She thought about her men. About their reaction to her brother and his team and this cockamamy idea about her leaving Mercy with them.

  “What is going on that I would have to leave?” she asked as they walked to the café. They got a nice quiet spot in the corner by the boats.

  “How have you been? Still seeing that therapist?” Forge asked her. She looked at him and then Cander, Flute, and Serno, who were definitely on guard. They kept looking around them and appeared ready to jump at any moment.

  “Yes, I am. I’m also dating again,” she told them.

  “What?” Rusty asked, and the others looked shocked.

  “Since when?” Rusty asked.

  “A month or so ago. It’s new.” She played with the rim of her glass. Then she remembered to text them, and she pulled out her cell phone.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Texting them?”

  “Why?” Serno asked.

  “Them?” Flute asked.

  “Shit, you were right,” Serno stated.

  “More than one man?” Rusty asked.

  “Five of them. It’s special.”

  “God damn it, Amber, this isn’t smart. They could use you, could take advantage of the weakness you have and the fears,” Rusty said to her.

  “They don’t do that. They’re perfect for me, and I love them.”

  Rusty looked away.

  “Tell her Rusty,” Flute said to him.

  “Tell me what?”

  “We weren’t doing illegal stuff for Charles. We were working an undercover operation, and he found out and came after us when our covers were blown and we didn’t know it. We should have, but we fucked up, so he took you. Then he was going to kill us, but we escaped as you know. We’ve been hunting him since and working with other specialized operatives to track him and his terrorist asshole friends down. We’re getting closer, and last week I got word that Fender is in the vicinity.”

  “What vicinity?” she asked.

  “Too fucking close to Mercy to consider coincidence,” Serno told her.

  Tears stung her eyes. She shook her head. “He knows where I am?”

  “We don’t know for sure, but this time we aren’t taking any chances,” Cander said to her.

  “We have to meet some investigators and commanders at a hotel we’re staying at tonight. We want you to pack some things up and do what you need to do to close up the house for a while as we sort things out and get you into protection. Something big is brewing, and we’re close to figuring out what.”

  “I’m not leaving here, Rusty. I can’t leave my job, lose the opportunities, and I certainly can’t leave my boyfriends.”

  “He’ll kill them, Amber. You know what Charles is capable of. You’re willing to risk their lives like that?” he asked.

  “No, of course not, but they are Special Forces.”

  “That won’t matter. Charles will kill anyone in his path to getting you if that is why Fender is nearby. He could also be around because there’s a warehouse about an hour from here that’s being used as a storage facility for some product. We discovered information on the location and figured that Charles is using it to then ship the product to the port off the coast.”

  “But you don’t even know if he knows where I am. You aren’t even sure about Fender.”

  “We’re certain enough to be smart and take precautions. He knows we’re onto him, destroying his attempts at smuggling out products. We keep getting closer and closer to him, but he evades capture. We’ve helped capture some of his men, and we’ve gotten great information. All we have to do is find Charles, and he’s dead. At minimum in jail for life. You are coming with us. I don’t care who your boyfriends are.”

  * * * *

  “You aren’t going to believe this, but Amber’s brother and his team are the ones who have been working the case. They’re responsible for the body count,” Ace told Danny over the phone.

  “What? How the fuck can you be sure?”

  “You’re even asking? Shit, Danny, as soon as she told us Rusty’s name, and we started digging into him, his team, and Charles Muller, the commander called. Said he thought he warned us about staying clear from this case.”

  “Shit. What the fuck?”

  “I think considering the severity of this case and the fact that our woman and her brother and his team are involved, that we should be involved, too. We’re all coming with you to the hotel and that meeting.”

  “What about Amber?”

  “She has her kickboxing class and then work at the clinic.”

  “She just got out of work this morning.

  “You know they needed her for a few hours. She worked eight to twelve. Tonight she works the night shift. We’ll check in with her frequently. We need to ensure she is safe and to find out what her brother and his team are up to.”

  “Do Amber’s brother and his team know about us?”

  “They do now. Commander Sommers is setting it all up and getting us in on the meeting.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll keep our shit together because of Amber, even though her brother caused her situation two years ago. We need to be in the loop, or we won’t be able to protect her.”

  “Understood. See you there for seven.”

  * * * *

  Amber wrapped her arms around Corona’s shoulders and hugged him tight. “I can’t believe this is happening. That you guys are meeting my brother and the team, and that Danny’s case is connected to Charles and terrorist activities.”

  Corona squeezed her to him and ran his palm over her ass in the nursing uniform.

  “I know it’s nuts, but at least we were able to pull the strings we could to get involved too and ensure that you’re safe. We’ll talk with your brother, his team, and get the information necessary to help solve this case, to find Charles and these terror
ist assholes, as well, and put an end to it all.”

  “I don’t want you guys involved, Corona. Look at what happened to Danny and Kyle in the beginning of the case. Look at what Rusty and team have been doing and not getting closer to finding Charles or the other men. What if something happens to you guys or my brother and them? Then what?”

  He caressed her hair and cupped her cheeks.

  “Nothing is going to happen because we’re going to work together. We looked up information on Charles. When we couldn’t find out anything concrete and believed he was a ghost, it was because the government was hiding his information due to the investigation. Now we have a better idea of who this man is. What he’s after. We have to end this, baby. Don’t you want it to be over?” he asked her.

  She glanced toward the hallway where Cindy was peeking around the corner. “We’re getting filled up. They can’t cover much longer. Sorry,” Cindy told them, and Amber nodded.

  She gripped onto Corona.

  “Please be careful. I get off at five o’clock.”

  “Come to our place, okay? Don’t go home. Text when you’re on your way, and we’ll open up the door.”

  “Okay. I love you, Corona.”

  He gave her a wink.

  “Love you, too.” He tapped her ass and gave her another kiss, and then he slid out the back door. She closed it behind him, took a deep breath, and prayed that the night went by quickly.

  * * * *

  “This is our mission, not yours. You aren’t going to come in here and think you’re taking over.” Rusty raised his voice at Ace.

  It had been a stare down contest initially. They looked at Rusty and his team like they had fucked up and caused Amber’s rape and abuse. Which it turned out they actually hadn’t. They were working for the government and their cover had been blown that the time. Rusty and his team tried to get free and get back in time to Charles, but Charles tried to get them killed. Her brother and his team had actually worked hard to try to save her. It was a terrible situation, and Charles was resourceful.

  “We aren’t trying to take over. You could use our resources, so we can end this. Isn’t that what we all want here? We want Amber safe and secure with this dick dead or at minimum behind bars. You guys want that, too, want this case solved like Danny and the government do, and we all want to eliminate the threat of terrorism. This guy Charles is working with some heavy individuals. We need to locate them and stop them. Now start talking, and we can begin working together,” Ace commanded.

  * * * *

  By midnight, their heads were spinning. Cliff glanced at his watch. A text from Amber stating that it was busy. There was a party at a bar on Clifford Street, and some kerosene torches were knocked down by drunk idiots, and six people were burned. He relayed the message to not only his brothers but also to Rusty and the team.

  “We read the part of your records that weren’t top secret. You five are pretty badass. What are your intentions with my sister?” Rusty asked them.

  “With our sister. We may not be blood, but we think of Amber as our sister,” Forge said.

  “We were all there that night. We all want Charles dead,” Cander added.

  “Your sister didn’t go into details at all, and we haven’t pushed,” Cliff told them.

  “You shouldn’t push her. It was a shock that she is actually dating five men,” Serno said and gave them the evil eye.

  “She’s special, and we care a lot about her. What’s the deal with you and her?” Flute asked.

  “She’s our woman. We’ll take care of her,” Corona said to them with attitude.

  This conversation was going nowhere good fast, and Ace tried to keep it under control.

  “You guys are staying here. How long before you take the next steps and go check out that warehouse you mentioned?” he asked.

  “Two days tops. We’ll do some surveillance and see if there’s any pre-action. Your intel did gather the other chatter about a ship sailing tomorrow night. I think we’ll look into that first,” Rusty said to him.

  “Whatever help you need, we’re there for you,” Ace offered.

  Rusty squinted.

  “So you’re staying out of our way? Not pulling rank and experience?” he asked.

  “Unless Amber or Danny are in trouble, then no, you got the lead, and we will assist if needed.”

  “Good. Stay out of our way, and this will work out fine. We also discussed taking Amber with us and getting her to a safer location.”

  “She has a life here. Now that you’ve filled us in on the information you have, we’ll handle her protection,” Cliff stated.

  Rusty looked pissed off and untrusting.

  “We’ll see. We made plans to meet Amber tomorrow at noon time. Alone,” he said.

  Ace didn’t trust Rusty. It was like he was threatening to take Amber away from them, from Mercy, and using that as if he had more power over her. It aggravated him. But these men were in the field for a year hunting. It more than likely got to them. This had to come to an end.

  “Corona, call Saber Armos. See if he’s available to talk and locate an exact location on this ship and who’s chartering it. We may need some Navy Seal help. I would like to have things lined up just in case.”

  “Do we really need to leak more information out there?” Forge snapped at Ace.

  “These are men we trust our lives with. Their abilities and connections could come in handy, and it isn’t up for discussion.”

  * * * *

  Cliff yawned and looked at the clock. It was two a.m. He couldn’t sleep. He wanted to see Amber. He got out of bed and walked into the hallway. The office light was still on, and as he looked in, he saw Ace and Danny at the computer. A face was on the screen.

  “Who is that?” he asked, coming into the office.

  “Umar Sarak,” Danny said and then rubbed his eyes and exhaled.

  “Number one asshole terrorist. He’s the money guy, the one who wants these weapons and has footed the bill for the past two years,” Ace told him.

  Briar and Corona waked in, rubbing their eyes and carrying water bottles.

  “Couldn’t sleep either?” Cliff asked.

  “Nope. Even thought about going to urgent care and hanging out in the waiting area, but Amber wouldn’t be happy. Plus she texted me a few minutes ago, reprimanded me for being up, and said that it’s been insane tonight. A full moon, she’s blaming it on,” Briar said, and they chuckled.

  “She’s probably right,” Cliff said.

  “Who is that?” Briar asked and looked at the screen.

  Ace and Danny explained about the guy and how they were in communications with Rusty and his team. They hadn’t been able to identify this guy, but with help from Saber and the CIA connections, they got the information.

  “So what do we do now?” Cliff asked.

  “What we do best and dig. Rusty and his team are discussing heading to Dubai after they secure this warehouse. We might help them and provide security on it while they travel overseas,” Danny said.

  “They aren’t still talking about taking Amber, are they?” Briar asked.

  “No fucking way. I think we established where we stand and what we would do for her,” Ace said.

  “Well, we’re all up, so let’s keep digging and find out everything we can. The faster we catch these men, the quicker it will all be over,” Danny stated, and they agreed.

  * * * *

  “Amber, we have a guy in room seven who thinks he broke his ribs when he fell down a flight of stairs. Dr. Ford is still in room four with the guy with stomach pains. He asked if you could do the initial eval on him.”

  “Sure thing, and have Elaine clean up room five,” Amber said and then headed down the hallway to the last room before the exit door. As she got there, she immediately thought about how earlier in the evening she made out in that hallway with Corona. She smiled wide. She couldn’t wait to see them. To make love to them and feel their arms around her. She had spoken to Rusty
after midnight, and he confessed to liking Ace, Danny, Corona, Briar, and Cliff and said that their connections were helping to identify the main guy behind all these deals, the one Charles was getting ammunition and drugs for, and that he was a terrorist. It gave her the chills just thinking about the case, and also the fact that her brother and his team could be heading to Dubai in forty-eight hours.

  She knocked on the door and entered the room. The man was hunched over, his arm tucked against his ribs and his head down.

  “Hello, sir. My name is Amber. I’m going to be the nurse helping out Dr. Ford tonight. I need to ask you some questions, and then take your vitals.”

  He moaned as she approached and reached for the machine to begin checking him out as she asked questions. It was too late when she felt the pinch to her side, and she gasped, eyes wide and turned to the right.

  “Fender?” she said, and he smiled.

  “He missed you so much, Amber,” he said to her and slid from the table. He was holding onto her, and she could feel a weird sensation. He had stuck her with a needle. She saw the syringe on the floor. “Come on now,” he said, and she struck at his arms and stepped back, falling into the machine and knocking it over.

  “No, I’ll kill anyone who gets in the way. That cute little secretary and the doctor. I don’t care. You know I don’t care. Orders are orders from Charles.”

  “No, no, don’t hurt them,” she said and closed her eyes, reaching out for the table to steady herself when she felt her legs go out. She would have hit the floor, but then felt the strong arms wrap around her and lift her up.

  “You’ve taken good care of yourself. Charles will like that. We have a bit of time to get to him, and I need to get you ready.” He carried her from the room and right out the side door. By the time she got to the car and he laid her down, her body was numb, and she couldn’t feel a thing. All she could do was move her eyes. She couldn’t even speak.