CHAPTER TWO
Florida
Two weeks later
Joel sat back in his chair and studied the view from his office window. The cloudless blue sky and birds flying overhead toward the ocean shouldn’t make him feel so empty.
Everything he had worked for over the last couple of years was starting to pay off. He had a great team of men, they were doing valuable work, and he was making more money than he ever had. He should be filled with satisfaction. Instead, he felt like he was missing something. The phone buzzed and broke him out of his somber thoughts. Tipping forward in his chair, he answered it. “What’s up, Carly?”
“Ronnie DuMond…I mean Ronnie Bedford called and asked if she could stop by in an hour. She needs a recommendation for her sister.”
“Sure, tell her to come on by.”
“Will do,” Carly replied.
Leaning back in his chair again, he checked his calendar and noticed that he had some free time coming up. Maybe that was the problem. He much preferred to be busy.
Heaving himself out of his chair, he then walked out of his office, and went looking for someone to run with after work. He’d never been a man prone to introspection, and he certainly didn’t want to start now. As he ambled down the corridor, he noted that the offices were empty. Trevor and Kyle were out on assignment, but where was everyone else? As he turned the corner, he saw several men in the conference room. What the hell?
Standing in the doorway, he listened to his men debate who was going to win the upcoming Super Bowl. “Maybe you can ask Ronnie Bedford when she gets here in about an hour. I’m sure she has some ideas about who is going to come out on top.”
Dane, Ben, and Grady swiveled their chairs in his direction and waited. “Don’t forget, she married a three-time Super Bowl winner. And she manages the finances of over one hundred top athletes in the game. I’m sure she has some insight or at least some opinions. Lord knows she has a lot of those.”
Dane was the first to respond. “Why is Ronnie coming in today? Is she having more problems with her clients’ girlfriends?”
Joel slid out a chair and slumped into it. “Carly just told me that she needs a recommendation for her sister Vivi. I’m not sure what’s going on, so we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Ben tipped forward and grinned. “I remember Vivi.” Waggling his eyebrows up and down, he whistled. “She is one pretty doctor. I talked to her for almost an hour at the last party that Ronnie and Chase threw at the house. She was sweet and had a ton of interesting stories about the years she spent with Doctors without Borders.”
Dane sat back and crossed his arms behind his head. “I like that woman. She had a lot of dirty jokes to tell. I laughed my ass off. I’m not sure if it was the joke or hearing it from a woman who appeared so proper, but if she needs help, I’ll fly over to see her and take real good care of her.”
“Down, boys,” Joel replied firmly. “Let’s wait until Ronnie gets here, and then we can decide how to proceed. This could be something minor, and we can recommend someone in New Orleans to take care of it.”
Grady stood and grabbed the folder in front of him. “I’m going to meet with the woman who has the trucking company. I’ll check in with you later.”
Before Grady made it to the door, Joel stopped him. “Are they still having their trucks hijacked?”
Leaning his large frame against the wall, he checked his watch. “Yeah. They just had another truck stolen last week. If I can’t solve this for them, then they’re going to lose their contract with the pharmaceutical company. The trucks eventually show up, but the drugs are gone.”
“Let us know what you need,” Joel responded.
Grady tipped his head in acknowledgment and stepped out of the conference room. Joel watched his partner’s retreating figure and felt confident that he would solve the case. There had never been a better tactician. When they were on the Teams together, he’d proven it a thousand times over.
The only thing that concerned him was that Grady seemed tense every time he had to meet with the company president. That was unusual, and Joel wondered what is was about. Grady was laid-back and relaxed even when they had been in tough combat situations. Perhaps it was the woman who ran the company that had him tied up. Shrugging, he returned his attention to Dane and Ben and listened to them bicker about who was the best person to fly to New Orleans. Two dogs with a bone. Some things never changed.
***
Ronnie swept into the SAI offices with her husband and kissed and hugged everyone she came across. Even Joel. He didn’t even try to stop her, because it was no use. Ronnie liked to hug the people that she cared about, and she cared about the men in his office because they had protected her when she had a crazy woman after her last year.
“You all know that I don’t like to show up empty-handed, especially when I’m asking for a favor. I brought some of Gerald’s famous pecan cookies. They go best with tea, but I don’t figure you all for tea-drinking men, so have them with coffee.” She placed a box on the conference room table and studied the group before her. “I need your help, and my husband has wisely advised me to come to the best for advice.” Turning, she beamed up at the man standing next to her. “I like to say husband as often as I can.”
Chase grinned down at his wife. “Turns out Ronnie likes being married, and she shares her feelings with whomever is willing to listen. And when I say willing, I mean someone who stands still for longer than five seconds.”
Swatting his arm, Ronnie laughed. “I can’t help it. Or, more accurately, I don’t want to help it. I’m a newlywed, and I’m happy.”
“Which means that I’m doing my job correctly. Happy wife, happy life,” Chase replied smugly.
Joel let out a reluctant chuckle. The transformation of Ronnie DuMond was complete. A year ago, she had been searching for her gun when Chase irritated her, and this year, she was staring at him like he had the answer to every question she ever had. Whoever said that love didn’t change a person had never met Ronnie. Gone was the woman who would slice any man to shreds with only a few words. She had been replaced by a woman who was well loved and felt happy and secure in the world. “So, what do you need from us, Ronnie?”
“My sweet sister Vivi is under siege, and I need a recommendation for someone to protect her.”
Dane and Ben stood up instantly and raised their hands. “I’ll go take care of Vivi,” Dane stated.
“No, I’ll go take care of Vivi,” Ben replied.
“Both of you sit down, and let’s see what she needs,” Joel instructed them.
Chase pulled out a chair for his wife and waited until she was seated and then took one of his own. “We’ve been worried about her for two weeks.”
Ronnie leaned forward and made sure she had the attention of the men before she started to tell them what was going on. “When Uncle Buck called me, I knew things were serious.”
“Start from the beginning,” Joel said.
Taking a deep breath, Ronnie collected herself before speaking. “My sweet sister has a clinic in Algiers, which is just across the bridge from the city proper. It is one of the lowest income neighborhoods in the United States. After she returned from Yemen a year ago, she started the clinic to serve the underserved people of the community.”
Chase leaned forward. “It also has one the highest death tolls of any neighborhood in America.”
Nodding in agreement, Ronnie went on. “None of that concerns my sister. She spent three years abroad in some exceedingly difficult situations.”
“What do you mean by difficult situations?” Joel asked.
“My sister was with MSF, which is Doctors without Borders. She worked in Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. A little civil war doesn’t faze her in the least. Bullets flying over her head, not a problem. She can perform surgery in almost any environment,” Ronnie answered. “As I’m sure you can tell, I’m incredibly proud of my sister. So when someone is threatening her, I take it seriously. Even if she won’t. The only way I found about all of this is that Uncle Buck hangs out at her clinic several times a week. Mama and Daddy have no idea, and I want to have a plan in place before we tell them.”
“So why is she under siege?” Dane asked.
“The clinic has been broken into at least five times since the beginning of the year. The prescription drugs are stolen, and sometimes there is damage to the clinic. Vivi never was too worried, until they ended up with two dead bodies.
“At first it seemed that it was just the local gangs stealing the drugs to resell on the streets. Then two weeks ago, there was a dead body left in the clinic. It seems that people are getting territorial, and it’s gotten deadly.
“Then last week, they discovered a man who was left for dead in the waiting room. Vivi performed surgery, and the man survived. But he isn’t talking. This is where it gets interesting. The man who was found dead has no local ties to the neighborhood gangs. The man who survived doesn’t either. One dead body and another man left for dead, is serious.
“Uncle Buck said the Feds are going to get involved, as well as the DEA. At first the NOPD thought it was the two neighborhood gangs that were responsible. But now the FBI is coming in because of the dead bodies, and the DEA is involved because of the prescription drugs. Clearly, this is more than a neighborhood dispute.” Leaning forward, Ronnie took a cookie out of the box. “Someone has to safeguard my sister and her two best friends.”
“Do you know anyone in New Orleans that we can call?” Chase asked.
“I’ll go up there and see what I can do,” Joel replied. “Your sister needs twenty-four-hour protection. The Feds and DEA don’t get involved unless it’s serious.”
Pressing her hand over Joel’s, Ronnie closed her eyes. “Thank you, Joel. My sweet sister needs someone to protect her. Even if she won’t admit it.”
“Let me ask you this…is Vivi as stubborn as you?” Joel inquired.
Chase answered before Ronnie could respond. “She makes Ronnie appear reasonable. Don’t get me wrong, she is the nicest person you will ever meet, but she would make you look like a flexible man.” Leaning back, he crossed his arms over his chest and slid a glance at his wife. “Don’t fuss at me for telling the truth. These men need to know what they’re getting into, so that they can look after Vivi.”
“Fine,” Ronnie said. She grabbed another cookie out of the box. “Vivi is the nicest one out of the three of us.”
“Did I mention that there is a river of stubborn running through the family? When I say family…I mean the women. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t change my wife for the world. But I knew what I was getting into, and I think you should too.” Chase turned toward his wife and kissed her cheek. “I love you, honey.”
“Oh, sure, add the ‘I love you’ after you tell him that the women in my family are strong-willed.” Crossing her arms, she tapped her foot. “I may start looking for my gun after all.”
“Oh, you can look, but you’re never going to find it. That was the best piece of advice I got from your daddy: ‘Get rid of all firearms in the house.’” Slipping his arm around her shoulder, he beamed at the group. “It’s never boring at my house. I’m a lucky man.”
“Yeah, we’ll see how lucky you feel later on tonight,” Ronnie responded.
Joel rubbed his head because he could feel a headache coming on. Getting mixed up with the DuMond women wasn’t on the top of his priority list, but he couldn’t leave Vivi out in the world unprotected. It wasn’t in his nature, and he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if he didn’t do something. “Give me all of her contact information, and I’ll fly up there tomorrow.”
“Dane and I will join you,” Ben said. “We don’t have anything going on for the rest of the week, and you need backup.”
“My sister has a big old house, and I’m sure that you all can stay with her. If not, then Uncle Buck has a lot of extra room, and I’m sure he would welcome the company,” Ronnie stated.
“These DuMond sisters believe in big houses,” Chase remarked. “Vivi has a beautiful home in Carrolton, which isn’t far from Tulane.”
“We like big houses because we want big families,” Ronnie replied, as she stared down at her hands and twirled her fingers together.
“Don’t worry, honey, we’re going to fill our house with a bunch of kids. Our family just may not come together like we expected. But it will come together,” Chase stated firmly. He covered his wife’s hand and nodded.
Joel knew that Ronnie wanted a bunch of kids and the accident that she had been in last year might make that impossible. But the way Chase was talking made him believe that she was going to have the family she wanted. One way or another. He couldn’t imagine wanting kids that much, but respected the desire in others. “Give me what you have, and we’ll watch over your sister.”
“Thank you, Joel,” Ronnie said. “We’re heading out to Houston for the NFL Honors Awards. My husband is receiving a lifetime achievement award.”
Dane offered his congratulations to Chase. “Great news, man. You had an amazing career, and your record still stands for most games won during a regular season.”
“Thanks, guys. I was lucky to be part of a great team for a long time. It made my job easy.”
Standing, Ronnie brushed off her dress. “And that is one of the many reasons why I love him.” Sliding her gaze over, she smirked. “Even if he thinks that I have a river of stubborn.”
Joel chose to remain silent and keep his comments to himself. “I’ll let you know what we find out. Have fun at the awards and the game. We can catch up when you guys return.” He shook Chase’s hand and hugged Ronnie. “Don’t worry, we won’t let anything bad happen to Vivi.”
Ben walked the couple out, and Joel was fairly confident that he was pumping them for any information about who they thought might win the big game on Sunday. It appeared they were going to be enjoying Super Bowl Sunday in New Orleans. If Ronnie had given them an accurate account of what was going on, then it was going to take more than a few days for them to come up with a solution.
Joel strode to the front of their spacious office, and searched for Carly. It was going to take some juggling to ensure that they had their commitments covered here in Florida while he and the guys were in Louisiana. It was fortunate that Harris and Lance had just joined the team. It appeared they were going to be taking assignments earlier than anyone guessed.
***
The sun was starting to sink in the sky as Joel ran along Bayshore Drive, and the briny smell of the bay filled his lungs. His feet hit the pavement, and the tension in his body dissipated as he moved along the street. Swiping his hand across his brow, he moved the sweat away from his eyes. Blinking several times, he tried to get rid of the sting. How in the hell had he committed himself to protecting Vivi?
The idea of having to be in close proximity to Dr. Vivi DuMond for any length of time made him a little nuts. Sweat dripped off his back as his pace increased. The faster he went, the better he felt. He was trying to outrun his fear of what was going to happen when he and Vivi were stuck together.
Everything Ronnie had said about her sister was true. He’d met her several times over the last year when she’d visited Florida. And each time he saw her, he felt something. Which pissed him off, because he worked enormously hard at not feeling things. There was also the inconvenient fact that she drove him nuts and aroused him to the point of madness. Every time he’d been around her, he’d wanted to do things to her…things that could only be done naked. “Damn woman!” he muttered, as he picked up his pace again.
The hard work he’d put into cobbling himself back together wasn’t going to fall apart because of some damn sweet Southern woman. The pain that he’d experienced after losing Francie wasn’t something he cared to ever revisit. And Vivi DuMond was the type of person who could make him believe that things were possible. And he was never going to do that again…believe that a happily ever after was part of his future.
A neighbor waved to him as they passed one another, and Joel tipped his head in acknowledgment. He had a life that he mostly enjoyed, and there wasn’t a thing that was going to change that.
As he wound his way home, the scent of camellias filled his lungs, and Vivi’s smiling face was instantly the picture that filled his vision. Dammit. It was already happening, and he hadn’t left the state yet. Dr. DuMond was one beautiful woman, with her mass of dark hair and big hazel eyes. Not to mention a body built to drive him crazy. Cursing to himself, he picked up his pace and made it home in record time.
Standing in front of his house, he stretched out his legs and heard his front gate creak open. He glanced up and saw Grady ambling toward him. “Hey, man. I wasn’t expecting you tonight.”
“I decided to come by and give you a download on the case I’m working on.” Leaning against the railing of the porch, he grinned. “And I figured you could feed me, since I made the effort to come out here.”
“So this is really about the food and not about work,” Joel huffed.
“It’s both. I stopped by the office, and Carly told me what was going on in New Orleans. I think there might be a connection to the case that I’m working.”
Joel stretched to his full height and studied Grady. They had worked together on and off for over fifteen years, and he knew that if Grady said there was a connection, then there definitely was one. The man could see a situation and be ten steps ahead of everyone with a solution. “Come on in, and let’s grill some steaks, and we can figure this thing out.”
“That’s exactly what I was hoping to hear,” Grady replied.
“I don’t know why everyone comes over here and thinks that they should be fed.” Joel’s expression hardened as he opened the front door. “I’m not the team parent for you guys.”
“Yeah, but you’re the only one who knows how to cook. Quit being such a hard-ass and enjoy the fact that you have someone to hang out with tonight. Being by yourself all the time just makes you a grumpy bastard, and we’re getting tired of it.”
Joel flipped his friend off and strode upstairs. “I’m going to take a shower. Help yourself to a beer.” As he made his way down the hall, he knew what Grady had said was true. He was becoming more of a hard-ass, and his sense of humor was long gone.
After dropping his clothes into the hamper, he stepped into the shower. As the warm spray hit his back, he tried to relax his muscles. The idea of being stuck with Vivi and resisting his attraction was going to be all kinds of hell. And that’s what he was going to have to do. She was a forever kind of person, and he definitely wasn’t.
Dipping his head under the water, he knew this was probably as good as it was going to get for him. The idea of taking a chance and opening himself up again wasn’t something he was willing to do. Even with a woman like Vivi. No way. She had heartbreak written all over her, and he didn’t have another one left in him.
Joel walked into his kitchen and noticed Grady had made himself comfortable. He had a beer in his hand and was watching Sports Center. They were doing a review of the upcoming NFL Honors Award show, and a picture of Chase Bedford flashed on the screen. “He came with Ronnie to the office today. You missed seeing your favorite player.”
Grady turned in his chair and shrugged. “Carly told me already. I wish he was still playing. My team needs him. I think he retired too early.”
“That may be true, but you have to admire the guy for knowing when it was time to let someone else have a chance. The young kid that SF has now is doing okay.”
“Okay doesn’t take you to the championship game,” Grady grunted.
Joel grabbed a beer out of the fridge as well as a couple of steaks and flipped on his indoor grill. “Tell me about the case you’re on.” He walked around the counter, slid into a chair, and studied his friend.
“I’ve only been on it for a couple of days, and I still don’t have a complete picture. I’m working with the daughter of the owner of the trucking company. She runs the show for the most part, and she’s working her ass off to make sure that everyone thinks she’s capable.”
“Is she capable?” Joel asked.
“Yeah, definitely. She is smart, tenacious, and fucking beautiful. We irritate the crap out of one another. I can’t tell if it’s because we’re so much alike or because we’re attracted to each another. If we don’t kill one another, then we’re probably going to end up married.”
Letting out a bark of laughter, Joel tipped back in his chair. “Well, at least it won’t be boring.”
“I don’t know why you think it’s so funny. You have the same thing with Vivi. I’ve seen the two of you together, and there are sparks flying as you guys trade insults.”
Standing slowly, Joel felt his muscles tense. “I don’t know why everyone thinks she’s so sweet. All I get from her is disapproval.” He walked over to the counter and started preparing the steaks for the grill. The way he was slamming the salt and pepper on the counter might be an indication of how much Vivi DuMond affected him. Whether he admitted it or not.
“You’re always giving her a hard time and snarling at her while your eyes undress her. No wonder she behaves the way she does.”
He ignored Grady and decided to change the subject. There was no way that he wanted to discuss his mixed-up feelings for the doctor. “Tell me why you think the theft of the cargo and what’s happening with Vivi’s clinic is connected.” Joel put the steaks on the grill, and the scent filled the kitchen.
“Prescription drug theft is on the rise. It’s happening at small clinics, drug stores, and doctor’s offices all across the country. Now warehouses are being targeted as well as trucking companies that transport the drugs. The group of people who are targeting the trucking company are into some serious shit. My contact at the DEA is suggesting that large sophisticated crime syndicates are behind the heists. It’s not a group of local thugs who are pulling off the major thefts. When Carly told me that Vivi’s clinic has been targeted, it made me realize that something big is happening. All I have right now is a bunch of puzzle pieces, and I don’t know how they fit together yet.”
Pulling potato salad out of the fridge, Joel contemplated how much danger Vivi was in. The picture that was starting to form made him realize it was graver than he initially thought. “I’m heading up there tomorrow with Dane and Ben. Let’s stay in contact, and hopefully we can solve the case before the body count becomes too high.”
“Agreed,” Grady confirmed.