CHAPTER SIX
Joel sat at the kitchen table and heard the door open. He stood and went into the foyer and visually confirmed that it was Ben and Dane. They ambled toward him, and he didn’t have to ask how their evenings went. Based on Ben’s shit-eating grin, he knew that everything worked out with Ruby, and Dane’s relaxed manner told him that he and Trinity were getting along. It seemed this little trip to New Orleans was working out for his men, and maybe it was time he did something to help himself out.
Seeing Vivi go out on a date last night had broken something loose in him, and he was going to do something about it. He remembered the story she told him about the kid that she’d been battling with and how a kiss behind the pool slide solved things between them. It might be time to kiss Dr. Vivi DuMond and see if it would get him straightened out. “I’m not going to ask how your evening went, because I can tell. So tell me what happened at the clinic.”
Ben slapped him on the back as he passed and sat at the kitchen table. “Is there coffee made?” Rubbing his stomach, he grinned. “Ruby made a delicious breakfast this morning, but I didn’t get much sleep, so I could use another cup.”
“I got more sleep than you did, but I could use anther cup too,” Dane added.
Vivi had silently entered the kitchen and responded, “I’ll make a fresh pot.” Shuffling over to the counter, she pulled out the pot.
Joel pivoted and noticed she had changed out of the slip she’d gone to bed in and thrown on a college T-shirt and shorts. The woman had amazing legs, and he felt a small measure of relief that he was no longer forcing himself to ignore that fact. He stepped over and leaned against the counter. “Good morning. How are you feeling?” Her head swiveled, and she glanced over her shoulder. “What are you looking for?”
“I thought you were talking to Dane, because you were smiling.”
“Vivi, why do you think that I wouldn’t smile at you?”
“Because you usually don’t. Snarling, snarking, and expressing general disapproval, yes. But smiling…no.”
He took the pot out of her hands and went over to the sink to rinse it out and refill it. As the water filled the pot, he thought about what she said, and he realized that it was probably true. Damn. If things were going to change, then it was completely up to him. Turning off the water, he returned and handed the coffee pot back to her. “There you go, honey.”
Taking the pot, she set it down on the counter and then pressed her hand to his forehead. “I want to see if you have a fever.” Apparently satisfied, she took his arm and checked his pulse and silently counted to herself. “Are you experiencing any dizziness, pain in your arm, or headaches?” She stepped back and held his face as she checked his pupils. “How old are you, Joel?”
He took her hands in his and noticed how soft and small they were. “I’m thirty-eight, and I’m in peak physical condition. I have no underlying medical conditions for either one of us to worry about. Why are you worried?”
“Because you smiled at me and then called me honey.” Turning back to the coffee pot, she got it started and then walked over to the fridge and rummaged around. “Who’s hungry?”
Joel heard Dane and Ben laugh behind him, and he spun around and gave them both his commander glare, and they instantly stopped laughing. “Nothing for us, Vivi,” he replied.
“Okay, then I’m going to take my breakfast upstairs, and I’ll see you all later.” Grabbing a carton of yogurt and a banana, she then filled a big cup of coffee and walked out of the room.
Joel watched her leave and realized that he had more work to do than he initially thought. “That didn’t go well,” he said to himself.
“Ya…think?” Ben said. He strode over to the coffee pot, filled three mugs, and returned to the table. “That was a disaster.”
Taking a sip of coffee, Dane nodded. “It sure was.”
“How did it go down at the clinic yesterday?” Joel asked. It was time to change the subject and take his interest in Vivi off the table. “Is the system installed?”
“Sure as shit is,” Ben replied. “The clinic is wired from front to back as well as outside. We have eyes on the street, too. We can see two blocks in any direction.”
Dane tipped back on his chair and crossed his arms. “We had a visit from the man who lives across the street and is good friends with the DuMond family. Mr. Stewart brought his grandson by, and we had an extremely informative discussion. It seems that Mr. Stewart is doing everything he can to keep the kid out of the gangs, so he thought if we had a chat with him, he may see the military as an option.
“The boy’s name is Taylor, and he seems like a good kid. He gave us some intel about what he’s been hearing on the streets about the clinic. The two most active gangs in Algiers are the Fischer Fools and Hot Block. They’ve been having a territory dispute, and Vivi’s clinic is a hot point of contention. He told us where the shoes were hung, indicating the territory dispute.”
“That squares with what the Feds suggested yesterday in the meeting, but it doesn’t explain the two men that ended up in the clinic,” Joel replied.
“Taylor and his grandfather are going to be over at the DuMonds’ tomorrow for the Super Bowl party, and we thought he and Gideon could have a talk and see if he could make some sense of it,” Ben said.
“No one in the neighborhood would know that he was talking to the cops, and maybe he has some info that could be helpful,” Dane confirmed. “We also told him he could come down this summer after he graduated, and we would get him in shape if he decides to join the navy.”
“Good call,” Joel answered. There were a lot of pieces of puzzle out on the table, and he wanted to begin putting them together. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to Vivi, and right now he wasn’t sure where the threat was coming from, which made him want to lock her down out of sight. They were going to have to operate by some new rules, and he had a feeling that she wasn’t going to like them. Too bad. Mad and alive was better than the alternative.
***
The guys left, and Joel assumed they were returning to the women who were making them so damn happy. Not that he cared. His phone buzzing brought him out of his jealous thoughts, and he barked into it, “McDade.”
“Vivi must have gotten home late from her date last night,” Gideon said as his greeting.
Joel sat down and let out a huff. “She got home later than I expected.” He wasn’t going to advertise his feelings to everyone, so he left it at that. “What do you have?”
“The Feds shared some information this morning that I think you should be aware of. The old-fashioned way of tagging a territory by throwing shoes on an electrical wire or spray painting a wall are pretty much a thing of the past. They still do it in Algiers, but they also are doing what they call ‘electronic tagging.’ It means that they’re sharing the information on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram as a way of letting rival gangs know what they’re claiming.”
“So Vivi’s clinic got electronically tagged?” Joel asked.
“Unfortunately, the clinic has been tagged by the Fischer Fools, Hot Block, and a crew out of North Dakota.”
“What the fuck? Why in the hell is her small clinic such a hot commodity for so many people?”
Gideon cleared his throat before answering. “The two neighborhood gangs are claiming the clinic because it sits on the corner between their territories. The crew out of North Dakota is claiming it because it is part of a string of clinics that they want to target to feed the need for their prescription drug business. The neighborhood gangs post to brag, and the larger crews see it and decide if they want a piece of the action. Welcome to gang life and social media in the twenty-first century.”
“This isn’t going away, then. The clinic will remain a target until it stops offering prescription drugs for the patients.”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Gideon replied. “Talk to Vivi and see if she would be willing to either relocate or stop offering that as part of her services.”
“Good luck to me,” Joel grumbled. “There is no way that she is going to like either of those options.”
“If she wants to stay alive and keep her friends safe, then she is going to have to consider them. We still don’t know why the men had Vivi’s picture and information on their phones, and that means that she is still in the eye of the storm.”
“I know. It’s what’s keeps me up at night.”
“I have a meeting with the DEA in ten minutes, so let’s talk more tomorrow at the party.”
“Okay, call me if something comes up.”
“You got it,” Gideon replied.
***
Joel trudged upstairs as all the new information swirled around in his head. He and Vivi had to come to an understanding, and he knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Knocking lightly on the door, he waited for her to answer.
“Come in,” Vivi called.
Opening the door slowly, Joel saw Vivi sitting on the couch near the window with a pile of papers around her. “I wanted to give you an update on the intel that I just received.”
Picking up the papers, she scooted over and made room for him. “I guess you better sit down and tell me how bad it is.”
When her shoulders moved carelessly, something shifted in his chest, something that hadn’t moved in years. Rubbing his hand across his T-shirt, he wondered if maybe Vivi was right and he was suffering from some sort of heart condition. “We have to set up some new rules so that I can keep you safe.” Sitting down next to her, he was instantly enveloped in her scent. Camellias. Maybe it was her lotion or shampoo. He stared at her and breathed deeply as he tried to figure it out. When her hand waved in front of his face, he realized that he had zoned out.
“I hope the list of rules you’ve got for me is a short one. I don’t much like them, and I have a tendency not to follow them.”
“I want to keep you alive, so you’re going to have to follow them whether you like them or not.”
“The last time I was told that I was being kept safe, my husband was gunned down in front of me. So you’re going to have to do better than that,” Vivi responded.
Taking her hand, he held it between his own. “I’m sorry, Vivi, I had no idea that it happened in front of you.”
Shifting away from him, she slipped her hand out of his and placed it between her knees. “The NGO that we were working with had private security contractors traveling with us, and when they made a change, the new group never showed up. The team decided to travel that day anyway because we were going to provide immunizations for a whole village, and we thought it was important. The rebel soldiers must have seen us traveling unprotected, and that’s why they decided to attack that day. Or it was just lousy timing and bad luck. Four people from the Team were killed that day, along with countless people from the village.”
“I know what it’s like to lose people from your team, and I know what it feels like to lose the love of your life.” He watched her gaze meet his, and for the first time since he’d met her, it was unguarded. It was like seeing into her soul, and all the sadness that lay there was finally revealed. How could he have ever thought that she was just another rich, spoiled doctor? When he screwed up, he did it spectacularly.
“I guess you would.” Tilting her head, she smiled sadly at him. “Maybe we’re more alike than we realize.”
Taking a chance, he grabbed her hand again and held it. “I lost two men from my Team as well as the man we were trying to rescue. We landed in a remote region of one of the most volatile countries on the planet and raided a village to rescue an American photojournalist. We ended up in a life-or-death firefight. We were heavily armed, operating with intelligence from satellites, drones, and high-tech eavesdropping equipment. We had night-vision goggles and were backed up by elite Yemeni troops. There was no way that we were going to fail.
“We went toe to toe with six militants from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. When it was over, two men from my Team were seriously injured and the photojournalist was dead. We took care of the militants, but the cost was too damn high. I was the commander, and it was my responsibility to bring everyone home. I failed that night, because two brothers didn’t make it off the chopper alive.”
Rubbing his fingers over her hand, he noticed how delicate her skin was. “I need you to follow the rules, because I can’t lose another person.” He watched as one of her hands covered his, and he raised his gaze to hers and noticed that she studied him with kindness.
“I’ll follow your rules…for now.”
“Thanks, Viv. I promise to keep you safe.”
Patting his hand, she studied him. “You know, I think it may actually be possible.”
“What?”
“You and I could become friends, after all.”
The way she was grinning at him made him feel like they could be friends and possibly more. Which was what he wanted. The date she’d gone on last night had made him realize that he couldn’t let anyone else have a chance. It was stupid that it took another man to make him realize it, but there it was. The fact that he’d found Vivi attractive from the moment he’d met her was no longer something he was going to hide from. The opposite was true. He was going to finally do something about it.
“You and I are going to become real good friends, Vivi.” The look she gave him suggested that he might have taken it too far, but he didn’t care. Once he set his sights on something, that was how he operated. Full steam ahead. “What are you working on?”
“I’m looking at my current financial situation. My sister keeps me on a tight budget, and I have to figure out a way to cover the living expenses for the family of one of my patients. I have a little girl who is ready for heart surgery, and that expense is being covered, but her mom has to take a lot of time off work, and I want to help out.”
“Why do you let Ronnie have that kind of power over you?”
“Have you met my sister? She’s pretty forceful when it comes to her opinions. I’ve relied on her to manage the financial side of my life because I don’t want to be bothered with it. She’s brilliant and does an amazing job. When I opened the clinic, she made me create a foundation to fund it.”
“Why?” Joel asked.
“Because, according to my sister, you never touch the capital. You make do with the interest and income. But under no circumstances is the capital ever to be touched.”
“It makes sense. But what if you want to do some good with your funds?”
“That’s the problem. Well, not a problem, but a challenge. Ronnie explained to me that once I spent the capital that I could no longer help anyone. The best thing I could do was make it work for me. That way I could help a lot more people over a longer period of time. And, of course, she’s right.”
“Well, if you run short, let me know. I’m pretty flush, and I can help out.”
Leaning over, Vivi kissed him on the cheek and patted his chest. “You’re a good man, Joel McDade. Even if you’re a growly bear.”
When her lips touched his cheek, he felt a zing against his heart. Right then and there, he vowed to himself that he was going to do his best to quit growling at her and give her reasons to kiss him instead. “Can I take you to dinner tonight? I’d like to see what New Orleans has to offer.”
“Sure. Do you mind if we go to a casual restaurant? The food will be amazing, but I won’t have to dress up.”
“I like casual. I didn’t bring a suit with me, so that would be great.”
Patting his knee, she grinned. “I try to only wear heels a couple times a week, and I’ve hit my limit.”
“You can wear what you have on.” He watched her glance down at her outfit and shake her head.
“I can do better than this.”
Shrugging, he grinned in her direction. “Are you ready to hear about the intel, or would you like to finish what you’re working on first?”
Stacking her papers, she stood up. “Let’s go downstairs and have lunch, and you can give me the full picture. I feel like I’m going to need some potato chips to go along with this conversation.”
“Do you have any cookies? I think you’re going to need those as well.”
“Damn, that bad?”
Taking her hand, he led her out of the room. “And ice cream. You probably need ice cream.” She sighed and gripped his hand a little tighter. That wasn’t a bad development as far as he was concerned. He would hold her hand as tightly as she would let him.