Searching for Stormi (Fallport Rescue Operations #4)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Lincoln Walsh stared at the text message. His gut recoiled, and his heart turned black.

Sometimes he resented the sense of loyalty that had been ingrained in his brain. Otherwise, he would have quit two months ago.

But he couldn’t do that. He’d fulfill his contract. Not that he owed his ex-girlfriend anything, but he did owe it to himself and his future.

Thank God for Fallport Search and Rescue. If he hadn’t accepted a second job, he’d surely lose his fucking mind.

He snagged his rucksack, tossed it over his good shoulder, and winced as a sharp pain registered in his brain. He did his best to ignore what the doctor had told him would eventually become a dull ache.

It had been a year since he’d been shot. Wasn’t that enough time?

He made his way from the baggage claim to the airport pickup. Stepping outside, the humid summer air smacked his skin like the thick fog that often hovered over London.

Sweat beaded across his forehead like water dripping from a leaky faucet.

He welcomed the change both in location and in climate. Lord knew he needed to do something different with his life.

Glancing left and right, he scanned the row of cars for his buddy Talon, or as everyone called him, Tal. The last decade had been hell without that man. Lincoln had tried everything he could to survive without the one person who had believed enough in Lincoln to give him a chance when everyone else had turned their back.

“Over here, man.” Tal waved his hand out of a big, fancy SUV—the kind that soccer moms drove.

Lincoln chuckled as he opened the back seat door and tossed in his bag, biting back a groan. Fucking physical therapist told him the pain was weakness leaving the body. Lincoln had half a mind to fly back to the UK and give that idiot some pain to contend with. “Hey, old man.” He slipped into the passenger seat and gave his buddy a good manly hug.

Tal was more than a best friend. A brother-in-arms. Tal had been Lincoln’s savior.

“You’re looking a little crusty around the edges yourself.” Tal eased out into traffic.

“You’re the one who’s fifty-something. I’m forty, so bite your tongue.” Lincoln buckled up and prepared to be weirded out by driving on the wrong side of the road. While this wasn’t his first trip to the United States, it always threw him that Americans chose to drive on the right side. “So, how’s Heather and the kids? I can’t wait to meet them.”

“They’re looking forward to checking you out too.”

“How old are your kids now?”

“Marisa, the oldest, is sixteen. And Chad is thirteen.”

Lincoln let that knowledge soak into his mind as he stared out the window at the thick lush greenery pronounced by the bright sun beating down on the earth with its intense rays. It seemed like just yesterday that the man—no, the legend—had informed Lincoln that he was leaving the Special Boat Service and moving to the United States.

That had been fourteen years ago.

But that had been the day that Lincoln lost his mentor. His best friend. And the last person he called family.

Perhaps that seemed dramatic, but Lincoln had no blood relatives left. He had no ties to the UK. Moving to the United States after his relationship with Samantha—and his employment with her company, CyberGuard Solutions—had gone sideways, was a no-brainer. Accepting a part-time position with Fallport Search and Rescue was exactly what he needed to get his head out of his ass and start his life over after losing the last thing that made him feel alive. “I can’t believe you are responsible for two little humans.”

“Not so little anymore.” Tal laughed. “Marisa is giving Heather and me a run for our money. She’s a good kid. Gets good grades and is on the soccer team at school. We’re proud of her, but she’s found boys. Or should I say, one found her and I can’t even scare him off. The whole thing freaks me out because I remember being his age.”

“You don’t want to know what I was doing when I was that age.” Lincoln’s early childhood years, those that he could remember, were considered normal. He had two loving parents, although his memories of them were more like blurry visions since they died when he was six. After that, his life turned to shit. He moved from one foster family to the next, getting himself into the kind of trouble that should have landed him in jail. That was until he turned seventeen and met Tal. He changed everything for Lincoln.

“You say that as if I don’t know.” Tal turned and lowered his chin. “You crash-landed into that café I happened to be having coffee at with my girlfriend at the time. You had hair down to your shoulders. You wore more makeup than my daughter and you looked like you slept in a dumpster.”

“I was ditching the police.” Lincoln shook his head. “You were all decked out in your spiffy military uniform and told me to sit in that commanding voice you had. I’m not sure who I was more scared of. You or the cops.”

“I still can’t believe you joined the Royal Navy because I told you to.”

“It was better than living on the streets, stealing food and hustling for money.” Lincoln nodded. “I know I’ve said it before, but you saved my sorry ass, and you’re doing it for the millionth time. So, once again, thank you.”

“You really are a sentimental fool and I know you. You’ll land on your feet.” Tal pulled off the main drag and turned into a quaint neighborhood just outside of Fallport, which was like nothing Lincoln had ever seen. It was this tiny little town that reminded him of a movie set from the past where everything was happy and nothing bad happened. “I’m a little shocked you’re doing this for Samantha, though.”

“It’s the only way she’ll let me go early. Otherwise, it’s going to be a clusterfuck and I don’t feel like fighting that woman. It’s not worth it.” Lincoln raised his hand. “Honestly, I don’t feel like talking about it right now. Maybe after I get settled and get a better handle on this job, though, even then, I can’t bring you into the work.”

“You always say that, then ask me weird questions.” Tal smiled. “If I can be of assistance, in any capacity, I’ve got your back.” Tal was one of the only people in Lincoln’s life who had never betrayed his trust.

“Tell me about Chad. What’s he like?” Lincoln opted to shift the topic of conversation. He’d spent the entire flight going through data. His mind needed a rest.

“He’s a unique kid,” Tal said. “He likes to fish. Hike. All the outdoors stuff. But he’d often rather spend his days with his nose in a book. You’ll get along with him just for that reason. Spends all day at the library, just like someone else I know.”

Books had always been Lincoln’s salvation. It started with his mother, who would read to him every day. When he went to his first foster home, his foster mother had a hoard of books and he would devour them to the point the system believed he lived in a fantasy world.

Maybe he did because the real world was a shitty place.

As he grew into a man, when he wasn’t getting into trouble, he was reading whatever he could find. He didn’t care what it was. Fiction, nonfiction, it didn’t matter. He loved them all. Tal encouraged his thirst for knowledge and once Lincoln joined the military, and they pushed an education, he thrived in the environment.

But the military had a tendency to find that hidden talent and Lincoln had a big one.

“It sounds like Chad and I might be going to the library together because no matter how much intel I can find on the internet, books are sometimes better.”

“My son has a crush on the newest librarian.” Tal rolled the SUV to a stop in the driveway of a modest home. It was two stories and not exactly what Lincoln had expected. It was very suburban-like. Not what he was used to in the UK. “Now that it’s summer and school is out, Chad wants to go to the library almost daily. We’ve never discouraged his love for books. I mean, that’s a great thing to have. But summers past, he’d want to fish or hike as well. Now that Stormi moved to town, all Chad wants to do is hang out there with her.”

“My first heavy crush was on my sixth-grade teacher. She was smoking hot. I’ll never forget the day her boyfriend showed up with flowers and proposed. Totally burst my bubble, but he was a cool dude.”

Stormi. Interesting name. And not common. Names had always intrigued him, partly because his parents had named him after Abraham Lincoln. Odd for a British family to do. They had no ties to America or the history that brought about Honest Abe .

Lincoln’s dad was a history professor, and the Civil War intrigued him personally. Lincoln only knew this because of a few boxes of belongings that he’d managed to keep from his youth. Tucked inside were notes his father had written about America. About how strange it was to him that a nation so new—so driven to become their own country—would have such a great divide so quickly.

It made for fascinating reading.

“Dad!” A young boy came barreling out the front door, arms flapping wildly. “Could you please tell Marisa that she and what’s his name can’t hog the television all day? I want to watch something.”

“Welcome to the nuthouse.” Tal laughed as he climbed from the driver’s seat. “Chad, say hello to my buddy, Lincoln.”

Chad skidded to a stop. The boy was scrawny and maybe five foot five. He had a lot of growing to do. Hell, Lincoln hadn’t filled out until he hit twenty. “It’s nice to finally meet you. My dad said you and he served in the UK together.”

“We did.” Lincoln stretched out his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Chad, why don’t you grab Lincoln’s bag. He’s going to stay with us tonight. His place won’t be ready until tomorrow.”

“Sure thing, but will you pleeeaseee talk to Marisa?” Chad said.

“I’ll be sending Brad home and we’ll be having dinner shortly. So, no television for anyone until after that.”

“Then you should know they were making out on the sofa when Mom went to the store and it wasn’t simple kissing. Tongues were involved and some serious?—”

“That’s enough, son,” Tal said in a stern fatherly tone.

“Whatever.” Chad flung the rucksack across his shoulder, nearly toppling over, before he raced off toward the house.

Tal leaned against the truck and sighed. “I’m not ready for this shit. I’ve tried talking to her about boys, but she threw back in my face that they talk about all that stuff at school and that she already knows, but she doesn’t know anything.”

“Come on, man. We thought we knew it all at her age and she’s not a baby.”

“We’re guys. We spent our youth trying to get into young girls’ pants.” Tal pointed to the house. “That’s my daughter. I have a million penises to worry about. It’s totally different.”

“They were kissing. A little heavy petting. It’s nothing.”

Tal punched him on his good shoulder. “If you ever mention heavy petting and my daughter in the same sentence again, I’ll beat the shit out of you. She’s sixteen. Barely a junior in high school. It’s not even funny to joke about shit like that and if you start acting like my wife, reminding me that someday she’s going to have sex, get married, and make me a grandpa, I will do more than kick your ass.”

Just then a young girl appeared at the door. “He’s lying, Dad.” She leaned against the front porch railing. “Chad’s just mad he lost when we did a coin toss over what to watch. It was fair and square. Ask Brad. You know he wouldn’t dare lie to you. He’s too scared you’ll either tell his father or shoot him.”

“Oh, the joys of parenthood,” Tal mumbled as he pushed from the vehicle. “Where’s your boyfriend?”

“Inside helping Mom set the table,” Marisa said. “I asked if he could stay for dinner, but Mom said it was up to you.”

“Of course she did.” Tal pulled Marisa in for a hug and kissed the top of her head. “This is my friend, Lincoln.”

“Is it true you saved my father’s life once?” Marisa asked.

“I don’t know about that, but your dad saved mine more than I can count.” Lincoln smiled. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

“You too.” Marisa nodded. “Sometimes you’re all my dad can talk about.” She shifted her gaze. “Can Brad stay? For the record, there was no make-out session. Brad might have kissed me, but I’m allowed to kiss my boyfriend. I’m going to be seventeen. People kiss. It’s not a big deal and that’s all that happened. Chad’s just being a jerk and it’s not like he didn’t kiss Suzie. We all saw that at the Fourth of July picnic.”

“We’re not having this conversation now and I’ll think about it.” Tal tucked a piece of the girl’s hair behind her ear. “Go inside and help your mother. I’ll give you my answer shortly.”

“Fine.” Marisa turned, glancing over her shoulder. “We’re all glad you’re here. My parents have been looking forward to it. Oh, and I almost forgot. Mom invited Stormi for dinner. She thought it would be nice for Lincoln to know someone who loved books as much as he did and Stormi doesn’t get out much. Actually, she’s not sure she’s ever seen her anywhere other than the library or the grocery store.”

Lincoln swallowed. Meeting people wasn’t high on his agenda. Especially women. One of the reasons he moved across the pond was because of the female persuasion. His last girlfriend turned out to be a class A bitch.

And he didn’t call any woman that word.

But Samantha deserved it and then some after what she’d done.

“Well, shit,” Tal said. “I told Heather not to go and do that on your first night, but I guess we both should have expected it after what she did when we came to London to visit, although she’s been feeling horrible about how that turned out.”

Lincoln rubbed the back of his neck, doing his best to compartmentalize his thoughts. While he’d only met Heather a handful of times, he loved the woman like a sister. She was the perfect partner for Tal. They complemented each other in ways that warmed Lincoln’s heart. But this fucking matchmaker thing would be the death of him. “Yeah, that turned out to be pure hell.”

“She had no idea Samantha would turn out to be a crazy person and break your heart.”

“Samantha didn’t break anything. If she had, I would have found a way to buy myself out of this contract.” Only she’d destroyed his ability to trust anyone with breasts unless he already knew them and even that was a stretch. Not to mention how she rattled his ability to perform his job. “Besides, if this Stormi chick works at the library, then it’s good I meet her, because I need to get a library card anyway and I wouldn’t mind taking Chad there. That way Marisa and Brad can have some alone time.” It was going to be too much fun to bust his buddy’s chops about teenage love.

“You’re a dick, you know that?”

“So I’ve been told.” Lincoln crossed the threshold of his buddy’s home. It smelled like homemade sourdough bread and red sauce. The living room was filled with family pictures and a few from Tal’s days back in the UK. It screamed of family and good times.

Everything that wasn’t Lincoln’s life.

“The thing with Stormi is she’s only lived here for two months and we’ve never seen her out with anyone. She doesn’t seem to have any friends, and you know my wife. After some of the stuff she’s been through, she wants people to interact with humans.”

Oh boy, did Lincoln know that all too well. “As long as she’s not trying to fix me up, and she’s just being nice, I’ll deal with it. But I’m not here to meet women. I need to do this one last assignment with CyberGuard Solutions and get Samantha out of my life for good.”

“I get it.” Tal nodded. “I will say I’m glad you’re taking our local librarian joining us in stride.”

“You might change your tune about that when I make it clear I’m not interested to both her and your beautiful but meddling wife.”

Tal slapped him on the back. “Stormi is a real looker.”

“Don’t care. I have three objectives. Finish this case. Work for search and rescue. And find a new fucking job. Not get involved. Those days are over.” Thanks to fucking Samantha. What a lying, conniving, backstabbing woman she turned out to be. “But I promise to be nice about it.”

“Good, because for a second there, you sounded like a bitter old man.”

“I’m not bitter. I’ve just learned that I enjoy living alone. I like my space and I’m not willing to share.”

“I have so much to say to that, but I will refrain,” Tal said as he entered the kitchen.

“Lincoln. Aren’t you as handsome as ever.” Heather set something on the counter and raced over, giving Lincoln a massive hug. “How was the flight?”

“Uneventful. Just the way I like it.” Lincoln kissed her cheek. “Thanks for letting me crash here tonight.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She smiled brightly. “You’ve met the kids, but this young man is Brad, our daughter’s boyfriend.”

“I’ve been listening to stories about you for weeks.” Brad stuck out his hand. “Did you really take a bullet for Mr. Ross?”

Lincoln waggled his finger in the direction of Tal. “You’re telling tall tales again, I see.”

“Am not. That’s exactly what happened.” Tal ducked his head in the fridge and pulled out two beers, handing one to Lincoln. “If this man hadn’t shoved me out of the way, I’d be dead. Honestly, half our team would have died on that mission if it weren’t for Lincoln. He’s a true hero.”

“I was simply doing my job and you would have done exactly the same thing.” Lincoln took a massive swig of his cold one. He hated this conversation. He’d been all of twenty-three years old when that mission went sideways. That marked the first time he’d been shot and that bullet tore through his body like a lightning bolt. Lincoln honestly believed he was going to die that day, and the truth of the matter was that Tal dragged his sorry ass to the chopper, saving his life.

But it was Lincoln who received a medal for his heroism.

“Why don’t we leave it at both of you saved each other,” Heather said. “Otherwise, all we’re going to end up listening to is both of you downplaying what you have done in your collective careers.” Heather went back to setting things on the table. “Did Marisa ask you about Brad staying for dinner?”

“Nothing like putting me on the spot.” Tal sighed. “In front of everyone.”

Heather leaned closer to her husband and whispered something in his ear.

Tal closed his eyes for a brief moment and nodded. “All right. Brad can stay, but he’s on dish duty with Marisa.”

“I don’t mind,” Brad said. “Thank you, sir.”

“Come on, Lincoln. Let me show you to your room.” Tal waved his hand. “We’ve got one guest room down here. Follow me.”

Lincoln did as instructed. “Not my business, but I’m curious. What did Heather say to make you cave so quickly about letting Brad stay?”

Tal leaned against the dresser. “He and his dad just moved here a few months ago. His folks are going through an ugly divorce. We learned that his mom cheated on his dad and when she left, she walked away from her kid too.”

“That’s cold.”

“She comes around every once in a while and takes Brad for a few days. Heather mentioned that was supposed to be this weekend.”

“What happened?” Lincoln asked.

“I guess she decided to go off with her new boyfriend, assuming his dad would be able to take him and just left him at his dad’s doorstep earlier today. I knew Norman went to a trade show with his company, Zero Gravity. The boy’s seventeen. He can be alone, but he shouldn’t have to be. Not like that anyway.”

“Jesus. That sucks.” Lincoln could see the stress etched into Tal’s face. It was the same look he’d seen when Tal decided to take Lincoln in after he damn near forced Lincoln to explain why he was hiding from the cops and his pathetic life story.

But now Lincoln felt as though he needed to add to that stress, considering.

“Heather told Norman that we’d keep him overnight. If they weren’t an item, I’d have no problem with it. The boy needs people who give a damn in his life.”

“What about his grandparents? Aren’t they in the picture?”

“His father’s parents are no longer living. His maternal grandparents live a few hours away and they have some important gala this evening, or so Heather was told. I guess Brad already called them.”

“Well, fuck, that’s just kicking a kid when they’re down.” Lincoln knew all too well what it was like to be shuffled around. “I can sleep on the sofa or go find a hotel.”

“He’ll sleep on the sofa where I can hear him coming up the stairs or Marisa coming down.” Tal laughed. “We’ve had to do it before.” He shook his head. “Norman seems like a good man and a great dad. It’s a real shame what his soon-to-be ex-wife did.” Tal arched a brow. “I don’t know the details, but I guess it goes beyond cheating.”

“Do I want to even ask what you know?”

“Honestly, I think it has to do with his company, which was started by his wife’s father, David Caulkin.”

Lincoln ran a hand over his face. His gut twisted into a massive knot. He wished he could believe there was no way Samantha couldn’t have known this juicy piece of information.

But the woman was damn good at her job. Maybe too good. And she didn’t have scruples. At least not like Lincoln did.

“What’s got you looking like you have to take a massive shit?”

“I’m beginning to wonder why this case was so important to land,” Lincoln said.

“How so?” Tal cocked his head.

“I know this goes without saying, but this has to stay between us.”

Tal blew out a long breath and nodded.

“Zero Gravity hired Samantha. She told me I deal with this, she’ll tear up my employment contract.” He held up his hand. “I do have that in writing.”

“Good to know.” Tal glanced over his shoulder. “What exactly were you hired to do?”

“A few things, but mostly I’m looking into an ongoing computer breach.”

“Ongoing? That doesn’t sound good and what exactly are we talking about? Does it have to do with the launch being pushed back? Do you believe it was an inside job? Are they suspecting Norman? He’s not a coder. Or an engineer. He works in marketing.”

“Norman is someone I want to speak with. He’s divorcing the daughter of the founder of the company. He could have reason to hurt them,” Lincoln said. “But to be honest, Zero Gravity is a little on the sketchy side.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I’ve been hired to find out who hacked them, and if they are still being hacked, and yet my access to their systems right now is limited. I can’t do my job if they are tying my hands.” Lincoln raked his fingers through his hair. “Since the company headquarters is only a half hour from here, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone about my assignment. I don’t even have a solid motivation much less a reason for the breach, other than the two things that were leaked, which did cause the company to have to postpone that launch.”

“I won’t say anything, but you should know that Norman is looking for a new job. He wants out. He doesn’t want to be tied to his ex-wife or her family. He’s shocked they haven’t found a reason to fire him,” Tal said with a furrowed brow. The same one he used to get when he wanted to ask a question that he might not like the answer to. “When did Samantha offer you this job?”

“Yeah, my mind had gone there too.” Lincoln nodded. “I signed her standard five-year independent contractor agreement. When we broke up six months ago, she wasn’t going to let me go. Not without a fight and I don’t have the money to buy her out. I talked her down to working another two years, but it wasn’t going to be in the United States.”

“That happened when Zero Gravity hired her?”

“Sort of. In order for her to land the contract, she needed someone here. I offered her a deal she couldn’t refuse because I can’t stomach working with or for her anymore.” Lincoln swallowed. He’d given Samantha five years of his life. He’d loved and supported her and worst of all—he invested in her start-up while he was still active duty.

He couldn’t have anything to do with CyberGuard Solutions while he was still serving his country. That might have been seen as an act of treason, considering some of the jobs she took. Ethical hacking has a bit of shade associated with it, and he understood that when he gave his fiancée the money.

Only, he had no idea that he’d fuck her six ways to Sunday.

Then wash, rinse, and repeat another way.

“So, basically, you cut another deal for yourself.” Tal arched a brow. “Does that include getting any of your money back?”

“This is a big job. It will be enough to get me started.” Lincoln rested his hand on Tal’s shoulder. “The important thing is she’ll be out of my life, for good.”

“Heather feels so bad about what happened. Samantha seemed like she checked all the boxes.”

“She lied to all of us.” Lincoln shrugged. “I don’t blame Heather or you. I’m a big boy and I walked into that dungeon all by myself. It’s about to be over. Once and for all.”

Heather stuck her head in the bedroom. “Dinner’s ready and Stormi’s here.”

Lincoln sighed. Time to be charming, but he’d have to let her down easy. He rounded the corner into the kitchen and the air in his lungs flew out like an exploding volcano.

Motherfucker.

Stormi looked an awful lot like Amanda Norris. Sure, Stormi’s hair was much longer and darker, but no way could he mistake those bright-blue eyes.

This changed everything.