Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
An hour after her confession, Savanna silently sat on the couch in Jesse’s living room. He hadn’t spoken a word to her during that hour either, which had her stomach in knots. And she knew when A.J. found out that she’d been keeping that money a secret from everyone, he’d be more than a little hurt. But she hadn’t wanted to cause them any worry. It was also just a theory. A damn good one, though, because who else, aside from Nick Vasquez, would suddenly begin sending her lunch boxes full of cash? Criminal or not, she assumed Nick was trying to take care of her after Marcus died. It was the only theory that made sense.
“They should be done soon,” Griffin announced, taking a seat in the leather recliner off to her left. Griffin also hadn’t said anything about her big reveal.
After they’d exited her townhouse, Carter had demanded they set up security points around the perimeter of Jesse’s place ASAP, in case anyone decided to pay them a visit, particularly while she was still in the house.
“If anyone tries to come within five hundred feet of the house, we’ll know about it. Plus, we’ll work in shifts. At least two of us will stay awake tonight,” Griffin explained, and she noticed his attention moving toward the kitchen where Jesse had just called out he was going to get some fresh air.
That meant she was alone with a man whose presence mysteriously produced a warm, tingly sensation throughout her body. He was a good-looking guy, so she assumed that was all there was to it. But Shep was hot too, and she didn’t experience the same sensation in her stomach, like a kaleidoscope of nervous butterflies taking flight, when she was around him.
It was possible the butterflies were a product of Griffin’s proximity. Butterflies aside, it was nowhere near what she called “The Marcus Effect.” Because how could any man compete with her late husband and what she’d had with him?
No one made her cheeks hurt from smiling like Marcus had.
Or had the ability to use the power of words to melt her heart the way Marcus had won her over in their first weeks getting to know each other.
And sadly, the list went on and on.
She’d be forever alone, which she knew was the last thing Marcus would ever want for her. But she wasn’t sure she could stop herself from comparing every man that tried to come into her life to Marcus.
Savanna’s eyes wandered over to the three boxes in the corner of the room the guys had brought back from her townhouse tonight. Marcus’s belongings. Some of them, at least. It’d taken her two years to box up his stuff, but these three boxes Marcus had packed himself when they first moved in together.
It was his handwriting in black marker on the boxes too.
My Pre-Savanna Stuff written on one.
My Before I Met the Woman of my Dreams Stuff in a combo of print and script on another.
And last, the one that made her laugh when she’d first seen the label: My When I Did Stupid Shit Stuff .
She hadn’t opened those boxes until one day while he was on a five-month deployment in Afghanistan. She’d been bored, and he’d never said they were off-limits, so she decided, why not? There were a lot of photos of him and his brother in the “When I Did Stupid Shit Stuff” box, as well as letters Marcus had written to his brother while Nick was serving time. Letters Marcus had placed in envelopes, addressed, and stamped . . . but never sent.
She hadn’t violated Marcus’s privacy then, and she still refused to read them, to be the one to unseal them, unable to violate her husband’s privacy even after his death. But that’s how she learned Marcus had lost contact with his brother, the man he and his parents rarely discussed. Like a son they’d already lost. A brother Marcus had buried.
She’d waited until he was Stateside to ask him about the letters, and it’d also been the first and only real fight of their marriage.
“Maybe you should reach out to him?” she remembered pressing, which had set Marcus off and had him pacing their small living room. “ What if he needs you? You could be a positive influence in his life, and since he’s no longer in prison, you could help him change.”
Marcus had spun around and lifted both hands to the ceiling as if praying to the heavens for Savanna to understand the insanity of her proposal. “That man disrespected our family. All my parents ever wanted was to give us the kind of life they never had. And Nick became everything that’s wrong in this world.”
The tears that filled his eyes when he’d finally looked at her told a different story, though, and had her slowly approaching him. Trying to plead with a hurt man. “Is that what you told him in your letters, then?”
He’d set his hands on her arms and gently squeezed while looking into her eyes. “No,” he said, his voice cracking. “I told him I forgave him. In every stupid letter, I told him I would help him when he got out.”
“But you never sent the letters,” she whispered, and he nodded, tears starting to fall from the eyes of her stubborn husband.
“No, because I wrote them when I was weak.”
“Forgiveness is not weakness,” Savanna repeated what her grandmother had always said when she was growing up, and even now, the sound of her grandmother’s voice warmed her chilled body as she battled with her emotions when reliving the memory.
“It is to me.” He let go of her, and for the first time in their marriage, he turned his back on her, unable to look her in the eyes.
“Then why’d you keep the letters?” she softly asked, setting her hand on the middle of his taut back.
He slowly faced her and said, “They’re a reminder of the stupid shit I’ve done.” He pointed to the box. “The fact that even in a moment of weakness, I could ever forgive him for the hell and shame he put my parents through is crazy.”
And with that, he’d left the house and gone to the local bar to drink with some of his buddies, preferring to escape her and her line of questions.
She’d tried to bring up reconciliation over the years, but he’d always shot her down. And then, eventually, it was too late.
“I’m sorry. What were you saying?” Savanna blinked a few times, time-traveling back to the present. To the fact maybe Marcus had been right, and his brother was trouble.
But why’d he send me the money if he didn’t care at all?
“I was saying that if anyone tries to get to you tonight, we’ll handle it, but we’ve decided it’s not safe to keep you here for more than one night.” Griffin’s husky voice filled her ears, and when he began to roll up the sleeves of his black button-up shirt, her eyes immediately fell to the movement, tracking his corded forearms.
And boom. Hello, nervous butterflies. There you are.
What was that all about?
Oh, right, I know.
This man was a bad boy, wasn’t he? One of those guys she’d have fallen for before Marcus. She could tell by the way he looked at her like he was God’s gift to women, as well as the self-assured way he carried himself. Those cocky, devilish smiles he’d sent her earlier? Red flag. The way he’d called her Sugar? Another red flag. Oh, and his first name began with J, so yeah—red flags all over the place.
Yes, there’d been a time when she’d have tripped all over herself for a man like him. The kind of guy that made a game out of sending mixed signals. Acted like he didn’t give a shit one minute, then was into her the next. Why she’d wanted that kind of man rather than a good guy who was totally responsive and caring . . . she had no clue. But she’d promised herself she’d marry a good man. A man who didn’t play games.
And Marcus had been that man. Aside from keeping his brother’s past a secret, he’d always been an open book.
The opposite of Griffin from what she’d gathered in the short time they’d spent together.
Why am I thinking about Griffin? A stranger. Like at all? A distraction from those three boxes? From reality? From the fact that at any minute, Jesse’s home may be stormed by men searching for her?
“You’re tense.” Griffin rose from the chair and retrieved his phone. “You need to loosen up a bit before the boys come back in.”
“Baking usually helps. You know, with the nerves.” She stood as well and couldn’t help but check out his ass in those well-worn jeans while he’d gone for his phone.
“Based on what I saw when we arrived, I think you made enough cookies to last at least one night with a bunch of men in the house.” He smiled. There it was. The smile he’d meant to pass off as friendly and innocent, but the way those perfect lips curved and teased at the edges was pure seduction. Did he even know he was doing it?
Bad boy.
Through and freaking through.
And who was she kidding, Shep was the same. One other reason she’d done her best to avoid anything other than friendship with him before and after their oops-moment.
If she were ever capable of falling for someone again, she needed another good man. Not the kind of heartbreakers she’d dated before her one true love had passed her that note in the bar in Tampa over a decade ago.
“What are you doing?” she asked when an unfamiliar song began playing loudly from his phone.
“This should help. It’s called ‘Arise.’ Pumps me up when I need to go?—”
“Fight?” Her wide eyes met his brown ones. “Shoot someone?” Because yeah, the chaotic-sounding music even had her wanting to throw down with someone. At least throw a few punches at the air.
Griffin edged closer. Close enough that if he looked down, he’d likely get an eyeful of her cleavage. He dipped his chin but kept his eyes focused on hers. Savanna’s heart began to race as she waited for his answer. Was he going to say yes? Yes, this song made him want to fight? To kill?
But before he could speak, she said, “This won’t calm me down. Quite the opposite, in fact.” And wasn’t that the truth? She’d meant for him to believe the music was disturbing to her senses, but maybe the pounding rhythm also had her wanting . . .
“Oh, so you want something that’ll get your hips moving?” he asked seductively, leaning in closer. “Maybe Shakira?”
Savanna ordered her heart to slow down and her voice to remain steady, then said, “You have Shakira on your playlist?” No way .
His brows pulled together as he kept his eyes locked with hers. Griffin took the staring contest to the next level. “You don’t?” he asked, appearing truly shocked. And then the jerk winked.
Oh, this man was trouble.
“You’re a sniper, aren’t you?” She inched back a step and tried to remember how to do that breathing thing. “Snipers always wink.”
“Got a lot of men winking at ya, huh?” Did he just turn the tables on her? Boy, he was good.
She tore her focus to the pine floors, then squeezed her eyes shut. “I don’t need music to relax.” What I need is for this problem to disappear.
After a couple of deep breaths, she opened her eyes and looked up to see he’d stepped back a bit, but he hadn’t dropped that devilish grin. He was thinking about sex, wasn’t he?
“You’re right, sex is relaxing too,” she replied as if he’d actually voiced what she’d assumed he’d say.
Griffin lowered his phone to his side, the song ending and another one she didn’t recognize coming on next. “Oh really?” His free hand settled on that hard chest of his. “Did my mouth move and I spoke without realizing it?”
Before she could defend her insanity, she heard the doors in the kitchen open. Thank God.
Griffin surprised her by leaning in behind her, placed a palm to the small of her back, and set his mouth to her ear. “Relaxing isn’t the word I would use to describe sex.”
She stood still for a moment and watched Griffin walk away, shell-shocked and trying to process what he’d said. The man had the nerve to saunter into the kitchen and join the others like he hadn’t just whispered words into her ear that had her blood heating and pulse racing. The insinuation buried in those words.
And that only made her wonder what kind of sex he preferred. Hard and rough? Hot and intense? All of the above?
Within a matter of seconds, she’d drawn up a list of her favorite book boyfriends to see if Griffin matched any, but from where she stood now, admiring his backside in those jeans as he talked to Carter, he was an original.
Original bad boy, she reminded herself . I already made a mess with Shep. This man was there to protect her, and reality was a far cry from fiction. She’d clearly need to keep reminding herself of that, which was nuts since she should be more concerned about the three men who had attacked her last night. It’s a coping mechanism, she decided. Deflect and distract herself with sexy thoughts to ignore the fact she was in danger and that it might be connected to her late husband’s brother.
“We’re all set for tonight.” Carter came into the room, but she didn’t see Jack or Oliver. They were most likely positioned outside. “You ready to share what you know? We received the bullet point version about Nick on our flight to Alabama, but we were under the assumption he was never part of your life. The money under your bed changes things.”
Her attention journeyed to Jesse, seeking comfort in the clear blue eyes of one of her best friends. He returned her gaze with a conflicted look on his face, which had her chest tightening. He’d been off since last night, though, and with Nick Vasquez added to the mix, he was most likely shook.
Savanna walked over to the boxes, not prepared to dig through them and relive that fight she’d had with Marcus. “Nick is a few years older than Marcus. He and Marcus were really close until Nick committed his first crime at seventeen. He was tried as a juvenile for an attempted bank robbery with three other guys who were older than him,” she slowly revealed the story, hearing Marcus’s voice in her head as if he were speaking for her.
Goose bumps gathered on her skin beneath her clothes, and she pinned her arms over her chest, worried her lace bra would showcase her nipples through the thin fabric of her shirt when she turned to face the room.
“Nick didn’t learn his lesson, and once on the outside, he was arrested again, not even two years later.” Savanna pivoted back around to see the three men observing her like a suspicious group of operators might if she were the subject of an interrogation herself.
Well, not Jesse. But the look Jesse was now directing Savanna’s way was disappointment, maybe even betrayal for keeping the money a secret. Both she and Jesse also knew Marcus would never forgive her for keeping that money, and she couldn’t imagine how he’d feel if she’d ever spent a dime of it.
“Marcus said if Nick screwed up again, that’d be the third strike, and he’d be out of the family. At least, he’d disown him as his brother.” She swallowed. “And while he was deployed, Marcus learned Nick was back at it again, and he was working with even more dangerous criminals. Not Stateside, either. He was never arrested again that I know of, but Marcus had said he was done with him. He wanted nothing to do with a criminal.”
“I assume Nick got into safecracking, and as one of the best in the business, because of his father?” Carter spoke up.
“Right. Their dad worked for a company that built and installed safes and bank vaults for large corporations and government facilities. Lots of government contracts, most of them top secret. Like the one back in the 1950s when they provided the twenty-five-ton vault door at Project Greek Island. You know, the nuclear fallout shelter designed to house top government officials at the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia during the Cold War. Marcus’s dad taught both his sons the ins and outs of safes and vaults. He’d hoped they might follow in his footsteps,” she explained, trying to keep her voice steady. Also, sort of wishing Griffin had left the music on in the background so it didn’t feel so absolutely quiet in the room.
“I guess Nick did just that, only he used the skills to steal,” Jesse mumbled under his breath.
“You ever meet Nick? We have no record of you ever together in our file,” Griffin asked, and she turned her attention to him.
Had her life really been collected as bullet points in some file?
But she thought back to when she’d met Nick, a time when her husband had been alive. A year or so after she’d discovered the letters. “Only once. Marcus kicked him out within five minutes, and I barely spoke to him.” Her tongue pinned to the inside of her cheek for a moment as she did her best to keep her emotions in check. “I tried to get ahold of Nick after Marcus died to ask him to come to the funeral. Their mom did too. We couldn’t reach him.”
“Then the money started to come after that?” Jesse asked, and she nodded.
“Their mom passed away a few years ago from what I remember.” Carter moved farther into the room and closer to her as she nodded. “I’m not convinced the money has anything to do with why those men showed up last night, but we’ll check into him and see what we can find out.”
“So, you’re Nick’s only family?” Griffin asked.
Savanna lifted her gaze back to Griffin, finding his brown eyes leveling her with a soft look, one that reminded her to “try and relax.” She swore he was even nodding ever so slightly as if music still played as another reminder to her to let go, to trust them and share what she knew.
And it worked.
Some of the tension started to drift free from her limbs as she called up Shakira, of all singers, in her head.
When she spied a smirk on Griffin’s lips, she looked down to discover her hips swaying.
Yeah, I’m fifty shades of red for sure. “Unless he’s married, yes,” she finally answered. “Nick didn’t even show up for Marcus’s funeral, so it’s shocking he was sending me money, but who else would it be?”
“Those men last night weren’t there for the money. Doubt they even knew you had it,” Jesse noted. “Three guys like that don’t travel across the globe for a bag of cash. They were hired to make a hit. They had to be after you.”
“Agreed,” Carter said in a firm tone. “We’ll dig deeper into Nick’s background and inmate history since we didn’t beforehand. See who he’s been hanging out with since his convictions. It’s also possible he made contacts while in jail to help set him up with work once on the outside. It shouldn’t be too hard to pin down his whereabouts the last few years or so.” He looked back at Griffin. “We’ll have you roll out of here before the sun is up tomorrow. And we’ll switch to the plan we discussed on the plane.”
“What plan?” Jesse strode around to confront Carter.
“Taking Savanna to a property in Northern Alabama near the Tennessee border. Not too far from here. But far enough,” Griffin said, and wait, what?
“Not without me,” Jesse interjected, hands raised as if prepared to fight.
Jesse, always the fighter. He’d been like that since he was a kid from what Ella had told her, but she’d said he’d calmed down some after the Army.
“You’re not going,” Griffin returned in a deep voice, one he hadn’t used with Savanna yet. He’d stuck to a sexy, playful one so far with her. “Oliver will come for backup, but trust me, the place we’re going to is as secure as they come. Anyone who tries to infiltrate the property will regret it.” He lifted a hand to Jesse’s shoulder, but Jesse took a step back from his reach. “No. She doesn’t leave my sight.”
Savanna raised her hand. “Hey, hello. I do get a say, right?”
“No,” Carter and Griffin responded without missing a beat, and what the hell?
“We’ll talk about this later,” Carter said, but she knew that was the same as a mother telling a kid, “we’ll see.” Nope, that meant no.
Before she could open her mouth to rebut, Carter lifted his wrist and peered at a red flashing light on his watch. “We’ve got incoming. More than two guys from the looks of it.” His voice was so calm and steady, that . . . what? He answered his phone a moment later before the first ring finished. “How much time do we have?”
Noise outside that sounded like fireworks had Griffin reaching for Savanna and flinging her behind him like he was a human shield. From the corner of her eye, she spied Jesse reaching for a weapon hidden beneath his shirt.
“They’re here for you,” Carter announced, and in a low voice, said to Griffin, “We’re going with plan B. Just you and her,” he hissed. “Go.”