Gideon (Golden Team Army Special Forces #2)

1. Gideon

1

Gideon

The small town of Starbury was the kind of place where time stood still, like it was caught in an old fashion photograph. Its lone street was a mix of charm and wear: a bait-and-tackle shop that doubled as a grocery store, an old movie theater with a faded marquee, a hamburger stand with peeling paint, and a single gas station with creaking pumps that smelled faintly of oil and rust. It wasn’t much, but it was home when I was growing up, where life’s edges softened under the weight of memories.

I had a whole week to myself—just me, my dog Bear, and the quiet ripples of Starbury Lake. Grandpa’s old cabin, nestled deep in the woods, was waiting like a steadfast friend. He’d left it to me after he passed, and stepping into its warm, pine-scented air always brought him back to me. I could almost hear his gravelly voice teaching me about patience and peace, two virtues I was about to put to the test.

The bell above the bait shop’s door jingled faintly as I stood at the counter, collecting supplies for my week of solitude. Then, a piercing scream shattered the stillness. Whipping around, I saw a little girl, blonde hair flying, dart across the street with panic etched across her tiny face.

I froze for a moment, the normalcy of the shop giving way to chaos. Bear, ever my loyal companion, bolted through the open truck window before I could stop him.

“Wilma, I’m leaving these here!” I said, abandoning my basket on the counter as I rushed outside.

“Bear, sit!” My voice was sharp and commanding. He hesitated, his dark eyes locked on mine, but finally obeyed, sitting by my feet, ears twitching as the little girl sprinted past us.

She didn’t get far. I caught her mid-run, her small body wriggling and fighting like a cornered animal.

“Shh, calm down. I’m here to help,” I murmured, holding her gently but firmly. Her screams dissolved into sobs as I carried her inside, Bear trotting closely behind. Wilma was already moving, tucking the trembling child behind the counter, where she crouched, her tiny frame shaking as she wiped her tear-streaked face.

Moments later, a man appeared on the sidewalk, his eyes wild. He was big—bigger than I’d expected—with a menacing scowl that didn’t quite fit his words.

“I lost my daughter. Have you seen her? She has blonde hair, green eyes,” he said, his voice gravelly and tense.

“No,” I replied, meeting his gaze evenly. “But I’ll call the police for you.”

His expression flickered, the scowl deepening. “No, don’t bother with the cops. I’ll find her myself.”

“Well, I already called,” I lied, holding my phone up for him to see. “They’ll be here any minute.”

His gaze darted nervously to the street, his body stiffening as the distant wail of sirens grew louder. Without another word, he turned and bolted.

“I’ll tell them to look for you!” I shouted after him. “Where should I send them?”

No response. Just the sound of his boots pounding against the pavement as he disappeared around the corner.

Back inside, I knelt in front of the girl. She couldn’t have been more than five or six, her face pale and streaked with dirt and tears.

“What’s going on?” I asked gently.

“That man took me away from my mommy,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I need to call her. She’s probably scared. She’s always scared since my daddy died.”

I handed her my phone. “What’s your mom’s number?”

She sniffled, scrolling through my contacts with shaky fingers. I had a feeling she was hunting for the name Mom and wouldn’t find it in my phone. Panic washed over her face. “I can’t find her name anywhere! He’s going to come back and get me!”

“Do you know where you live?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm. “Or your mom’s name? I can help find her number.”

Wilma, peeking through the window, hissed a warning. “He’s coming back.”

Bear let out a low growl as the sirens grew louder, almost upon us. The man must’ve seen the flashing lights because he turned tail and ran again. We had no idea why there were sirens, but we were grateful for the noise and the right time.

“Now’s our chance,” Wilma urged. “Get her out of here, Gideon. If her mom comes looking, I’ll let you know, but you’ve got to go. That man isn’t giving up.”

I looked at the girl, her tiny shoulders trembling. “Do you know where your mom is?”

“She’s at the motel. That man hit her in the face and grabbed me. Maybe he killed her,” she whispered, her green eyes brimming with fresh tears that spilled over, followed by hiccupping sobs.

“I doubt he killed her,” I said softly, though a cold knot tightened in my stomach. “What’s her name?”

“Her real name or her fake name?”

I froze. A fake name? My instincts went on high alert. This wasn’t just a kidnapping—there was more to this story.

“Let’s go,” I said to Wilma, my voice low. “Don’t tell anyone about her. Something’s off.”

Wilma nodded. “Take her somewhere safe, Gideon.”

The girl looked up at me with those tear-filled eyes. “My fake name is Tina Turner. My mom thought it was funny because she said I’m named after a famous singer.”

I chuckled softly despite the tension. “What’s your real name?”

“Haley Reeves,” she said. “My mom is Laney Reeves, but her fake name is Ava Turner. We’ve been hiding from my grandpa. He’s the big boss, and he won’t let us leave. He always hits my mom when she argues with him. If you make him mad, he’ll kill you.”

My gut twisted at her words. This wasn’t just a family squabble—it was dangerous.

“Let’s get out of here,” I said, paying for my supplies. Bear climbed into the back seat with Haley, and I double-checked that no one was watching as we left town.

On the way to the cabin, I asked, “What was your dad’s name?”

“Gavin. He didn’t have a fake name. My Daddy is in heaven.”

I opened the cabin's windows and doors to air it out, then started a fire and cooked bacon and eggs. Haley ate quickly and then joined me for some fishing. She surprised me with her skill and even taught me a trick or two.

“I don’t want to eat the fish,” she said, looking at her catch. “I always let them go.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” I said, releasing it. “Where did you learn to fish?”

“From my mom. She’s the best fisher in the world. But she hasn’t fished since Grandpa took us.”

After she fell asleep, I opened my laptop and searched for Gavin Reeves. What I found wasn’t good. His father, Jonah Reeves, was a mob boss in Chicago. Gavin had left the family at eighteen, married Laney Dean, and moved to Oklahoma, where they had Haley. Gavin was killed while having dinner with his wife. Someone shot him in the head and then left.

This wasn’t just a runaway mom and daughter. They were fleeing from a mob boss.

I called River.

“I thought you were on vacation,” River said.

“I am on vacation, but I ran into a little girl running from a man. Her grandpa is Jonah Reeves; he’s high up in the mob in Chicago. “We have to make sure the guy doesn’t get Haley.”

“How did you manage all this on your first day of vacation?”

“Good timing, I guess. She was running across the street screaming. I hope he doesn’t go back and get her mother. Could you check to see if you can find Ava Turner or Laney Reeves? I need to find Haley’s mom before they kill her.”

“Send me what you got, and I’ll dig around. Gideon, it’s a miracle that you found that girl when you did. Does she know where her mother was when that man showed up?”

“She said they were at a motel. I have a feeling the mom will return to the grandfather’s home and demand her daughter back. She won’t know I have her with me.”

“Why don’t I get the girl and bring her here, and then you can find her mom? I’ll bring Kat with me. We’ll take a road trip. I wonder what state Haley and her mom were in when he took her.”

“I don’t know, but I’ll have to go to Chicago to see if Haley’s mother is there. It would be great if you could pick Haley up. Can you get here early in the morning?”

“Yes.”

“Great. I’ll see you then,” I said before hanging up. I decided to stay awake to make sure no one came sniffing around. I slept on the rocker on the front porch. Bear slept with Haley.

I had breakfast and coffee made when River and Kat showed up. I didn’t say anything about her being as big as a house. She still had few months to go before the twins were here.

“Hi, let’s have breakfast, and you can meet Haley.”

“It’s beautiful here,” Kat said. She stretched her back as she looked around.

We walked inside, and Haley was talking to Bear. He sat and listened as if he understood her every word.

“Haley, this is River and Kat. You’ll stay with them while I find your mom and bring her home to you.”

“We can’t go home because Grandpa will find us, and he’ll beat my Mom up again,” she said with a quiver in her voice.

“You don’t have to go home. You can stay with me. But right now you can stay with River and Kat. I’ll bring your Mom to you.”

“Do you have a dog?” She asked, looking at Kat.

“Yes, we have two. Their names are Penny and Sissy, they are Bears sisters. They will love playing with you,” Kat said.

“I can’t stay very long because my Mom will miss me something awful. She doesn’t like me getting out of her sight. She’s scared Grandpa might do something, like steal me. He wants to kill her. So he can’t find us.”

“You can stay with us until Gideon finds your Mommy and brings her to you,” Kat said.

Haley looked at me, and I knew she was scared. “Kat is going to have two babies. Maybe she will let you feel them moving,” I said.

“Oh, how exciting! My grandpa’s cook is having a baby. We weren’t allowed to speak to her, but if Grandpa weren’t around, we would talk to her. He’s a stupid, mean old man. That’s what my Mommy said. She also said he was crazy and very dangerous.”

“You no longer have to worry about him; the Golden Team is now your guardian,” I said, giving her some breakfast.

“I need to find Laney before she confronts the grandpa,” I said after breakfast as I walked them to the door. Make sure Haley isn’t seen in the back seat. You might want to go to Walmart or Target and get her some clothes when you get home.”

“Don’t worry about Haley; we will take good care of her. Come on, sweetie, we need to let Gideon find your Mom. Here are all the papers on everything you wanted me to dig up. Kat said, handing over the papers.

Haley ran over and hugged me. “Thank you for saving me, Gideon. Can you please hurry and bring my mom to me?”

“I’ll do everything possible to bring her to you quickly, sweetheart.”

“The first thing I would do is go to her Grandpa’s house. If it were me, that’s where I would go looking for Haley,” Kat said.

“I will go there first,” I said, not saying that’s where I was planning to go. Since the baby was almost here, Kat’s emotions were more tender—at least, that’s what River told all of us—because he didn’t want to see her crying.