Shadows Relived (Garrison Security Innovations #5)

Chapter 1

MEAGHAN HARRINGTON STARED AT her reflection in the mirror, giving her eyeliner one last careful stroke before setting the pencil down.

She twisted her long red hair into a messy bun and secured it with a clip.

Perfect for karaoke night and dancing on the stage as she bounced around shamelessly.

She didn’t want to be fussing with her hair all evening.

The night was about fun and letting go on a hump day.

She stared at herself once more, nodding as she pressed her lips into a thin line. You look hot, lady.

Her cell phone buzzed on the bathroom counter, causing her to jump a little, and a groan slipped out of her as she recognized the ringtone.

Her father, Senator Roger Harrington. She glanced at the time on her phone, wondering what he could want with her at that time of the night.

She never knew what to expect from her father and had actually distanced herself from him as soon as she was out of the house.

Sighing, she was half tempted to send it to voicemail, but she knew he would only keep calling her. Snatching the phone off the counter, she swiped the screen and pressed the phone to her ear. “Hi, Dad. What’s up?”

“What took you so long to answer the phone?”

“Excuse me? I answered it when I answered it.” She would not put up with his demanding tone. “I’m busy. Getting ready to head out, actually. Now, what do you need?”

“You can’t go out. Actually, I need you to pack a bag and get up here to me. You know what? Don’t even pack a bag. We’ll buy you whatever you need when you get here. Just get in the car and get your ass up here.”

She stared at her reflection, her brows pinched in confusion. “What? I’m not going to Washington, Dad. Why would I do that?” And why did he have such a panicked tone to his voice?

She heard him sigh and could picture him leaning back in his desk chair, one hand on his whiskey glass as he held the phone with his other. “I’ve received some threats. Credible threats. And I need to get you somewhere safe until all this blows over.”

Meaghan rolled her eyes. “Whoa, slow down. What kind of threat? From who? And why would you receiving a threat have anything to do with me? Don’t you have the secret service or private security or god knows who else guarding you?”

“It’s from some activist. They’re trying to get me to tank a bill related to that climate legislation I’ve been trying to get through the Senate.”

“And what does that have to do with me?” She tossed her lipstick on the counter and left the bathroom. “I have nothing to do with your political career. I left that life, remember?”

“Sweetie, you need to take this seriously. These activists are unhinged. I’m worried they could come after you to force my hand on this vote. I need to get you somewhere safe until they find these people.”

Meaghan snorted. “I think you’ve seen too many movies, Dad. Activists don’t go around killing politicians’ family members. You’re just trying to use this to get me back there where you’ve always wanted me. I’m not doing it. I’m perfectly fine right where I am.”

“Meaghan, this is serious!”

She rolled her eyes again as she moved to the center of her bedroom.

“You’re being paranoid. Some wackos sent you a threat about a dumb bill, and now you think they’re going to track your only daughter down and what?

Take me hostage or something? Get real, Dad.

They have no intention of wasting their time on me. ”

“I will not permit your safety to be compromised because of your stubbornness.” Her father’s voice took on that stern paternal tone she knew so well from her childhood, the one he used when he tried to bully her into doing what he wanted, regardless of her wishes.

“You’re my daughter, and it’s my responsibility to protect you. ”

Protect her? After all these years of prioritizing his political ambitions over his family? Meaghan felt her temper flare. How typical of her father to spiral into delusions of grandeur and martyr complexes instead of dealing with reality.

“Listen, I’m not getting dragged into your political drama, okay?

I’m thirty-two years old. I’m quite capable of protecting myself.

” She fought to keep her voice level. “This is exactly why I got as far away from you as I could after college. I’m done letting your career control my life.

If you’re really getting threats, hire some extra security for you and Mom.

But don’t you dare try to uproot me based on some paranoid fantasy that I’m a target.

I’m just a kindergarten teacher in St. Augustine about to hit karaoke night.

Now, have a good night, Dad. I need to finish getting ready. ”

There was a pause on the other end of the call, and Meaghan could practically see her father puffing out his cheeks in his fury.

He didn’t stay at a loss for words long, however.

“Well, I clearly can’t reason with you when you’re in this frame of mind.

But mark my words, I will take whatever measures are required to ensure your safety in this matter.

Even if you insist on being reckless about it. ”

“Whatever you say, Dad.” She was done arguing with him.

What did it matter, anyway? She was in St. Augustine, and he was in D.C.

Or was he in Savannah? She couldn’t keep with his schedule these days.

Not that she really wanted to. “Now, I really do need to go. Ronette will be here, and I still need to finish getting ready. Say hi to Mom for me.”

The sound of her front door opening caught her attention, and she turned to see her friend stroll into her apartment. “Bye, Dad. Gotta go.”

She hung up without waiting for a response and tossed her phone onto the bed. A moment later, her best friend Ronette poked her head into the bedroom, hand over her eyes. “You decent?”

“Sadly, yes.” Meaghan gave a dramatic sigh.

The blonde dropped her arm to her side. “You’re still not ready? What have you been doing?” She cocked a brow at Meaghan. “At this rate, all the decent songs will be taken by people who can’t sing them.”

“Oh, just hold your horses. I’m just about done.” She plopped down on her bed, reaching for the sneakers she had placed there earlier. “There will be plenty of songs left that only you have the guts to sing.”

Ronette laughed as she leaned back against the wall, her hands clasped behind her back. “I don’t know. Andy picks some fairly out there songs. I mean, Tom Dooley? Do people even still listen to that one?”

Meaghan laughed. “It’s never taken, though.” She finished tying her shoes and shoved herself off the bed. “Now I’m ready. Let’s hit it. You’re driving.”

“Suits me. And you really should learn to lock your door. One of these days, someone besides a loving blonde is going to walk in and rob you.”

She scoffed as she entered the living room, reaching for her purse. “In this cozy little neighborhood? Please. Besides, I think I can handle myself just fine without putting my apartment on total lockdown. You’re beginning to sound like my father, who just called, demanding I return to D.C.”

As they headed out the door, she filled her friend in on her phone call with her father.

His whole demanding attitude still rankled her, and she knew it came out in her tone.

“I just don’t get it. I’m sure he’s had things like this happen to him before, so why the sudden panic attack? It makes no sense.”

They continued talking as they made their way to Ronette’s car, and the more she thought about her father’s call, the more the whole thing annoyed her.

No matter how hard she tried to shake it, she found her agitation level rising, and by the time they reached the car, she wanted to call her father back and give him another earful.

“Well, you told him you were fine, so stop worrying about it.” Ronette pulled out of the parking lot into the flow of traffic, but all Meaghan could see was her father’s red face as he ordered her back home.

No. St. Augustine was her home. Had been for the past several years.

D.C. was a painful memory. And one she had tried desperately to forget.

By the time they entered the bar, Meaghan had relaxed some, looking forward to a night with her friends.

The pulsing beat of the music reverberated through her body as she made her way through the crowded place to a table closer to the stage where the singing took place.

She had been looking forward to this night all week, needing the chance to let loose with her friends and forget about the stresses of being a teacher for a few hours or the papers she needed to look at, which waited for her on her kitchen table.

Andy, a dark-haired third grade teacher, waved them down, already having claimed a table for them. He returned to the rum runner he seemed to nurse, smiling at them as they sat down.

“Started without us, I see,” she teased as she flagged down the bartender.

Andy shrugged. “Well, you were taking forever to get here.”

“She got a weird call from her father,” Ronette told him just before they ordered their drinks, as if that explained everything.

As the server left, Meaghan filled him in, her annoyance simmering once more just below the surface.

The whole thing made no sense. Were activists really so committed that they would threaten a man’s family?

Or was this just another stupid attempt by her father to grab control of her life?

Well, if it was, there was no way she would let him get away with it.

“Earth to Meaghan!” Ronette’s voice broke through her thoughts. “You’re a million miles away, woman. What’s going on in that smoking mind of yours?”

Meaghan plastered a smile onto her face, not wanting to dampen the mood. “Nothing. Just got lost down the father-from-hell rabbit hole again.” She sat up straighter in her seat. “However, I’m not letting it ruin our night. So, let’s pick some songs already.”

As they discussed song choices, the server arrived with their drinks, and Meaghan immediately reached for hers, taking a fortifying sip.

She laughed as her friends tried to out-embarrass each other with terrible cheesy songs from their youth, and soon, laughter filled the table.

Meaghan forced herself to focus on the conversation, chiming in with her own suggestions and making a show of dramatically singing a few lines.

When the DJ’s assistant came around to take their names for the night’s sign-up sheet, Meaghan put down her first choice. She was determined to shake off the weird vibes from the call with her dad and just let herself get lost in the night's silliness and singing in front of strangers.

It wasn’t long before her name was called and she was handed the microphone, the opening lyrics appearing on the screen in front of her.

This was her element, a chance to be larger than life for a few fleeting minutes with none of the genuine pressures of life weighing her down.

She started doing karaoke when she was in high school, her friends joining her, each one trying to outdo the others.

Sometimes they’d do group numbers or even duets.

It was a time for her to forget the craziness of her life back then.

It was the same way now, especially after that call from her father.

Meaghan closed her eyes and opened her mouth, letting the words flow free. She could almost feel her worries melting away with each note she belted out into that cheap microphone. Up on the small stage, she was in control in a way her father could never understand.

By the final lingering vibrato, she was grinning from ear-to-ear, drunk on the heady applause. She caught Ronette’s eye as she made her way back to the table, and they shared a smile filled with the giddy euphoria of the moment.

“That’s how it’s done, people!” Andy crowed, thrusting a fresh drink into her hand.

Meaghan accepted it, only too happy to keep the good vibes flowing for as long as possible. This was her life, filled with people she loved and a job she cherished. She’d be damned if she let her controlling father muck it up with his blown-out-of-proportion dramas.

For now, she was content to sip her cocktail, half-watching as Andy stumbled through an off-key rendition of some old boy band hit and Ronette scrolled through the song list with a devilish glint in her eyes.

“That was a great song.”

She turned as a tall, slender man stepped up to the table, smiling over at her. She felt the blush color her cheeks. “Thank you. It’s one of my favorites.”

“Well, you did it justice. I hope to hear you sing again.” He dipped his head once more, telling her to enjoy her night as he moved over to his own table.

She followed him with her gaze, still smiling, but also suddenly wary, her father’s words about a threat still ringing in her ears.