Chapter 19
Nolan was right. Helena felt better as soon as they drove into Keeneston. The sidewalks in downtown were packed. Well, for Keeneston anyway. “Is there a festival or something going on?” Helena asked.
“Nope,” Nolan answered. “That’s your guard.
Those older men are the Davies brothers.
All former Special Forces and the scary bald one is former CIA.
The women who look like they’re window shopping are their wives.
Then you know Lucas,” Nolan pointed to three men sitting outside the café.
“The other big guy is his partner, Talon. The third one is Greer’s brother, Jackson.
He’s the leader of their hostage rescue team. ”
“Then there’s a group of Rahmi soldiers,” Nolan pointed out.
Helena saw some of the members of the Bluegrass Ops too. They weren’t together, but blended in with the others. However, she didn’t see Logan or Kellen.
“Logan and Kellen are in sniper positions on the roof of the courthouse and farther down Main Street,” Kori answered as if reading her mind.
“Seriously, can I move here? Is there a Marshal here?” Bella asked.
“There is one. He’s out of the Lexington office. Now, take a deep breath. Can you smell the good cooking?” Kori asked as he stopped in front of the café and rolled down the window.
Bella’s stomach rumbled in return.
Nolan opened the door and got out. She saw his team of firefighters wave at him from their station and hurry across the street to join them.
“Someone’s looking better,” Flint said cheerfully as he moved to help Kori get Bella out of the car and into her wheelchair.
“Thanks to you all,” Bella told the firefighters.
Flint wheeled her to the door and Kori opened it. Nolan was talking to Conley and Colton while Jack joined Helena to walk into the café for dinner. “How’s it going? I heard you had a rough time getting back here.”
“Two attacks in one day. I won’t lie and say I’m not nervous.”
“We’ve got your back,” Jack told her, holding open the door to the café for her. “You’re one of us now.” He glanced back at Nolan and then to her and smiled. “Or at least you will be in six days.” Then he winked.
Helena laughed. It felt good to be teased about this stupid betting thing compared to being shot at. She felt Nolan’s hand come to rest on the small of her back a second before he was at her side. “Where do you want to sit?”
“With Bella,” Helena said, pointing to where she had her broken leg propped on an extra chair. Kori sat across from her so Nolan moved them in that direction. He pulled out the chair next to Bella for Helena.
Bella was not usually chatty, but this was her introduction to Keeneston. She wanted to know who everyone was. Nolan took over and pointed out people, introduced her to several, and made sure she got the right food ordered.
Helena saw Kori straighten up and give a little chin bob. Helena had to duck her head to hide the smile as she heard Wick moving toward them.
“Howdy, mate. Am I sounding more American?” Wick asked in a very British accent. Helena giggled, and Bella narrowed her eyes. “Hello, love. You’re new to town. I’m Byron Wickens, but everyone calls me Wick. However, you can call me yours.”
Bella pulled out the acid gun of death and pointed it at Wick’s balls. “If I shoot him in the balls, will they melt off?”
“Sure will,” Kori responded.
“So, you’re kinky? I can work with that.” Wick winked and Bella flipped off the safety.
But then Poppy set down the hot brown. It was an open-faced sandwich with turkey, bacon, and tomato that was smothered in a rich, creamy Mornay cheese sauce.
“You’re lucky my desire for food outweighs my desire to see your balls melt off.” Bella flipped the safety back on and began to eat.
“You must be Bellona.” Helena worried Bella might take off Sebastian’s head.
“Bella,” Bella countered before taking another bite of her dinner while eyeing Sebastian Abel. “Impressive. I’ve never seen a man in a three-thousand-dollar suit wearing twins in two slings before.”
“It was a gift from Ahmed,” Sebastian answered in the same dismissive tone Bella used. Except that perked her up.
“You know Ahmed?” Bella asked.
Sebastian simply raised an eyebrow.
Kori sighed as Helena’s attention turned to the back of the café. “There’s another one. They’re like cockroaches.”
Helena had barely turned her head to look when Nolan shoved her to the ground, his big body covering hers. There was a single gunshot, a scream, and then Bella groaning. “This is amazing. Best dinner I’ve ever had.”
Nolan stood up first and helped Helena up. Helena saw half the café putting guns away, but it was Bella’s, well, the one she stole from Kori’s center console, that gun was still in her hand.
Wick winked then. “Good shot, Bella.”
“I kept this one alive. I don’t know why, it’s not like he’s going to tell us anything.” Bella went back to eating.
Kori just looked at Wick who sighed and set down his dinner. Wick whisked the man out the back of the café and everything went back to normal. With the exception of Helena’s heart rate.
“See, you’re safe here,” Kori told her calmly.
Helena looked around at the smiles, the laughter, the teasing that went on at each table, and how they even turned to chat to tables near them. They’d all come to her defense.
“Wick was right, that was a good shot. Hi, I’m Abby Davies. I believe you’ve met my father, Ahmed.”
You would have thought Taylor Swift just talked to a Swiftie by Bella’s reaction. But then she tried to play it cool. “Bella Gilmore, U.S. Marshal. I made it onto their tactical force using your career at the CIA SOG as inspiration.”
“Impressive,” Abby told her before introducing her husband, Dylan, as he approached with their to-go order.
“You think that Marshal would help me put in a transfer to here? I doubt Lexington is exciting compared to the work I do, but I’d move to Keeneston in a heartbeat,” Bella asked them.
“Hmm,” Abby was thoughtful, looking at Bella once again as if analyzing her. “You know, I need to get to the range. I can pick you up tomorrow if you want to go with me.”
“I wish. But,” Bella motioned at her leg.
“I didn’t think a little thing like that would stop you, but if you can’t do it . . .” Abby left the challenge hanging and Bella grabbed it.
“Of course I can do it! The question is if you can keep up.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Bella,” Abby said with clear amusement.
Kori was shaking his head. Helena wanted to tell Bella that she was putting her foot in her mouth. But the fact was, that was just Bella. Rough edges and all. Maybe someday she’d find someone to smooth them out. However, the right man would smooth just enough to leave her deadly points intact.
Helena saw Colton approaching the table wearing a frown. He handed his phone to Nolan, who cursed under his breath.
“What is it?” Helena asked.
“Friday is a full moon and we’re expecting a winter storm. A storm that just got a lot worse. It was going to be two inches of snow, but now it’s going to be four inches of snow topped with an inch of ice,” Nolan told her. “It’s going to shut down the state for days.”
“Everyone!” Colton called out, quieting the café down. “This weekend we’re going to be hit with a severe winter storm. It’s time to start preparing now.”
“Brah, it was seventy degrees today,” someone called out. “It’s not going to snow.”
“It’s false spring. We go through this every year.” Colton sounded tired. It also sounded as if this was not the first time he’d given this warning.
“I can’t wait,” Lucas said excitedly. “I got my favorite snow flip-flops out. The bottom leaves polar bear footprints when I walk in the snow.”
Helena looked to Nolan who looked ready to lose his shit. “Is it going to be a bad storm? We get snow all the time in New York. Is it really that big of a deal?”
“We don’t have many snow plows. We only have limited salt for the ice.
So, four or five inches to us is like three feet for y’all.
Then you throw on the ice and that takes it to a whole new level of trouble.
Ice causes trees to snap. Ice causes power lines to fall.
Ice causes cars to slide into things. Plus, it’s a full moon.
Nothing ever good happens when it’s a full moon,” Nolan sighed.
“I’m stocking my clinic,” Jace told the group who ignored him like they ignored Colton. The firefighters and the doctor shared a look of consolidation.
“I also have an announcement,” a man in his mid-30s said, standing up and looking right at Helena.
“Who is that?” Helena whispered to Nolan.
“Nash Dagher. Kori’s boss and the acid gun of death’s husband,” Nolan whispered back.
“Helena’s witnesses from South Sudan are coming tomorrow.
The same ones that guy probably wanted to kill Helena for,” Nash continued.
Helena didn’t know if this should be talked about, but Nash continued anyway.
“They’ll be staying with us at Desert Sun Farm.
However, I’m sure they’ll be visiting town.
They are Lamya and her brother, Abu. And then sisters, Fiza and Nafisa, along with their cousin, Kuol. ”
“I’ll make them my special apple pies,” Marcy Davies called out. Apparently, Jake’s bunion was okay today.
And then it was on. The café exploded with offers of clothes, food, and games to keep them occupied while they awaited Garang’s capture.
At their table, Bella was poking Kori in the arm and begging him to point out Sophie so she could tell her how much she loved the acid gun of death.
Helena glanced at the tote she kept in her lap with the folder she needed to review.
Greer was sure that Lamya and Abu were the heirs to a great fortune and a position of power.
She needed to read through all the legal paperwork to determine if that was true and exactly what kind of wealth and power they were inheriting if true.
“Poppy,” Nolan called out, stopping the waitress, “two bread puddings to go, please.”
Poppy looked between them and nodded. She tapped Lucas on the way to the kitchen and nodded back to them. Lucas and Talon got up and headed out the door right as Poppy gave them the to-go bag of dessert.
Nolan took the bag and Kori promised to get Bella back to the bed and breakfast when she was done talking to Sophie.
“You look as if you want to get to work instead of hanging out here.”
“Greer gave me a lot to look over and I have to meet her tomorrow to go over it all. Plus, Lamya and her group are coming and I want to greet them. I know they must be frightened after being found. I don’t know how to explain to them that we’re basically making them a target.
” Helena let out a sigh as Nolan ushered her from the café.
“From what you’ve told me about them, I think they’ll be up for it. They want Garang taken down even more than you do. The question is: do you really think Garang would risk an international warrant to come here for them?”
“In a strange way, I hope that he does so we can get this over with. I only want them safe.”
Helena saw Talon across the street as if he were waiting for them.
He waited until they got closer and then walked in front of them allowing them privacy.
Nolan held her hand, but kept looking around as if he were expecting an attack at any moment.
And, well, after a day like today, it was more likely than not.
At least she didn’t feel alone. She felt the whole town behind her.