Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
Late Afternoon December 23
“I’m catching up,” Lizzie warned as she dodged the next obstacle in the middle of the road in the car race videogame. She and JT sat side by side on the surprisingly comfortable couch, swaying left and right as they maneuvered around corners in the game, occasionally bumping into each other and laughing out loud. It had been years since she had played video games. The controller in her hand was much different from the ones she’d used in high school at her girlfriend’s house.
“No, you’re not.” JT’s screen car took off like a shot. His laugh was pure joy.
“Sounds like you two are having fun.”
Lizzie jerked, startled at Jeff’s pronouncement. She hadn’t heard him come in. When she glanced up to see where he was, her video game car crashed. She giggled and threw her hands up in the air.
“I can’t believe he’s only been playing this game for two hours and already plays like an expert.” She set the game controller down and stood to greet Jeff. “See if you can beat your time record,” she encouraged JT.
Lizzie couldn’t take her eyes off Jeff’s sweat-soaked T-shirt that clung to every sculpted muscle from his broad shoulders to his small waist. His baggy shorts hid his muscular thighs from waist to just above his knees. From ten feet away she could smell fresh man sweat. Not a scent that she would normally consider sexy, but there was something about Jeff Arwood that held her feminine attention. On a base level, she was attracted to the man in front of her.
“Is their gym as good as Drew claimed?” she asked as he walked into the living room.
“Much better than anything the Navy has,” he admitted. “Actually, it’s pretty damn good.” He stopped halfway to his room and glanced at JT before his gaze returned to her. “I learned a few things about the work Guardian Security does that might interest you,” he said quietly. Checking JT who was totally enthralled in the game, he suggested, “After I get JT to bed, let’s talk.” His gaze wandered to the wet bar then he added, “Over an adult beverage.”
Lizzie felt her smile stretch. “After the day we’ve had, we deserve one. Maybe even two.” Her morning flashed through her mind. “I’ve got a bone to pick with you.” She punched her fists onto her hips. “I’m still not happy how we ended up here.” Although, secretly, she preferred this. She would have been stuck by herself in a cookie-cutter Chicago hotel nowhere near as nice as this apartment probably eating cold pizza delivery. She would never complain about this accommodation.
Changing the subject, Jeff asked, “How much time do you need for your reports?” He glanced at JT who was paying absolutely no attention to the two adults in the room. “He’ll be fine right there while I shower if you want to go back to your room and your work.”
Lizzie’s gaze wandered toward Jeff’s bedroom and the thought that in minutes he was going to be naked in the shower filled her mind. She could imagine that beautiful body with warm water sluicing over his cut cheekbones dripping down onto his powerful chest creating rivers that rolled over his hard six-pack abs and down further?—
“Lizzie.” Jeff called her name as though it wasn’t the first time.
She shook her head side to side rapidly as though to erase the picture she’d been painting in her mind. She pasted on a smile. “I’m sorry. I was mentally running through all the work I had to accomplish yet today. What was your question?”
“Do you want to leave now or wait until I’m out of the shower?”
She barely glanced at JT before making her decision. She couldn’t be in that apartment if Jeff was going to walk out from the shower in nothing except a towel wrapped around his hips. “He’s so enthralled with the game.” She lifted her eyes to meet Jeff’s. “I’m sure you’re only going to be a few minutes, so I’ll go ahead and go to my room, or should I say rooms, now.” She needed to get out of there before she did something stupid, like step over there and run her fingers over each one of his abdominal muscles. Or lick his neck to test the salt taste before running her tongue over the ridges of his arm muscles.
“Okay, then, we’ll knock on your door before we head down to supper.” Jeff’s words pierced her growing fantasy. She knew she had to get out of there. Now.
“Sounds good.” She started to turn toward the door then remembered that she was there for JT. As she headed toward the couch she called out, “JT, please pause the game.” She had to ask him twice before he did it, but she wanted him to know that she wasn’t going to be there for him for a while. Moving in front of him to assure he was not distracted, she explained, “Jeff is back. He’s going to hop in the shower for a few minutes so you’re not alone. I need to go to my room and get a little bit of work done. I’ll see you on the way down to supper.” She smiled at the young boy. “I’ve enjoyed playing this game with you. Maybe Jeff will play when he gets out of the shower.”
“Thanks for playing with me, Miss Lizzie. Maybe we can play again later.” He jumped up and ran to the drawer underneath the large screen TV and pulled out another game controller. “Maybe all three of us can play,” JT suggested.
“We’ll see.” Wasn’t that phrase what all parents said when they didn’t want to say no? She heard the water turn on in Jeff’s bathroom and knew she needed to get out of there. Right then. “I’ll see you in about two hours.”
“Yes, ma’am.” JT glanced at Jeff’s door. “Do you think it would be okay if I played this game some more while Lieutenant Jeff is in the shower?”
His precious little-boy face was filled with so much hope just for permission to play a videogame for a few more minutes. Most other kids his age wouldn’t even bother to ask. “Of course.”
Lizzie watched him play for just a few seconds before she left their apartment. Walking down the immaculately clean hallway, she noticed how warm and friendly everything appeared. The wallpaper and coordinating carpet looked like something you’d find in an expensive home.
Stepping into her own place, she observed it as though it were the first time. She’d been too anxious to speak directly with Steve when he brought her there, then she was whisked away for their late lunch.
Everything in the apartments was of high quality, from the furniture to the real wood flooring, definitely not inexpensive. Nor did they have a corporate look to them like the condos her parents often rented on the beach for spring break. If this Chicago office was one of ten, supposedly identical according to Drew, Mr. and Mrs. Wolf rolled a great deal of money into their business.
During their earlier talk while Jeff was working out, JT hadn’t seemed anywhere near as overwhelmed as she was by their impressive surroundings. True, that was part of his personality. When he was in the hospital and the rehabilitation center afterwards, he’d simply accepted where he was and what needed to be done. Although it was only for a very short time, while he was in the state orphanage he’d accepted his situation and made the very best of it, becoming everybody’s friend within days and finding a special place in the staff’s hearts. The same had happened at the Cantrell house.
Perhaps she was projecting. Lizzie realized that she was impressed, overwhelmed, and even a little intimidated by Mr. and Mrs. Wolf’s immediate reaction to the news of their growing family. Placements like this usually took weeks, sometimes months. Her investigation into a family often involved several visits with the prospective parents, announced and unannounced drop-ins at their home, and piles of paperwork.
Her admiring gaze around the beautiful apartment stopped at her computer still sitting on the small dining table. She needed to move to the provided desk and plug into the internet. Those endless pages of documentation weren’t going to write themselves. Even though this was where JT’s father wanted him to grow up, she wanted—no, needed—to be assured that Mr. and Mrs. Wolf would be good parents to him.
Less than five minutes later, Lizzie fell down the rabbit hole of research into Alex and Katlin Wolf.
“What a day,” Lizzie exclaimed as she slumped onto one end of the couch in Jeff and JT’s apartment. “I wasn’t sure JT would ever go to sleep.”
Jeff dropped onto his haunches as he opened the door to the wet bar mini fridge. “Pick your poison. There’s beer, wine, mixers for the hard liquors on the shelves above the sink, or you can have water or soda.” He glanced at her over his shoulder. “I’m having at least two fingers of that twelve-year-old bourbon with exactly two drops of water added once it’s poured.”
She shook her head side to side. “I’ve never acquired the taste for straight hard liquor. If there’s a cola in the fridge, I would love a rum and Coke.”
He stood with a can in one hand and the ice cube tray in the other. “Do you want to come make your own or do you trust me?”
“I trust you.” In truth, she was too tired to move from her spot on the comfy couch. “I had no idea an eight-year-old could eat so much food and an hour and a half later be ready for dessert.”
“Steve was right, Betsy’s desserts were fantastic.” Jeff placed several ice cubes in a tall glass before pouring in a top-shelf dark rum. “I was surprised that JT still enjoys a book at bedtime.”
Lizzie stretched out her legs and nuzzled into the soft corner. “I was amazed at his reading level and that he insisted on reading to us.”
Jeff took the two glasses and headed to the couch, handing Lizzie hers before he sat at the opposite end. “I have to admit, I think I was a sci-fi freak when I was his age. I’m shocked that he prefers to read nonfiction books about astronauts and space.”
Lizzie sipped before she answered his unasked question. “I was always reading far above my age, but as a teacher’s kid that’s to be expected. I’m sure you were, too.” She took another sip and thoroughly enjoyed the taste. “You’re a damn good bartender.”
“Thank you. But giving credit where credit is due, it’s probably the Jamaican rum.”
“So, what was it that you wanted to tell me about the Wolf family that you didn’t want to say in front of JT?” Lizzie had wanted to ask him the question for hours. It had made her even more nervous after she’d researched the pair and found very little. The company’s clients all across the country praised their business and employees on every social media.
“It has more to do with Guardian Security than Mr. and Mrs. Wolf.” He took another sip and looked pensive. “Steve told me today while we were working out that both Alex and Katlin are on a first-name basis with the general who runs USSOCOM.” He held her stare.
“Okay. I have several questions. Let’s start with what the heck is USSOCOM and should I be worried?” She took another sip of her drink simply because it was so good.
Jeff inhaled deeply before he let out a long slow breath. “USSOCOM is United States Special Operations Command. They control Navy SEALs, Army Special Forces, Marine Corps Special Operations, and more. Basically, anything within the military SpecOps community. They work closely with Homeland Security and the CIA.”
“So, they’re like your boss’s boss’s boss, or maybe even higher up than that?” Although she wasn’t familiar with those specific group titles he’d just mentioned, she watched television and read a lot. They sounded like they were the best of the best in each of their services.
He chuckled. “You could say that. USSOCOM assigns missions based on what skills they believe are required and what assets are closest.” He took another sip before he continued, “I’m not sure if you’re familiar with contract black ops.” Once again, he held her gaze.
“I think so,” she admitted. “Aren’t they mostly former military who work for a civilian company that takes on jobs that the U.S. military isn’t allowed to do?”
Jeff didn’t answer, he only continued to hold her eyes captive. Her afternoon’s research rolled through her brain. Guardian Security hired only military special operators.
“Everything I read this afternoon points to them being one of the best corporate security companies in the U.S.” Lizzie sat up and crisscrossed her legs on the butter-soft leather so she could face him. “I read where they provide bodyguards for corporate executives who travel to Third World countries, but I didn’t find anything about them doing military kinds of things.” If she’d had any indication of that sort of involvement it would have set off alarm bells in her head.
Jeff shrugged. “I don’t know exactly what Steve meant when he told me Katlin and Alex were on a first-name basis with the commanding officer at USSOCOM. I actually couldn’t find much on Katlin Wolf and believe me I tried last night after my commanding officer called.”
Lizzie perked up. “Neither could I. Do you think she’s a stay-at-home mom? Somebody here, I don’t remember who it was, said they have a little baby.”
He looked into his drink for long moment. “My resources are probably a little bit better than yours. Katlin Callahan, now Mrs. Wolf, kept her maiden name. She may still be a commander in the U.S. Navy.” He held up his free hand in the stop position. “I’m not sure if she still is active duty. I found a reference to Homeland Security but it was only a reference. The file I was able to access had several missing sections. Steve suggested we ask Mr. and Mrs. Wolf directly.”
“Do you believe they would tell us the truth?” This was exactly why the process of fostering and adoption took so long. Lizzie was always shocked at the lies people would tell her. Fortunately, she’d become very good at catching falsehoods.
Jeff shrugged. “I hope so, but I’ve been trained to detect lies. If I see that they’re not telling you the truth, I’ll let you know.”
Lizzie tilted her head to the side. “Speaking of telling the truth, why didn’t you call me this morning and let me know that you had heard back from your commanding officer and that you were going over to pick up JT?”
He stared at her for a long minute then sipped the amber liquid. “I was really excited when Commander Carson called me and said he’d talked with Mr. and Mrs. Wolf and that they wanted me to bring JT to them.” He glanced away before his gaze returned to her. “I didn’t trust you. I was afraid if you knew that the Wolfs wanted JT that you would show up this morning before I could get there and take him away to the orphanage.”
Lizzie felt her jaw drop open.
Before she could utter one syllable, Jeff continued, “You made it very clear yesterday that the contents of the letter didn’t matter. You had a job to do, and you were going to do it.”
He set his half empty glass on the side table and leaned in toward her. “After reading that letter from JT’s father, I couldn’t let you take him to the orphanage. It was his father’s dying wish. A brother SEAL who died in combat. I had to do everything in my power to fulfill his wish. When my CO successfully got through to the Wolf family within hours, and they wanted to meet JT, I couldn’t take the chance that you’d get to the Cantrells’ home this morning and take him away before I could get to him. I’m not sorry that I got there before you.”
Lizzie’s thoughts went to the little boy asleep in the next room. When had she become a heartless hard-ass more concerned with procedure and paperwork than the children? She’d started in social work to help those kids who didn’t have a champion. To make sure the right thing got done. What had happened to that fresh out of college, take on the world woman? When had she lost sight of those goals? She thought back over the last few years and tried to pinpoint when the state’s cover-their-ass paperwork had become more important than the children.
She let out a long breath. Maybe it was time to do something else with her life.
Taking JT to meet the people his father wanted to raise him was truly the right thing to do for the child…provided the Wolf family was as good as they seemed on the surface.
She’d plowed through pages of justification for her actions before supper, answering everything to the best of her ability with the little that she knew as fact. She’d prepared as much documentation as she could, which reminded her, “Do you still have the letters you opened at the school?”
“Yeah,” he said hesitantly.
“I need copies of them for my files.” There she went again. Justification. Paperwork. Documentation. Just to prove she did the right thing.
Lizzie shook her head. “I’m sorry, Jeff. You had every right not to trust me. When I got up this morning, I had fully intended on driving to the Cantrell residence, picking up JT, and taking him to the orphanage on my way to the airport. Doing my job.” She debated for just a minute before she continued, “A job I don’t think I like as much as I used to. I think I told you, during my visit with my parents in Florida I intend to look for another job because nothing is holding me there in Kansas. But I don’t think that’s the only reason. I think I just need a new job. I’ve lost focus on the point of this career.”
“Miss Lizzie, Lieutenant Jeff, my tummy hurts.” JT walked out of his bedroom and into the living room with both hands on his stomach.