The Heart Read online

  “What’s up with that, Roz?” Ashley asked.

  Cynthia looked over at Roz with an ‘I told you so’ look. Roz exhaled. “I didn’t want to put down JD or James as reference. I didn’t want the agency to think I was name dropping. You know what I mean?”

  Ashley and Tracy looked at each other then back to Roz. “No.” they both replied.

  “It’s a state agency we’re going through. What type of response do you think they would have with the ex-Governor’s or his campaign manager’s name as a reference?

  “A positive one,” Ashley replied a little testily.

  “I wanted us to be approved on our own merit. Not because we are friends with JD.”

  The tension on the patio grew a little thick as silence built. Suddenly a noise came from Ryan’s direction. “Is she snoring?” Cynthia frowned.

  They listened. “I believe she is,” Ashley began to laugh.

  “By all means let her sleep.” Tracy smiled, “She’s going to need it when Turk returns.”

  “I hope he’s getting some rest,” Ashley sat back in her chair. “Once they get started, it will be days before they come up for air.”

  “Weeks,” Cynthia added. “She has at least a five year backup.”

  Roz laughed. “Tracy I hope you have a replacement in mind for her. The way Al’s been watching her, we may not see her for months.”

  They all started laughing. Ryan suddenly sat up and looked around. “What?” she groggily asked. The ladies looked at her and laughed harder.

  Saturday morning, Ryan was at Ashley’s house at nine o’clock a.m. as instructed. She had to admit, she’d had the best sleep of her life last night. Raphael had magic hands, she was sure of it. And it definitely did not hurt that the man reminded her of Al. Thinking about him still hurt. She was wrong to say the things she did to him. Anger was her fall back emotion. Whenever someone got a little too close, she would lash out and push them back. The problem for her was the man was already ingrained in her soul. Her fear was no longer keeping him away; it was now how to get him closer. The ladies, that made her feel like one of them, were all successful in getting that one special man in their lives. If she had to suffer through shopping malls filled to capacity with hormone-raging teenagers, she would do it, just to have a chance with Al.

  “Hello, you must be Ryan.”

  With an eyebrow raised, Ryan looked at the woman and knew she was familiar she just couldn’t put her finger on it. “I am,” she said slowly.

  The woman laughed. “I’m Ashley’s sister-in-law, Nicole Brooks. I’ve heard so much about you.” She stepped to the side, “Come on in. We’ve been waiting for you.”

  “Okay,” Ryan said as she walked in.

  “Ryan,” Ashley called out from the stairs. “I see the hair is still working,” she said as she walked around the woman. “You must have brushed it into a wrap and put on a silk scarf.” She stopped in front of Ryan with hands on hips, nodding her head. “Looking good.”

  “She’s a little taller than what I thought,” Nicki said thoughtfully.

  “It’s the heels.” Ashley explained. “Come Ryan, everyone’s downstairs.”

  Ryan hesitated, “I thought we were going shopping.”

  Ashley and Nicki looked at each other. “You mean like go to the mall or something?” Nicki asked.

  “Yeah,” Ryan replied.

  A huge grin appeared on Ashley’s face as she took Ryan by the arm. “That running from store to store is for the screaming teenagers. I can’t deal.”

  “It’s not my thing either.” Nicki added. “I like when the stores come to me,” she said as they walked down the stairs into Ashley’s ballroom.

  Ashley pushed the doors open. The ballroom did not look anything like the last time Ryan had been there. This room was filled from corner to corner with racks and racks of clothes, shoes, handbags, lingerie; you name it and it was in that room.

  Lena walked from behind one of the makeshift dressing room curtains in a skimpy two-piece teddy set. The woman’s body was toned for a sixty-year-old.

  “I see why John had to retire.” Gwen said, “He had to keep up with you.”

  “I do look good, don’t I,” Lena pranced in front of the mirror.

  “Mother, I think you need to put on some clothes.”

  “Girl at my age, you don’t hide something like this.”

  “Ladies, need I remind you that this shopping spree is for Ryan,” Ashley said as she pushed Ryan forward.

  “That’s right,” Nicki added. “I brought these people in from New York to get a sister hooked up. So she gets first rights to any and everything.” She turned to Ryan. “I suggest you decide on a gown first, then the lingerie, jewelry, and shoes.” She turned back to the women in the room. “Once Ryan has her choices down, then and only then can the rest of you shop until you drop.”

  “Ryan the rules of this game are simple,” Ashley stated, “Each person has picked out a gown for you to try on and we will each vote on our favorite. As you can see there is a camera and a cameraman, say hello to Jay.”

  “Hello,” a rich deep voice sounded from above.

  “Whoa, he sounds delicious,” Lena laughed.

  “He will video stream each outfit to the men in the other room. They will vote on which gown they believe will knock Al to his knees.”

  The women in the room all nodded their heads confirming the process. “Oh, here’s the best part. Everything that you select, including the jewelry is on the house.”

  Ryan looked at the racks of clothes. “This is just for tonight, right?”

  “Well,” Tracy stood, “We thought you might as well get a few other things for the future.”

  “Yeah,” Lena added. “For example, this little number would wreck Al’s mind on Sunday morning before going to church.”

  “Ain’t nobody going to church if she’s wearing that,” Martha laughed.

  “I know that’s right,” Roz joined in.

  “Alright,” Nicki chimed in, “Let’s get started. “She grabbed Ryan’s hand. “Allow me to introduce, Shanti, Carrie and Danielle. They are personal shoppers from different boutiques in New York. Your wish is their command.”

  Ryan felt a little overwhelmed, as she looked around at all the items. Black pants or jeans, white dress shirts or tees, and her selection of boots were her wardrobe. She had no idea where to start with gowns or dresses or lingerie. Ashley sensed her hesitation. “I always start with the basic black dress,” she whispered as she pulled a dress from the rack and gave it to one of the girls. “She’ll start with that.”

  An hour later Ryan had finished shopping and was worn out. It was four hours later before the other women were finished. Ryan was surprised when Ashley loaded up her truck with all the purchases made by the other women. “My apartment can’t hold all this stuff.”

  Ashley waved her comment away. “Don’t worry about it. Al’s closet is larger than my ballroom.”

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  Everyone had returned to the estate, with the exception of Joshua. From what he was told Joshua was tracking down a viable lead on the contract. Having Brian back in place was a welcome relief for Al. After spending a few days with Monique he was still not clear on how to approach things with Ryan. The sensation from the kiss they shared still lingered on his lips. They only reason he stayed in DC as long as he did was to try and get the feeling of longing out of his system. But that wasn’t working.

  At home sitting on his patio thinking about her wasn’t helping matters much either. The fear of letting this woman take a piece of his heart consumed him. Now, he realized the fear of not letting her in was stronger. His cell phone rang. He recognized the number and stood. Walking through the kitchen he stopped, looked at a picture of Tracy’s family, and walked inside as the doors slid open. He waited until the doors closed, then answered the call.

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m sending you some still shots.” Joshua said into the phone. “We need to know
if you recognize any of them.” The monitors were displaying an array of snap shots of men flashing across the screen. “We’ve traced through three layers of contacts, however, I still don’t think we’re at the top.”

  “I’m looking through them as you speak. Nothing so far,” Al replied as he continued to look at the monitor. “Did my package arrive?”

  “Whew, man I like the way you send a message. You know she wants me—right?”

  Al smiled, “Melissa Sue will hurt you, man. I’m just warning you.” Al stopped at one of the pictures and frowned. He enlarged the picture of the man to ensure he was right. “Where are you?”

  “Still in Mexico.”

  “Shit,” Al hissed as the hard copy of the picture printed out,

  “We have a problem?”

  “I’m not sure. Tread lightly.”

  “I always do.” Joshua replied as he disconnected the call.

  Al sat back wondering if Mateo was playing him or was there dissension in the Cartel as he stared into the face of Miguel Santiago. Mateo indicated he did not accept the contract. If that was the case, why was Miguel in this photo? Either way, Joshua was in dangerous territory. Al called Tucker. “I think we may have an issue with the Cartel.”

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  “Ms. Day,” Anna called from the hallway door of Senator McClintock’s office. Monique stood with her head down reading a letter from a constituent and walked towards the woman. She looked up from the letter. “Yes?”

  “The Senator left the notes on the Crenshaw Bill on his desk. Get them and meet us in the chamber.”

  “Will do.” Monique walked back into the closet they called an office to put the letter down. She hurried to the Senator’s office and almost ran into a woman walking out. “Oh my goodness, I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there.”

  “Not a problem.” The woman rushed off.

  Monique continued looking back at the woman. Something about her was familiar. She dismissed it and walked into the office. There were several piles of paper on his desk. She was scanning through them looking for the bill, when she saw a document with JD Harrison at the top. She pulled it out and quickly realized it was his daily itinerary. She looked at the date. It was today’s date. Then, something else caught her eye. It was marked, “Not for public distribution.” Careful to place it exactly as she found it, Monique continued looking for the bill. Once she found it, she ran it over to the Chamber.

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  The security system in the mansion was a little more sophisticated than Joshua had anticipated, but not enough to keep him out. The office he invaded was nice, a little too conservative for his taste, but nice. Hell, he didn’t plan on spending a lot of time there, he thought as he took a seat. According to his estimation, someone should be coming through the door right about now.

  The double doors swung open. The blast hit him dead center in his chest.

  Joshua looked down. “Damn, it works.” The momentary surprise to the man that fired the weapon was enough time for Joshua to react. He quickly disarmed the man, knocking him to the floor unconscious then retrieved the weapon, broke it down into pieces and dropped them to the floor. “Ouch,” he finally felt the impact of the bullet that was now lodged in the suit jacket.

  Mateo stood in the doorway watching the action. “Raul’s wife is going to be very upset with you for injuring her husband.”

  With a scowl on his face Joshua turned to Mateo. “Well she should teach him how to be hospitable when visitors drop in.”

  Mateo walked over to his desk and took a seat. “Most visitors use the front door.”

  “I’m not your average visitor.” He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small envelope, then placed it on the desk.

  Keeping his eye on the dangerous stranger, Mateo reached for the envelope, opened it and placed the contents on the desk. He smiled. “So, you are Absolute.” He pulled out his wallet and retrieved the connecting card. Placing it on the desk he matched the severed Ace of Spades to ensure the pieces fit together. Satisfied, he looked up at Joshua. “Tell me,” he said coolly as he replaced his card back inside his wallet and the other inside the envelope. “Is someone digging my grave or Al’s?”

  Joshua pulled out his handheld computer. “Depends.” He turned the monitor to Mateo. “Do you know this man?” Joshua saw the flicker of recognition before Mateo could conceal it.

  Keeping his cool on the outside, Mateo was reeling internally. But until he had more facts he would not believe Miguel had defied him. “What proof do you have that this man is now my enemy?”

  Joshua displayed another picture showing Miguel and another man. “My sources say this man was hired to assassinate JD Harrison.” He then pointed to Miguel, “They also say this is the man that gave the order.” Joshua closed the computer. “This man works for you. That makes me believe you gave the order. Did you?”

  “No.”

  “Do you know who did?”

  Mateo returned the envelope to Joshua. “Give Al my gratitude for sharing the information. We’ll take it from here.”

  Joshua took the envelope and replaced it in his pocket. “My job is simple—eliminate threats to the United States of America. I’m very good at it. Either you give me this man or I’ll consider you a part of the threat.”

  “I will handle my family. The other man is a German national. He goes by the name Rabbit.”

  Satisfied for the time being, Joshua nodded. “That will do for now. But if I can’t locate him, I will be back.”

  Mateo smiled, “You’re a cocky son of a bitch.”

  “Thank you.” Joshua smiled.

  “Question,” Mateo said as Joshua turned to leave. “My man shot you dead center. Any other man would be dead.”

  “And your question would be?”

  “Why in the hell aren’t you dead?”

  “I’m not your average man.”

  Mateo laughed and turned to walk back to his desk. “I can see…” the reply trailed off as he looked around the office and found himself alone.

  Joshua made it to the woods outside Mateo’s compound out of pure determination, but there was no way he was going to make it back to the chopper and Melissa Sue. He pushed a button on his jacket to indicate he was in trouble just before his knees buckled. The sound of guns pointing at him clicked just as he lost consciousness.

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  TNT Event Planners had outdone themselves. The basement to Tracy’s home looked as if it was a ballroom in a luxury hotel. It was exactly what she wanted. No, she was not entertaining a prince, senators or congressmen. This black tie affair was strictly for those men and women who had spent the last ten years of their lives protecting them. JD and Tracy wanted to take this night to thank each of them for being such an important part of their lives. Since this seemed to be the last time she would really have any down time, Tracy decided to invite the employees who made up the executive branch of her company, Next Level. JD invited his campaign staff to show his appreciation for their long hours and dedication.

  “Let’s go people,” Cynthia shouted as she entered the main level of the house.

  JD and Tracy were at the entrance for they intended to greet every person that walked through the door. “We’re right here, Cynthia. There is no reason to yell.” JD stated.

  “I need to be heard and know that my commands are being followed,” she said as a few waiters lingered in the foyer of the house. “Downstairs people—downstairs.” She clapped her hands.

  Tracy took JD’s hand and whispered. “Be nice. She’s pregnant and everything that does not go her way gets on her nerves.”

  “Well, I didn’t impregnate her and I’ll be damned if I’m going to be yelled at all night.”

  Tracy put his hand around her waist. “Did I tell you how good you look in that tuxedo, Mr. Harrison?”

  JD smiled down at his wife, “Not half as good as you do. You are wearing the hell out of that gown.” He twirled her around, and then pulled her back
into his arms.

  “You like?”

  He kissed her temple, “I do.”

  “Would you two cut that out please?” Cynthia frowned as she reached to open the double doors.

  “Okay, prego.” JD smiled.

  Cynthia turned to Tracy and frowned. “Traitor.”

  The couple stood at the door and greeted everyone for at least thirty minutes. They followed Cynthia’s instructions and waited to be introduced before entering the room filled with their special guests. “These are friends and family.” JD complained to Tracy as they stood behind the closed doors. “Why do we need to be introduced?”

  “Jeffrey, there is a reason we hire Cynthia to handle these things. Now stop complaining and just follow.”

  “She’s getting on your nerves too, isn’t she?”

  “Immensely,” Tracy smiled.

  “As soon as we are seated, I’m going to have a few words with Samuel. I know he can get her under control.”

  Tracy reached up and kissed him, “Thank you, baby. Thank you.”

  JD smiled at his wife just as the doors were opened. The people in the room applauded as the couple walked to the table in the front of the room. Once there, Cynthia handed JD a microphone. “Good evening everyone. Since this was shoved in my hand, I take it I’m supposed to say a few words. But I have a better idea. There’s food, drinks, and a room filled with beautiful people. Cynthia,” JD called out. “I believe it is time to party—music please.”