Marine Force Recon

Declan slid into the back seat, next to Charlie.

She captured his gaze with a shadowed gray one of her own. “Don’t you see? Those are the kinds of wrongs I want to right. I have more money than I could ever spend. I want to do something to help others. If it means going around the law to see it’s done right...so be it.”

“I’m not in the habit of breaking the law, despite my lousy military record,” he warned her.

“I’m not asking you to break the law. Maybe bend a few rules, but not exactly break the law.” She reached for his hand. “Sometimes the authorities get in the way of justice or let people off who we know good and well are as guilty as sin. I’ve seen it happen more often than I’d care to admit. Someone like me, with more money than sense, buys his way out of jail or buys his son or daughter’s way out of serving time. No one should get away with murder.” Her hand clutched his tightly.

“Why are you so passionate about this?” he asked.

For a moment, she stared down at his hand. Then she released it and stared out the window. “My husband was murdered. The police got nowhere. No matter how much money I threw at private investigators, they couldn’t tell me who pulled the trigger. I know how I felt, losing my husband, who should have been around to grow older with me. I don’t want others to have to go through what I did.”

“I’ll work for you and do what I can,” Declan said. “But I won’t break the law.”

“Unless you have to in order to save a life,” Charlie said. “I had to pay a big bribe to get you out of hot water for using that submachine gun.”

Declan hadn’t considered the fact he might have been breaking the law when he took up the gun.

Charlie nodded with a smug smile. “That’s right. Possessing that kind of weapon isn’t legal in DC.”

Declan cursed beneath his breath. “I didn’t know. All I was worried about was saving you.”

“I know that, and you know that.” She sighed. “But the law is clear. If you’re caught in possession of a submachine gun, you can be thrown in jail. Again, some rules are meant to be bent. You wouldn’t have saved my life if you hadn’t snagged that man’s weapon and used it on his cohorts.”

Declan had once again backed himself into a corner of his own doing. If not for Charlie’s ability to sway the police force with a sizable contribution, he wouldn’t be free. He’d be sitting on a hard cot in a cell. “How much do I owe you? All I can do is work it off.”

Charlie touched his arm. “No, dear. I owe you my life. The least I could do was make sure you weren’t blamed for something you didn’t do.” She pressed a button on the armrest and the window between the driver and the rear of the vehicle slid downward.

“Carl, could you stop at the next corner? I believe there’s a hamburger establishment there.”

“Excuse me?” Carl glanced back at them through the rearview mirror, his expression incredulous. “Hamburger?”

“You heard me. And not one word to Francois, my chef. He would be appalled to know I had eaten something as banal as a hamburger with extra onions and pickles.”

Declan sat back against the seat, wondering just who this woman was and why she’d decided to hire him on the spur of the moment.

He was grateful for the opportunity to work and earn an honest paycheck, but he wondered if there was more to Charlie than met the eye.

Time would tell. For now, Declan was grateful for the wealthy woman and the hamburgers they ordered at the drive-through window. Or rather, the hamburgers the driver ordered, paid for and received on their behalf.

Declan leaned across the seats to grab the bag of burgers and fries, the scent nearly crippling him, he was so hungry.

The next few minutes were spent in silence as Charlotte, Declan and the driver consumed the food, washing it down with iced tea.

When Charlie asked where Declan lived, he knew it was useless to lie. “I’m new in town,” he said, avoiding an answer rather than attempting a lie.

“Oh, so you haven’t had time to check into a hotel?”

“No, ma’am...er... Charlie. But I’ll be fine.”

“Getting a hotel at this late hour can be hit and miss.” She talked to the driver by using the intercom. “Carl, take us home.” Charlie patted Declan’s arm. “You’ll stay at my house until you can get a place of your own. I’ll start you out with funds to set you up in an apartment as part of your pay.”

Declan stiffened. “I can’t accept your charity.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t call it charity.” She sat back on the leather seat. “You will be earning your pay in my employ.” She patted her belly. “And that was perhaps the best hamburger I’ve had in a very long time.”

“Charlie, I can’t do this. I’ve never in my life taken advantage of a woman’s generosity.”

She lifted her chin and stared down her nose at him. “Oh, believe me, I have plans for you. You’ll earn every dime working for Halverson Enterprises.”

With no other choices to fall back on, Declan squared his shoulders and faced his future.

Chapter Three

Grace stood outside of the Halverson Enterprises building near K Street at 8:20 a.m., feeling like she’d been hit by a truck, and probably looking like it. She’d spent the majority of the night retracing what she would have thought would be Riley’s route on her way home the evening before.

The guard at the gate to Riley’s office complex had refused to let her in, insisting that the building was closed for the night. She’d have to return in the morning and talk with the security supervisor. He didn’t seem to understand that the morning might be too late. The train held no clues as to Riley’s whereabouts, and the path between the office complex and the train was clean of any traces of Grace’s roommate.

The police had done a perfunctory investigation, running into the same issues as Grace and coming up as empty-handed as she had, and they hadn’t contacted her in the past three hours.

She’d even tried calling Riley’s supervisor. But all she had was his work number. The connection went straight to his voice mail.

Riley was missing, and Grace had an interview for a job she could care less about as long as her friend and roommate remained missing. Still, she could have stayed at her apartment and hoped Riley would stroll through the door, announcing she’d spent the night with a hot guy she met at a bar. But the waiting would have killed Grace.

Instead, she’d showered, blow-dried her hair and applied a minimal amount of makeup. Dressed in a tailored skirt suit, she’d tucked her cell phone in her purse and left the ringtone on high in case Riley actually called. Grace didn’t care if she was in an interview or a meeting with the President of the United States—she’d answer the phone.

After taking a deep breath, she strode through the glass doors and stepped up to the reception desk.

The woman took her driver’s license and handed her a visitor’s pass. “Mrs. Halverson is expecting you.”

Tears welled in Grace’s eyes and she almost turned around and ran.

“It’s okay,” the woman at the reception desk whispered. “Mrs. Halverson is a really nice lady. You’ll do fine.”

Blinking to clear her vision, Grace nodded.

“Twelfth floor, straight out of the elevator. Her secretary will greet you.”

“Thank you.” Grace choked on her words and turned toward the elevator.

The receptionist held out a tissue. “You might want this.” She gave her a warm smile. “Really, she’s nice.”

Grace nearly lost her composure there, but held it together long enough to make it into the elevator, where she waited until the door closed before she let the tears fall. But only a few. She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to read the screen on her cell phone if she cried too much.

For the hundredth time, she checked for text messages from Riley.

Nothing.

The floor numbers flashed green on the display panel as the elevator car rose to the top of the office building.

Grace dabbed at her eyes, sure her mascara was running by now. What a great impression she’d make on Mrs. Halverson, a sobbing, hot mess of a woman in a wrinkled suit, with red-rimmed eyes and a runny nose.

Grace didn’t care. Riley was still missing.

The elevator stopped.

As the doors opened, Grace jabbed at the buttons to go back down, but it was too late. Mrs. Halverson’s secretary spotted her and smiled. “Miss Lawrence, I’m so glad you could make it after we stood you up yesterday. I’m Margaret Berkman.” She rounded to the front of her desk and held out her hand.

Short of being completely rude, Grace was forced to step out of the elevator, cross to the secretary’s desk and shake the woman’s hand. “You didn’t stand me up. I was caught up in the shooting yesterday. I didn’t even make it to this building.”

The woman’s eyes widened. “Oh, dear. You will have so much to share with Mrs. Halverson. She was there, too.” The secretary turned toward the door behind her. “Come with me.”

“If she was there yesterday, perhaps now isn’t a good time to conduct this interview.” The timing was terrible for Grace. She felt as if she would break down at any moment.

“Mrs. Halverson was looking forward to meeting you. I’m sure she will be fine.”

Mrs. Halverson might be fine, but Grace certainly wasn’t.

She squared her shoulders, glanced at her cell-phone screen again and followed Margaret into a spacious office with a wide solid-mahogany desk. A gray-haired woman sat with her back to the door, staring out at the buildings making up the skyline of Washington, DC.

When Mrs. Halverson turned, she smiled and pushed to her feet. “Miss Lawrence, so very nice to meet you.”

Grace gasped. The woman was the same one who’d been yanked out of the limousine the day before and hauled into the kidnapper’s van. “You...you were the one.”

Mrs. Halverson frowned. “Pardon me?”

Grace shook her head slowly. “You were the woman at the shooting yesterday. The one they tried to kidnap.”

Mrs. Halverson clasped Grace’s hand in hers and nodded, her lips pressing into a thin line. “Yes, that was me. But that was yesterday, and I prefer to push it out of my thoughts. Horrible event. Just horrible.” She drew in a deep breath and let it out on a sigh. “You’re here to interview for the position of personal assistant, am I right?”

Grace didn’t move from where she stood, her mind spinning with the frightening memories of the day before. “Are you all right?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” she said, a shadow crossing her face. “But I lost some good men in that disaster. Fine men with families.”

“They didn’t hurt you?” Grace asked.

Mrs. Halverson smiled. “Thankfully, a nice young man rescued me from the kidnappers before they could take me to parts unknown.” She frowned and stared at Grace. “You were there?”

Grace nodded. “I was. I think the man who rescued you saved me before he went after you.”

Mrs. Halverson’s lips twitched upward. “Sounds like what he would do. That young man doesn’t think about his own safety. He’s too busy saving everyone else. And the police had the nerve to arrest him.”

So, that’s what had happened to him after he’d left his backpack in Grace’s care.

“But enough about me. Tell me about you,” Mrs. Halverson said. She waved a hand toward several leather chairs arranged around a low coffee table.

Grace shook her head. “I... I can’t do this.”

“Do what? Have a conversation with me?” Mrs. Halverson took Grace’s arm. “I tell you, I’m okay. I really need a personal assistant. Otherwise I’d reschedule.”

“You don’t understand.” Grace pulled her arm free of Mrs. Halverson’s grip. “Yesterday was bad on more levels than just the attack downtown.” She shook her head, her heart pinching hard inside her chest. “My roommate didn’t come home last night. I’ve been worried sick and combing the streets, looking for her.” The tears welled again and some spilled over, sliding down her cheek. “Mrs. Halverson, I’m afraid I can’t do this interview.”

Mrs. Halverson drew Grace into her arms and led her to a sofa. She settled her there and held her at arm’s length. “Tell me what happened. When did she go missing?”

Grace told her what she knew, where she’d gone and how she’d contacted the police. Tears slipped from her eyes and trailed down her cheeks.

The older woman shook her head. “I’m sorry about your friend. I’d be worried, too.” She lifted Grace’s chin and stared into her eyes. “But you’ve come to the right place. I think I might be able to help.”

Grace laughed, her voice choking on a sob. “How can you help? The police couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t find her.” She sucked in a shaky breath and let it out. “I don’t know what else to do.”

Mrs. Halverson patted her hand. “I know someone who might be of assistance. And this is just the kind of thing I hired him for.”

“You do?” Using the tissue the receptionist had given her, Grace scrubbed the tears from her eyes. “Who?”

Mrs. Halverson stood. “You stay right there.” She walked to the door, poked her head out and said, “Send in my new hire. I have a job for him.”

Mrs. Halverson returned to the couch and drew Grace to her feet. “I’m sure he’ll be able to help you. He’s a trained warrior and quite good at it.”

“A warrior?” Grace shook her head. “I need a tracking dog.”

“I’m sure he can do that. He’s pretty versatile.” She smiled and looked past Grace. “Ah, there you are.” Mrs. Halverson turned toward the door. “Declan, meet Grace Lawrence.”

Grace turned and her jaw dropped. She knew this man.

Mrs. Halverson continued. “Grace, this is Declan—”

“O’Neill,” Grace finished.

The older woman frowned. “You know each other?”

Declan nodded while Grace shook her head.

“I have your rucksack,” Grace said. “I didn’t know how to find you.”

“I tried to call my cell phone, but the battery must have died.” He held out his hand. “What were the chances we’d find each other here?”

Mrs. Halverson shrugged. “Since you two know each other, I’ll leave you both to the task of finding Miss Lawrence’s roommate. I have a lot to do.” She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, a shadow passing over her face. “Arranging for the funerals of my bodyguards.” She stared at Grace. “As for the job—are you still interested?”

Grace nodded. “I am, but I need to find my roommate before I can get my head on straight.”

Mrs. Halverson shook her head. “You need to get your head on straight to find your roommate. Once you do, come back for that interview. I still need an assistant, but I can wait.” She nodded to Declan O’Neill. “Now that you’ve located your rucksack and phone, you can contact your friends. I’m sure they’ll make fine additions and can assist you in our new venture. Remind me, we need to come up with a name for your team.”

“Yes, ma’am—” O’Neill caught himself and smiled. “Thank you, Charlie. I’ll do my best to help Miss Lawrence.”

“Now, if you’ll clear out of my office,” Mrs. Halverson said, “I have some calls to make. Keep me up to date on your discoveries.”

“We will,” O’Neill said. He hooked Grace’s arm and led her out of the office.

Mrs. Halverson’s secretary stood as they closed the door behind them. “How did the interview go?” Margaret asked with a smile.

“It didn’t,” Grace responded.

Margaret’s smile fell. “I’m sorry to hear it. I’m sure she has her reasons, but I was hoping she’d find an assistant. She really needs one.”

Grace gave her a gentle smile. “The interview has been postponed. I’ll be back soon.” She glanced up at the man Mrs. Halverson had called Declan O’Neill. “In the meantime, Mr. O’Neill and I have work to do.”

She didn’t know this man from Adam, but having witnessed his military prowess under the stress of being fired upon, she had no doubt he’d be of some assistance. And knowing she had someone to help her find Riley made her more optimistic than she’d been since her roommate had gone missing.

The secondary fact that O’Neill was muscular, ruggedly handsome and skilled with his hands made Grace quiver inside. Not that he’d use those hands on her. Preferably, he’d use them to take down whoever had snatched Riley and make him pay for any harm that might have come to her friend.

“Where do you want to start?” he asked.

“Where she works,” Grace said. “They wouldn’t let me in last night.”

“We can do a preliminary call to her supervisor and ask what time she actually walked out of the building,” O’Neill said.

Grace nodded. “And if that doesn’t help, we can ask the people at the front desk when she came through,” Grace suggested.

“After that?” he asked.

“I don’t know what else to do other than canvass the train station at the time she would have been there. I have a recent photograph of her on my cell phone. We can ask people getting on and off the train if they saw her last night.”

O’Neill led the way to the elevator, punched the down button and then turned to face her. “We can also check with the train service to see if they have video cameras and historical data we can go through.”

“Good thinking,” Grace said.

The elevator door slid open and Grace stepped inside.

Her newly assigned private investigator stepped in beside her.

O’Neill’s broad shoulders made the elevator feel so much smaller and seemed to suck the air right out of her lungs.

She focused on what was important, her missing roommate. But that didn’t keep the heat from rising beneath the starched collar of her shirt.

Sure, a man like O’Neill could turn any woman’s head. But Grace had been divorced for three years, and her husband had been hot. Maybe not muscular, he-man hot like O’Neill, but he’d turned his share of heads and ruffled a few female skirts before he’d asked Grace to marry him.

She’d been flattered and fancied herself in love with him. And then he’d changed. Perhaps changed wasn’t exactly right. His true colors came through. Mitchell had been full of himself and wrapped up in his business as a high-powered financial planner. He’d wanted everything his way, never considering Grace’s needs and desires. She’d gone along with his plans at first, but no more. She wouldn’t be cowed by any man ever again.

Grace could admire the beauty of nature in a handsome man, but she didn’t have to pluck the flower or sip the nectar. She performed an internal eye-roll. As she’d told Mrs. Halverson, she had to get her head on straight. What was important was finding Riley.

The elevator door opened and Grace practically jumped out. As she did, her cell phone rang. Her heart racing, she dug in her purse, her hands shaking so much that she couldn’t get them to work.

“Good grief,” Declan said. “Give it to me.” He took the purse, dug his hand in, found the phone and hit the answer key. Then he handed it to Grace.

She shot a glance at the screen but didn’t recognize the number. Grace pressed the phone to her ear, praying whoever it was would have news of her friend. “Hello?”

“Grace Lawrence?”

“That’s me.”

“This is Sergeant Kronkski with the DC Metropolitan Police Department.”

Grace’s heart stopped beating. “Go on,” she whispered, her breath lodging like a knot in her throat.

“We just wanted to keep you up to date on your missing person’s report.”

“Have you found Riley?” she asked, her hand gripping the cell phone tightly.

“No, ma’am. We haven’t. You said the last place you had contact with her was from her place of employment yesterday?”

“That’s right. I told the officer on duty that last night.”

“We sent a unit by her office complex this morning. They have no record of her being at work yesterday. She didn’t clock in.”

Grace frowned, her gaze going to Declan.

He took the phone and punched the speaker key before handing it back to her.

“What do you mean, she never clocked in? She texted me from work yesterday morning. Riley never missed a day of work, even when she was sick.”

“That’s what we were told. Her supervisor confirmed she never arrived at the office yesterday.”

“That can’t be right,” Grace said, shaking her head, though the sergeant wouldn’t see the effect. “She went to work like always and texted me that she would be leaving on time.”

“Some people live secret lives,” the sergeant said. “Perhaps she has another job you don’t know about?”

“No way. Riley doesn’t keep secrets from me. We’re friends from our first year in college.”

“I can only tell you what we learned,” the sergeant said. “Is there anywhere else she might have gone? To see family? A friend? A boyfriend?”

Grace’s lips pressed together. “She said she was coming home. She has no other family in the country but me, her roommate. Her parents are on a world cruise, out of touch most of the time. She’s not married and, as far as I know, she doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

“Okay, I get it,” the sergeant said. “But these are the questions I have to ask. More often than not, missing people haven’t been abducted. They’ve ducked out of sight, either running from the law or needing some space.”

“I know my roommate,” Grace said. “She wouldn’t have told me she was coming home and then not shown up without calling to say why. She’s conscientious and considerate like that. If she’d been detained or changed her mind, she would have called or texted me to let me know she was all right.”

“I’m sorry we don’t have more news, but I wanted to let you know where we stood. We have her picture out to all the street units now. If they see her, you’ll be notified.”

Grace let go of the breath she’d been holding. Getting mad at the cops wasn’t conducive to securing their help in finding Riley. Grace sucked it up and thanked the sergeant. “I appreciate the update and look forward to hearing from you soon.” Really soon. Riley’s life could depend on it.

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