Sealed With a Kiss (14 page)

John hadn’t told Grant much about the
prototype drone that he’d been working on. It was more than
commercially sensitive information. If what he’d learned last week
was true, it could be deadly.

“It’s got the potential to help. But that’s
up to the Department of Defense. They own the technology.” John
wished it was that simple. It could have been, but people with more
money than he’d ever see had been spinning the militia wheels in
Europe.

“Are you sure everything’s okay? You’ve been
looking more stressed than usual over the last few weeks.” Grant
looked closely at him. “You can’t tell me, can you?”

John nodded. “I wish I could, but it would
put you in danger and that’s not going to happen.”

“What have you gotten yourself into?”

“More than I thought.”

“You could always go to dad’s hideout. He
might have been extreme, but he was prepared.”

John and Grant had the same mom, but
different fathers. Grant’s dad had been a survivalist. He’d created
a world within a world, preparing for the worst that could hit
mankind. Unfortunately, it hadn’t been post-apocalyptic America
that had killed him. It had been a car accident fifty miles
southwest of Chinook.

A year after he’d died, Grant’s mom had met
and married John’s dad, a rancher from Bozeman. John had arrived a
year later and he’d never thought of Grant as anything other than
his brother.

John closed his eyes and tried to sort
through the words he wanted to say. “I don’t need to use the
hideout. Not yet.”

“You’ll tell me if it gets worse?”

John nodded. “I’ll tell you as much as I
can.”

Grant looked at him over the rim of his mug.
“Just so you know, the place was restocked with fresh water and
food last month.”

“I thought you didn’t believe in conspiracy
theories or end of the world predictions?”

Grant smiled. “I don’t, but I guess I’m more
like my dad than I think I am. I like to be prepared, and his
bunker makes more sense than most things in life.”

The bunker Grant was referring to wasn’t your
standard subterranean hole in the ground. It was an elaborate
network of rooms that were linked together in Hill County,
Montana.

Grant scowled at John. “Is the money you’ve
made worth what you’ve been through?”

“It’s not as simple as that.”

“Sure it is.”

John’s life hadn’t been simple for the last
six years. He’d pushed himself hard and told himself it was because
he wanted to provide a good home for Bella. But it went deeper than
that, far deeper than anyone knew. Making money was his way of
proving that he was more than the grieving single parent that had
returned from the Middle East.

He was an ex-Navy SEAL. He’d be damned if
he’d let anyone threatened his family.

“You’re not thinking of doing anything
stupid, are you?”

John glanced at his brother. “You know me,
cautious to the core.”

“Yeah, right. You’re the least cautious
person I know. If you get into trouble, head to dad’s bunker.”

John’s cell phone beeped in his pocket. He
pulled it out and looked at the caller display. “I’ve got to take
this.” He pushed a button and held the phone to his ear. “What is
it, Tanner?”

“I had a call from Simon. The New Orleans
contract is in trouble.”

“I’m on my way.”

Grant didn’t bother asking what had happened.
He handed John his jacket and pulled him into a hug. “Don’t do
anything stupid. You’ve got a daughter and a brother who love
you.”

“I’ll never forget.” He opened the front door
and walked down the icy porch steps.

Something beyond the normal issues his
company dealt with was going on, and he knew who was behind it.

***

Rachel adjusted a little girl’s angel wings,
then moved to the next child in front of her. The drama club’s
Christmas play would be starting in fifteen minutes. It was a
sell-out audience. All of the children’s parents, except two, were
sitting in the library auditorium, waiting for the opening
song.

Bella raced across the stage and stood beside
Rachel. Her usually sunny smile was nowhere in sight. “He’s not
here, yet. Mrs. Daniels is sitting beside Tanner, but I can’t see
dad.”

Rachel gave Bella a quick hug and kneeled in
front of her. “He said he’d try to be here. Tanner’s going to
record the play, so even if your dad isn’t here, he’ll still get to
see it.”

“But it’s not the same.” Bella’s hands were
fluttering at her side and her eyes were full of tears. “He said
he’d be here. Everyone else’s parents are here except my dad.”

Frankie was next in line, waiting for his
final inspection before taking his place on stage. “My dad’s not
her either,” he said quietly. “He had to work at the gas
station.”

Bella’s big brown eyes settled on her friend.
“Did he try his hardest to be here?”

Frankie nodded. “He doesn’t get much time
off. He said he’s here in spirit, whatever that means.”

Rachel straightened Frankie’s halo. “It means
that he wishes he was here. When you’re singing on stage, your dad
will be sending lots of love your way.”

“But it’s not the same as being here.” Bella
blinked back the tears from her eyes and looked at Frankie. “Is
someone else here so that they can hear you sing?”

Frankie shook his head.

“You could borrow Tanner’s video. He’s pretty
good and won’t miss much.”

Frankie looked down at the ground, studying
his worn sneakers as if they were covered in gold. “We don’t have
anything to play it on.”

Bella’s hands stopped twisting together. “You
could come to my house with your dad. We could watch the play
together and tell them about the parts that Tanner missed.”

Frankie’s gaze never left Bella. He was such
a serious little boy that Rachel had no idea what he was thinking.
The librarian that helped at drama club had told her that Frankie’s
dad worked at a gas station, earning what little he could to
support his family. He didn’t have a lot, but he did love his
children.

“I don’t know if coming to your house is a
good idea.” Frankie lowered his voice. “Dad’s not home very much.
It might not suit your dad to have us there.”

“My dad won’t mind,” Bella said slowly. “He’s
not home very often, either.” She glanced back at the curtain
spread across the stage. “At least Mrs. Daniels and Tanner are
here.”

Frankie nodded. “Your dad could be here in
spirit, the same as mine.”

Bella took a deep breath and straightened her
dress. “I guess he could. I’d better go and stand in my place.
Thanks, Frankie.”

He nodded solemnly and watched Bella run
across the stage. “Do you think Mr. Fletcher will make it, Ms.
McReedy?”

Rachel gave his halo one last tweak. “I don’t
know, Frankie. But what you said to Bella made her feel better.
Your dad would be proud of you.”

“Dad says that sometimes life doesn’t turn
out the way you want it to. You gotta make lemonade out of
lemons.”

“That you do, Frankie.” Rachel blinked back
the tears in her eyes and plastered a smile on her face. “You look
very handsome in your angel costume. Are you ready for your
song?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ve been practicing real
hard.”

“Enjoy every minute. Go and stand in your
place. We’ve only got ten minutes before the curtain opens.”

Frankie ran to his place in the choir and
Rachel moved to the next child in line. John had left for New
Orleans two days ago. She didn’t know what was going on, but it
must have been serious.

Tanner and Tank had been sticking to Bella
and her like glue. Bella almost hadn’t been able to come tonight.
After nothing short of pleading, John had reluctantly agreed with
Rachel and let his daughter perform with the drama club.

Now all she needed to do was make sure
everyone remembered their lines, cue the choir to sing at the right
times, and keep Bella safe.

Not your typical Friday night in downtown
Bozeman.

***

John walked into the main entrance of the
library, checking his watch for the hundredth time. He’d called
Tanner on his way out of the airport, checking to see where Bella
was. His flight had been so late leaving that he’d half expected
her to already be home. But she was still at the library, enjoying
the after-play party with the other children.

He turned left toward the auditorium, making
room for a group of children dressed as shepherds and angels. They
passed him in the hallway, talking ten to the dozen, laughing with
their parents about tonight’s performance.

John wasn’t looking forward to hearing what
his daughter had to say. He might have found some of the people
responsible for sabotaging his business, but he’d let Bella down.
It was bad enough that she didn’t have her mom with her. All she
had was a delinquent dad who disappeared for days on end.

He opened the auditorium doors and stepped
inside. Down one end of the room was the stage. A painted stable
took pride of place in the center, with a bright star hanging above
it. In another corner of the auditorium, tables filled with food
had been clustered together. John looked at the speakers mounted on
the walls. Christmas music competed with excited voices, filling
the room with a barrage of noise.

He looked for Tanner. His cell phone vibrated
and he took it out of his pocket.
Under the mistletoe on your
right.

John knew that Tanner had a sick sense of
humor, but his text was a fitting end to the worst few days of his
life. If Tanner thought he was going to kiss someone under a
plastic piece of mistletoe, he was wrong.

His gaze traveled across the room, stopping
when he saw his bodyguard standing beside Bella. Tanner kneeled
down, smiled up at the camera, and hardly blinked when the flash
shone in his eyes. The mistletoe dangled above their heads like a
giant spider, waiting for the next person in line to succumb to
some Christmas madness.

“I didn’t think you’d make it,” Rachel said
from beside him.

John stuck his hands in his pockets and kept
his gaze locked on his daughter. “It took longer to sort the
problem out than I thought.”

“You’re lucky that Bella is so forgiving. She
was disappointed that you weren’t here.”

John bit back the words that rushed to his
mouth. “You think I don’t know that?”

Rachel crossed her arms in front of her chest
and glared at him. “I know I’m only Bella’s tutor, and I probably
don’t have the right to say what I’m going to say…”

“But you’re going to say it anyway?”

Rachel snapped her mouth closed and took a
deep breath. “Forgiveness only lasts so long. One day you’re going
to wake up and Bella will be eighteen-years-old and ready to leave
home. You’ll regret the times that you missed something important
in her life. What happened to your face?”

John touched the edge of the bruise on his
jaw. “I ran into a door.”

She stared at his face. “Last time I checked,
doors didn’t come with knuckles. Have you seen a doctor?”

“I can talk and eat. I don’t need a
doctor.”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “It’s not bad enough
that you’re a workaholic, now you’re being plain stupid. You could
have broken a bone or something worse.”

“There isn’t much that can go wrong with a
jaw.”

Rachel’s low growl sent goose bumps along his
skin. “It’s not your jaw that the doctor needs to check - it’s your
brain.”

A group of children and their parents stood
in front of them, taking photos of each other.

Rachel pulled him to the side of the room and
stood toe to toe with him. “Only someone with nothing between their
ears would drop everything and get into a fight. Especially if they
were in some out of the way place.”

“New Orleans isn’t some out of the way place,
and I didn’t choose to get into a fight. We were ambushed by six
men in full body armor. You try getting out of that without a few
scrapes and bruises.”

“What were you doing in a fight in the first
place? You’re supposed to be a pen-pushing businessman, not Rambo
on steroids. You were lucky you didn’t get shot.”

He clamped his jaw tight, groaned, then
stepped away from Rachel’s laser beam stare.

“You got shot?” Her mouth dropped open.
“Where?”

“It’s only a graze.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Where?”

“My arm. What’s gotten into you, anyway? You
haven’t strung so many words together since I met you.”

“I haven’t said anything because I didn’t
know whether you were deliberately keeping away from Bella, or you
couldn’t help it. I’m worried about her. She misses you.”

“And which one is it?”

Rachel frowned.

“Am I deliberately keeping away from her or
can’t I help it?”

“I don’t think you’re doing it on purpose.
But maybe you could get someone else to sort out the problems at
your work?”

John looked back at the mistletoe. He’d been
thinking the same thing, but he wasn’t going to talk about that in
the middle of the auditorium.

Bella was still standing under the mistletoe,
but this time she was standing beside a tall, skinny, boy with red
hair. The angel halo attached to his head shone in the overhead
lights. “Isn’t that the boy with the amazing voice?”

Rachel glared at him before turning her
attention to Bella and her friend. “That’s Frankie. And yes, he
does have an amazing voice. I’m surprised you remembered.”

John wasn’t going to answer her. He was going
to see his daughter.

“Your brother called Bella to wish her all
the best. He seems like a nice person.”

John grunted. He walked around another group
of people and Rachel followed him.

“He said he’d come to the play to watch
Bella, but she wanted to keep the seat for you.”

“If you’re trying to make me feel worse,
you’re doing a good job.”