Avenging Laura (Special Forces: Operation Alpha)

Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

Highlander, Dominick, and General McCoy turned around at the statement that Jeannette made from the doorway. She stood in the doorway, pale, withdrawn, and frail looking with her two bodyguards standing close, the worry clearly etched on their faces.

“What makes you say that, Grandma?” Dominick stepped closer to the elderly woman.

“Cliff’s brother is another one of my cabana boys. They are twins. Still can’t get them to wear skimpy underwear. Spoil sports,” Jeannette said before she started to sway.

Highlander jumped into action. He could see what Dominick was saying now. This woman was beating herself up for what happened to his lass. It wasn’t her fault.

“Ms. Jeannette, ye are not responsible for what happened to my lass. Ye daughter is. Ye daughter is not ye responsibility once she is out of the home. I know ye and ye late husband would have done everything ye could have had ye known what was happening in the home. Like Dom stated in the waiting room, in a way, Kathy protected ye from David’s wrath had ye stepped in. Did she go about it in a selfish way, yes. But it kept ye alive and safe so that ye are here now to help us take him down while we make sure ye are protected in every way possible.”

The look of hope and despair that warred in the older woman’s eyes nearly did Highlander in. When she patted his cheeks and thanked him for his words, Highlander wanted to let the tears he was fighting fall. This was his lass’s grandmother. Behind him stood her father. His lass had a fighting chance no matter what the hell had happened to her at the hands of Cyrus.

“You said that Kathy had a watcher?” General McCoy said, getting the conversation back on track.

“Oh, yes. Clifford’s brother was keeping an eye on her. He used to be under you, apparently, General. Clifford said he and his brother served Delta when he saw you. Anyhoo, Kathy went into the house, and never came out. When we set up a delivery to the house, the twat she has in the home said she wasn’t there. I had them search the house and found a tunnel in the home.” Jeannette shifted toward the general.

“Why would she need one of those in the home? Did Kathy ever participate in any spy games or anything like that?” General McCoy looked at the small group in confusion.

“No.” Dominick shook his head. “Mom always had an escape route. It’s something to do with Dad. When she didn’t want to be bothered by him, she would send one of us in to catch his ire so she could escape him. Honestly, I’m surprised Laura was the only one she wound up pregnant with considering how many times she stepped out on Dad. Any time she found out about one of his mistresses, she cheated on him.”

“How did your father treat you?” General McCoy questioned as he looked over at Dominick.

“At first, he was great. When Laura came along, he got distant with me because I was happy that she was here. He didn’t approve that I spent my time with her or wanted to play with her growing up. Eventually he stopped coming around or having anything to do with me. He tried a few times as I got older to bring me into the fold, but I wanted nothing to do with him. When I joined the Army, that really pissed him off. I was disowned. Our family only joined the Marines.”

“What happened once you left for the Army?” General McCoy sat down in one of the guest chairs, deflating.

“They took it as free reign to mess with Laura, apparently,” Dominick huffed out, pulling one of the other chairs closer to him to sit across from the general.

“Mess with her how?”

“They wore her down. Threatened me, my career with the Army, anything and everything pretty much. They pushed her to marry the son of one of Dad’s friends who was in the Marines. Allowed the man to abuse her, mentally and physically. I didn’t know about it because she kept it from me.”

“Fucking arsehat is what he is,” Highlander grumbled, sitting down in the chair next to Laura’s bed as he held her hand as best he could.

“Yeah. He definitely is that. He beat on her, constantly put her down. Cheated on her every chance he could. Even slept with Maria and bragged about it. Because Cody has a hearing loss like Laura does, Jon refused to accept him as his son. That is why I left the Army. I found out from a frantic call from Cody shortly after we landed back in the US after a mission that Laura was in the hospital after Jon and Dad had beat her pretty bad because she refused to resign from the Sheriff’s Department,” Dominick admitted, looking over at Laura lying in the bed.

“Do you think your mother knew about the side business?” General McCoy decided to cut to the chase.

“As a son, I want to say no. To be honest, I don’t see how she didn’t with the way she has done things. I personally think she did know, but, as long as they left her alone, she didn’t care. My mother was a selfish person.”

“I have to agree with my grandson. She was always that way when she was growing up. Threw temper tantrums when told no. Grounding her didn’t work. I think, in a way, when the whole thing with David went down the way it did, I’m ashamed to admit we were glad she was being taken out of our hands and had no problem giving him the money he demanded. I’m just ashamed where the two grandkids are concerned,” Jeannette admitted, looking over at Laura’s prone body.

“Enough regrets. Now is not the time to dwell on them. We need to focus on finding these people and ending them for good. My daughter and grandchildren deserve to be safe from them,” General McCoy advised the elderly woman. “My daughter and her brother obviously love you. That’s good enough for me.”