Control (Harper Security Ops #18)

Four

FOUR

Ty

I never thought learning the difference between theory and reality would be so difficult.

It was one thing to tell myself I’d never give a second thought to someone who had the power to betray me in the worst way imaginable. It was easy to sit back, removed from that situation, and insist I could easily walk away and never look back.

But when faced with that reality, when walking away meant looking back on good times, memories, hopes, and dreams for the future, and knowing I had to leave all of that behind like it didn’t matter, it wasn’t so easy.

All the thoughts I’d had last night before finally falling asleep had resurfaced when I woke this morning.

It was a wonder I’d gotten any sleep.

Even feeling like a zombie in the physical sense, my mind was still so capable of tormenting me.

My inability to drift off easily last night had been two-fold.

The first issue had been my phone. It rang more times than I cared to admit. The text notifications continued to pop up on the display. Evangeline had called and texted repeatedly. I listened to two voicemails and read six or seven texts before I decided to turn off the phone. There was nothing Evangeline could say that I wanted to hear. There was no justification or explanation she could provide that would change where I stood.

And that’s what led to the second thing that kept me tossing and turning for most of the night. Without the constant distraction of my phone buzzing on the nightstand beside my bed, my mind had the time to wander.

I couldn’t stop recalling seeing another man in my woman’s apartment, especially after she’d told me she was going to be busy studying for her exam. Weeks had gone by with me believing that she was putting her focus and energy into something that would further her career.

It had all been a lie I so easily believed. How had she done it? How could she lie like it was nothing?

Somehow, by some mercy or miracle, I eventually drifted, but when I woke up a couple of hours later, all those thoughts came back with a vengeance. I couldn’t stop picturing Evangeline in her robe, nothing on beneath, and a man who wasn’t me standing half-naked just a matter of a few feet behind her.

The deception, the dishonesty, was far too much. And the last thing I wanted to do was sit and wallow all day. Evangeline didn’t deserve that level of distress from me. I owed it to myself to find a way to move on, to forget about all of it as quickly as I could, no matter how difficult it was.

For now, that meant finding anything I could do, anything to distract me. My mind took me to the first thing that had given me a reprieve from Evangeline’s deception—the accident.

Or, more specifically, Alana.

Going to check on her at the hospital seemed like a reasonable excuse to forget about my broken heart.

And now that I was here, I was quickly learning I might get more of a distraction than I had initially anticipated.

My expectation was that I’d walk in, find her there with some family or a boyfriend, and I could simply spend fifteen or twenty minutes there while confirming she was doing okay.

I hadn’t gotten that.

Instead, I walked into a tense and uncomfortable situation that was bordering on hostile. To say I was unsettled would have been an understatement.

The woman who’d just been standing at the foot of Alana’s hospital bed had left, so she and I were the only two remaining. All I had wanted to do was find out how she was doing after yesterday’s accident, and now I was thinking I might need to be asking other questions.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to figure out how to start the conversation, because Alana broke the silence. “Ty, what are you doing here?”

After how traumatizing things were for her yesterday, I was still baffled that she’d remembered my name. “I wanted to come by and see how you were doing. I didn’t know for sure if you were going to be admitted, but on the off chance that you had been, I decided to call and asked what room you were in.”

“That was really kind of you to do,” she said softly.

I shrugged and waved my hand in the air dismissively. “It’s no big deal.”

“Well, it means a lot to me.”

When she said nothing else, I asked, “So, how are you doing? Is your foot okay?”

Her eyes left mine and glanced down at the end of the bed. After she returned her attention to my face, she answered, “Well, it is now. But I had to have surgery on it today.”

“Are you kidding? I guess you were right about it yesterday when you said something was really wrong with it. Surgery doesn’t sound good.”

She shook her head, a small smile playing at her lips. “No, I guess not. But when I consider the alternative and realize it could have been worse, it’s difficult not to feel a touch of gratitude.”

“I think it’s great you can have such a positive attitude about it. So, are you going to be in here for a while?”

“I get to go home tomorrow. Hopefully, in the morning.”

Glancing around the room, I didn’t notice anything that indicated someone else had visited other than the woman Alana had clearly kicked out of her room. “Do you have a ride home?”

Surprise littered her features. “Oh, yes. Yeah, my parents were here earlier. I sort of had to force them to go home.”

“You forced them?”

A rush of air left her lungs. “Would you like to sit down?”

I hadn’t anticipated staying long enough that grabbing a seat would be necessary, but considering this was the best I’d felt over the last day, I decided it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to stay. “Sure.”

Once I’d grabbed a seat, Alana explained, “My mom is easily the most nervous, anxiety-ridden person in the whole world. Her daughter winding up in a car accident and needing surgery as a result does not help that. So, once I got out of surgery and got the all-clear to have some food, I asked her to make me my favorite soup of hers.” Alana waved her hand toward her foot. “Giving my mom something to do to distract her from this and the reason for it helps her to not get so caught up in whatever is going on inside her head.”

Nodding my understanding, I teased, “Well, then I guess it’s a good thing I happened to be there when you got into the accident and not your mom.”

Her eyes widened as she considered the possibility. “Oh, man. I definitely wouldn’t have remained anywhere near as calm as I did. Then again, if my mom had been with me, I never would have wound up in the accident to begin with.”

My brows drew together. “Are you a bit of a reckless driver when you’re by yourself?”

She pressed her lips together in a way that made me think she’d regretted saying what she’d just said, like she had revealed far too much information. “Not exactly,” she squeaked.

“I don’t understand.”

Alana remained silent for several beats, her eyes eventually shifting toward the door. Returning her attention to me, she asked, “If I tell you, and my parents happen to walk back in here, you have to promise me you aren’t going to say anything to them.”

Having just gone through what I had with Evangeline, I wasn’t exactly sure how I felt about Alana’s plan, or need, to deceive her parents. I didn’t like the idea of being pulled into a lie. But since I owed nothing to her parents, nor was it likely I’d ever see them or Alana again after this hospital visit, I figured it’d be harmless. “I promise.”

I’d barely gotten those two words out when Alana shared, “I was working.”

“Okay. And you make a living as a race car driver?”

She laughed and shook her head. “No. No, I’m a reporter.”

“The weather wasn’t bad, so I know you weren’t storm chasing. Why were you speeding?”

Alana’s throat moved with the deep swallow she took. There was something unsettling in her gaze, an uneasiness that had the protective instincts that came naturally to me kicking in.

“Do you live here in Steel Ridge?”

“I do.”

“Have you heard about the recent death of Annette Sanders?”

Something twisted in my gut. I didn’t know why, because Alana hadn’t given me any real information to make that so, but I’d heard about what happened to Annette Sanders. It was impossible to live in this town and not know about it. From what I knew, she’d been murdered, her head likely pushed beneath the surface of the lake until she drowned, and nobody had been implicated with her murder yet.

“Are you telling me you’re investigating the murder of Annie Sanders?”

She sighed. “At first, I wasn’t. But two weeks ago, my coworker who had been reporting on the story and doing some investigative journalism wound up being attacked. She was brought to the hospital and is currently intubated and sedated, so her body has time to heal. Apparently, she has a major chest wound. She hasn’t woken up yet, so I took on the story. I need to get to the bottom of it and figure out what happened.”

I gave myself a minute to put everything she’d just told me together. And I didn’t like the conclusion I drew as a result. “Was someone chasing you?”

“I’d been spotted. I’ve been working on figuring out what happened to my coworker, Yasmine, so I’ve been going around and retracing her steps. Just moments before I wound up in the accident, I stopped to get gas. I was minding my own business, pumping my gas, when a man approached me. He walked up and told me that I needed to stop asking questions and drop this whole thing, because I wouldn’t get another warning. I watched him as he walked away, climbed into the passenger’s side of a black SUV, and waited there. I was panicking on the inside, but I tried to remain calm. I put the pump back, got in my car, and drove off. But that man and whoever was in the car with him followed me. I started to freak out, and I had this thought that I’d be able to outrun them. I didn’t want them following me home. All I could think to do was drive as fast as I could. But I’m not a regular speed demon, so I lost control of my car and crashed.”

Suddenly, the way Alana reacted immediately after the accident made sense. I had chalked it up to shock, but now I wasn’t so sure that was the case. She had been fearful for her safety. She’d been threatened.

Yesterday, I happened to be there right when Alana got into her accident. Had the same thing happened today? Did I arrive at the hospital when someone who was connected to this whole situation showed up uninvited to her room?

“The woman who was here when I walked in,” I started. “How does she fit in with this?”

Alana tipped her head to the side and assessed me. “What would make you ask about her?”

Sending a dubious look her way, I answered, “I heard you yell at her when I arrived. It was sort of difficult to miss.”

Sadness filtered into her features, her expression solemn. “That was Rita. She’s my producer at the network.”

“And you were yelling at her?”

Alana let out a frustrated sigh. “Rita gave me the permission to take the lead on the Annie Sanders story, which I insisted would help us figure out who was responsible for hurting Yasmine. I’ve been doing all sorts of digging for the last two weeks, but then this happened. And Rita showed up today to tell me that Dale, the news director for the station, has decided that nobody on the team would be looking into this moving forward. He’s concerned for my safety.”

Some of the tension I’d been feeling instantly evaporated. “Well, that’s great. At least you won’t have to put yourself in harm’s way again.”

If it was possible, I was convinced Alana would have shot daggers out of her eyes at me. “It’s not great, Ty.”

“It’s not?”

She shook her head. “I can’t leave the truth uncovered. I can’t pretend my coworker isn’t fighting for her life. I can’t just act like a woman wasn’t murdered and there aren’t any suspects. Someone has to ask questions and seek answers. Someone has to search to uncover the truth.”

I couldn’t say I didn’t find her determination and dedication to the cause admirable. With so many conflicting stories that came out of the media across the nation daily, it was nice to know there were some who were in it for the right reasons. I respected her grit and tenacity. There was just one small problem. “And you think this is good at any cost?”

“I do.”

“So, what are you going to do now that you’ve been told you can’t?”

“Take a few days to recover from this surgery, be glad I get a walking boot, and pray that when I return to work in a couple of days, I’ll be able to convince Dale that he’s making the wrong choice.”

“And if he doesn’t change his mind?”

Alana hesitated a moment, defiance swirling in her eyes. “Then I’m going to have to do it on my own after hours.”

Well, it seemed that I’d now have to be involved. No way could I sit back and do nothing with her prepared to take on something like this.

I reached into my pocket, pulled out my wallet, and slid out a business card. Standing, I stepped close to the bed and held it out to Alana. Part of me did it because it was just in my nature—I didn’t get into my profession for no reason. But there was another part of me that led me to pulling out that card. I was intrigued by this woman’s sense of loyalty to the cause, to her need to find the truth. That was something, now more than ever, that I could absolutely get behind. Truth and honesty.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“That’s my card. I work for a company called Harper Security Ops. Given what you do, it’s likely you’ve heard the name.” She gave me a slight nod in return, a hint of disbelief in her expression. “I work as part of the bodyguard and private security unit, but I have access to resources and private investigators within the company. If there’s anything I can do to help you find out what happened to your friend and get to the bottom of the Sanders case, I’d be more than happy.”

She licked her lips, her eyes roaming over my face as she gripped the card tightly in her hand. “Thank you, Ty. I… I really appreciate that.”

“Of course.”

“So, you’re a bodyguard?”

I laughed, sat back down, and confirmed, “I am.”

“How cool. Have you worked for anyone especially famous?”

My lips twitched. “Ever hear of the band My Violent Heart?”

Alana’s eyes widened in shock, her lips parting slightly. “No way.”

I dipped my chin. “I actually work with Killian Scott’s brother.”

“He’s a bodyguard, too?”

I laughed again. “No, Nixon is part of our kidnap and ransom team.”

Shaking her head, the disbelief still evident, she murmured, “What a small world.”

For the next little while, I stayed in Alana’s hospital room with her, regaling her with tales of moments working with the band. I hadn’t intended to stay as long as I did, but I was laughing. And considering how my night had been last night and the devastation I’d woken up feeling this morning, I thought that was a great place to be.

I was having such a good time, I wound up staying long enough to meet Alana’s parents. When they walked into the room, confusion and a touch of hesitancy washed over their faces.

Fortunately, Alana didn’t make them wait. “Hey, Mom. Dad. I’d like you to meet someone.”

Her mother’s eyes widened in surprise. I didn’t know what she thought Alana was going to say, but she was certainly in a state of shock.

Alana hesitated a moment before she shared, “This is Ty Weaver. He’s the guy who was there with me when I got into the accident yesterday. He made sure the ambulance was called, and he didn’t leave until they loaded me up. Ty, these are my parents, Sherry and Norman Wolf.”

“Oh, my God,” Mrs. Wolf cried, making her way toward me and taking one of my hands in both of hers. “Thank you so much for staying there with her and making sure she wasn’t alone.”

“You’re welcome, Mrs. Wolf. I’m glad I was there at just the right time.”

“I wish I would have known you were going to be here. I would have brought you a gift of thanks. Oh, I know, you can stay and eat. I made Alana’s favorite. It’s my creamy chicken, spinach, mushroom, and tortellini soup.”

“I appreciate the offer, but that’s for Alana,” I said.

“Nonsense. There’s plenty here. I made extra for her to have at home with her once she leaves here, but I can make more later. Please have some. It’s the least we can do to thank you for what you did for her.”

I slid my eyes to the side and looked at Alana. She was smiling at me helplessly and shrugged her shoulders. “She’ll be upset for weeks if you don’t let her thank you in her own way.”

Looking back at Mrs. Wolf, I said, “It looks like I’m having some soup.”

She clapped her hands and turned around, moving back toward her husband and rummaging through the bag he’d carried in and set down. As she worked on that, Mr. Wolf came in my direction and held out his hand. “Thank you for taking care of my daughter until the paramedics arrived.”

I took his hand and shook it. “You’re welcome, sir. I don’t really need any thanks, though. I’m sure anyone else in my shoes would have done the same thing.”

“But it wasn’t anyone else. It was you. And I’m grateful.”

I gave him a nod in response.

A moment later, Mrs. Wolf had ladled out some soup into bowls, and after I’d taken a few bites and complimented her on it, she asked, “So, Ty, what is it that you do for a living?”

“Oh, I’m a bodyguard. I work for a company called Harper Security Ops.”

“I’ve heard of that place,” Mr. Wolf said. “Lots of talk about that company in the news, and it’s always been good.”

I smiled. “Yeah, we try to make a difference.”

“You’re a bodyguard? Do you think I could hire you to be with my daughter when she has to go to work? It makes me so nervous to see some of these stories she covers.”

Laughing, I promised, “If Alana is looking for a bodyguard, I’d be happy to help.”

Alana’s eyes were dancing as she pulled her spoon out of her mouth. Her mom sighed. “Ugh, she’s never going to agree to that. My daughter thinks she’s invincible.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, Mrs. Wolf, I have to tell you. Based on what I’ve learned about the extent of her foot injury, she really was a trooper yesterday. You’ve obviously raised one heck of a woman.”

“That’s kind of you to say. And I know she’s strong. I just wish she didn’t have to be in such dangerous situations, sometimes.”

“Sherry?” Mr. Wolf called.

“Yes, dear?”

“I think Ty gets it. For now, maybe we want to wait until Alana’s back at work before we start looking to hire someone to look after her,” he suggested.

Mrs. Wolf was clearly offended. “I’m being nice, Norman. I don’t think it’s wrong to be friendly with the man who saved our daughter’s life.”

He let out a sigh, resolving himself to the fact his wife was going to say her piece. I was amused, and when I focused my attention on Alana and saw the way she was looking at me, something warm spread through me. And though it was delicious, that warmth had nothing to do with the soup.