Angel: A Linear Tactical Romantic Suspense Standalone Read online

  Jordan looked at Violet now. “Thank you for allowing him to provide system access to me. Coding comes pretty naturally, but I’m inexperienced, which means there’s a lot I don’t know. Gabriel has taught me so much.”

  The door to the kitchen swung open as Jordan finished the last sentence. Charlie walked in, grinning. “Oh, please tell us more about what that big Navy SEAL has taught you. I bet a lot more than just about computers.”

  Peyton Ward followed behind Charlie, shaking her head at her friend’s outrageous statement. Peyton’s four-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Jess, was already zooming past her mom and Charlie to Jordan’s side.

  The little girl smiled up at Jordan, the perfect mix of angelic and impish. “Got anything extra up there?”

  Charlie walked over and tried to shoo Jess out of the way with her hip. “Get in line, kiddo. Pregnant ladies get the leftover treats first.”

  Jess scrunched up her little face. “Aw, c’mon, Aunt Charlie, you said that yesterday.”

  Charlie grinned down at her. “And guess what? Still pregnant today.”

  “Fine. But only because I’m going to be this baby’s sister-in-law one day.” Jess leaned over and kissed Charlie’s still nearly flat stomach.

  Jordan looked over at Peyton, then Charlie, who both just shrugged. Jess and Ethan, Finn’s eight-year-old son and soon to be Charlie’s stepson, had already decided they were going to marry each other.

  Those kids were so damn serious when they talked about it, no one had the heart to tell them it might work out otherwise. Not that they would listen anyway.

  Jordan handed Charlie and Jess each an éclair. Peyton leaned up against the wall, looking tired as she always did. Jordan offered her a pastry too, but Peyton shook her head no

  They all moved to the front of the bakery so Jordan and Violet could finish their work. Peyton and Charlie both started to help but were shooed away. Jess was allowed to wipe down the cabinets at her height with a wet washcloth.

  “Tell me more about your Navy SEAL,” Charlie said with a grin as she licked cream filling from her fingers. “And all he’s teaching you.”

  “Please don’t,” Violet begged. “He’s my brother, you know.”

  “Yeah, but look at her smile!” Charlie yelled. “That’s a smile of a woman who’s getting what she wants and needs.”

  Jordan could feel the heat covering her face, but she still couldn’t wipe off her smile. Charlie was right; she was getting what she wanted and needed.

  Plus, she was getting stuff she hadn’t even known she wanted and needed. Companionship, respect, intellectual stimulation. And dates. None that involved another chartered jet or trip to Los Angeles, but still just as perfect.

  They’d gone to some extravagant places that had made her a little uncomfortable, but also a lot of fun places. Bowling. Movies. Hikes. She’d loved all of it mostly because it was time spent with Gabriel.

  And all those dates had mind-blowing sex at the end.

  But yeah, she wasn’t going to talk about that out loud, even if Gabriel wasn’t Violet’s brother. Jordan just wasn’t ever going to be a sit-around-and-gossip-with-her-girlfriends type. That had been so distant from her life over the past ten years that she didn’t think she would ever develop the habit.

  But it was nice to have girlfriends. People who noticed when you smiled.

  “Let’s talk about the wedding. Less than two weeks to go,” Jordan said as she began to close out the register.

  “Ten days,” little Jess chirped. “Mommy made me a countdown calendar. I’m going to be a flower girl. Ethan’s going to be a junior groomsman because he’s too big to be a ring bear.”

  “You’ll be beautiful.” Jordan didn’t correct her mispronunciation of “bearer.” “And Ethan will be a handsome groomsman.”

  “I’m still mad that you won’t be a bridesmaid,” Charlie muttered.

  Jordan just shook her head. She and Charlie had talked about this multiple times since Charlie and Finn had gotten engaged. Everyone in the entire town would be there. Jordan would be there too, but she didn’t want to take a chance on messing up the beautiful day by standing up in the front of the church.

  Hopefully, no one would do anything thoughtless to ruin a wedding just to humiliate her. She had to admit that people hadn’t been as actively hostile over the past two months. Even the weekly poop throwing against her house had stopped.

  She didn’t think it was anyone truly changing their tune about her; more likely it had to do with the fact that every time she stepped foot out of Fancy Pants, one of her friends or the Linear guys was with her. They wouldn’t let her go to the next town over to buy gas or groceries anymore. Instead, they marched her into the local shops.

  They never made a big deal out of it, never rubbed it in the shop owner’s face or confronted them. They just quietly moved with Jordan as she shopped, then stood and talked with her as she paid.

  Jordan didn’t like it. She was uncomfortable and would rather just leave it alone.

  “Why are you doing this?” she’d whispered to Zac and Anne the first day they’d patiently walked her into Oak Creek’s grocery store. Except for the one time with Gabriel, Jordan hadn’t stepped foot in there.

  Zac put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s like I told Gabe. The way Oak Creek has treated you is not who we really are. The people here know that, but they’d rather hang on to their anger than do what’s right. You’ve been nice enough not to force them to deal with it.”

  Quiet Doctor Anne took Zac’s hand. “But they have to. They’re the problem in this town. Not you, Jordan.”

  She had ended up with a bunch of groceries she didn’t even need in an effort to just get out of there. But Mrs. McMillian, the owner of the store, hadn’t said anything—negative or positive—as Jordan paid. When Jordan had gone back the next week, this time with Aiden as her escort, it had been a little easier.

  She was finally feeling like this town was home again. She was on the inside for once, instead of being the kid outside with her nose pressed up against the window, looking at all the happy people inside.

  An “us” rather than a “them.”

  For the first time, she was feeling like she had something like a family.

  She finished her duties at the bakery, laughing and talking wedding plans the whole time, before driving home. It was early afternoon and Gabriel was gone until tomorrow night, but she had lots of stuff to work on. For the first time, everything in her life seemed to be working for her rather than against her. Her already huge smile grew as she bounded up the steps; she knew she must look like an idiot, but she didn’t care.

  It was the smile of a woman who was getting what she wanted and needed.

  Maybe things really had turned around. And maybe the women were right; she did deserve some happiness for once. The past was behind her. It was time to look to the future.

  She balanced the piece of French opera cake she’d kept aside especially for Gabriel in one hand as she unlocked the front door and went inside.

  A figure sat at her kitchen table. The dessert fell from nerveless fingers.

  “Hello, Jordan. Daddy’s home.”

  Chapter 23

  Jordan watched in horror as her father walked over and picked up the box she’d just dropped. “Now, now, don’t waste those lovely desserts you make at your little bakery.”

  “What are you doing here?” The question came out weak and hoarse. She’d never expected to see her father again.

  “Can’t I come visit my daughter?” He reached out to touch her, but she jerked away.

  “No.” Her voice was stronger this time. She owed absolutely nothing to this man. She had family, but this man was not it.

  She reached for the phone in her bag. “I’m calling the police.”

  She wasn’t prepared for his backhand to her face. She tasted her own blood as the phone fell from her hands.

  “I’m your father. Show some respect.”

  “You hav
en’t been my father since I was fourteen years old. Haven’t been my father since you stole from the people in this town that Mom and I loved so much. You’re nothing but a selfish asshole.”

  Jordan had never spoken in that way to anyone her entire life. But she’d never been this angry in her whole life.

  How dare he? How dare he come back here and expect any loyalty from her. Even looking at him made her sick to her stomach.

  She expected another blow at her words, but instead his gaze filled with a sort of begrudging respect.

  “Look at you, all grown up, complete with claws. I should’ve come back here months ago. But honestly, I didn’t have any use for you until you started hanging out with Collingwood. Is he your target?”

  “My target?”

  “He has millions. Much more than anybody in this town ever had. If you’re smart, you’re thinking about how you might get your hands on some of that.”

  Jordan wiped the blood from her lips, shaking her head vigorously. “I’m not trying to steal from him. I love him.”

  Michael threw back his head and laughed. “Love him? You really think someone like him is going to get serious about someone like you?”

  She flinched, saying nothing. She couldn’t deny that she’d had those very thoughts herself.

  “Although . . . he does love to take you out, doesn’t he? I’ve been watching, Daughter. Lots of dates. Fancy places.” He spun around and gestured to the computers. “And he certainly has been generous with what he’s brought you here.”

  “What do you want?” she whispered. She just wanted to get him out of here so she could call the police. Maybe she couldn’t stop him right now, but she could at least let law enforcement know that Michael was in the area, and maybe they’d be able to track him.

  He turned from her and started pacing. “I always hated this town. I did love your mother, that’s why I forced myself to put up with it. But when she died, this place became unbearable for me.”

  “So you just decided to steal everyone’s retirement funds and run off?”

  He let out a sigh. “If I had known how pitifully little I would get, I probably wouldn’t have wasted my time. Half a million dollars doesn’t last as long as you would think. Especially when you’re on the run.”

  “It was $622,000.”

  Michael’s smile was slimy. She hated that she was related to this man.

  “I saw your little sticky note. I thought you were on the straight and narrow until I saw that. Then I figured you were just trying to get more money from Collingwood. I set the standard for you, and you want to surpass it.”

  She shook her head. “I’ve been working to pay back that money to the people of Oak Creek. You’ve ruined some of their lives. I wanted to make it better. To replace the bad you’ve done.”

  Michael rolled his eyes. “Jesus. You sound just like your mother. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you took after her. I had hoped being in prison would have given you a more realistic outlook on life, but apparently not. I guess we’ll have to do this the hard way.”

  She was tired of playing his games. She wanted him out of her house. “What are you talking about?”

  “I was hoping you were using Collingwood as a mark. Actually, both of the Collingwood siblings as marks. I was impressed. Now, knowing you actually care about them, I’m not so impressed.”

  “I don’t care if you’re impressed or not. I just want you to leave.”

  Michael shook his head. “I came here hoping to help you with whatever scam you were pulling with Gabe.”

  “I already told you. I’m not pulling any scam with Gabe.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I see that. What a waste. But you’ve got access to him, so you’re going to help me run a scam instead.”

  Now it was Jordan’s turn to laugh. “I wouldn’t help you scam a terrorist, much less someone I care about.”

  “Oh, I think you will.”

  A chill settled on her skin. “I won’t do it. I don’t care what you do to me, I still won’t do it.”

  “Oh, I think you will. I’ve been watching you with them.”

  “You’ve been following me? Following my friends?”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you think I would really come back here without some sort of plan? And you were key, one way or another. Although, I’ll admit, I was sort of hoping we could work together.”

  “Like I said, there’s no way in hell I’m going to help you steal from Gabe.”

  Michael walked over and opened the kitchen drawer with a familiarity that chilled her even more. He grabbed a picture of Charlie.

  “This is Charlotte Devereux, isn’t it? I hear she’s pregnant.”

  Jordan felt like she was walking through a minefield. “What are you doing?”

  Michael picked up her phone from the ground and held it out to her. “Why don’t you text your friend and make sure she made it home safely from the bakery.”

  Oh God. She snatched her phone and began texting Charlie.

  Are you all right?

  She waited for a reply, tension radiating through her body. Then, finally . . .

  How does everybody in this town find out stuff so damn fast? I’m fine. My brakes went out, but I got the car under control before I hit anything. We’ll chat later when Finn isn’t about to lose his mind.

  Jordan couldn’t hold back her cry and brought her hand up to cover her mouth. “What have you done?”

  “Nothing.” He shrugged, the epitome of innocence. “Like your friend said, she’s fine.” He turned and began to pace. “Do you know what’s wrong with having loved ones, Jordan? Those feelings can so easily be used against you. We’d all hate for something to happen to Charlotte or her unborn baby. Just like we’d all hate for anything to happen to Violet or Anne or little Jessica. But accidents do happen. You know that better than anyone, don’t you, Daughter? I mean it was an accident, what happened to Becky and Micah Mackay. Wouldn’t it be terrible if something happened to Zac Mackay all these years later just as he’s found love again? My God, that’s the sort of thing Greek tragedies are written about.”

  Fear gripped her heart like a vise. “What do you want?”

  “I want the same thing you do, for nobody to get hurt. Believe it or not, I haven’t just been sitting around here taking pictures and playing Peeping Tom. A colleague discovered a potential weakness in the Collingwood Technology computer system, a back door that will allow me to drain some of their accounts anonymously. I was hoping to make this a long-term gig in which you and I could work together. We could’ve taken the money more slowly, and they never would’ve realized what we were doing. We would’ve gotten a lot more that way. But it doesn’t look like that’s an option. We’ll just have to do a grab and run.”

  “I’m not going to help you steal from Gabriel.”

  “That’s your choice. I’ll just make a quick call to Allan Godlewski. He’s a pretty helpful guy.”

  Her stomach clenched. “Allan is working with you?”

  “Godlewski isn’t my normal caliber of partner, but after someone attacked him in the woods and broke his nose a couple of months ago, he pretty much hates this town as much as I do.” Michael studied his fingernails. “But the guy is a little unstable. Violent even. That’s a shame.”

  Michael looked up, eyes narrowed. “One call to him, Jordan, and someone you love will die today.”

  A sob bubbled up inside her. “What do I have to do?” She would make sure her friends were safe, then worry about the money.

  “You’ll have to get into the operating system at Collingwood Technology. Shouldn’t be difficult for someone with your computer skills—or hell, use other favors to get access from Collingwood if you need to. I’m sure if you show up, he’ll be very glad to see his sweet girlfriend, and you’ll figure it out from there.”

  It never occurred to her father—because he thought like a criminal—that Gabriel had trusted her enough to provide her Collingwood Techno
logy system access from here. She didn’t have to go all the way to Idaho Falls. But she wasn’t about to let Michael know that. If he knew, he might think of all sorts of other ways for her to harm Gabriel’s company.

  She just had to buy as much time as possible, then figure out what to do from there.

  Michael snatched her phone out of her hand, threw it on the ground and stomped on it. “Just in case you were getting any ideas. It doesn’t have to be Anne Griffin my partners go after. What about Bollinger’s son . . . what’s his name? Ethan?”

  She looked at the man whose DNA she couldn’t believe she shared. “Why are you doing this?”

  He shrugged as he turned away. “Just business. That’s all it’s ever been. Get ready to go. We’re driving to Idaho Falls.”

  Jordan shook her head, knowing the fact that this man cared so little about her shouldn’t hurt her, but it did. Some part of her—the little girl in her, the daughter—had always held on to the hope that there had been some mistake, that maybe Michael hadn’t robbed the people who knew and trusted him.

  That hope was now dead.

  She looked over to the fridge for her shotgun. She would have no problem using it against him. But it wasn’t there.

  Michael turned. “Why are you still standing there? Do you want your friends to get hurt? It’s completely up to you.”

  She had no way to warn them. All she could do was go along with her father’s plan and hope she could stop it before it damaged the business Gabriel had spent most of his adult life building.

  “Let’s go.”

  Chapter 24

  Every time Gabe walked into the CT office, there were a thousand fires to put out. But it was worth it, considering he was commuting long-distance and only coming in three days a week at most. The rest he handled via email and correspondence from Oak Creek.

  Ian DeRose’s offer to buy the company, split just as Gabe had wanted it, had been sitting on his desk all day.