Devoted Defender (11 page)

“They were there to question you. But I figured something went sideways with the DA, so I stalled them as long as I could. Then she came out a couple of minutes later and I got out of there before they could start questioning me.”

“Okay. Text us the address and we’ll meet you there,” Gabe said as he ended the call.

“What are we going to do?” she asked quietly.

“Pray,” Caleb said.

And that’s just what she did. All the way to the new safe house while Gabe and Caleb tried to talk about how this all could’ve happened and how they were going to move forward.

When they arrived at the new safe house, Annie went directly to the kitchen to make a much needed pot of coffee. She was surrounded by Caleb, Gabe, and Kane. The men were debating next steps. She intended to provide her opinion once they had viable ideas on the table. Right now nothing seemed very realistic—or safe. They were throwing out all kinds of plans that seemed far-fetched.

“So what about getting out of Georgia?” Gabe asked. “Hitting the road and starting to drive to get away from here? Just try to remove Annie from the entire situation.”

 “We’d have to think about what locations could make sense. We definitely wouldn’t want to go to Florida,” Caleb said.

“Why not?” Annie asked. That got her attention since she was originally from Florida.

“We need to steer clear. Silva’s cousin Damon Vaughn runs the Florida operations and he’s rumored to be just as ruthless as Silva,” Gabe said. “That would be trading one problem for another.”

Annie dropped the coffee mug, and it shattered into a million tiny pieces onto the floor. The world felt like it was closing in all around here. She tried to take a breath, but no air filled her lungs.

“Annie, are you all right?” Caleb asked.

“No.”

“Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Everything.”

Annie didn’t feel like she was standing on solid ground. As the room started to spin, she willed herself to stay focused.
Dear Lord, give me strength.

Kane was on one side of her and Caleb on the other. She realized they were both holding onto her. Had she almost fainted?

“We’ve got you, Annie,” Caleb said. His deep voice was soothing and calm. His grip on her right arm was a steadying force in her time of need.

She was safe. She had to remind herself that. But this revelation changed everything. All of a sudden she realized why things had gotten so bad. “I need to tell you all something.”

“Why don’t we sit down and then we can talk about it,” Gabe suggested.

Annie nodded, thinking that was a good idea. Because if she didn’t sit, she didn’t know how much longer she could stand. “I know now that this isn’t just about me witnessing Doc’s murder.”

“What else could there be?” Caleb asked.

Could she even form the words? She needed to put it all out there. This would put everything into a different perspective. “Caleb, remember when I told you about my mom’s boyfriend. The man I shot in self defense when I was seventeen?”

He narrowed his eyebrows. “Yeah. But what does that have to do with this?”

She took a deep breath. “That man’s name was Damon Vaughn.”

Caleb let out a low whistle and looked over at Gabe and then back at her. “No way that’s a coincidence. And the Florida connection is there. You grew up in South Florida, right, Annie?”

“Yes. South Florida.”

“Can we back up for a second. I’m completely lost,” Kane said. “Can someone fill me in so I know what we’re talking about.”

Annie took a minute and retold the story about what had happened to her. How she had shot Damon in self-defense when she was seventeen. It was actually easier retelling it than it had been the first time to Caleb. Kane was also able to pull up a picture of Damon on his phone—confirming her worst nightmares. That it was the same man from her troubled past. There was no doubt in her mind, as she stared into his eyes, that this was the same man.

“That would explain a lot,” Gabe said. “Like why Silva has put so much time and resources into finding you. Initially, you were just one of his regular loose ends. But I bet when he put out the word to his network, and Vaughn was clued in, then that’s when he decided to really go after you.”

“And now he’s using this as an opportunity for revenge,” Caleb added.

Hearing them play the theory out made it even more real for her. And more terrifying. “So how does this impact the plan?”

“Everyone stays put for tonight. The only people that know the location of this place are the people in the house right now,” Kane said. “I suggest you don’t even clue in your family, Caleb. That way we can ensure there are absolutely no leaks.”

“Agreed. For now. It’s radio silence,” Caleb said.

“Kane and I should start doing some leg work on the Vaughn angle now that we have these new facts,” Gabe said. “One or both of us will be back soon with more supplies and any updates.”

**

The next morning Caleb needed to get his head on straight. The information had been coming at him fast and furious. He couldn’t believe how troublesome the connection between Damon Vaughn and Annie was. Just when he thought things couldn’t get any more dangerous for Annie.
Lord, I need Your help. I want to be able to defend and protect Annie. But there are so many threats and I’m just one man.

He felt like their backs were up against the wall, and how they responded could change everything. There was a knock at the door and he jumped up from his seat at the kitchen table. He walked over to the front door and looked through the peephole. He let out a breath. Gabe and Hope were standing on the other side.

He opened the door. “Come on in.”

Gabe looked at him. “I know we said keep the circle tight, but I thought that given the circumstances Hope could talk to Annie about what happened with Sasha.”

“That’s a great idea,” Caleb said. Given Hope’s experience as an attorney, she might be able to provide some support to Annie that he wasn’t able to give. “She’s still upstairs. She hasn’t come down yet this morning. Honestly, I don’t think she really wants to talk to me right now.”

“Let me see what I can do. I’ll go up to see Annie and let you guys talk.” Hope smiled at him and patted him on the shoulder. “It’s going to be okay, Caleb. We’re going to shut down these guys before they can do more harm.” Hope left the two of them in the living room and headed up to find Annie, leaving him alone with Gabe.

“Is she freaked out over the bomb?” Caleb asked him.

“She knows that I have a high risk career. But of course she was worried. And not just for me, for all of us.”

“I’m sorry to have brought you into this.” He was putting his best friend in harm’s way. And he didn’t like that one bit.

“I know you’d be there for me in the same way in a heartbeat. Just like you’ve been in the past. Don’t worry about me. I’ve got your back,” Gabe said.

“Thanks, man.”

“Kane and I have been working most of the night trying to pull together files for intel on Vaughn. Everything we know about Damon Vaughn.” Caleb handed him over a large manila envelope. “It should give you some more insight into this guy. But from what I’ve read, I’m telling you it’s not pretty.”

“Let me guess. He’s just as bad as Silva?”

Gabe nodded. “If not worse. But Silva currently has a tighter grip on controlling the entire organization. I spoke to Kane again a few minutes ago, and there have actually been rumblings that Vaughn wants to run the whole show one day.”

“A coup?” Caleb asked.

“Maybe. But according to intel, nothing is imminent. Maybe Vaughn is just hoping for a peaceful transition. Silva’s got almost twenty years on him.”

“Are you comfortable with Kane and this entire DEA angle?” Caleb now felt it was his job to question everything and everyone. He couldn’t afford to be blindsided again.

“Yes. I know that Kane’s the real deal. He won’t jeopardize Annie’s safety.”

“Given that we’re completely off the grid at the moment. Do you think Mike is up for the task of holding down the fort in Maxwell?”

“Sure. I know he’s a little cranky, but he knows the ins and outs of Maxwell better than any of us. Better be careful or he won’t want to give the power back to you upon your return.”

Caleb couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah. I know. We had a rough patch when I started as chief, but he’s all good now. He’s actually been very supportive for the past year. He’s got his eye toward retirement in a couple of years anyway.”

“Once Hope finishes up with Annie, I’m going to go and run down a few more things I wanted to check out on Vaughn.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“How do you think Annie’s doing?”

“She’s upset about Vaughn for sure. But she doesn’t even realize how strong she is. And she’s clearly still mad about what happened with Sasha.”

“That’s why I thought bringing Hope over might help. I knew Annie was distressed after the meeting with Sasha. And rightfully so.”

“And you know one thing that’s been bothering me?”

“What?”

“Why was Atlanta PD there at Sasha’s office?”

“Maybe Sasha told them when the interview was taking place with Annie and they wanted to play ball?”

“But I specifically had an agreement with her, no cops,” Caleb said. “I would like to think that a prosecutor wouldn’t lie like that.”

“You’re right. Her setting up Annie would be totally inconsistent with her sterling reputation.”

“We already know that there is most likely someone in the FBI on Silva’s payroll. But even if there is an FBI mole, how would they have known about the timing of the interview?”

“Just another reason for us to be extra cautious.”

**

Annie sat on the edge of the bed beside Hope. Hope wasn’t the person Annie had expected when she’d heard the knock on the bedroom door. But, man, was she glad to see her.

“When Gabe told me all that had happened, I thought it would be good to come and have a chat with you. I can help give you the lawyer perspective on all of this.” She paused. “But even more importantly than that, I know what it’s like to need a friend in a rough time. And as great as the guys are, sometimes they just don’t get it.”

Annie was grateful for Hope reaching out. Even though she knew Hope couldn’t solve any of her problems with Sasha or the Atlanta PD, just being there and listening was important. “Sasha seemed inherently suspicious of everything I was saying. Like all of a sudden I was under a microscope and she was trying her best to pick me apart piece by piece.”

“That’s just the lawyer talking. When a lawyer is conducting an interview—any interview—if they are any good at their job, they will ask probing questions, because even if a detail or fact seems insignificant in your mind, it could have a legal implication for the case. I wouldn’t take her pushing you on questions as her not believing you. Sometimes lawyers push just to confirm that the witness is truthful, that their story is consistent and could hold up in court.”

“I think if it would just have been that, then maybe I would’ve been okay. But when she told me that McCoy had pointed the finger at me for Doc’s murder, it just sent me over the edge. I totally lost it. I know the guys think I’m totally crazy, but I couldn’t help it.”

“As your friend, I can totally sympathize, and I’m sure the guys don’t think you’re crazy. If anything, they think that you’re amazing for being able to handle every single thing that has been thrown at you. I can speak from experience, though, I don’t want you to feel like Sasha was personally attacking you. She was just doing her job. Seeing how you reacted to his allegation was part of her legal analysis. During the interview every question she asked was to help gain information and evaluate your credibility. After she gets all the facts from all the people involved, she’ll make her decision about who she believes is telling the truth. And I know I haven’t known you for that long, Annie, but you present yourself as an honest person. You make eye contact when you talk to people, you speak clearly, you answer questions with real answers not the run around. Sasha is a top notch prosecutor. I have no doubt that she will get to the truth—and that will include McCoy being prosecuted and you being a witness—not a suspect.”

“Thank you for saying all of that.”

“I wanted to say it because I believe it’s true and that it’s helpful for you to hear my take on things, but I’m also here to listen to you vent. Not as a lawyer, but as a friend. So lay it on me.” Hope laughed.

Annie almost got teary at Hope’s kind words. If she got through all of this alive, she prayed that she and Hope could stay friends. “I’m running out of steam, and I felt like Caleb didn’t really get why I was so upset. He and I come from such different worlds. He grew up in a stable home with loving parents and siblings. I was an only child with a drug addicted mother.”

“Your upbringing shaped you, Annie. No doubt about it. But it doesn’t have to define you. It seems to me that you’ve done really well for yourself, and you’re used to doing things on your own. Believe me—I was the same way. You and I are a lot alike.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. I grew up very poor. There were many days when I didn’t know if I’d have anything for dinner. That impacted me so much, and on top of that, or maybe as a result of that, my mom was an alcoholic. She chose to spend what little money there was on booze instead of food.”

“Really?” Annie asked. “I would’ve never thought that you’d had a tough childhood. You’re so put together.”

“Far from it. At least for many years. Oh, I’ve had some difficult times in my life. I had a career plan. I threw all of my time and energy into law school, into getting a job at a top New York law firm. I thought that if I got to the top of the firm, it would make me more than I was. But I realized that I was fooling myself. I was looking for worth in all the wrong places. Growing in my faith really helped me become the woman I am today. And honestly, Gabe helped me a lot too. His love for me made me realize that I was okay just the way I was. And that all the struggles I went through made me a unique person who had truly lived life.”

“Sounds like the two of you have something very special. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Hope said.

“What made you take the leap with Gabe?”

“I was scared initially because I felt like I had to give up so much to be with him. But then I realized I wasn’t giving up things that mattered, that what was important was the love I had for him. He was willing to leave Maxwell and come to New York with me, but I didn’t want to go back to that life. I wanted to start a new life in Maxwell. One that didn’t revolve around defining my worth over the number of hours I billed at the firm.”

“Well, my career is obviously different, but I can relate. I throw myself into my work, and I know that I use it as an escape. When I’m in the kitchen the rest of my problems don’t invade that space. It’s my safe zone.”

“You don’t have to give up what you love doing, Annie. It’s just a matter of perspective and not running from the very good things that might be right within your grasp.”