Authors: D. Anne Paris
Driven By Love
Driven by Love: Heirs of Orion Book 1
by D. Anne Paris
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are all work of the author's imagination. Any kind of resemblance to actual people or events are purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 by D. Anne Paris All rights reserved.
No parts of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or reproduced, scanned, copied, or distributed in printed and electronic form without written permission from the author.
First Edition, May 2016
Published in the United States of America
This one is for my Mom.
Wherever you are, Mom, I hope you are living out all the adventures that you read about.
FOR MY READERS
Be sure to visit my website
www.danneparis.com
to sign up to receive new release announcements and subscriber-only goodies!
Table of Contents
Corporal Dean Miller was used to the dry desert heat of Iraq during his service. He now struggled to adapt to the humidity of the North Carolina summer as walked from one side of Fort Bragg to the other. As he opened the door to a small out building, he felt an uncomfortably cold blast of air from the AC that someone left running too high. Dean adjusted the AC to a more reasonable setting. He sat down and fumbled with the laptop as he connected the call.
“So how badly did that bitch screw you?” Keith Brinks asked his long-time friend over the video conference.
Dean rubbed the bridge of his nose. Leave it to his former commander to ask such a question bluntly. “Hello to you, too, Sgt. Brinks.”
Keith Brinks’ face wrinkled. “None of that 'Sargent' crap. My marching and saluting days are over.”
“And, yet, you're still barking orders.” Dean said with a smile to lighten the mood as he reminded himself that it wasn’t his fault that Keith lost his foot during one of their missions while protecting him. The sacrifice ultimately ended his military career.
Dean took off his sweaty hat and wiped the moisture from his brow.
“I don't need my stripes to boss you around, kiddo.” Keith grumbled back with a smirk.
Dean raised an eyebrow “'Kiddo?’ I'm five minutes younger than you. Your old lady is really turning you into an old man, you know that?”
“Well, I see you're not in prison, so I take it the court martial went well?” He turned the conversation around as he sensed the real reason for the call.
Dean looked down for a moment as his expression turned heavy.
“I'm free all right. I guess that's good news, but it still doesn't change what happened out there.”
“What about Alexandria?”
He leaned back against the chair and ran his hand over his crew cut. “Last I heard, she was being prosecuted by the FBI. She hasn't tried to contact me at all. No calls, no letters, not a damn text message.”
“I'd count that as good news. I told you from the beginning to stay clear of her. Those Shep Ops people are just mercenaries with their own agenda. Just because regs didn't ban it doesn't mean it was a good idea, Dean.”
Keith really knew how to not hold back and show that he was still right. Part of him would always be his commanding officer. “She had me fooled, Keith. I thought she was different, but it turns out I was wrong and I got stabbed in the back.” Dean said as his cool demeanor broke briefly with the painful memory.
“So what are you going to do now? Your tour is up in couple of weeks right? Are you staying on or getting out?” Keith asked as he took a swig of his coffee.
“It's up next month. There's a whole lot of ugly out here that really needs fixing. There aren't too many Marines that can do what we do.” It was true that the Marines could get the job done but both Dean and Keith had special powers that made them more unique in the team. Dean’s ability to tag people and track them along with his uncanny knack to open any kind of locked door made him an incredible asset on his team. Keith’s interrogation skills and astral projection talents came in handy on more than one occasion.
“It's hard to walk away.” He had wrestled with his decision on what to do once the trial was over. He was a Marine to the core and it would be hard to pull out knowing that he could do a lot of good out there. Still, he dedicated years of his life to the service and after this trial it made him rethink his path for the next few years. He was out on all sorts of missions halfway around the world while his sister dealt with one crisis after another. Fortunately, Keith moved into the same city as Jeri when he came back to the States and was able to help her during what was the most horrible time of her life.
Dean couldn’t understand how she was able to deal with the death of their grandmother, the person who raised them after their parents’ deaths. He and his older brother both had issues coping with that while overseas. On top of that, Jeri had infertility issues, and the mounting debt from failed treatments followed by a bitter divorce and spiteful ex-husband who almost exposed her gift of helping vegetation grow. Somehow Dean knew that Keith had something to do with keeping Jake’s mouth shut. Any one of these events would have sunk anyone into a dark depression. Yet, from what she and Keith told him, she was doing fine. Still, he felt guilty she had to deal with all that by herself.
“Dean, we all went in with good intentions.” Keith’s voice broke his thoughts. “We all thought we were fighting for our freedom. We all thought we were doing something worth our lives, but look what's happened. We tore that damn country apart. All we are doing now is making some rich assholes in D.C. even richer. Besides, the team has taken a lot of heat with this whole court martial. You might be spending the next few years stuck behind a desk anyway.”
Dean felt his stomach churn at the thought. That was the last thing he wanted to do. “What would I do after I get out? The economy isn't exactly booming.”
Keith held up his hand and counted his fingers. “Security, law enforcement, private investigation, self-defense instruction…”
“Maybe those jobs are in the city where you are, but if I came back I’ll be living with Jeri for a while, and I don’t think there are a lot of those jobs out in the country where she lives.”
“What about General Green? Do you want to keep dealing with him? You know he's not the only one interested in our special team. Our secret is out, Dean. We've all started drawing the wrong kind of attention. I've told everyone on the team that asked my opinion. Get out and get off the radar ASAP.” Keith’s statement was so absurd that it made Dean want to laugh. “I also think it’s too coincidental that most of us on ended up on the same team.”
“Ease up on the conspiracy theories, will ya, Keith? We've had plenty of folks looking out for us. No one has been all that interested in us before. I am sure it's not that bad.”
“That was before Ramadi. What we pulled off there grabbed a lot of attention. I really think we are about to be victims of our own success. A lot more people have been taking interest in how we handled that situation and want to know more about us. This incident with Alexandria is bound to take that to a whole new level.” Pointing at the desk, he leaned closer to the screen. “Look, I don't have that many contacts on the inside, but those that I do are telling me that now would be a great time to get out and disappear.”
Over the years, Dean learned to read Keith pretty well and his tone and expression told him that he didn’t just make this shit up. His friend always looked out for the interest and safety of everyone on his team, both in the field and even back at home.
“I need to think about it.”
“Look, you don't need to settle for a boring life.” Keith spoke as if he could picture the doubt in Dean’s mind. “There are plenty of bad guys here at home that need a good ass kicking. There are also plenty of women that won't frame you for murder like your ex did. Plus, you can finally spend some time with Jeri. She misses you a lot and she’s a hell of a cook.” He smirked.
Dean couldn’t help but smile. He also felt that he’d made up his mind about his future. He just hoped that it was the right decision.
The black sports car zipped down the normally calm highway and growled as he hugged the curves of the road. There was not a cloud in the sky and the sun’s rays gave a gentle warmth, making the day perfect.
Anne Stevens savored the feel of the wind as it blew through her hair, her hands on Hawk’s steering wheel. Today was a great day to remove Hawk’s t-top windows and savor the warmth. It would have been easy to just turn on the air conditioning, but she wanted to feel and smell the country air that she grew up in. Her brown sun-kissed hair danced as the wind threaded its way in and moved it like a puppeteer. As she glanced at the rear view mirror through her tinted sunglasses, she saw that her police escort was still behind her.
Too bad.
It would have been fun to show them how her “old” sports car could lose them. Maybe another day she’d give them a good chase that they would be able to talk about for years afterwards.
Letting go of the wheel, she closed her eyes and
reached
out to Hawk and entwined her energy with his. They became one, and Anne could see the road from his perspective and guided him towards the town.
As they approached another curve, they slowed down as they came closer to the town. Anne opened her eyes and took hold of the wheel, even though Hawk was really the one who was in control.
There were crowds on both sides that screamed and shouted as the caravan drove by. Anne waved at them as they approached the bridge that led them to town. As she drove over the bridge, the scent of fresh water penetrated her senses. How many times did she swim in that wonderful water? Even in June the water could sometimes still be cold but it always refreshed her when she took a dip.
At the end of the bridge, they slowed down even more as the police escort in front of her moved over to the right lane and she followed. There were hordes of people everywhere behind a police barricade. Everyone cheered and waved as they saw the black sports car.
“Got to love being popular.” Anne muttered as her lips curved when she read some of the signs that people held up. Hawk’s engine roared in annoyance as they inched closer to town. “Hey, it’s okay, they won’t jump on you.” she reassured him.
When they reached Port Street, the police escort turned down the road. The police stationed at the street moved the blockade out of the caravan’s way and they drove down to State Street, which led them to the beach. The wave of crowds continued down the street as they inched their way to the FreshSand Ballroom. The roar of screams overpowered Hawk’s monstrous engine and Anne smiled as she felt a bit of jealousy from her longtime friend. Hawk always had her all to himself and ever since her rise to fame, he had problems adjusting to that.
“I know you don’t like it, Hawk, but this is who I am now.” She rubbed the wheel gently as if he were her pet. “Remember, you have to behave. Don’t cause any trouble, okay?”
The engine roared in reluctant agreement as they drove beside the river. It felt like forever since the last time that she was here. The last five years of her life just flew by, and it was hard to believe how much things changed for her since she left her quiet little town. Her tiny little race stunt turned into a huge acting career and made her a blockbuster actress. In her last movie, she was cast as a superhero who inherited special powers from outer space. Fans worldwide loved it and in turn loved her even more.
Scripts fell into her lap almost every day, and one in particular made her take notice and piqued her interest. The location was not set when she first read the script, but she was able to convince the producer and director to film in her home of St. Joe. It just seemed like a perfect place for a mother to run and hide her child away from the world. She always felt like she was safe there—invisible to the outside world.
Her family was ecstatic that she was coming home again and that their little town would be featured in a big film. The whole town was buzzed with the news that their hometown girl was coming back and staring in the leading role. Businesses anticipated a larger crowd in town and stocked up to fill the needs of all the additional visitors. Restaurants created new drinks and named them after the movie and her as well. Her heart swelled when she thought of all the new income that would come to everyone who lived there and how it would help the town tremendously. Even though she left to go pursue her career in acting and lived in LA, her heart still belonged in St Joe. Maybe that was why she bought a house in town, even though she didn't actually stay there since she bought it.
A pit fell in her stomach when she thought of what she would say when she saw her father, Kenneth Stevens. Since their gifts were an inherited trait that was passed on to him from his father, he was fiercely protective of his children and did everything he could to keep their “gifts” a secret so they could lead a normal life like he did. When they probed him to find out from where their grandfather inherited his powers, he told them he had no idea and his father never wanted to talk about it. “Just keep it a secret.” he would constantly tell Kenneth.
That he did, and his children had no idea that Kenneth could travel through time until Anne started to exhibit her power to control cars. They all wanted him to take them into the past, but he refused, saying that he no longer used his time traveling powers and his children learned to just accept that and move on.
It was no surprise to Anne that he didn’t take it very well when she told him she was moving to LA to pursue a career in acting. He was even more furious when Anne pulled her younger sister Missy into modeling, which made her an instant success because of her visual persuasion power. Just one look and she could make anyone do anything even through a photograph--the person just had to look into her eyes and they were her puppets.
They turned another corner and Hawk stopped in front of the Ballroom.
“Be good.”
The wipers went on and off as she threw her sunglasses on the seat and grabbed her clutch purse. Hawk’s door was opened by a valet who looked like he just got his license. The suit was at least two sizes too big and his dirty blond hair was gelled so much that Anne swore it would catch on fire if he passed by an open flame. He probably was the son of some local politician and won the opportunity to valet her car and maybe even get a joy ride out of it. Boy, did he pick the wrong car for that.
Her long, sculpted legs slid out from the slit of her satin teal dress as she got out of Hawk. “Take care of my baby.” she purred to the valet. “He’s a very special car.” The valet nodded his head and slightly quivered as she walked towards the crowd. The warm breeze off the lake pressed her dress tightly against her body, making her feel like a goddess.
In an instant, two bodyguards flanked her and scanned the area She remembered her agent Jacob Metes told her that he hired one to be her personal bodyguard and the other one was hired by the studio. W
hat did Jacob say his name was? Dave? Dan?
The crowd behind the barricades waved to her as she approached them. The sound was more deafening than a sonic boom. Camera shutters moved faster than an express train and Anne was sure that the internet bandwidth dropped as everyone uploaded the photos on their social media accounts.
Young and old alike screamed out her name, which made her heart swell. This was where she grew up, her hometown and everyone she knew her whole life was there cheering her on. Anne finally achieved her dream, to be known around the world and to make people happy by just seeing her. Out of all the events she attended, this welcome home party meant the most to her.
A small blonde girl in a wheelchair caught her attention. She clutched her action figure doll. As she walked over to her both of the body guards followed her close behind.
The girl’s mouth opened as Anne crouched down in front of her.
“Hi, what’s your name?”
The girl’s mouth opened but she couldn’t muster up a word. Her mother rubbed her shoulder and nudged her.
“Maddie.” she croaked out.
“That’s a very pretty name for such a sweet girl.”
“Can she get a picture with you?” Maddie’s mother asked as she took out her smartphone.
“Sure.” She wrapped her arm around her and smiled as the mom took the picture.
“Thank you.” Maddie said as she let go of her.
Another girl next to her shoved a picture in front of her to sign. She grabbed the pen she autographed the picture. The sound of cheers and camera clicks never died down.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the body guards glance through the crowd for possible threats. One of them caught her eye and she quickly looked back at him and felt her breath hitch in her throat.
Good-looking was definitely an understatement. His pristinely-pressed black suit hung perfectly on his body. His face must have been chiseled by God himself and his lips just screamed temptation. Anne wondered how they would taste if she grabbed hold of his perfectly cut dark brown hair and brought his lips down to hers. With the sun out in full force, he wore dark sunglasses, which made her wonder what his eyes looked like. Why would someone that attractive want to have a job where they put themselves in possible danger?
Another photo popped in front of her, and she was brought back to reality. She smiled and kept autographing items and posed for so many selfies, she lost count.
A gentle tap on her shoulder made her swing around and see her publicist, Cindy Stans, looking aggravated.
Anne knew that look. She wasted too much time with the fans and she had to move on. With one last wave to them, she moved back towards the Ballroom.
“Nice touch. That will definitely get more people viewing this next movie. Good for your image, too.”
“I really wasn’t going for that, Cindy.”
“I know that.” She patted her arm in reassurance, “Still, keep it up. It will get you far.”
As Anne walked towards the building that housed the Ballroom she could see the lights of the indoor carousel blink as the carousel awaited her arrival. Her mother told her about the new attraction which housed a ballroom, kid’s museum and an indoor carousel and helped bring in tons of new tourists every year. The carousel and ballroom were part of the town’s history, which dated back to the start of the 1900s and was the ideal place to welcome home the town’s grand star.
The security guard opened the door for her as she approached, and Cindy and the bodyguards followed. As she glided in she was engulfed in a bombardment of flashes and camera clicks as the mayor walked over to her and shook her hand to welcome her back.
“Welcome back, Anne, to your hometown!” his voice boomed over the voices and camera clicks.
With that, he led her to the double doors on the right and the smell of fresh popcorn made her mouth begin to water. The mayor took her around and showed her the whole carousel, which showed the history of the town, major landmarks, and companies. Anne was amazed at how beautifully built it was and how the horses and animals seemed to look alive. After she posed for more pictures, she was greeted more city council members and other committees, groups and business owners, most of whom she remembered.
Her facial muscles groaned as she kept her smile plastered on her face for all the pictures and autographs. There were so many people she greeted that she felt like she personally said hello to everyone in the town. While she shook another councilman’s hand, her eyes glanced around the room to see where the rest of her family was. Helen Stevens would never miss this event and Anne had a hunch that she was probably somewhere in the background making sure that everything was perfect. Her father hated events like this, so she wouldn’t be surprised if he stayed home to get the barbeque ready for the family and friends party her mother planned for the evening. Her brother, Daniel, texted her the night before that he would be there as long as there wasn’t any IT emergency that he had to fix. Elle, her close cousin who grew up with them, was part of the event committee and made sure that nothing was missed. Missy, her supermodel sister, should have been there by now.
As the camera flash went off, Anne caught a glance of her mother in the background. Helen was a striking woman even for being in her fifties. Her fiery red hair still held its vibrant color and her gentle smile welcomed everyone as she walked and greeted each person she met.
Even though Helen did not grow up in the town, she still knew everything and everyone. She talked to Don the baker one minute and the next minute she mingled with the school principal. She enjoyed all the attention as much as Anne did. The pride she felt for Anne could clearly be seen on her face and she didn't try to hide it.
As she finished her conversation with another business owner, she excused herself and moved in her mother’s direction, only to be stopped by her father’s good friend and Chief of Police Stan Whitman.
A moment later, her mother walked up and placed her arm around Anne, and gently squeezed her.
"Stan, didn't I tell you that my little Anne would put this town on the map?"
"Mom..."
"Yes, you did, Helen! I was just telling her how we all are happy with the extra business this movie is bringing in."
Helen squeezed her daughter even tighter and then stopped and looked at her attractive bodyguard. "Oh, hello, Dean!”
Anne spun around to face him, her neck craned so she could look. “You know him?”