Signs of Love (5 page)

When they’d fled their home, she’d been limited in what she could take. But he had his tablet, and along the way she’d picked up a bucket full of Legos. Now that they were settled in one place, he also had all the books he could want from the nearby library. It didn’t seem to bother him that his mattress sat directly on the floor instead of a bedframe. Nor did he seem at all concerned that his clothes were put away in plastic drawers instead of a real wood chest of drawers.

When they’d moved into the apartment ten months ago, Alana had given him the bedroom since she’d be staying up later than him most nights and needed to be able to work without keeping him awake. Though she did keep her clothes in a set of plastic drawers in his room, she slept each night on the daybed in the living room. It had been left by the previous occupants and she’d put it to good use once she’d replaced the mattress. It wasn’t much, their little apartment, but it
was
theirs.

Since they’d moved around for the first year or so, finally putting down roots had been a blessing. She’d used up all the money she’d saved before leaving Florida, so it had been necessary for her to find some work and she really could only do that once they had settled down somewhere. Plus, she’d needed to start teaching Caden, and homeschooling while they hopped from town to town had been challenging. Since setting up their home in Minneapolis, Caden had thrived with his schooling.

And things had actually been going very well. Though the church hadn’t been part of her life when she’d left Craig, she’d made friends with a woman at one of the shelters where they’d stayed who had shared about her faith. It had amazed her that someone who had gone through something similar to her had such peace and joy. She had wanted that for herself.

Since settling in Minneapolis, she’d found a church with a strong deaf ministry and quickly got involved. The church even gave her a small salary to sign during the church services. The rest of her money came from doing things on the internet. She had a blog and an email list where she featured books that were on sale each day. She was able to earn some money through affiliate sales that way and also through some advertising spots on her blog. Freelance writing jobs that she acquired made up the balance of her income.

They wouldn’t be able to survive on just one of those things, but all together, they generally brought in enough money to cover rent, the few bills they had and groceries. She also tried to put aside a few dollars each month…just in case.

It certainly wasn’t how she’d envisioned her life unfolding, but at least now she and Caden were both safe. And they’d stay that way as long as she didn’t let Justin into their life. She’d meet with him this once and after that, she’d only agree to see him when she was at Beth and Daniel’s. Never again would she allow herself to be in the position where a man could use his strength against her. Justin had Craig beat in the muscle department, and she sensed the underlying tension in him that was just like her ex had exhibited.

God had given her a brain, and she intended to use it when it came to dealing with someone like Justin.

~*~*~

“Something on your mind?”

Justin looked up from the mat where he’d landed flat on his back after Alex Thorpe had managed to get the better of him. Normally, Marcus was the only one who could do that to him. When Alex held out his hand, Justin took it and came to his feet.

“Seriously,” Alex said, concern in his blue eyes, hands on his hips. “Is there something going on? Because I really doubt I’ve improved that much.”

Justin walked over to a nearby bench and grabbed the towel he’d left there earlier. He used it to dry the sweat on his face before looping it around the back of his neck, holding onto each end with his hands. “Just dealing with some personal stuff.”

“Personal stuff?” Alex arched a brow as he reached for a towel. “Dude, did you go and get yourself a personal life? A girlfriend, maybe?”

Justin gave him a frustrated look. Alex and his sisters were the only ones in the company who knew his history and his connection to Marcus. He was kind of surprised Marcus hadn’t shared anything with Alex since the two of them were best friends. “No. No girlfriend. Just stuff going on with Beth.”

Concern crossed Alex’s face. “She okay?”

Justin picked up his phone and checked the display as he nodded. “Yeah. We’ll work it out.”

He felt Alex’s hand on his shoulder and looked at him. The man had obviously gotten the hint that he didn’t want to talk about it.

“Well, if there’s anything I can do, let me know.”

That would never happen, and they both knew it. “Sure. I’ll do that.”

“I expect you to keep the upper hand next week or we’ll be doing coffee so we can chat.”

“Well, that’s definitely an incentive,” Justin said with a laugh.

Alex grinned. “I figured it would be.”

As the other man walked away, Justin flipped his phone over and over in his hand. There was still no text or call from Alana. He wondered if she was going to back out and found himself feeling strangely disappointed at the thought.

“Hey, Justin!”

Justin looked up to see Dan walking toward him, dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase. Though the BlackThorpe compound was heavily secured, he had put both Dan and Beth’s names on the approved list of visitors so they would be let in without a hassle. They didn’t visit often, but Dan had come by a few times to work out with him.

“Dan,” Justin said as his brother-in-law came to a stop in front of him.

Dan’s gaze went from the top of Justin’s head down to his feet. “I swear you just keep getting bigger and bigger, man. You really should share the wealth, you know.”

“You want the muscles, you gotta do the work. I ain’t gonna hand you anything I’ve worked for,” Justin said with a grin. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the other man. “What’s up? I’m sure you didn’t come all this way just to admire my physique.”

With a sigh, Dan nodded. “You’re right. I do have a reason for bearding the lion in his den.”

Justin arched an eyebrow at that comment. “Everything okay with Beth and Genevieve?”

“Yes. All things considered.” He motioned to the bench. “Can we sit for just a minute?”

Trying to ignore the tightness in his chest, Justin sank onto the hard surface of the bench. “What’s on your mind?”

Dan stared out at the room, his profile tense. “I realize now that perhaps Beth and I made a mistake when we didn’t include you sooner in what was going on with Genevieve.”

The pressure in Justin’s chest increased. “You’re her parents. There was no need for me to be included.”

Dan turned to look at him, sadness in his gaze. “You know that’s not true. You love Genevieve as if she was your own daughter.”

Justin couldn’t maintain eye contact with his brother-in-law, so he looked over to where a couple of guys were sparring on a nearby mat. He wondered if Dan was recalling the moment they had placed newborn Genevieve in his arms for the first time. It had been a long labor for Beth, but Justin had stayed in the waiting room the whole time. And when they’d finally come and got him, his own exhaustion had thinned the cover he usually kept over his emotions. He’d taken one look at the little girl’s face and cried.

He’d cried for the hugs from his parents she’d never experience. He’d cried for the fun she’d never have with his more easy-going and fun-loving siblings, all of whom would have doted on her. He’d even cried for the cousins she’d miss out on having. And he’d vowed to be everything she’d be missing in her life since it was just him and Beth left in their family.

“Justin, Beth and I made the decision out of equal parts concern and selfishness. And I want to apologize for that. We should never have kept that information from you.” Dan lifted his briefcase onto his lap and opened it. He reached in and pulled out a folder. “I want you to have these.”

Justin took the folder and gave Dan a curious look. “What is it?”

“These are the results of all the tests Genevieve has had done. I know you’ve probably been trying to research on your own, but you won’t know what to look for if you don’t know what tests she’s already had. You’re welcome to go to a doctor and see what they say about the test results. I wish I could tell you that their answers will be different from what we’ve heard, but I think that’s highly unlikely.”

As he flipped through the thick stack of papers, Justin saw a lot of terms he didn’t understand but give him a couple of days and he’d have it figured out. “Thank you, Dan. I really don’t want to step on your or Beth’s toes in this situation, but I just can’t process this without more information. I just need…to understand.”

Dan slapped his back. “I get that. I put myself in your shoes—something I should have done on day one of all this—and knew I would need more than just some vague information to work through it all.”

Not for the first time, Justin realized just how glad he was that this was the man his sister had married. He was a decent guy and since he worked for the FBI, he understood a lot about what BlackThorpe did. In fact, Marcus had tried on more than one occasion to woo Dan to the company. Dan was smart and super tech savvy. While Trent was their computer guru, Dan was all that and also very knowledgeable about all the latest gadgets used by the good
and
bad guys. A lesser man might have been intimidated by Justin’s presence in Beth’s life, but Dan had accepted him without question, understanding that in a way, they were a package deal.

“Does Beth know you’ve given this to me?” Justin asked as he lifted the folder.

“Yes.”

The text tone sounded on his phone, and Justin glanced down to where he’d put the phone on the bench beside him. He couldn’t really read the text, but he’d leave it to reply to once Dan had left. “Is it okay if I ask you questions once I’ve read it.”

“Certainly.” Dan cleared his throat. “But it might be better if you direct those to me instead of Beth.”

“Understood.”

“Well, I’d better get home. Hope you’ll join us for supper again on Monday.”

“As long as nothing comes up work-related, I’ll be there.” Justin got to his feet when Dan did and shook the man’s hand.

“Good. See you then.”

Justin stood with his arms crossed, folder tucked under his arm, as he watched Dan make his way from the workout room. Armed with more information, he was eager to get in front of a computer as soon as possible. He and Google were going to be spending some quality time together.

As he bent to scoop up his phone, he remembered the text message and pressed the button to activate the screen. Sure enough, it was a message from Alana. She wanted to meet at three o’clock the next afternoon at a restaurant not too far from Beth and Dan’s house.

He quickly typed out an offer to pick her up. So far he’d come up blank in a search for her address. Apparently, Alana Jensen had no driver’s license, which might explain why she took the bus everywhere. She also didn’t appear to be employed anywhere, nor was Caden enrolled in a school that anyone could find. While he realized it was possible she was homeschooling him, what was she doing for money?

And that was the main reason he was meeting with her. Two and two were not adding up to four in the case of Alana Jensen. He needed to find out why.

CHAPTER FIVE

It didn’t surprise Justin that the text that came back almost immediately was to decline his offer. That was fine. He had other ways to find out where she lived that he hadn’t explored yet. Sooner or later, he’d have her address in his hand.

Before leaving the gym, Justin tapped out a quick message to Trent Hause to let him know he wouldn’t be available the next afternoon if he and his fiancé, Victoria, planned to come out to the compound to shoot and spar as they usually did on Saturday afternoons, unless they wanted to come earlier.

Trent’s reply came quickly.
Got a date, man?

Justin rolled his eyes as he walked into the changing room.
Nope. More important things to do.

Oh, my friend, you really should make time for a woman in your life.

Sure, Trent would feel that way. He was engaged to a great woman. The first time Justin had met Victoria, who also happened to be his co-worker, Eric McKinley’s younger sister, he’d been a bit curious about her. Given that she had a form of dwarfism that no doubt made life a bit more challenging for her, Justin had wondered about Trent’s desire to teach her to shoot. But then he’d gotten to know her during her visits to the compound, and he quickly realized that Trent would do absolutely anything for her. He was glad his co-worker had found a woman that made him happy.

That didn’t mean Justin was in any rush to find a woman for himself. His last relationship had ended a couple of years ago. She just hadn’t been able to deal with the time he put into his job. He’d accepted Marcus’s offer of a job because it paid well, and he’d needed a way to provide for Beth. In spite of that—or maybe because of it—he’d worked hard to prove that he deserved the job. That meant long hours and spending most nights of the week at the compound and no time for a social life outside his family.

Maybe one of these days. In the meantime…I’ll be there next Saturday to keep you humble.

I look forward to it.

Justin pulled a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt on over his workout clothes. He grabbed his duffle bag and left the change room. He lifted his hand to the few remaining guys in the gym before pushing through the door to the long hallway that led to the stairs. He took them all the way down to the basement and then followed the tunnel that led between the buildings. And then it was back up another three flights of stairs to his small apartment on the third floor of the barracks building.

There were three other apartments on the floor. All fairly sparse in décor and furniture, just as his was. The other apartments were usually reserved for overflow from the barrack-style rooms on the second floor. Occasionally, they were used for important visitors or if they had a married couple in for training. His was the furthest away from the staircase.

Natural light flowed into the hallway from the large glass windows that lined the wall to his left. He pulled his keys from the pocket of his duffel bag and let himself into his apartment. All he planned to do was shower and change before heading back down to the cafeteria. He didn’t always have that option on the weekends, but they currently had a group in who were there for a solid two weeks, so they had staff come in to cover the meals on the weekends. Justin was happy with that since it meant he didn’t need to try to drum up meals for himself in the small kitchen of his apartment.

Justin’s stomach rumbled appreciatively as he walked into the cafeteria and got a whiff of what was cooking. Thankfully, BlackThorpe didn’t skimp on the food they provided for the groups that came to train.

After getting food and something to drink, Justin found an empty table and sat down. He pulled out his phone to check for any emails that might have come throughout the afternoon. Between bites, he followed up on a couple of inquiries about possible training dates later in the year. He’d just sent the email when his text alert went.

You available to spar tomorrow?

Justin grinned when he saw the text was from Than. That must mean the man was back from his adventures in the Philippines.
When did you get back?

Haven’t landed yet, but feel the urge to punch something.

Justin chuckled. It looked like two weeks with Lindsay Hamilton had been more than Than could handle.
I have a meeting at three but could meet up with you around noon if you want.

That would work. Thanks, man.

Justin set his phone down and picked up his fork. Once he was done with his meal, he gathered up his dishes and stood. After placing his tray on the counter by the kitchen, Justin left the cafeteria and returned to his apartment.

He made himself a cup of coffee and took it to his desk where he opened up his laptop and then laid the folder from Daniel next to it. He hoped that the contents would help give him direction when he went to look for a cure for Genevieve. Between the file of information and the planned meeting with Alana the next day, Justin felt more in control than he had since that day almost two weeks ago when Beth and Daniel had dropped the bombshell on him.

~*~*~

Alana slid into the booth the hostess led her to.

“You’re waiting for someone?” the woman asked as she set a laminated menu down in front of her and then one across from her.

Alana nodded. “He might ask for me. My name is Alana.”

After the woman had left, Alana rubbed her palms along her thighs that were covered by the long denim skirt she wore. This was the last place she’d wanted to be, but she was a woman of her word.

“Hi! I’m Hope. Can I start you off with a drink?”

Alana looked up to find a petite woman standing next to the booth, a wide smile on her face. “Could I have a glass of water and tea?”

“Sure thing. I’ll be back with those in just a minute.” She gestured to the other menu on the table. “Is someone joining you?”

“Yes. He should be here in a few minutes.”

Alone again, Alana gazed out the large glass window beside the booth. She had purposely chosen mid-afternoon to meet Justin so she could get away without having to order a meal. She bit her lip. Never before in her life had she had to watch her pennies so closely. Her parents had been well-off, but when their seventeen-year-old daughter found herself knocked up and decided to keep the baby, they’d quickly cut her off. She’d had no choice but to marry Craig, who, at twenty-three, was out of college and already doing fairly well at his job as a computer programmer along with some modeling on the side. Of course, his family was well-off so even without his work, he’d have still lived comfortably. The fact that he’d gone to college and then got himself a job–despite having a trust fund—had been a point in his favor, and even though he hadn’t been the most generous man, she’d always had enough money to buy the things she and Caden needed.

The past year had been a crash course in couponing and stretching a dollar. Most the time she was okay with it and sometimes even relished the challenge, but lately, as Caden had begun to ask for things, it had become more than a challenge. It didn’t help any that his eighth birthday was three months away, and she’d be lucky to be able to get one thing from the list he’d already given her.

The other stress from it all was trying to keep up the pretense around people. None of her friends from church—people like Beth and Daniel—had any idea of her financial circumstances. She never invited anyone over for coffee. She never accepted the offer of a ride home. She didn’t want anyone’s pity. Or worse…their charity.

She alone had made the decisions that had brought her to this point, so she alone would be the one to deal with the consequences.

“Alana?”

Alana jumped at the sound of her name and turned from the window to see Justin sliding into the booth across from her. His short dark hair looked damp like he’d taken a shower right before coming. He had on the same black leather jacket he’d worn the last two times she’d seen him, and she wondered if it concealed his weapons.

Before she could say anything, the waitress returned and slid a glass of water along with a small teapot and mug onto the table in front of Alana. The woman then turned to Justin and Alana watched as she smiled at him, the dimples in her cheeks prominent as she said, “Hi, there. I’m Hope. Can I get you something to drink?”

Justin glanced up at her. “Coffee, please.” Once the waitress left, he said, “Have you ordered already?”

Alana shook her head. “I already had lunch.”

Even as she said it, she willed her stomach not to growl. In reality, she’d been too nervous to eat anything but a granola bar before leaving the apartment. There was leftover spaghetti waiting for her and Caden once she picked him up.

“Well, I hope you don’t mind if I order something. I’m starving.”

As he picked up the menu to look at it, Alana took the time to study him. She still found it hard to believe he and Beth were related. Never mind just being different genders, they were opposites in pretty much every other way too. Beth was bubbly and outgoing while the only smiles she’d seen on Justin’s face had come when he’d held Genevieve. And he looked to be about twice the size of his sister. He still hadn’t taken off his jacket so Alana figured that he was, indeed, armed. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it, but he didn’t strike her as a man who would shoot someone or something without provocation.

Suddenly he looked up, and his intense blue gaze met hers. Alana felt a flush rise in her cheeks, but she fought the urge to look away.

“What’s the verdict?” he asked.

Alana clasped her hands in her lap. “The verdict?”

“I could feel you studying me like I’m under a microscope.” He said the words without any inflection. Just a statement.

She should have known that with a job like his, he’d be acutely aware of what was going on around him. “You’re very different from Beth.”

His eyebrows rose slightly at her response. “Yes, that’s true.”

Then it was her turn to feel like she was under the microscope. It was only fair, she supposed, but that didn’t keep her skin from heating and her stomach from clenching.

“Do you have any siblings?”

The question took her by surprise. She hadn’t anticipated having to answer any personal questions during their meeting. This was supposed to be about Alana’s experience with hearing loss and how that related to Genevieve.

“I have an older brother and sister.” Neither of whom cared about her the way that Justin obviously did for Beth.

“Do they live here?”

“No.” Knowing what the company Justin worked for did, she wasn’t all that keen to give him too much personal information. He could likely find out all he wanted about her without much trouble. If he hadn’t already.

She sucked in a quick breath. Had he checked out her background? Now that she thought about it, it made sense. After all, she’d seen how overprotective he was with Beth. He would want to make sure no one in Beth’s life presented a danger to her or Genevieve. The thought that he might already know the ugliness of her past made her nauseous.

“Have you decided what to order?” Hope, the waitress with the dimples was back, smiling broadly at Justin.

He looked at Alana. “You sure you don’t want anything?”

“I’m fine.”

Alana felt a rush of relief when he turned his attention back to the menu. She had to get this meeting back on track. She’d promised Beth and Daniel she’d try to help Justin understand what was going on. But that hadn’t included talking about herself except in relation to her experience with hearing loss.

“I’ll have the double cheeseburger with fries and a bowl of the chicken noodle soup. And a vanilla milkshake.”

Alana fixed her tea with significant amounts of sugar and cream before taking a sip of the hot liquid. Hopefully adding more calories to the beverage would calm her stomach.

Once the waitress was gone, Alana said, “I’m sure you’ve been doing some research on hearing loss in children. Do you have any specific questions about it?”

Justin stared at her. His expression hadn’t changed, but Alana didn’t doubt for a minute that he knew what she was doing.

“Actually, Dan came by yesterday and gave me copies of all the tests Genevieve has had done and what the doctors have said about it so far. I spent some time searching on the internet last night.”

Alana nodded. “The most difficult part of Genevieve’s diagnosis is that what caused it is unknown. I know Beth and Daniel are both concerned about future children also having hearing loss even though it doesn’t appear to be a genetic form of deafness.”