“How long ago was this?”
“About two years.”
I nodded. “I can finish the story. Collins, or Mills, not knowing what else to do, eventually contacted my security company with the directive to find you and bring you to justice, knowing you could claim you weren’t responsible all you wanted, but all the physical evidence still pointed to you.”
“If he even wanted to bring me to justice,” Galloway said. “A desperate man will do whatever he needs to save his neck, and saving his neck may just mean slitting mine. Not to mention, this case was deemed closed years ago. I have a feeling he used his position in the CIA to get you to do his dirty work, then silence me.”
“You really think he would have killed you over this?” Mackenzie asked.
“I don’t think, little bug. I’m fairly certain of it. And that’s where we still are today. Unless I find who’s really pulling the strings here, it’s my word against what everyone’s been led to believe.”
“And where is Mills now?” I asked.
“That’s the million dollar question, son. His ex-wife and her husband have been murdered, their deaths attributed to Charlie. His son took a leave of absence from his job back in March…around the same time you lost contact with the man you knew to be Benjamin Collins, I presume.”
“Sounds about right,” I muttered.
“I just think there’s something fishy going on here, and that Mills isn’t the one ultimately responsible for all of this. I could be wrong, but I’ve learned to always trust my gut. Whenever I haven’t, I’ve regretted it. So if my gut tells me to look for someone other than Mills, we look for someone other than Mills, someone with tremendous resources to pull something like this off.”
“Who do you think it is?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but it must have some sort of connection to my time in Bosnia. I plan on going through my notes of everyone I ever came into contact with over there, every asset we had, to get to the bottom of this.”
“So what do we do?” Mackenzie pushed.
“We don’t do anything. Tyler needs to focus on getting better after that nasty accident, and you need to focus on that baby.”
“I have a whole team of people who can help track this guy down,” I offered.
“And I appreciate that,” he replied calmly. “But I don’t think it’s necessary.”
“It isn’t? Why?” Mackenzie interjected.
“Because he’s looking for one person, and one person alone.”
“No,” she breathed, covering her mouth to hide her quivering chin.
“He wants me? Well, he can have me. I’m not going to remain hidden away and put anyone’s life at risk anymore.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. “You know I love you very much, don’t you?”
“And I love you, too,” she choked out. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, Dad.”
“And I’ll do everything in my power to make sure it doesn’t, but nothing’s a guarantee. Just do your old man one favor first.”
“Anything.”
“Let me walk you down the aisle and see you get married.”
She nodded, wiping at her tears. “Of course.”
Mackenzie
I STOOD JUST INSIDE the foyer of the ridiculously opulent house in Palm Beach that Tyler and I had been staying at for the past several weeks. After he was discharged from the hospital, Eli returned to Texas to try and make sense of the story my father had told us. We, on the other hand, stayed away from home, away from any reminder of the bigger problems that we would soon have to face head-on.
“Is it time?” Melanie asked, looking back at me, her green eyes wide and rounded. Her dark hair was curled and styled for the occasion. She had been so excited when we asked her to fill this role for us today and had spent most of the morning practicing.
“It is. Go ahead, sweetie.” I smiled at her in her frilly white sundress with pink and yellow flowers adorning it.
She flashed her adorable smile, showing where she was missing a tooth, and walked out the front door and onto the picture-perfect white sand beach. Despite the jitters in my stomach, a sense of serenity washed over me as I glanced out the large floor-to-ceiling windows and absorbed the scene in front of me. The sun was setting behind the extravagant house on that late November day, casting the beach in a beautiful pinkish glow. There was barely a person in sight…except for the small group of friends and family who had dropped everything and flew out here to be with us.
“Are you ready, mi bichito?” a scruff voice asked, startling me.
I turned to him and smiled. “As ready as I’m going to be.”
Looking at me affectionately, moisture pooled in my father’s eyes. He placed his hands on my arms and surveyed me, his eyes growing bright. “For years, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, let alone be able to stand by your side during one of the most important days of your life.” Reaching up, he cupped my cheek. I leaned into his warmth, recalling all the times he would push me on a swing when I was a little girl. I didn’t remember much about my childhood, but that memory was strong.
“You look so much like your mother.” He let out a shallow sigh. “You always have, but today, it’s unmistakable that you are your mother’s daughter.”
“I’m your daughter, too, Dad.”
“I know, but I really see her in you today. She would have been so proud of the woman you’ve become. I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I squeezed his hand gently as our eyes remained locked. It was taking everything I had not to break into tears, my emotions on overdrive.
“I want you to have this,” he said, breaking the tension. Reaching into the pocket of his linen pants, he pulled out a small box and handed it to me.
“What is it?” I asked, caressing the black velvet.
“If you open it, you’ll find out.” He winked.
Letting out a small laugh, I shook my head. “I know where I got my sarcasm from, I guess,” I retorted, opening the box to see a beautiful turquoise bracelet. It looked to be an antique, the gold holding the turquoise stones together almost tarnished. I picked it up and felt its weight, wondering how he had come to own such a remarkable piece of jewelry. I looked up at my dad, my brows furrowed.
“Your mother wore that on the day we got married, as did her mother, and her mother, and so on. It’s been in your family for centuries, its roots dating all the way back to the Guaymi tribe in Panama. Ages ago, I promised her you would wear it on your wedding day, as well.” He reached for the bracelet and unclasped it.
“I’d be honored.” A lump formed in my throat as I held my arm toward my father and allowed him to secure the bracelet around my wrist. His fingers lingered on my skin and our eyes met. I had gone years without my father’s touch, and all I could do was pray that this wasn’t the last time I’d ever feel it. This moment was bittersweet for me, the reminder of all the troubles I had tried to ignore the past several weeks rushing forward. I didn’t want this to be goodbye between us, but I couldn’t help but shake the feeling it would be.