Chasing Love's Wings
Read Chasing Love's Wings Online
Authors: Zoey Derrick
Cover completed by Rachel Rivera of Parajunkee -
Parajunkee.net
with the help of BigStock Photos and Rachel’s MAD MAD Skillz!
This book was edited with the help of Sione Aeschliman, Owner of Sione Aeschliman
LLC out of Portland, Oregon. Sione has been my rock, my constant and the light that
has kept this project moving forward, without her, this book would not be in your
hands. You can visit her on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/writelearndream
or on her website
http://sioneaeschliman.blogspot.com
Copyright © 2014 Zoey Derrick
All rights reserved.
ISBN-13: 978-0991525393
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Check This Out
Dear Reader -
I can’t even begin to thank you for your dedication and desire to read my stories
because just a simple Thank you is hardly enough.
You’re AMAZING and I would have written this story if it wasn’t for you!
I hope you enjoy Chasing Love’s Wings.
If you haven’t had the chance, I highly recommend reading Finding Love’s Wings - Though
Chasing Love’s Wings is a stand alone, like most series books, they are better together.
Available across all major e-retailers.
Thank you again for all your LOVE and AMAZING Support!
XXOO!
For Barb & Walt - may all your dreams come true together.
June 20th, 2012
“How long are you planning to keep this up?”
“Keep what up?
“Are you ever going to tell anyone else?”
“No, things are just fine the way they are.” Little does one of the men on the phone
know, it’s all about to come unraveled, at least in one aspect.
“She’s your daughter, you can’t keep doing this forever.”
“I don’t see any logical reason why not, isn’t it better this way?”
“I highly doubt it’s better this way. You should’ve seen her two weeks ago. She was
a complete mess. She kicked your headstone, for crying out loud. She deserves far
better than this. For the life you put her through, she at least deserves an apology.”
“Enough, Vincent!” His voice is a harsh growl crackling over the phone.
But Vincent knows he can’t stop now; the man needs to hear this. “She’s taking over
the business.”
“Dammit.”
“That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? You left her no choice in your will, you forced
her into it.” Vincent is losing his patience.
“It was, but I expected her to find some loophole out of it. She never expressed any
interest in what I did, at least not until college.”
“Wake up and smell the damn roses. You pushed her away for so long, and she fought
and fought hard for you to see her. She got a degree in public relations, exactly
what you did. She followed in your footsteps whether you wanted her to or not. If
you can’t see that—”
“I get it,” he snaps. “What makes you think that I have any chance of making this
right with her? She is going to be even more angry with me when she finds out I’m
alive after all this time.”
“She doesn’t have to find out, but dammit, Bobby, the guilt I feel, knowing this secret,
is beginning to weigh heavily on me,” Vincent says. He is doing this for Bobby because
he owes Bobby his life and everything it has become. Robert Enders sees something
in him that no one else has seen, has offered him an opportunity that he would’ve
never had. Bobby has given him a career that he loves more than anything in this world.
He lives and breathes his job. But something about the way Bobby is talking is nagging
at him. “She’s already going to find out, isn’t she?”
“She’s turned twenty-five, Vin, that package is on its way to her. I may have added
a few things, so yes, she is going to find out. It is just a matter of when.” Bobby’s
voice comes across the line with a sadness in it. “I can’t make her open the package,
I can’t make her read or watch anything in it, so it could be days or years, if ever,
before she figures it out.”
“She’s been in Tarah, how is she going to get it?”
“Mick.”
“Mick knows you’re alive too?” Vincent can’t hide the surprise in his voice. When
he committed to doing this, it was on the grounds that no one else should know about
it. If Bobby’d had his way, Vincent wouldn’t know about it, either. The fewer the
people who knew, the less likely it would become public knowledge.
“No. The estate lawyers received a package from an Enders family friend, to be delivered
to his next of kin. Mark was very clear that he wanted nothing to do with anything,
which is why Cameron was named next of kin and head of the estate. The package will
go to her.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I have a duplicate if it doesn’t.”
Vincent rolled his eyes. “Why am I not surprised.”
“Just relax and give it some time. Nothing in that package indicates anyone else’s
involvement. Everything that happens at this point is between her and me, no one else.
End of story.”
May 26th, 2011
******
Robert “Bobby” Enders
******
“Mr. Enders, thank you for coming in,” the tall, fit man says to me. A pathetic apology
for the way I’ve been treated, considering.
“You didn’t give me much of a choice.”
“This is true, we didn’t, and I apologize about that. I’m Special Agent Markensen.
We understand that you have some information that pertains to an open investigation
regarding the Mendoza family.” The man is dressed in a white shirt and blue tie and
is wearing an FBI jacket.
“I just came here to talk to the LAPD.”
“I understand that, but the information you have uncovered is a very strong lead that
we can use against the Mendoza family. Have you ever heard of them?”
“I have. Though I am sure my information is far less accurate than your own.”
“They are one of the largest U.S. and Mexico drug traffickers. Your information is
more important to my office than it is to the LAPD. Which is why you’ve been waiting
and why I’m here.”
“How can you be so certain that the information I’ve given the LAPD is what you’re
after? Or, better yet, how do I know the information I repeat for you will be kept
safe and my life not put in danger?” I ask the question. I have to know.
“Mr. Enders, we’re more than willing to provide you with any protection you need.
Whether it be agents assigned to you or other, more drastic measures.”
“What would constitute ‘drastic measures?”
“Well, federal witness protection, if we feel it is necessary, but we can’t make certain
that protection like that is warranted until we know what you know.”
“What I stumbled into was purely by accident. I believe that it was very fortunate
that I managed to get away, hopefully undetected, but I can’t keep spouting off the
things that I know without knowing that there is some type of protection that can
be put into place. I understood the risks when I got here, though I never expected
it to be as dire as you’re making it out to be.”
“Mr. Enders, let me assure you that we can and will do everything within our means
to protect you from any ramifications that arise from your being here.”
I begin telling the agent what I know and how I know it. The longer we talk, the more
concerned Special Agent Markensen becomes. He’s completely blown away by how I stumbled
into this mess: compliments of Aaron Iverson, one of my clients, an actor, a very
well-known one at that. As soon as I drop that name, Markensen immediately begins
to question who I am.
“I am Robert Enders, owner of Bold International.”
He really doesn’t like my response. “Mr. Enders, you’re a well-known public figure
in this community. Are you certain they didn’t know who you were?”
I let out a strained chuckle. “If they didn’t know, I am certain that Aaron and whoever
his buddy was will take it upon themselves to notify whoever they need to about the
potential for exposure, and in doing so they will reveal who I am, if for no other
reason than to save their own skin. It won’t take a rocket scientist for this Mendoza
to find me. And I’ll take it upon myself to assume that Mendoza is a man of action:
Shoot first and ask no questions later.”
“Well, Mr. Enders, this changes things.” He stands up and walks the three steps to
the door. “Please excuse me a moment?” He leaves the room without allowing me to answer
his question.
Panic starts to set in. This isn’t good.
I start to think about all the things that have happened over the last few months.
Just when I think I have what I need to get somewhere with Cameron, this shit has
to happen. What the hell am I going to do now? I am going to have to walk away, at
least if I want to stay alive. But is death really so bad?
I can’t shake the memory of watching her walk across that stage in her maroon gown,
and I was even prouder when I saw her master’s hood. My baby girl, all grown up.