“Whatever’s needed,” Jesse interjected with a grunt.
“Is this an inventive way to get out of going to the spa?”
She didn’t look at Jesse for approval. “Of course we’re still going. Now, what’s going on?”
“I have some more paperwork for you to sign. I had to run an errand out this way and decided to bring them by.”
Ariana worked twelve hours a day, every day, like their father had. Taking time out of the office was almost unheard of. She worried about her sister burning out. Kate needed to do something to help her. Maybe taking half the burden at Ross Communication was the answer.
She had to make a decision about her future soon. She had time right now to help her sister, as her sister had always helped her.
Ariana as a big sister had been a blessing growing up with. She’d had the patience to deal with a younger sister, an adopted one at that. Kate remembered one time she’d played in their mom’s makeup and spilled her favorite powder all over the floor. She’d been so scared.
While she cried and tried to clean up the mess, making it worse, Ariana walked into the room, looked around and automatically took over.
“Kate, you can stop crying. I’ll take care of this. Go to your room and don’t worry.”
“Are you sure?” Her words were barely audible through the sniffles and tears.
“Yes. Now go on. Kate, go on, I’ve got this.”
As always, she’d followed Ariana’s direction. Ariana taking the blame made her feel terrible, but her sister wouldn’t let Kate confess. Her sister did that a lot as they grew up. She didn’t know why. She guessed that was what a big sister did.
She refocused on her sister. “I’m glad you came by. Did you want to come to lunch with us?”
Ariana looked at Jesse for a moment then turned back to Kate with a worried frown. “Is it safe for you to go outside?”
“I’ve got plenty of protection. I’ll be fine. Besides, we’re only going across the street.”
Ariana thought for a moment. “No, thanks. I won’t keep you long.”
Joy returned with Dottie and Kate made introductions.
“You expecting a delivery?” Jesse asked.
She shook her head. “No.”
A knock sounded and Kate didn’t move.
Jesse opened the door to Ken and a young man.
“Kate Ross?” The man nervously rocked back and forth on his feet. Who wouldn’t be nervous if they were just trying to do their job and these two tried to scare them?
Jesse crossed his arms over his chest, trying to intimidate the delivery man. “Who are you?”
Ken had walked him to her door, so he must feel he was safe. Jesse interrogating him was unnecessary.
“I’m here to deliver this.” The man waved a box of chocolate. He pointed at Ken. “He opened it though. I promise it was still wrapped like it was supposed to when I brought it here.”
“I’m Kate Ross.”
Looking past her, his nervous smile faltered at seeing Ariana. Typical.
“Um, here.” He shoved the box at Kate and bolted. Damn Jesse and Ken for scaring him. She hadn’t even been able to tip him.
She examined the note. “Get well and get back to work. You are missed.” No name. Her fellow agents were notorious for assuming she’d know the gift was from them. Men.
“Ooh, chocolate. Who’s it from?” Ariana stood.
“I’m guessing they’re from the agents at work.”
“Well, don’t mind me. Go ahead and dig in.”
“I’ll wait. Do you want one?”
“No, thanks.” Ariana turning down chocolate surprised her.
“Joy, do you want some?”
Her dog sitter’s face brightened, and she jumped from the floor where she’d been sitting to brush Dottie. “Would I? Chocolate is one of my food groups.”
Smiling, Kate remembered her college days when she’d lived off of caffeine and junk food, specifically chocolate. After Joy took one, she sat the box on the kitchen counter out of her dog’s reach.
“I hope you enjoy them. Let’s get these papers signed, so I can get back to the office.”
Kate signed the paperwork and congratulated her sister on the new station acquisition. It wouldn’t take long for her to turn around the struggling station. She had the magic touch.
After Ariana left, she looked at the chocolate again. The men at work were so thoughtful. They even remembered her favorite flavor – milk chocolate with almonds.
“Joy, have more of these.” She’d have hers later. It would be the perfect dessert.
“Thanks, Kate.” She picked up another chocolate and popped it in her mouth. “Mmm. Excellent.”
“Have as many as you want. I planned to give you half anyway, so I won’t eat the entire box myself.”
Jesse cleared his throat. “Does this mean you’re ready to go?”
The H.I.S. team met them and led the way to the restaurant.
“Are you sure the men at the agency sent you that chocolate, Kate?” Jesse ushered her to a table in the back of the restaurant.
“Who else could it be? I’m not seeing anyone, and the men gave me the same thing for my birthday without signing the card. Besides, it talks about my getting back to work.”
The waitress arrived before Jesse could respond. She deposited silverware and glasses of water on the table.
“I think you should bring Reagan here to protect her, or you should be there with her.”
He set down his glass of water and drew his brows in. “Why’s that?”
“I’ve been thinking. I’m concerned that she’s the real target and you’re wasting your time with me.”
He smiled. “There’s no way I’m wasting time with you, sweetheart. But, trust me, she’s protected. And, if you are the target, which I still think you are, I’m not bringing her into the line of fire.”
“I’d understand if you felt the need to be with her.” She folded her napkin in her lap, refusing to meet his eyes so he wouldn’t see her confused emotions.
“I’m staying. Learn to deal with it.”
Deal with his being close all of the time? Easier said than done.
The food arrived, and they quickly finished their meal.
A whining Dottie met them at the door to her apartment.
“Joy? We’re back.”
She didn’t receive a response.
Kate walked into the kitchen and grinned at the large dent Joy had made in the chocolate.
“Joy?”
Worried, she followed an anxious Dottie down the hallway. At the first floor bathroom, she saw her. Joy lay on the floor. Unconscious.
* * * * *
Kate couldn’t accept the dull ache of foreboding so she focused on the large picture of a forest landscape on the wall opposite the uncomfortable cloth covered wooden chair with a low back she sat in. If the picture had been placed there to create a serene environment where pain and suffering were prominent, it failed. Only good news could lift the spirits of anyone in the emergency room waiting area.
The bitterness and cold of the coffee went unnoticed as she took a sip.
Jesse sat beside her. He took her coffee from her and held her hand. She immediately felt stronger, comforted.
In the half-full room, she witnessed a family huddled together. Their son had been in a horrific car crash, having to be cut out of his car with the Jaws of Life they got called back to a private room. A mother with her daughter waiting to see if her husband would survive sobbed, hugging her daughter tight when the doctor delivered good news.
Impatient, Jesse stood, told her to wait and went in search of a doctor.
An elderly woman waiting for her husband’s test results took the empty chair as an invitation to move next to Kate. She tried to strike up a conversation. All Kate could think about was Joy. What had happened to her? She was young and healthy.
They’d rushed her to the emergency room with no idea what had been wrong with her. She’d been unresponsive with evidence she’d been vomiting.
Jesse appeared before her and helped her to her feet. After walking her to a private area he spoke, “She didn’t make it, Kate. They think she was poisoned.”
He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. “Kate, the last thing she ate was the chocolate.”
Gut wrenching pain shot to her stomach. Joy was dead. This couldn’t be true. Poison? The chocolate? A stab of guilt rushed to her heart.
He pulled back, looked into her eyes with a gaze filled with compassion.
Swallowing the sob that rose in her throat, she was unable to hide the glistening of tears.
His hand gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Kate, I told you I thought you were the target. Now will you believe me?” Instead of the I-told-you-so voice she’d expected, he spoke softly, his voice full of emotion, his eyes pleading with hers.
Was someone really trying to kill her because of her association with Jesse? She’d been shot and someone had sent the alleged poisoned chocolate. It was no longer a coincidence. It had to be true. She felt icy fingers seeping into every pore.
She replied in a low, tormented voice, “Yes, I believe you.”
“Officers Miller and Watson showed up. I told them the FBI would handle this, so you don’t have to talk with them. I called AJ and explained the situation.”
“Thank you,” she all but whispered. She relaxed, sinking into his cushioning embrace. Joy died because someone tried to kill her. To poison her.
Jesse left her to her thoughts on the ride home. Joy’s death was an awakening experience that left her reeling. The Facilitator would have to deal with her wrath. He’d best hope she didn’t find him first. She fantasized about how she would make him pay.
She replayed in her head every interview and every lead she and AJ had in the Facilitator case. There had to be something they’d missed. Or was it someone they hadn’t suspected?
Lost in thought, Kate hadn’t realized how long their ride had been or where they were until, in the middle of what seemed to be nowhere, Jesse pulled into a hidden driveway and stopped in front of a gate punching in a code on a hidden keypad.
Driving through a gate and wooded area, Jesse remained silent as they arrived at a clearing where a two-story rustic looking house stood. Drawn to the magnificent wood planks decorated with freshly painted white shutters and trim, Kate imagined snow on the roof and smoke drifting out of the chimney in what would make an excellent holiday greeting card picture.
“Where are we?” Several trucks and SUVs were parked in front of the house. She didn’t feel like dealing with people.
“H.I.S. headquarters. Emily and the girls will be here, so you won’t be bored while we meet.”
Kate entered headquarters. It had to be someone’s home. The entryway, open to the second floor, led into a massive living room where about a dozen or so large men stood, some in jeans, some in black cargo pants. All armed.
“It’s okay. They won’t bite.”
She looked at him. Her pulse skipped at the tenderness shown in his eyes. Putting her trust in him, she nodded, and he put his hand behind the small of her back, guiding her closer to the group. The men stopped talking and turned their way.
“For those of you who haven’t met her, this is Kate Ross.”
She heard the familiar squeal as Reagan raced into the room with Emily on her heels, carrying a squirming Amber.
He picked his daughter up, threw her in the air and then hugged her.
Devon completed the introductions with the men. She’d already met his brothers and some of the team at Emily’s house. Now, she met the rest of the team - Rob, Jamaal, Mike, Les, Neftali and Kevin.
She didn’t know why, but after seeing Ken and Danny, she’d expected a military looking group, not a mix of bad boy, clean cut and military men. Plus one cowboy. Jesse had called them a hodgepodge group of men and she believed it.
The moment AJ arrived, the ribbing between them began.
“Men, settle down.” All eyes turned to Jesse, seriousness returning to the room. “Let’s do this.”
Filing down a hallway, toward the back of the house, the men remained silent.
Kate threw Jesse a questioning gaze.
He shocked her by lightly brushing his lips over hers.
“We have to meet. I’m going to leave you here. You’ll be safe, Kate.” He handed his daughter over to her.
It felt natural to take Reagan from him, feeling her wrap her arms around Kate’s neck. “I want to be involved in this, should be involved.” This was her fight, too. She’d just lost her friend. She wouldn’t be left out.
“Kate, let us handle this. This is what we do.”
“Excuse me, what do you think I do for a living?”
Rubbing his hand on the back of his neck in frustration, he hesitated before responding, “I want you to stay with the girls. I promise that I’ll share everything with you later.”
He knew she wouldn’t argue with him in front of the girls. She had to trust him. If he didn’t tell her everything, she’d get it out of AJ. She wouldn’t let them hide her in a corner like a delicate porcelain doll. She was a trained FBI agent, dammit. She could handle this.
Knowing it best for now, Kate reluctantly nodded in agreement.
“I have to go or poor AJ won’t want to share with us anymore.” He grinned and brushed a kiss on Reagan’s cheek. “Be good for Miss Kate.”
“I will, Daddy.”
He followed the path the men took.
Emily smiled and Reagan looked confused. She was confused too. Jesse had kissed her in front of his daughter, and she hadn’t stopped him. Was it a sympathy kiss? He’d held her hand at the ER out of sympathy. Or was it something else? No time to think about that now.
She bounced the girl in her arms. “How about you help me explore, Reagan?” She wanted to keep the little girl busy to avoid any questions about the kiss, plus she wanted to see more of this beautiful house.
Reagan stared at her for a moment, squirming to be released. “Let me show you my room.”
Her room? This was Jesse’s house? The man continued to surprise her.
* * * * *
Walking toward the room he’d sectioned off as headquarters, Jesse thought about how to keep Kate safe.
He’d witnessed that fiery spark he loved when he’d discussed taking her to the safe house H.I.S. owned. Her bravery, strength and determination impressed him, but also frustrated him, because she refused to back down, refused to hide like a normal woman would. He’d realized early that she was nothing like a normal woman, like the women he knew. He liked that about her. He’d call her damn near perfect, even with her quick temper and stubborn streak.