Lisa Harris - Sheltered By The Soldier

“No. I’m fine.” He stopped pacing and forced a smile at the offer. “But thanks.”

Ten minutes later, Griffin finally walked into the lobby from the back. The two of them might be brothers, but while Griffin had brown hair, brown eyes and a knack for management, Liam had blond hair, blue eyes and an affinity for strategizing and problem solving. Though their looks and even personalities might be different, there was one thing they had in common. They both had a strong sense of duty and justice neither could ignore.

“Griffin...” He didn’t even try to curb his impatience as he crossed the room. “Where are they?”

“I took them directly through the back door to the conference rooms. Thought she might be more comfortable there. I also asked Mom to come over from the clinic, so she could check them out.”

“But Gabby’s really alright?”

“She’s shook up, but yes. Apparently, the car that hit her spun out in the snow, and she managed to lose them.”

“Do you have any idea who hit her?”

“I’ve got a deputy looking into the incident, but the chances of us finding them are slim in this weather. What about you? She didn’t say much except that she’d been threatened before. Did she give you any clue as to who might be after her?”

“No. That’s why I need to talk with her.” Liam weighed his options, then made a decision. “I’m going to take her out to the ranch until we can figure out what’s going on. A burglary is one thing, but almost getting run off the road means all of this isn’t random. And from what I can tell, she doesn’t think so, either. I’ve known Gabby for several years and she’s not the kind of woman to borrow trouble. Something is very wrong.”

“I agree.” Griffin pulled off his deputy hat and scratched the back of his head. “You can come back with me now. Then as soon as she’s given her statement and Mom has cleared them medically, you can take them out to the ranch. If we need her for anything else, I’ll know where she is.”

And he’d be able to ensure she stayed safe.

A minute later, Liam walked into the small conference room where Gabby was standing near the window. He crossed the room, then pulled her into his arms and hugged her. “Gabby... I’m so, so sorry.”

“I’m fine, really. Just shook up.”

She looked at him with those big brown eyes of hers. He’d gone to visit her half a dozen times since Will’s death seventeen months ago, but his own physical therapy had kept him out of the loop for the most part. She’d changed little on the outside, but he knew the emotional toll had been high.

“Wow...she’s grown up so much.” He knelt down next to the car seat where Mia slept, with her chubby fingers wrapped tightly around a stuffed orange giraffe. “She’s adorable and so much bigger than the last time I saw her.”

“That’s what babies do. They tend to grow up. She turns one this month.”

“It’s hard to believe that much time has passed.” He stood up and faced her again. “Griffin told me you were hit from behind. Are you sure you’re fine?”

“Yes, though I’ve been told that your mother’s on her way to check us out.”

“We’ll need to have your car looked at as well, and what about the phone you thought they might be using to track you?”

She pulled it out of her purse and handed the phone to him. “Maybe I’m just paranoid, but I saw something a while back on TV about apps that can be installed to track someone without their knowledge. I didn’t want to take any chances.”

“You did the right thing. I’ll pass this on to Griffin and see if someone who works with their IT can look at it. And Gabby... I promise we’re going to find out what’s going on.”

She nodded, but he didn’t miss the fear in her eyes.

“Do you have any idea who’s behind all of this?” he asked.

There was a long silence before she answered. “I think this has something to do with Will’s death.”

Liam worked to process the information, surprised at her answer. “Will’s death? He died in an explosion halfway around the world a year and a half ago. How can this be related?”

She shrugged. “I recently went through the rest of Will’s footlocker. I found some letters he wrote that I’d never seen before. He was worried about something. What if it wasn’t just another attack? What if it was just meant to look that way?”

“Wait a minute. You mean that someone—other than terrorists—wanted him dead?”

“I think he stumbled upon something illegal while he was over there. Will hinted that contractors where involved, but I think he was afraid of the repercussions without solid proof of what was going on. And whatever it was got him killed. Because when I start asking questions...” A tear streamed down her face. “Liam, I think they’re after me.”

Gabby watched Liam’s face, worried about his reaction. She knew Will had been his closest friend. They’d lived in a war zone together, and in turn, they’d developed a bond that only soldiers understood. On top of that, Liam had been there the day Will died.

“I don’t understand.” His jaw tensed as he caught her gaze. “Why would someone come after you in connection with a soldier who died seven-thousand miles away in the Middle East. It doesn’t make sense. Will never said anything to me.”

“Maybe not, but that’s what I need to find out. Because there is a connection. I decided to start asking a few questions about things Will told me in his letters, and not only was I sent a threatening text message to stop asking questions, but now this happens.”

“You said he was looking into something. Something...illegal?”

“Yes, but unfortunately, he never gave specifics.”

“Why wouldn’t he have told me if something was going on at the base? We talked about everything.”

“I don’t know. But he was definitely looking into some illegal activities.”

He wasn’t totally buying her theory. She could tell by the look of doubt in his eyes and the frown on his lips. He and Will had been close. She got that. She also knew there were things Will told him that he would have never told her. And yet, for some reason, this was different.

“Tell me more about the letters,” he said.

“After he died, there were things I never went through in his locker. I just...couldn’t. I was four months pregnant, then suddenly a widow... I was overwhelmed. A few weeks ago, I decided it was time to go through his things. I found several letters Will never had a chance to send. Someone must have added them to his personal belongings. In them, his tone had changed. He was looking for proof that someone was defrauding the government.”

“Contractors.”

She nodded.

“Who have you spoken to?”

“I contacted several officers he worked under, hoping they might have answers.”

“But there was nothing specific in what he wrote? No names?”

She shook her head. “I’ll let you read through the letters, but the only name mentioned was Casada. Someone he seemed to trust. Will thought the man might have answers for some reason.”

“James Casada. He was a contracted worker.”

“I guess I was hoping since you were there you’d have some answers, too.”

He walked toward the window and stared outside. The snow was picking up, making her doubly thankful she and Mia weren’t still out there.

“I’d like to look at the letters if that’s okay, but I don’t have answers. I know that things have been hard since Will died.” He turned back around to face her. “Losing Will was a horrible tragedy that neither of us will ever be able to forget.”

“It was horrible, but what better way to silence someone? No one would ask questions. It would simply be another unfortunate loss that happens far too often.”