All in the Timing
Evernight Publishing ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2015 April Zyon
ISBN: 978-1-77233-188-2
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Brieanna Robertson
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This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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ALL IN THE TIMING
Massey, TX 7
April Zyon
Copyright © 2015
Prologue
2011
Eli looked over the books and sighed. There was a distinct loss of funds and she couldn’t figure out just where the loss was coming from. She didn’t want to believe the little voice in her head telling her that someone was stealing from her. Never. She couldn’t believe that.
Rising to her feet, she walked out of the office and paused. She didn’t know what had made her stop, but she did. She heard the whispers and the giggles. Who the hell was that giggling?
She looked through the rose-covered trellis that made up the privacy wall between her offices and the main restaurant space and felt ill. Looking out into the space, she saw her fiancé, Markus, with their general manager, Guy. Embracing. Kissing. And, no, she couldn’t watch. She moved so that her back was to the solid column and panted heavily.
She felt ill, not because the men were kissing, but because that was her fiancé out there kissing someone else. What she heard next, though, made her blood curdle and made her want to scream and rail at the injustices of the world.
She turned back and watched as Markus and Guy kissed, their hands inside of each other’s pants, doing what she could only assume was them stroking each other off. She felt the tears falling down her cheeks, but it only got worse when they parted.
It was Guy that spoke aloud. “Come on, Markus, baby. You got out of that little bitch what we both wanted and now this place is about to crash and burn. You have wiped the puta out, so let’s get out of here.”
Eli felt ill.
“Yeah, we should do that. I couldn’t get to the fucking money she has back in whatever backwater hole she came from, but that’s fine. We have all the cash from this place, so I think you are right. Let me just go and assure that tiny little heifer that all’s well and I will get the deposit for the bank, then we can get out of here. Do you still have the tickets for Mexico?”
“Of course I do. We are going to live like kings down there.”
Guy’s words had Eli racing back to her office. God, this couldn’t be happening, right? It wasn’t possible. Shit, it was. The numbers that were off, the inability to log into their online banking—a small glitch, Markus had assured her. She had to bite back a sob, shoving her fist in her mouth and pacing in the office.
When Markus entered, she whirled on him. “Markus. I’m leaving.” There, she said it. “I will call the attorney in the morning and ensure that everything is in your name alone. I’m going back home.” She grabbed her purse and sailed past him, stopping just on the other side, and said, “And I suggest you are here because, if not, I will ensure that the Feds know just where you and your boyfriend are. Goodbye.” She had tears falling, but she was damn proud of herself for moving away from him without allowing him even a moment to speak.
Once she was in her car, she drove. She stopped by their home only briefly. Long enough to get her personal belongings like her mother’s jewelry and her clothes, and then she left New York behind and all the crazy that went with it.
She was done with love, done with relationships. There was only one man that she would ever, ever give her heart to. Only one man that she would allow to be more than just a simple hook-up, and he likely wouldn’t ever be back in her life. Sadly.
Chapter One
Massey, Texas
August, 2014
Eli had just finished payroll when the tinkle of the bell over the door that alerted her to customers sounded. While she might not have to be out there, not with the fabulous staff she had in place, she wanted to be. She loved interacting with the people of Massey, Texas. She had come home several years ago at the lowest part of her life and they hadn’t asked questions, just simply let her get her life back in order.
When she purchased the diner from the local owner, she had revamped everything. She had purchased the space next to the diner so that she could expand a bit and loved the result. The people of Massey and even the surrounding areas loved it as well. She might not get that Michelin Star because of her location, but she was fine with that. Her customers were happy and came back, and she was finally in a good place with herself.
Life was…lonely. No, no, that wasn’t it, she thought to herself. It was good. Yes, life was good, not lonely. Having another person in your life only complicated things and made you hurt. Having another person to lean on would only break her heart again. She couldn’t go through that a second time, not if she wanted to survive. So instead, Eli did what she had to do and lived a life of solitude. It was better that way.
Walking out into the dining room, she smiled, greeted her guests by first name, and ensured that they were all happy.
She moved toward the small table tucked away in one of the few private nooks and paused in front of it. She frowned at who she saw there and the looks on their faces. “Gentlemen.” She knew these men, there were four of them, but she didn’t know why they would be there and looking at her like the world was ending. It wasn’t, right? “Why the faces of doom?” she asked as she grabbed the pitcher of water from the waitress and shooed her away. She poured each of them a glass. “Come on, guys, talk to me. What’s happened?” Eli might not be the brightest bulb on the tree or the brightest color in the box, but she wasn’t an idiot and these battle-hardened men all wore looks of worry on their faces.
Finally, she turned to the one she had known practically all of her life, a man that was so far out of her reach it wasn’t funny. “Frank, what’s going on? Please? You guys are scaring me and I don’t like that feeling. At all. Talk to me?”
****
When he’d overheard Brant on the phone, Frank had thought nothing of it. Until he’d heard Elizabeth’s name mentioned. Then all he’d heard was the rush of his blood through his veins as he’d had to brace a hand to the wall to keep from falling over. He was lightheaded, nauseous, and had actually felt like he would faint at a moment’s notice.
Only sheer willpower, and a need to know what the fuck was going on, kept him up on his feet. But it had been a close thing to be sure. Pressing a shoulder to the wall, Frank listened intently to what Brant had been saying.
Once Brant hung up the phone, cursing a blue streak, Frank stepped into the office to make his presence known. His brother definitely didn’t look all that surprised to see him. Not saying a word, Frank settled into one of the chairs and waited.
After a few minutes, Brant settled behind the desk once more. “That was Megan,” he said.
Nodding, Frank remained silent. He knew Megan and her twin sister Mercy, Brant’s wife, relatively well. They’d still b
een growing up when he’d left town, but he’d kept an ear to the ground for all the Massey residents. His family thought he’d scrubbed his hands of the town, but reality was a much scarier scenario. One he wouldn’t be sharing with them or anyone else he knew.
Some things didn’t ever need to be revealed. What he’d done to keep the family safe because of who he’d become, well, that was definitely one of those things.
“Things seem to be taking a sudden turn with the case,” Brant said.
Frank knew more about the case than the brief narrative his brother had shared. He knew that Megan had taken on a drug runner case that ended up leading her back to Massey. She took on the role of a stripper to work at The Pink Thong so she could be close to the players.
Over the next months, and years, she’d learned something else was happening. Until recently, though, no one had any clue what it was. But when you added the words “human trafficking” to the mix, shit got hot fast.
Hearing Eli’s name messed up in anything to do with the mayor, the club, and the buyer sent him into a cold sweat. Especially since he knew exactly who the buyer was. One Jean-Marc Verdaan. Scum-sucking bastard was the polite description for the man wanted by Interpol, the FBI, the CIA, and several other agencies, including Mossad. And when Mossad wanted your head on a pike, you knew you were in trouble. Yet, the bastard had managed to avoid everyone, including the Mossad agents who were still hunting for him six years after he’d made their “hit” list.
Avoiding Mossad agents intent on killing you was a serious feat and a half. The fact Verdaan was still alive, kicking, and operating was beyond astonishing. It proved he had contacts feeding him information from inside every agency there was to keep him ten steps ahead of everyone.
Unfortunately, all that international attention hadn’t slowed his operation any. If anything, he’d become even more in demand. It’s why his file had landed in Frank’s lap. Every government out there, including the States, wanted Verdaan dead. D-E-A-D, dead. And while the USA didn’t condone assassinations officially, unofficially they’d sanctioned his. Only Frank hadn’t managed to get eyes on the guy. Yet.
He would, sooner than later if the mayor was thinking about shipping Eli off to that sadistic asshole. The things Verdaan did to the woman he purchased then sold off were the things that could give a war-hardened veteran nightmares for a lifetime.
Frank had met with one of Verdaan’s former “acquisitions.” The man had taken a very personal interest in her when he’d bought her from a French supplier. For six years, he’d done things to her that ensured she would forever hide in shadows, fear even the softest of tones, and would never bare her body to another living being so long as she took air into her lungs.
To say she’d been scarred from the encounters would be a gross understatement, and not do true justice to the horrors she’d faced every minute of every day in his “care.” Frank had learned through sources a month prior she’d finally succeeded in taking her own life. He only prayed she finally had the peace she’d so desperately wanted.
No way in hell was he letting Verdaan near Eli. Not in this fucking lifetime, or in any other. Eli was purity, goodness, and light. She was all that was good in the world. An angel given human form, if he wanted to get all sappy about it. She was part of the reason he did what he did, not that he’d share that with her, or anyone else. He didn’t think she’d appreciate his thoughts on the whys of his career choice.
Tuning back in to what Brant was saying, Frank felt his gut clench. The fucking bastard of a mayor was planning on getting rid of his competition, for good. Not on his watch.
“She won’t know any of them,” Frank found himself saying. “I’ll go over to the diner with them and provide intros for everyone. It’ll make it easier for all of you if she isn’t trying to ditch them at every turn.”
The surprise on his brother’s face made him wince. While Frank was a cold, unfeeling bastard on the best of days, no one hurt those he considered under his umbrella of protection. And yeah, Elizabeth Davidson was damn well first in line under there.
Chapter Two
Frank winced internally at Eli’s questions. That and the fear he could see in her eyes and that was reflected in a tremble of her voice. “Give us a second,” he told the DEA agents in the booth with him.
They shared a look, gave a nod, and eased out to wander off. He didn’t care where they went, as long as they went. Once they were out of earshot, he waved her to sit on the opposite side of the table.
The temptation to pull her next to him was incredible, but he resisted the urge. When she was sitting, her big, hazel eyes locked on him and he let out a breath. Leaning forward over the table, he braced his arms and met her eyes dead on.
“Brant got word that a case he’s working on is going sideways. Due to your vocal position of dislike for the mayor, who is up to his fucking eyeballs in the middle of this, you are now a target. The gents here are all DEA agents. They are going to keep an eye on you for the next few days while Brant and his team close this case. I don’t want to scare you, but you need to know what’s going on so you are aware of the dangers.” Now came the hard part. “Megan is a DEA agent. She’s been working undercover at The Pink Thong to learn all she can about a drug running operation. Only recently have they learned that not only is the mayor running drugs, he’s also into human trafficking of young women. He’s been targeting the single women with no boyfriends and no family. Quietly scooping them up and shipping them overseas. Because of your recent bid to oppose him in the upcoming election for mayor, he’s planning on getting rid of you as well. No clue how he plans on explaining your sudden disappearance, but he’s a man that can pull it off.”
When her eyes went wider, he reached out to touch her hand. A mistake, but one he couldn’t regret. “Not that we’re going to let anything happen to you, Eli. The agents will watch inside and outside of the diner while you are here. Then they will follow you home and set up a watch around your house. No matter what, do not let at least one of them out of your sight at any time. At the diner, you are the safest because of the sheer number of people. When you’re at home, you are the most vulnerable. Make sure your doors and windows are always locked, and do not answer the door after dark, no matter what. The agents wouldn’t allow anyone up to the door, so if someone is there, they are up to no good.” He squeezed her hand gently. “Brant and Megan are working this hard and fast. But it’s likely going to still take a couple of days. So you need to keep safe. Okay?” Searching her eyes, he hoped she wouldn’t laugh him off, or bolt for the door. She had that deer in the headlights look about her, her eyes having seemingly grown wider with every word out of his mouth.
****
Eli was of two different minds when Frank touched her. One part of her wanted to turn her hand and squeeze his, and the other part of her wanted to deny that it was true. It was, though. She heard the honesty in Frank’s voice and that made her feel ill. “Me?” When he just nodded, she gulped. “Oh God. I knew that he was a monster, but to do that?” She thought that things like that just happened in movies. She didn’t think they happened in real life. “Where do you come in on this?” She turned her hand so that they were palm to palm, squeezing his hand in hers and not letting go. “And are you ready to admit that you are a cop, or…?” She didn’t know what he was, but she had always known that he was far more that what he portrayed himself to be. “I don’t have to have one of them living with me for a time, do I?” She didn’t think she would be able to let a complete stranger move in with her.
“No, they won’t be inside your house. They will be outside at all times, though, four minimum. Brant’s scrounging for more manpower, but it’ll be at least a day before he has it. Unfortunately, a lot can happen in a day. Give me your phone,” he said suddenly. She didn’t miss the fact he’d completely ignored her other questions, but she’d come back to them later.
She handed him her phone and watched him. “Where do you come in on this?”
she repeated. “And are you going to admit that you are a part of the police force in some way, shape, or form?”
He took it, letting her hand go as he did something with it, and then handed it back. He slipped his hand back into hers again, lacing their fingers together. Meeting her eyes, he stayed quiet for a long time. Long enough she was worried he wouldn’t answer. “I can’t tell you one way or another, Eli. I shouldn’t even have told you that much, but I find I hate keeping you in the dark.”
She ran her thumb over his and then on impulse, moved so that she could sit at his side. “How do you fit in this, other than being Brant’s big brother that is?” Okay, so he wouldn’t tell her what he was, she could respect that, but she wanted to know why he was there, needed to know. “I thank you, though, for coming to me. Talking to me. It means a lot to me that you did that.”
“That’s why I’m here, because it’s you,” he said. His tone was so gentle it was a caress to her senses. “I knew if Brant sent those oafs over here without some form of warning, you’d ditch them at the first opportunity. And since you know this town better than they could dream of, it wouldn’t have been all that hard. I wanted to ensure you knew how bad the situation was so that you wouldn’t try to lose them. Don’t lose them, Eli, please.” He squeezed her fingers, and then relaxed his grip after a moment. “I put my number, Brant’s, Joshua’s, Mercy’s, and Megan’s into your phone. I also gave you Simon’s. He’s the one working up close and personal with Megan at the club. If you see, or even sense something, anything at all, you call one of us. I don’t care what time it is, I don’t care if it turns out to be nothing more than a couple cats in heat, you fucking call. We clear?”