“I’ll be fine. What’s up with the whole overprotective act?”
He took a deep breath and released it as he ran his hands over his mouth and chin. He locked gazes with her.
“Just be careful,” he said and she immediately got an uneasy feeling in her core.
Was she in some kind of danger, or maybe Uncle Jeb and he didn’t want her to know? What was going on with him? Why wouldn’t he confide in her? Had the two years apart caused a wedge in their relationship? She hoped not because when all was said and done, she’d like to confide in him years from now with a success story, and the circumstances behind the real reason why she’d come back from Italy.
* * * *
L.T. picked up his cell phone as he looked over some files on the laptop computer. They had rented a house for the week, knowing that Mariah was visiting. They wanted to stay close by. They were concerned for her safety after everything that had happened to Jeb.
His friend Jax Spaulding had called him with some information on transactions taking place between two companies. One dealt with government weapons and their creation and testing, another one, much smaller, was gaining heavy financial support from foreign companies, and was under watch by the government. Jax and Jameson knew that L.T. and the others wanted to identify their friend Michael’s killer. All they had to go on was info from the undercover operation that had seemed to turn into something bigger than any of them expected. Plans were being made to investigate further and send some undercover operatives inside. But it seemed that security on the place as well as information on the board members was nearly impossible to get ahold of. Their progress was slow. As soon as they headed back into Dallas, they would do some snooping around themselves. Deacon and Axel were already making plans.
L.T.’s cell phone rang and he saw that it was Jeb calling. He answered the call.
“Hello, Jeb, what’s going on?”
“It’s Mariah. She left a few hours ago. I thought she’d be back by now. I’m worried.” L.T. was instantly concerned. But he also knew that Jeb was extranervous after the assault and the threats to Mariah.
“I’m sure she’s fine. Where did she go?”
“She said to visit old familiar places.”
“I’ll call Quentin. He’s in town now. I’ll have him look out for the truck. Don’t worry. I’m sure she’s fine.”
“I don’t like this. Maybe I should tell her the truth.”
“That’s your decision. It sure would make her more cautious.”
“We’ll see. Maybe tonight. Thanks, L.T.”
“No problem. We’ll be over in a couple of hours. I’ll call Quentin.”
L.T. sighed as the uneasy feeling collided with his gut. He didn’t like having Mariah out of his sight either, but after last night, keeping tabs on her and getting her to let them help her seemed impossible. She’d changed. She actually thought she could take care of herself without them. He quickly dialed Quentin’s cell phone.
* * * *
Mariah sat on the bench with her legs crossed and pulled the heavy sweater tighter. It was cold outside, and she shivered, which helped to keep the tears away. She had visited her brother’s grave and saw the numerous items left, including a full bottle of beer. She chuckled to herself. That had to be from Quentin.
She thought she heard a noise like leaves cracking, and as she turned, she spotted Quentin. He was carrying a six-pack of beer and headed right for her. She swallowed hard. The man did a number on her body even from afar after all this time. His tight blue jeans, cowboy boots, and dark Stetson were such a turn-on.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
“Just catching up,” she whispered as he leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. He sat on the bench and placed the six-pack on the ground below.
“So, how often do you come out here to share a beer with him?” she asked, and he smiled then looked toward where the grave sat.
“Axel was here last night. I bet he left that one. Want one?” he asked her, and she nodded her head as he pulled out an opener and popped open the bottle of beer. It was kind of cold out for beer, but she sure could use a drink.
Quentin guzzled almost half of the bottle down and then leaned back against the bench.
“Been here long?” he asked.
“Not really worried about the time.”
“You should be. Jeb was worried. He called L.T.”
She sat up, nearly dropping the bottle of beer.