Page 9 of Honoring Lena

“I don’t remember her death being a murder.” Lena’s voice softened, almost like she was shifting blocks of knowledge in her brain so they’d fit right.

“Officially, it wasn’t. She died in a car crash.” He should have told Zeke that info when Marshall had contacted Stryker for security, but he’d kept the reason for his need for a bodyguard general. Shame had a way of piling secrets.

Marshall fisted his hand on the desk so he wouldn’t reach into his pocket to finger the paper he’d torn from his wife’s journal. The letter his dear Amara had sent from the grave, detailing the intimidation she’d been under to convince him to vote for the border bill. She’d begged him to forgive her, that she’d only been thinking of Carter, though she knew the bill had issues neither of them agreed with. He’d found the page a week after the bill passed, his yes vote in honor of his deceased wife sealing it into law. In a need to be closer to her, he’d read her journal only to find that his flipping his support for the bill he questioned wasn’t for her, but for some unknown organization that had leveraged Carter for her cooperation. He had kept the paper in his pocket, rereading it anytime he questioned what needed done, so he’d never forget the price of failure again.

His gaze connected with Lena’s. “But from that threat, it’s obvious my wife’s crash was no accident.”

Lena didn’t have to know that he’d figured that out two years ago. All she needed to know was that the threat was real, and that her job had just gotten more intense. His leg bounced with the need for action, the need to fix this before it escalated too high for him to contain.

“I wonder if it’s the same group that attacked June last fall?” Lena bit her bottom lip in concentration. “I’ll contact my team and see what they can find out. Maybe digging into your threats might be what’s needed to blow this whole thing apart.” Lena’s watch beeped, causing her to glance at it and stand. “Carter’s up.”

She stopped and stared at Marshall. Her gaze bounced between his eyes like she searched for something. Finally, she wetted her lips and swallowed. “Maybe you should come play with him for a while. Since we’re here just hanging out, it might be a good opportunity to get some quality time in with him.”

He nodded, his throat tight with the implication he didn’t know his son like he should. With the invitation issued, she spun on her heel and marched out of the room. Marshall stared after her until she turned the corner, then he stared at the empty wall as he stuffed whatever attraction he felt for her in a mental box and locked it tight.

It wasn’t her, per se, which drew him, though there was no denying she was drop-dead gorgeous. It was the stress of the situation and her affection for Carter that had his mind zinging. It was his stupidity to come to this town that had been his and Amara’s first vacation together that had his heart pounding in his chest. He had let the fear of the threat control his emotions and distract him from his focus. It didn’t mean there was actually anything to his sudden pull to Lena.

Just so his brain never forgot what happened when he didn’t stay sharp, he pulled out Amara’s journal page from his pocket. She’d sacrificed so much to protect their son, and he hadn’t even noticed. The words burned in his heart, searing it anew with a call to action. With his purpose fully restored to the forefront of his mind, he strode down the hall to bond with his son.

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