Page 4 of Burning for Him

His voice was filled with compassion and sympathy. Most people who weren’t part of her extended family didn’t know what happened to her parents, and usually she just told others that they were dead, without giving them any details. But something about Tony gave her the courage to explain further. Over the past two weeks, they had become friends, and she felt comfortable telling him the whole story. “Both my mom, Lisa, and my dad are gone. They were killed...murdered actually, in a home invasion when I was seventeen.”

Tony’s eyes widened. “Oh my God! Jenn, I’m so sorry. That’s horrible. I-I don’t know what to say.” He stood, circled the table to her side, and sat beside her. For a moment, she thought he would put his arm around her, but instead, he clasped her hand and squeezed. “You told me that you lived with family in Tampa, and I just assumed...” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. That must have been so hard for you.”

“It was. And it was even worse knowing I could’ve been killed with them, but I was at a slumber party that night. A neighbor saw the open front door the next morning, and the police were already there by the time I got home.” She took a deep breath and shifted to face him. Understanding filled his dark hazel eyes, and another squeeze of her hand urged her to continue.

“They called my Uncle Ian—he’s my dad’s best friend and my godfather. They were Navy SEALs together.” The corners of her mouth ticked up slightly, and she shrugged. “I sorta have a lot of quote, unquote uncles who were my dad’s teammates—anda lotis an understatement—but Uncle Ian is the closest to me. I don’t know what I would’ve done without him. I was an only child,and so were both my parents. All my grandparents passed away either before I was born or while I was still really young. So, Uncle Ian stepped up and took care of the funeral arrangements, life insurance policies, my parents’ wills and probate, and everything else I was too young to handle. He stayed with me in Virginia so I could finish out my senior year, then packed up and sold our house, and brought me to live with him in Florida. And on top of that, he found me grief counselors in both Virginia and Tampa who helped me get through it all.”

“Your uncle sounds like a great man.”

She gave him a watery smile. “He is. The absolute best.” A chuckle escaped her. “He’s sarcastic and protective as hell, but I couldn’t ask for a better godfather. And now, I’mhisbaby’s godmother. His wife, Angie, gave birth to their little girl, Peyton, last year. The only thing that sucks about being here is that I’m going to miss her first birthday in a few weeks. But thanks to the satellite internet, I can Skype the party.”

“Thank goodness for the internet.”

“Yeah, I miss my nieces and nephews something fierce.” She pulled out her cell phone, tapped the photo gallery icon, and turned it so he could see the screen as she swiped through several images. “This is Peyton with JD, who is Uncle Devon and Kristen’s son. These are Uncle Marco and Harper’s two little ones, Mara and Luca. Zane is Uncle Brody and Fancy’s. And these two cuties are my friends’ boys, whom they adopted from Argentina, Franco and Victor. They’re both eight years old but not blood-related. Shelby and Parker flew down there to get Frankie, and when they found out the boys were best friends, they adopted both so they could be brothers.”

“Cute kids. And that’s cool that they adopted his friend too—instant family. I don’t have any nieces and nephews yet, but I want to do that someday—adopt, I mean. Some so many kids need homes.”

“I think you’d make a great dad.”

“Thanks. I have a good role model. My dad is one of the best. My mom, too.”

“That’s awesome. They probably can’t wait to become grandparents.”

“Oh, yeah. Mom’s been dropping hints about it for the past few years, but she’ll have to wait a bit longer. I’m not ready yet, and neither are my two younger sisters—none of us are married—but someday.”

Smiling, she tucked her phone in her back pocket, and they resumed preparing the carrots and corn. A few moments of silence passed before he asked, “So, did they...um. If you don’t want to talk about it, I understand, but did they ever find out who was responsible? Who killed your parents?”

Concern eclipsed curiosity in his tone, and Jenn was glad she opened up to him. Just from observing him over the past two weeks, she knew he was a great teacher. His students in Hazard Falls probably loved him as much as those at the commune did, and many of the high school girls most likely had crushes on him. Maybe some of the boys did too.

“Yeah, they did. It had to do with my dad seeing something while on a SEAL mission, so I don’t know any of the details. All I know is that the guy murdered two more of my dad’s former teammates before someone in law enforcement killed him.” That was a slight exaggeration, since Uncle Ian’s friend T. Carter was a US government spy, something she wasn’t allowed to disclose to anyone, for her safety, his, and Jordyn Alvarez’s, who worked with him.

“Wow. That’s...that’s crazy. I keep up with news all over the world and don’t remember seeing anything about Navy SEALs being killed on US soil a few years ago.”

She shook her head. “You wouldn’t have. The connection between my parents’ deaths and the other two SEALs, whom Ialso knew, was never made public. And the three of them were already retired from the Navy at the time.”

“God, Jenn. I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine going through something like that as an adult, much less as a teenager. But thanks to all the help you got, you seem to have survived and thrived. Your parents would be proud of you.”

Before she could say anything more, they were interrupted when two other male volunteers wandered over to join them. They’d finished repairing the chapel roof and were taking a break. Releasing her hand, Tony stood and went back to peeling the carrots, while Jenn breathed deeply and pasted on a smile. Despite the heavy conversation, she was glad she told him her story.

Fiddling with the watch Uncle Ian gave her on her left wrist, she sighed inwardly and studied Tony’s face as he laughed at something one of the others said. He was a nice, attractive, compassionate, and attentive man. Why couldn’t she fall for someone like him? Why was the man who invaded her dreams night after night the one who didn’t want her in return? And why was she counting down the days until she could see him again?

Damn it. So many “why” questions, and she didn’t have or like the answers to any of them.

CHAPTER FOUR

Doug breathed a sigh of relief when he stepped into the Trident Security offices and the cool air conditioning hit him full blast, sending goose bumps skittering across his overheated skin. It was the middle of July, and one hundred and two degrees outside, twelve above average, but the humidity made it feel even hotter. His Trident Security polo work shirt was drenched with sweat, and he was grateful for the spare ones he kept in his office. Showers were available in several of the bunk rooms upstairs and also in the gym located in the adjacent building. He undoubtedly wouldn’t be the only person using them today.

He had just returned to the compound after having lunch with his grandmother at the assisted living facility where she resided. While the octogenarian was still active, she couldn’t drive anymore due to slower reflexes, so Doug stopped in at least once a week to share a meal with her.

Before he had a chance to get further than the reception area, Colleen McKinley-Helm, the company’s office manager, stopped him. “Hi, Doug. Ian wanted to see you as soon as you got back.”

Instead of going right, he made a left toward his boss’s office. The door was open, but he still knocked softly and waited for Ianto wave him in. The man sat behind an impressive mahogany desk, talking to someone on the landline phone. “Thanks for the update. I’ll talk to you later.”

Disconnecting the call, Ian gestured for Doug to take a seat in one of the guest chairs in front of the desk. “Bullseye, sit down.”

He did as ordered. “What’s up?”

“I need you, Romeo, and Costello to head down to Colombia for a quick trip in a few days.”

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