Sheltered By The Soldier

THREE

Gabby spun around and started down the path back toward the house, her heart pounding. “I can’t stay here. If they know where I am—”

“Wait a minute.” Liam ran to catch up with her. “Look again at the photos. Where were these taken?”

“I don’t know.” She stopped, tears welling in her eyes as she pulled open the photos again. “In front of my house...the grocery store with Mia...getting into my car...it looks like the gym parking lot.”

“They were following you. That is clear, but there are no photos of Timber Falls or the ranch.”

Her brow narrowed in surprise. “You’re right.”

He took her hand and caught her gaze. “I think they’re bluffing, because they don’t know where you are. If they did, they’d show up here, not just send you photos.”

“Maybe, but I still don’t understand any of this.” She worked to hold back the dam of tears about to break loose. “If they’ve been following me back home, why didn’t they confront me then?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they wanted to make sure you knew something before they did anything. This all began after you started asking questions.”

“Yes.”

“So it makes sense that someone’s trying to find out what you know. And in the process scaring you to make sure you don’t go to the authorities.”

“Well, I am scared.” She could hear the panic in her own voice but at this point, she didn’t care. “Will is dead, and I have a child to protect. If anything happens to Mia, I’ll never forgive myself.”

Liam pulled her against him. “Nothing’s going to happen, Gabby. Not to Mia. Not to you. I won’t let it.”

She nestled her head into his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. There was something calming in the warmth of his embrace. Something that made her want to stay in this moment for as long as possible. She missed feeling secure and cherished. Missed having someone to face life with. A partner for her. A father for Mia. Not that she was looking for someone to take Will’s place. She was just so tired of doing everything on her own.

“I’m sorry.” She pulled away from him abruptly and wiped her eyes. “I didn’t mean to fall apart like that.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about. You’ve been through a lot this past year and a half, and none of it’s been easy.”

“No, it hasn’t, but my losing it isn’t going to help put an end to all of this.”

She started back to the house beside him. “I called James Casada two days ago. He lives in a suburb of Denver. Will indicated he trusted him. I thought it would be a good idea to talk to him in person. Maybe he knows something.”

Liam stopped on the path and turned to her. “Did you get ahold of him?”

“Yes. He was out of town but was flying back to Denver last night. He told me he’d be working at home all day if I wanted to come by. I almost forgot I’d thought about going to go see him this morning.”

“What if he’s somehow involved in this?”

“You read the letters. Will trusted him and believed he could help.”

“Which is what scares me. Someone thinks you have answers, and if they intend to silence you...”

“The problem is I don’t really know anything.”

“Maybe not, but someone thinks you do.”

“I’ve gone over this in my head a hundred times. But you were there with him, Liam. You had to have seen something.”

“Will worked some with Casada. Always spoke highly of him. And as I already told you, Will seemed preoccupied, but you were pregnant, and I thought he was just ready to get home.” Liam shoved his hands into his pockets. “Is there anything else from Will in your house that might have answers about what he was working on, or maybe something they were after?”

“Not that I know of. But he had to have discovered something. Maybe someone is simply trying to guarantee that whatever they’re involved in doesn’t get found out.”

“Let me go talk with Casada alone,” Liam said. “See if he knows anything. You can stay here with Mia. You’ll be safe.”

“I can’t just hide.” While a part of her wished she could let him do this for her, she knew it was something she needed to do. “I’ve come so far in my search for closure over Will’s death, but this... I need to find out what’s going on. I need to talk to him myself.”

They walked down the path flanked by aspen trees with gold leaves shimmering in the morning breeze, and the mountains rising up beyond them. She wanted to enjoy the scenery. Wished she could see God’s hand in her own life as much as she saw it in the beauty around her. But instead, everything that had happened had left her with far more questions than answers. About loss. About fear. About God.

“But that said, my concern is for Mia.” She broke the silence between them. “I can’t do anything to put her life at risk.”

“My mom’s already volunteered if you need someone to watch her. If you feel comfortable.”

“I do, but—”

“She’s safe here. I promise. My dad will be here. Plus, it’s Griffin’s day off. He’s promised to come by again later today and check on things.”

“Okay.” She drew a deep breath, wishing she felt as courageous about going to see Casada as she hoped she sounded. “Liam...thank you, but I still feel bad about getting you involved in this.”

He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I haven’t done anything really. And if Will were in my place, he’d do the same thing.”

“I know, and while you might not know it, you’ve done so much for me. The times you’ve called me. Coming to see me when you weren’t in therapy. The gifts for Mia. I owe you a lot.”

And that wasn’t all she owed him for. Now she’d dragged him into a dangerous situation. One she had no idea how to get out of on her own.

* * *

A wave of guilt shot through him. She was wrong. He should have called her more often. Made more of an effort to ensure that she and Mia had everything they needed. He couldn’t imagine how difficult it had been for her as a single mom. He knew she’d been surrounded by her parents and friends and church family. Somehow that had allowed him to justify the times he hadn’t picked up the phone to make sure she was okay. It had let him justify the fact that he’d been too busy with physical therapy. Too busy trying to get his own life back on track. But those had only been excuses.

He stared out over the mountains as they walked. Despite his desire to help her, what he really wanted was to leave the past where it belonged. In the past. Because while he didn’t know what it was like to lose a spouse, he did know what it was like to lose a fellow soldier and best friend.

Having Gabby here was forcing him to remember things better left forgotten. But the past wasn’t something that would simply disappear. He’d have to face it head on if they wanted to figure out what was going on.

An hour later, they were saying goodbye to his mother and Mia. He watched as Gabby held her daughter and smothered her with kisses while the little girl laughed. He handed Mia her giraffe, surprised when she threw it back at him. He held it out to her and she squealed as she grabbed it from him.

Liam smiled and snatched it back from her chubby fingers.

Mia laughed and lunged for him.

He grabbed her, surprised that she’d come to him so willingly.

She poked at his face with her finger. He responded by giving her a raspberry on her neck.

“We’re never going to get out of here if the two of you keep playing.” Gabby’s tone was firm, but he didn’t miss the twinkle in her eye.

He handed Mia to his mother. “We’ll be back soon.”

“She’ll be fine.” His mom settled Mia in on her hip. “Liam’s father is here, so between him and Griffin you have nothing to worry about.”

“I know.” Gabby gave her daughter one more kiss. “Thank you.”

They headed out toward his truck, while he prayed he was making the right decision. Putting Gabby’s life in jeopardy was the last thing he wanted to do. And yet, if they were going to figure out why she was a target, neither could they sit around and wait for the truth to emerge.

“Mia’s adorable,” he said, unlocking the vehicle and sliding into the driver’s seat.

Gabby dropped her purse onto the floorboard, then buckled her seat belt. “She’s the best thing that’s happened to me. When I think I can’t go on, she gives me a reason to get out of bed.”

He glanced at her as he started down the narrow two-lane road toward town, suddenly wondering what it would be like to have a family of his own. Someone to share his life with. To laugh with. Someone who’d support him while he was deployed and be there for him when he returned.

He shoved away the random thoughts. Gabby was beautiful. There was no doubt about that. And he loved her passion and heart, but she was his best friend’s wife. And even though Will was gone, there was way too much painful baggage between them to be anything more than simply friends. Still, something told him it would be far too easy for the lines of friendship and his concern for her to blur in his mind. Something he could never let happen.

“Do you remember anything more about James Casada?”

Gabby’s question broke into his thoughts. “I wasn’t around him much, but he always seemed honest and was a hard worker. I understand he was married at one time, but I believe his wife died a few years ago. That’s part of the reason he was working overseas. He might have a couple adult children, but I’m not sure.”

“Did you like him?”

“A lot of those contract guys are rough around the edges, but James was different. He seemed to be more like a...grandfather. Tough, but friendly, and he always had a story to share. He mainly worked in security for convoys that were carrying supplies between bases. A couple times, he was part of the detail that provided personal protection for the higher ups. And while he was six four and two-hundred-plus pounds, there was a gentleness to him that always took me off guard. I liked him. Everyone liked him as far as I know.”

“Do you think Will would have wanted me to talk to him?”

“I don’t know.”

“But are we doing the right thing?”

He paused before answering her question. “What other choice do we have?”

Just over an hour and a half later, Liam pulled in front of the house where James Casada lived. He’d enjoyed the drive through the mountains with Gabby, and the time to reconnect. But that’s all this was. A couple of friends catching up. They’d talked about Will, he’d answered her questions about his rehabilitation and laughed at her stories about Mia, and he’d found himself surprised by how comfortable he felt with her. How much he enjoyed being around her.

“You ready for this?” He turned off the motor, then glanced at her.

“Yeah.” She tugged on the end of her ponytail and nodded. “Let’s go.”

The yard in front of the one-story house had low maintenance ground cover and a few woody shrubs. Gabby rang the doorbell, then pulled her coat tighter around her. The sun was out, but the temperature had yet to climb out of the mid-thirties. A few seconds later, she rang the bell again.

“That’s strange. He said he’d be here.”

Liam glanced around the front of the house. There was no car in the drive, but Casada probably would have parked inside the garage. Nothing seemed off or out of place, but that didn’t erase the uneasiness he felt. If the man knew something, he was a potential target as well.

“Mr. Casada?” Gabby tried the handle. “Liam, the door’s open. Something’s wrong.”

He took a step forward. “Stay here.”

“Liam—”

He squeezed her hand, then slowly opened the door. “James? Is everything okay? It’s Liam O’Callaghan.”

No answer.

Something was definitely wrong.

“If my phone was tapped. If they knew I was coming...”

A second later, Liam caught movement and turned. A figure rushed at him from behind the front door, slamming something into the back of his head. Stars exploding behind his eyes, he pivoted and swung at his attacker. But he couldn’t fight the darkness sweeping through him as he collapsed onto the floor.

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