Tony: Alvarez Security Series Read online

  Tony had kept up with the blonde beauty. She quit her job as a cocktail waitress when she finished her paralegal degree and had once again put herself in danger by trying to do a little digging for Gabe’s new wife Jennifer, looking for evidence of the illegal activities of a state Senator. Jesus, fuck, he thought again, remembering how she called him for help when Monty dragged her out of the State Capitol building. It turned out he was undercover FBI, but Tony could still remember the emotions he felt when she called. First, there was fear. Then the adrenaline of a mission to be accomplished. And then…the feeling of a woman depending on him.

  Shaking his head, he tried to force those feelings out of his mind as he looked back over at Monty leaning in close to her at their table. Fucker’s probably catching a scent of her hair. Or trying to look down her dress. Why the fuck is she wearing that anyway? The green dress was low in the front, showing off entirely too much of her breasts. And from the looks of them, they were gorgeous. Then there were her legs as she crossed and uncrossed them. The whole package was shown to perfection in that dress, causing Tony to glower even more.

  *

  Sherrie looked over at the angry visage of Tony. What is wrong with him? I wore this dress hoping he would finally notice me and all I get are glares. I could have worn a potato sack for all he would care.

  Sherrie tried to give a polite smile to Monty as he leaned closer to chat. Her gaze raked over him. Tall, good-looking, intelligent. The kind of man that most women would be hoping to take home, not only for the night but for forever. Just not her. For Sherrie, the only man in the room was the one man who seemed to hate her.

  As Monty turned to talk to the couple next to him, she looked at Tony under lowered lashes. Yep – still glowering. Her mind flowed back to when she first saw him.

  Hands tied behind her back, lying on a pallet on the floor of an airport hangar at the mercy of the gang leader that had used, abused, and abandoned her sister. Just when she thought her life was over, he came charging in. She remembered ducking when she first heard gunshot and a large man wearing all black came at her with a knife.

  He had cradled her and pulled the gag from her swollen lips, assisting her with drinking from his canteen. Using the knife, he gave calm assurances as he cut her bindings and rubbed her hands and feet. She remembered shivering as she gazed into his caramel eyes, not knowing if she were cold, in shock, or simply mesmerized at his face peering down at her.

  She had felt him lift her in his arms as easily as a child and all she could think of was that someone had come for her. Rescued her. Once loaded into the ambulance, she tried to thank him, but her voice only croaked a whisper. She had no idea if he heard her or cared. And she realized belatedly, she did not even know his name. Later at the hospital she had tried to slip out unnoticed having heard how injured her friend, Suzanne, was and feeling guilty about her sister’s part in the scheme. But Tony had approached, standing in her way. She had looked up, knowing he was too good for her. Too clean. Too…everything. And had slipped around him and out into the night.

  Suzanne walked over to Sherrie and slid down in the seat next to her. “Well, doesn’t this look familiar?” she quipped with a smile.

  “What?” Sherrie asked.

  “At my wedding I also remember you sitting at one table trying not to stare at Tony, and he at another table openly staring at you.”

  “Oh, he’s got no interest in me.”

  “Honey, if you think that then you’re either dumb or refuse to see what’s right in front of you. And you are not dumb!”

  Sherrie huffed, glancing at the beautiful mother of twins, glad for their friendship surviving their ordeal a year ago. With Suzanne’s help, she came to realize that she had to let go of the guilt. She was not at fault for the poor choices of her sister.

  Wanting to change the topic, she asked, “How’s the new clinic?” Suzanne was a vet tech for a friend of theirs, Annie, who had also just had a baby.

  “It’s fabulous. With both Annie and me having babies, we have a very generous schedule, which works for us. So I get time off with the twins and still get out to work a couple of days a week to have some adult time.” Glancing down at her breasts, she said ruefully, “And speaking of babies, I need to go find a place to pump before these huge boobs explode.”

  Laughing, Sherrie noticed Suzanne’s husband heading their way. “Looks like BJ is right on time.”

  “Oh yeah, he keeps up with my schedule about as well as I do,” she said. “But Sherrie, about what we were talking about earlier. Tony and you?”

  Sherrie interrupted, “Suzanne, there is no Tony and me.”

  Her friend leaned over and gave her a hug, whispering in her ear, “Give him a chance, honey. I really think you two are perfect together.” With that, she allowed her husband to give her an assist from her seat and as he winked at Sherrie, he tucked Suzanne under his arm as they left the room.

  Sherrie looked wistfully at the receding couple. That’s what I want. But not with just anyone, she had to admit, glancing at Tony one more time. With her and Tony having the same friend group they had been together on numerous occasions, but all ended the same—him staring from afar and her leaving alone.

  The last time he had come to her rescue, she had called him. He was the only one I wanted to see. Wanted to trust. But even then, other than the rescue, nothing happened.

  The bride walked over and sat in the chair vacated by Suzanne, interrupting Sherrie’s musings. “Enjoying yourself?” Jennifer asked, a conspiratorial grin on her face.

  “Of course,” Sherrie replied giving her a hug. “You’re an absolutely beautiful bride.”

  “Well, you’re a stunner yourself in that dress. Anyone I know you’re trying to impress?”

  “Nope, no one. At least no one who cares.”

  Jennifer leaned in close, “Oh, honey. He cares. He just doesn’t want to, that’s all. But Gabe’s working on it.”

  Sherrie’s gaze shot back over to Tony, seeing the groom talking to his boss. Her lips in a tight line, she retorted, “But that’s the problem. If I was really worth it, no one should have to be convinced.”

  Giving Jennifer a look of resignation, she turned and asked Monty if he would like to dance. Eyes alight, he stood and offered his hand. Walking out to the dance floor, she purposefully kept her gaze away from Tony and tried to concentrate on the handsome man who had his arms around her.

  Tony’s glare had turned murderous, but Gabe stilled him with a hand on his arm. “Captain, you’ve got no one to blame but yourself.” Even though the men had been out of the Army for several years, his former squad members still found themselves referring to their boss as their superior officer.

  Tony tried counting to ten but found that his Special Forces training had abandoned him when it came to her. She filled his dreams. She filled his thoughts. And as much as he tried to push them away, they came back. Over and over.

  “Captain?” Gabe’s voice finally cut through. Gabe had been joined by Vinny and Jobe. Tony looked over at his most trusted men. And friends. Gabe continued, “You’ve had your eye on her for almost a year. She’s a great woman. Smart. Tough. Not to mention, gorgeous.”

  “Think I don’t know all of that?” Tony growled.

  “You don’t act like it. Instead you act like you’re trying to keep her at arm’s length all of the time.”

  Tony looked over at the couple on the dance floor and then turned his anguished gaze back to the others. “What…what do I have to offer a woman like that? I loved once. You were there. Nearly broke me. Can’t do that again, and she deserves better than a man who hasn’t got much left to give,” he admitted.

  The silence at the table was deafening. They had accepted the fact that Tony never spoke of his wife and daughter after they left the cemetery that day, five years earlier. Never. For him to bring it up now, told them the depths of his feelings. And anguish.

  With that, Tony stood from the table pushing hard against his seat.
The scraping noise had Sherrie look over in surprise. For a moment, both held each other’s gaze. Warm caramel ones met the summer-sky blue ones. Longing and despair in both.

  Tony turned suddenly and walked out of the door, leaving his friends hurting for him. And Sherrie hurting for herself.

  Chapter 2

  The next Monday found the Alvarez core employees in the large conference room for their weekly meeting. While Alvarez Security had a number of people employed, it was this group of trusted friends that were the heart and soul of the agency.

  “Gabe get off okay?” Tony asked, referring to the honeymoon.

  “Yeah,” Vinny answered. “He’ll just be gone a week, but they’re heading to the sunny Keys.”

  “That sounds lovely,” Lily said softly. “This winter has been harsh. I’m so not a fan.”

  Looking down at his agenda, Tony began the briefing. “We’re pulling out of the Hollywood starlet securities after the fiasco a few months back, but we have some requests from agents with some artists or musicians signed that would occasionally want our services. I’ll take those on a one at a time basis with no long term contract unless we have been with them and want their business.”

  “You get any female rockers that need an escort, I’m your man,” Vinny joked. The team laughed as Tony just shook his head.

  “Next up, home and business security. Jobe, what do you have on that?”

  “The new equipment that we’ve ordered has come in and when Gabe gets back, we’ll look it over and start installing it on newer customers. Didn’t know if you want us to offer upgrades to existing clients?”

  The group discussed the pros and cons of the equipment contracts for several minutes. Making their decisions, they moved to the next topic.

  “Had a request to help find two sisters who have been missing a month,” Tony mentioned, opening the file in front of him. This got the immediate attention of the group. “Their grandparents have employed us to look in this area. They are from the D.C. area and by all appearances, they ran away together. According to the grandmother, their step-father may have been abusive. It was reported to the D.C. police, but they’re strapped for manpower and the trail is a bit cold. The grandparents hired a PI in the D.C. area and he thinks they took a bus to Richland. So they have contracted us to see what we can dig up.”

  “You giving this to one person?” Jobe asked. “Cause if so, I’ll take it.” The group knew of Jobe’s overwhelming sense of responsibility when it came to his own sisters and Tony knew this would be a personal mission for him.

  “I was thinking of you and Terrance working on it, and with BJ getting his PI license, he can work on it with you. I told the grandparents that we would see what we could find from the bus station security but that they shouldn’t get their hopes up too high since the girls left a month ago.” With that, he slid the folder over to Jobe who began to thumb through it.

  Moving to the next item on his agenda, Tony continued. “As you know, the Richland Police have worked with us in the past and even paid Lily and BJ for their time for some of their computer skills. The Chief knows our reputation and with our friendship with Matt and Shane, it’s been easy.”

  Lily smiled. Her husband, Matt Dixon, and his partner, Shane Douglass, were detectives that had close ties to Alvarez Security and worked with them even when not sanctioned by the Chief.

  “Well now, it seems as though we have the attention of the Mayor and Governor as well. So that will probably lead to us having more and more contracts with city as well.”

  “You okay, Captain?” BJ asked. “You’re giving us good news, but seem…I don’t know…kind of bored.”

  “Nah, it’s all good. Business is up and you all should be expecting raises by next month.” This news was met with cheers all around. His gaze wandered around the room to his core employees. Lily, happily married to Matt and expecting their child. BJ married his long time sweetheart months ago and is now the proud father of twins. Gabe, who was on his honeymoon, was also on his mind. Jobe was still single, but Tony knew as soon as the right woman came along, he’d snatch her up. Vinny on the other hand, was a hound-dog at heart. He was too into tits, ass, and one-night stands to ever fall in love. Then there’s me. Jesus, fuck. I am getting morose.

  Jerking himself out of his musings, he dismissed the meeting and headed back to his office. A moment later, Lily knocked on the doorframe.

  Smiling, he stood, motioning for her to enter. Beautiful, blonde hair that just skimmed her shoulders. Neat slacks, professional blouse, and her trademark, colorful tennis shoes. As a below-the-knee amputee, she always wore tennis shoes.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked, ushering her to a seat.

  “I’m fine. Actually more than fine.”

  She sat, awkwardly quiet for a moment. Finally looking at him, she said, “Sir—”

  “Lily, we’re too good of friends for you to call me ‘sir’.”

  Smiling, she nodded. “I just wondered…well, that is to say…I thought that…” Sighing, she said ruefully, “I’m not making much progress here, am I?”

  Tony chuckled and agreed.

  “Tony, when I first met Matt, I thought that I had nothing to give him, other than a life with an amputee and that didn’t seem fair. I found out later that because of the large scar on his face, he felt the same. That all he had to offer was life with a man with a damaged face. But we were wrong.”

  Not knowing where she was going with the conversation, Tony just sat quietly, allowing her thoughts to come out in her own time.

  Looking down at her hands for a moment, she unconsciously splayed them across her slight pregnancy bulge. Gazing back up into his eyes, she continued. “We’ve all had pain, Tony. Things that marked us. Changed us. Hurt us. Made us feel like the sun was never going to shine on us again.”

  Leaning forward, she placed her tiny hand on his much larger one. “I can’t begin to imagine your grief and pain. And it’ll never go away. I know. I’ve grieved the death of my sister for ten years. But if you don’t allow yourself to feel again, hope again, dream again…you’ll never find happiness again.”

  Seeing him about to protest, she interrupted. “And you can find happiness again. We all did and want that for you as well.”

  The lump that formed in his throat threatened to choke him, so silence was the only solution. He blinked and nodded, feeling her words slide through him. Not reaching the darkest places. But warming him, nonetheless.

  She stood, and walked out of his office saying nothing else. He sat, looking at the papers on his desk but not seeing them. The hall was quiet and he knew he was alone. Pulling out his wallet, he slid the old, faded photograph out. Running his finger over the face of Marla and Sofia once again, he wondered if Lily was right. Was there such a thing as happiness again for him?

  *

  Sherrie walked into the lawyer’s office where she was a paralegal, greeting the receptionist as she moved to her small office. Looking at the pile of files on her desk, she heaved a huge sigh. She used to go to the State Capitol often for business, even if it was just delivering files to a client. But ever since the Senator had been caught in a huge scandal involving payoffs and mob bosses, Attorney Ashton Marks had scaled back as he was winding down his career. He kept his business to just family law, dealing mostly with wills and trusts. Necessary, but to Sherrie, it was a little boring.

  She was tired of spending her days stuck in the tiny office, completing legal forms for the clients. She could not help but smile at the memories of helping Jennifer with a little reconnaissance a few months earlier. She had felt alive and needed. Her gaze moved from the pile of folders to a small picture frame on her desk. She and Charisse, her sister. Raised in foster homes, she had gone the route of being a good student and Charisse had decided that prostituting herself for drugs was the way to break out of the system. Where are you now, sis?

  “Ms. Mullins?” a deep voice called from the door.

  Jumping, she excl
aimed, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t hear anyone there.”

  A tall, handsome man wearing a nice, if inexpensive suit, walked in with his hand out. “I’m Simon Tolbert, Mr. Marks’ new partner.”

  Jumping to her feet, she shook his hand, saying, “That’s right. I totally forgot it was your first day here.”

  Seeing the look of disappointment cross his face, she explained, “I was involved in a friend’s wedding last week and am afraid my mind was completely pre-occupied.”

  He smiled and nodded his understanding. “Well, I’ll be settling into my office today and I’m sure I’ll see you later.” He turned and headed back out of her door.

  She did not have to wait long for the next time she saw Mr. Tolbert, when Mr. Marks called an office meeting. The receptionist stayed for just a few minutes of introductions and after she left, Sherrie and the two attorneys continued their meeting.

  “My specialty is family law, Ms. Mullins; and Mr. Marks tells me you are a CASA worker. I will be making some visits to children in foster care and would like a female to go with me when I am interviewing a child. I find that it makes them more comfortable. With your special training, you will be an invaluable asset. Other than that, I would expect that my needs for your services will be similar as to Mr. Marks’.”

  Smiling as she walked back to her office, she thought of working on some cases with children as well as her CASA assignment. This just might be the spark I needed.

  *

  Sherrie had her first time visiting a foster care home with the attorney that week. As they drove the short distance to the pleasant house, he asked her to call him ‘Simon’. “I know Mr. Marks believes in formality, but I prefer a friendlier atmosphere at work.”

  Nodding, she added, “And you may certainly call me ‘Sherrie’.”

  Arriving at the home, she followed his lead and sat with the child at the kitchen table as Simon asked them some questions. She could not help but look around at the pleasant surroundings. It reminded her of one of her earlier foster homes. When she and Charisse had been younger, the homes were nice. But as her sister’s behavior became more erratic, they had been shipped from one house to another. And a few of them, not very desirable.