Lean on Me (33 page)

He snorted a laugh.

“
What will Alex say if
we…?”

“
She’ll be delighted,” he
said. “She wants you to be happy. She knows how much I enjoy your
company. She’ll probably work her magic so that everything lines
up. That’s how she is.”

“
Would you want to have a
baby?”

“
I’m not opposed to the
idea, Sami. It surprises me that I’m not, but I’m not. I haven’t
been since you first brought it up. I want us to make our own plan,
our own decisions. If it’s just a baby, there are a million unloved
babies in the world. If it’s our baby, then there are other
challenges. But yes, I’d like to do that with you.”

“
Thanks.”

“
For what?”

“
For being honest and
clear. You’re a good friend. No matter what, you are a very good
friend.”

“
Come back to bed, Sami. We
can decide all of these things over time.”

“
I need to think,” Samantha
said. “All of this… is new for me too. I need time to
think.”

“
New?”

“
I usually run away,” Sami
said. “Or dismiss. There are plenty of fish in the sea kind of
thing. My dad told me once that when you find yourself standing in
place, you know you’ve found something worth fighting for.
But…”

“
But?”

“
I’m not as battle-hardened
as he is. I need time to think,” Sami said. “Will you walk me
home?”

“
Of course,” Raz
said.

She followed him upstairs, where she watched
him dress. Her eyes settled on the surgical scars on his back. She
remembered those scary days and nights when he was having surgery.
No one knew if he’d walk again. She also remembered that he was
with Alex when his back went out. He joked that it was “fairy luck”
that he could walk. Her heart squeezed with jealousy. Her emotional
war waged with such intensity that she didn’t see him until he held
out a pair of her athletic shoes.

“
It’s cold tonight,” he
said. “Maybe icy.”

She looked at the shoes and then at him.
Overwhelmed by his thoughtfulness, she nodded. She took off her
precious Loboutin’s and put on her athletic shoes.

“
I hate you sometimes,” she
said.

“
That’s all right,” Raz
said. “We all hate change.”

He was down the stairs before she could
respond. Shaking her head, she followed him out of his carriage
house.

F

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Tuesday morning

November 3 – 3:25 a.m. MST

Denver, CO

“
I need to speak to you
about something.”

Troy’s voice broke the early morning quiet
of Alex’s secure basement office. Bleary eyed, Alex looked up at
him from the large journal she’d been writing in. Her computer
monitor was the only light in the room.

“
What are you doing?” Troy
asked.

“
I’m trying to think
through what to do next,” Alex said. “Can you get the
lights?”

“
Sure.” Troy flicked on the
overhead lights. Alex blinked at him for a moment before he said,
“I thought you liked to come up with it at the time.”

“
This is a little big for
flying by the seat of our pants,” Alex smiled. “I received some
intel yesterday from the spies next door. I need to think
everything through to see where I want to focus.”

“
What do you mean?” Troy
asked. He leaned against the door frame.

“
It’s been postulated that
this entire debacle is related to the assault,” Alex shrugged her
eyebrows at Troy’s silent surprise. “I was shocked too. The idea is
that they knew that we could figure out what they’re doing and we
could stop them.”

“
So they set about killing
you first,” Troy said.

“
I’ve never been able to
remember what the hell I was up to the last six months before
everyone died,” Alex said. “Maybe I already figured it
out.”

“
That makes a lot of
sense.”

“
Mmmm,” Alex said. “I need
some more time to think it through.

“
I wonder if Max could
help,” Troy said.

“
I hadn’t thought of it,
but that’s a good idea,” Alex said. “I’m pretty sure you didn’t get
up to talk to me about this.”

“
No,” Troy said. “But I do
need to get back to work.”

“
We need you to get back to
work,” Alex said. “In fact, I have a project that could use
you.”

“
Great,” Troy said. “I love
your special projects. Does it involve killing someone?”

“
Not yet,” Alex
smiled.

When he fell silent, she raised her eyebrows
in a silent question of “What?”

“
I need to know about the
disposable phones,” Troy said.

“
The ones Joseph got for
the team?”

“
For the Friendless,” Troy
said.

“
Friendless?” Alex pursed
her eyebrows in a look of doubt.

“
Listen, I know I’ve asked
a lot from you,” Troy said. “I know I let that woman who tried to
assassinate you into our home. I know that John had to deal with
court and whatever for almost a year. I screwed up big time in
training. No question. I know you didn’t have to stay with Dahlia
today. I know you did it for me and the boys. I even know that I’m
often a sucky friend.”

Smiling, Alex nodded. He smiled at her
agreement.

“
I buried Dahlia today,” he
said. “She’s gone. Forever. Today. Please tell me what it
is.”

Alex fell silent for a moment before she
nodded.

“
Ok,” Alex said. “But can I
make coffee while I talk?”

“
Sure,” Troy said. “Did you
give Dahlia the phone?”

“
Yes,” Alex filled her
water pitcher from the filter in the corner. “At the party for your
father.”

“
Before or after I locked
her in the bathroom?”

“
Before,” Alex said. “I
didn’t think she’d use it, but she left her first message while she
was locked in that bathroom. Your mom said she was ‘different’
after we let her out. I think she felt hopeful. She followed
through with every single instruction after that.”

“
Where did you get the
phone?” Troy asked.

“
You mean literally?” Alex
poured the water into her espresso maker. “I’d have to ask my
Sergeant. He purchased a lot of disposable phones for the Fey Team
and a second lot for this project.”

“
So it’s an Army
thing.”

“
What’s an ‘Army thing’?”
she turned on the espresso machine.

“
For the Friendless,” Troy
said.

“
Oh no,” Alex took a pint
of milk out of the refrigerator. “It’s not.”

She opened the milk and smelled it. Her face
became a mask of disgust.

“
I’ll get some,” Troy left
the small office. She heard him run upstairs to the kitchen. He
returned about the time the coffee was done.

“
Would you like some?” Alex
asked.

“
Sure,” he said. “Are you
stalling to think or because you’re not going to tell
me?”

“
Think.”

“
And?”

“
I don’t see any harm in
telling you,” Alex said. “But you must promise never to tell anyone
else. Secrecy is the key to making this project work.”

Troy nodded. Alex steamed the milk and made
Troy a latte. She gave him the cup and a can of hot chocolate mix.
He liberally altered his coffee. She took a sip of her macchiato
and then nodded toward the armchairs near the far end of her
office. He sat down and she closed the door.

“
You remember what happened
to Erin?” Alex sat down in the matching arm chair.

“
Getting beaten up?” Troy
asked. “I don’t think I’ll forget that anytime soon.”

“
After everything was
over,” Alex said. “Erin went to Mom and suggested creating a kind
of foundation. There are resources available for women who are
abused – shelters, counseling – stuff like that. From Erin’s
perspective, there wasn’t much difference between a controlling
manipulative man and a controlling manipulative program. Even a
well-intentioned program has a lot of rules. She felt that the only
thing that would change women’s lives was to give them the
resources so that they could climb out of their own hole. By
requiring repayment, the women would feel like they had
accomplished something. You know what? She was right.”

“
Your mom is in this?” Troy
asked.

“
It’s Mom’s baby. It’s a
family foundation run by our financial advisors,” Alex said. “It’s
her war against the defamation of women. Mom told her golden child,
Colin, of course. He told us and…”

Alex shrugged.

“
Us?” Troy
asked.

“
The core group is my
family – Mom, Erin, Colin, Samantha, me, Max, Dad… Well, John and
Raz too. Ben and… you know the crowd,” Alex nodded. “My family has
money from my mom’s grandmother. We used that. Raz used some of his
9-11 money. Everyone else pitches in what they can. Sometimes, like
with Cian and Eoin, or Ben, it’s not money.”

“
How does it work?” Troy
asked.

“
You know how it works,”
Alex said. “The woman makes a call and requests help. A contractor
returns her call.”

“
How do you find the right
people?” Troy asked. “The boys’ therapist is an angel.”

“
We have an angelic
network,” Alex smiled. “Which is to say, Maria’s involved
too.”

“
Can I get involved?” Troy
asked.

“
I’ll ask,” Alex said. “You
have to understand. This is small and fairly new. We started with a
woman in Belfast. She went to nursing school and has paid almost
all of the money back. When she’s finished paying, she’ll be able
to get another woman involved. When you paid off Dahlia’s debt, she
was able to offer a phone to another woman.”

“
How many women total?”
Troy asked.

“
Six? Maybe
seven?”

“
Does it work?”

“
It has worked so far,”
Alex said. “I’m sure we’ll get burned at some point. We haven’t so
far. Our financial advisors are thrilled.”

“
Why would they be
thrilled?” Troy asked.

“
They feel good about doing
something for the world,” Alex said. “Or that’s what I think. I
guess it’s some kind of tax thing. You’d have to ask John. I don’t
keep track of the money very well. Does that answer your
question?”

“
I guess so,” Troy said. He
was silent for a moment before he added, “Thank you for saving
Dahlia and the boys.”

“
I’m glad it worked out,”
Alex said. “She was a remarkable woman, very strong, very brave. I
think her love for you gave her the strength to change her
life.”

Troy nodded to Alex and drank down his
latte.

“
Are you all right?” Alex
asked.

“
No,” Troy said. “I’m not
all right. And I’m not going to be all right for a long time. I
need to work, to get my mind off my sorrow, my self-loathing, and…
I miss her. My friend Alex told me once that the only way to get
through intense grief is to let time pass.”

“
You know Jennifer? Dean’s
wife?” Alex asked.

Troy nodded.

“
She’s a child therapist
now,” Alex said.

“
She is?”

“
I know three kids and a
baby,” Alex said. “She was almost done with her master’s degree
when everyone was killed. She finished up a year or so ago. She’s
done all her hours or whatever. Her specialty is traumatized kids.
I thought she might be a good connection for you.”

“
Do I have to call a number
on a disposable phone?”

“
No,” Alex laughed. “She’s
coming over in a few hours to meet the boys anyway.”

“
Alex, I’m not
ready…”

“
She’s dropping her older
kids off to be watched by Fionn,” Alex said. “She has to work today
and their school is out for fall break. Her sitter fell through.
Fionn’s taking them to the Natural History Museum and maybe the
zoo.”

“
Oh,” Troy said.
“Okay.”

“
Fionn was planning on
taking your kids too,” Alex said. “But only if you want him to.
You’ve met Jennifer and Dean’s kids?”

Troy nodded.

“
They’re nice kids,” Alex
said. “I think it would be good for the boys to hang out with some
older kids. In some ways, they are fragile and immature. In other
ways, they’re mature beyond their years. Trauma does
that.”

Troy nodded.

“
You can work here so that
they won’t be far. If something happens, you can always go get
them. Cian wants his junior bakers to come to work for a few hours
today too.”

“
They’re excited about
baking.” Troy smiled and took a drink of his latte.

“
What?” Alex
asked.

“
Fairy luck,” Troy said.
“Thanks for being my friend.”

Without saying another word, he set his cup
down and went up the stairs. Alex sneered at his dirty glass. Two
second later, he pounded back down the stairs. He picked up his
dirty glass.