Negotiation Tactics (22 page)

“Tackling-bad-guy experience, huh?” Jennie asked.

“What the hell were you thinking, Jen?” Chad’s voice cracked as he spoke and she knew he was fighting to stay calm.

“That I love you,” Jennie said.

“If you loved me you wouldn’t keep taking years off my life. I swear, Jennie, if you ever jump in front of a gun for me again, I’ll strangle you myself,” Chad said.

He softened the effect of his words a bit when he took her hand in his and kissed the palm of it more gently than anyone his size should be able to. He brought the straw to her lips again to let her take another sip of water. A nurse came in and began to buzz around them, checking the machines and bags of fluids that surrounded Jennie.

“Does this mean you’re going to marry me, Chad?” Jennie asked.

“No. I’m still not marrying you, Jennie,” Chad said. The nurse frowned as she left the room.

“What! Chad you can’t do that. This is crazy. I’m having your baby. I took a bullet for you. I saved your life. You have to marry me now.”

Chad just laughed at her again as he laced his fingers through hers and brought her hand to his lips once again. Jennie’s mother poked her head through the door of the room, letting Chad off the hook.

“The nurse said you were awake, sweetheart,” she said and Jennie could tell she was trying to stay calm but the tears were in her eyes and her voice.

“Hi, Mom,” Jennie said and the tears began to flow as her mother came and held her other hand.

Jennie’s father stepped into the room. “Chad, Mike’s out here to see you.”

Chad and Mr. Davies switched places as Chad went to see Mike. Jennie let her parents wrap their arms around her and hold her despite the wires and tubes that still pumped liquids into her and monitored her baby.

***

“Hey, Mike. You look like shit,” Chad said as he met his friend down the hall from Jennie’s room. “Get anything out of Waters?”

The two men shook hands, but Mike pulled Chad in to hug him and Chad didn’t try to fight it. It felt good to be surrounded by his friends and family right now.

“How’s Jennie?” Mike asked.

“Good. She and the baby are doing okay. Jennie has to stay here for a few more days but the bullet didn’t hit the bone.”

Mike nodded. They’d both seen enough injuries to know this could have been a lot worse.

“We found Rick Bandon trying to board a flight for France. As soon as we brought him in, he and Caroline Waters both began spouting off information faster than we could record it all, each trying to make the best deal. I think Bandon might win because he has records of at least ten other Florida officials that were taking bribes and having him clean money for them. He wasn’t just running things through Florifish. He had four other businesses set up with the other officials so he could distribute the clean money to them without it showing up in someone’s account as not legitimate. Waters is willing to testify that Bandon killed the Masters brothers, though, so she’s got that going for her,” Mike said as the two men walked down the hall toward a row of vending machines.

Chad grimaced at the choice of ‘meals’ in the machine. A candy bar or a bag of chips.

“Not that I’m complaining because I think this could have been a lot worse than it was, but why didn’t Bandon come after Jennie himself?” Chad asked.

“Caroline Waters claimed she talked him into letting her go in first to see if Jennie really knew anything that could implicate either of them. After what he did to the Masters brothers, she claims she stepped in to try to protect Jennie, then panicked when you and I came in the door. I don’t know if she’s telling the truth, but it makes sense. If Bandon was nearby and saw the ambulance and marked cars outside your building, it would have sent him running to the airport. France won’t extradite to the US if the death penalty is on the table, so he must have thought he’d be pretty safe there.”

“Chad!” Jack’s voice rang out down the hall and Chad looked up to see his cousin coming toward him, followed by Andrew and Jill.

“Hey, guys,” Chad said, turning to his friends. “Jennie’s awake. Her parents are in with her now.”

“I’m gonna get going, Chad. I’ll keep you posted. I’m glad to hear Jennie and the baby are okay,” Mike said as he slapped Chad on the back and walked down the hall. Chad wasn’t sure how he’d repay Mike for all he’d done to help them through this, but some day he’d find a way.

“We brought you food,” Jill said, holding out a takeout bag to Chad. He grabbed her in a bear hug when he smelled Mexican food coming from the bag. He hadn’t eaten in hours but he wasn’t about to leave the hospital any time soon. The nurses had all tried to get him to go home and rest but he’d looked at them like they’d suggested he cut off his own head. He didn’t know why anyone would think he’d leave Jennie. If she was in the hospital, that’s where he’d be.

“You’re the best, Jill,” Chad said as he released Andrew’s wife.

“Hey, we helped get that food. Don’t we get any credit?” Andrew asked gesturing to him and Jack.

“You guys are still in the dog house for starting this whole mess. I’ll set Jennie loose on you when she gets out of here and you can beg her forgiveness for getting her into all this with your scheming and lies,” Chad said.

Andrew and Jack shifted on their feet, looking sufficiently chagrinned, but Chad figured he’d draw this out a bit longer before letting them off the hook. Jennie’s parents came out, interrupting Chad’s fun and letting Andrew and Jack off easy.

“Where are Kelly and Maddy?” Chad asked.

“They went back to the house with Mrs. Poole. Maddy needed to nap and Mrs. Poole wants to start cooking. I think her plan is to fill your freezer with enough food to last you and Jennie the next year or so,” Jack said with a grin. Mrs. Poole was officially Jack and Kelly’s housekeeper, but she acted as mother hen to all of them. Chad had a feeling Jack wasn’t exaggerating about the amount of food headed for his freezer.

They all talked for a few more minutes and then hugged Chad good-bye so he could go back to sit with Jennie. She’d fallen asleep so he ate the take-out food quietly and then turned out the light. He knew the nurses would be in to check her and the fetal monitor the doctor wanted Jennie hooked up for a while longer. They both needed to sleep while they could. Chad lay his head down on the edge of Jennie’s bed and put one arm over her legs. He’d slept in a lot worse places than this and he’d sleep with Jennie until it was time to take her home.

Chapter Thirty-seven

Jennie was released from the hospital four days later. They didn’t go back to Chad’s condo. He had a cleaning company come in and clean up the crime scene and he told Jennie he planned to put it on the market. They’d stay in Jennie’s house for now, where she was comfortable and Zeke had a backyard. Jennie insisted Chad could only stay until his condo had been cleaned unless he planned on marrying her. Of course, this news was delivered with her good fist on her hip and as much fire as she could muster with a bullet wound keeping her a little subdued.

Jennie had seen all of her friends in the hospital but only in groups of two for a short visit at a time and she was anxious to see them all again. Four days after leaving the hospital, they headed down to Jack and Kelly’s house for an official welcome-home-Jennie party. Jennie had laughed when Kelly suggested it.

Kelly would use any excuse to host a party, but honestly Jennie was glad Kelly was willing to organize and host. She didn’t have the energy to have people at her house and she wanted to see everyone.

Kelly had even invited Jennie’s family and Kyle’s parents had driven down for the event. It amazed Jennie to see them embrace Chad and to see the way Chad responded to them. He seemed to treat Kyle’s parents as if they were simply an extra set of parents to Jennie. It made Jennie feel safe for some reason, knowing she could keep that part of her life intact instead of losing them as she moved on to find new love with Chad.

Jennie sat, surrounded by friends and family, smiling and laughing, her heart free and light for the first time in a very long time. She felt like she’d come through a long hard winter and was seeing the sun for the first time. Everyone wanted a play-by-play of the whole story, from the trip to Florida to the shooting. Jennie sat back and let Chad and her parents tell the tale.

It was surreal listening to them tell her story. Chad skimmed quickly over her heartache over Kyle’s death. She assumed that was to spare her from reliving it, but Jennie felt oddly at ease. She would always love Kyle, but the pain didn’t cut as deeply anymore. Jennie had a feeling that her pain had lingered for so long and had been so great because she had felt she had a hand in his death. When her parents and Kyle’s parents convinced her she didn’t, it was as if they set her free. Set her heart free too.

“I’ve asked him to marry me six times in the last week, but he said no,” Jennie piped up as Chad finished the story.

Mabry smacked Chad on the back of his shoulder from her position at his side. Jennie guessed she would have liked to target the back of his head, but Mabry couldn’t reach that high on Chad when he was standing up.

“Oh, you’ll marry her, all right, mister,” Mabry said.

Chad laughed and shook his head.

Before Jennie could process what was going on, Chad was down on one knee in front of her. He pulled a ring from his pocket.

“When did you get a ring? We’ve been running from killers and I’ve been lying in the hospital with a bullet meant for you in my arm…and y-you went ring shopping?” she sputtered.

Chad laughed. “They took the bullet out Jennie. You haven’t been lying around with a bullet in your arm. And, I’ve had this ring for months,” Chad smiled and then he took her left hand in his.

As he spoke, he slipped the ring on Jennie’s finger. “Will you marry me, Jennie?”

Jennie grinned at him. “No.”

She shook her head but she didn’t stop him from putting the ring on her finger and the wide smile on her face told him a different story. Apparently, everyone around her saw the same thing Chad did. He stood and lifted her in his arms, spinning her around as their friends cheered.

Jennie laughed. “I thought I told you, no.”

“I heard, yes. Didn’t you guys hear, yes?” Chad asked.

Her traitorous friends all took his side, but Jennie only laughed. She felt lighter and happier than she’d felt in a long time.

Jennie wrapped her arms around Chad and pulled him close. “We can negotiate this later, Sweetheart,” she whispered.

By now the group around them was chatting and laughing so no one heard Chad whisper back. “We can negotiate your surrender later.”

Jennie laughed. “I won’t ever surrender.”

“Oh, you’ll surrender,” said Chad as he captured her mouth in a heated kiss that had Jennie wondering if maybe, just maybe, she
would
surrender.

Epilogue

Chad watched Jennie as she slept – their precious, tiny daughter bundled in his arms. He was afraid to move for fear of crushing her. Twenty-two hours in labor had worn Jennie out and seeing her in so much pain had been more than he could handle. When she’d asked for an epidural, Chad had wanted to drop to his knees in thanks, knowing she’d finally get some relief. He didn’t do well with seeing the woman he loved hurting.

The scar on Jennie’s arm was a constant reminder of the pain he’d put her through, but it also reminded him to be so grateful for having the woman he loved more than anyone in the world, in his life.

Chad looked down as the sweet face of his sleeping daughter and laughed when he remembered Jennie telling their friends what they’d named their child.

Princess Tiffany Tabitha Tobias Thompson. She said it with a completely straight face and sold them all on her sincerity. They’d stood there with the funniest expressions trying to find some polite response. Chad had felt sorry for them and told them the baby’s real name.

Ella Kylee Thompson, named after Chad’s grandmother and Kyle. She was a big baby, weighing in at eight and a half pounds and measuring twenty-three inches, but she still felt so small in Chad’s arms. He worried he would break her. Her foot was the size of his pinkie, but boy did she scream when she came out.

Apparently, she was not thrilled to be taken out of the warm cocoon her mother had kept her in all these months. She turned her little face purple and red and opened that mouth and let the world know she was ticked off.

“Hey, you.” Jennie spoke quietly from the bed.

Chad smiled at her and brought Ella over to her mom to nurse.

“How do you feel? Do you need anything?” Chad asked.

Jennie shook her head at him and looked down at Ella who now nursed hungrily. Her little eyes were already closed as though she only planned to eat and then drop right off to sleep again.

“I’m okay,” Jennie said. “I want to get home to our own bed and get settled in with you and Ella.”

Chad kissed her forehead and brushed the hair back from her eyes. “Soon, Jen. I’m pretty sure you have to stay here at least one day, if not two,” he said with a laugh.

“Can’t you bribe a doctor? Get them to let me go home?” Jennie asked as Chad laughed at her and shook his head.

“Call some of your army buddies and have them sneak us out? It’ll be a black op. They’ll love it,” she begged.

“I love you Jennie Thompson,” Chad whispered.

“I love you, too, Boss Man,” Jennie whispered back.

Chad knew a lifetime with her wouldn’t be enough, but it was a start.

Acknowledgements:

I’d like to thank my incredibly supportive husband and my kids for putting up with the madness of deadlines and rewrites. Thank you to Sue and Cathy for all of the brainstorming and reading drafts. Thank you to Patricia Thomas for editing, copyediting, and working with such tight deadlines and turn-arounds. Thank you to Emme Adams of Novel Ideas Editing for developmental contributions. And, thank you to Patricia Parent for being my final set of eyes.   

And, last but not least, thank you to my readers! Your support means the world to me. If you want to support me further, or get in touch with me, you can do any of the following: