The Wife Assignment (Rogue Protectors Book 5)

The Howard Special Effects studio was quiet this Saturday. It was unusual. On any given day, there would be an army of SFX artists working around me, but the team was up in Vegas doing finishing touches on a big budget superhero movie. As the clutch-time designer on the production, the director and costume designer tasked me with the key pieces for the final desert showdown.

Currently, my attention wasn’t on the silicone masks on the table. My thoughts were on my marriage.

On Levi.

On the girls.

On my brother, Callum.

Invisible claws dug into my heart.

The film was based on a comic book he loved as a kid. I took on the project on the condition that his name would be included in the dedication.

A lump formed in my throat. Callum’s death triggered the death spiral of our marriage. A SEAL mission went sideways in the Gulf of Aden. Details about the op weren’t made public until two years after the event. Levi couldn’t give me the info, and I knew that killed him, and it was why he stayed away from us. He couldn’t get to Callum when an explosion rocked the ship and killed my brother.

I inspected the paint job on a silicone mask and decided it was good for now. Only when it was dry could I decide if it was perfect, but my years of experience indicated it would be.

I checked my watch. Nine o’clock.

I didn’t need an alibi not to make it to Levi’s dinner. Our marriage was stuck in an endless cycle of one step closer, two steps back. At one point in the last three weeks, I was feeling strongly about divorce. A clean break. But Levi muddled my resolve, showing me how far he would go to keep me. Surprisingly, he didn’t do that by fucking me senseless.

I had a million reasons to end our marriage.

But I held on these past eighteen months thinking I needed that one good reason for me to stay in it.

The failure of our marriage was my fault as much as his. It certainly had a lot to do with my own baggage.

The line of silicone masks blurred as I processed when our marriage started to crack.

After Callum was killed, my husband transformed into a stranger I couldn’t bear to be around. Withdrawn. So angry at the world that even our youngest daughter avoided him. We were supposed to grieve the loss of Callum together. Instead, we did it separately.

Tom had been a bigger support than my own husband. But even Tom gave excuses that it was probably survivor’s guilt. I asked Levi to seek help. But he quit the SEALs and became a mercenary instead and drifted further and further away from his family.

What was bad became worse.

When the mask came back into focus, I bit back a smile and thought of Callum. This particular piece was his favorite character from that superhero world. Bittersweet memories washed over me.

Cal looked out for me especially when my mother’s side of the family were being assholes because I was a scourge to their family name. I was a result of a love affair between Charles McGrath and Sofia Rossi. As her bastard daughter, I was an obstacle to an arranged marriage between the Rossis and the Chicago Crime family. My biological father was in jail at the time I was born, so I was adopted by Cal’s parents, Robert and Mads. Charles was Robert’s brother. So, technically, I was Cal’s cousin but he’d treated me no different from his other siblings.

When Callum left for BUD/S, I was the one who cried the most. He was my partner in crime when special effects interested me after I watched Galaxy Quest. He liked it when I used him for a guinea pig. He even covered for me when I crazy glued cheap silicone pieces to his and our youngest sister, Alana’s, foreheads.

When I was in high school, I stole ingredients from the chemistry lab so I could make my own gel. The commercial mixture was expensive, especially to a teenager who was on an allowance. Working extra hours at the pub bussing tables didn’t cover the expenses either. So, I bought cheap molds from the backs of vans that trolled Times Square and tried to cook my own gel mask in our brownstone. It started a kitchen fire. Cal took the blame for that, and our parents punished him instead of me. Though I had a feeling they knew the true transgressor, they took that opportunity to ground Cal when he started hanging out with a shady crowd.

Callum was my person until Levi came into my life. There was an unprocessed guilt for myself. I couldn’t completely grieve with the McGraths, so maybe I understood why Levi pulled away from me after my brother died.

There was survivor’s guilt.

Then there was also a different kind.

Before my mind could prod deeper into my complicated emotions, the studio’s guard poked his head into the SFX department.

“Miss James?”

“Yes?”

“There’s a Detective Woodward here to see you.”

Gabby’s here? “Can you show her in?” I proceeded to transfer the masks to the curing rack so they would dry right.

The guard nodded and closed the door.

What did Gabby want from me? She was married to one of Levi’s teammates. Teammate sounded too organizational and there was nothing organized about Levi’s team. They didn’t have an outfit name. Everyone appeared to be a contractor. Even though John Garrison, their CIA handler, was running the show and throwing them jobs, none of them really answered to anyone. Going rogue was a constant refrain. I shook my head. That’s what you get when you put all alpha males together. No one was the boss of anyone.

The door opened again, letting the detective through. She was dressed in a chic sports suit but still gave off the no-nonsense detective vibe. Looking at her, one couldn’t tell she used to be a popular teen star of a zombie series that I loved. Her son, Theo Cole, was the star of the Primeflix moneymaking series, Hodgetown. Hollywood royalty certainly ran in their bloodline.

“Gabby, this is a surprise.” She and her son were the main stakeholders in Revenant Films which produced the Hodgetown series. I had the pleasure of working with Theo in previous seasons.

She looked around. “So this is where all the magic happens.”

As an artist, I noticed the contours of her face, the shape of her eyes and their unusual chestnut color. She and her husband Declan made a gorgeous couple. Levi’s friend was no slouch in the looks department but I was biased. I thought Levi was the sexiest among the bunch. But then, I loved brutish looking men who dwarfed me. Scratch that. There was only one and it was Levi.

“Kelly?”

Crap. I realized Gabby was waiting for my answer, and instead I was daydreaming about my estranged husband.

I grinned wryly. “Sorry, I’m always awestruck by the color of your eyes.”

Gabby laughed. “Now, you’re going to make me blush.”

I snorted. “With all you see as an LAPD detective? I doubt anything makes you blush nowadays.”

“True.” But her cheeks did heighten in color, and I bet it wasn’t my comment about her eyes, but more about what made her blush. And I didn’t need two guesses to know she thought about Declan.

“What brings you here, detective?”

“RHD is spread thin right now and requested our assistance on the case. It’s not a priority, but Kelso and I offered to do the groundwork.”

Working in LA, I’d learned that RHD meant Robbery and Homicide Division. My gut tightened and my gaze lowered to the rest of the masks, my mind racing. “Who?”

“Don’t be alarmed. Everything is still sketchy.”

A chill rose up my spine. “You know that’s the wrong thing to say if a person shouldn’t be alarmed.”

“Tom Roth.”

My jaw dropped. “What?”

“His office asked us to do a wellness check when he failed to show up at an important meeting this morning.”

“He missed that?” Tom had mentioned we could spend Saturday evening together to celebrate closing a big deal.

Gabby nodded. “LAPD sent patrol officers over to his West Hollywood residence.” She was watching me carefully when she added, “There were signs of a struggle. Coffee table smashed, chairs overturned, and more.”

“Oh my God.”

“No body. Nothing on the security cameras. No sign of forced entry.”

“Do they know—” I cut off. My mind scrambled. Sooner or later they would discover the altercation at the restaurant. “It’s not Levi.”

“Don’t tell me anything,” Gabby warned. “Kelso is on his way to Levi’s now. Anyone with a brain would agree that it would be stupid to go after Roth after that scene in the parking lot last night.”

“Shit.”

“You were in the appointment book for dinner last night. RHD contacted us because they knew you assisted the department last year. I was surprised when I saw the footage from the restaurant though.” Gabby shook her head. “These men. Why am I not surprised?”

The detective regarded me carefully. “He took you home afterwards?”

“I’m not saying anything else until I talk to my husband.”

“Fair enough.”

Levi

“Can we watch TV?”

I glanced away from my phone and looked at Whitney. “Sure, princess.”

My focus scattered between entertaining the girls and figuring out how to convince Kelly to give us a second chance. I hoped she’d show up for dinner and obviously she wasn’t or she’d be here by now. But she hadn’t called to check on the girls and wish them goodnight.

I pushed away thoughts of her and Tom together. She said she wasn’t going to see him, and I trusted her word.

“It’s Saturday night, go ahead and find something.” Once I repaired my relationship with Ashley, they became effortless to manage. If they had their way, they’d sit in front of the television for hours. But in an attempt to establish well-rounded children, I had to cajole them to leave their preferred entertainment on the couch and go to theme parks or go hiking.

“Yay,” they both squealed, and it was like a stampede to the living room. Kelly chided me about letting them watch too much television, but I knew she was secretly pleased our little heathens carried that McGrath trait. Besides, the same thing happened when they were at their grandparents.

“There’s a new PrimeFlix movie. I think it’s a vampire,” Whitney called.

I hurried to the living room to make sure that it was PG at least. It wasn’t. Rated R for sex and violence. “Pick another one.”

“How about this? It’s a cartoon.” I checked the synopsis and rating. Sometimes these cartoons were too scary or too adult for kids. PG. No warnings of any sort. “That’s good. Start the movie. I need to tidy up the kitchen.”

Unable to help myself, I swiped Kelly’s number, but it went immediately to voicemail.

“Hey, babe, you’re probably swamped. But I wanted to let you know the girls are fine.” I started putting away the dirty dishes. “No matter how late it is, if you want to come over. Please do.”

I ended the call, hoping I didn’t sound like a pathetic bastard. I lingered in the kitchen, hoping she’d call back immediately and pretended to still be putting the dishes away.

“You’re making too much noise, Daddy,” Ashley yelled.

Shaking my head, I asked, “You girls want anything from here?”

“Chips and soda?” Whitney asked.

“Didn’t you both wolf down two plates of spaghetti and slices of cheesecake?”

“Then why are you asking if we need anything?” Ashley asked.

“Water?” I asked.

“Just you, Daddy.”

My heart rolled under my chest. My talk with Kelly could wait, but I couldn’t help thinking if she were here, it would make our family complete. Why couldn’t she see that?

I filled a pitcher of water and took out a plate of fruit and cheese from the fridge. These kids might have just finished dinner, but watching television made them hungry. Popcorn probably at midnight. I was certainly in the running for father of the year.

As was their routine, Whitney and Ashley sat on opposite sides of the couch to make room for me in the middle. Afterward, they’d attach to my sides like a pair of barnacles.

Twenty minutes went by and the cartoon couldn’t hold my attention because my eyes kept straying to my phone on the side table, willing it to ring. Unable to stand it, I leaned over Ashley and grabbed it.

“Daddy, no phone,” my youngest pouted.

“I told your Mom to call me back.”

“Oooh, maybe if we all leave her a message, she’ll come,” Whitney said.

I grinned at my girls. “Good idea.” Maybe it was time to use our girls as bait. If there was one thing I couldn’t fault Kelly for, it was how much she loved them. Although she was less susceptible to their manipulation than I was, it didn’t take much more to have her cave.

They were great kids, and I couldn’t have asked for better.

We paused the movie and all of us went to the kitchen. I checked her location again with my girls on either side of me. I broke into a smile. Her dot was a few miles from the house.

I called her number again to tease her. I didn’t care if she knew I was stalking her. But it went to voicemail again. Whatever. Maybe she wanted to surprise us. I was all for that.

“Is that Mom’s green dot?” Whitney asked.

“Yes.”

“Does that mean she’s close to the house?”

I grinned at Whit. “Yup.”

The excitement on my girls’ faces made me exhale my mixed emotions. Hope. Anxiety. Fear. Uncertainty. I was seventy percent sure Kelly showing up was a sign our conversation was heading in the right direction. But it didn’t matter because whatever she decided, I wasn’t giving up.

The doorbell rang.

I frowned and checked my phone. Her dot was still two miles away and it had just updated. I needed to talk to Bristow about its accuracy. A retired SEAL, he was our team’s comms and surveillance expert and his experience as a medic saved my ass when things went FUBAR in Mexico. The girls, as usual, ran to the door, but had the sense to glance back at me, and I gave them my stern dad look.

Checking the peephole, I was surprised to see Kelso.

Did my wife have an accident on the way here? My anxiety spiked to dangerous levels. Was that why she wasn’t answering her phone?

It felt like an eternity to open the door.

Kelso frowned when he saw my face.

“Did something happen to Kelly?” I snarled.

His frown cleared, and he started shaking his head, easing my worry a bit.

“No. Sorry, man, she didn’t call you?”

I wasn’t about to admit to stalking my wife to anyone else except myself.

I shook my head.

“Come on in,” I invited.

“Hey, girls,” Kelso greeted.

“Why don’t you head back and watch the cartoon? Kelso and I have something to discuss.”

The girls dawdled in the foyer for a few seconds, their faces etched with disappointment. But kids being kids, they bounced back into the living room to continue the show we’d been watching.

I gestured to the sitting room. “What’s going on?”

“Tom Roth. How well do you know him?”

I stilled, then a wave of fury swept through me. “Roth filed an assault complaint? He had it coming.” But then Kelso was a homicide cop. Cold sweat dampened my forehead. “Fuck, he didn’t have a condition, did he?” What if that motherfucker croaked?

“Not that I’m aware of. He didn’t show up for an important meeting this morning and beat officers did a wellness check. His house had been ransacked and there were signs of a struggle.”

“All right.” I crossed my arms. “You guys saw the surveillance at the restaurant and naturally, I’m the first suspect.”

“You’re the obvious, yet unlikely, suspect,” the detective said. “Because why attack a guy for everyone to see and then turn around and assault him at his home?”

I shrugged. “Act of passion.”

Kelso barked a short laugh and pointed a finger at me. “Don’t say that in front of the detective in charge.”

“I’m pretty sure I could clear myself.” Still, I did a mental check that I had my bases covered. “Do you want me to come into the station?”

“Looks like I don’t need to coach you on anything. RHD is overwhelmed with cases. I doubt they’d hold you for long. And, no, not without a body. Gabby and I were making sure you both knew what was coming.”

I raised a brow. “Isn’t that a conflict of interest?”

“You’re friends of the LAPD. You’ve helped us nail down several terrorist threats. We’ve grown fond of your hulking ass.”

The doorbell rang again. As I was walking over, Kelso said, “That’s Gabby. She has Kelly with her.”

I opened the door to his partner and my wife.

I caught a glimpse of Kelly’s worried face before she stepped into me and hugged me.