Carson's Choice: A SEALs of Honor World Novel (Heroes for Hire Book 27) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  About This Book

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Epilogue

  About Dante’s Decision

  Excerpt from Ryland’s Reach

  Excerpt from Damon’s Deal

  Author’s Note

  Complimentary Download

  About the Author

  Copyright Page

  About This Book

  Carson is pleasantly surprised by the job Levi assigns him, until Carson hears all the details. An elderly friend of Ice’s believes someone is out to kill her. But she has no proof, no suspects, no motives. The police think she’s imagining things and won’t look into the case any further. However, after meeting this lady … and her granddaughter, Carson has his own suspicions.

  Eva doesn’t want Carson in the house. She doesn’t want anyone in the house, if she were honest. As an artist, she loves her space, her freedom, and especially her privacy. This man is a distraction and soon could become so much more—her muse. And that is dangerous on various levels.

  But, if his presence saves her grandmother, then Eva will do anything to keep her safe even put up with the man that makes her feel things she had never expected.

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  Prologue

  Once again in the massive dining room at their compound, Levi looked over at Tomas and Amber, sitting close together at the huge dining room table. “Ah, the magic strikes again?”

  “Maybe,” Tomas said, with a nod. “Although I didn’t know anything about your matchmaking plans, so a little more warning would have been nice.”

  “Nope,” Ice stated, as she joined them, walking from the big kitchen area. “It happens with or without warning. You just can’t escape it.” She looked over at Carson and grinned. “You are next.”

  “Like hell,” he replied. “I just started working for you guys. I’m not next at all.”

  “Yep, you are,” Levi confirmed. “It always happens, so you might as well just accept it now.”

  “I haven’t met anybody,” Carson noted, shaking his head. “So it’s hardly an issue at the moment.”

  “Well, you’re likely to, on this next job,” Ice added seriously.

  He looked at her and smiled. “Oh, boy, what have you got planned for me?”

  “Only the best for an old friend,” she teased, smiling back at him.

  He groaned. “That could mean anything, though.”

  “True,” she said, with a bright smile. “We’ve got an interesting case.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not convinced. Sounds more like a job you’re just trying to give me to get me out of your hair.”

  “If that were the case,” she said, “I would just put you to work out on the back forty. But, in this case, we have an old friend of mine. She’s local, so she’s in town here, but she thinks somebody is trying to kill her.”

  He stared at her. “Do we do that kind of job?”

  “Not often, but, like I said, we’re doing it as a favor for a friend. She’s eighty-two.”

  He winced. “And?”

  “I think she could be right.”

  He stared at her in shock and asked, “What about the police?”

  “She already talked to them. She has no proof, no motive, no nothing. There are no suspects and nothing for them to go on. I’ve been talking to the police myself,” she admitted. “They don’t know how they can help because they don’t have anything to go on with any of this. They can drive by her place every once in a while, but that’s it.”

  “So, I’ll provide security to an eighty-two-year-old woman, who thinks somebody is trying to kill her?” he asked in horror.

  “And her granddaughter.”

  He narrowed his gaze at Ice. “What granddaughter?”

  “Her name is Eva, and she’s an art student.”

  “Great,” he replied. “That’ll get her a job and a steady income—not.”

  She laughed. “Oh, I wouldn’t say anything about that until you see her art,” Ice said, with a bright smile. “But the bottom line is that they need somebody there to see if anything’s going on or not.”

  “Somebody who’s not connected. A fresh pair of eyes, I presume?” Carson asked.

  Ice nodded. “Exactly. So I said I’d send you in for a week, but, beyond that, I can’t do much more.”

  “Even at that,” he noted, “that’s generous of you.”

  “Like I said, she’s a friend. And her influence helps us quite a bit too,” she added. “I help my friends whenever I can.”

  “Good enough,” Carson said. “How hard can it be?”

  “I wouldn’t say that because it could be serious. She has a lot of money, and I don’t know if that has anything to do with the threats or not. I haven’t delved into her financials or anything else because she is such a good friend,” she explained, with a wry smile. “If you find anything or see anything that’s suspicious or if you think something’s going on that needs further investigation, you let me know, and I’ll be on it in a heartbeat,” she stated.

  “And when am I going?” he asked.

  “Now,” she said, looking at her watch. “By the time you get there and get settled in, you should be just in time.”

  “For what?”

  At that, Levi started to laugh. “I noticed Ice left this part to the last.” He looked at his wife affectionately, as she grinned.

  “For the haunting,” she added.

  “Haunting?” Carson asked.

  “Yeah,” she stated, staring at him intently. “Apparently things go bump in the night. So I want you to find out what it is, who is behind it, and whether any of those bumps are intended to kill her.”

  “If she’s that old, anything like that could cause a heart attack,” he noted cautiously.

  She nodded. “And that’s for you to figure out. Oh, and, by the way, say hi to Eva for me.”

  Chapter 1

  Carson Duggan drove up the long driveway through a big steel gate and on to the other side, feeling the might and the grandeur of the beautiful estate, although he didn’t see much in high-tech security at the entrance. And, if any were hidden along this driveway, how was somebody getting in and trying to kill the grandmother?

  The case felt odd. A favor for a friend, yet someone eighty-two years old, possibly nervous and imagining things.

  So was this for real, or was it more a case of paranoia? Could she just be making it up? For what though? Attention? It wouldn’t be the first time he had dealt with someone who had a mental disorder, and was likely not the last. Whatever it may be, he didn’t want to mention this mental health topic.

  Not considering the relationship this old friend had with Ice.

  Carson didn’t want to say anything before he had the lay of the land. According to Ice and Levi, this grandmother was in full command of her faculties and very sharp mentally. Yet, Carson was told, this had been going on for quite a while.

  Apparently the police had investigated and found no evidence. While they wanted to help her, the lack of evidence was concerning.

  As Carson drove up to the huge mansion, he was awed
by the might and beauty of the place. Admiring the stately architecture, he pulled closer to the huge garage, out of the main accessway. He’d seen a lot of pretty impressive houses in his day, but this one was different.

  It would have been an incredible house in its day, but now it had more of a faded-glory look to it, likely the home this woman had lived in for most of her life. Some people had these enduring lifestyles that Carson knew little of, personally. He had always moved from place to place, with plenty of ups and downs that he had shared with his family.

  This was someone else’s life, and enduring stability was here, with an ageless quality to it. It was also stupendously gorgeous. As he stood in the driveway, he admired the place, looking around at the entire front of it, which had a massive entranceway. A series of long windows were on the left and on the right, before disappearing around to another wall which then jutted yet again.

  It looked like the house was developed with a step design. The segmental layout gave it a different look, and, as he studied it closely, he noticed that all but one of the windows appeared to be closed.

  He hoped some kind of security was on each one of them. He had already spotted cameras up in the corners near the main entrance. With that logged in his brain, he walked up and pushed the doorbell. It opened soon afterward, a striking young woman staring at him suspiciously.

  He realized that she may have seen him pull up and may have also watched him standing here, staring at the house. He gave her a gentle smile. “Hi, I’m Carson. Levi sent me.”

  She continued to frown at him. “I really think this is a fool’s errand,” she stated crossly.

  “You must be Eva. So, you don’t think that your grandmother is in any kind of danger?”

  She hesitated, then shrugged. “I don’t know about that,” she murmured, “but the police don’t seem to think so.”

  “Or could it be that you just don’t want anybody up in your space?” Seeing the guilty look crossing her features, he nodded. “Listen. I get that nobody wants their life probed in such a manner, but there is also a cost for feigning ignorance.”

  She flushed. “I’m not pretending, nor am I ignorant.” She shot him a flat look. “But I sure as hell hope this is nowhere near as severe as Grandma seems to make it out to be.”

  “Do you think she’s making it up?” he asked curiously, finding himself more and more curious about Eva.

  Eva seemed to think about it, then shook her head. “No, I guess not. It’s not really her style.”

  “In that case,” he added, “maybe we should let her be the judge of whether this is a fool’s errand or not.”

  Her gaze searched him; then she gave a clipped nod and stepped back slightly. “I don’t mean to make it sound like I don’t believe her,” she explained. “She’s a very special person, and I’ve never had any reason to doubt her before.”

  “So, why do you doubt her now?”

  She shrugged. “Because I also believe in the police, and they seem to think that nothing’s wrong.”

  “And, in that case, I should put things to rest this week.”

  “Be my guest,” she conceded, with a loud sigh. “After all, you’ll be living in our space.”

  Such an obvious note of disapproval filled her tone that he couldn’t help but grin at her. “I’ll try to stay out of your personal space,” he stated.

  She rolled her eyes at that. “Yeah, well, you must do better than this, but that’s not likely to happen.”

  “Why is that?” he asked.

  “Because what you’re trying to do is impossible,” she said. “No matter how much I don’t like it, staying out of my personal space isn’t very likely to happen, even if you try.”

  He withheld his comment, as he stepped inside, then turned to look around. “How many visitors do you get?”

  “Not very many. Mostly just deliveries,” she murmured.

  “So just the two of you live here alone?”

  She nodded, then shrugged. “Except for our housekeeper, who has been here since forever.”

  “What does since forever mean?” he asked.

  “Twenty-plus years, I think,” she murmured.

  He noted that because it was rare for anybody employed that long to turn on their employer, unless some changes had been stirred up recently. In which case, somebody could be afraid of those new changes. People were always afraid to face up to change. “And who is the housekeeper?”

  “Flora,” she replied immediately.

  At that mention, an aged woman bustled forward and gave him a bright, affable smile. “I heard my name.” She looked Carson up and down, and then gave Eva a frown.

  Eva rolled her eyes at that. “Okay. I know I promised I wouldn’t open the door, but he didn’t look suspicious.”

  “You know full well that you’re not supposed to,” Flora reprimanded her.

  “But I’m expecting a parcel,” Eva added, with a sigh, looking uncomfortable. She turned toward Carson. “So pardon me for being excited. Of course that’s the only thing that lets my guard down.”

  “So, you aren’t supposed to open the door? Is that correct?”

  “Yes, and don’t you dare make any more rules for me.” Eva glared at him. “They are hard enough to follow as it is.”

  “Apparently somebody tried already, and it didn’t work,” he noted mildly, “so I’m not sure anything I say will make a difference.”

  She stared at him in surprise.

  “I’ll let it go, for now.”

  “Good,” she snapped. “Then maybe we will get along better than I thought.” And, with that, she stepped to the door, looked outside once more, and groaned. “Where the hell is it?” She nearly bounced up and down with impatience.

  “Is there no tracking on whatever you’re waiting for?” he asked.

  “Yes, there is, and it was supposed to be delivered this morning. So far it’s not here.”

  “Well, maybe give them a chance,” Flora suggested, with a cheerful smile. She motioned to Carson. “Come in. Come in now, so I can close the door. You don’t need to stand here in the entranceway,” she added. “You are expected, and Aida is waiting for you.”

  He followed her a little farther into the hallway, where he put down his bag. “I’ll collect this later, if you don’t mind.”

  “Of course.” Flora nodded, then looked at the bag. “It will be safe there. Chances are, I won’t lift it anyway.”

  He smiled at her. “No reason why you should either.”

  She shrugged. “In my day I would have, … but I’m afraid those days are long gone.”

  “And again, not an issue,” he stated. “I can pull my own weight, while I’m here.”

  “But there’s not a whole lot you’ll need to do,” Flora shared. “I handle the cooking, cleaning, and laundry, although, I must admit, we do have cleaners who come in to help once a week. That makes my job a whole lot easier.”

  Considering the size of the house, he could understand that. “It is a large place and way too much for one person.”

  “When I was young,” Flora added, “I could do most of it on my own, but the years do tend to catch up to us.”

  He didn’t say anything but figured the woman in front of him had to be close to sixty, if not a few years older than that. He followed her into another room, what he thought would have been called the drawing room in the good old days. As he stepped inside, he noted an older woman, sitting at a big office desk.

  He smiled at her and stated in a calm and amiable voice, “Carson Duggan, ma’am, reporting for duty.” She looked up and flashed him a smile that made him aware of an elegant passage of time. She clearly would have been a catch in her day, an absolute knockout.

  She motioned him in. “Come in. Come in.” Then she turned to Flora. “Maybe some coffee, please?” Flora immediately nodded her head and disappeared.

  Aida looked him over, once the housekeeper was gone. “I presume you drink coffee.”

  “Coffee is fine,
” he agreed. “I think everybody does, don’t they?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “And I’m always quite suspicious of people who don’t.”

  He burst out laughing. “Not a problem with me. Coffee is a mainstay in my world.”

  Aida continued to study him thoroughly, her eyes taking on a sharp gleam.

  Had she been forty years younger, he would have considered her motives, but instead she seemed to almost assess his capabilities based on his physical appearance and demeanor. “I can assure you that I am perfectly capable of doing the job, if that’s what you’re wondering,” he stated gently.

  She beamed at him. “Good. I have yet to see you in action, but I must admit. You don’t look much … like a security guard.”

  “I’m not,” he confirmed. “However, you matter a lot to Levi and Ice, so they’ve sent me to give you a hand.”

  A charming dimple appeared. “Indeed. Ice is such a sweetheart, and, if I still had it in me, I’d give her a run for her money over Levi.”

  Carson burst out laughing. “And I suspect she’d run you right out of town,” he teased, with a big grin.

  The dimple appeared again, and this time she laughed herself. “Isn’t that the truth? Still, it’s nice to know that they are around, looking after me as best they can. And I do understand that they can’t do it for very long. I mean, a huge cost is involved in keeping you here.”

  “It’s not so much that, but what if I can’t solve it within this week? They’ll be more than a little disappointed in me,” he noted, trying to engage in small talk. In the back of his mind, he knew that honesty would matter the most. “They want to ensure we get to the bottom of whatever is going on here quickly, so we can get it resolved.”

  “And I would love that more than anything,” she agreed, now looking angry. “I’m not sure what’s going on myself, but it’s getting worse—the noises here and the sense of someone following me when I’m out and about.”

  Just then Flora arrived, pushing a tea cart, laden with a big pot of coffee and cups. Something was very old-worldly about the way she poured the two cups, handed one to him and then placed one on Aida’s desk. He realized he had moved into a completely different world from the one that he knew.