Signs of Love Read online

  CHAPTER FIVE

  It didn’t surprise Justin that the text that came back almost immediately was to decline his offer. That was fine. He had other ways to find out where she lived that he hadn’t explored yet. Sooner or later, he’d have her address in his hand.

  Before leaving the gym, Justin tapped out a quick message to Trent Hause to let him know he wouldn’t be available the next afternoon if he and his fiancé, Victoria, planned to come out to the compound to shoot and spar as they usually did on Saturday afternoons, unless they wanted to come earlier.

  Trent’s reply came quickly. Got a date, man?

  Justin rolled his eyes as he walked into the changing room. Nope. More important things to do.

  Oh, my friend, you really should make time for a woman in your life.

  Sure, Trent would feel that way. He was engaged to a great woman. The first time Justin had met Victoria, who also happened to be his co-worker, Eric McKinley’s younger sister, he’d been a bit curious about her. Given that she had a form of dwarfism that no doubt made life a bit more challenging for her, Justin had wondered about Trent’s desire to teach her to shoot. But then he’d gotten to know her during her visits to the compound, and he quickly realized that Trent would do absolutely anything for her. He was glad his co-worker had found a woman that made him happy.

  That didn’t mean Justin was in any rush to find a woman for himself. His last relationship had ended a couple of years ago. She just hadn’t been able to deal with the time he put into his job. He’d accepted Marcus’s offer of a job because it paid well, and he’d needed a way to provide for Beth. In spite of that—or maybe because of it—he’d worked hard to prove that he deserved the job. That meant long hours and spending most nights of the week at the compound and no time for a social life outside his family.

  Maybe one of these days. In the meantime…I’ll be there next Saturday to keep you humble.

  I look forward to it.

  Justin pulled a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt on over his workout clothes. He grabbed his duffle bag and left the change room. He lifted his hand to the few remaining guys in the gym before pushing through the door to the long hallway that led to the stairs. He took them all the way down to the basement and then followed the tunnel that led between the buildings. And then it was back up another three flights of stairs to his small apartment on the third floor of the barracks building.

  There were three other apartments on the floor. All fairly sparse in décor and furniture, just as his was. The other apartments were usually reserved for overflow from the barrack-style rooms on the second floor. Occasionally, they were used for important visitors or if they had a married couple in for training. His was the furthest away from the staircase.

  Natural light flowed into the hallway from the large glass windows that lined the wall to his left. He pulled his keys from the pocket of his duffel bag and let himself into his apartment. All he planned to do was shower and change before heading back down to the cafeteria. He didn’t always have that option on the weekends, but they currently had a group in who were there for a solid two weeks, so they had staff come in to cover the meals on the weekends. Justin was happy with that since it meant he didn’t need to try to drum up meals for himself in the small kitchen of his apartment.

  Justin’s stomach rumbled appreciatively as he walked into the cafeteria and got a whiff of what was cooking. Thankfully, BlackThorpe didn’t skimp on the food they provided for the groups that came to train.

  After getting food and something to drink, Justin found an empty table and sat down. He pulled out his phone to check for any emails that might have come throughout the afternoon. Between bites, he followed up on a couple of inquiries about possible training dates later in the year. He’d just sent the email when his text alert went.

  You available to spar tomorrow?

  Justin grinned when he saw the text was from Than. That must mean the man was back from his adventures in the Philippines. When did you get back?

  Haven’t landed yet, but feel the urge to punch something.

  Justin chuckled. It looked like two weeks with Lindsay Hamilton had been more than Than could handle. I have a meeting at three but could meet up with you around noon if you want.

  That would work. Thanks, man.

  Justin set his phone down and picked up his fork. Once he was done with his meal, he gathered up his dishes and stood. After placing his tray on the counter by the kitchen, Justin left the cafeteria and returned to his apartment.

  He made himself a cup of coffee and took it to his desk where he opened up his laptop and then laid the folder from Daniel next to it. He hoped that the contents would help give him direction when he went to look for a cure for Genevieve. Between the file of information and the planned meeting with Alana the next day, Justin felt more in control than he had since that day almost two weeks ago when Beth and Daniel had dropped the bombshell on him.

  ~*~*~

  Alana slid into the booth the hostess led her to.

  “You’re waiting for someone?” the woman asked as she set a laminated menu down in front of her and then one across from her.

  Alana nodded. “He might ask for me. My name is Alana.”

  After the woman had left, Alana rubbed her palms along her thighs that were covered by the long denim skirt she wore. This was the last place she’d wanted to be, but she was a woman of her word.

  “Hi! I’m Hope. Can I start you off with a drink?”

  Alana looked up to find a petite woman standing next to the booth, a wide smile on her face. “Could I have a glass of water and tea?”

  “Sure thing. I’ll be back with those in just a minute.” She gestured to the other menu on the table. “Is someone joining you?”

  “Yes. He should be here in a few minutes.”

  Alone again, Alana gazed out the large glass window beside the booth. She had purposely chosen mid-afternoon to meet Justin so she could get away without having to order a meal. She bit her lip. Never before in her life had she had to watch her pennies so closely. Her parents had been well-off, but when their seventeen-year-old daughter found herself knocked up and decided to keep the baby, they’d quickly cut her off. She’d had no choice but to marry Craig, who, at twenty-three, was out of college and already doing fairly well at his job as a computer programmer along with some modeling on the side. Of course, his family was well-off so even without his work, he’d have still lived comfortably. The fact that he’d gone to college and then got himself a job–despite having a trust fund—had been a point in his favor, and even though he hadn’t been the most generous man, she’d always had enough money to buy the things she and Caden needed.

  The past year had been a crash course in couponing and stretching a dollar. Most the time she was okay with it and sometimes even relished the challenge, but lately, as Caden had begun to ask for things, it had become more than a challenge. It didn’t help any that his eighth birthday was three months away, and she’d be lucky to be able to get one thing from the list he’d already given her.

  The other stress from it all was trying to keep up the pretense around people. None of her friends from church—people like Beth and Daniel—had any idea of her financial circumstances. She never invited anyone over for coffee. She never accepted the offer of a ride home. She didn’t want anyone’s pity. Or worse…their charity.

  She alone had made the decisions that had brought her to this point, so she alone would be the one to deal with the consequences.

  “Alana?”

  Alana jumped at the sound of her name and turned from the window to see Justin sliding into the booth across from her. His short dark hair looked damp like he’d taken a shower right before coming. He had on the same black leather jacket he’d worn the last two times she’d seen him, and she wondered if it concealed his weapons.

  Before she could say anything, the waitress returned and slid a glass of water along with a small teapot and mug onto the table in front of Alana. T
he woman then turned to Justin and Alana watched as she smiled at him, the dimples in her cheeks prominent as she said, “Hi, there. I’m Hope. Can I get you something to drink?”

  Justin glanced up at her. “Coffee, please.” Once the waitress left, he said, “Have you ordered already?”

  Alana shook her head. “I already had lunch.”

  Even as she said it, she willed her stomach not to growl. In reality, she’d been too nervous to eat anything but a granola bar before leaving the apartment. There was leftover spaghetti waiting for her and Caden once she picked him up.

  “Well, I hope you don’t mind if I order something. I’m starving.”

  As he picked up the menu to look at it, Alana took the time to study him. She still found it hard to believe he and Beth were related. Never mind just being different genders, they were opposites in pretty much every other way too. Beth was bubbly and outgoing while the only smiles she’d seen on Justin’s face had come when he’d held Genevieve. And he looked to be about twice the size of his sister. He still hadn’t taken off his jacket so Alana figured that he was, indeed, armed. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it, but he didn’t strike her as a man who would shoot someone or something without provocation.

  Suddenly he looked up, and his intense blue gaze met hers. Alana felt a flush rise in her cheeks, but she fought the urge to look away.

  “What’s the verdict?” he asked.

  Alana clasped her hands in her lap. “The verdict?”

  “I could feel you studying me like I’m under a microscope.” He said the words without any inflection. Just a statement.

  She should have known that with a job like his, he’d be acutely aware of what was going on around him. “You’re very different from Beth.”

  His eyebrows rose slightly at her response. “Yes, that’s true.”

  Then it was her turn to feel like she was under the microscope. It was only fair, she supposed, but that didn’t keep her skin from heating and her stomach from clenching.

  “Do you have any siblings?”

  The question took her by surprise. She hadn’t anticipated having to answer any personal questions during their meeting. This was supposed to be about Alana’s experience with hearing loss and how that related to Genevieve.

  “I have an older brother and sister.” Neither of whom cared about her the way that Justin obviously did for Beth.

  “Do they live here?”

  “No.” Knowing what the company Justin worked for did, she wasn’t all that keen to give him too much personal information. He could likely find out all he wanted about her without much trouble. If he hadn’t already.

  She sucked in a quick breath. Had he checked out her background? Now that she thought about it, it made sense. After all, she’d seen how overprotective he was with Beth. He would want to make sure no one in Beth’s life presented a danger to her or Genevieve. The thought that he might already know the ugliness of her past made her nauseous.

  “Have you decided what to order?” Hope, the waitress with the dimples was back, smiling broadly at Justin.

  He looked at Alana. “You sure you don’t want anything?”

  “I’m fine.”

  Alana felt a rush of relief when he turned his attention back to the menu. She had to get this meeting back on track. She’d promised Beth and Daniel she’d try to help Justin understand what was going on. But that hadn’t included talking about herself except in relation to her experience with hearing loss.

  “I’ll have the double cheeseburger with fries and a bowl of the chicken noodle soup. And a vanilla milkshake.”

  Alana fixed her tea with significant amounts of sugar and cream before taking a sip of the hot liquid. Hopefully adding more calories to the beverage would calm her stomach.

  Once the waitress was gone, Alana said, “I’m sure you’ve been doing some research on hearing loss in children. Do you have any specific questions about it?”

  Justin stared at her. His expression hadn’t changed, but Alana didn’t doubt for a minute that he knew what she was doing.

  “Actually, Dan came by yesterday and gave me copies of all the tests Genevieve has had done and what the doctors have said about it so far. I spent some time searching on the internet last night.”

  Alana nodded. “The most difficult part of Genevieve’s diagnosis is that what caused it is unknown. I know Beth and Daniel are both concerned about future children also having hearing loss even though it doesn’t appear to be a genetic form of deafness.”

  “You said your son’s was?” Justin asked.

  She hesitated. Any questions about her and Caden opened the door to revealing too much about her past. “Yes. In his case, we found out fairly quickly he was deaf. He hasn’t known anything else. Genevieve likely won’t remember being able to hear either.”

  “Where is Caden’s father?”

  Hope walked up then with his order, distracting him from their conversation. Alana held her breath, hoping he’d move on to something else. However, when they were alone again, he picked the burger up—but before taking a bite—he prompted, “Caden’s father?”

  “We’re divorced. Something like this can cause strain on a marriage. I’m glad to see that Beth and Daniel are so close. They are definitely taking this on as a team.”

  “So your son being deaf caused your divorce?”

  “Yes. Among other things. As I said, Beth and Daniel seem to have a pretty strong marriage. I doubt something similar will happen with them.” Alana took another sip of her tea. “Genevieve will have a good support system in place with them and you. They are eager to learn sign language which will help keep communication open with Genevieve.”

  “I suppose you think I should learn as well,” Justin stated as he lifted his milkshake.

  Alana tried to ignore the smells drifting across the table toward her. She pressed her hands against her stomach. “If you take lessons now at the same time she’s learning, it will be easier. I learned when Caden was a baby which made it easy to incorporate it into his natural learning process. I’m not saying you couldn’t learn at a later date, just that it would be easier if you start now.”

  “Did Caden’s father learn it as well?” Justin took a bite of his burger, his gaze expectant as he watched her.

  Frustration grew within Alana. This was what she wanted to avoid. But if she appeared reluctant to answer questions, it was likely to raise alarms with him. “No. He didn’t.”

  Justin’s brows drew together briefly as he set his burger down. “So how do he and Caden communicate?”

  “They don’t.” Alana hoped there was nothing in her voice that betrayed the sadness she felt about her son not having a father who loved him. “He is not part of Caden’s life.”

  Alana braced herself for another question directed to her personal life. This was not going well at all. She realized now that it was likely Justin hadn’t seen their meeting so much as an opportunity to learn more about how to adjust to Genevieve’s diagnosis as it was to find out more about her. He wouldn’t let some stranger waltz into his sister’s life without making sure they were safe.

  Her shoulders slumped, and she stared down at the table. She was trying to do a good thing for Beth and Daniel—trying to help them—but to have her own life come under scrutiny was a little scary. It wasn’t like she was hiding a criminal past. She just wanted her past to stay in the past. She was working so hard to set up a new life now. It hurt to have someone like Justin come along and rip it all open again.

  She took a deep breath and looked up to meet his clear blue gaze. “I get that you’re concerned about who Beth and Daniel might have let into their life. I’m sure that by this point, you’ve at least tried to do a background check on me.”

  Something flickered in Justin’s eyes, but he didn’t say anything.

  “If you stick to legal channels, you’ll come across sealed documents regarding a name change for me and Caden.” Alana paused and took another breath, forcing hersel
f to keep her gaze on Justin’s. “If you take a less above-board approach, you’ll likely be able to get past the seal to find the file filled with the pictures taken of the injuries I sustained as a result of my ex-husband’s abuse of me. Which is the reason for the sealed file.”

  Justin straightened and leaned back against the booth. She could read absolutely nothing from his expression, and he remained silent.

  “And if you don’t want to wait to see the proof in the file…here.” Alana laid her left arm on the table, pulling up the long sleeve of the shirt she wore. She didn’t look down to see what he was seeing. It was an all too familiar sight. There were puckered scars from the burns and cuts he’d inflicted on her, promising that if she protested, he’d go after Caden.

  “Alana…” Justin’s voice was rough, and she saw emotion in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. Too bad it took stripping her soul bare in order to make him see that she wasn’t a threat.

  “I’m no danger to Beth or Daniel. All I’m trying to do is help them and to make a better life for my son than we had with his father. If you’d rather I didn’t go around them anymore, just let me know.” Her hands were shaking as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the twenty dollar bill she’d placed there earlier. Since she’d initiated the meeting, she’d planned to pay. She laid it on the table, hoping he didn’t see her fingers trembling. Sliding out from the booth, she said, “You have my number. Call me when you make your decision.”

  “Alana. No.”

  He reached for her arm, but Alana evaded him. If just being near him brought about reactions she’d thought she’d moved past, she couldn’t imagine what his touch might do.

  She didn’t look at him again as she moved as quickly as she could to the entrance of the restaurant. He called her name again, but Alana was no longer interested in talking with him. She spotted a bus approaching the stop she’d arrived at earlier, and she started running toward it. It didn’t matter where the bus was going, she just needed to be on it. She’d figure out how to get home once she’d put some distance between herself and Justin.