One More Time (One Small Victory Book 3)

Book summary

Jenny's past resurfaces, threatening the safety she’s built over five years. Once a confidential informant on a drug task force, her role in dismantling a major drug ring left her marked for revenge. Now, with danger closing in, Jenny must confront old threats and find the strength to survive once again.

Excerpt from One More Time (One Small Victory Book 3)

Chapter One – April 9, 2017

The day couldn’t have been more perfect even if Jenny had ordered one from Hallmark. The balloons she carried bounced along in the Spring breeze as she wound her way around headstones until she finally came to Michael’s grave.

Her son. Born 1996 - died 2014. A life cut short by a horrific car accident.

She never forgets.

How could she? The pain of loss never goes away. A person just has to learn to live with it. Put it aside so life can go on.

Life for her. For the other kids. And for Steve.

Jenny comes here every year on Michael’s birthday. Five years now, but this was the first time she’d opted to bring the balloons. Briefly, when she’d blown them up with the helium at her flower shop, she’d wondered if they’d mar the solemn atmosphere of the setting, a place holding the remains of so many people who’d been loved dearly in their lives.

At least that’s what Jenny chose to believe, not wanting to entertain the idea that anyone had gone into that other place with nobody to mourn them.

While never fond of flowers, Michael had always liked helium balloons. When he was in high school, he’d often come to the shop on Saturdays and help her get birthday arrangements together that included a balloon or two. Then, before she could stop him, he’d take a sip of the gas, making his voice sound like Donald Duck’ He’d waddle around the store flapping his arms and talking nonsense, making her laugh out loud.

She’d loved that playful side of him, which is why she considered the balloons completely appropriate today. It was time to be playful and maybe not so sad.

Jenny pounded the sticks that held the balloons into the ground, thankful that the soil was more sand than clay, then sat on the grass that was lush and green after the rains last week. That sweet nectar of spring new growth permeated the air around her, and she breathed in in deeply, then faced the headstone again.

“Happy birthday, Michael. We’re going to have our usual party later today. Alicia’s baking a cake and…” For a moment, her throat closed, holding words hostage.

She tilted her head to the sky and closed her eyes, letting the warmth of the sun and the breeze take her tears away.

After a moment, she traced a finger over the lettering on the granite. “Sorry. I didn’t expect that. Not that you probably noticed. Do you ever get to see us?”

She paused, as if half-expecting an answer.

“Sorry. What an absurd question. Absurd to even ask a dead person a question at all.”

Fingering a piece of the grass, Jenny took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Anyway, Scott’s coming home for the summer. It is going to be so good to have him. You would be so proud if you could see what a fine young man he's grown up to be.”

Again, words got stuck in her throat, like a kitchen drain clogged with too many scraps of vegetables. She swallowed hard and flicked an errant tear off her cheek.

“Okay. Enough of that. This was supposed to be a visit filled with smiles.

“Okay. Back to the party. We’ll sing to you later when we eat the cake. Alicia still likes to add candles and have us sing. Then we all join in to blow them out. But you gotta know. The top of the cake is getting crowded. Maybe we should think about the fire hazard.”

Jenny willed the smile to stay on her face, but even the joke about fire wasn’t working. And she was rambling. Swirling emotions always made her do that.

Every time she came to the cemetery and talked to Michael, it was almost as hard as the first time she’d mustered the strength of will to do this. Was his spirit here somewhere? Did he even hear her? Where had his spirit gone when his body gave it up? Not knowing was the worst torture. Her mother assured her that Michael was in heaven, but Jenny had little faith in heaven.

Where was it?

What was it?

“Oh, Michael, I sure wish I could believe. I really want to. I want to believe that you’re still existing somewhere. That maybe you're happy. That your life isn’t just… gone.”

Jenny hiccupped a sob away. Maybe she shouldn’t make these visits anymore. What good was it doing?

The therapist she’d seen the year after Michael had been killed, was right. The loss would haunt Jenny the rest of her life.

According to the therapist, Jenny would eventually be able to go on living. Be able to laugh. Make a new reality. Which she’d done with a modicum of success by focusing on Scott and Alicia for a couple of years. Then deciding to take a leap into a new romantic relationship with Steve.

“Okay, buddy. Gotta go. Can’t keep the gang and the candles waiting.” Jenny kissed her fingertips and touched the top of the headstone. “Enjoy the balloons.”

Chapter Two - June 6, 2017

“What do you mean they're back?” Not able to keep a tinge of alarm out of her voice, Jenny sat on the bed and watched Steve slip his shoulder holster off and secure it along with the gun in the lock box in the walk-in closet in their bedroom.

A few moments later, he came out, wearing dockers and a light gray T-shirt. “Don’t worry. It's not the same people.”

“Then who is it?”

“We haven’t determined that yet. But we don’t think it’s connected to that guy we nailed a few years ago.”

“How do you know?”

Noting the alarm in her voice again, Steve turned from the bureau where he was putting keys in a caddy and looked at her. “Okay. I’ll be honest. We don’t know that for sure. But indications are it’s someone else.”

“What indications?”

“The drug is different. Something called fake weed. Not marijuana, but a synthetic product. Made in a lab. We think maybe in China.”

“Really? Another reason to buy American.”

Steve chuckled and sat down on the bed next to her. “It’s good that you can joke.”

“Well, it’s either that or scream.”

He put an arm across her shoulder and pulled her into a side-hug. “I’ve got your back.”

“I know.” She sighed, welcoming the embrace, then straightened. “So? Do I get to go undercover again?”

The question was thrown out half in jest, but part of her meant it. When she’d asked to work as a CI the last time, she was absolutely dead serious. It was after that horrible car accident that had taken Michael’s life, when she’d been introduced to the proliferation of drugs in the small town of Little Oak.

That's how she met Steve, who was a lieutenant in the police force at the time and was now a captain. When she'd bullied her way onto the drug task force that had formed to take down a major supplier just outside of town, she’d worked closely with Steve. He was her contact.

The person she reported to.

The person who’d helped her the most during the horrifying moments of the sting when she was staring at a man turning a gun on her. She had no other choice but to fire first.

The person she had started to love even before she was consciously aware of it.

Two years later, after they’d recovered from the trauma of what happened during the takedown, as well as losses they both had experienced before fate had brought them together, they decided to see if the spark of attraction they’d felt back then was still there.

Could it blossom into something more?

Jenny traced a finger across his thigh. That hint at romance had definitely turned into something more, and she’d been so content, so happy, these past couple of years. Life was almost perfect. “What’s the department going to do?”

“Nothing like we did before. At least not here in town.” Steve leaned over and slipped his feet into the sandals he’d carried from the closet. “So, the answer to your first question is a definite ‘no.’ There’ll be no task force for you to be involved in.”

“That’s a shame. We had so much fun then.”

Steve shook his head but didn’t hide the smile as he stood. “Are the kids home yet?”

“Nope. Scott wanted to meet some buddies from high school for pizza and agreed that Alicia could tag along.”

“Better watch those buddies around her.”

“I’m sure Scott is all over that.”

Jenny reached out to take Steve’s hand. “So, we have the whole house to ourselves.”

He grinned. “Is that just an idle observation, or is there a hidden message?”

She gave him a broad smile. “The latter if you’re up to it.”

“But I just got dressed.”

“I’ll help you get undressed.”

***

Later, while eating basil-pesto pasta and a mixed-greens salad topped with cherry tomatoes and shredded mozzarella, Jenny pressed Steve for more information about the new drug problem, and he reluctantly complied. Normally, he shied away from talking about work at the dinner table. His preference would be to not talk about it at all, during dinner or otherwise, not wanting to bring any of the shit he dealt with home.

Primarily because of the kids. While Scott was relatively safe with his father in California, Alicia still had a few years here before heading off to some college.

She didn’t need to know about the dark underbelly of a town that on the surface seemed clean and friendly and safe. No place was truly safe, and he sure hoped like hell he could keep the girl untouched by all bad stuff. And he had a sinking suspicion that more bad stuff was on the horizon for the town he was sworn to protect.

Little Oak had grown considerably in the past few years, and the department with it; now encompassing four detectives and eleven patrol officers. But he always felt a personal responsibility for taking care of the people that lived and worked in the small city.