Reining In (The Network) by Dawn Judd

bad, of course, because I was happy to have my old friend back, and I certainly wanted to spend time with Jake. But for some reason, I just didn’t want to spend time with the two of them, together.
    I wanted Jake to myself. That was why I was here, after all. Spending time with Markus meant the two of them hanging out and me feeling like a fifth wheel. So I spent much of my days researching the information Mack had sent me on our friends at the river.
    I was alarmed at some of the information Mack had uncovered. It seemed that the man who had killed Raymond was not just some worthless thug. He had connections. The type that threatened everything I had worked so hard to build. His name was Nikolas Baranov. He was the son of an influential Russian business man who was based in Los Angeles. He was an only son; the pride and joy of his father.
    There were rumors that the news of his son’s death had brought the man to his knees. He had vowed revenge on the person who had taken his son from him. This concerned me, more than I cared to admit. I was sure there was no way to trace the boy’s death back to me, but if there were….. The last thing I wanted was to put my people in danger; and it would. There was no doubt about that.
    I spent several days researching the boy’s family, and the more I discovered, the more alarmed I became. I knew now why Mack had hesitated to send the information on to me. He was just as concerned as I was, and knew my reaction would not be good. There were plans and preparations for such scenarios; ways to shut down the network and put the people who worked for me out of harm’s way.
    I never dreamed that I would ever have to put that plan in action. But now, I was faced with that decision. How much danger were my people in? They were my responsibility; that was for certain. If something happened to them, it would be my fault.
    I had called Mack several times to see where he stood on the whole situation. He did his best to calm my nerves, always assuring me that there was nothing to worry about, but I could hear it in his voice. He was worried, too. There was something else. I couldn’t put my finger on it. Something in the back of my mind, like a puzzle piece I just couldn’t fit in. The more I tried to put it all together, the more confused I seemed.
    So I spent several days trying to put it all out of my mind; tried to relax. I knew that if I ran back home now, Mack would just chastise me and send me back here. Even as worried as he seemed, he would make me stay put. But try as I did, I couldn’t let it go. A slow panic started to rise in me.
    I couldn’t concentrate on anything, and to make matters worse, Jake had been spending so much time working with Markus, that I hardly saw him anymore. He would come home late and just fall into bed; asleep before his head hit the pillow. In the mornings, he would be gone before I awoke; leaving me to my disturbed thoughts.
    I finally decided I needed to be around people, before I went insane. It was a beautiful day; the sun shining, and a nice breeze coming off the gulf. I decided I would pack a lunch and go visit my boys. I had been so preoccupied with my own problems that I hadn’t been by the plantation house in several weeks.
    As I packed up the sandwiches and drinks, I felt lighter, happier than I had in a long time. My excitement grew as I thought about the work Jake and Markus had gotten done. I was almost dancing as I put the last few things in the basket and got ready to head down to the pathway along the beach.
    The phone rang just as I closed the door to the back porch. I stopped dead in my tracks. I knew. I didn’t want to believe it, but I knew. When I turned around again, the basket laid scattered on the ground. I didn’t even remember going back in to pick up the phone. I barely remember saying hello. Before I even heard her voice, I just knew.
    “Khallie, he needs you. Come home.”
    That was all she said. I mumbled something in