Chapter Two

U.S. Marshal's Field Office Charlotte, North Carolina

U .S. Marshal Christopher Gaines looked down at his cell phone. The caller ID said Lucinda, Gaines's ex-wife. "This can't be good," he muttered to himself. "Yes, Lucinda. What's up?"

"Chris, it's Lucinda."

Yeah, duh.

"I have something important we need to discuss."

"Everything alright? Carter okay?" Gaines's thoughts sobered as they turned to his son.

"Yes, everything is fine, actually," Lucinda said matter-of-factly.

"So?"

"So, I wanted to let you know that Bruce and I are planning on moving to Chicago."

"You're what!" Gaines bellowed. "When was this decided? You can't take Carter out of the state without my permission."

"I realize that, Christopher, but Bruce has an opportunity to buy into a dental practice in Chicago."

Chris had been thrilled when Lucinda remarried. After Carter was born, she'd complained she was bored, so she started working at a dental practice when they moved to Charlotte. It didn't take long for Lucinda to have the dentist wrapped around her finger—and a few other body parts. When the affair became obvious, she blamed Chris. She said he was married to his job, and she didn't want to live her life alone. Fortunately for Chris, he didn't want to live with a whiny, spoiled woman who seemed to have forgotten what had attracted her to him in the first place: he was a U.S. Marshal. He kept long hours, often traveling for days at a time.

But, like many people, Lucinda ignored reality and hoped things would change for the better, or to what she wanted. Unfortunately, under most circumstances, they only changed for the worse. If one wanted things to get better, the changes had to be big. Really big. In Chris and Lucinda's case, the big change was her affair. With both of them getting what they wanted, it was a relatively amicable divorce. Chris was not bitter about Lucinda's transgressions. He was relieved. And then even more relieved that there would be no alimony. He had no problem with child support, but paying alimony to someone who clearly was able to work but didn't irked him to the moon and back.

"We'll have to go back to court," he said into the phone.

"I was hoping we could resolve this between the two of us."

"I don't think so, Lucinda." Gaines was in law enforcement. If there weren't any rules, then they couldn't be enforced, and he didn't want Lucinda to have the advantage of doing whatever she pleased. "We have a legal and binding joint-custody arrangement."

"I am aware of that, Chris." She softened a bit. "But do we really need to go through all that legalese stuff when we can work this out together?"

"Nope." He was adamant. Lucinda's life's work was to get her own way, but he wasn't about to let her sweet-talk, threaten, or pull whatever tricks she had planned. "Call your lawyer, and I'll call mine." He waited for a response.

"I really wish you wouldn't be so difficult," she huffed, sounding more like herself.

"Lucinda, I am not being difficult. I'm being thorough." He inhaled. "When is all of this supposed to happen?"

"Within the next six to eight months," she replied.

"Then we have time to work this out." Chris was being thoughtful, not for her sake, but for his own. And Carter's.

"Oh, I am so glad to hear you say that," she murmured.

Chris was trying to keep the lid on his steam. "Don't get so excited, Lucinda. This is not going to be easy. Listen, I have to go. I have a meeting in ten minutes."

"It's always about your job, Chris," she snarked.

"Please, Lucinda. Let's not get into that now."

"Fine. You'll be hearing from my lawyer. Bye."

Chris's mind was racing. This could not be happening. He was not going to send his son off to the other side of the country. Not with Dr. Tooth. Lucinda's husband Bruce was a good dentist, except for one thing: he had the worst buck teeth in the state of North Carolina. Why any person would trust their mouth to someone who was oblivious to his own was a head-scratcher.

Carter was in eighth grade now. Since he was six, he'd practiced hard to develop his baseball skills with his dad. Chris had once been a professional baseball player and was an active participant in Carter's growing interest in the game. Chris trained Carter at home and on the field, where he coached Carter's team. A winning team, at that. The previous summer, Carter's Little League team went all the way to the finals. Most of the kids were in eighth grade now and were no longer eligible for Little League, so Chris had helped the school form a softball team for the students. He was determined to make sure this team was a winner, as well.

No, Lucinda was not going to break up the team, at home or on the field. Chris took a few deep breaths before he went into his meeting. Things had been going along smoothly with his job, his son, and his girlfriend. And now the monkey wrench known as Lucinda was thrown into the mix. This was going to get ugly. He picked up his phone and called his lawyer. "Houston, we have a problem." Chris always laughed at that opening line, because his lawyer's name was actually Houston.

"What's up, man?" Evan Houston laughed.

"Lucinda is moving to Chicago."

"When? Why?" Evan asked, rapid-fire.

"Six months, maybe. Dr. Tooth is buying into a practice out there."

"Have they seen his teeth?" Houston mocked.

Chris laughed. "Apparently not." He paused. "We are going to have to renegotiate the custody agreement. As in, I want full custody."

"I can understand that," Houston replied. "You know it's going to be a battle."

"Of course, it will be. We're dealing with Lucinda," Chris agreed.

"But you could make a good case for yourself. Bruce is not Carter's father, and not at all involved in Carter's activities. Correct?" Houston noted.

"True. He's basically invisible. I don't think he's been to more than one of Carter's games," Chris responded.

"Good. Start keeping track of his involvement—or lack thereof—but don't let on you're keeping score. You don't want Lucinda pulling a stunt and having Bruce suddenly become interested in Carter's life."

"Good point. I won't even ask if Bruce will be attending any of Carter's games, or his science project exhibit."

"Great. Make sure you keep notes on how often Bruce helps with his homework, too."

"That I can say with confidence is a big never ," Chris replied. "I have a meeting in five minutes. We'll recon later. Thanks, man. I appreciate the suggestion and the advice."

"Any time. Always happy to help the U.S. Marshal service," Houston said before he ended the call.

Chris had met Evan during his first case in Charlotte. Chris's area of responsibility was missing children and human trafficking. Evan Houston practiced family law. A child had been abducted from his backyard by one of his relatives. Chris was immediately called into the investigation. Two days later, the child was fortunately found unharmed, and his uncle was arrested, charged, found guilty of child endangerment, and sentenced to five years in prison. The mother was terrified that she and her son would be in constant danger from her estranged husband's family. The family wanted her boy, and she was sure they would also want revenge. She sought Evan's help to represent her in an application for relocation, and Chris helped facilitate the request. Both men were fathers. Both men had boys the same age. There was an immediate kinship between them, as they imagined what it would be like having one of their own go missing. From that day forward, the two men were tight friends.

When Chris told Evan about Lucinda's indiscretions, Evan offered to represent Chris in his divorce, pro bono. Free of charge. Evan, too, had suffered a betrayal and knew exactly what was to come for his friend: Aggravation. Lack of cooperation. Empty threats. Blame. And a whole lot of B.S.

Chris gathered his tablet, a pad, pen, and his cell phone and strode down the hallway to the conference room. He was breathing a little easier now, thanks to Evan.

Chris's appearance could be intimidating to some. He was just over six feet tall with a well-toned body. His gait was confident. His long black eyelashes surrounded deep blue eyes that demanded one's attention. One wouldn't say his eyes were steely, or cold either. But they had the ability to pierce the veil of anyone who attempted to lie. It was one of his best weapons. Then there was his smile. Warm. Inviting, if he chose. He had black wavy hair with a dash of gray at the temples that gave him the appearance of a man who packed a lot of experience for someone about to turn forty.

He'd first met Luna Bodhi Bodman a few years prior during a search party for a little girl. Luna wasn't the least bit daunted by his handsome looks or air of authority. He had been struck by her confidence and self-assuredness. She was quite different from anyone he had ever met, and it took a little time for him to become smitten with the quirky and eccentric free spirit. Luna had very few filters. Not that she was unkind, but if something was on her mind, or in her gut, she felt compelled to say it.

The two developed a strong friendship while they collaborated on other cases involving missing kids. He appreciated her ability to "read" people and advocate for "doing the right thing." After several assignments, Luna left her job with social services and opened a café in the Stillwell Center outside of Asheville. It was a two-hour drive away, but Gaines wanted to maintain the relationship. Perhaps even take it a step further.

The grand opening of the art center had given him the perfect opportunity to show his face, and perhaps kiss hers before the night was over, but he'd almost missed the event. He had remembered sunflowers were her favorite and combed Charlotte until he found a florist who had them. He was running late and came close to breaking every traffic law between Charlotte and Asheville. Not only was his car racing, but so was his heart.

He had handed her the flowers and profusely apologized for his tardiness, but the look in her eyes and the expression on her face made it all worthwhile. He let out the biggest exhale, realizing he might have been holding his breath the entire length of the interstate.

His recollection of that night was broken by voices coming from the conference room. There were a half dozen people gathered around the long table.

Chris's boss, Frank, was sitting at the head of the table and began to speak. "People, I have some news. There are several positions opening up in the Witness Security Program. As some of you may know, the number of people in the program has grown considerably, thanks to prosecutors increasing the number of deals they cut. Unfortunately, our staffing hasn't grown at the same rate, but we finally got more funding for more jobs. For those of you who wish to transfer, you have my utmost respect and support."

Questions were flying across the table. "Where?" "When?" "What's the pay scale?"

"Simmer down. I have the job description and details printed out." Frank passed several sheets of paper to everyone seated. "The only downside, if there is one, is that most of the positions require relocation. It's all outlined in front of you."

Chris's eyes darted to the word Chicago . If Lucinda moved to Chicago, he could apply for that position, but he didn't want to move. He knew Carter wouldn't want to move, either. He had his friends, activities, and school here in Charlotte. And baseball. Chicago was no place for baseball. The Cubs winning the World Series was a fluke . It would be too much of an adjustment for a kid Carter's age. He was on the verge of puberty. Moving would be much worse than breaking out in pimples, or trying to figure out what the rest of his body was doing.

Then Chris saw the words C HARLOTTE —P ENDING . The job was with the Western Division of North Carolina, covering territory from Charlotte to Asheville. His life was in North Carolina. His son's life was in North Carolina. And what about Luna? They were getting so close. He didn't want to lose her. He thought back to his conversation with Evan. First things first. Apply for full custody. He knew he had to talk to Luna about it. Get her take on it. Emotionally, intellectually, and of course, with Luna's metaphysical superpower way of thinking.

Just as Gaines was leaving the room, his boss took him aside. "Chris, you are my most senior marshal. As much as I would miss having you on my team, the position in North Carolina WITSEC comes with a promotion and a raise."

"The info says ‘pending.'" Gaines pointed to the paper in his hand.

"It does. ‘Pending' whether or not you take the job." Frank rested his arms on the table behind him. "You've been an excellent agent. You handle people well. I won't lie—this job is a mountain of paperwork and managing people, but it will also give you a normal schedule. You'd only go into the field under extreme circumstances. But we can discuss this more after you mull it over."

"Thanks, Frank. I appreciate it." There was no mulling or thinking required. He'd ask for the job in Charlotte. If things got really ugly, and Lucinda got her way, he could negotiate a transfer. Maybe. But he wasn't getting on that bus just yet. Not without a serious fight.

Chris had started to leave when Frank called out, "I'll hold the job here until you make up your mind. But don't take too long. I'm getting pressure."

Chris made the decision right then and there. "I'll take it." The timing was actually quite perfect. More money. More stability. More ammo for his fight for custody.

Frank smiled and held out his hand. "You'll do great. There will be a lot more face time with bureaucrats, but I have no doubt you can handle it."

Chris shook Frank's hand. "Thanks. This is exactly what I needed today."

Gaines stepped quickly down the hall, shut the door of his office, and started to punch in Luna's number to see if they could get together for the weekend. It had been three weeks since he had seen her. Much too long. But before he had a chance to press send , a call from Cullen came through.

"Hey Cul!" Gaines answered on the second ring. "To what do I owe this unexpected call?" Then he froze. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah. Everything is fine." Cullen cleared his throat, for he was about to embark on a clandestine operation to suss out the situation between the marshal and his sister. "I've been considering expanding into classic car interior refurbishing."

"That could be cool," Gaines replied.

"Yeah, so there's a classic car show in Asheville this weekend, and I thought if you're free, maybe you'd like to go?" Cullen felt like he was back in high school, plotting against or with his sister.

"Carter has a game Saturday morning. Should be over by noon, but I wouldn't get there until after three."

Cullen quickly referred to the calendar again. "The show's open until ten. But, hey, if it's too much of a haul, I totally get it."

"No, not at all. I'm just thinking it through. Carter's mother is supposed to be at the game, and he's supposed to go back to her place. That would save me some time."

"Cool. Let's plan on grabbing a bite to eat in Asheville and then go to the exhibit. I don't think I'd want to spend more than an hour and a half there. I might buy something I shouldn't."

"That makes two of us." Chris laughed.

Cullen waited for Luna's name to come up. Nothing. Then he had to say, "I was hoping for a guy's night, but I don't want to get Luna in a tizzy."

Gaines laughed. "No worries. I'll let her know you invited me to a guy's night, and she and I can meet up later." Gaines was confident his plan would be acceptable to Luna.

* * *

Cullen didn't want Luna to hear the news of their plans from Gaines. He didn't want her to think he had gone behind her back—which he had—and then have to explain himself out of trouble. Or maybe not. Chi-Chi was correct. Gaines was his friend, too. But . . . but what if he told Luna he was just thinking of inviting Chris? That way, he would get a different reaction from the one he would receive if he told her he had already asked him. Yep, that was going to be his approach. He wiped his hands again and walked briskly into the café, hoping Chris hadn't already called Luna. He heard her phone ringing and rushed into the shop just as he heard her say, "Hey, Chris. What's going on?"

Cullen thought he was going to throw up. Luna was going to kill him unless he could circumvent that call. "Luna! Can you come with me? Quick!"

Luna looked at her phone and then back at Cullen. "Chris, I am going to have to call you back. Cullen needs me to look at something." She ended the call.

Now Cullen had to find an excuse for hauling her into his workshop so abruptly. He hurried ahead of her.

"Cullen! What is going on?" Her dog Wylie echoed her question with a woof .

He decided to deviate slightly from the truth. "Listen, I'm thinking about refurbishing classic car interiors."

"And?" Luna placed her hands on her hips.

"And there's a classic car show this weekend."

"And?" She leaned forward, probably hoping she would get a clear response.

"And I was thinking of asking Chris to come out. Make it a guy's night."

Luna eyed him curiously. "Okay. And?"

"And nothing. I just wanted to run it past you first." He wondered if Luna's radar was up and she could tell he was lying. Lying about refurbishing cars, or his call to Gaines. Or both.

"Whatever. He's your friend, too." She let out an impatient sigh. "So what was so urgent?"

"That was it." The color was leaving Cullen's face.

Luna threw up her hands, spun on her heel, and marched out of the workshop. "Men! Idiots!"

Cullen quickly dialed Gaines's number before Luna had a chance to get back to her phone.

"Yo. What's up?" Chris answered. Cullen could hear a beep, indicating Chris had another call coming through. That would be Luna calling him back. "Hang on a sec." Gaines hit the call waiting button. "Hey, doll face. Can I call you back this time? Your brother is on the other line."

Luna gave her phone a strange look. That didn't take him very long. Guys are so weird. "Sure. No prob." Again, she ended the call.

Gaines returned to the other caller, Cullen. "Hey. Sorry about that. But it was your sister. One cannot ignore your sister." He chuckled.

"You got that right."

"What's up?" Chris repeated.

Once again, Cullen was searching for another ruse. "What are you going to wear?" Cullen hit himself in the head with his phone several times. Now that was totally lame.

"You alright, bro?" Gaines could not recall any man ever asking him what he was going to wear. But he answered, "Pants, shirt, shoes, socks. The usual." He scratched his head. "Why?"

"I didn't know if you were going to wear a blazer or not." Cullen was digging his mortification hole deeper.

"Why? Are you planning on buying me a boutonniere?" Gaines chuckled.

"As a matter of fact, I was thinking about it. What color do you prefer?" Cullen decided to go along with the joke instead of being defensive.

"How about a red rose?"

"Red rose it is," Cullen replied. "No, seriously, I didn't want to be over or underdressed."

"It's a car show. Anything goes. But, yes, I will be wearing a blazer, since we're going to grab a bite to eat afterward. Is there anything else you would care to discuss?" Gaines was grinning.

"No. That about covers it," Cullen answered, and then let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Alrighty then. I'll see you a little after three on Saturday." Gaines ended the call.

Cullen realized he still hadn't covered the Luna part of the equation.

Gaines dialed Luna's number again. Perhaps they wouldn't be interrupted this time. He had some important information to share with her, but it required an in-person conversation. Meeting up with Cullen would be a good opportunity to make a brunch date with her.