Little White Lies

to live with what you have, love what you choose, and it’ll stay green on your side of the street.”

“Very philosophical.” Wyatt added a kiss to the side of her neck.

“You guys coming or not?” Stuart asked from the doorway before he disappeared.

“We have some ass kicking to do,” Charley said. “No one messes with my boy and gets away with it without some payback. I’m still wondering why they decided to move forward without him as bait.”

“That means we take extra precaution.” Wyatt stood first and led Charley into the foray of conversation and plan review.

James walked back in, his shoulders slumped more than Wyatt had seen before. Wyatt stole a glance at Charley who nodded her head in James’s direction.

“Be right back.” Wyatt had plenty of his own experiences with one woman. Some advice might be worthwhile. He beckoned with a nod of his head, and James followed outside.

Wyatt took one side of the porch, James the other. They mirrored each other’s casual slouch. Birds sang, wind whistled and the blue sky warmed. Hands in pockets, each with one shoulder against the house’s frame, both of their gazes ran across the yard.

“Want some advice?” Wyatt asked.

“Nope.” James stuffed his hands further into the pockets of his jeans.

“Excellent. So somewhere around sixteen years ago, you guys stood in my way and kept Charley out of my life.” From the corner of Wyatt’s eye, James tensed. “Now, you did it for very good reasons, and I can see that… so many years later.” He motioned with his hand while he talked.

“But?”

“But you can’t let time issues stand in the way. Do you hate Maggie or love her?”

When James chuckled, Wyatt had his answer.

“And given the boy looks an awful lot like you, the exception being that superbly red hair, I’m guessing he’s yours and Maggie’s?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I think so,” James said. “She just never told me.” He kicked a rock onto the sidewalk with the toe of his shoe. It banged against the rail of the porch and left a ding in the wood.

“Full of secrets around here.” Wyatt shook his head and kicked his own rock. “Seems to me you all are old enough not to have to play these games. What are you? Two hundred plus, like Charley?”

“A little younger,” James said. “Charley’s got a hundred on me and a hundred twenty on Cael. Lily’s the baby at only sixty.”

“How did you meet by the way?”

“Me and Maggie?”

“Yeah, sure, but you and Charley?”

“One of her assignments. I’d been hired by the Chilean government. She was there on ‘business’.” James kicked another rock, but a half-smile emerged. “We ended up in the same place at the same time, quite literally. She’ll have to tell you the story sometime. She has that way with people. She and Cael?” James looked up at Wyatt who nodded. “Same exact thing.”

“What about Lily?”

“Hers is another story altogether.”

“Maggie?”

James turned away again.

“I believe you gave Charley some advice before. I’d highly recommend you consider following it. The age of letting time heal all wounds is gone.”

With that, he moved to the door and let himself back in. Everyone except for Sophie, Chase and James stood together. Loud mutters and curses bounced around as they dissected the park’s blueprint one last time.

Whoever chose the spot had no idea of the opportunities it gave Wyatt’s group. Trees and brush surrounded the gazebo and would allow them all to remain hidden. His department had wired a few trees for sight and sound that morning. The park’s staff, as well as Detective Bland and his group, had jumped on the chance to help.

A ‘Charley-like-person’ need only show up, and they’d snag their man or woman on the spot. He just had to convince Charley to stay away.

***

“They want me, and they want me alone,” Charley said to Wyatt for the fourth time.

She thought their plan rather creative-he’d disagreed, agreed, and changed his mind a dozen times. They’d argued over who should do what, when and how. Even Maggie had come to Charley’s defense and cited the plan as foolproof.

She laid her hands on the table and dropped her head between them. After two hours of discussion, James and Cael had relaxed, Maggie began to file her nails, and Lily whipped up and served a tray of sweets.

At least someone believes this will work.

“With four of me, we’re safer,” Charley said again. “Lily has to go last because she can’t hold form as long as the rest of us. So she’s our backup to the backup. Maggie gets us started because she can get out of nearly any situation in a pinch. Then me. Then Cael if we need him, but you’ll all be within range for sight and sound.”

Wyatt shook his head… again. “There’s just something off.”

“The fact that four of us will look alike right down to our attire? Are you afraid you’ll end up kissing Cael?” Charley asked.

“As long as he doesn’t use his tongue.” Cael dissolved into laughter that affected everyone but Wyatt.

Charley forced the sigh back at Wyatt’s continued press that she remain with James in the van. “Do you want to go over what we know again?”

He nodded.

“There are at least two women. Not so bright by the sounds of it. Dissension and confusion in the ranks. We have their leverage, Wyatt. They really want me, probably to settle some sort of old score I don’t know about. We want to kick their asses. Simple as that.”

Wyatt leaned backward, stared at the ceiling and rubbed the back of his head. “I guess.”

“According to Detective Bland, there’s been no movement in the garden today,” Cael said.

“Stuart? You’re still okay with holding down the fort?” Wyatt continued to stare skyward.

“I got her covered-I mean, us, covered… here,” he tapped his side piece.

Charley couldn’t help but grin.

“So that puts James and me in the van, you four on the field, and Stuart, Sophie and Chase locked down here,” Wyatt said. “I think the problem I have lays with the unknowns. What and who are they, what will they have at their disposal, and what are their intentions?”

“We’ve got the police behind us and can call in others for help,” James said.

“I know, I know.” Wyatt’s cell whistled.

The entire room turned to him as he walked out to answer the call.

“You have your ringtone as a whistle?” Charley asked to his back.

He pointed one finger in the air.

“Look at the picture he has on it of you,” Stuart said.

“From when?” Charley asked.

“From sixteen years ago. I saw it when I met him at his office.”

“The photographer’s prom picture?” Charley shook her head. “A sixteen-year-old picture. Wow.”

“Boy, Julz was pissed when she saw it delivered at school,” Stuart said. “Wyatt must have taken a picture of it and saved it on his phone.”

“I suggested he should consider her.” Charley flinched with the thought.

“Yeah, but he didn’t.” Stuart grabbed one of Lily’s petits fours. “Heard she married some guy in Florida last year.” He popped a chocolate pretzel into his mouth.

“You still eat a ton, don’t you?” Maggie sneered as she motioned with her nail file in the air. “And you still talk nonstop.”

“And you’re still as bitchy as ever. Lucky for me, I only got thirty-four years in that, and you get what? A few