Spying Under the Mistletoe (Love Undercover Book 2)

by Stina Lindenblatt

  Since Santa tried to kill them first.

  I have no idea if Landon and Adam realized Santa was Nikolai in disguise, or they shot at him simply because he fired at them first.

  “Hey, Adam,” I say. “Can you hear me?”

  “Where’s Landon?” His voice is barely loud enough to be heard over the chatter of freaked out customers. I can hear a man tell everyone to stay back, to give us space.

  “He’s right here. He’s okay. You’re both going to be okay.” I glance over at Rob, but he’s too busy dealing with Landon to confirm that I’m right.

  God, please tell me I’m right.

  “I need you to call Ava and tell her Landon and Adam have been shot,” I tell Kiera. “She’ll know what to do.”

  Kiera moves away to make the call.

  Adam pushes himself to sit.

  I put my hands on his shoulders. “Hey, you need to lie down until the paramedics arrive.”

  “I’m fine, Chloe.” He looks over at Landon. “He’s in way worse shape than me.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Landon mutters. “I’m ready to run a couple of laps. Maybe enter the Ironman Triathlon.”

  “I somehow doubt that,” Rob says.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask Landon. “The last I heard, Adam was the one who was keeping an eye on me.”

  “Is there any particular reason your cousin showed up here while you happen to be in the store? And don’t tell me he happened to be in the neighborhood, playing the role of a mall Santa.” His tone isn’t pissed, just weary.

  I squeeze my eyes shut, willing the last few minutes with Nikolai to be permanently erased from my memory.

  I open my eyes, and my gaze catches sight of the star still in Landon’s hand. Fresh tears spill from my eyes again. “I have no idea.”

  32

  Chloe

  Several hours later, I’m sitting in the waiting area outside the surgical suites at the hospital where Landon and Adam were taken.

  I’m not alone.

  Liam, Connor, Adam, Jayden, and Isabelle are with me, waiting to find out how Landon’s surgery went.

  They’re not the only ones. Ava and Kiera are also here.

  “You love him, don’t you?” Ava asks quietly next to me. I’ve just finished getting Kiera up to speed on everything that’s been going on for the past few weeks.

  “I do. I shouldn’t. We haven’t known each other for long, and I promised myself after Mark that I wouldn’t make the mistake of loving another man again.”

  I’m as skilled at ignoring my own advice as Pooh is at ignoring his rumbly tummy at the sight of honey.

  Ava flashes me a small smile—a smile filled with wisdom and smugness. “I’ve long since learned that, for better or for worse, the heart and brain often have opposite opinions. Your job is to figure out which one is right, but it’s not always the one you hope it will be.”

  “But at least now you know the men you loved didn’t leave you because they stopped caring,” Kiera adds. She still looks taken aback at the news that the three men she’s referring to were killed over the last two decades.

  “No, they were murdered,” I say, my heart as heavy as cupid’s statue with pigeon poop on it. “And now I’ve unwittingly cursed Landon to the same fate.”

  Ava wraps her arm around my shoulder. “Life isn’t a fairy tale. There are no curses and things like that—just don’t tell that to my readers.”

  “She’s right,” Isabelle says. “Don’t let fear prevent you from loving someone because you’re afraid something bad will happen to them.” She glances at her fiancé before turning back to us. “You’ll miss out on so much if you let that guide your heart.”

  “Does Landon know you love him?” Kiera asks.

  I shake my head and shrug. “It hasn’t really come up. Besides, he was nothing more than my temporary fake boyfriend. What we shared was all part of his cover. And then there’s the part where he lied to me.”

  “He truly believed that was the only way he could get close enough to you to protect you,” Isabelle says.

  I give her a pointed look. “And to discover where my cousin was hiding.”

  She cringes. “Yeah, that too. But you understand why he needed to locate Nikolai, right? Why we were all hired to ensure he didn’t follow in your grandfather’s footsteps?”

  I nod because that part I do understand. As much as it hurts that Nikolai died—and I’m sure it will hurt even more later on, once I know Landon will be okay—at the end of the day, he was still the new crime boss. And as a crime boss, it meant doing illegal activities that could lead to more loss of life.

  Kiera rubs her hands together and grins. “Does this mean you’re going to tell him you love him?”

  “I don’t know if—”

  “He’ll be okay, Chloe. You have to have faith in that. You’re not cursed. And once he’s in recovery, you’ll kiss him on the lips—”

  My mouth curls to one side. “You mean true love’s first kiss?”

  She laughs. “Something tells me you’ve already kissed him. So it’s a little late for that magical kiss. But you will tell him how you feel.”

  “And what if he doesn’t feel the same way about me?” Although telling him while he’s still under the effects of the anesthesia might make things a little easier. It’ll be like a truth serum…but he won’t remember later what I told him.

  So maybe she’s on to something—even if that’s not what she meant.

  “Then we’ll all come over to your apartment with ice cream and help you get over him,” Isabelle says. “We won’t let you go through this alone.”

  I smile at the three of them, and for the first time since leaving my family, I don’t feel so alone anymore.

  Their optimism is heartwarming, though a little misguided. I suspect Isabelle and Ava are in the dark as much as Kiera is about his girlfriend who was in a coma. It changed how open he is to allowing another woman into his heart—much like I’ve been.

  “You do realize they might not even let me see him,” I point out. “I’m not family.”

  “So you’ll tell him once he’s home from the hospital.”

  What none of them say—but which is a real possibility—is that we still don’t know if he’s going to live.

  I do an impressive mental roundhouse kick to that thought. He’ll be okay. A little worse for wear for a while. But if he wants me in his life after this ordeal is over, I’ll be more than willing to give him all the blowjobs he wants if it helps him heal.

  He’s going to be fine. He’s going to be fine. He’s going to be fine.…

  After what feels like several lifetimes, a woman in scrubs enters the waiting area.

  Every pair of eyes in the room shifts in her direction.

  Please let it be Landon, I silently beg. I mean, unless she’s come to share bad news…

  “Landon Reed?” Her expression gives nothing away.

  We stand, and I grip Kiera’s upper arm. I’d be surprised if she has any circulation left in it.

  “We were able to remove the bullet,” the surgeon explains. “He sustained damage to his shoulder, but it could’ve been a lot worse. He’ll need rehab over the next few months to help it heal.”

  “But he’ll be okay?” The words leave my lungs in a big rush of air.

  “He’ll be stiff for the next few weeks. And he’ll need a lot of help in the beginning.”

  “I hope he does a better job following doctor’s orders than you did when you were shot,” Liam says to Jayden with a smirk.

  Isabelle laughs and pats her fiancé’s arm. “I suspect he won’t be any better than Jayden was. We might have to duct-tape him to his couch.”

  “Duct tape might not be a bad idea,” Adam says. “Landon isn’t the most gracious when it comes to accepting help.”

  “Wait until he gets to the part where he needs help showering for the first few days.” Chuckling, Jayden throws his arm around Isabelle’s shoulder. She turns bright re
d and slaps his hand.

  He laughs harder and pulls her in front of him. His arms wrap around her waist.

  “I can do it,” I blurt before my inner filter realizes what I’ve just volunteered to do. “I…I mean, I can help him while he’s recovering. If he wants me to.”

  Liam nods, looking slightly relieved. “Can we see him?” He asks the surgeon.

  “He’s still coming out of general anesthesia, and it’s late. You can see him tomorrow during visiting hours.”

  Kiera, Ava, and Isabelle give me a he’s-going-to-be-okay hug.

  Now, I just have to hope he’ll want to see me after everything that’s happened.

  33

  Landon

  I can’t say I’ve ever wondered what it feels like to be hit by a train, but with the way my body aches, as I slowly open my eyes, I have a pretty good idea.

  It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light in the room.

  The hospital room.

  Vague memories of what happened scroll through my mind. Following Chloe to the store because we’d received a tip that Nikolai would be there. Spotting him dressed as Santa. Having Santa pull out a gun and shoot at Adam and me.

  I went down, but that didn’t stop me from getting in a few shots first.

  I don’t remember too much after that—other than Chloe kissing my forehead and whispering something I didn’t catch.

  Everything else is a colorful blur.

  The copper-colored hair of the sleeping woman curled up on the chair catches my attention. Chloe’s good arm is resting on the back of the seat, her head on it like it’s a pillow.

  Her hair shimmers in the light spilling from the window. If it weren’t for the ache in my shoulder, I’d assume I’m dead, and she’s an angel.

  Christ, she’s fucking beautiful.

  I watch her for a few minutes, my mind growing less cloudy with each passing moment.

  The door slowly opens, announced by the creak of the hinge. Chloe stirs awake and blinks, her expression adorably confused.

  “Hey, you’re awake.” Her voice is heavy with sleep.

  “Perfect timing, too,” the nurse—who I met earlier when she checked on me—says. She smiles at me. “How’re you doing?”

  “I’ve been better.” I’ve also been a lot worse. So there’s always that.

  “I need to check your wound.” She turns to Chloe, who’s stretching her arms above her head, and flashing me a view of her stomach.

  A stomach I’ve licked and nibbled, all the while making Chloe moan her sweet sounds.

  Fuck, I’ve missed that.

  “You might want to step out while I do that,” the nurse tells Chloe.

  “I’m fine.” Chloe’s eyes widen, and her gaze shifts to me. “I mean if you’re okay with that. I figured since I’ll be looking after you once you’ve been released—at least until you’re feeling better—that I should get used to how it looks.” She stumbles over her words and points to my shoulder.

  “Sweetheart, I don’t need someone looking after me. I can take care of myself.”

  “I see someone has alpha-male issues,” the nurse says, amusement in her tone and in the gleam of her eyes. She pulls the hospital gown down from my shoulder, exposing a shitload of gauze taped to my skin.

  She peels it away and checks the wound. “Looking good so far.” She presses the tape back against my skin. “I’ll change it when I bathe you in a bit.” She turns to Chloe. “Unless you want to do the honors. Although from where I’m standing, you’re not doing much better than he is. You two look like a matching set with your arm in a cast and his in the sling.”

  Chatting merrily, she checks my vitals and unhooks me from the heart-rate monitor, then leaves.

  “I’m so sorry about your shoulder,” Chloe says once we’re alone. “I don’t know why Nikolai shot at you. I didn’t even know he had a gun on him until it was too late.”

  She sits. Jumps to her feet. Sits. Jumps to her feet.

  “I’m beginning to think someone’s turned you into a yo-yo since the last time I saw you.”

  “I know. I mean, I don’t know about the yo-yo part, but I mean I…well, I don’t know what to say. I can only imagine how it looked to you and Adam. That I’d lied to you all this time and knew where Nikolai was when I didn’t. He just showed up at the store when Kiera and I were there. In that costume. I guess he was tailing me, or someone reporting to him was tailing me.”

  I’ve hopped onto the Chloe Express. Next stop? The land of confusion.

  I raise my hand, hoping to put the brakes on her words. “We were counting on him coming out of hiding when I became your boyfriend,” I say when she pauses long enough for me to get a word in. “He knew that Liam’s team does contract work from time to time with the FBI.”

  I don’t exactly want to talk about any of this right now. I’m just amazed she’s in my hospital room.

  Or maybe she isn’t.

  Maybe I’m hallucinating that she’s here.

  To be certain, I pinch myself on my injured arm.

  “Did you just pinch yourself?”

  “I wanted to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.”

  “Dreaming? Which part do you think you’re dreaming? The part about being shot, because I don’t know about you, but I’d call that a nightmare.”

  “I’m referring to the part where you’re standing in my room. The last time we were together, before your accident, you were pissed at me for letting you believe Nikolai hired me to protect you.”

  She winces and chews her lower lip for a heartbeat. “I was wrong about my cousin. He would’ve done anything for me when we were kids. But that’s not the man he became.

  “And I also understand that I had nothing to do with my father’s, stepfather’s, or Mark’s deaths. I wasn’t the one who murdered them.” She steps forward. Uncertainty buzzes around her like static electricity.

  She opens her mouth to say something but seems to change her mind.

  I reach out to her.

  She takes hold of my hand, being careful of the IV needle inserted in it, and closes the gap between us. “Soooo? How’s Whiskey doing with his new family? Ava told me they have two kids. I bet he loves that.”

  “They didn’t adopt him.” I fight to keep the corners of my mouth from twitching up.

  “Oh, no. Are they crazy? He’s absolutely adorable. How could they not want him?”

  “I didn’t say they didn’t want him.”

  “What happened? Why did they change their minds?”

  “They didn’t change their minds. I did.”

  She gasps, the sound so soft only the slight jerk of her chest gives it away. “You’re keeping him?”

  I nod, then wince as a brief pain rips through my shoulder.

  Sympathy and something else shines in her eyes. She releases my hand and cups my cheek.

  I turn my head slightly and kiss her palm. “I couldn’t imagine not having him in my life.”

  “You’re his forever home?”

  “That’s right. I’m his forever home.”

  She strokes my cheek with her thumb. “Even if something bad might happen to him?”

  “Even then.”

  Something in the way she smiles tells me she understands the full impact of my words. She leans down and brushes her lips against mine. They linger for a moment. “I love you.”

  The words are so soft, I’m not sure I heard them correctly.

  My heart beats loud and fast in my chest. If I were still hooked up to a heart rate machine, the nurse would be running in here to check that I’m okay.

  Tell her how you feel, my heart implores. Tell her that you love her, too.

  My brain has a different view of things. It’s one thing to love an animal and lose them. That’s hard enough. But to lose a person you love, that would be devastating.

  Been there. Done that.

  And yet here I am, very much alive—bullet hole in my shoulder notwithstanding.

  �
�You can’t be chickenshit when it comes to love just because you’re afraid of losing the person. It means living each day as though it might be her last, making sure each one counts and isn’t wasted.” Jayden’s words rattle around in my head. Like they have for the past forty-eight hours.

  “I love you, too.” My voice is low, but there’s no doubt what I said. The words ring loud and clear from deep in my soul. Words that have been there for the past few weeks, waiting for my idiot brain to get with the program.

  Chloe and I have both lost people we’ve loved, and yet here we are, still standing.

  All right, technically, I’m not standing. I’m lying in a hospital bed thanks to her asshole cousin. But the sentiment remains the same.

  Chloe stares at me for a heartbeat, her eyes shiny with hope. Her gaze shifts to the clear bag hanging from the IV pole next to my bed.

  I know what she’s thinking, but she couldn’t be any further from the truth. “When it comes to how I feel about you, I’m more than lucid. The drugs pumping in my veins have nothing to do with that.”

  “No regrets tomorrow?”

  With my free hand, I bring her head to mine. “Definitely no regrets.”

  And then we’re kissing.

  The best drug around.

  I run the tip of my tongue along her lower lip. And it’s like the parting of the red sea. Her mouth opens to my mine, and her tongue meets mine, stroke for stroke.

  I have no idea how long we’ve been kissing—maybe a few minutes, maybe a lot longer—when the sound of a creaking hinge penetrates my brain.

  I ignore it. Kissing Chloe is much more important than checking who just entered my room. If they know what’s good for them, they’ll turn around and leave.

  “Well, I’d say he’s as good as new,” Jayden says, not bothering to keep the amusement from his voice. This is met with a soft laugh that I’m guessing belongs to Isabelle.

  “Leave him alone.” If her voice is anything to go by, she’s smiling.

  “Yes, leave us alone,” I say as Chloe starts to pull away. “We’re busy.”