Fatal Invasion

by Marie Force

  “That’s not going to happen,” he said bitterly. “My dad has no family to speak of, and Cleo’s family wanted her to leave my dad when the business troubles happened. She defended him, said it wasn’t his fault his business partner had turned into a ruthless criminal. But they were afraid for her and the rest of us. They won’t take them because they’ll be afraid of the same thing happening to them.”

  Avery ran his fingers through his hair as he listened and absorbed what Elijah was telling him.

  “I would do it, but I’m still in school and... I love them more than anything, but I don’t know if I could—”

  “I understand. The medical examiner will want to know about funeral arrangements. Shall I have her call you?”

  “I... Yeah, I guess. There really is no one else who can do it. I’ll have to come there. My semester. I... Fuck.”

  “I’m sorry, Elijah.”

  “Yeah, so am I. I don’t mean to make it about me.”

  “Murder is very personal to the people left behind.”

  “My dad was a good guy,” he said, sounding teary now. “He tried to do the right thing and look at where it got him.”

  “Stay focused on the good times right now. That’ll help you through. If I can be of any assistance to you, call me on this number.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Could I ask you to take care of notifying any family who might need to be told?”

  “I...yeah... I’ll call Cleo’s parents. They treated me well, like a grandson. I’m, ah... I’m going to go.”

  “We’ll be in touch.”

  “Okay.” The line went dead.

  Avery blew out a deep breath. God, that never got any easier, no matter how many times it had to be done in the course of a career. He looked up the number for the Princeton University campus police and made a call to the department, asking for the officer in charge.

  “You got him. Who’s this?”

  “FBI Special Agent Avery Hill calling from Washington.”

  “What can I do for you, Agent Hill?”

  “I just had to call one of your students, Elijah Beauclair, with the upsetting news about a fire in his family’s Washington-area home. His father and stepmother are presumed dead. I wanted to let someone there know that he might need some support.”

  “Of course. We’ll take care of him. Thank you for letting us know.”

  “No problem. Let me give you my number if there’s anything you need.” After rattling off his phone number, he thanked the officer, ended the call and stood, his shoulders tense from the strain of the dreadful task. He shut off the lights and went to the kitchen to pour himself a couple shots of vodka, so he could sleep, and took the drink with him to the large sliding glass door that overlooked the dark backyard. In the spring, he wanted to get a play set for Noah to put back there.

  When he heard Shelby’s steps on the stairs, he finished the drink and put the glass in the sink.

  She came over to him and slid her arms around his waist. “I worried when you didn’t come back. Are you okay?”

  “I’m better now,” he said, turning to return her embrace. Everything was better when he shared it with her. He’d never been part of a relationship like theirs, and he wondered now how he’d managed to live as long as he had without her.

  “Was it awful?”

  “Yeah.” He kissed her forehead. “Let’s go to bed.”

  She released him and preceded him up the stairs.

  Avery wasn’t at all surprised when she ducked into Noah’s room to check on him. She was a devoted, loving mother, and he was slavishly devoted to her and their son. That he got to be her son’s father was the greatest of the many gifts she had given him, along with forgiveness and patience.

  They looked down at Noah, sleeping as he always did with his arms thrown over his head and lips pursed into a kiss. More in love with their little man with every passing day, they shared a smile.

  He had to give Shelby a nudge to direct her out of the room. She could stand there for hours and stare at the baby she’d waited so long to have, but she needed her rest.

  Their room was right next to Noah’s, and they slept with the doors open so they’d hear him even though they also had the latest in high-tech baby monitors on the bedside table. Outside of work, their lives revolved entirely around Noah, and neither of them would have it any other way.

  In bed, Avery reached for Shelby and tucked her in next to him where she belonged. “We should see about giving Noah a brother or sister.” They hadn’t broached the subject of marriage or adding to their family in months, not since they’d started therapy.

  “I wasn’t sure if you wanted more kids.”

  “I do, but only if you do.”

  “I’d have ten if I could, but time is getting away from me.” Already in her early forties, she’d gotten off to a late start.

  “How about we try for one and go from there?”

  “I don’t even know if I can get pregnant the old-fashioned way. I’ve never tried.”

  “I would take great pleasure in trying to get you pregnant the old-fashioned way,” he said, running his hand up and down her arm.

  Shelby giggled, and the sweet sound of her laughter went straight to his heart. “I’d want to check with my doctor first to figure out the timing and everything.”

  “Whenever you’re ready, let me know. I’ll be on standby, ready to do my part.”

  Still smiling, she put her hand on his face to turn him toward her. “Nothing says we can’t get some practice in ahead of the official effort.”

  “I could get on board with that.” He gave a gentle tug that landed her on top of him, her lips a fraction of an inch from his.

  “I love when you show me how strong you are,” she said, squeezing his biceps. “So strong but so gentle with me and Noah.”

  “Because I love you both more than anything.”

  “We love you too. Noah lights up at the sight of you.”

  “He and his mother are the happiest part of my day.”

  She moved seductively on top of him, her lips warm and soft against his neck.

  Avery was again overwhelmed with gratitude for her ability to forgive. He didn’t deserve her, but oh how he loved her. Turning them so he was on top, he gazed down at her before kissing her.

  Shelby’s hands were busy pushing the pajama pants down over his hips.

  He gasped when she wrapped her hand around his cock and began to stroke him. “Shelby. Sweetheart.” Groaning, he put his hand over hers to stop her when that was the last thing he wanted to do. “Together,” he whispered, pushing up her pale pink nightgown to find her naked underneath. He loved that she was always ready for him.

  He slid into her, gasping from the tight heat that gripped him. “This,” he whispered, “is everything. You are everything.”

  “We are. The three of us.”

  Dropping his head to nuzzle her neck, he breathed in the scent of her. “Let’s get married. Nothing fancy. Just us and the ones we love best. Soon.”

  “Avery.” She raised her hips, seeking him.

  He pushed back into her before pausing to gaze down at her face, which was flushed with desire. “Is that a yes, darlin’?”

  “Yes! God, yes.” With her hands on his face, she kissed him. “Tell me when and where, and I’ll be there.”

  “Soon,” he said, kissing her. “Very, very soon.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  FREDDIE REFILLED ELIN’S glass of ice water and brought it and the pain pill she was due to take into the bedroom, where she was asleep and still far too pale for his liking. If he lived forever, he would never forget the sick dread or near certainty that she’d been taken from him—and on this of all weeks.

  He’d learned not to expect good outcomes or reasonable explanations for things li
ke blood all over the apartment. In his line of work, that usually meant one thing. His legs were still weak under him from the scare he’d sustained, thinking she might’ve been taken or dead.

  He sat next to her on the bed, careful not to jostle the injured hand that rested palm up on her abdomen.

  She opened her gorgeous eyes and smiled when she saw him there. “Hey.”

  “Time for another pill. They said it would be important to stay on top of the pain the first few days.”

  “I don’t want any prescription stuff. Ibuprofen is fine. Can you get me some? It’s in my purse.”

  “Be right back.” He found her purse in the living room and got the ibuprofen for her. Returning to his spot next to her on the bed, he dropped the pills into her uninjured hand.

  She took them and chased them with the water.

  “Tomorrow, we’re getting you a new phone,” he said.

  “Okay.”

  “You were supposed to get one a month ago.”

  “I didn’t want to spend the money with the wedding and the trip and everything.”

  “Elin, come on. It’s a safety thing. If you had any idea...”

  “What?”

  He dropped his forehead to lean it against hers. “If you had any idea what I went through thinking someone had harmed you, and your goddamned phone was dead.”

  Her eyes went wide with shock. “You said goddamned.”

  “Elin!” He drew back from her. “I’m being serious!”

  After moving her sore hand out of the way, she reached for him and brought his head to rest on her chest, running her fingers through his hair. “I know you are, and I’ll get a new phone tomorrow, but you said goddamned, Freddie. You must be really upset.”

  “Upset isn’t a big enough word to describe it.” He wrapped his arm around her waist. “When Sam and I walked into the building and saw your phone on the floor and blood everywhere, I almost passed out. I thought someone I’d arrested had come for you, knowing our wedding is this weekend.”

  “I’m so sorry to have done that to you, Freddie. It all happened so fast, and I realized it was a bad cut. I just acted. I was bleeding like crazy. It was so scary.”

  “I’m sure it was. And you did the right thing running for help.”

  “Did I really leave the apartment door open?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize to me. Please don’t. The only thing I care about is that you’re safe. Of course, the wedding pictures won’t be quite the same as they would’ve been before today.”

  “If I wear a flesh-colored bandage, we won’t even see it.”

  Raising his head, he smiled. “That’s not what I meant. I must look twenty years older than I did this morning. That’s how much I feel like I aged in the hour between when we got here and when we tracked you down.”

  She caressed his face. “If this is you twenty years from now, I’ll be a lucky, lucky Mrs. Cruz.”

  “Mrs. Cruz,” he said in a tone full of wonder. “It’s really happening.”

  “In just a few more days.”

  “After today, I’m afraid to let you out of my sight between now and then.”

  “Don’t be silly. What else could possibly happen that would be worse than today?”

  He furrowed his brows. “Please don’t tempt fate by asking that question.”

  “I think you’ve been working Homicide too long. You always jump to the worst-case scenario.”

  “That may be true but tell me what you would’ve thought if the situation had been reversed and you’d received a one-second frantic call from me, and then came home to a dead phone and bloodbath.”

  “I’d rather not imagine that.”

  He released a deep, shuddering breath. “I thought I knew how much I love you, but I realized today that it’s way more than I ever realized. I hope you know that I’ve given you the power to ruin me.”

  “Freddie,” she said, sighing, her big blue eyes bright with unshed tears. “I’d never want to ruin you. I just want to love you.”

  “If anything ever happened to you...” His throat tightened around a lump of emotion. He shook his head, unable to entertain the thought.

  She continued to gently caress his face. “Maybe now you know a little bit of what I feel every day when you leave for work.”

  “I hate that I put you through that.”

  Smiling, she said, “It’s worth it when you come home to me every night.”

  As she wrapped her arm around him, Freddie finally relaxed and let go of the debilitating tension that had gripped him from the minute he’d walked into the building to find blood on the stairs and her dead phone on the floor. “After we get back from the trip, we’re moving.”

  “What? Why? We love it here.”

  “I used to love it here. Today I realized how crappy the security is. In light of what I do for a living, I want my family better protected. We’re moving to a building with a doorman and better security.”

  “We can’t afford that, Freddie.”

  “I can’t afford to take chances with your safety or that of any children we may have. Besides, we’re going to need a bigger place when Little Freddie comes along. We may as well make the move sooner rather than later.”

  “Little Freddie?”

  Hearing the amusement in her tone, he smiled. Sam had helped to convince him that having kids wasn’t something he wanted to miss out on, even if it scared the hell out of him. As she had said, they saw the worst of what could happen on the job, and he shouldn’t let that keep him from experiencing one of the best things in life.

  “And when is our bundle of joy due to arrive?”

  “As soon as possible.” He looked up at her gorgeous face. Once upon a time, he’d taken a single glance at that face and had been well and truly hooked. In the nearly two years since he met her during the O’Connor investigation, he’d only become more enthralled by her. That he got to marry her this weekend was still unbelievable to him.

  Her brows furrowed. “Why’re you looking at me like that?”

  “Because I still can’t believe a goddess like you chose a schlub like me.”

  “You are hardly a schlub, Freddie Cruz, and someone had to make a man out of you. It was a terribly difficult job, but I think we finally succeeded.”

  “Very funny,” he said, kissing her.

  “Yes, you were back then.” She combed her fingers through his hair. “My poor, pent-up baby.”

  “I was a very good student, wasn’t I?”

  “The best I ever had.” She opened her mouth to his tongue and drove him wild with her enthusiastic response, just like always.

  “And you’re really going to marry me on Saturday?” he asked, breathless from the kiss.

  “I can’t wait to marry you, Freddie.”

  * * *

  PATROL DELIVERED GONZO to the GW emergency department after midnight. His heart beat so hard and so fast, he feared he might need to be seen. He’d passed out after receiving the call from Christina about Alex. Since being roused by the Patrol officer, he’d tried to put together what happened, but his mind was blank after receiving the call. Patrol had found him half a mile from where he last remembered being. How had he gotten there?

  Thank God the Patrolman had been cool about it and had accepted his explanation that he had the same flu his son had and had been trying to get through the day. That made two encounters with the MPD in one day that had nothing to do with work. Not the best day he’d ever had.

  At the desk, he asked for Alex and was shown into an exam room. Christina sat on the bed with Alex asleep in her arms. Her eyes flashed with fury when she saw him.

  “Nice of you to show up.”

  “I’m sorry. I got sucked into a situation at work.”

 
“Don’t make it worse by lying to me. I talked to Sam. She had no idea where you were either.”

  He noted the IV attached to his little boy. “Is he okay?”

  “He is now.”

  “Christina—”

  “Go home, Tommy. I don’t want you here.”

  “But—”

  “Get out,” she said in a low tone he’d never heard from her before. “And while you’re at it, you should find another place to live too. I’m all done.”

  “You—”

  “I. Am. Done. Any questions?”

  “Christina...”

  Alex stirred, his legs moving restlessly.

  Gonzo took a step closer, wanting to touch his son, to hold him, to fix what had gone so terribly wrong.

  “And you’ll sign over custody of Alex to me, which we both know is in his best interest.”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “Fine, then I’ll take you to court. Good luck finding anyone who thinks he’d be better off with you.”

  “You’re tired. It’s been a crazy day—”

  “Yes, I am tired—of you, of your disregard for me and your son, of a life that’s gone completely to shit. I’m tired of it all, and I am done. Go home, pack your bags and get out. Be gone when we get home tomorrow. And do yourself and everyone who cares about you a favor and get some help. You look like a goddamned bum, and you’re probably on the verge of losing your job.”

  Where was all this coming from? He was too stunned to speak. All he could do was stare at her and wonder what’d become of the woman who’d loved him so much. Where had she gone? “You’re tired and upset about Alex.”

  “Yes, I am, and I’m tired of you and your shit.” Her voice caught. “I’m tired of being invisible to you.”

  “You are not invisible.”

  She held up her hand to stop him. “Please. Just go. I don’t want you here. We don’t need you.”

  Her words sliced through what was left of his heart, leaving him bleeding inside. He could only stare at her as he tried to put together the pieces of what had brought them to this point. No matter how hard he tried, though, he couldn’t reconcile it.

  “Go, Tommy.” Tears ran unchecked down her face. She tightened her hold on Alex and rested her cheek on his son’s head, closing her eyes and shutting him out.