The Last Call (MMG Book 5)

by Hilliard, R. B.

  The days immediately after the shooting were touch and go, and the following week was a complete blur. I remember everything before the shooting, but only bits and pieces after. Waking up and seeing my wife’s beautiful, tearstained eyes staring back at me, right before she face planted onto the side of my bed in uncontrollable sobs, would haunt me for the rest of my days. I wanted to hold her but I couldn’t. I wanted to tell her everything would be okay, but I wasn’t sure it would. I’d never felt so helpless.

  The doctors wouldn’t allow additional visitors until I was completely out of the woods. The first face I saw, other than my wife’s, belonged to Gage. Ellison had filled me in just enough for me to know that I owed Gage Blackwell my life. His arm was in a sling and he looked like shit, but he was alive. We both were. With a warning not to upset me, she left us alone to talk.

  “You look like shit,” Gage said.

  “Fuck you. You don’t look much better.” We both winced with pain as we laughed. “All kidding aside, I owe you my life,” I told him.

  Gage scowled. “You would have done the same for me.” He was right, I would have. After some small talk, we finally got around to the issue at hand.

  “Who?” I asked.

  “Garrison, we think. Garrett and Cas found a camera in one of the trees on the property across the road from MMG. It was facing the parking lot, exactly where we were shot. Get this, it was turned off.” Without proof, this meant shit and we both knew it.

  “Ellison is watching me like a hawk. Her dad has Mac and Cole until I’m sprung from this place. Can you talk to Cas or Garrett. I need them to scour every inch of my property, including the trees across the street, and make sure there are no cameras. I also want them to search the inside the house for bugs.”

  “Already done,” Gage replied. I gave him a questioning look and he explained, “The day after we were shot they were on it. There were no listening devices and the only camera they found was the one at MMG.”

  “Has there been any word from Garrison?”

  “None,” he said, shaking his head. All I could think about was Garrison coming after my family. I would do anything to protect them. If that meant taking his ass out, it would be a risk, but I would do it.

  Two days later I was released from the hospital with the strict instructions not to put any weight on my leg and to report immediately to rehab.

  I fucking hate rehab.

  Throughout the first month, I’d made progress. I was now able to put some weight on my leg and my ribs didn’t hurt anymore when I took a deep breath. Kathy kicked my ass three mornings a week and Ellison kicked it the rest of the time. I loved every minute of it. I was fucking alive and that was all that mattered.

  This morning Kathy had me doing leg lifts with a ten pound weight. It might as well have been a million pounds because it was hard as hell to lift. I’d tried not to think about Garrison and how much I hated the son of a bitch. Some days he barely crossed my mind, but others like today, when I could barely lift a ten pound weight, I fucking despised him. He’d almost killed me and there was not a damn thing I could do to prove it or to exact revenge. None of us could.

  As usual, Ellison and Mac were waiting for me in the waiting room after rehab. All of the pain and frustration melted away the second I saw them.

  As soon as I reached them, Ellison handed me my phone, and said, “Garrett called three times. You might want to call him back.” My lungs seized in my chest.

  I returned his call on the way to the car.

  Garrett answered on the first ring. “Hey man, do you have a minute?”

  “I’m on the way home from rehab with Ellison and Mac. What’s up?”

  “Call me back the moment you get home,” he said, and hung up. I thought about calling him back and demanding that we talk now, but changed my mind. Whatever it was could wait until I got home. When Ellison asked me what the call was about I lied and said it was a new case. I’d caused her enough worry. I wasn’t about to give her anymore.

  Once we were home, I waited until Ellison was preparing Mac’s lunch before returning Garrett’s call.

  “Hey, Max,” Garrett answered. “J.D. called while you were in rehab and he has news for us. Everyone’s here except for Adam. J.D. is crunched for time, so I’m going to go ahead and conference in Gage and then we’ll call J.D.”

  A million questions sat on the tip of my tongue, but I knew it was a waste of time to ask, so I replied, “Sounds good.”

  J.D. answered on the first ring. Garrett told him who was on the line. Not wasting any time, he razzed us about almost getting ourselves killed, before explaining why he’d called. “Last night an underground BDSM club in Greenville, South Carolina was raided, and you’ll never believe who got arrested?”

  “Please say Neel Garrison,” Gage replied.

  “No, but you’re on the right track. Jim Dirr, Garrison’s accountant, got caught with his pants down. Being that he’s a God fearing pillar in his community with a wife of thirty years and three lovely children he clearly found the situation less than ideal.”

  “I can of think of worse things to get arrested for than getting spanked by Lucky Lucy,” Bobby drolled.

  J.D. let out a bark of laughter, before saying, “Try Lucky Larry.” The line went silent.

  “Oh, fuck,” Cas said.

  “Fuck is right,” J.D. responded. “To say that Jim panicked would be an understatement. In the ride over to the police station, he tried to trade information that he’d learned while representing Neel in exchange for avoiding charges and making this little incident go away. When the police didn’t bite and insisted on hauling his ass into the precinct, he lost his shit. By the time he was done babbling, he’d told them detailed information on Garrison’s finances as well as those of his wife, brother-in-law, and brother-in-law’s boyfriend. Most importantly, he said he could prove that Garrison made large payments to someone who is rumored to be a hit man, and he was pretty sure the guy was responsible for two shootings last month in Charlotte.” It took a minute for his words to sink in.

  As if reading my mind, Gage said, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”

  “Neel Garrison, his wife, her brother, the brother’s boyfriend, and the hitman were all picked up this morning and are being held here in Charlotte. According to my source at the police station, the Feds are in town and are currently pouring over Jim Dirr’s records as we speak.” The story was so preposterous it was funny. Once I started laughing, I couldn’t stop. J.D. had a meeting to go to and promised to keep us updated. After I got off the call I decided it was finally time to tell my wife.

  * * *

  One month later…

  In exchange for the prosecutor not seeking the death penalty, Neel Garrison pled guilty to attempted murder and tax evasion. The same day he was sent away for life, the doctor released me to resume normal activities. Unlike my experience with Dooley Shane, which left me fucked in the head, my encounter with Garrison gave me clarity. For five, long years I was half of a man. When Ellison took me back, I became whole again. She made me whole again, and how did I repay her? I’d given her nothing but pain and heartache. In a very short period of time, we’d almost lost each other, not once, but twice. Never again.

  If the past two months had taught me anything, it was to cherish every second I had with my family. Life was fragile and if I didn’t change my course, I would most likely meet my maker a hell of a lot sooner than I wanted. I kept reflecting back to high school, and the first time I took Ellison to the quarry. That was the day I told her about my dreams of owning my own garage. That’s all I’d ever wanted, my garage and Ellison. We had our whole lives at our fingertips. So what the fuck happened?

  My dad happened. Dooley Shane happened. Neel Garrison happened. Somewhere along the way I lost perspective. It was time I got it back, and my first step was to pull out of LASH. I went in to help Garrett. Suffice it to say I’d succeeded. I was perfectly cool with Cole learning the ins and outs of
the protection business if that’s what he wanted, but I was done.

  As for my wife, my gorgeous, loving wife who had been through hell and back because of me, I owed her everything. I owed her flowers and chocolates and backyard barbecues. I owed her years of love and laughter. Most of all, I owed her my life.

  Life was funny sometimes. By trying to kill me that day, Neel Garrison had taught me to live.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Ellie

  ‡

  The night my husband was shot was the worst night of my life. I was in bed reading a book when I got the call from Garrett telling me that both Max and Gage had sustained gunshot wounds and were on their way to the hospital. I vaguely remember my dad showing up to watch the kids and Piper driving me to the hospital. The worst four hours of my life were those spent in that waiting room. Even though I was surrounded by friends, I’d never felt so alone. While the surgical team worked furiously to save Max’s life, I kept asking myself the same things over and over again. Why now? Why did I get him back only to lose him all over again? Why was life so cruel? Why? Why? Why? When the doctor came through that door and told me Max had pulled through, all I could do was thank him and cry.

  I didn’t get a full night’s sleep until Max was out of the hospital and safely at home. I knew the shooting had something to do with the case he was involved in with LASH, but didn’t dare ask questions until I felt he was stable enough to answer them. The police visited twice to get information about the shooting. Once was while he was in the hospital and the other was after he returned home. Both times Cas or Garrett were with him, and both times he excused me from the room. When I approached Piper about it, she said Gage wasn’t talking about the shooting, which didn’t bode well for me. Max had been home for two weeks before I finally asked him for more detail concerning that night. Instead of answering my questions, he calmly explained how he couldn’t talk about it. He assured me, however, the kids and I were safe. We might be safe, but he sure as hell wasn’t. When I voiced this out loud, he simply hugged me and told me that everything was going to be okay. How was I supposed to believe him after what had just happened?

  One morning, about a month after the shooting, Mac and I were waiting for Max at rehab when Garrett called. I wouldn’t have thought anything about it, except for the fact that he called three consecutive times. I could tell by Max’s reaction when I told him of Garrett’s calls that something important had occurred. I tried to be cool in my questioning on the drive home from rehab. Max told me the call had something to do with a new case, but I could tell he was lying. All he’d done since the night of the shooting was lie to me. I was so damn sick of being kept in the dark. While feeding Mac his lunch, I stewed in my anger. I’d had enough. Either Max was going to tell me what was going on or else.

  After putting Mac down for his nap, I stormed downstairs and marched my angry ass into Max’s office. Before I could blast him with my anger, he took the wind right out of my sails. Smiling up at me, he said, “Hey, babe, have a seat. I need to talk to you.” He would have to be a stupid man not to know how close to the edge I was. My husband was many things, but stupid was not one of them. I took a seat with a loud huff, and for the next hour Max told me everything he knew about Neel Garrison and what happened the night they were shot. His story ended with the crazy tale of Neel Garrison’s accountant getting arrested in a BDSM club.

  Needing clarification, I asked, “So it’s over? Neel is in jail? They got the shooter?”

  “All I know is that the Feds were brought in this morning and things do not look good for Neel or the rest of the dumb asses who were arrested with him,” Max said.

  It was the first time in weeks that I felt as if I could breathe easily again.

  The next month was crazy busy. Max had rehab three days a week, Mac went from toddling to flat out running, and Cole decided to change schools in order to be closer to his new home. The house was starting to feel cramped and I worried about how we were going to fit another child into the mix. Max was spending half days at MMG, and I knew it was only a matter of time before he was back to consulting at LASH. I loved having him around, and I wasn’t the only one. At Max’s insistence, Cole moved his gaming system into the living room, and each night after Mac went to bed, they played shoot ’em up games and loved every second of it.

  I stayed close to home for the first few months. This meant I didn’t see much of the girls, but I talked to them every day. Isabella had decided to stop breastfeeding and move to strictly formula, while Joss couldn’t talk enough about her giant breasts. Kurt and Dillon were spending most of their time renovating the new bar, which meant that Piper was working most nights. Sarah stopped by daily to give Max MMG updates, or so she said, but I was pretty sure it was to feed her new video game addiction.

  About a month after Neel’s arrest, he pled guilty to attempted murder and tax evasion, and received a sentence of life in prison. I didn’t understand all of the specifics, but according to Max, his wife and the shooter received similar sentences.

  Max and I had everyone over for an impromptu celebration that night. It was the first time we’d all been together since the shooting.

  Everyone cleared out around midnight. Before going to bed, I made my way upstairs to check on Cole and Mac. I was halfway downstairs when I heard the music.

  All I Want Is You.

  My heart skipped a million beats when I saw Max waiting at the bottom landing in nothing but a sexy pair of pajama pants. He held his hand out. “Dance with me?” he asked. Years ago, in his tiny bedroom, not even two blocks away, he’d said those exact words to me.

  “We’ve never danced together, have we?” I asked.

  His lips turned up in a panty melting smile. “This is just the first of many, Ellison McLellan,” he answered, and pulled me into his arms. Max held me close as we danced our way through the song. Once it was over, he took my hand and walked me down the hall into our bedroom, where he proceeded to strip off my clothes and lay me down on the bed. His eyes never left mine as he entered my body. Slowly, he moved in and out of me. With each stroke I unraveled a little more until I couldn’t tell where I began and he ended. I gasped out his name as I was consumed by my release, and shivered as he growled my name in return.

  Max told me about his decision to sell his portion of LASH as we lay basking in the afterglow. I was shocked, to say the least.

  When I asked why, he answered, “I’ve gone over that night a million times in my head. Working with those guys is a thrill a minute. I feel invincible, like nothing can hurt me. If I’d had the proper training, would I have sensed that guy waiting in the parking lot?” His eyes turned to me and I could see tears glistening on the tips of his lashes. “I almost died, and for what? Some fucker who challenged my ego? Hell, I’m a fuck-head for egging him on. What did I think was going to happen?” he rasped. “You’re what matters.” He placed his hand on my belly. “Mac and Cole and this baby are what matter. All I ever wanted was to marry you and own my own garage.” I didn’t realize I was crying until he wiped the tears from my face.

  “I love you, Max McLellan,” I whispered.

  “I love you more than you will ever know, Ellison McLellan,” he whispered back.

  * * *

  Two weeks later…

  “You’re sure you want to do this?” Dad asked.

  “It’s not big enough anymore, Dad. Mac has the biggest room upstairs. Poor Cole is cramped and the third bedroom is barely big enough to hold a crib and changing table, never mind a dresser. I never thought I’d say this, but we’ve grown out of this house.”

  “If you’re serious about selling, then I want it.”

  Thinking maybe I’d heard him wrong, I asked, “What?”

  “Your aunt and I both grew up in that house. You’ve done an excellent job maintaining it. I would like to buy it from you.”

  “Are you serious?” I bounced up and down in my chair with excitement.

  “As a heart attack,
” he replied.

  * * *

  Two weeks after that…

  “I seriously thought I had a problem. It was so bad that I went out and bought a bottle of super strength Beano. You know, ‘There will beano more gas,”’ Piper mocked. I tried to control my laughter, but it was almost impossible to do.

  “I’m confused. What was it about uncontrollable flatulence that made you think you were pregnant?” Joss asked.

  “Oh, I remembered Max talking about how much Ellie farted while she was pregnant with Mac.” She turned to me and said, “Remember? We were at Dragonfly and he told the story about how you farted in the closet, and I thought…I wonder if? So I hauled ass to the store and bought five different pregnancy tests.” She threw up her hands. “And what do ya know? I’m preggers!” The room erupted into applause and laughter. Needless to say, I was thrilled for her, but I was also embarrassed as hell for me. Thanks, Max.

  Isabella shot me a look of sympathy before saying, “I bet Gage is over the moon.”

  “Yeah, he’s pretty damn happy about it, and smug, so smug it isn’t even funny.”

  “Tell me about it,” Joss said. “They act as if they have magic sperm that can only fertilize your egg.”

  “Not to change this oh so delightful subject or anything, but how is the house hunting coming along, Ellie?” Sarah asked.

  “You know, I expected it to be stressful, but it’s actually kind of fun. Max wants someplace closer to MMG, but we want Cole to remain at the same school. Dad has to sell his place before he can purchase the house, so we’ve still got some time.” Glancing over at Joss, I said, “Speaking of new places, how is the new bar coming along?”