HIS Choice (H.I.S. #2)

by Sheila Kell

  He stood, let his head fall back and took a deep breath. God how he’d fucked up. He dropped his head and turned back to her. “I found Jake and Emily in bed together. She’d just turned eighteen that night, at midnight. We were due to celebrate her birthday the next day.

  “As you can imagine, in my inebriated state, I went ballistic. I pulled him from the bed and began pummeling him. He didn’t fight back, just attempted to protect himself, like he knew he deserved the beating. At the time, I hadn’t realized he’d never thrown a punch.

  “Emily’s screaming finally broke me out of the red-haze that had engulfed me. Tears streamed down her face and she kept crying out that she loved him and it was none of my business.” He heaved a heavy sigh. “She was right, of course. But I wouldn’t listen. All I knew was that someone had bedded my sister and it had been my best friend. He’d betrayed my friendship and the love my family had for him.

  “He and I had been packed to move into our own place closer to the FBI office we’d be assigned to after training. For some reason I remembered that and gave him one hour to be out of the house and never return, or I’d tell our father what had happened. That didn’t seem to bother him so I lied and told him that I’d tell them it happened before she’d turned eighteen. Dad happened to be on a campaign tour at the time, so he’d have no idea when things happened.

  “I don’t know what made me say I’d tell the lie. I knew I’d never actually do it but it shot out of my mouth. I grabbed a naked Emily by the arm and dragged her out of the room. She kept screaming for Jake, but I brought her to her room and blocked the door until I knew he’d left. I never gave him a chance to explain or say his peace. Or worse, say goodbye to the family.”

  He and Emily had kept quiet in the beginning about why Jake had disappeared. Then his guilt became too heavy. Plus he wasn’t having any luck in his search for him. He’d needed his brothers’ help.

  “After dealing with a broken-hearted Emily for a few weeks, I felt like an ass and knew I had to do something. I arrived at the FBI office, assuming he’d have done the same. He hadn’t. He never showed up at the apartment we’d rented. His cell had been disconnected.

  “I pushed Devon, who was CIA at the time, to do whatever it took to help me find him doing what he did best. I even checked John Does to see if…” he turned as a tear slid down his face, “if we’d find him there.” AJ swiped a hand over his face, turned and sat down, his back to her. He wouldn’t let her see him cry. He was the monster here not the victim.

  “It’s like Jake disappeared off the face of the earth. I’ve spent every free moment searching for him. I’ve used every resource I have, and I can’t find him. It’s tearing me up inside.”

  AJ had dealt with almost four years of pain and grief about what he’d done. But during that time, anger at Jake for not fighting for his family raged within him. It had torn holes in his soul, left him lost, adrift only to surface for short periods of time before vanishing again.

  “You haven’t had a chance to meet my sister and niece. Amber is Jake’s daughter. He has no idea she exists or that my sister still pines for him. She says she’s fine but I can see the light that has left her eyes. She and the family say they don’t blame me, but I know deep down they do. They said that Jake knew he could’ve contacted one of them if he’d wanted, but chose not to. My dad took it hard that he’d just walked away without a thank you or goodbye. To this day, he doesn’t know what happened. I can’t bring myself to tell him.”

  A soft hand slid up and down AJ’s back, the warmth filled him, soothed him.

  “Is that why the tattoo? I looked up the translation. It’s Latin.”

  He looked down at his chest and nodded. “Never give up. I can’t give up, Megan. I’ve failed my family in the worst way. I won’t be whole again until he’s back with us.”

  She spoke softly. “I’ve seen how much your family loves you. They don’t blame you. If anything, they seem to want to help you. I’ve heard the worry in their voices. I’ve seen them try to drag you closer to them. But you refuse. You allow yourself to be like this. To bear this entire burden. AJ, Jake has just as much blame here as you do. You have to release this guilt and live your life.”

  He finally took a chance and looked into her eyes. His heart jumped. Her love lit them. How could what he’d done not dim it? Not make it disappear? He’d ruined two people’s lives. Not to mention left a hole in plenty of others. He slowly reached up. With the pad of his thumb he outlined her lips. She was just too good for him.

  “Now can you say you still love me?” Dread filled his belly at what her answer would be. He shouldn’t care but he did.

  He felt her words on his thumb. “Yes I still love you, AJ Hamilton.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Megan’s editor must have forgiven her for not sharing the details of her article before submitting it, because it had been printed front and center in the newspaper. The DEA had confiscated ten kilograms of cocaine, twelve kilograms of heroin, two kilograms of crack, and two pounds of methamphetamine. Not a large buy for Magic Shop to lose, but it would be enough to piss off the Magician.

  AJ smiled at the thought. He’d love to have seen the man’s face when he learned of it.

  AJ hobbled to the bed and dropped a kiss on Megan’s lips. The pain in his leg had turned to an ache. He bit through it since he’d caused most of the ache from his bedroom activities. He had to be ready when the time came.

  “Good morning, my little dove. You’re so damn sexy in the morning. I’d love nothing more than to climb back in bed with you, but you need to get up and dress. Devon will be here shortly.”

  She smiled. “Good morning. What’s different about Devon coming here? One of your brothers is here all of the time.”

  “He’s helping us today. Now, get up. I don’t want him to see you like this.”

  He watched her climb from the bed. If Devon wasn’t always so damn punctual, AJ would have taken her back to bed, and immersed himself in her heat and love. A place he would never tire of being.

  * * * * *

  Megan emerged from the bathroom to find a newspaper and cup of coffee on the small desk. She smiled. Just like old times. She loved this man more every day.

  “Good morning, Devon.” She pressed a quick kiss to AJ’s lips and sat at the desk.

  Devon chuckled. “Good morning, Megan. Great article.”

  She turned to AJ. “Do you think this will do the job?”

  He nodded. “It’s perfect. Carl will be blamed for losing the product, and Damian will still be in the shithouse since you’re alive.”

  Just a few more days and, if their plan worked, this would be over. They’d have the Magician. Unfortunately, it meant her time with AJ would end. She’d told him she loved him, and he gave her nothing in return. Not even hope. Maybe if she helped him find Jake, AJ would reconsider a life with her. But maybe he was too broken to fix. She had to get her own life back on track first and then figure out what to do about him.

  No more running. No more cheap hotels. She would finally be home, and she’d return to the newsroom. Hmm. She couldn’t return home just yet. Her house was covered in bullet holes. Hopefully the insurance company would cover the expense of the repairs. She didn’t recall bullet holes mentioned in her policy. Maybe she would sell. There were too many memories, good and bad, that she wouldn’t be able to deal with every morning when she woke, and every evening when she went to sleep. They all revolved around AJ.

  “What’s the plan for today?” she asked.

  “We’ll be keeping an eye on Paul. We need something from him.”

  “What? And how will we get it? I’m guessing he’s not just going to open the door and hand over what you want.”

  A mischievous look covered AJ’s face and a twinkle appeared in his eyes. “We’ll break in when he leaves, and Devon will collect the information we n
eed.”

  “Don’t you need a warrant for that?” Now that she knew he was FBI, she was aghast that he’d break into someone’s house, especially without a warrant. Even she knew that the evidence would never stand up in court.

  “Trust me, my little dove.”

  She studied him for a moment then went back to reading the newspaper.

  * * * * *

  AJ, Devon, Megan, and their trusted bodyguard and driver Brad had been parked near Paul’s house for three hours. “We’re moving again tonight,” AJ informed her.

  “How many more times will we move?”

  She liked the current place. She’d become comfortable there. He hated snatching it away but he had to. They’d have a separate room again for privacy so he hoped that would settle her since it would be another dive.

  He threw his arm around her and pulled her close. “As many as it takes to keep you safe.” He kissed her temple.

  She wrapped an arm around his waist and his heart pounded. He wanted her now. Good grief. He had to control his lust for her.

  He and Brad exchanged piercing looks in the rear view mirror. His brothers best not say one Goddamn word. AJ had heard enough. He would not push her away because they said it would be the only way to keep her safe, to keep his focus. Fuck them. He’d done a good job of keeping her safe thus far. Besides, he had his brothers protecting them now.

  Megan looked out the window. “What do you think Carl did today?”

  AJ snorted. “I imagine he tried to think up an excuse and a fall guy for the bust.”

  “Do you think he can get out of it?”

  “Not a chance.” He looked down and smiled softly.

  “You sound confident. How do you know?”

  He shrugged. “Trust me.”

  “Do you think he had to meet with the Magician one-on-one instead of in the big meeting we want?”

  “I don’t know, but I’ll ask his tail every place he visited and who visited him.”

  She loosened her grip. “You have a tail on him?”

  “Of course. We can’t afford for him to run. We have a tail on all of them, and they’ve been oblivious to it. They’re too confident.”

  She looked around and frowned. “Where’s Paul’s tail?”

  Devon looked up from his laptop and turned from the passenger seat to glance at her. “You won’t find Danny.”

  “I have to say that this sucks.”

  AJ pulled her close again and tightened the blanket that covered her full body. As men, they just sucked it up. He wished they could have kept the car running for her warmth.

  “Did you let your boss know you’d have another big article for her tomorrow?”

  “Yes. Again, she threatened to stop taking my articles if I didn’t tell her what they were about before I submitted them. She fluctuated between worry and anger. I’ve never seen her like that before.”

  Journalists, with the exception of Megan, bothered him. He’d never trusted them and still didn’t. No matter what they said, they couldn’t keep their mouths shut. “You didn’t tell her what was happening tomorrow, did you?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Don’t let her push you into giving away our plans. We can’t afford for her to tell the FBI.”

  His secure cell phone rang.

  “You’re good to go. Well, gray area good to go. Just be careful,” Arthur said. “Do you think you’ll find what you’re looking for?”

  “I hope so. Did you get a warrant to put the GPS on Paul’s car also?” It was a stupid fucking thing to need a warrant to slap one of those on a vehicle. But many things the bureau did seemed fucking stupid.

  “Of course,” Arthur responded. “What are you doing?”

  “We’re watching his house, waiting for him to leave. Is my team ready for tomorrow?”

  “Yes. Do you plan to tell me what they’ll be doing?”

  “No. I’ll tell them right before I need them.”

  His boss sighed. “I don’t like that you’ve become tight-lipped with me. I hired you for this. I thought you trusted me. I’m trusting you by allowing you to use these valuable resources without my knowledge of their task which goes against everything we do. My boss will have my ass if he finds out.”

  He did trust Arthur. But, AJ hadn’t identified all of the leaks in the FBI so he wouldn’t chance someone knowing the task ahead of time.

  “This is your show, AJ. Just don’t fuck me over or you’ll regret ever knowing me. Oh, and remember you are wanted. Consider turning her over so I can clean this bullshit up before it gets beyond my ability to help.”

  AJ tilted back his head and sighed. “I appreciate you covering for me. She won’t go and I won’t force her, even if it makes me wanted and most likely fired.”

  With a grunt Arthur ended the call.

  The worst part was that no matter which choice AJ made, keep her with him or turning her over to the FBI, he might not be able to keep her safe. His gut clenched. He had to have made the right choice. “Megan, I have to leave the car for a few minutes. I need you to stay here with Brad and Devon.”

  A stricken look appeared on her face. “Why? What are you going to do?”

  “I’m just walking right over there.” He pointed to Paul’s SUV. “I need to put this on it.” He showed her the slap-on GPS tracker he’d pulled from a new black bag that Devon had brought.

  Brad turned to them. “And how the fuck do you plan to do that? Don’t you think a man hobbling on a cane might be noticed?”

  AJ glared at him.

  His brother reached back. “Hand me the damn thing.”

  Task completed, they settled back in to wait.

  Megan finally spoke up, “This is boring. Isn’t there something we can do?”

  Brad grinned, but AJ wouldn’t allow him to suggest one of the raunchy games they played when stuck in the car. He opened his mouth to say the first thing that flew out but Devon got in the first word.

  “Jimmy’s making a visit.”

  Interesting. He had no reason to visit Paul unless he happened to be passing a message from Carl. AJ wished he’d been able to bug the place.

  Megan looked in Jimmy’s direction and smiled. “He’s going to be pissed tomorrow.”

  The brothers chuckled.

  AJ kissed her cheek. “Yes he is.”

  * * * * *

  Paul left his house, and Megan’s pulse rate shot through the roof. Even with her nosing around to get a story, she’d never broken into a house. Fear and excitement welled within her. Her hope was they didn’t get arrested.

  Brad handed AJ a device that looked like a smart phone. “It’s good to go.”

  “I thought we couldn’t have regular phones?” she asked.

  “It’s our GPS tracker,” AJ explained.

  “That’s cool.”

  “Yes it is. Now come on. We need to get a move on.”

  Devon calmly stood in front of AJ, scanning the area, acting as if he belonged there with someone kneeling behind him, picking a lock. He held an electronic device he’d explained cracked security alarm codes. Impressive.

  Her job was to hold onto the GPS tracker and monitor Paul’s movements, letting them know when Paul was returning. She repeatedly glanced at it, worried the man would turn around, come back and catch them.

  The door opened. “Okay, let’s go.” AJ used his cane to stand, and Devon slid inside.

  “What are you looking for?” she whispered, entering the house.

  “Records. They supposedly keep track of their clients, their new identities, where they settle, etc.”

  He didn’t wait for his brother. He tugged her behind him as he briefly peeked into each room. All she caught were glimpses of brown everywhere.

  “Here.”

  He pulled her into a room with
wine colored walls, dark furniture and one very large window that provided the view of the front yard.

  Devon walked in and sat behind the computer. He snorted. “The idiot didn’t log off before he left. He definitely wasn’t expecting us.”

  “What do you want me to do?” She glanced at the tracker.

  Without even looking up at her, AJ answered, “Look around for anything that has information on the prison breaks. But, more importantly, keep an eye on the GPS.”

  She nodded and tugged at her gloves.

  “Leave those on,” Devon told her. She hadn’t even realized he’d been cognizant of anything except the computer screen.

  She knelt down and opened the dark wood two drawer file cabinet while AJ rifled through the loose papers on the desk.

  “Bingo. For such a smart man, he’s not careful with this information.” Devon pulled a thumb drive from his pocket, plugged it into the computer and began copying files.

  She sifted through documents in the file cabinet.

  AJ looked over to her. “Anything good?”

  She shook her head, disappointed she hadn’t found anything helpful. “Not really. It’s normal things, house deed, car title, tax returns.”

  He ducked his head and opened a file folder. “Where is he now?”

  She gasped. She had been so lost in flipping through the files that she’d forgotten about checking the GPS. “Oh God. AJ, he’s coming back! I’m sorry.”

  AJ sent a text on his secure phone. “How long, Dev?”

  “I need two more minutes. I’ve a few files left, including one on officials they have bribed and blackmailed.”

  “We don’t have that long. He’ll turn on this street any moment.” Her heart beat faster. If she didn’t make them hurry, then they would get caught, and it would be her fault. They’d trusted her with this one thing, and she’d let herself get sidetracked snooping.

  She wondered what Paul would do? Would he kill them outright? He was sure to know there was a hit on them, and now, Devon had been caught in their fight.