G-Men: The Series

by ANDREA SMITH

  He propelled himself off of the bed, totally comfortable with his naked swagger as he left his bedroom.

  I crooked my arm up under my head and released a contented sigh. It was done. I’d finally crossed over the line from maidenhood to womanhood.

  Darcy would totally make fun of that expression (if I dared to verbalize it), which I never would. I knew it was corny, but hell, it was how I felt at the moment and I was damn proud of it.

  When Taz returned to his bedroom, he’d put a pair of sweats on. He threw a bath towel over to me and said he’d run a bath for me and to get my ass in there to soak.

  I scooted off the bed, noticing for the first time the smattering of blood on his bed sheets. I quickly looked up at him and he had a half-smirk going.

  “Not to worry, Lindsey. I’m pretty sure I have something that takes virgin blood out.”

  My cheeks flushed red and I gave him a “look” as I wrapped the towel around me and padded off to the bathroom.

  Taz had put bath oils in the water, which I found kind of sweet, yet puzzling. I wondered how often the women in Taz’s life stayed around long enough to need a bath. According to my mom, she wasn’t aware of Taz even having a short-term relationship since she’d known Slate.

  I soaked in the soothing bubbles, feeling extremely fulfilled and contented. I wondered if I looked any different. I was so relaxed I’d nearly dozed off when I heard Taz tap on the door.

  “Lindsey, I have your clothes here. Can I bring them in?”

  I cocked an eyebrow at the door. Had he not just seen every part of my body naked? Why the sudden concern for my modesty?

  “Sure,” I called out, lifting a sponge to start washing my body.

  He stepped in and I gave him a smile. He stopped mid-way in and gave me a look.

  “What?” I asked, watching his frown.

  “You better get that “just-fucked” smile off of your face before you walk through the door of your house,” he warned.

  He set my folded clothes on the seat of the toilet.

  I hadn’t even thought about home. Oh my God.

  “What time is it, Taz?”

  “It’s a little after 7 a.m.”

  “Holy crap,” I said, scrambling to rinse the soap off by splashing tub water on me. I needed to get my ass in gear and head home now.

  I got up and grabbed the towel once again, scooting Taz out so that I could dry off and get dressed. Five minutes later, I emerged freshly-bathed and clothed.

  Taz was right there with a glass of water and some Advil tablets in his hands.

  “What’s that for?” I asked, puzzled.

  “It’s for you, silly. I thought you might be feeling some pain or tenderness down there.”

  I thought about how sweet of a gesture that was for Taz. I felt fine, but hell, if it made him feel better to think he’d nearly split me in half, I was down with it.

  “Thank you,” I said softly, taking the tablets and water from him.

  He walked me to the door, helping me on with my jacket.

  It was getting light out. I wondered if my family was up and about yet. I grabbed my purse from his sofa and turned to leave.

  He hauled me back to face him. “So, you’re just going to leave without saying goodbye? Damn girl, did you leave my money on the dresser?”

  I saw immediately that he was teasing me. He was being playful. He probably thought I felt embarrassed or self-conscious about what had transpired between us.

  The truth was, I was fine with it. Still, I couldn’t help giggling at his attempt to look injured.

  I stood on my tiptoes and put my free hand around his neck. I kissed him softly on his lips. He kissed me back, his hand reaching over to tousle my hair.

  “Merry Christmas, Taz.”

  “Merry Christmas, baby girl.”

  chapter 16

  As luck wouldn’t have it, the whole household was up when I quietly let myself in the front door. Not only that, but they were all perched in various seating positions in the living room, watching Bryce trying to open his Christmas presents. Slate was on the floor beside him, trying to help.

  Mom was immediately on her feet, her brow furrowed in anger or concern, possibly a combination of the two.

  “My God, Lindsey. We were worried to death about you. The fact that my car was gone was the only reason we hadn’t phoned the police yet.”

  My grandmother sat in stony silence as if she was still in a fog. Slate looked up from where he was stretched out on the floor, giving me a knowing look. It was almost as if he knew I’d been up to no good.

  “I’m really sorry, Mom. I couldn’t sleep. I’m upset about Granddaddy. I just needed to take a drive, to think about things. Do you realize how much loss I’ve suffered?”

  I felt a little guilty about laying that on her, but it was the truth.

  Mom had felt relief when my father left her life. I could understand her feeling that way under the circumstances, but she had to realize that for me it was different. He was still my father, no matter what, and for nearly nineteen years, he’d been a pretty damn good one.

  “Sweetie, we all feel the loss of your granddaddy, but to just take off like that without telling anyone or leaving a note, it was inconsiderate. We were worried.”

  “I’m fine. I just have a lot to deal with right now.”

  “We all do, Lindsey. The way to deal with it is to behave maturely. That’s not what you did.”

  “I said I was sorry. What more can I say? I’m sorry for the loss of Granddaddy. I’m sorry for the loss of your father, and Grandma’s husband, okay? I lost a father too, you know? I know that doesn’t count with you, but it damn sure counts with me. Am I just supposed to write him off so easily, like you did?”

  My voice had risen with each word that spilled out. I was angry. I saw the look of pain in her eyes when I lashed out at her. At that moment, I just didn’t care.

  “Lindsey,” Slate said, his tone taking on a warning edge.

  I whirled around to look at him. “Lindsey what?” I asked harshly. “This is between my mother and me, Slate. You need to stay out of it.”

  He was on his feet in a split-second. I saw Bryce jump as Slate’s voice got loud. “She’s also my wife, dammit! I won’t have you disrespecting her in our home. Do you understand?”

  His incredibly blue eyes were flashing with anger. I shrank back from him, knowing that I’d crossed the line. In all honesty, I’d never talked to my mother like that before. I never had reason to, but I still felt it was time I stood my ground with her.

  “I apologize, Mom,” I said. “I’m sorry, Grandma.”

  I looked over at my grandmother. She still seemed to be in her self-imposed ‘fog’ world. It was if she was oblivious to it all. Maybe it was better for her that way.

  I turned and went towards the stairs. “I’m going to bed. Merry Christmas everyone.”

  I flew up the stairs to my room. I felt like a teenager that had missed curfew. Maybe I’d acted recklessly in taking off the way I did. Acting reckless was not me. It never had been.

  I went into the bathroom upstairs and scrubbed the makeup off my face. My skin had stubble burn in several places from Taz. I smoothed some face cream on to take the sting away.

  I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I didn’t look any different than before. The important thing was that I felt differently. I owed that to Taz. He’d given me the boost I needed to understand what occurs sexually between a man and a woman.

  While, not experienced by a long shot, at least I knew that going into a relationship in the future, I would not be the “bumbling” virgin anymore. I was at least a novice. That gave me some comfort.

  I returned to my bedroom and, for the second time in the last several hours, peeled my clothes off. I climbed beneath my sheets and burrowed down under, feeling some sense of relief. I fell into a restful sleep.

  There was a soft tapping on my bedro
om door.

  “Lindsey,” my mom called out. “May I come in?”

  I rolled over in bed and saw the clock on my nightstand. It was nearly 2 p.m. I scooted up in my bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

  “Yeah, Mom, come in.”

  She came into the room and took a seat on the edge of my bed. I looked at her, waiting for her to speak.

  “Do you want to tell me what’s going on with you?” she asked softly.

  I ran my fingers through my hair. It was a fair question. I just wasn’t sure how I could answer it without making her feel unnecessarily guilty, or coming across as a whiny brat.

  “A lot of stuff, I guess. Maybe a lot of it has been there for a while. With Granddaddy dying, I don’t know, a lot of stuff has just come to the surface…the finality of things with him and with Daddy.”

  “It isn’t as if your father died.”

  “He might as well have. Besides, how do we even know that he’s still alive?”

  She didn’t say anything. She continued to watch me.

  “If he is alive, I mean, how should I feel about that? He chose what he did and how he is living over me. Either way, dead or alive, I’ve lost my father, too. The difference is that we can all grieve for Granddaddy properly. Who in this house, besides me, even feels like grieving for the loss of my father?”

  I watched as my mother absorbed what I was saying. She chewed her bottom lip…a sign of worry or stress.

  “I understand how you feel, but I can’t lie to you. You’re right. I don’t feel the same way. There are so many things that I’ve never told you about your father. I’ve kept those things to myself because I wouldn’t do anything to tarnish your feelings for him. These things happened long before he deserted us.”

  “I appreciate that. As difficult as it is, I’m trying to hold onto the good things that I remember about him and the life that we had together when we were a family. Now, I get that during most of that time you weren’t happy, but you never let that show. You just recently shared that with me when all of this stuff went down with him. I guess I have a question for you. Why? Why did you stay with him for nineteen years, when according to you, you were clearly miserable?”

  “That’s a good question. It’s a question I’ve asked myself over and over again. There is no simple answer. I suppose for the first few years it was because I was young and dependent upon him. I didn’t know how things were supposed to be between a husband and a wife. I threw myself into raising you and trying to keep Jack happy. Later on, it just became the way of life that I’d grown accustomed to. It was easier to stay and be miserable than exert the independence I’d never possessed. Making life changes is no easy thing. It takes determination and energy. I guess I lacked both.”

  “I need to ask you something and I hope that you won’t take it the wrong way.”

  She nodded and waited.

  “What if you hadn’t met and fallen in love with Slate?”

  “Are you asking me if I would have stayed with your father?”

  “In a way, I am. Let’s say none of the criminal activities he was involved with took place. Would you have continued to live that miserable life?”

  “First of all, I need to clarify something with you. I would’ve left your father regardless of the fact that I met Slate. Everything would’ve unfolded exactly the way it did, irrespective of your father’s criminal activities. I would still have danced as ‘Diamond Girl’ and carved an identity out for myself. So, if in fact the criminal activities hadn’t occurred, I would never have met Slate. The outcome between your father and I would still have been the same. We were done.”

  I looked at her for a moment, trying to choose my words carefully, so as not to offend her.

  “Do you feel independent now?”

  “I’m not sure I follow.”

  “Well, the fact remains that circumstances being what they were from the time you met Daddy until now have not shown whether you could be independent if there was cause to be. I mean, you left your parents’ home to be with Daddy. When you and Daddy split, you were already with Slate. The closest you ever came to being an independent woman was when you did your stint as a dancer and earned a living.”

  I could tell I’d pissed her off slightly. It was a valid question, especially in light of the fact that Grandma, who had been under the direction of Granddaddy all of these years, was suddenly faced with carrying on without him.

  “I think I understand what you’re asking me. You’re right. I’ve never had to be independent. Jack was the decision maker, brought home the bacon, and handled the finances the majority of the time. I suppose I have been blessed financially, considering who my father was and knowing that, no matter what, I would never end up on the streets homeless or anything.

  “I’m happy with who I am now. I love my husband, my little baby boy, and my almost grown up daughter. I love that Slate and I make decisions together and respect each other’s differences.

  “If that were to ever change and I found myself becoming the Sammie I used to be, I can honestly say I would certainly exercise my right of independence. Does that answer your question?”

  I smiled over at her. I knew she was being honest about that and I was glad. She’d found her niche finally, and I knew that I would find mine.

  I wanted different things for myself than she did, but that was natural. I wanted a career and independence before committing to anyone else. It was if she was reading my thoughts.

  “Lindsey, I want you to know that I’m really very proud of you. You have enough independence for the both of us. You do well in school and have aspirations that I admire. I’m confident that no one will ever cause you to doubt yourself or the decisions you make. You have strength, integrity, and you have a heart. I think just maybe you got the best of each of us and none of the bad.”

  “Oh, Mom,” I said, scooting to the edge of the bed to hug her, “thank you for telling me that.”

  “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner. I’ve always felt that way about you.”

  “So, how’s Grandma?”

  “Still rather quiet and withdrawn. I’ve made the funeral arrangements and our travel arrangements. We leave early morning on the 27th for Indianapolis. The funeral is on the 28th. I’ve left my return open, pending how well I can get Mom situated at their condo there. I’ll probably spend a couple of weeks with her to help her sort their affairs out with their personal attorney.”

  “Are Slate and Bryce going?”

  “Yes, both of them are coming with us for the funeral, but Slate and the baby are flying back with you on the 29th. Is it a problem for you to watch Bryce while Slate works?”

  “No, he’s my bubby. Of course, I would love to have some time with him. You’ll be back before the 11th then?”

  “God, I hope so. I can’t imagine it taking any longer than a week or two.”

  “Do you think Grandma will want to stay in Indianapolis?”

  “At this point, it’s too early to tell. We just need to take it one day at a time. Now, one very important thing I came up to tell you is that there are a bunch of unopened Christmas presents under that tree with your name on them. Come on.”

  “I think I better put some clothes on first.”

  “Okay, sweetie. See you in a few.”

  I felt better as I redressed in my earlier outfit. I didn’t want there to be a wedge between Mom and me ever.

  chapter 17

  ~ TAZ ~

  I heard the blare of Slate’s truck horn several times out front. Shit! Dude could be an impatient dick sometimes. I grabbed a hoodie, shrugging it on as I pulled my front door shut behind me. It wasn’t as if I’d kept him waiting long. He said 7:30 a.m. and by my watch it was 7:37 a.m. Our meeting in Germantown wasn’t until 9:00 a.m. Even with rush hour traffic, we had plenty of time to get there.

  I got into his truck and saw the now-familiar scowl on his face. Ever since Sammie had been stay
ing with her mom in Indianapolis, the dude was in a foul mood. Christ, it had only been a little over a week since he returned without her. He must be jonesing that pussy big time.

  “How’s it going, bro?” I asked, closing the passenger door.

  He slammed his truck into gear. “It’d be going better if I didn’t always have to wait on your sorry ass.”

  That well, huh?

  “Sorry, man, I was up late last night, burning the midnight oil.”

  “Is that right?” he asked with a scoff. “Anyone I know?”

  “I was studying. I’m going to school, remember?”

  He grunted, “Yeah, I know.”

  “So, you heard anything from Sammie? Does she know when she’s heading home?”

  “Fuck no,” he said, taking a sip of the coffee he’d evidently stopped to pick up at McDonalds. “It sounds like she may be there for two more weeks, maybe longer.”

  Shit! Maybe I need to put in for a transfer.

  “Really? That blows.”

  “You got that right,” he replied. “Apparently there are a lot of things to go through before the will is even in Probate: his controlling shares of Banion Pharmaceuticals, real estate holdings, and stocks. They haven’t even filed the inventory for his estate yet.”

  “Hmm,” I said, “bet he was worth a pretty penny. You married well, dude.”

  Slate shot me an evil glare.

  “Hey, I’m just fuckin’ with you,” I said. “So who’s taking care of the rug rat?”

  “Lindsey. She’s home until the 12th. Shit, I don’t know what I’ll do with him if Sammie’s not back by then. I think Lindsey would like to be back in Charlottesville now if she could.”

  “Doesn’t like pulling diaper duty, huh?”

  “No. It’s not that. It’s that Kyzer dude. He’s blowing her phone up big time these days.”

  Oh, really?

  “Sounds like love,” I said, almost wanting to choke on the words.

  “Or lust,” he replied with a laugh. “Christ, you remember what it was like to be twenty years old and…unattached?”