Alex chuckled. “Funny thing. Ms. Bradford is Reginald Richards’ aunt. She took very meticulous care of her nephew’s business. FBI’s got names, addresses, even pictures of a few couples involved in the scandal. She kept track of the children who got sick or died, and how they disposed of bodies. Made our job a lot easier, but it sure surprised the hell out of Richards.”
Mei shivered, and Zack automatically kissed her forehead. Her hand on his chest felt warm and good. Baby Song watched with big wide eyes. She hadn’t made a peep yet.
“Do you remember me, little girl?” Zack asked. Of course she didn’t, but he had to ask. “What happens now, Boss?”
Alex had a funny light in his eye as his gaze shifted from Mei to Song and back to Zack again. “The Office of Family Reunification is all over it. They’ve already made contact with several Chinese families and are bringing them Stateside to be reunited with their daughters. It’s national news. I’m proud of you.”
“How many girls were recovered?”
“Over three hundred at the last count.”
Zack leaned back into his pillow. Praise from Alex meant a lot, but the thought of all those little girls caught up in the ugly business was more than he could stomach. Baby Song chose that moment to reach her fingers to his nose, watching him closely while she cranked it one way and then the other. Mei made an unusual noise that sounded a lot like a giggle.
“Hey, you,” Zack murmured as Song continued her exploration of his face. She patted his cheek with the softest angel touch that melted some of his heartache away. “It’s very nice to meet you, Baby Song.”
“Ah, for hell sakes.” Alex stood, scrubbed a hand over his head, shaking his emotions off his face. “I’m going back to work.” He turned to Mei. “I hope you know nothing’s changed. We’re still looking for your daughter.”
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“No, Mei. Thank you. You saved our guy’s life.” He paused, one foot out the door and one foot in. “Almost forgot. You had company at your apartment last night, Zack. The Tigers tore it apart.”
“They what? Was Jake there?” Zack startled.
“No one was there, but it’s a crime scene right now. You can’t go home until the police release it. Then it needs to be repaired.”
“What’d they do to it? How’d they—?” Zack automatically thumped his hip for his wallet, keys, and cell phone, which of course were not there. “They took my wallet. They’ve got my ID—”
“Relax. We recovered it. Mother’s holding it for you.”
“Why’d they do that?”
“According to all their BS graffiti, they want you to stop messing with their boss.”
“I’m not messing with their boss.”
Alex cocked a quizzical eyebrow. “Yeah, you are. Richards, Debargio, Espinosa, the Tigers–they’re all in this together.”
Things were starting to line up in Zack’s head. “We can link Tony Brown to Carducci. We can link the Tigers back to Debargio and Espinoza. Want to bet Carducci knows Debargio?”
“I’ll do you one better.” Alex was back inside the room. “I just finished the Senate Investigation. Remember that?”
Zack gulped. Oh, yeah. That. It’s a wonder he still had a job.
“Of all the senators on the committee, who do you think voted to sanction me and my business?”
The way Alex’s eyebrow spiked told Zack this was a tasty bit of inside info. “You tell me.”
“Does the name Stephen Lord ring any bells?”
“Whoa. The big mouth from New York?” Zack knew Senator Lord by default, and not in a good way. He was a well-educated Yale man from a family of old money. He’d grown up in privileged Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, but moved to New York after he lost the bid for governor in his home state. Known for his hard stance against the military, he’d been trounced in the election.
Alex nodded. “One guess who he plays poker with every Tuesday night.”
“Carducci?” Zack tried that on for size. “Man, we’ve sure got a lot of players in the game.”
“We do. Which means you and Miss Xing will be under lock and key until it’s finished. Todd and Ember are outside. Right now they’re contending with a pesky reporter, but they’ll escort Mei and the baby back to the safe house. You’ll stay there when you’re released. Sound good?”
“Sure.” What else could Zack say? Recuperating with Mei and Song nearby sounded like a damned good idea. He looked at her to judge her acceptance of the new plan. “You okay with that?”
She wouldn’t meet his eyes when she answered. “Of course.”
Mei was blowing his socks off, as if he’d had any on. The whole experience they’d just lived through had changed everything. Here she lay, contentedly in his arms discussing his moving in with her. Sure, they were in a hospital bed, and he was feeling fairly harmless, but still. Two days ago, she’d have lanced him with one sharp barb and tossed him out with the trash.
“I’ve got work to do,” Alex muttered. “Do what your doctor tells you for a change, Zack. Can you handle that?”
He caught the sarcasm. “I’ll try.”
“Try hard.” Alex shut the door and left.
The silence in the room stretched. Something crazy was happening. Zack couldn’t lose it, but he didn’t want to move too fast, either. Still...he needed help with Song and a woman’s help would be better. Hers would be best.
“Tell me about Song Chang.” He changed the subject. “Does she have parents? Do we, ah, I mean do I get to keep her?” If Mei noticed his poor choice of words, she didn’t let on.
“No. Song Chang doesn’t have any parents. She’s out of an orphanage like Chai Yenn. Claire was thrilled that we, umm, you are able to take her.” Mei was having as hard a time as he was keeping them separate in her mind. Good to know.
“Claire knows about all this?”
“Oh yes. She’s in the middle of placing hundreds of little girls in legal foster homes right now. I think she wants to adopt you herself. She’s so proud of everything you did.”
“We, Mei. Everything we did. Going back to get Song was your idea.”
With all their talking, she’d moved into the very personal zone under his chin. His weary heart stuttered for a better reason than death this time. The crazy day on the sidewalk flashed back to his mind, the first time he’d kissed her. She’d surprised him. Hell, she’d almost knocked him over with the intensity of her kiss, not something he was likely to forget. Here she was again. Fragile and strong. Mean and gentle. So close, and yet so far.
He tilted his head down, just in case she needed reassurance, or whatever it was she’d needed that day. He still wasn’t sure. “Would it be okay if I—?”
“Yes.” She covered his mouth with hers, her fingers on the side of his jaw, pulling him close and ending his question. Ah, the kiss hurt like crazy, but he wanted more. The sweetest tongue traced over his stitched lips, blessing him, tasting him, and he returned the favor.
She eased back, her hands cupping his cheeks. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
His turn. Using his arm for leverage behind her head, he forced her face back to his and squashed her doubt away between their lips. Now was not the time for much physical interaction, but he wanted more of this luscious woman. Hunger for her roared over him, exhausting the very limited reserve of strength he had left. As he ended the contact, she snuggled against him and he was sure. There would be another time. But for now, Baby Song waited in the crook of his other arm like she didn’t know how to be a real baby, and another little girl was still missing.
“I’m sorry we didn’t find LiLi,” he whispered.
Mei placed a finger on his swollen lips. “Yet.”
TWENTY-TWO
Zack eased onto his feet. He’d only been in the hospital four days, but enough was enough. Time to check out and get back to normal again. His punctured lung caused a little more trouble than his concussion, but he was tough. A Marine didn’t admit to
pain, and he sure as hell didn’t waste time lying around in hospitals. He wasn’t going to start now. By the time he’d dressed, which was a joke with bandaged fingers, Mei arrived, and just in time.
“Good. You’re here. Could I ask you a favor?” he said, knowing the next question would push the limits of their relationship.
“Sure.” She came straight to him, her eyes soft with concern.
“Could I ask you to button my shirt?” That ought to give her a hint of what else he needed.
“Of course.” She reached for his collar, her fingers gently bumping his chin and neck while she fastened the first button. By then her eyes had drifted down to his jeans and the next dilemma. He could go without tucking his shirt into his pants, but they needed to be zipped.
He watched her, breathing the fragrance of cherry blossom and the very feminine essence that was Mei. All of her clothes were shabby, except for what Alex had procured for Amelia Burns. This woman needed a new wardrobe and a smile. Her fingers trembled and she had a cute way of biting her top lip, pulling the left side into her teeth only to pull it out and do it all over again. For some crazy reason, their close proximity unnerved her.
“I never thought I’d be asking you to button my shirt,” he whispered, reaching both arms around her to rest his bulky hands at her back. “Unbutton, maybe.”
Her breath hitched at his gentle innuendo. She glanced at his zipper. “I suppose you need help for...that, too.”
He had to pull her in close so she couldn’t see his smile. He couldn’t risk hurting her feelings, not as fragile as he knew she was. Any other day, he’d have ventured a salacious grin and an all out ‘hell yeah’, but not today and not with Mei. Not yet.
“I hated to ask.” He stifled the urge to take his feelings for her to the next level. “I won’t watch.”
The soft grunt from her throat told him she didn’t believe him, but he kept his word. Of course, he didn’t have to look to know what was happening when her fingertips grasped the zipper pull, her other hand on the snap, and his body on high alert. The zipper stuck. She tugged harder, pulling the fabric between zipper start to zipper finish taut and stiff. He clenched his sore fingers inside the gauze. Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea.
“It’s stuck,” she muttered, leaning down to–see?
He rested his hands on her shoulders, his stupid heart working on a drum roll at her innocent position. Any other time...
She gave the zipper a mighty tug and up it came, along with everything else down yonder.
“There,” she said as she met his eyes, her fingers still working on the troublesome button. “Got it.”
“Thanks.” He changed the subject as the button fastened. “Where’s Song?”
“She’s with her very first babysitter.”
“Let me guess.” He blew out a slow deep breath to clear what was left of his brain. “Bet that’s Kelsey.”
“Your boss is very persuasive. He and his wife have stopped a couple times to visit while you’ve been in the hospital. Todd and Ember set up LiLi’s old baby bed in my room at the safe house. Kelsey has a way with babies. Song almost smiled.”
“If anyone can get that little girl to smile, it will be Kelsey. She loves children.” Zack focused on Kelsey to keep his mind off Mei.
A hearty knock at the door interrupted them. “I hear there’s a grumpy-assed Marine in here. The nurses want him the hell out of their hospital,” Todd groused as he and Ember came into the room. “Oh hey, Zack. Are they talking about you?”
“Shut up, Ranger Rick,” Zack muttered, glad to see Mei had bodyguards with her, but thankful they hadn’t been immediately on her six.
That Todd and Ember showed up to help him was cool. That it looked like they were getting serious was an added bonus. Ember was the creative, free spirit in the office. A man never knew what color hair she’d show up in, what crazy getup, or what new tat or piercing might grace her voluptuous movie star persona.
Today she was blonde, her hair soft and natural for a change. Her body was definitely her canvas, and judging by the way Todd never took his eyes off her, he was into art. The crazy woman should’ve gone to Hollywood she was that gorgeous. It made Zack smile. Ember had always seemed a little lonely. She deserved a good man in her life. And Todd? For an ex-Army Ranger, he wasn’t so bad.
“Want me to grab a wheelchair for you, old guy?”
“No. I’ve got this.” Zack stood for a moment, testing the truth of his words. There is nothing like the threat of a wheelchair ride to motivate a man. “And what’s this ‘old guy’ crap? You’re what, five years younger than me?”
“In dog years,” Todd teased.
“Let’s move.” Zack put an end to the banter. He was tired already. After the latent sexual tension with Mei, the bed in the safe house was calling his name.
“Yes, let’s get you home,” she said.
Zack glanced down at the little lady’s hand resting on his forearm. Did she just say ‘home’? Judging by the shy smile on her mouth, she’d heard the slip, too. If it was one.
He made it all the way into the hall before the head nurse intercepted his plans.
“Where do you think you’re going?” she asked sternly.
“I’m outta here,” he answered, straightening to his full height, minus those few inches he needed to stoop just to keep breathing.
“Not like that you’re not.” She glowered.
“Yes, ma’am. I am,” he argued, knowing full well what she was getting at. Just then an orderly barreled down the hall with the damned contraption known as a wheelchair. Todd snickered.
“Sit,” the nurse commanded, her index finger pointed at the seat of the wheelchair. What was it that made her think she could take on a Marine?
“No, ma’am—”
“The wheelchair is not negotiable, Mr. Lennox.” Her pointy finger stabbed the plastic seat. Damn, she had the whole alpha dog thing down to a science. “Either I escort you to the curb, or you will not leave the hospital. Am I understood?”
There was no way around her. When her toe started tapping, he knew he’d met his match.
“Yes, ma’am,” he muttered, relinquishing his pride much to Todd’s delight.
“Shut it, Chandler,” Zack warned as the nurse adjusted the footrests and took her position behind the wheel.
Everything got worse. Todd had his cell phone out. “Smile!”
Not long ago she’d been buying formula for LiLi.
Now Mei was filling her cart with something a toddler would eat. Claire said Song would need formula to supplement her diet. They’d given her a thorough physical and found her underweight and malnourished. The child’s condition worried Mei, so she bought anything that would boost the baby’s weight. Claire had provided food stamps, special vitamins, and diapers. All Song needed now was love.
Ember and Todd were on the other side of the market, shopping for necessities like meat, potatoes, bread, and butter. Zack rested comfortably at the safe house with two other bodyguards until they returned. Alex certainly meant business when he said she’d be safe.
She paused at the wine aisle, looked at the blushing shades of zinfandels, merlots, sauvignons, and rosés. Once upon a time she might have lingered, but not today.
“Look.” Ember held up a bag of tangerines from the checkout line where she and Todd waited. “Do you think Song will eat these?”
“She might,” Mei said, scanning their full cart. These two knew how to shop. Packages covered with white butcher paper told her they’d bought plenty of meat, but she also noticed a bag of potatoes and lots of fresh vegetables, not to mention a box of glazed donuts, several bags of snacks, and a tub of red licorice. Her stomach growled at the sight of all the food. It had been a long time since she’d had junk food in her house, but it looked more like these two were ready for a party.
Ember and Todd chattered like a couple kids. These two were very touchy feely with each other. Ember’s hand was comfortable on Todd’s wa
ist like they knew each other well. Mei looked away, her feelings a slippery slope of past promises broken, the pain of her missing daughter, and one handsome man who’d stood by her. The question was–would Zack stay?
She’d seen his choice of women. Everything about the man oozed ego and sex appeal; from his muscular body, the confident way he walked, and even the car he drove. She couldn’t wrap her mind around the abuse he’d taken—for her and from her. His passionate response to holding a motherless child seemed to have awakened the dead part of her soul. She hadn’t seen that coming. The sight of the innocent baby in his big hands had jolted her universe. And yet....
LiLi is still missing. What on earth have I done?
She paid for her groceries while the bag boy filled two grocery bags with what she’d bought for Song.
“You ready?” Todd scooped her bags out of her arms and into his cart. “Come on, ladies. Time’s a-wasting.”
Ember circled her arm through his while they walked out the automatic doors together, her head on his shoulder and a definite glow in her eyes. With her blonde hair and his red, they made a charming couple. Their appeal was further enhanced by the fact they both had green eyes, hers more vivid, his calmer. Mei walked behind them, feeling like an old woman compared to their youthful enthusiasm. She caught the way his hand smoothed over Ember’s butt when he unlocked the tailgate of his Tundra. They had it bad for each other.
Todd made short work of stowing the groceries in his vehicle. Ember ran the shopping cart three parking stalls down to the cart return rack. In no time they were back at the safe house. He delivered the groceries to the kitchen while she and Ember put everything away.
“You want to see something cute?” Ember nodded toward the living room. There lay Todd on the floor with Song sitting square in the middle of his chest and a pink sock monkey in his hands. Each time he snuggled the monkey into her, making silly animal noises, she turned away.
“She never smiles,” Mei said quietly. “It’s like she doesn’t know how.”
“Poor little munchkin,” Ember said. “She hasn’t had anything to smile about until now.”
Zack (In the Company of Snipers Book 3) Page 18
