by Vaughn, Ann
"With pleasure," Tessa replied handing the phone over to Lainey.
"- can't just wander off without letting me know," Mike was saying as Lainey brought the phone to her ear.
"I didn't wander off like a wayward child, Commander," she snapped.
"Lainey, don't start with me. I walked into the ballroom and you were gone."
"And if I hadn't walked off with Tessa, I would have texted you to let you know where I was going. Relax, I'm not a complete idiot."
"I never said you were, cara."
"Then stop yelling at Tessa like it's her fault. If you want to yell at someone, yell at Colt. He's your tech man. He should make sure Tessa has a working mic."
She actually heard him chuckle. "Point taken. Give the phone back to Tessa."
"Fine, but you just chill out, you hear me?"
"Loud and clear."
She gave the phone back to Tessa, who was watching her with a bit of an awestruck look on her face.
"Yeah, sure. No problem," Tessa ended the call and then gave Lainey an assessing look.
"What?" Lainey asked, a little paranoid.
Tessa smiled. "You are exactly the kind of person he needed. You aren't in awe of him at all, are you?"
"Well, that depends," Lainey said, following Tessa into the security room, "I'm in awe of his accomplishments and his perseverance; in his ability to overcome what was done to him. But just of him in general? I am, but not to the extent that others are."
Tessa laughed. "Oh, poor Mike. I bet he doesn't know quite what to do with you. Someone who isn't falling at his feet with just a glance."
"Wait, what?" Lainey asked, shocked.
"Oh, don't worry, he never acted on any of them...but, well, look at the man! We'd all go out and women would flock to him. He could have had any number of women over the years with just a glance and a crook of his finger. Watch him tonight. This is his hometown, or one of them anyway. There will be women watching his every move. He'll ignore them all, as is his usual but that won't stop them. He's the last single Casiano. The society cats will have their claws out."
"Well, that is true enough, but I'm not sure their reaction to him will be quite what you think."
"You don't think so?"
"Oh, they'll still watch him like a hawk...but I know most of these women. Mike scares them. I've heard him being discussed numerous times over the years."
"I bet though, that they get over their fear because of who he is and his bank account," Tessa added.
"True."
"I'm curious to meet his brother Nick." Lainey did her best to repress a shudder but couldn't quite manage it. "Have you met him?"
"I've had that unfortunate privilege."
"Are they identical?"
"I believe they probably once were. Looking at Nick is seeing what Mike would have been had he not joined the Navy with Riley. Nick's hair is longer and of course, he doesn't have Mike's scars. He's also bigger than Mike right now. Not more muscular, just more filled out."
Tessa nodded. "Well, Mike isn't his normal size right now. Have you seen pictures of him from before his capture?"
"I saw one at Melissa's."
Tessa pulled her phone from her pocket and opened a picture file and handed it to her.
"Scroll through that folder. He was quite impressive. I'm a picture nut. I take pictures all the time. There are even a few in there where he's actually smiling."
"Can I send these to my phone?" Lainey asked after seeing just the first two.
"Absolutely. Just send the whole album. There are tons of him and Riley and the others."
They both glanced up when the door opened and Shane stepped in. Lainey smiled at him, seeing that he looked extremely nice in his suit. He leaned down and kissed Tessa and sat beside her.
"Hi, Lainey, how are you?" he asked, draping his arm on the back of Tessa's chair.
"I'm good. How are you? You look nice."
Tessa smiled, smoothing a hand over Shane's lapel. "He does clean up rather nicely, doesn't he?"
Shane chuckled. "I'm good, Lainey, and thank you. You look beautiful," he returned.
"Thanks."
"You're also in trouble," he told her.
Lainey shook her head. "I was with Tessa the whole time, we walked from the ballroom to here. Not my fault Colt gave her faulty equipment."
"Let me just add that to my list of things to blast him for," Shane said, making Tessa glare at him.
"You better learn to get along with him, my friend. I owe Colt a lot. And so do you."
Shane gave her a dark look, then shifted his gaze over to Lainey.
"Just be sure to let him know if you leave the ballroom next time. He was pretty upset when he couldn't find you."
Lainey sighed, trying not to get too upset. He was just looking out for her and she knew that, but it was hard to fight the irritation. Her phone began ringing, drawing her attention.
"Hey, Kace," she answered.
"I'm in the ballroom, where are you?"
"In the security room. Give me a few minutes and I'll be out there." She hung up and stood, surprised when Shane stood as well.
"I'll walk you back down there, keep you from riling him up again."
"Good idea. Tessa, see you later?"
"Absolutely."
Shane opened the door, held her back while he checked the hall, then allowed her to step out.
"Look, before we go back to the Ballroom," he began, "Mike is pissed, but it's because he was scared, so don't be too hard on him, OK? You should have seen his eyes when he saw you weren't in there."
"Do you believe I'm in any danger within these grounds?"
"Under normal circumstances, I'd say no...but this guy has already shown that he is good at staying hidden and he's a good shot with a scope. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't take any chances, either."
Lainey smiled, "Yes, but Tessa wouldn't need you to keep her under lock and key."
He tilted his head slightly. "No, but...I don't know. If someone were after her, I'd want to."
"She wouldn't let you, though, would she?"
He chuckled. "No. Wouldn't stop me from trying, though," he said, leading her back to the ballroom.
As soon as they stepped in, she saw Mike. His eyes flashed to her and she could see how upset he was. He started walking toward them and she took a deep breath and said a quick prayer to calm her temper. Shane was right; his anger was rooted in fear and she needed to remember that.
"There you are!" Kacee said, coming up to her from behind her.
Lainey tore her gaze from Mike and turned to embrace Kacee, who was stunning in a sleek black and gold gown. Shane greeted Mike and then headed back to be with Tessa. While she was embracing Kacee, she held Mike's gaze, not wanting him to think she was ignoring him.
"Girl, we look hot!!" Kacee giggled as she stepped back from her.
Lainey smiled at Kacee, but quickly looked back at Mike.
"Did you need me?" she asked.
"Briefly," he said, "excuse us a moment, Kacee?"
"Yeah, sure, don't mind me," she said, winking at Lainey as she walked away.
"Look, before you start," Lainey said, holding her hand up, but he cut her off.
"I know you were with Tessa and you thought you were fine...and normally, you would be. But Tessa is still weak whether she wants to admit it or not and if someone had tried anything she wouldn't have been able to protect you."
"She doesn't need all her strength to fire a gun, Commander. Don't sell her short."
"I'm not I...," he stopped himself from the pointless argument, "just don't go anywhere with anyone without letting me know, all right?"
"Fine...but this would be a lot easier if you were with me and not hovering behind me like Kevin Costner."
He offered her a small smirk then stepped away from her, gesturing for her to rejoin Kacee. Rolling her eyes, she went over to where Kacee was talking with a couple of her other brothers and sisters-in-law.
"Is the Sergea
nt Major giving you problems, Lainey?" Kacee's twin brother, Keith, asked.
"The Commander," Lainey corrected, "and he's just being a typical man."
"Why isn't he escorting you?" Kacee's brother, Chris, asked.
"I told you why," Kacee said, "he's working."
"That's just an excuse," Keith countered.
Lainey sighed. "You aren't helping, guys."
Chris shook his head, looking past her to where Mike stood along the perimeter of the room.
"Mike was always a little...off, I guess. Quiet."
"Calculating," Keith added.
"He wasn't always," Brent Chandler, Chris' best friend and Mike's cousin said. "He had a rough stretch right there at the end of college and when he joined the Navy and that blow-up with his dad when he became a SEAL was really bad. He just shut down after that."
"Yeah, but he was always intense," Keith said.
Lainey glanced over her shoulder to Mike, who met her gaze briefly before continuing to scan the room. He was all the things the Adtkissons were saying about him: reserved, off, intense. But he was also so much more than that, too. He was compassionate and giving, and so noble, so...
"Hey, beautiful," Kevin said, coming up beside Lainey, kissing her cheek, "you are absolutely stunning tonight."
She smiled up at him, but took a small step back from him to put a little distance between them.
"Thank you."
"Ready to head to the table? You're sitting with me."
She shot a nervous glance toward Mike. "Kevin, I -"
"Relax, babe, it's just a seat at a table."
"I know, but Mike -,"
"Will have his eyes on you the whole time. Come on," he said, offering her his arm.
Lainey sighed and said a silent prayer that Mike wouldn't come unglued as she placed her hand on Kevin's arm and allowed him to lead her to their table, the rest of the Adtkissons following them. She sat with Kevin on her left and Kacee on her right, acutely aware of Mike standing along the wall behind her. Across the room on the opposite wall, she met Riley's gaze who gave her a pointed, disapproving look. She could just imagine the look on Mike's face behind her; imagine the ice that had settled into his eyes. It was almost as if she could feel his gaze on her, sending a shiver down her spine.
"Hey," Kevin said, turning her attention to him, "relax."
She looked up at him and he reached up to brush a lock of her hair away from her eyes.
"Kevin, please don't," she whispered, tensing.
"Are you scared of him?"
"No, but...just please don't provoke him."
"Maybe he needs to be provoked. It doesn't make sense that he isn't sitting here with you. If he wants you, he should come claim you."
"Kevin," she warned.
"OK, I'll back off, I'm sorry...but he isn't treating you right."
Overwhelmed, Lainey stood, dropping her napkin in her chair, not caring that all eyes had shifted to her. She met Gina Adtkisson's gaze and gave her a small nod.
"Excuse me," she said, then turned and walked away, ignoring Kevin who was calling her name. She saw Mike move to intercept her as she headed toward the restrooms and shook her head, "Not now, Commander," she said, holding her hand up to him. Of course she knew better than to think he would actually give her what she wanted and wasn't surprised when he captured her arm and pulled her into the shadows.
"What did he say to you?" he asked, voice low and soft.
"Nothing. Please, just..."
"Lainey," he warned but she shook her head.
"Please, Mike, just let me go into the restroom and collect my thoughts."
"Cara mia," he breathed, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.
"Let me go, Mike," she said, keeping her eyes averted so he wouldn't see she was on the verge of tears. He mumbled something low in Italian, kissed the side of her head once more then released her. Once inside the restroom, she took a deep, cleansing breath then sat on the settee that was in the restroom and covered her face with her hands. Why was this so hard on her? she wondered. She knew what to expect, knew that he had to work. Why was she letting this bother her? The answer, of course, was that it bothered her so much because she wanted him so much. She wanted Mike and no matter how petty or silly it was, she wanted him at her side so that all here could see them together.
After several deep breaths and a few moments of just being still and quiet, Lainey got up and walked out the door. She was looking around for Mike and not watching where she was going, until an arm reached out to steady her and she found herself looking up into the cool blue gaze of Nick Casiano.
Chapter Twenty-Six
"Wow, this must be my lucky day," Lainey mumbled, but offered a smile to him. "Hello, Nick."
"Miss Riley," he said, inclining his head to her, "I was hoping to run into you at some point tonight. Gia said that Mike didn't escort you."
"He's working."
Nick shook his head. "My brother forever misses the big picture on some things."
She tried to walk past him. "I really don't want to listen to you put him down, Nick, excuse me."
He grabbed her upper arm, not hard, but just to stop her.
"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." He glanced toward the dance floor when a waltz began to play. "Will you come dance with me? I'd like to talk to you."
"I don't think that would be a good idea," she hedged.
"I'm married and very much in love with my wife. I'm not a threat to Mike and I mean no ill will toward you. I just...I'd like your help."
The plea in his tone was what caught her attention. Nodding, she shifted her arm so that she was holding his arm as he led her to the dance floor. She looked up at him briefly, but the pang she felt at looking into the face that was so similar to Mike's had her shifting her gaze away; it hurt too much to see Mike's face but not be dancing with him. She caught sight of Riley and Colt but she couldn't see Mike.
"Lainey," he said, drawing her attention.
She reluctantly raised her gaze to meet his but couldn't stop the wince seeing him caused.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"I know you must think all kinds of bad things about me...Carolina and I -"
She shook her head. "I know that she and Mike hadn't been dating for very long, and I know he didn't love her. It may not have ever even been a big deal to him had all of you supported his decision to join the Navy, which he'd made before Carolina fell for you; he just hadn't announced it to all of you yet. I don't know what your family dynamic is. I know that Mike never really felt comfortable within his own family; that's why he and Riley hit it off so well...Riley and his family filled a need Mike had. They supported him. All of you belittled him because he didn't want to become an attorney."
"I didn't. I told him I understood."
"It must have fallen short after the sting of losing his girlfriend to his twin," she said dryly.
He inclined his head. "Touché."
"Look, I'm not saying he isn't without fault in all of this. He's extremely stubborn. He probably just threw those walls up around himself and shut down and shut all of you out rather than deal with it."
"He did. After the blow up with our dad."
"What was that all about, really?"
She watched the muscle in his jaw tick the same way Mike's did when he was irritated.
"Dad grew up in the old country. His family is very traditional. Even though we are twins, Mike is acknowledged as the first-born son, the Proverbial Heir, so to speak. Dad wanted him to join the firm. He demanded that Mike join. Mike flat out refused. He wasn't dumb, he'd already joined the Navy before he told all of us so that there was nothing Dad could do about it. We all assumed Mike would go in as a JAG lawyer, and I think that was Mike's intention, until the SEAL thing popped up. He did come home and discuss that with Mom and Dad before he signed up for BUDS training. It was bad. Made the argument about him joining the Navy in the first place look like nothing."
Lainey nod
ded. "Your parents were terrified then. Before, they felt secure because he was going in as an officer and would be a Naval lawyer. Joining the SEALs, however, would put their son in harm's way."
"My mother cried for days. They were proud, don't get me wrong. But they were scared, too...and with good reason. Look what happened to him."
Lainey closed her eyes a moment, took a deep breath, then met his gaze again.
"Yes, look what happened to him. He successfully led his team through eight years of missions without losing a single man until that final mission. When that one man was lost, Mike made sure that his wife had a body to bury and that his other hurt man was extracted and got the help he needed. He suffered through horrors that no one should have to endure out of love for his men. He fully expected to die that day, for his men...and then came home to a family that was barely civil to him. Forgive me if I don't have a lot of sympathy for your side of things."
Nick didn't speak for a few beats as they danced. She scanned for Mike but still didn't see him; seeing Riley and Colt still but not Mike, which had her worried.
"I know we have a lot to make up for. Mike shut us out. He shut me out, and that hurt. He's closer to Riley than he is to me, his own twin."
"His own twin married his girlfriend. How close do you expect him to be to you?" she replied.
Nick sighed as the song ended and Lainey stepped back from him.
"I can see we still have a long way to go to bridge that gap. I just want a relationship with my brother again. I miss him."
"Mike has a long way to go with his own healing before he can even think of working on his relationship with all of you. I'm sorry, Nick, but that's just the way it has to be. He has a lot of other demons to conquer first. Excuse me," she said, turning away from him and heading back to her table.
Mike saw his brother stop Lainey and lead her to the dance floor. He stepped back into the shadows, seeing that Lainey was searching for him as Nick led her in the waltz. He wasn't sure how he felt, seeing the woman that had captured his heart in the arms of his twin. He knew that there was nothing to worry about; it was just a bit surreal to see them together.
"Hey, Boss, need you in the foyer," Colt said, drawing his attention.
"Coming. Riley, you got her."
