Always (Family Justice Book 1)

by Halliday, Suzanne

  “Damn right, she is. The woman was made for the role, and let me tell you something, Dad—there’s nothing in the world that compares to having a happy, fulfilled woman in the house.”

  “Or the bed,” Alex smirked.

  “Something you’re obviously discovering all on your own, I should add. Meghan looks great. A far cry from the wasted, wretched, unhappy woman we found in Boston. Good job,” Cam added with a jovial elbow nudge.

  “Hey, Boss,” Brody wisecracked when he ambled closer to him and Cam. “How’s it feel to be retired?”

  “Shit, Jensen,” Alex barked. “I am not retired! Just taking a step back is all.”

  The good-looking canine master sniggered at Alex’s reaction—not that he blamed him. Until Meghan had burst into his life, he’d been all about the agency, twenty-four seven. But now that he was settling down, things had changed. The agency was still important to him, but Cam had more or less hit the nail on the head when he mentioned how they’d found Meghan after invading Boston and worked diligently to bring her home where she belonged.

  Alex knew he’d done a number on her when he’d pushed her away, but seeing how she’d suffered during the weeks they’d been apart had been a slap upside the head for him. Never again would he be foolish enough to not put his woman’s needs before his own tired crap. She was his everything.

  When he’d made the decision to ask Calder to come to Arizona and handle the day-to-day agency stuff, it was the smartest thing he could have done. Freeing his time, he’d been able to focus on his fiancée and the life they were creating—even though he knew his actions had probably shaken up the troops under him.

  “You’re due to head out of here soon, aren’t you?” Alex asked.

  Brody took a slow pull on his beer and hesitated a good long time before he answered. What in the hell was that all about, Alex wondered.

  “Yeah. Probably the first week of December. I’d like to wait until the St. John baby arrives. But if I do, I’ll have to fly home instead of ride the bike, and I’m not sure that’s what I wanna do.”

  Alex nodded thoughtfully. “Cross-country trip clears the head, huh?”

  “Humph. Something like that.”

  Okay. Something was definitely up with the guy. “You do know we can have the bike shipped to you if that’s how things go down, right? You’re family, man,” Alex added with a hand on Brody’s shoulder. “I know Drae and Tori would like you to be here when the time comes.”

  “Not only that,” Cam added, “but Dylan will miss you, too. Don’t mind telling you that it comes as something of a surprise to discover that of all the guys around here, you were the one with mad baby skills.”

  Jensen laughed—a brief smile lighting up his face before a shadow obscured it. “Dogs, kids—pretty much the same thing.”

  Turning to face Alex, he murmured, “Um, Major—maybe if you have some time we could talk soon.”

  Alex knew his face registered surprise, so he quickly covered with a half shrug. He was picking up a strange vibe from the man that was curious to say the least. “Sure thing. Anytime, Brody. Just come on up to the house and I’ll make time, okay?”

  “Thanks, Boss. Uh, I see Gus getting that frantic look on his face. Better go figure out what crawled up his shorts.” Chuckling, he told Alex and Cam with a conspiratorial grin, “I do believe Carmen has the old fucker dancing to her tune these days.”

  The three of them bellowed some hearty laughs, smacked each other on the back then drifted apart—Alex in Meghan’s direction while Cam fake punched Ben in the gut and challenged him to a game of chess. Typical Justice Family banter.

  On his way to Meghan’s side, Betty motioned him to where she and Ria were sitting. He seriously loved the older woman who so deftly handled all the business affairs for the agency. Betty was a gift from heaven and Alex wasn’t sure what he’d do without her. She was part grandmother to them all, part paper pushing drill sergeant.

  Ria was scribbling something on a sheet of paper and grinning like a loon. Oh great. A list. Women and lists always meant a headache. She’d been working just part-time the last month after he, Cam, and Drae had given in and allowed her to hire full-time helpers in the cookhouse. With more and more groups using the agency compound for a training facility, it had gotten to be too much for her to handle feeding the army of folks, who were always on hand, by herself. She’d agreed, however, to keep on managing the cooking duties and kitchens for the Justice core group, but she’d had enough when it came to the crowds of others.

  “What’s up, ladies?” he asked, pulling out a chair and plopping down. “You’re up to something—I can tell.”

  “Of course, we are, big guy,” Betty chirped happily. “Two somethings as it happens!”

  Groaning and shaking his head, Alex pretended to be long suffering. “Okay. Give it to me one at a time.”

  Pushing the piece of paper at him, Ria pointed at what was most definitely a long list. “We want to have a bridal shower for Meghan and were wondering if you’d look over the plans we’ve already made. Carmen and Betty thought it’d be cute if we used a lottery theme considering that your fiancée made more money in one day than all you guys will make in a lifetime. It’ll be just ladies, of course, and we’re hoping to get Meghan’s mom and sister-in-law to come from Boston.”

  A bridal shower? Sounded good to him. Bitches like romance. He’d come to love that off-color expression. Wasn’t an over-the-top bridal shower part of that?

  Betty chimed in then. “We’ll wait till after the holidays so Tori has a chance to get back on her feet after the baby, but these things take time to plan so we’re getting started now. Any objections?”

  “Fuck, no!” he chuckled. “Plan away, ladies, and whatever is on this list is fine with me. Do whatever you have to. Betty, you’ve got full authorization to spend whatever you need. I take it this will be a surprise?”

  “We hope so and that’s where we need your help. I know it’s asking a lot but would it be possible to send the agency plane to Boston when the time comes? Will make getting her mom and sister-in-law here a lot easier. And if that’s okay, then we can ask Maggie O’Brien to bring along a couple of Meghan’s closest friends.”

  As usual, Betty had all the bases covered.

  “Instead of plane tickets, we’ll make mock lottery tickets for everyone. It’ll be awfully cute. I know you probably have no idea what we’re talking about, but at most bridal showers the ladies play games—we were thinking about having one of those big wheels you spin…” She chuckled and shook her head. “Your eyes are glazing over Major Marquez! Too much detail?”

  “Huh? What? Were you still talking?” he joked.

  “Okay, okay—I get the picture,” she smirked. “Do whatever we want, right?”

  “Exactly. And yes, of course, to the plane. Now, I think you said there were two things. What’s the other?”

  He watched while Ria and his intrepid office manager exchanged looks.

  “Tori was robbed,” Ria drawled with a scowl.

  “Excuse me?” he barked. “Robbed? What the fuck does that mean? This is a secure compound. I’ll murder anyone who…”

  “Ria!” Betty snapped. “Jesus. Remember who you’re talking to.” Shaking her head and glaring at Ria with a stern expression, she put her hand on his arm to calm him down. “Bad choice of words, Alex. Sorry. She didn’t mean ‘robbed’ in the usual sense. What we mean to say,” she quietly said, “is that Victoria never got any of the fuss and bother that Meghan will. No bridal shower—hell, she didn’t even have an actual wedding. So, yeah—in a sense she was robbed.”

  “Oh,” he growled suddenly remembering Stephanie’s jibe about her daughter’s lack of a wedding ring. Shit. They were right. He hadn’t seen it that way until just now. Meghan was planning a goddamn cathedral wedding with all the bells and whistles. Even sweet, unassuming Lacey had been fêted with a beautiful wedding celebration—something Tori would remember.

  In lieu
of the baby shower, since Lacey didn’t have any relatives, nor did Cam—the indulgent husband he had sent the ladies into Sedona for an all-expenses paid weekend at a spa. Only Meghan had missed out on the occasion since it occurred during the time she and Alex had been separated. Little Tori hadn’t had any of the usual fuss a bride or mommy-to-be enjoyed. Damn.

  “I’m listening,” he told them with a slight frown. Fuck, man. He hoped they had a good plan because he was suddenly feeling guilty as shit that his trusted assistant and wife of his brother had missed out on so much.

  Betty nodded, seemingly satisfied with his reaction. “Draegyn St. John is a horse’s ass,” she mumbled. “That little lady has had a helluva time being pregnant. He should be down on his knees every minute of the day thanking his lucky stars that Victoria is willing to put up with his clueless bullshit.”

  He couldn’t agree more, but his sense of absolute loyalty to the man being subjected to the harsh assessment of a pissed off brigade of women compelled Alex to support his friend and brother.

  “Now, now ladies. A horse’s ass he may be, but he fucking adores Tori. Just because Drae has zero experience when it comes to all this female shit doesn’t mean he’s a dick. Obviously, you think we need to do something, and I quite agree. It’s gotta be hard watching Meghan plan the wedding of the year during what’s been a tough time for Tori physically.”

  “Glad you’re on board,” Ria answered.

  “Always,” he quickly assured them. “So give me the four-one-one.”

  ALEX’S HEAD WAS SPINNING AFTER his conversation with Betty and Ria. Man. Those two were good. And Carmen, too. The plan the three had come up with was nothing short of perfect. Folding the sheet of paper they’d left him with and slipping it into the pocket of his slacks, he finished off the beer in front of him but didn’t immediately rise.

  Bridal shower for Meghan and a surprise party for Tori. Lots to take in. Two soft arms came at him from behind, sliding over his shoulders and quickly stroking his chest before crossing under his chin. Meghan. God, she smelled good. When she pressed her voluptuous tits into his back, he shuddered.

  “Everything okay?” she murmured close to his ear. “You look so serious, my love.”

  Alex reached for her hands where they rested on his chest. Fingering the beautiful pink and white engagement ring he’d given her, he was overcome with emotion at how damn blessed his life was. Yeah, everything was great.

  Tilting his head back into the pillow of her breasts, he smiled up into the eyes he planned to get lost in for the rest of his life.

  “I love you,” he told her. He very much liked the way she smiled at his simple declaration.

  “Come give kisses to your nephew,” she whispered as she pulled on his neck to make him stand.

  Goddamn but he loved this woman with all his being. She always knew what he needed. Rising, he wrapped an arm possessively around her waist and kissed her briefly on the lips. As they walked arm in arm over to where Lacey was holding court, he saw Cam watching his wife from the other side of the terrace. They were a lot alike it seemed, because the man rarely, if ever, took his eyes off his woman or infant son. Cam flashed him a surreptitious thumbs-up then went back to what he’d been doing.

  “Where’s that beautiful nephew of mine?” he gleefully boomed, drawing Dylan’s attention and a huge smile from his mama.

  Swooping in to grab the baby from Lacey’s grasp, he smooched the boy loudly on his bald head and cradled him to his chest while Meghan stood by and beamed.

  “That’s a good look for you, Alex,” he heard Tori drawl with a giggle.

  “Agreed,” Stephanie chimed in. “There’s nothing quite as appealing as seeing a big man cuddling a small baby.”

  “Yeah?” he replied. “Well, there’s plenty of room for another little one,” Alex joked while demonstrating his potential baby juggling skills. “Can’t wait for the next bundle of Justice joy, Mrs. St. John.”

  Dylan wiggled in his arms so Alex patted him gently on the back. The next thing he knew the tiny bundle of love on his shoulder let loose a tremendous burp that made everyone around them burst into laughter.

  “Ah, the strident call of a Justice male!” Lacey giggled. “Sounds just like his daddy.”

  With that, Cam swaggered into their midst and forced an impressive beer burp that made Alex, Meghan, Tori, and Stephanie all shake their heads in amused wonder.

  “Like father, like son!” Cam proclaimed, puffing up his chest as if he’d invented making babies all by himself.

  “Jesus fucking Christ, Cam,” Alex jeered. “I hope you only do that from the top end and not the other.”

  Lacey rolled her eyes at his profanity and muttered, “Seriously. You guys are a lost cause.”

  Cam chuckled and swept his son from Alex’s arms. “Actually, the farts are my wife’s specialty.”

  “Shit, Cameron,” Lacey shrieked. “Shut up!”

  “Language, Mommy,” he teased, earning him a sly smile and a deep blush from his wife.

  Leaning down for a juicy smooch that reverberated off the walled terrace, he laughed at her and said, “Gotcha!”

  Just at that happy moment, Alex saw Calder and Drae approaching from the kitchen doorway. They were in a deep conversation that looked pretty damn serious.

  Meghan saw them, too, and arched an eyebrow at him. “Better go see what that’s about.”

  Drae was standing with his arms crossed, his head lowered as if carefully considering whatever Calder was saying. It was a pose Alex knew well. It was Drae’s way. Clearly, he was analyzing something, and for some reason, a frisson of unease snaked along Alex’s spine.

  As he approached, he heard Calder say, “There’s no other way, St. John. They’re specifically asking for you, and it’s not like the agency can say no.”

  “Fuck,” Drae murmured, his mouth in a grim, taut line.

  “What’s going on, men?” Alex demanded. Calder and Drae both looked at him in the same moment. His brother’s face was tense and unhappy while his uncle’s face looked frustrated and not just a little annoyed.

  “We got a problem, man,” Calder told him. Yanking his phone from the pocket of his jeans, he tapped and scrolled for a minute then handed Alex a message to read. It took him all of ten seconds to realize that ‘problem’ didn’t quite cover what he found in the email.

  “Shit,” he muttered then looked pointedly at Drae. “This is serious.”

  “Yeah, no shit Sherlock,” Drae pithily replied. “Fuck my life, man.”

  Looking back to Calder, he asked, “The King himself contacted you?”

  Calder chuckled gruffly and quirked a crooked grin. “Yep. More than once. He’s a hard man to ignore. When I didn’t respond immediately to the initial inquiry from his office, he came at me in person. In a nutshell, he only trusts Justice to handle this and is specifically asking for Draegyn.”

  Drae muttered an unhappy “Goddammit,” while he glanced at Tori.

  Alex did a quick assessment of what was before him. “Okay. So let me get this straight. King Sharif of Dashur is asking that Justice, and by that I mean Drae, figure out why his son Majid, who was in the Unites States attending college, would have suddenly gone off the radar?”

  Drae muttered, “Fuck,” again only this time a bit louder which instantly earned him Tori’s undivided attention.

  “Why Drae?” Alex asked Calder.

  Before his uncle could say anything, Drae cut in, “Because Majid, that little fucker, has a bad case of hero worship where I’m concerned. I’ve done their security detail for the last two years each time any of the royal family is in the States. It was me who got stuck with escorting Majid around when he came to visit the colleges he was interested in. According to Sharif, he suddenly disappeared last week from his college dorm. They don’t think he’s been kidnapped because there have been no demands for ransom or so much as a whisper that the kid is M.I.A. Also, there may or may not be a girl involved. He wants me to locate him
. Thinks the kid will respond to me before he’d give in to his father’s security forces.”

  “You have to go, St. John. There isn’t any other way. If the kid is in real trouble, only someone with their shit together could find him. And if he’s just being a dick, well…”

  A worried-looking Tori appeared at their sides and placed a hand on her husband’s arm. “Tell me,” she murmured.

  Alex cleared his throat and got ready to intervene but Drae got there first.

  “I have to go to Chicago for a few days.”

  “No!” Tori cried vehemently. “Thanksgiving is coming. I need you here.”

  All kinds of Justice hell broke loose after that. It was as if a distress call went out and next thing you knew, everyone swarmed.

  Stephanie appeared in their midst and put an arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “Easy, shugah,” she murmured softly. “Come and sit back down. Draegyn, help me,” she snapped at her son-in-law as she tried to drag Tori to the table set for their dinner.

  “Your mom’s right, honey,” Drae asserted as he helped lead the pregnant waif to a seat. “Easy does it. Everything’s fine. Please don’t get upset.”

  Tori turned tearful eyes on Alex and whined, “What the fuck? Why him?” She wiped away a waterfall of tears that suddenly began streaming down her face. “Alex, please.”

  He heard Meghan mutter under her breath, “Do something.” Shit. What exactly was he supposed to do? Quickly moving to take the seat next to Tori, he grabbed one of her hands so she’d look only at him.

  “Shh, shh, shh. Take a deep breath, little mommy, and relax.” Tori nodded and tried to stop blubbering but wasn’t having much success.

  Stephanie, who looked like a fearsome and very pissed off mama bear, glared at all the men present and demanded an explanation. “Someone better explain what is going on.”

  With no hint of that genteel Southern twang evident in her tone, Alex knew she was damn unhappy and probably one click away from exploding. He noticed that she avoided looking in Calder’s direction. And for his uncle’s part, he had the distinct expression of a man who was dumbfounded by the pithy tone and fierce expression on the face of someone he’d decided was little more than fluff and stuff.