Double Tap

by Lani Lynn Vale

  “What was he saying about some kingpin?” I asked with worry.

  “A kingpin is a man that is the head of an organization. That was what, in essence, Andre, was. He won’t be doing much of that anymore, either, since he was found dead in his cell about an hour ago,” Nico admitted.

  I gasped. “What? He looked fine when he was pointing that gun at us.”

  I’d been scared to death, but then my brother had come in there and knocked that guy to the ground with his surprise entrance, and all my fears had evaporated.

  Even though I was still miffed at Darby, he just saved us a lot of heartache by walking through that door.

  “What’d you think about Darby’s new look?” I asked, wrapping my arms around Nico’s neck and leaning down to give him a deep kiss.

  When I let him up for air, he let his hands trail to my bottom and pulled me closer into his more than obvious erection. “He looked good. College agrees with him.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “How did you know he’s in college?”

  He smiled a cryptic smile. “Darby only needed a small push.”

  I disentangled myself from his arms. “Oh really? And what kind of push did you give him?”

  “Only a little tough love,” he said evasively.

  I shook my head. “You were the one who beat the shit out of him, rented him an apartment, and got him enrolled, weren’t you?”

  He shrugged. “He understood where I was coming from…eventually.”

  I would’ve replied, but the wailing of babies coming down the hallway towards our room stopped my next comment.

  Nico let me go so fast I felt my head spin, turning and grabbing the door open as he heard the cries of his children.

  I shook my head. If this was anything to go by, he was going to be crazily devoted to these kids. And spoiling them, I’m sure.

  The nurse pushed my two bellowing infants into the room with a laughing expression on her face. “These boys don’t like baths. At all.”

  I snorted. “We witnessed that earlier when they were washing the goo off them.”

  “Now, I put them in the outfits you sent with them, but they’re a little big. They were so cute, though, that I left them on anyway. Now they’ve been checked, poked, and prodded. I’m sure it’s time to eat. Can I get you anything else while I’m in here?” She asked nicely.

  I shook my head, and Nico’s solid, “No,” was enough to send her from the room.

  “Thank you!” I called to her back.

  She tossed a smile over her shoulder and waved before closing the door all the way.

  Nico wasted no time in lifting the babies from their prospective baskets and sitting down in the chair beside the bed.

  They stopped crying nearly instantly.

  Their eyes were open, and they were looking up at Nico with blinking eyes.

  “Their eyes are going to be brown,” I observed as I took a seat on the bed.

  I crossed my legs underneath of me, ignoring the pain that I felt between my legs, and stared at my three guys.

  “Sorry, baby love. The Pena genes are dominant, as they should be,” he winked.

  I shook my head and laughed. “You’re deplorable.”

  He shrugged. “You wouldn’t have me any other way.”

  I nodded my head in agreement. “No, I wouldn’t.”

  ***

  Four hours later the horde started to arrive.

  First it started with Michael.

  He came bearing gifts, too.

  “Oh, man. Those are the cutest fuckin’ shirts I’ve ever seen.” Michael laughed as he picked our firstborn son, Boothe Eden Pena, up from Nico’s arms.

  I grinned.

  “It called to me the moment I saw it,” I admitted.

  The shirt was sweet, and the instant I saw it online, I ordered two.

  Some heroes wear capes, mine wears Kevlar.

  “It’s cute,” Michael confessed.

  “Of course they’re cute. They’re my nephews,” Nikki said as she breezed in.

  Michael narrowed his eyes at Nikki, and that had some sort of silent standoff that Nico and I both watched with avid attention.

  “You know, you should really support his head with your arm. You don’t look very comfortable,” Nikki said as she saw Michael holding Boothe.

  She immediately walked to Nico who was holding Bourne Foss Pena, and gently lifted him into her arms.

  Nico gave Bourne up grudgingly, but you could tell that he was happy that his sister was just as in love with his kids as he was.

  I smiled at Nico and turned my attention back to Michael. “Michael, do you want kids?”

  He looked startled and glanced at Nikki before quickly turning back to the little bundle in his arms. “Of course I want kids.”

  “You do?” Nikki asked in surprise.

  Michael leveled a look at her, one that I couldn’t quite interpret, but I knew it was significant. “Yes. I want kids.”

  Thinking now would be a good time to go get a shower I asked the two, “Would y’all mind watching the kids while I get Nico to help me take a shower?”

  I didn’t really need his help, but I sensed the tension building in the room, and I knew it wouldn’t help to have Michael’s friend and teammate, as well as Nikki’s big brother, in the room witnessing the debacle.

  Nico, realizing this as well, quickly got up and headed to the bathroom with me.

  I stripped the nursing bra and my yoga pants off, all the while Nico watched.

  His eyes went hot for a moment before he managed to control it, and turned the shower on for me before saying, “What do you think that was about?”

  I shrugged, which made my enormous boobs lift. “I have no clue. But if I had to guess, I’d bet Nikki has a relationship of sorts with him.”

  Nico’s eyes which had been on my breasts moved up to my eyes. “No shit? I didn’t sense that.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, and I’d say they have been for a while. I’d noticed something different about her since you left, but I attributed it to being because of your…” I hesitated. “…death.”

  I hated saying that. It made me feel hollow inside remembering how that felt. Something I never wanted to feel again for the rest of my life.

  He pulled me into his arms and rubbed the side of my head with his beard.

  Something I thought was extremely sexy on him now that he had it longer.

  “I’ll never leave you again. Not willingly, anyway,” he rasped. “These past months have really fucked me up. I went eight years without you, and then eight months after I tasted what it was like to have heaven. I couldn’t do it. And I won’t. Not ever again,” he promised.

  So I took a shower, and Nico washed my back, all the while we were oblivious to the tension in the room beyond.

  A tension between two of the most important people in our life. One that was nearly close to exploding.

  Epilogue

  Don’t try to explain yourself to stupid people. You’re not the jackass whisperer.

  -Coffee Cup

  Nico

  4 years later

  I walked into the restaurant, scanning the area with the trained, seasoned eye of a cop.

  We’d gotten a call into dispatch moments earlier about a drunk and disorderly.

  That wasn’t explaining why my heart was pounding. I was sweating like a pig.

  That was all because of the fact that my wife and children were in the very same restaurant. The same wife who’d also been the one to call in the altercation.

  Normally, I wouldn’t have responded to this. Not since I’d somehow got suckered into staying on the South side of the city.

  The place where crime was lighter.

  I had a feeling that my wife had something to do with that.

  Her and the chief had gotten close over the last four years.

  Most especially when the chief and his wife adopted baby A
ngel, adding her into their family.

  They became good friends and, inevitably, Georgia had some sway in where the chief chose to have me working.

  Not that I thought Georgia actually asked for it, but the chief gave it nonetheless.

  I spotted them the moment I entered the door, but I didn’t spare them a second glance.

  I could hear my kids saying ‘daddy, daddy!’ but I ignored it, even though it hurt to do so.

  I didn’t really want the criminals knowing I had a family.

  Not that I wasn’t proud as hell of them, but I didn’t want anyone to use them against me.

  And they would, if given half a chance.

  So I walked straight in and went to the drunk man.

  I knew who he was immediately.

  He was the one cornering his wife against the large fish tank in the middle of the room with a large salt shaker swinging in front of her face.

  Calmly, I walked up and grasped the threatening salt shaker, pulling it backward until the man turned around with a snarl.

  A snarl that quickly fell from the man’s lips.

  “Sir, would you mind stepping outside with me?” I asked sedately.

  The man nodded and turned one last glare on his significant other at the fish tank before he started stomping out.

  He didn’t spare any of the other patrons a look, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Georgia relax minutely and go back to feeding our kids lunch.

  I nodded at the hostess who looked quite freaked, and she gave me a shaky smile and a wave before I passed her, staying close to the man’s back in case he decided to run.

  He didn’t.

  Mostly because as soon as we got outside and no one could see, he dropped to his knees and started to cry.

  I blinked in surprise.

  I mean the guy was nearly six foot five and probably pushing three fifty. There were many things I expected him to do, but dropping down to his knees and crying wasn’t one of them.

  “I’m sorry,” he whimpered. “My wife just told me she was leaving me. For a woman.”

  Words couldn’t explain.

  A thousand thoughts flitted through my brain, and not one of them were appropriate to say in this instance.

  The main one, though, was that the man was older and overweight. The girl, from what little I’d seen of her, was very beautiful and young. As in, just graduated from high school yesterday young.

  “Um, well sir, I’m going to have to put you in the back of my car so I can see if the woman wants to press charges. This isn’t the best place to be having any conversations about important things like this,” I managed to say without laughing.

  The voice of a woman had me turning slightly.

  Keeping the man in my view, I looked at the woman as she said, “I don’t want to press charges. I didn’t even want to tell him.”

  I blinked and shook my head. “Y’all go home. Next time pick a better place.”

  They both went to a Harley Davidson Motorcycle, the girl driving, and sped off.

  All the while I watched as the man hugged himself around the woman tightly as the woman grimaced.

  What. The. Fuck?

  My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out as I started into the parking lot.

  Georgia: I love it when I get to hear you use your cop voice.

  I looked up and spotted my wife through the window. I winked before getting into my car.

  Me: I can use it on you later. Wait up for me. Naked.

  I watched her throw her head back and laugh, making my heart a smidge lighter than it’d been before arriving on scene.

  Georgia: Sure. I’ll see what I can do. Will you be home on time?

  Me: Yep. I’ll be home early.

  I pulled into traffic but immediately flipped my light on when I saw a man in a faded black Oldsmobile take a drink from a beer directly in front of me.

  Mother. Fucker.

  Georgia: I’ll believe that when I see it.

  ***

  It didn’t happen. In fact, I was late.

  There’d been a midget wrestling contest going on at the rodeo grounds, and needless to say, it got out of hand.

  I arrived home to my plate in the fridge covered in plastic wrap. My beer that I’d told Georgia to put in the freezer for me exploded, and nobody awake.

  These were the days that I hated the most.

  It was the boys’ birthday and I’d missed the entire thing.

  Sure, they knew that I wasn’t able to be there for some holidays and birthdays, but it didn’t help my guilt any knowing I’d missed them opening their presents.

  Again.

  I ate my dinner cold, and left the half empty beer on the table. I’d clean it up tomorrow.

  I checked the house, double checking the locks, and then walked into my room.

  I undressed in the bathroom and left my gun up high on a shelf where I always stored it as soon as I got home. Then went into the bedroom.

  I slid in bed beside my wife, thinking for sure I’d be falling to sleep the instant my head hit the pillow.

  I was, of fucking course, wrong.

  Firstly, because my side of the bed was inhabited by a hundred and fifty seven pound Saint Bernard named Hamburger.

  The big bastard always took my side of the bed when I wasn’t home if Georgia was already asleep.

  The second reason I wouldn’t be falling to sleep as fast as I’d like was because I felt what distinctly felt like a foot on the other side of the massive dog. One that most definitely was not one of Georgia’s since I’d seen her head on the pillow when I’d walked in the room.

  And she sure as fuck wasn’t that flexible, ‘cause I’d sure as hell know that about her by now with as much as we’d fucked over the last four years.

  A loud snore from Hamburger had me laughing silently as I took a hold of his collar and moved him slowly to the floor.

  He grumbled, but didn’t waste much time collapsing on the floor with a large ‘harrumph’ and a soft groan.

  I just shook my head and moved our youngest child, Bell, over.

  I knew instantly why she was in bed with us.

  She was burning up.

  My eyes moved over to Georgia and I called her name softly. “Mi amor, when was the last time she had Tylenol?”

  Georgia’s eyes blinked open, and she smiled tiredly at me. “About twenty minutes ago.”

  I nodded and tried to concentrate, but a crime show was on the television.

  Bell had to have light, and we didn’t have a nightlight, so we used the TV when we needed to.

  It was annoying as fuck as I watched CSI and solved the murder within the first five minutes of watching it. Then continued to watch it until it was over. I also hated watching it and seeing everything they did wrong.

  Seriously, would it hurt the show’s producers to do a little research before they go around rewriting the law to suit their needs?

  “Go to sleep,” Georgia whispered quietly.

  I smiled and rolled over, looking at my baby girl.

  Her cheeks were pink from the fever, and she was naked except for a diaper. The tail end of her favorite blanket made by my mother poking out from between her clenched fists.

  My eyes moved up to Georgia’s face, seeing the similarities between two of the most important women in my life. God they were beautiful.

  I was so fuckin’ lucky.

  “Nico?” Georgia asked softly.

  I looked from my daughter’s curly mass of black hair to my wife. The love of my life. The mother of my children.

  “Yeah, baby love?” I asked.

  “Does this mean we can’t go back there to eat anymore?” She yawned.

  I snorted. “Unfortunately. I went back later in the night and arrested the cook for selling pot to a bus boy and a couple of waitresses. Took nearly half their staff. They’re not really happy with me, to be honest.”

&n
bsp; She just shook her head. She was used to it. We had a string of restaurants we couldn’t go to, because I arrested someone there, or we just plain didn’t like it.

  I no longer surprised her with my stories anymore.

  She’d heard it all and then some.

  The woman was a miracle. My miracle.

  “Night, Nico. Go to sleep. You’re on duty tomorrow,” she whispered.

  I wanted to argue, but I knew it was my turn to get up with the kids. She only got to pull that card once a week, so I’d give her that play.

  My eyes were closed for less than an instant when they shot right back open.

  Bell chose that moment to wake up and start wailing the most pitiful little wail I’d ever heard from her. She was daddy’s little girl, and if given a choice, would always choose me over her mother. That’s why, when her little eyes opened, she came to me and not her momma.

  The boys were momma’s, though. It was nice to have a child that actually wanted me over Georgia.

  Bell was nine months old, going on fourteen.

  She was the biggest little diva I’d ever seen, and one of the cutest as well.

  But she was our sickly baby.

  Being our third and youngest, she got away with things the boys couldn’t. For instance, whereas the boys had to eat what we were eating, I’d give Bell whatever she wanted if she only asked. Not that she did. Unless it was for Georgia’s boob, which she did ask for on occasion still.

  The only reason Georgia was still breastfeeding was because it was what was best for Bell. Georgia and I would do anything to make Bell’s immune system better.

  In the past six months, Bell had been hospitalized with pneumonia twice, had been on antibiotics for four of the last six months, and had two surgeries. One to place tubes in both ears, and one to have her tonsils removed.

  Needless to say, she definitely earned the right to be babied.

  I picked my baby girl up and she curled her chubby little arms around my neck and wiped her snotty nose on my collarbone.

  I didn’t get grossed out by this type of thing anymore. Three kids had given me immunity to the grossest of things.

  The same couldn’t have been said when we’d brought the boys home.