Coming In Hot (Jupiter Point Book 6)

by Jennifer Bernard

  "Not really." Aiden grinned. "Okay, I kind of do. But I still have some details to fill in."

  "You're still young. Plenty of time to get the details right."

  Aiden dipped a fry in their shared puddle of ketchup. "Yes, but I don't want to wait too long and end up like you. All alone in your doddering old age."

  "I'm thirty-one."

  "Exactly. What are you waiting for, T? Doesn't seeing Will and Merry together make you want to hook up with someone?"

  "I hook up. No worries about that."

  Aiden rolled his eyes. "That's not what I mean. I know half the women in Jupiter Point are after you, and the other half are after Ben. It's not about hooking up. I'm only a freshman in college and even I know that."

  "Then you're a very unusual college student."

  His brother's open, innocent face sobered. "We're all unusual, Tobias. Our father was murdered and our mother left us. Don't you think that screwed us up? I mean, each in our own way?"

  Tobias snagged the last fry and glanced around at the buzzing cafeteria. Aiden really knew how to cut to the heart of matters. Tobias might be the most physically fearsome, but Aiden was emotionally fearless.

  He could learn a thing or two from his little brother.

  "You're probably right about that," he said finally. "About the screwed-up part, not necessarily the woman part. And anyway, aren't I supposed to be lecturing you? How'd you go turning the tables like that?"

  Aiden made a face at him. "It's called college. Suck it."

  Gotta love that kid.

  Later, Tobias called Carolyn from his hotel room. A part of him longed to go to her house and talk to her in person. He could probably rustle up an excuse. How's that paint drying? Is Dragon still breathing?

  But a bigger part of him didn't want to take any chances with Aiden's feelings. His brother had such a big, caring heart. He wanted to protect it, not hurt it.

  "So listen," he said to Carolyn once he got her on the phone. "Before we go any further with this, you have to promise me that you won't say or do anything that might hurt Aiden."

  "Of course not. That's the whole point. Maybe this is a bad idea." The doubt in her voice echoed his own. "I just thought, since I have to meet with him anyway, maybe I can use the opportunity to change his perspective."

  "All right. Well, I'm trusting you here. Trusting you with my brother's heart."

  "Got it." Her serious tone reassured him. Carolyn was a kind, sensitive person, after all. She wasn't looking for a way to hurt one of her students. He knew that. "Before you fill me in, I should let you know that the FBI showed up at my office unannounced today. I gave them your number and they might call you."

  "Damn it. I really wanted to be there. What'd they have to say?"

  "Not much." She told him about the meeting, which made his teeth grind. They'd basically brushed her off.

  "If they don't pay a visit to that compound, you tell me where it is and I'll go myself." The offer came out before he even thought about it. But once it had, it seemed like the best idea he'd had in a while.

  She laughed. "We'll see. I wouldn't want to send you into the line of fire. That's the FBI's job."

  "The line of fire is my natural habitat," he told her. "The crunchier the better. That's when I do my best thinking, in the midst of chaos and bullets."

  "Then we're complete opposites. Give me peace and quiet and I'm purring like a cat."

  "Yeah, maybe, but there's a wildcat inside that cat. I've seen it in action."

  "Pffft. That was a special occasion. I'm not usually like that," she said primly, though he caught a hint of laughter under her scolding.

  "I guess it takes a special kind of person to bring it out, is that it?"

  "You're obviously gifted."

  Ten thousand naughty answers came to mind. He managed to keep them to himself only by thinking of Aiden and his feelings.

  CAROLYN MET TWICE a semester with each of her students to talk about their progress and answer any questions they might have. During her first meeting with Aiden, he hadn't said much. She'd assumed that he was simply a shy freshman who was taking her course to fulfill a liberal arts credit requirement. Now she wondered if he'd been tongue-tied, not bored.

  When he walked into her office, she surreptitiously looked for any resemblance to Tobias. Would her young student have any similarity to the big former soldier with the intense eyes?

  Yes, she saw with a quick scan. Their faces had a similar square-jawed shape, and they both had devastating smiles, with a groove that popped up in their left cheek. Aiden's smile came more easily, but Tobias’s was more lethal, maybe because it was more hard-won.

  Their differences were easier to identify. Tobias was more physically imposing, his sheer presence more compelling. Aiden had a lighter manner and a more open face. The biggest difference was that she felt no magnetic tug toward Tobias’s little brother.

  She smiled at him and gestured toward the chair where visitors sat. The same one Tobias had occupied during that infamous encounter during which she'd kicked his legs out from under him. Hiding the smile that memory inspired, she opened Aiden's folder.

  "So how are you enjoying your freshman year so far, Aiden?"

  "It's…yeah, it's good. I like it."

  Well…she drew in a deep breath. Might as well jump right into this performance.

  "Listen, do you mind if I take a tiny break before we start?" She pulled a pack of Marlboro Reds from her purse and knocked one into her hand. The damn pack had cost her nearly ten bucks, and she'd had to practice that movement. She'd never smoked a cigarette before.

  "Uh, sure." A look of surprised revulsion crossed his face as he locked onto the cigarette. "You should really think about quitting, you know."

  That might have been the longest sentence he'd ever spoken to her. "You're right, I should. I keep telling myself that. I've been praying every night about it too. If I can't find the strength on my own, maybe God can take on the burden for me."

  He blinked at her as she hurried out of the office. Smoking was forbidden inside the building, but there was a terrace outside where smokers could indulge. She dashed onto it, lit her cigarette, and waved it through the air around her body. Singh Dal, the grumpy chemistry professor, looked at her as if she was crazy. "How much does it take to smell like cigarette smoke?" she asked him.

  "You're going to set yourself on fire. Watch that thing."

  The smoldering top had nearly caught the sleeve of her jacket.

  Good. She could probably use that.

  The cigarette was burned about halfway through. She dropped it into the sand-filled urn for used butts and rushed back inside. As she passed the office next to hers, she popped her head inside and gave the five minutes signal to her friend Amanda, who taught French poetry. Once she'd gotten a thumb's up, she hurried to her own office.

  "Whew," she said as she plopped into her chair. "Sorry about that."

  Aiden coughed, forehead creased, then managed a smile. "No problem."

  "Well, of course it is a problem, but I'm putting it in the hands of a higher power. Now, let's talk about your last essay. You did an excellent job with your comparison between the Tuscan school and the Venetian school." As she rattled off her critique of his work, she noticed, with a quick glance under her lashes, that he was…holding his breath?

  Yes. The poor kid was not enjoying the aroma of Marlboros that had invaded her office. Neither was she, quite frankly. She'd have to invest in a case of air freshener after this.

  She glanced down at the sleeve of her jacket. "Oh my goodness. Yet another reason to quit."

  A bit of ash had burned a tiny hole in the fabric. She pulled off her jacket with an exasperated pout. Underneath it she wore a cap-sleeved shirt that left most of her upper arms bare.

  She angled her body so that Aiden had a perfect view of her right arm. He squinted at it. "Is that—"

  "Oh. My new guardian angel, yes. I acquired it just the other day. I'm ho
ping it will help with the quitting smoking, but so far, well…" She shrugged apologetically, making the fake tattoo on her upper arm twitch. It was a colorful, almost cartoonish rendition of an angel wearing a long blue robe, hands in prayer, looking soulfully heavenward. "I can't be praying all the time, you see. But with this on my arm, part of me always is."

  "Uh huh. That's uh…a good idea."

  She took note of his completely flummoxed expression. Not a single bit of googly-eyed adoration to be seen. "So. It looks like you're in good shape going into finals. Do you have any questions for me about the class, or about Renaissance art, or the perils of nicotine addiction?" She smiled innocently and set her forearms on the desk, so there was no way he could avoid the angel.

  "No." He shook his head and scooted his chair back a little. "I think I'm good."

  "Excellent." She took a surreptitious glance at her watch. Time for the coup de grace. She could already hear those toenails clicking… "Well, if that's it, then I guess I'll see you in—" She broke off. Dragon came trotting into the office. In her tiny space, he looked about the size of a small Clydesdale.

  "Oh my Goodness. What is wrong with people? Why do they think it's okay to bring their pets to work? Especially dogs. They're revolting. They leave hair everywhere, they slobber. Ugh, I'm so sorry." Dragon had done his usual routine and sniffed Aiden's leg, leaving a string of drool on his jeans.

  "That's okay, I like dogs."

  "Yes, well, no one likes a big hairy beast leaving slime all over them. It beats me why would anyone want a dog like this. Come on, you." She came around the desk and took a firm hold of Dragon's collar. Out of Aiden's direct line of sight, she gave Dragon a reassuring pat.

  She tugged the dog toward the door. He came willingly, trotting alongside her. Too bad Dragon wasn't much of an actor so he could pretend to resist. "I'm going to have a word with my colleague. This is completely inappropriate. Just imagine if you were allergic to dog hair! Or dog slobber. If you want to make an official complaint—"

  "No! Of course not. Dogs are great."

  Carolyn twisted her face into a dubious look. "If you say so. Call me unconvinced." Hiding a smile, she took Dragon back to Amanda's office and slipped him a dog treat.

  When she got back to her own office, Aiden was on his feet. He looked neither adoring nor heartbroken. "I have another class to get to, but thank you, Professor Moore."

  "Good to see you, Aiden. Keep up the good work."

  He practically ran out of the office. When he reached the hallway, she heard him haul in a long breath of air. Had her ridiculous act actually worked? Aiden didn't seem to be at all crushed by anything he'd witnessed. She was absolutely certain she hadn't broken his heart with her goofy angel tattoo and Marlboro Reds.

  If he was hurt, at least he was in the right place to seek comfort. There were probably hundreds of girls here at Evergreen who would be happy to heal his broken heart.

  11

  Later on, after the day's classes and meetings were over and she was relaxing on her couch, her toes snuggled under Dragon's warm stomach, she shot off a quick text to Tobias. Deed is done. Any fallout?

  Yep. He texted back right away. Aiden told me he really likes Evergreen and isn't sure if he should leave.

  That's great news! She added a few celebratory emojis. Does he seem upset? I didn't get that impression when he left.

  Nope. He seems just fine. Thoughtful. He told me that it takes time to really know someone. Said he'd gotten spoiled with his high school girlfriend because they've known each other so long.

  Well, that certainly seemed like a good lesson to walk away with. My work is done, then. Now to get the smoke out of my hair.

  He fired back quickly. I make a great shampoo boy. You might need help with the fake tattoo too.

  She laughed out loud, even though shivers ran up and down her spine at the thought of Tobias washing her hair with those big hands of his. Oh. My. Better deflect before she got weak and invited him over.

  Dragon gets most of the props. I really think that was the final blow, me complaining about the dog hair and the slobber. If he only knew how much time I spent wiping up drool.

  I guess now he'll never know.

  A strange sadness passed through her. Never. It seemed like such a final word. Aiden would never know that she actually loved dogs—because their association would be finished after this. She'd go back to teaching at Jupiter Point, Aiden would stay at Evergreen, and Tobias would have no reason to have anything to do with her anymore.

  I guess your mission is accomplished then? What's next, back to Jupiter Point?

  Yup, Ben's getting antsy. I need to get back to work. Next time you're in Jupiter Point, I'd love to take you up for a ride.

  That's a nice offer. But what about Aiden?

  What about him?

  Are you planning to tell him about it? Will I have to pretend to smoke if he's around?

  After a short pause, her phone rang. Texting only went so far, apparently. His deep voice caressed her nerve endings as soon as she answered. "I guess we didn't think this through."

  "It's okay. The most important thing is that Aiden's not leaving Evergreen. That was your goal, right?"

  "Yes. Originally."

  Again, shivers went up and down her spine. "Tobias—"

  "I know. I know what you're going to say. And you're right. I can't do that to Aiden. As much as it fucking kills me, I need to keep my distance. But I—" He hesitated, and she got the feeling he wasn't used to speaking so openly about his inner feelings. "I'm glad I met you. I hope we meet again."

  Her throat closed up. So this was goodbye. Of course it was. It had to be. "You never know," she managed. God, how silly. She'd just met the guy a couple days ago. How could he possibly have such a powerful effect on her? It didn't make sense. "Thanks for painting my door, and rescuing Dragon and everything else you've done."

  "Take care of yourself."

  "You too, Tobias. And that means you, not just your brothers. You deserve some taking-care-of too."

  An odd silence made her wonder if she'd gone too far. "What do you mean by that?"

  She drew in a long breath. If she wasn't going to see Tobias again, she might as well express the observation that had been running through her mind. "It's just an impression I've gotten, that you seem to put your brothers before anything else. Like Knight and Day. That was Ben's baby, right? You left the army to help him. Not that I don't respect that. I do, but what about you and your wishes and dreams?"

  A stiff silence followed that question. She wondered if he'd hung up, or was mouthing curse words at his phone. "I'm fine. If my brothers are fine, I'm good. That's all I wish for."

  Which seemed to prove her point, quite honestly. "Hey, forget I said anything. I'm probably way off base. I just met you, after all."

  "That's right. You don't know me. Or my brothers."

  She expelled a long breath. "Okay, then. I guess I'll…see you around. Goodbye, Tobias."

  And she hung up before things could get even more uncomfortable. Dragon lifted an eyelid and surveyed her with one weepy eye. "Well. So much for that, Dragon. I really know how to drive them away, don't I?"

  He closed his eye again and let loose a long, snuffly sigh.

  "You said it, boy."

  She hauled herself off the couch and went to run herself a bath. If anything called for bubbles, it was stale cigarette smoke, a fake tattoo, and the sense that she'd missed out on something spectacular.

  It was only later, when she'd finished her bath and was grading papers in bed, that she remembered to check her phone again.

  Tobias had texted one last time. Sorry I was rude. You may have a point. I hope we can keep texting and/or talking. After that he'd added a broken heart emoji.

  Which struck her as so poignant it brought tears to her eyes. That was the thing about Tobias…he had a broken heart—whether he knew it or not.

  12

  Aiden saw Tobias off at the airpor
t. His brother actually got a little sniffly when they said goodbye. "I'm glad you came, T."

  "Yeah, me too. It sucks, being away from home for the first time. It's good to have a little dose of family, huh?"

  "Yeah. You kind of got my feet back on the ground. I think I was going a little nuts." Aiden shook his head disgustedly. "Now that I look back, I honestly don't know what kind of crack I was smoking."

  "Hey, don't beat yourself up." Tobias knew all about that crack—its name was Carolyn, and it was freaking addictive. Now that it was running through his blood, he had no idea how he was going to get rid of it. It would take a lot more than a fake cigarette habit. "So I'll see you at Christmas, kid."

  "Our first complete family Christmas!" Aiden's face lit up with a huge grin. They hugged tightly. Tobias’s heart welled up with love for his little brother. The poor kid's life had been completely torn apart and what had he done? Joined the army and left him behind.

  Well, now he was back and determined to make up for that. Carolyn's comment threaded through his mind as he embraced his brother's wiry frame. You put your brothers before anything else.

  He wished he'd put his brothers first after the murder. Instead he'd run away, terrified of the guilt and anger that boiled in his veins. But now he was putting his brothers first—of course he was. It was the least he could do for Dad. It wouldn't make up for the last night of Dad's life. But it was something.

  BACK IN JUPITER POINT, he swung back into his regular routine, almost as if nothing had happened. Even though Knight and Day Flight Tours was a new business, in operation for barely a month, they were already booking up fast. He and Ben split the piloting duties. They owned a Cessna six-seater, a Piper Matrix and a helicopter, which they’d added to their little fleet to assist the local hotshot and rescue crews. Occasionally someone wanted to be dropped off on one of the offshore islands, and they used the chopper for that. But mostly the tourists wanted to see the spectacular views of mountains and cliffs, and the sweeping ocean vistas that you could only experience from above.

  After all his days flying missions, it was pure joy to show off the beauty of Jupiter Point and the surrounding wilderness. And he loved it, he really did. Except—he had to admit, sometimes it seemed a little tame compared to his previous line of work.