by Arianna Hart
“What took you so long? I’m starving.” Liam gave her a one armed hug before trying to pick at the plastic wrap over the bowl Jim held.
“I think you’ll survive.” Caitlyn slapped his hands away from the bowl.
A call came from the back of the station. “Burgers are ready! Who wants cheese?”
“Come on, I want to get my burger before it’s cooked to a hockey puck.” Caitlyn wrapped an arm through each of her brothers’ arms and herded them towards the picnic tables. With any luck at all, she’d get through the meal without letting something about Mac slip out. For the first time in her life, she actually wished for a fire call to interrupt dinner.
The alarms were amazingly silent.
Caitlyn laughed at the insults flying around the table but, for the most part, kept her mouth closed. There was enough good-natured bantering for her to get lost in the background. If anyone noticed she was quieter than usual, they didn’t bring it up.
She was elbow deep in soapsuds when two hands grabbed her around the waist and spun her around. Water and bubbles flew as she was lifted off her feet.
“Hey. Is that any way to greet your long lost brother?” Tom’s laughing brown eyes smiled down at her.
“Tom. When did you get into town?” She pulled him down for a drippy hug.
“About half an hour ago. I had some vacation time to use up, and since I was between assignments, I thought I’d come home for a while.” A shadow crossed his face, but he quickly hid it behind a smile. “Had to check up on my little sis and make sure she wasn’t shacked up with some guy.”
“Like I could do that with the three of you around.” She tried to make it sound teasing but it sounded weak. “Although, maybe you’d better check up on Liam. I’m pretty sure he was ‘keeping company’ the other night.” Family loyalty be damned. If Tom was on Liam’s case, he wouldn’t be on hers.
“Really? Looks like my little brother’s taken a page out of my book.” He looked more pleased than annoyed by the thought.
“Oh, that’s fair. Liam and Jim can sleep with whoever they want and you think it’s great. If I so much as look at a guy, you’re ready to break his kneecaps.”
“You’re a girl. It’s different,” he said as if that explained everything. “Is there any potato salad left? Louie is making me up a burger now but it’s not the same without something on the side.”
“There might be some but I’m stuck on dish duty tonight, so I can’t get it for you.” She turned back to the sink.
“You save me some salad and I’ll finish up the dishes.” He rolled up his sleeves, giving her a wink.
“It’s a deal.” She wasn’t conning him, but at least she got out of doing the greasy pans.
Grabbing a paper plate, she loaded the last of the creamy salad on it and added some green salad and a few chips. Helping herself to one, she hopped up on the counter.
“So, where’re you staying?” He usually stayed with Jim, since he had the only apartment with a guest room. If Jim was romancing Maggie though, he might not want the company.
“I don’t know. You get a real bed yet?”
Panic rolled through her. If he wanted to stay with her, there’d be no way she could dissuade him without telling him why.
“I have the futon in the living room. You could sleep on that.” If she acted like she wanted him there, maybe he wouldn’t be suspicious.
“That torture device disguised as a bed? No thank you.”
Time to throw her brothers to the wolves. “Oh come on, it’ll be fun. Besides, Jim may not want you to stay with him. He’s got a new girlfriend he’s hot and heavy with now. You might cramp his style.”
A devilish smile crossed Tom’s face. “Oh really? Little brother has a girlfriend? Anyone I know?” He dried his hands off and scooped a handful of chips off his plate.
“I’m not sure. She’s a friend of mine from work, Maggie.”
“Redhead? Built like a—”
“Yup! That’s her.” Figured he’d remember her good-looking friends.
Before she could chide him for being a sexist pig, alarm bells filled the air. Firefighters rushed in organized chaos to the trucks and jumped into their gear. Louie and Jim ran through the kitchen on their way to their engine.
“Your burger’s almost ready. Turn off the gas when you’re done,” Louie called.
“Jim! Give me your keys so I can drop my stuff at your place,” Tom shouted to him.
A flash of panic crossed Jim’s face, but he pulled the keys out of his pocket and tossed them across the room. “Don’t touch the stereo, it took me a week to reprogram it after last time.” He didn’t have time to say more before hauling his gear on and hopping into the driver’s seat.
Tom threw the keys up in the air and caught them with a chuckle. “Wonder if Maggie likes to surprise him by showing up in lingerie?”
“She might, but she’s working tonight so you’re out of luck.”
“Too bad, it might have been interesting.” Tom walked out back and returned with his burger. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had something good and interesting pop into my life.” Another shadow filled his eyes.
“What’s going on? Why are you really home?” Fear stabbed into her gut. Was something going on between Mac and him?
“I told you, I had some vacation time coming. Besides, I needed a change of pace.” He looked at her briefly, then focused on eating.
“If you say so. Just remember, I’m here if you need me.” She kissed him on top of his head.
“I know. You’re always the sounding board. Must get old after a while.”
“Not really. If you three didn’t have me to talk to, you’d fester. If you’re staying at Jim’s, do you mind if I head home? I need to get some stuff done before work tomorrow.”
“You still working nights?”
“Yup. I’ve got two twelves ahead of me, then four days off.”
“Be careful at night, would you?”
“Oh, brother. Now you sound like Liam. I’m parking in the garage, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Humor me and let me worry anyway. Just because the parking garage has a door and a guard doesn’t mean it’s safe.”
No kidding. “I know. I’m being careful, but just to please you I’ll be even more careful, okay?”
“Okay. Oh, and one more thing.”
“Yes?” Please don’t walk me to my car.
“The potato salad needs more salt.” Tom laughed as she threw a crumpled up napkin at him.
“Good night. I’ll swing by Jim’s later on and bring you some food.”
If she went there maybe she could keep Tom from discovering Mac at her house.
* * *
Mac slipped into the house as quietly as he could. Caitlyn wasn’t home yet, but he didn’t want to alert her neighbors to his movements. His side was on fire and he felt like he’d run a marathon.
All for nothing.
He hadn’t been able to find out a single thing about the Children’s movements. The streets were quiet and no one was talking. A sick ball of nerves formed in the pit of his stomach.
From what he’d be able to pick up from Carlos’ conversations, something big was coming. What it was, Mac didn’t know. But with the number of weapons the Children had been flashing, it couldn’t be good.
When the weapons first started appearing, Mac had thought the Children had been gearing up for a major turf battle. He’d suspected Carlos was trying for a hostile takeover of the other two big city gangs. But then the order had come down that no one was to be taking pot shots at the rival gang members.
It didn’t make any sense. Carlos had consolidated his operations to just drug trafficking, letting his other interests go without a fight. Could he be getting ready to run? That didn’t make sense. If he was trying to get out of the business, why accumulate so many guns?
No answers were forthcoming on the streets tonight. Not much had changed from when he left, except the tensi
ons seemed to be that much higher. Every eye on the street watched everyone else warily. Mac hadn’t dared go deep into Children territory for fear someone would recognize him.
Damn! He needed to do something, find out something, before the entire city exploded in gang warfare. And with the automatic weapons he’d seen flashed by Carlos’ bodyguards, gang members wouldn’t be the only ones getting shot.
Caitlyn would be home any minute and he was covered in sweat and grime from his adventures. She was already nervous about him leaving before he was ready. If she knew he was making forays out into the streets while she was gone, he’d never hear the end of it. He’d better grab a shower and clean up while he could.
Her scent lingered in the bathroom, making him painfully aware of his attraction to her. Mac didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to survive without taking her to bed. The two kisses they shared had done more to whet his appetite for her than anything else. He thought about her constantly, dreamed of touching her nightly, and counted the hours until she got off work so he could talk to her again.
Man, he needed to get out of here soon. He was starting to lose his mind. Scrubbing a dab of shampoo over his bristly hair, Mac soaped and rinsed in record time. He might smell like flowers but at least he was clean.
No wonder he thought about her so much. He was seeped in her presence. And it made sense that he waited for her to come home from work. It was damn boring staring at the four walls for twelve hours. Now that he was healthier, he could actually get out of the house, but for a while he could barely get out of bed.
Still, he’d better be careful how often he hit the streets. He didn’t want anyone following him back.
“Mac? I’m home.” Caitlyn called out.
“I’m in the bathroom.” Did he bring clean clothes in with him? No. Shit. His dirty sweats and T-shirt lay in a pile on the floor. Mac scooped them up and threw them in the laundry, then wrapped the towel around his waist.
“Oh, there you are.” Caitlyn’s eyes widened at his near naked state, and he could feel his body harden. One look, one gesture, that’s all it took for him to respond to her.
“I was all sweaty, so I thought I’d take a shower before bed. How was dinner?” He wished she’d stop looking at him like she wanted to eat him whole.
“It was good. Interesting.”
“Interesting, how?” Had she heard something?
“Jim cornered me to talk about Maggie, Liam was distant and left right after supper, and Tom showed up out of the blue.”
“Tom’s here?” Mac immediately perked up.
“Yeah, he said he had some vacation time to use up and since he was between assignments he thought he’d come home for a little while.”
Suspicion reared its ugly head again. Things were building to a climax and Tom just happened to show up. Coincidence? Carlos definitely had a contact with the police, and the guns he was getting weren’t coming from a local source. Could Tom be the government connection while Liam was the local one?
“How’s he doing?” Mac asked to cover his surprise. He couldn’t stand the thought of his partner being in cahoots with Carlos but he had to keep an open mind. Everyone was a suspect.
“Okay, I guess. Something’s bothering him though, I could tell.”
“Oh? How?”
“I can’t explain it, he just wasn’t his usual self. He tried to act normal and goofy, but every once in a while I’d see a look on his face. A sad look. There’s something on his mind.”
“If he just got off assignment, that isn’t unusual. Especially when you’ve been in deep cover. It takes a little while to remember who you really are. Tom’s been jumping from one mission to another. It’s no wonder he has to take a break.”
“Could be. I don’t know. All I know is I almost wet my pants when he asked if he could bunk down here.”
“What?”
“Relax, he doesn’t want to sleep on the futon, and that’s the only other bed I have. He’s staying with Jim and plans on tormenting him mercilessly about having a new girlfriend.”
“Sounds like Tom.” The towel was slipping, so he snugged it tighter. The cloth brushed against his engorged penis and a shiver went through him. Almost as if an invisible cord connected them, Caitlyn shivered too. “So why do you think Liam was distant?” He needed to distract her and get some information but he was the one that was getting distracted.
“He barely said two words at dinner and kept looking at his cell phone. Then, as soon as he could, he bolted. Didn’t even stay for dessert, and he loves pie.”
“Did he know Tom was coming into town?”
“I don’t think so, or he would have stayed.” She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. “Anyway, I made it through without slipping, and Tom isn’t staying here so I consider it a successful night. I have to do a load of laundry, then I’m tucking it in.”
Tucking it in. To her bed. That was less than ten yards away from his. Would she toss and turn as much as he did? Could she ignore the fact that one thin wall separated them?
Her eyes were dilated and kept drifting to his torso. If she didn’t move soon, his body would spontaneously combust from the looks she was giving him.
“Ah, if you give me a minute, I’ll get dressed and you can have the bathroom to yourself.”
“Good idea.” She swallowed hard and spun around.
Mac had a lot to think about, but what kept his thoughts occupied had very little to do with the O’Toole brothers, and a great deal to do with their sister.
Chapter Ten
Screaming pain throbbed in Caitlyn’s back and down her legs as her spine twisted in unnatural directions. She struggled to hold down the junkie so that Maggie could get his wrist restrained. For such a skinny man, he put up quite a fight.
“I know you’ve got drugs here. I need them, bitch! Now!” The junkie grabbed at the keys clipped to Maggie’s belt.
Caitlyn locked his elbow and held on for dear life. Two security guards held his legs while a third secured them to the gurney. The patient weighed maybe one hundred and ten pounds soaking wet but the drugs in his system gave him inhuman strength.
“I need a hit.”
“I’ll give you a hit,” Caitlyn mumbled under her breath as she struggled to hold him.
“Got it!” Maggie stepped back, rubbing her arm where she’d gotten hurt earlier.
“Are you okay?” Caitlyn waited to make sure the restraints would hold before she administered the shot that would calm the junkie down. It wasn’t what he wanted but it would keep him from hurting himself until they could get him evaluated.
“I’m fine. I’ll end up with a bruise but that’s all. How about you? You were holding him.”
“I might have pulled a muscle in my back but nothing serious.” Caitlyn dismissed the pain. “A hot shower and some ibuprofen and I’ll be good as new,” she said, moving out into the hall.
“Baloney. I’ve pulled back muscles before. You’ll be fine tonight because you’re moving, but come tomorrow you’ll barely be able to get out of bed.” Maggie grabbed the schedule while Caitlyn filled out the chart on the junkie.
“I’m off tomorrow anyway. I’ll take it easy for the next couple of days and be fine.” Caitlyn hid a yawn behind her hand. She hadn’t been sleeping well since she’d gotten a look at Mac wearing nothing but a towel that rode low on his hips. Sexual tension was better than coffee for keeping her awake at night.
“Darn right you will. In fact, you’ll take the next week off.” Maggie made some notes on the schedule and closed it with a decisive snap.
“What are you talking about? It’s a stupid pulled muscle, nothing to get all upset about.”
“It’s not just that. You look stressed out and Jim thinks you’re working too hard. He says you’re so tired you aren’t going out anymore.”
“Oh.” Caitlyn looked up at her friend. “So that’s what this is all about. Jim is on your case about me working too hard, so you’re going to give me a
few extra days off.” Her temper started to simmer. It was bad enough to have an interfering brother, but when he recruited her friend that was too much.
“It’s not just that. Look at you. You’ve got circles under your eyes, you’re crabby, and you’ve gotten so jumpy you’re making me a nervous wreck. Just because Jim mentioned it doesn’t mean that it’s a bad thing. He really cares about you, and I do too.”
Chagrin warred with temper. She was tired and she was cranky and she could use an extra day off to spend some time with Mac before he left. Why fight against something she wanted just because it came from her brother’s interference?
“Okay, I give.”
“That was easy.” Maggie raised an eyebrow. “Too easy. Are you sure you didn’t get hit in the head during that restraint?”
“Geez. If I argue then you call me crabby, and if I give in you call me crazy. A girl can’t win around here.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing you’ll be on a mini vacation. Just think, six whole days without junkies screaming at you, drunks throwing up on you, and running your feet off.”
“However will I survive?” Caitlyn laughed.
“I’m sure you’ll find something to do.” Maggie pulled her in for a quick hug before the intercom announced the arrival of another ambulance.
* * *
“Darn it. I left my jacket in my locker.” Maggie stopped two feet from the door to the parking garage.
“I doubt you’ll need it, it’s got to be eighty degrees still.” Caitlyn fanned her face for emphasis.
“I know, but I have my dry cleaning ticket in there, and I need to pick up my dress tomorrow for the Appreciation Dinner. I have to go back and get it.”
“I’ll walk with you then. You shouldn’t be walking the streets alone at midnight.”
“Don’t be silly. It makes no sense for both of us to be miserable just because I’m an airhead. I’ll get Billy to walk me back. It’s what he gets paid for.”
“If you say so. My back is aching too much for me to argue.” Caitlyn hurt with every step she took. It wouldn’t break her heart to go straight home.
