Calen's Captive

by Lucy Leroux

  “Baby, I’m sure the blue stuff was fine,” Calen said. “Those fish biologists have to dig around those tanks all the time, so I’m sure it’s safe.”

  Maia paced, cordless phone in hand. She shook her head. “I’m not sure anyone has used those specimens in years.”

  Calen sat back. Maia was totally twisted in knots about the wrong thing. She had barely mentioned the Russians at all since they got home.

  “You think you’re pregnant, don’t you?” Liam asked out of the blue.

  Calen turned to stare at him, but Liam was watching Maia. He swiveled to her and did a double take. He had expected an immediate denial, but she was silent, and her face was stricken.

  “Baby?”

  “I—I’m not sure,” she said finally.

  Calen froze, blood rushing to his ears, filling them with static. It lasted a few seconds until a warm feeling of intense relief flooded him. Rushing to his wife, he swept her off her feet. He felt like throwing her up in the air and catching her like an infant, but he shut that impulse down and settled for swinging her around instead.

  Maia squealed. “Put me down. If I’m pregnant this can’t be good.”

  Calen relented and set her on her feet.

  “Calen, the blue stuff,” she began.

  He nodded, finally understanding the source of her anxiety. “I’ll make some calls,” he promised, but he still wasn’t worried about the blue liquid. Well, not as worried as his wife...

  “Did Davis leave a bag for me?” she asked.

  “Yeah, over here,” Trick called, holding a brown paper bag.

  Maia walked over and snatched it up, holding it to her chest. She gave Calen a meaningful look and disappeared into the hallway. He followed her, and she opened the bag. It was an assortment of different pregnancy tests.

  Davis had taken his mission seriously. And he had apparently been confused about what kind to buy, so he’d bought the entire pregnancy test selection. Probably from more than one store, by the looks of it. Calen understood why Davis left his post now, but he was still going to read him the riot act when he was finally out the hospital.

  “Okay, baby, go take one of these, or five, and get back out here. I’ll track down whoever put those fish in that tank.”

  Maia let out a breath and nodded. She retreated to their bedroom, and he went back out to the guys.

  “Trick is calling for you. He’s got the head of the Harvard chemistry department on the phone,” Liam said when he returned. “And Jason is on his way up. He’s spitting nails about being kept in the dark. He wants to know why a Russian crew wants your wife dead.”

  Calen nodded, no longer tired. Maia was safe, and she might be pregnant. Nothing else was going to get to him. He might never let her out of his sight again, but he was otherwise unfazed.

  A few minutes later, Jason arrived with his partner Ethan. Ethan had found a t-shirt somewhere, but it looked like it was a size too small. Liam snorted and gave him a dismissive once over.

  Weird. He’d always thought Liam liked Jason’s partner.

  “What the hell is going on?” Jason demanded.

  Calen looked at Liam and gestured to Ethan with a small nod. His friend understood, but he didn’t look happy about it. “Ethan, why don’t you have a drink, over here? Way over here,” Liam said, walking out of the room and heading to the library.

  Ethan shot his partner a look that said he wasn’t going anywhere, but Jason shook his head wearily. Rolling his eyes, Ethan followed Liam, his entire stance radiating his reluctance.

  “Sit down, Jason,” Calen said. “Let me tell you how I met my wife.”

  Chapter 30

  The explanation took the better part of a half hour, mostly because Jason kept interrupting. The agent couldn’t believe they hadn’t told him about the possible danger to Maia, and by extension Maggie and Peyton.

  “They were never in any danger when they were with her,” Calen assured him. “There were always two or more bodyguards with them at all times.”

  “Fat lot of good that did tonight,” Jason argued. “Both of your guards got shot and god knows what statutes you broke going to meet the Russians in the first place.”

  “None. None that will stick anyway. Liam checked with his lawyer, and I did my own due diligence. The Russians were offering restitution willingly, and I was merely negotiating a final sum.”

  “And failing to report an assault, kidnapping, and a murder!”

  Calen ran his hands through his hair. “Jason, you can’t tell Ethan about that. Not about what Maia saw. They will have moved the body by now anyway,” he said, folding his hands in front of him. “And I won’t let her testify. They would never stop hunting her down if she did.”

  Jason argued with him, but Calen was adamant. “It’s the only way to keep her safe!” he hissed. “This is the love of my life we are talking about. If it was Maggie, you would do the same thing!”

  Jason closed his eyes and rubbed his hand over them, and Calen knew he had won.

  “All right,” Jason growled. “I’ll tell Ethan enough to satisfy him and try to keep the rest of the department off your back for as long as I can. But it won’t be for long. They’ll want answers.”

  “That’s why I have an entire team of lawyers,” Calen answered as he noticed Maia peeking at them from around the corner.

  Fuck! The test! He’d completely forgotten.

  “Baby? Come here,” he ordered, gesturing to her. She looked uncertainly at Jason, but she walked over to him and he scooped her up in his arms. “Well?”

  She nodded and he let out a whoop as he hugged her close.

  “What is it?” Ethan asked, hurrying back with Liam when they heard his shout.

  “You can be the first to congratulate us,” Calen said, his protective arms encircling Maia’s waist. “We’re pregnant.”

  ****

  They didn’t go to bed for hours that night. Dr. Schroeder finally called to inform them that the blue liquid was harmless. It was a mixture of preservatives, alcohol, and buffering agents. The blue color was simple food dye.

  It wasn’t great that Maia was lying in it for so long, but he’d been assured by the head of the chemistry department that nothing in the solution would affect her or their baby, particularly since she’d made sure she didn’t get any in her eyes, nose, or mouth.

  Ethan was hard to shake in the end. When Colman called, the big FBI agent tried to follow him into the library, but Maia herself pulled him away and back to the living room.

  By the time Calen was done talking to his father, she had the former army ranger wrapped around her little finger. She didn’t tell Ethan why the Russians were after her, but she’d described what happened in the building. In great detail.

  Ethan pressed her for more, but Calen threatened to call his lawyers, plural. So Ethan finally left with Jason, still looking pissed.

  “What did your father say?” Trick asked after the two men were gone.

  Liam looked at him expectantly, but Calen shook his head and told them to go home. They’d been frustrated, but the look on his face was enough to make them leave. It was better that they never know what his father had told him. Maia, too, for that matter. All she needed to know was that Timur would never bother her again.

  Calen had gone to sleep holding his wife tight in his arms. But this time she didn’t complain about his grip. Instead she burrowed harder against his chest, like she was trying to crawl inside him.

  Chapter 31

  The next few days were hard on his wife. Maia was extremely jumpy and could barely sleep. Calen did everything he could, including getting a trauma counselor to come and talk to her, but she was too distracted by the aftermath of her ordeal to enjoy Thanksgiving.

  They had decided to cancel on the Tyler brothers in favor of staying home alone, but Liam wouldn’t hear of that, and the whole party had shifted to Calen’s penthouse instead. Maia had politely gone through the motions, but it was obvious her mind was elsewh
ere. He could tell she was still anxious. Everyone else probably could, too, but they were too polite to say anything.

  Chang had made some excited enquiries at first, but Peyton had taken him aside and had spoken to him quietly. He calmed down and stopped trying to press Maia for details. Calen had given Peyton a grateful look, reminding himself to do something nice for her soon. She was turning into a good friend for Maia. So was Maggie, for that matter.

  The only person missing had been Maia’s friend Tahlia. They hadn’t been able to reach her so it was assumed she had gone home to Florida for the holiday.

  After dinner, Jason took him aside. “Look, I stonewalled my superiors as much as possible. They are none too happy with the wall of bullshit your lawyers have thrown up. But it’s not going to blow over until Maia makes a statement.”

  “They can have one in writing. Liam and I already put our heads together about what it should say,” he said, keeping one eyes on Maia and Peyton as they chatted on the couch while he and Jason wandered over to the bar.

  Across the room, Maia gave Peyton a quick smile. She hadn’t smiled at all since the attack. His shoulders eased, a tight little coil of anxiety loosening inside him. His fairy was going to be all right.

  I definitely need to buy Peyton something nice. Maybe a car.

  “Well, what is it?” Jason asked, after accepting a glass of whiskey.

  Calen turned back to him and waved him into his office. They sat in the leather armchairs by the fireplace and leaned closer to each other.

  “Maia will sign something that says she witnessed Timur Komarov—and Timur alone—taking drugs in the woods and burying a bag. She did not see what was inside but assumed it was more drugs since Timur had taken her hostage afterwards. The rest we’ll tell the truth about, more or less.”

  Jason took a bracing sip from his glass, but he nodded. Calen didn’t bother to add that his father had already run their official story past the Komarov. The Komarov had approved, but Timur’s ultimate fate was still undecided.

  A few days passed quietly before they heard anything. Then Darren stopped by to quietly inform him that Timur wasn’t going to be a problem anymore. They didn’t know much, but Colman had been assured that they would never see Timur again.

  Calen knew it was too much to hope that Timur was dead when he heard that. If he was dead, a body would have been produced as a show of good faith. The best he could hope for was that Timur had been banished. Darren implied the Komarov had gotten sick of his son’s shit and was no longer offering him protection. Timur had either run on his own or had been sent back to Russia.

  He tried to console himself with the fact Timur might be freezing his balls off in Siberia, but he would have preferred the little shit had ended up floating in the Charles.

  Surprisingly, Darren had demanded to be the one to explain the situation to Maia. Calen hadn’t wanted to let him, explaining that Maia was a little fragile right now, but Darren bulldozed through the penthouse calling for her before he could stop him. However, in the end, his cousin had been the picture of comfort and chivalrous concern.

  Calen had scowled when Darren had wrapped an arm around Maia while he sat next to her on the couch. Stroking her comfortingly, he detailed the Russian’s assurances and apologies. Calen was tempted to chop Darren’s hands off, a sentiment that did not escape his cousin’s attention.

  The smirk Darren had given him over Maia’s bright head was enough to tell him things were still basically normal between the two of them. But at least he was being nice to Maia. Darren had even hugged her as he said goodbye...although that may have only been to piss him off.

  After Darren left, Calen found Maia in front of the Christmas tree he’d had delivered earlier that day, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. The tree wasn’t decorated. He wanted to do that with Maia. She had mentioned she hadn’t had one since her mother had passed.

  “So he’s not dead?” Maia asked, staring out the window.

  He hugged her close. “Probably not, but he’s cut off. Da has let it be known that if the little shit comes back to these parts, it will mean war.” That was clearly the wrong thing to say. Maia’s face turned ashen pale. “It won’t come to that. I promise. The Russians won’t bother for a waste of skin like Timur.”

  He decided to distract her. “Maia, baby, I think you should take your boss up on his offer to take some time off. You’ve been through a lot, and it’s only a few more weeks till Christmas anyway.”

  Maia pursed her lips but nodded, eyes distant. She was exhausted after waking up several times a night with nightmares.

  “Time off might be a nice way of saying don’t come back,” she said eventually. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they asked me to leave the program, for everyone’s safety.”

  “It won’t come to that,” he promised. “Lots of high-profile people go to that school. Security concerns aren’t new there.”

  “Yeah, but most of those students aren’t living with a contract out on their life.”

  “Neither are you. Not anymore. If Timur is still alive, he won’t be coming back here. He’d be signing his own death warrant,” he assured her.

  Maia didn’t respond.

  “Hey,” he said, his hand under her chin to turn her toward him. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. Not ever.”

  And he meant every word. Even now, his contacts were hard at work, looking for Timur in Russia and other holes a piece of shit like him could hide in Europe. He hadn’t imagined he would ever behave like his father’s son, but when he looked at Maia’s pale worried face, he didn’t care anymore. He would do whatever he had to do to keep her and their baby safe.

  Ironically, Liam and Trick were one hundred percent behind him. They were helping him with his search, which unfortunately hadn’t turned up anything yet. But they weren’t giving up, and neither was he.

  Eventually, Maia nodded and looked at the tree. “It smells wonderful,” she said absently.

  He had an idea. “Why don’t we decorate it tonight?” he asked. “I don’t have any decorations yet, but we could go to the store and buy some.”

  The people he hired every Christmas had always decorated the tree, since he was usually busy, but he wanted to start all new traditions now that he had a family.

  “You want to go out to a store?” Maia asked, her little brow creased. “You never go shopping. What happened to ‘I have people for that’? Your personal shoppers even buy my underwear.”

  Calen laughed. “I think a little retail therapy would do us both good. Plus I think we should choose our Christmas ornaments ourselves. Let me call Davis and Reynolds,” he said as he stood, pulling her up after him.

  Picking up on his enthusiasm, Maia’s expression brightened before she went to get dressed.

  Davis had come back to work a few days after being shot. He’d insisted, even though he had an arm in a sling. And Calen had let him, although he told him in no uncertain terms that he was never to leave his post for any reason ever again. Maia could order any future pregnancy tests online.

  Davis had nodded after apologizing repeatedly. He even offered to resign, but Calen knew this failure would only make him guard Maia even better. Plus Davis had left Stephens in her office. The other former army ranger had been outnumbered and had taken a bullet high in his stomach. But he had given as good as he got, shooting two of the Russians before he’d gone down. No bodies had been found, but there had been blood trails leading out the back entrance of the building.

  Stephens was going to make a full recovery. In the meantime, Calen had temporarily replaced him. But he, too, would also be coming back to work once he was healed.

  Chapter 32

  Calen’s instinct was spot on. Retail therapy did wonders. He and Maia had come back laden with packages. Reynolds had to go back and make several trips to the car before he could get all of their purchases upstairs to the penthouse.

  Maia had even gone off with Reynolds and Davis on her own to choo
se a gift for him. He’d hated letting her out of his sight, but the mischievous smile on her face when they came back was enough to placate him. She wouldn’t give him any hints about what she’d bought him, but she was adorably smug about it. He decided taking his wife shopping would become a regular pastime.

  They also went to a specialty ornament store to pick out their holiday decorations. He and Maia had a lot of fun choosing lights and a set of matching ornaments as well as some specific novelty ones.

  When he found a fairy princess with orange gold hair with elaborate butterfly wings in mid-flight, Calen bought two, resolving to keep one at his office at work and one for the tree. The tiny figure was blowing a kiss. Maia had chosen a baby’s first Christmas ornament with starry eyes, and he had gotten choked up watching her.

  They had also bought stockings and different decorations for the coffee table and their library. He had asked Maia to share the library with him so they could work in the same space if they felt like it. He would move her desk in there eventually, but there wasn’t a big hurry since they didn’t keep the same work hours. But sharing his private domain made him feel closer to her, and Maia loved being surrounded by all the books.

  Calen especially liked having her possessions around him while he worked late at night. He’d even had a special case installed to display Maia’s butterfly collection next to his shelf of first editions, but for now it stood empty until she opened her gifts on Christmas day.

  That night, he and Maia stayed up late decorating their Christmas tree. They strung lights and hung the beautiful handcrafted ornaments. Maia had vetoed tinsel, preferring to see as many of the rich green needles under the decorations as possible.

  Calen snapped a lot of pictures of Maia hanging ornaments and decorating. He even used the timer so he could get into some of the shots, like the one where he lifted her to his shoulders so she could hang the star at the top of the tree. He wanted to document as much of their first Christmas together as possible.