Why do men have to be so dense?
Her tummy reminded Meghan that she had other things to think about at the moment.
“Will you find a cracker or something for me please? And hand me the tea. And some honey.”
As she issued a series of needs that might have sounded a bit demanding, he jolted and flew around the kitchen at high speed, opening cabinets and poking into the colorful stoneware canisters on one counter.
“Animal crackers okay?” he asked with adorable anxiety.
Meghan snickered and pressed a hand against her middle. “Why the hell not?” She held out her hand and he dropped a couple of the circus cookies into her palm. The teacup followed, placed on the island with a napkin and the crock of local honey that Carmen always kept handy. All her husband needed was a white napkin over his arm to make him a damn fine waiter.
Sipping the hot tea, she munched on a couple of the plain cookies, biting off each animal’s head first, just like she had as a kid.
“Hey, these aren’t bad,” she quipped. “Here, open.” She pushed one toward his mouth as he opened and let Meghan pop a camel into his mouth.
“Know what they’re great with?” he asked. “Whipped cream. The kind in a can or that stuff Ria makes. Fucking awesome.”
She laughed and pulled a surprised face. “You are a man of strange tastes, Major.”
“During the war, Desi used to send Drae cartons of those red boxes of animal cookies. We devoured them like they were a rare treat. Occasionally, Cam wrangled some whipped cream from the chow hall and since that shit doesn’t store without a refrigerator, we’d empty the fucking can spraying big globs into our palms, and drop a few animal butts on top then suck ‘em in and lick our hand clean. Yum.”
She was open-mouthed staring as he spoke. Sometimes the way the brothers talked about their time together in Afghanistan, you’d think it was boy’s camp and not a territory of death.
“Drink your tea,” he urged with a jerking head nod. “Carmen will fucking kill me if you leave even a drop.”
“Poor you,” she said with a laugh.
“I’m serious,” her alpha beast growled. “She’s got the damn bat signal going with my mom. They’re ganging up on me already and they’ve only known for a couple of hours. I can hear Dad laughing at me in my head.”
She drained the teacup and ate a few more of the animal things, asking, “So are these crackers or cookies? I’m confused.”
“Oh shit,” he teased. “Is there going to be a quiz?”
All of a sudden her mood shifted. “Hold me.”
He moved forward, and she opened her thighs so he could step closer. With her feet tucked around his knees, Meghan snuggled into his chest with her arms around his waist. He smelled like Alex.
His chin rested on top of her head and his arms held her tight. This was all she needed. Knowing he would always take care of her calmed the nervous energy and anxiety battering Meghan’s senses.
All those months of praying for this baby and now to finally be pregnant, well, it was a bit overwhelming to say the least. Wanting something so desperately and then the reality of what being pregnant means was taking a toll on her.
And Alex too. Once a baby was on the way, there wasn’t a lot for the man to do. She wondered how that was going to play out with them. Especially considering the unique nature of their intimate life. He wasn’t going to find it easy to tame their sexy times. Pfft. Neither was she. But there was still plenty of time before they had to think about that.
“Everything will be different by tomorrow morning—now that everyone knows. Are you ready for all this?”
She pressed her face into his chest. Good question and no, no she wasn’t. “Kind of late to be asking if I’m ready.”
His chest rose and fell on a deep, audible sigh. “I just mean this is a lot to take on. Once the family center opens your time will be in demand.”
It already was but he didn’t know that. She’d been careful not to let the almost constant need for her to make last minute decisions before the official grand opening fall onto his radar. A task made twice as hard by having to keep it a secret and his absolute demand that she didn’t see the finished complex until the opening.
She had the distinct impression he was reading her thoughts when he chuckle-snorted and hugged tighter.
“You’re killing me, woman. Because I know damn well you aren’t going to slow down, this is what’s going to happen.”
Raising her head, she saw uncertainty and determination on her husband’s face. The strong backbone she was used to. The indecisiveness, she was not. The contrast of a betwixt and between dilemma would be a significant challenge for Alex.
“You know that weird little room behind the kitchen?”
Hmm. This old house was full of odd spaces and unusual hidey-holes, so she had to really think about it. “Oh. Yeah. The uh, L-shaped room across from the pantry? Ben told me it used to be where the household workers made, stored and repaired curtains and linens. My Ma would call it a sewing room.”
He canted back to look at her with an amused smirk. So Alex, she thought.
“Sounds positively medieval, which makes my plan even better. I think what we should do is turn that room into a home office for you.”
She inhaled sharply and smiled as delight filled her up. “Oh, baby,” she said in a soft, gentle voice. “I love it!”
He grinned. Satisfaction sparkled in his eyes.
“Now that Remy has forced the traffic pattern here at the house to come and go from the back door, the placement is perfect. And you’d be right here on the first floor, where Sergeant Delgado can keep an eye on you.”
“Who knew she was such a harsh taskmaster?” She laughed and rubbed her feet on his calves.
“Seriously?” he drawled. “She’s been putting on her sweet grandma act for you since day one. In reality, she’s got a black belt in ball busting.” Alex barked out a laugh filled with so much amusement that it made her giggle.
“I think she might have missed her calling. Senora Carmen would make a kick-ass Dominatrix.”
Bah! They cracked up, throwing dirty zingers and one-liners back and forth like a seasoned stage act. Before long they’d created an image of the feisty Latina dressed in skintight black with a pair of brightly colored hooker heels, and cracking a whip while issuing orders.
“Wonder if Duke likes his nooky with a side of handcuffs?”
The expression on her husband’s face as he reacted to her query was pure dumbfounded gold.
“What?”
He really needs to get out more, her inner voice drily quipped. Was it just Alex or were all men this incredibly thick when it came to reading signals? Carmen and the family’s head of security were all but lighting a damn bonfire. She’d been around them a couple of times when the sexual undercurrent was in the fiery zone. How could he not see it too?
“You are so adorably oblivious sometimes, Major.” Meghan leaned on the stool’s high back and gave him a lopsided grin. “First of all, they confer,” she snarked with air quotes on the last word, “every morning. Side by side. Right here at the island,” she comically told him with a cheeky wink. “Dueling iPads. She gives him the four-one-one on what everyone’s doing each day.”
“Why?” he asked with a confused headshake.
“Well, according to Duke, it’s how he makes a security plan for each day. They’re a perfect team that way, you know.”
He looked at her like she was speaking gibberish.
“The protectors. Justice guardians.” Making a playful face she joked, “I was making a funny, but damn that was pretty clever, huh?”
Watching him process this information fascinated her. Alex’s mind worked in ways she’d never understand. His head swiveled and he looked briefly to the other side of the kitchen where Carmen’s private apartment was hidden. Then he swung back to her and she saw understanding begin to dawn.
“Duke?”
She nodded. “I
know you prefer to think of Carmen as old and somehow impervious to this stuff, but babe. She’s the same age as your parents. And they certainly know how to get their senior citizen freak on with no problem or apologies!’
“Don’t remind me.” Alex’s droll tone and humorous embarrassment was all kinds of cute. “Calder let slip that he and Stephanie stumbled on my folks having hot tub sex.”
She bit her lip to keep from laughing.
“Apparently,” he continued sarcastically, “a line of seniors formed all waiting for a chance to act like kids.”
“Aw! I’m happy to hear that!”
Alex frowned at her. He really was that clueless. Meghan patted him lovingly on the chest and moved in for a quick smacking kiss.
“Mwah. Look. Carmen’s eyes sparkle when Duke is around. Isn’t that what you want for her? To be happy? I don’t know much of her story, but I do know she wouldn’t ignore a good man who treats her like a lady and is carrying a considerable torch.”
“She’s been on her own a long time.”
Meghan didn’t want to pry but she was curious about the woman’s past. She knew Carmen was second generation employed by the Valleja-Marquez family. Her parents lived and raised her in town. She was Cristián and Ashleigh’s nanny, and then when Cristián took control of the villa, she moved into the housekeeper’s apartment and that’s where Meghan’s knowledge ended.
“Why does her grandson live in Buenos Aires?”
Alex’s eyes appeared to get misty for a moment and then he smoothed a hand over her hair. “His birth mother was from Argentina.”
Er, uh, what?
“Yeah,” he murmured in response to her startled expression. “Reader’s Digest version. Married Hector Delgado when she was like nineteen or something. He had a five-year-old daughter at the time. After a bit, Hector was drafted and off to Vietnam he went. You get where this is going, right?”
Meghan’s eyes were teary. Yeah, she got it all right. Poor Carmen.
“Hector’s daughter was terribly fond of Carmen and after she and her mom relocated to Argentina, they kept in close touch. She felt it was her duty to honor her father’s widow. Carmen refers to Mateo as her grandson with the full love and approval of her stepdaughter.”
“Wow,” she said with a teary sniffle. “So what you’re saying is, she helped raise you guys after losing everything.”
Alex’s gruff, “She’s family,” seized Meghan’s heart. He was such a good man. The whole Marquez family was made up of good people.
“Come on double M. Time for bed, I think. It’s been a long day.”
She scooted off the stool, wrapped an arm about his waist and walked alongside as they made for the back stairs.
“Hey, did I tell you,” she said with a giggle. “Finn has groupies. I saw one of them. Some spike-haired just out of college coed. She was hanging around Pete’s the other day. Barry says she shows up for the lunch hour and swoons every time Finn makes an appearance.”
When Alex didn’t say a single word, she turned and looked at him. Silence meant she either missed something or there was a secret involved. Stopping as they climbed the steps she pinned him to the spot in the stairwell.
“What do you know, Major?”
She knew all of his expressions and was surprised when he appeared to weigh what to tell her.
Argh. She knew a display of the impenetrable ‘guy code’ when she saw one. How fucking funny though, she thought. Maybe Alex and Finn finally found something that connected them. A bond so to speak. Of course, that didn’t mean she intended to put up with any of that guy code shit.
“Alex,” she scolded.
After a second or two he smirked. “I’m not so sure Remy will be okay with the idea of groupies.”
“Remy? I thought those two basically detested each other.”
Chuckling, he pulled her up against him and helped himself to a rather titillating groping of her bottom. “We make a good team, Mrs. Marquez. You got Duke and I got Remy. That makes us even on the scoreboard.”
Oh. No. He. Didn’t!
“Oh, shut up,” she sneered and then took off running up the stairs, yelping with a giggle when he swatted her ass.
“I’ve got my spanking hand at the ready, wife.”
She shrieked with laughter as he chased her all the way to their bedroom.
10
Cam clicked out of the web browser he’d had up on the screen and swiveled to look at his guest.
Roman Bishop was part of a small group of guys who made up the original wartime squad of Justice Brothers. He knew shit and had been involved in stuff that made the bond they shared absolute. Roman was also one of the Agency’s first recruits. The guy made Drae’s Ninja moves seem old and stale. That and the fact that he had a sick sense of humor made him a lifelong friend.
“You are going to owe me big time, Bishop,” he sneered with a crooked grin.
“Holy shit, Cam. The weird smiling thing creeps me out, man. Cut it out.”
“Ha ha, and fuck you. Back to what you’re gonna owe me for this needle in a haystack search. That Ashforth guy you work for. Has a lot of money, does he?”
Mocking the bearded Hercules with enthusiastic delight, Cam settled folded hands on his mid-section and leaned back in his Captain Kirk desk chair to emphasize just how firmly he held the other man’s balls in his grip. “I think me and the wife need a tropical island destination for getaways.”
Roman, who’d been leaning casually in the doorway, launched upright and stepped into Cam’s work zone where an array of computer monitors and a control panel that looked like something Tony Stark designed flickered with constant information and code that only he understood.
“I didn’t know vampires liked the island breezes.”
Both of them hooted and barked with good humor at the same time. Cam stood and went through the standard bro-hug, back slap, Semper Fi-style bullshit that marked the reconnection of two war comrades.
“It’s good to see you in person, man,” Roman told him as they double shook hands. “Video calls only give a partial image. I forgot what a mean looking son-of-a-bitch you are Cam. Don’t you ever get that head of hair styled?”
“Shut the fuck up pretty boy. Not having a tux in my closet for nights at the opera doesn’t mean I’m a bum. And besides, this is Justice for Christ’s sake. Dress code? Keep your dick covered. End of story.”
“Ah, yes. The Justice code. Worked out pretty good for all of us, didn’t it?”
They nodded in unison as the silent pause of memory lent seriousness to the moment.
“So what have you got for me? I’m on a tight turn-around this trip or I’d offer to buy you dinner. Have to keep this short. My employer is returning from Europe day after tomorrow and he’ll want an update.”
“Understood,” he assured Roman and directed his attention to a worktable covered with a ton of crap.
Cam pulled up a chair and thumbed through a pile of colored files until he found what he was looking for. Slapping a dark colored folder on the table, he looked up at Roman standing across from him with an expectant look on his face.
“Okay, so…I’ve seen people disappear into layers of cover but your seek and find is different. This lady does not want to be found.”
Roman crossed his arms and gave him a half-sneer. “Aw! Did you find Waldo?”
Laughing at the familiar jest, he pointed at a chair and waved Roman to the table. “She was good, but I’m better. Here,” he said flipping open the file. “Check this out.”
Glancing at the stack of papers as he sank down and scooted close, Roman asked, “How’d you find her? Last time we talked you said all you hit were walls.”
“This is true,” Cam confirmed, “but then I looked at it from a different angle. The old man was the key and after you explained what a dick he’d been to Ashforth’s mother I took a different route. Started checking out everyone around him and boom. Found his personal lawyer, some shit head country club type with
political connections and a thing for twinks despite being married and spawning three kids. The rest was easy. He gave up a ton of info to save his own skin.”
“Somehow this does not surprise me. Everything I’ve learned about the old fuck pretty much points to him hanging around some sleazy people.”
“Liam Ashforth should be counting his lucky charms that the bastard never got involved in his life.”
Roman seemed to agree. “So what’s the deal with the sister? Lay it out for me.”
“Okay. Name. Kelly Anne James. Age, twenty-three. Now here’s the thing.” Cam pulled a piece of paper from the file and shoved it toward Roman. “We couldn’t find her because that’s not the name on her birth certificate.”
Roman’s brow raised and he looked closely at the paper in his hand. “Yeah, I thought we were looking for Grace Jenkins.”
“That’s what the original showed. Note what it says for father.”
“Seriously? Father refuses paternity? What a fucking asshole.”
And then there was that. “Once I had the mother’s name courtesy of the sniveling lawyer everything started falling into place. The woman stayed put until the kid was three and then simply vanished. The trail went stone cold after that. Did a shit ton of digging and was piecing random things together when pay dirt struck.”
He piled out a couple more papers and set them down.
“Mom was adopted, which wouldn’t matter to the story at all except that the planets aligned perfectly one day and out of the blue she inherits a piece of property belonging to her birth mother. She literally grabs the kid and disappears. Takes her birth name and goes completely off grid but I was able to pin down a rural area in the mountains of southeastern Oklahoma.”
“So Kelly Anne James is anonymously prowling the mountains Oklahoma? Is that about right?”
“Yeah. I’ve got a bit more technical information that will help you pinpoint exactly where she is but someone has to be on the ground with a fucking GPS in hand and you said that was a no.”
“Liam wants me to handle it myself.”
Unforgettable (Family Justice Book 5) Page 11
