by Rebecca Deel
Alex wrapped his uninjured arm around Ivy’s waist as she pressed her face against his neck. Her body shook. Though she didn’t make any sound, he felt moisture on his neck. His Ivy was crying. He tightened his grip. He hated that he’d made her cry.
The medic tugged on a pair of gloves, cleaned Alex’s arm and examined the wound. “Alex was right, sugar. Just a scratch. He doesn’t need any stitches.” Rio looked at Ivy with some concern, raised an eyebrow at Alex.
He shook his head slightly. Ivy wouldn’t want Rio to make a fuss over her. The shock and tears would pass, especially when she realized he was going to be fine. Adrenaline dump did weird things to people. Some were hyper in the aftermath, others shook and became emotional. Ivy happened to be in the latter group.
Rio cleaned his wound, slapped a bandage on it, and gathered the trash. “Let me know if I need to help,” he murmured, his gaze on Ivy.
“Thanks.”
Durango’s medic gave a nod and left the bathroom with his gear. He pulled the door almost shut behind him.
And still Ivy’s tears fell on Alex’s neck. He wrapped both arms around her, holding her snug against his chest. He didn’t know what else to do but hold her and let the tears run their course. She’d be mad at herself for crying. Alex had seen hardened soldiers cry after a close call. Ivy was entitled to a little waterworks.
So he waited her out, ran a hand gently up and down her back which the other cupped the back of her head. Finally, the tears slowed, then stopped. She shuddered against him.
“I’m fine, baby.”
“He could have killed you.”
“He didn’t.” Alex pressed his lips against her temple. “I’m proud of you, sweetheart.”
“Why?”
“You didn’t panic. Your first reaction was to protect Sam and keep him calm. You were a rock, angel.”
“But I fell apart.”
“When we were safe and out of Sam’s sight. That’s exactly the right time to let go. You are not weak, Ivy. Your body is dealing with the adrenaline dump. Tears and the shakes are normal reactions.” He raised her head with a finger under her chin. “Look at me, sweetheart.” Alex waited until Ivy’s red-rimmed eyes were locked on his. “All of us will deal with this in different ways. You shed a few tears. Del probably will, too. Quinn’s going to be in a foul mood. Rio will stick a sucker in his mouth, slip ear buds in his ears and listen to music. Josh will want to do something physical once he’s sure his wife’s okay. Nate will brood unless Stella can work some magic with him.”
“And you?”
“I won’t be eating for a while.”
She frowned. “You’ll get sick?”
“No. My stomach is in a knot, like it’s closed up tight. Food simply won’t go down. In a couple hours, the tightness will be gone. What you’re experiencing is normal. This is not your PTSD kicking in. Even more important, you didn’t have a panic attack.”
Her gaze dropped to his bandaged arm. “Does it hurt?”
He wouldn’t lie to her, didn’t ever want that between them, no matter how much he might wish to protect her from the truth. “Yeah, but I’ve had worse. This will pass soon enough.”
One thing he didn’t plan to tell her. Based on the angle, Alex was positive the shooter had been aiming for Ivy.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Alex’s cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, he checked the readout. “It’s the lawyer,” he murmured to Ivy.
She stepped out of his arms. “I’ll go check on Del.” She leaned up, brushed his mouth with hers, and left him alone.
“Morgan.”
“Mr. Morgan, this is Calvin Yates. I’m Senator Morgan’s attorney. First, let me say how sorry I am over your father’s death. We’ve been friends a good many years now. I’m going to miss him.”
“Thank you.”
“Now, how can I help you?”
“You’re probably aware my family and I haven’t been on the best of terms for more than a decade. But in light of Dad’s death, I need some information that might help me deal with a few things that have cropped up in the last few days.”
“What do you need to know?”
“Look, this is going to sound self-serving, but it’s important. Did Dad mention me in his will?”
“He more than mentioned you, Alexander. Your father listed you as the executor of his estate. He left instructions for you to take responsibility for everything, including the Morgan trust fund. He trusted you to see to your mother’s welfare.”
Stunned, Alex sat on the closed toilet lid. That made no sense. Why would his father leave everything to the son he hadn’t seen in years? What if Alex had refused to come home? Years ago, that would have been the case. Then again, he’d been young, stupid, and filled with too much pride at that point. The Army had worked most of that out of him. “Does Porter know?”
“I informed him this morning. He was quite distraught over the news.”
Yeah, he’d just bet Port was upset by that. How was Alex supposed to take care of his mother when she literally hated the sight of him? He blew out a breath. “When did Dad make the change in his will, Mr. Yates?”
“During the summer.”
“Do you know why?”
“Not specifically. He mentioned some concern with your brother’s ability to handle the trust fund.”
Understatement, that. What a mess. Before he finished settling the estate, it was a sure bet that Porter would hate his guts as well. “I need an audit of the trust fund as soon as possible.”
“I’ll arrange it immediately. You need to stop by my office in the next few days so we can discuss your father’s will. Call me when you’re ready and we’ll arrange a time to meet.”
After ending the call, still Alex sat. In a way, the paintings were his to do with as he saw fit. Didn’t change the fact that his brother hadn’t known when he’d cooked up the scheme to steal the paintings and blame Alex.
His mother would never accept any help from him, money or otherwise. Before he returned to Otter Creek and his life, Alex would have to talk to Yates about being the liaison. The lawyer could keep an eye on things, let Alex make decisions behind the scenes. He knew his mother. As long as she had access to what she wanted and needed, she wouldn’t give a moment’s thought to the mechanics of obtaining those funds. All Alex had to do was follow the money, see if it traced back to Evans and his militia, and try to recover it. Piece of cake.
Right. If he couldn’t find the money and somehow get it back, he would be left shouldering the blame. Again. Even worse, how was he supposed to fire his own brother as manager of the trust fund? His relationship with Porter was already shaky. Replacing him as the financial manager would destroy whatever was left.
He glanced at his watch. He couldn’t sit and brood over the chaos in his life. Durango had a few hours before they would confront Sean Pierce as a unit. There was just enough time to return to the hotel, grab dinner, and take off.
Considering the rough afternoon, Alex thought presenting Ivy with another charm might be a good way to get her mind off the shooting. Exiting the bathroom, he followed the sound of Sam’s laughter to the living room. Nate and Quinn were on the floor, stacking wooden blocks for Sam to knock down with his toy truck.
His spotter glanced up when he stepped into the room. “In the wind, but left behind a .308 shell casing.”
Sam smiled at Alex until his eyes caught sight the white bandage on his arm. “Unca Alex boo-boo?”
“Yep.” He dropped to one knee as Sam hurried his direction.
“Sam make better.” The little boy leaned over and kissed the bandage, then beamed up at Alex.
“Thank you, slugger.” His voice came out husky. “It feels better already.”
“Sam, the guys have to go now,” Charlotte said. “Tell them goodbye.”
The toddler shifted his gaze to Alex. “Come back to play?”
“Soon, I promise.” After the shooter and poisoner were behind bars or six feet unde
r.
On the drive back to Hunter’s Glen, he summarized his conversation with Yates for Ivy, Del, and Josh.
Josh whistled. “That’s got to bite for Porter. Explains why he’s so hostile.”
“Not all of it. He didn’t know until this morning that Dad left everything in my hands. Most of the hostility came before that.”
“What are you going to do?” Del asked.
“Yates is arranging an audit of the trust fund, an official one. We’ll keep what Ethan’s forensic accountant discovered under wraps for now. If we find a connection to Blue Ridge Militia, I’ll see if Fortress can work any magic and liberate the funds scammed from the Morgan trust.”
Ivy laid her hand on his arm. “And Porter?”
He released one hand from the wheel and covered hers. “He can’t be trusted with the money, angel. He acted like a gambling addict this morning. The trust fund and Mother are now my responsibility. I can’t let him have control anymore.”
“Will you have to move back here?” she whispered.
He tightened his grip. “No. A few more visits to see Sam and the lawyer are in my future. My home is no longer here, Ivy. It’s in Otter Creek. There is nothing for me in Hunter’s Glen but an obligation which can be delegated and overseen from my house.” Would she, he wondered, have come with him if he’d felt the need to move? He could only hope she was that committed already. If the situation had been reversed, Alex would have packed up and followed her in a heartbeat. He would have racked up some serious airline miles to train with Durango, but that was a price he would gladly pay if it meant keeping his angel in his life.
He was totally in love with this woman and no one and nothing was going to force him to give her up.
After a dinner of steak, baked potatoes, and salad for everyone, Alex drew Ivy out onto the balcony. The warm night was offset by the breeze blowing through their hair. From the feel and scent of it, rain was coming.
“I wish you weren’t going to see Pierce,” Ivy said as she stared into a sky heavy with clouds. “I don’t have a good feeling about that.”
“We’ll be careful, angel.” He turned her to face him. “We’re good at our jobs and take every precaution possible. Trust us.”
“There’s still a risk.”
“Always.” His heart clenched. Was she realizing how dangerous his work was? His angel was strong, growing stronger every day. He believed she could handle his job. The question was, did she want him enough, love him enough to fight her fear for him?
“You better come back to me unharmed.”
Alex tugged her into his arms, kissed her. “I hear you, baby,” he whispered before diving back in for a deeper, longer kiss. When he raised his head to grab some much needed air, he slid his hand into his pocket and brought out the next charm he wanted to give her.
He twisted her bracelet, bent over to attach the charm before releasing her wrist.
She turned it, examined the new gift, looked puzzled. “A present?”
“That’s what you are to me, angel. The best gift anyone has ever given me, one I will always cherish.”
Ivy beamed at him much as Sam had earlier in the day. She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugged him close. “Thank you. I’m thinking about a gift for you, something special. It will be a while before I give it to you, though.”
That intrigued him. And sent a surge of excitement through his bloodstream. He grinned. Who knew he was as bad as a kid on Christmas morning when it came to presents? Except for the Cahills, no one had given him a present since he left home. “Give me a hint?”
She laughed. “And spoil the surprise? No way.”
He tried for the next few minutes to wheedle information from her, but his angel with the spine of steel refused to budge. A tap on the balcony door told him it was almost time for Durango to move out.
The smile faded on Ivy’s face. She cupped his face between her palms. “Be careful, love.”
“You have my word, angel. I have too much to live for.” Alex kissed her one more time, then joined his teammates.
The door closed with an awful finality behind Durango. Del gave Ivy a one-armed hug. “He’s going to be fine,” she said. “They all are. We saw what they’re capable of in taking down Granger and Wright. Pierce is nothing compared to those creeps.”
Ivy nodded. “I know.” Didn’t mean something couldn’t happen to them. Worrying about it solved nothing, however. “So what are we going to do in the meantime?”
“Watch a movie?” Stella suggested.
They tried that for a couple hours. Ivy shook her head in disgust. A gazillion cable channels and still nothing was on that caught their interest. She turned it off, turned to her cousin and the marshal. “Okay, now what? If I don’t keep my mind occupied, I’ll worry about Alex and the other guys.”
“Talk.” Del trekked into the kitchen, grabbed three bottles of water from the counter. “What’s new on your bracelet, Ivy?”
“A wrapped gift.”
“And that stands for?” Stella prompted.
“Me. Alex said I was the best gift he’d ever been given and he would always cherish me.” She blinked the sudden mist from her eyes.
“Oh, man.” Del grabbed a tissue from a nearby box, pressed it to her eyes. “If I wasn’t head-over-heels in love with my husband, I’d try for him.”
“Wow.” Stella flapped her hands in front of her face. “Don’t you make me cry, Ivy. I’m an ugly crier. Face gets all red, eyes puff up, nose stuffed up.”
She grinned. “Sorry and I’m not sharing.”
“I don’t blame you. I didn’t get to hear the whole story about your interviews this morning. Tell me what happened.”
Ivy relayed the account of the interviews with Elise and Anthony. She spent more time talking about Alex’s confrontation with Porter.
Del set aside her empty bottle. “Alex must be really hurting over this. Doing what’s right is going to destroy any chance of reconciling with his family.”
“And yet he’ll still do what’s right because that’s who he is.” Ivy turned to Stella. “What about you and Nate?”
The marshal’s face turned pink. “What about us?”
“Hey, you’ve been digging at me for months about Alex. It’s your turn.”
“We talk.”
Del curled her legs up under her. “How often?”
“A few times a week.”
“Been on a date yet?” Ivy asked.
“A handful.” Stella sighed. “It’s hard to work out time when our schedules are so erratic and we’re in different states.”
“He’s worth the effort.”
“No argument here.” She stood up. “Enough. I don’t have anything to add to that subject right now. So, got any good books to read, Del?”
She laughed and rose. “Absolutely. I picked up several at the bookstore where I bought Sam’s book. Didn’t you notice?”
“Too busy with your security, Mrs. Cahill.”
“Well, step right into my mobile bookstore, Marshal Grayson. I have several selections that might interest you.” Del started toward the other end of the suite. “You coming, Ivy?”
“Just bring something back for me. You know what I like.”
“Sappy romance and romantic suspense. Bought both.”
Del and Stella left the common area of the suite, leaving Ivy to her own tortured thoughts. She hadn’t been kidding her cousin. Her unoccupied mind turned automatically to wondering if Alex was safe. At least when she was working, her classes, class prep, and paper grading would keep her busy when Alex was gone.
To keep from driving herself crazy, Ivy dug up some paper, grabbed a pen and started sketching the idea she had for a painting for Alex. Laughter drifted in from the other room. The happy sound brought a smile to her face. Del was deliriously happy being married to Josh. He was so good for her and to her.
More strokes of the pen, her idea coming to life on the paper. She couldn’t wait to see his expression w
hen he saw the finished product.
A light tap sounded on the suite door. Her breath caught. It couldn’t be one of the guys. They would have used the key card. Maybe it was housekeeping.
She went to the door and peered through the peep hole.
Porter? What was he doing here? Maybe looking for Alex. “What do you want, Porter?” she asked through the door.
“Ivy? Thank God. Open up. You’ve got to come with me. Alex has been hurt. He’s critical. I’ve come to take you to him.”
Shock rolled through her. No! She fumbled with the door locks, finally managed to jerk them free and open the door. She had only a split second to realize Alex’s brother had a gun pointed right at her before he yanked her out into the hall.
“One sound and I will shoot you, then kill your friends. Do you understand?”
Ivy swallowed hard, her throat tight. She nodded. Porter might shoot Del. She couldn’t let him near her cousin and if something happened to Stella, Del would have no protection.
Porter dragged her down the hall, shoved her toward the staircase. Once the door closed, he clamped his arm around her shoulders, pressed the gun into her side. “Move, Ivy. We’re going to take a little ride.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Shut up and walk.” He jammed the muzzle into her side.
Ivy gritted her teeth against the pain in her ribs and walked, afraid he might shoot her by accident if she resisted or dragged her feet. The next time she and Alex worked on self-defense, he’d have to teach her how to deal with a gun-wielding thug.
She blinked against the sudden onslaught of moisture. If she got to work with him again. No, she refused to think that way. Alex would find her. Porter wanted his brother, not her. She was just the bait. And, she reminded herself, she wasn’t helpless. She had a good brain, some skills. All Ivy needed was a moment of inattention on Porter’s part.
In the darkened parking lot, Alex’s brother hurried her to his car. In the distance, she heard Del scream her name.
Porter used the remote to unlock his vehicle. He opened the passenger door and shoved her in. “Climb over. You’re driving. You’re going to follow every traffic law to the letter. If you draw attention to us, I’ll shoot you. I have nothing to lose.”
