Agent by Her Side

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  “You’re really not that smart, Agent,” Meghan answered. She gestured toward Kiely. “She led me right to you.”

  Cooper looked confused.

  “I saw her in the store buying groceries. And I followed her. She led me right here to you.”

  Cooper nodded as understanding washed over him. Meghan had likely mistaken Pippa for her twin sister.

  “And just so you know,” Meghan continued, “she’s not loyal. I saw her hugged up with that detective that you’ve been working with. Your girlfriend here has been lying to you. I would never do something like that to my Wes. I would ride or die for Wes Matthews.”

  “Where is Wes now?” Kiely questioned.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know! He’s safe. That’s all that matters. Wes is safe and you can’t get to him.” She suddenly reached into the back pocket of her pants and pulled out two plastic zip ties, tossing them both at Kiely. “Secure his hands and then do yours. Do it now!”

  “It’s okay,” Cooper said, the comment meant for Alfie who was peeking out again. He held out his hands, his palms together, and Kiely secured the zip ties around his wrists.

  “Make them tighter,” Meghan snapped.

  Kiely did as she was told, securing the zip ties even tighter. She pressed her fingers against the backs of Cooper’s hands. Her touch was consoling. Her hands were steady, no fear reflected in her body language. He sat back down and she turned toward Meghan. “Now what?”

  “Secure your wrists, that’s what!”

  “I can’t do my own hands,” Kiely said.

  Frustration furrowed Meghan’s brow. “You can and you will!” She took two fury-filled steps toward Kiely.

  As she closed the distance between them, Kiely sprang into action. Meghan wasn’t expecting the karate kick that landed in her chest. As she fell backward, Kiely slammed her a second time, dislodging the gun from her hands. When it fell to the floor Cooper lunged for it. Meghan scrambled to her feet faster than Kiely had anticipated. She also dove for the weapon, but Kiely blocked her. The two women were suddenly trading blows, each punch harder than the last. Going toe to toe, Meghan landed a blow that dropped Kiely to her knees.

  At that moment, Alfie sprang out from the ottoman, tears streaming down his little face. He screamed Kiely’s name, crying hysterically. “Ki-Ki! Ki-Ki!”

  Meghan’s eyes widened at the sight of him. It proved to be just enough of a distraction when Cooper reached the gun, took aim and fired.

  Chapter 14

  Kiely sat on the front porch of the home rocking Alfie in her lap. It had been a good two hours since those shots were fired and the little boy was still traumatized. After being reassured that he’d been a very good boy to do what Kiely had wanted of him, he’d finally stopped crying, sitting quietly with his thumb in his mouth.

  Inside, Meghan Otis was dead. The threat to Cooper and his family no longer existed. One piece of the larger puzzle had been found. Agents continued to traipse in and out of the house. They had finally breached the entrance just as Cooper had discharged that weapon. In the mayhem that followed Kiely had grabbed Alfie, using her body to shield him from any harm and the sight of the dead woman lying on the floor. Now, Kiely was ready to take him back to Grand Rapids and home.

  Cooper stood in the doorway watching the two of them. Kiely had refused medical attention. “It’s only a black eye,” she had said. “It’s not my first and it and the bruises will eventually go away.”

  “I just want to be...” he had started.

  “Just make sure Alfie isn’t injured,” she said, interrupting his comment. “There was a lot of glass flying and that explosion may have hurt his eardrums.”

  He stuck his hands deep into the pockets of his pants. Kiely had put herself in danger to protect his son, and him. During the commotion, he’d been petrified that anything could go horribly wrong and he could have lost her. His love for Kiely was corporeal. Thick, rich, nurturing. She’d become his lifeline. The air he needed to breathe. The sunshine that brightened each day. She loved him and he couldn’t begin to fathom how he’d gotten so lucky. And most importantly, she loved his son as if Alfie were her own.

  Watching her hold him in her lap, her arms protective vises to keep him safe from harm, the gentle reassurances whispered against the child’s cheek, reaffirmed that fate had blessed him and his immensely. He had no intentions of letting karma take that from them.

  He moved to where she sat and dropped down onto the top step beside her. Alfie tapped his arm with his foot.

  “Hey,” Kiely said softly. “How’s it going in there?”

  “They’re almost done. But we’re going to head out in a few minutes. I’m ready to go back home and I know you are, too. It’s been a long day.”

  Kiely touched the bandage on his arm where he’d been cut by glass rolling on the floor. “What did the medic say about your ribs?”

  “That I should take a few weeks off to heal.”

  Kiely laughed. “Where have I heard that before?”

  Cooper wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “This isn’t the most romantic time to ask you this question and I don’t have a ring, but...” He moved to the step below them, dropping down onto one knee. “Will you marry me, Kiely Colton? Will you marry me and my son?”

  Before Kiely could answer, another black sedan pulled in front of the home, coming to a screeching halt. Tripp, Emmanuel and Riley Colton exited the vehicle, rushing to where they sat.

  Cooper shook hands with the trio.

  “You all good?” Tripp questioned.

  Cooper nodded. “We are.”

  “My guys just picked up Neil Otis for questioning. The kid is telling everything and he’s given us full access to his mother’s personal possessions. We might have another lead on Matthews.”

  “That’s good work,” Cooper said. He gestured to Grand Rapids’ finest to follow him into the house. He leaned to kiss Kiely’s cheek as he passed her.

  Riley stood in front of her. His expression was intense as he debated whether to fuss at her or not.

  “Hey, big brother,” she said.

  “Hey! You know you scared the hell out of me, right? Emmanuel called saying there had been a shooting and a woman had been killed. He didn’t have any details and we knew you were up here alone.”

  “Sorry about that.” She shifted Alfie against her lap and the child sat up straighter. He eyed Riley curiously, his gaze moving from the man’s head to his toes.

  “Who’s this?” Riley asked. He gave Alfie a little poke with his index finger and the little boy giggled.

  Kiely smiled a dazzling smile that lit up her face. “This is Alfie. He’s mine. He’s going to keep me!”

  Riley nodded. “Okay. If it works for you, it works for me.” He held out his hand. “Hey, kid! I’m Uncle Riley!”

  Alfie smiled, pulling his thumb from his mouth. “Hi! My name Alfie!”

  * * *

  Cooper and Kiely both knew that bringing a sense of normalcy back to their lives would be the best thing for Alfie. After a quick Happy Meal dinner at McDonald’s, he had fallen asleep on the ride back to Grand Rapids. By the time Riley dropped them off at Cooper’s home, the kid’s power nap had him wide open. His excitement was infectious as he raced from room to room, exploring the repairs and renovations, happy to be back in familiar surroundings.

  Riley and Cooper stood in conversation as Kiely assessed the contents of the refrigerator and cupboards. They needed a serious food delivery; Alfie was in want of milk and snacks.

  “I’ll touch base with Tripp in the morning to see where we’re at with Neil Otis. My office can help run down any information he gets,” Riley said.

  “I appreciate that,” Cooper said. “I’m officially on desk duty pending the agency’s investigation of the shooting.”

  Riley shot a look in his sister’s directio
n. Kiely was muttering under her breath, making lists and quietly fussing about all she needed to do. He shook his head. “What did you do to her?”

  “Excuse me?” Cooper looked confused.

  “She’s being nice. It’s like she’s been transformed. You didn’t work some sort of Stepford Wives thing on her, did you?”

  Cooper laughed. “You probably know better than I that Kiely does exactly what Kiely wants to do.”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Your sister is an amazing woman. I’ve fallen in love with her. I asked her to marry me.”

  “You’re moving fast, aren’t you?”

  Cooper shrugged. “I think when you know, you know.”

  Riley suddenly thought about the woman he would soon be marrying. Charlize was pregnant with his baby, and he had lost much time with her, fighting what he knew. He would never want Kiely to make that mistake if Cooper was the man for her. He extended his arm to shake Cooper’s hand. “I’m sure my sisters have already threatened you,” he said. “Just make sure you take care of Kiely. I would hate to see them hurt you.”

  “She’s in good hands. I promise you, I will protect her with my life.” The two men shook hands one last time.

  Riley sauntered to the kitchen, reaching out his arms to give Kiely a hug. “Call me if you need anything,” he said.

  “Thank you,” Kiely said. “We do need to talk soon. I want to make some changes.”

  “We all need to meet in the next day or so. Let’s plan on talking then?”

  Kiely nodded. “I love you, Riley.”

  Her brother winked his eye at her. “I love you more!”

  “Bye, Wi-ley!” Alfie screamed from the other side of the room. He had stacked a pile of blocks, trying to build a fort.

  Riley waved. “See you later, alligator!”

  “After while, croc-dile!”

  * * *

  Cooper was happy to be back in his own bed. He was even happier that Kiely lay beside him. They were both still wide awake, chatting easily as they made plans for their future. Earlier, shortly after Alfie had finally fallen to sleep for the night, Cooper had dropped onto his knee a second time to ask Kiely to be his wife. This time he produced his mother’s engagement ring, a family heirloom that he’d inherited after she had passed. It was a meticulously handcrafted vintage design band of solid fourteen-carat white gold with a stunning two-carat natural diamond and a trellis of diamonds cascading downward from either side.

  After she had said yes, kissing him passionately, they had both called their families to give them the happy news.

  “I want to hyphenate my name after we get married,” Kiely was saying. “Kiely Colton-Winston. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”

  “No, not at all.”

  “Because my father made me a Colton. That means something to me. I can’t see myself ever letting that go. It’s my identity, who I am. I’m the daughter of a Colton.”

  “Kiely, I respect that. I want you to carry my name, but I don’t want you to lose your identity to do that. Colton-Winston works for me.”

  “Thank you. Also, I don’t want a big wedding. Nothing extravagant. In fact, a civil ceremony down at Town Hall and maybe a reception in the backyard would suit me just fine. Just something very casual.”

  Cooper chucked. “Do you even want to wear a wedding gown?”

  “Only if you insist.”

  He nodded. “It would be nice.”

  “Okay. Just for you.” She lifted her lips to his and kissed him, then laid herself back down beside him. “Now, what requests do you have of me?”

  “I want you to adopt Alfie. I want you to legally be his mother.”

  Kiely turned to eye him closely. “But... Sara...”

  “Sara gave birth to him. And she died after. She will always be his mother. No one can take that from her or from him. And we will tell him about her. He will know the sacrifices she made for him to be here. But, you are the only mother he will ever know. You love him as if you had birthed him yourself. I want you and Alfie to have all the legal protections you would have if your name were on his birth certificate. I need to know that if, heaven forbid, anything ever happened to me that you will be there for Alfie. He has never been able to call anyone mommy. I want him to call you his mommy.”

  * * *

  For the first time, in a very long time, Kiely wasn’t able to hold back her tears. She cried. She cried like a baby herself. She cried to release the fear that had gripped her earlier. She cried for Meghan Otis who had loved a man unworthy of her heart. She cried for the woman’s son and the pain he would now have to endure after the loss of his mother. She cried for Cooper who was trying to be a wall of strength for everyone else. She cried for Alfie and the innocence this case had tried to steal from him. She cried for Brody and all those people who’d been harmed by Wes Matthews, Landon Street and Tate Greer, and everyone else affiliated with this whole mess. And she cried for herself and the journey that had taken her far from what she imagined her life to be and had dropped her exactly where she was supposed to be.

  Wiping at her eyes with the backs of her hands, she brushed her tears over her cheeks. Cooper wrapped her in his arms and held her until she was all cried out.

  “I didn’t mean to make you cry,” Cooper said softly.

  “These are happy tears,” Kiely responded. “I love you so much. And I love Alfie. And I don’t ever want to lose either one of you. Yes, I wouldn’t hesitate to adopt him. I want to be his mother and your wife.”

  Kiely rolled above him, straddling her body over his. There was a long pause of silence as she stared into his eyes. When she leaned in, their lips met, barely brushing against each other before she pulled back from his touch.

  Cooper eased his hands into the length of her hair and pulled her back to him. He captured her lips above his own and kissed her hard. His tongue invaded her mouth and they shared the most sensuous French kiss.

  His hands wrapped around her waist, his fingers grazing the taut skin of her behind. He let go of her head and began to work the buttons on her flannel pajama top. His fingers were trembling as he undid each button, exposing her breasts. Cooper massaged one breast and then the other. As he lightly pinched and tweaked her nipples, a low moan escaped Kiely’s throat.

  Following suit, Kiely pulled at the string that held his pants closed and slipped her hands inside to tease the curl of pubic hair that nested his erection. Their lips met again as Cooper held her tightly to his body. He suddenly swept an arm around her waist and flipped her until her body was beneath his. He nibbled her earlobe, teasing her with his tongue. Kissing down the length of her neck, he licked and nipped at her skin, his pace slow as he explored each square inch of her.

  Cooper glanced at her face. Kiely’s eyes were closed and there was a beautiful smile on her face. When he sucked her nipple past his lips, she gasped. He moved from one to the other like a man starved, bringing each nipple to a peak. Cooper continued his ministrations, moving slowly down the length of her torso until he reached her feminine core.

  Droplets of dew clung to the hair of her landing strip. Her sensual aroma had him brick hard, anticipation fueling the trail he left with his mouth. She squealed when he snaked his tongue into her. She spread herself open, her legs wide as he tasted her, feasting on the pinkness that lined her most private space.

  He dipped and dabbled with his mouth, purposely avoiding the sensual nub as he built her up until she was desperate for release. She tasted sweet and when his tongue grazed her clit and he sucked the little nub into his mouth, Kiely arched her back and fisted the sheets beneath her.

  Cooper whipped his tongue back and forth until she cried out and her juices flooded the bed beneath her buttocks. He eased himself between her legs, teasing the inner walls with his body. She met him stroke for stroke and then he felt her clench down and tight
en her body around his as another orgasm ripped through her, followed closely by a third. A tear slid past her lashes as she clung to him, her nails digging into the flesh along his back. He pumped himself in and out, round and round, back and forth. When his own orgasm hit, Kiely exploded one more time, slipping sweetly with him into an erotic bliss.

  The morning sunrise found them still wrapped around each other. When Kiely woke, Cooper had rolled over onto his back and she lay with half her body covering his. His morning erection beckoned for her attention. Cooper opened his eyes as she lifted herself back above him. He gasped as she plunged her body back down against his. She rotated her hips slowly against him as he reached both hands out to grasp her by the waist.

  He gasped. “Good morning!”

  “Good morning,” she said, biting down against her bottom lip. “I thought I’d start your day off with a little dessert!”

  * * *

  “No wanna go to da school,” Alfie said later that morning, stomping his foot at Kiely.

  “Alfie, you have to go to school, precious. Your friends miss you!”

  “Wanna stay wit’ you, Ki-Ki!”

  Cooper blew a soft sigh. Alfie had been fighting him at every step since he’d wakened. Kicking and screaming he hadn’t wanted to brush his teeth, get dressed, comb his hair or eat his breakfast. Now he was adamant that he wasn’t leaving the house.

  Kiely sat down on the floor beside him, wrapping him in a hug. “I’ll tell you what. We’ll let Daddy go on to work and you and I will go to school together. I will take you to your class and when I’m done doing my work, I will come back and get you.”

  “Promise?”

  “I promise.”

  “You back in two minutes, o-kay?”

  Kiely smiled. “Two hours, okay?”

  Alfie pondered for a moment. “O-kay.” He gave his father the evil eye. “I go school wit’ my Ki-Ki, Dad-dy.”