Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty-Eight

“ A re there other recent files on the hard drive?” Alexandra asked Lee.

“No. I’ll do another scan in case I missed something, but…”

In spite of everything, she laughed. Lee didn’t miss anything in this area. He could pull exonerating videos out of thin air.

“Looks like I’ve been tasked with going over Kendall’s work in relation to Drake’s projects that she managed after he was arrested,” Lee said.

“Didn’t Rob Anderson take over those?”

“He did, but when I left and he took over running the office, several of the projects went to Calvin Moss.”

“Calvin, who is buying the company,” Erica said.

“And Kendall mentioned him. When did he leave T&D?”

“A few months after you and JT split,” Lee said. “He started his own firm with a partner. Took some clients with him. It wasn’t pretty.”

“Yet you’re selling to him?” Alexandra asked.

JT shrugged. “I want out. He does good work. Hell, he was landing half the contracts we didn’t get anyway.”

Lee closed the laptop and stood. “That’s all I found on the hard drive. Now, we have a holiday dinner to enjoy.”

Alexandra let out a heavy sigh. For a moment, she’d forgotten what day it was. She’d forgotten the joy she’d felt earlier. She’d slipped into a painful past and knew there was more pain to come.

JT wrapped an arm around her and whispered, “Can we share our news?”

Warmth spread from her center. Yes. This was what she needed right now. A return to joy.

She nodded and turned to Erica. “Are you busy on New Year’s Eve?”

Erica’s brow furrowed. “Well, there’s this whole closing party for the sale that JT insisted had to happen on that date, and Lee says I have to go.”

“That’s fine, because I’ll be there too. But I asked because before—or maybe it will be after?—we haven’t discussed how it will work, but I’ll be in need of a matron of honor, and was wondering…”

Erica squealed and wrapped Alexandra in a tight hug.

Over Erica’s shoulder, she watched as Lee embraced JT. “I’d better be best man.”

“That’s always been the plan.”

JT turned to face the rest of the gathering. “You’re all invited, of course. New Year’s Eve wedding at the Mayflower.”

Shock rippled through Alexandra. “You booked the Mayflower? For a business transaction? On New Year’s Eve?”

It had been the venue for their canceled wedding all those years ago. It was also where she’d officially given him his ring back.

He held her gaze. “I booked one of the smaller ballrooms, Palm Court, because it also includes an office, which we needed for signing the closing documents. When I thought about where I wanted to be when I let go of the company that’s directed the course of my life, it felt appropriate. For better or for worse. The Mayflower is the place where the best thing in my life began and ended.”

“It’s perfect.” She smiled at Erica. “I think I’m going to need a dress that’s Mayflower-worthy. You up for shopping this week?”

C hristmas dinner was the most fun Alexandra had had on Christmas Day since the early years with JT, when it was just the two of them and they were crazy in love.

This was completely different—no fewer than thirty people including the three toddlers, several senior Raptor operatives and their partners—all of whom had worked with and were friends with JT or Lee—and at least ten operatives who lived in the compound all gathered in the compound’s large dining hall, which had four tables arranged to form a rectangle large enough to accommodate everyone.

Alexandra had met some of the couples at Erica’s wedding but there were several she was meeting for the first time. Not surprisingly, they all knew exactly who she was. A pretty psychology graduate student named Eden, who was the newest and youngest member of the group and engaged to a Raptor operative, said even she had been read in and knew JT had been pining for her before the news of the shooting had broken on Monday night.

To Alexandra’s right were Leah and Nate. Leah was a drone engineer who lived with Nate, one of the senior operatives. To her left was Gemma, with JT flanking her on the other side.

Gemma made a mess of her mashed sweet potatoes and other ground foods. Grace and Colin sat across the table from Gemma. Her daughter made squeals of delight at her friends and generally enjoyed the noise and excitement of being surrounded by so many new people.

Gemma was a social girl, that was certain. Colin was less so, but he was comfortable with his friend Grace at his side, and he had his trains lined up around his plate just so .

Alexandra breathed deeply as her gaze wandered around the table filled with a few old friends and a lot of new ones. Laughter and teasing filled the room with a joyful buzz. It was unlike anything she’d experienced in so long. And she was here with her daughter and JT.

She was going to marry JT one week from tonight.

It was really going to happen this time.

Plus, JT was selling the company that had been an albatross around his neck since long before she met him. Who would JT be without T&D?

He’d be lighter, that was for sure.

She caught Erica’s gaze from across the table. Erica’s eyes flicked from JT, who was sharing his stuffing and gravy-covered mashed potatoes with Gemma now that she’d finished off the sweet potatoes. He spoke in a voice pitched to engage a toddler and was playing a word game with her, teaching her alternate words for “yes” and “no.”

Gemma stubbornly refused to vary her language, sticking with the words that worked best.

Defeated, JT said, “Fine, then. Want a bite of mashed potatoes?”

“Okay.” Gemma’s grin was wide.

Erica pressed a hand to her chest as she laughed with the rest of them, then raised her hands beside her cheeks and made a noise as she moved her fingers in imitation of an explosion, showing her mind was blown.

Alexandra laughed with her. Her mind was blown too. She never would have believed JT would embrace the role of father. Even back when they’d been engaged and she’d hoped he’d change his mind about children, she’d been mentally prepared to be on her own when it came to caretaking.

She would have even accepted it as part of the deal back then. It was another reason why it was good that they’d broken up when they did. It would have been an unhappy marriage, with or without children.

They’d both had to grow and change.

She smiled at JT over Gemma’s head. “Thank you. This is amazing.”

His eyes shone with warmth. “I love you.”

This time, she knew his love would be enough.

I t was after nine when they loaded a sleepy Gemma into JT’s SUV and headed to Alexandra’s house, which was closer to the Raptor compound than JT’s Maryland estate. Considering she’d left the house for five days without planning to be away at all, she was eager to get home and make sure everything was fine.

The police had served a search warrant in her absence. The search had been conducted Tuesday afternoon. The warrant limited their search to looking for signs she’d been home or where she might have fled to, which meant they’d accessed her computer to view search history and recent emails, but they hadn’t removed anything from the house.

Her financial and phone records had been released to MSP yesterday. As long as the investigation into the shooting remained open, she would remain a suspect. They would likely request more financial information, but unless they produced a new warrant, she wouldn’t give them any more information.

She was braced for the worst as she unlocked the door using the spare key she’d given Erica. The police had her purse and keys along with her impounded vehicle. It was all evidence and unlikely to be released anytime soon. At least they’d used the keys to enter the house instead of breaking the door down. A reason to be glad she hadn’t retrieved anything from her vehicle before running. She hadn’t needed to because Kendall’s house key had been in her coat pocket.

JT held a sleeping Gemma against his chest as she entered the dark foyer. The alarm had been disabled by the cops and didn’t beep as she entered.

“Take Gemma. I want to search the place.”

Knowing the police had been watching the house, she hadn’t considered that the shooter could have been here too, but with the alarm off, there was always a chance someone could have slipped past the surveillance—which hadn’t been constant.

Gemma let out an angry cry at being woken again for the handoff and remained angry that Alexandra held her tight instead of letting her roam while JT searched.

“Sorry, honeybun. You can’t explore yet.”

Little fists pummeled her, and Gemma’s wail was earsplitting. The joys of having an overtired toddler.

The house was chilly. Someone must have turned off the heat pump, which ran on a schedule. Why would the police mess with her system?

JT returned after several minutes. He tucked a pistol into a holster—he must’ve gotten both from Keith at some point. They’d have to figure out ground rules for guns in the house with Gemma. She had a fireproof safe, but she suspected JT would want to keep it close while the shooter remained at large and unidentified.

He caught her gaze. “We’ll talk about it. First, let’s get Gemma in her crib so we can go through the house together. I think someone other than the cops has been here.”

G emma was not happy about being placed in baby jail before she got to re-explore the house she’d been away from for five days. She fought her diaper change, refused to sit with Alexandra in the rocking chair for a bottle and book, and, for an encore, threw Panny and Tee-Tee out of the crib.

Beyond overtired, she would not be soothed. Alexandra had no choice but to give her Panny and Tee-Tee again and tell her she was staying in bed until morning.

She turned her big, crying eyes to JT and raised her arms, a plea for him to spring her from jail. “Unky Tee! Up!”

“And so it begins,” Alexandra murmured. “Trying to play us off each other.”

She watched as he hesitated.

“Don’t fall for it,” she warned.

He gave a little half smile. “I won’t. It’s just… Would it be okay if she calls me Daddy, if not now, then at some point?”

Her heart did another little flip. “It would be easier to introduce that now.” She picked up the bottle from the rocker and approached the crib. “Give Mommy a night-night kiss, and you can have your bottle with Daddy.”

Gemma’s face scrunched, but she eyed the bottle.

JT touched his chest. “Daddy Tee. Daddy.”

She raised her arms to him. He took the bottle from Alexandra, then lifted Gemma from the crib.

Alexandra nodded toward the rocking chair. “I usually read her a few board books while she has her bottle. I’d limit it to one tonight because she’s so overtired and doesn’t need any kind of stimulation. If she doesn’t settle down by the time the bottle is empty, just put her in the crib again and let her cry. But I think the novelty of you being the one to hold her might do the trick.”

She kissed Gemma’s cheek and left the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

This Christmas was full of gifts, and no price could be placed on the best ones.