Chapter 23

23

I was standingin Garrett’s kitchen loading the dishwasher when my mom came in sans Gracie.

“Did she go down okay?”

“She always does.”

It was the morning after a seriously shitty night. Telling Christian his father was in heaven with his mommy had been excruciating. So many tears, I thought they’d never end. The high-pitched scream that was torn from my nephew’s soul had made my mother physically ill. She’d had to excuse herself to pull herself together.

I wasn’t the one who’d held my family together last night; my father did. Then I texted Garrett, and within fifteen minutes he was home and he’d held me together while my father concentrated on Christian and my mom. Poor little Gracie was blissfully unaware.

“What time are you and your father leaving to go to Garrett’s work?”

This was something that happened this morning. Garrett needed to go into the office, so one of his teammates named Kevin came over. Kevin was supposed to accompany us to Z Corps but my mom wanted to keep the kids at home. So my dad was driving us over.

My dad, not me.

That had been Garrett’s decree. Which meant I was for sure driving even though I wasn’t fond of city traffic and I’d never in my life been to Annapolis. I had navigation in my car and with my dad riding shotgun he could direct me.

“As soon as I finish up here.”

“Please stay.”

I dropped the sponge in the sink and faced my mom.

“Kevin’s here. He’s staying,” I reminded her.

“No, Mellie.” She shook her head. “I mean after we leave. Please stay here with Garrett. If you’re not ready to commit to the long term, stay a few weeks, a month. Just stay.”

Oh, shit.

I wasn’t ready to have this conversation.

“Mom—”

“For me. This will be the last thing I ever ask you to do for me. Stay here, be happy. I took so much. I relied on you for everything. It wasn’t right. Please, Melissa, give me this. Give yourself this.”

Something else I had to do today was call my boss and update her on my “family emergency.” When I’d first called in and told her I had to leave town I know she thought the emergency had to do with my brother in Colorado. I hadn’t corrected her, but now with word about Slater’s murder running through the town, God knows what she thought. I wouldn’t be surprised if the gossip tree twisted the story into me and my parents running as fugitives of the law, wanted in connection with killing Slater.

I was thinking that as a joke, however, that might actually be the case and I needed to call a few friends and check on the rumor mill before my parents headed back.

I caught myself. My parents? Just my parents, or was I going back with them? And shouldn’t it have been when we were going home not back? Did I think of Maryland and Garrett’s house as home?

Already?

I was so confused I couldn’t keep a straight thought.

“Let me get through today then I’ll think about it.”

“He loves you,” she put in.

“I know he does. He tells me all the time. And you know I love him. I’m just not sure if I can leave Gracie and Christian.”

Surprisingly her chin jutted out. Not surprisingly she gave in, “Okay.”

I wasn’t sure what the stubborn lift of her jaw was all about but the last few days my mother had shocked me in ways I never thought she could.

“Kevin’s upstairs with Christian playing some golf game on the TV,” my father said coming into the kitchen. “Are you ready to hit the road?”

I wasn’t sure how to answer that. Was I ready to see where Garrett worked, yes. Was I ready to meet a bunch of people he considered his best friends, not so much. Was I ready to drive in city traffic to prove a point, not so much either.

“Yeah. I’m ready.”

“Where are your keys? I’ll go warm up the car.”

“Dad, it’s not the 1960’s. My car is fuel-injected. We left carburetors and manual chokes to you old timers. In other words, my car doesn’t need to warm up and I’m driving.”

“You’re driving?” he gasped. “Garrett said—”

“Garrett’s not the boss of me, dad.”

“No you’re right he’s not. But he knows you hate driving in the city. From what I understand his office is downtown.”

“Dad, I’m driving.”

“Sweet baby Jesus take the wheel,” my father dramatically prayed. “Katie, light some candles.”

“Dad, we’re not Catholic.”

“We are today,” he muttered and walked to my mom.

I left them alone in the kitchen to go upstairs to grab my purse.

As soon as I hit the top landing-slash-loft space I stopped. Kevin was standing behind Christian helping him keep his arms straight while he swung a white videogame controller. I didn’t have the first clue what they were playing but I did know how I felt about it. I wished with all my might that my nephew could have this. Not the videogame or Garrett’s huge house but uncles—lots and lots of uncles. And in gaining them not lose his grandfather.

* * *

By the timewe made it to Garrett’s downtown office my nerves were frazzled. As in shot. Traffic had been horrendous. At one point the only thing that kept me from stopping on the side of the highway and telling my father to drive was sheer stubbornness. And it totally sucked I’d been so out of sorts when Garrett met us in the lobby because I missed out on all the high-tech gadgets. I’d vaguely heard something about retinal and biometric scanners, facial rec, each door having their own security to get through.

Now I was standing in Garrett’s office which was actually more like a glass-enclosed command center on a spaceship complete with the option to smoke out the glass if he needed privacy. The cavernous space surrounding his office was all chrome, clean lines, and dark colors making all of it classy and masculine.

I noted the mess all over his desks. “Your office is a pit.”

Yes, he had more than one desk and more than one computer monitor. He actually had three big monitors and two laptops.

“And you have filing cabinets. I shudder to think of how many trees are in those drawers.”

“Come here, Mellie.”

“I’m unsure if it’s safe for me to fully enter your lair. I might trip and fall and get lost under a stack of papers.”

“Come here, Mellie.”

Not one to follow orders, I stood my ground.

With a sigh, Garrett made his way to me muttering, “You’re lucky you’re beautiful and a great lay or you’d be a pain in the ass.”

“You’re lucky you’re good looking and great lay or you’d be a seriously bossy pain in the ass.”

He stopped in front of me and just as he did, I heard Cash behind me.

“Aw, your first lovers’ spat.”

“Go away,” Garrett barked.

“Zane’s waiting in the conference room,” Cash informed us. “Everyone including Jeremy is already in there.”

“We’ll be there in a second.”

“If that’s all it takes, then—”

“Cash!”

“Glad to see getting it on the regular hasn’t changed your pleasant disposition.”

Unfortunately, no one was getting it regular with my parents and kids in the house. Nothing other than a few quick kisses had been had.

Cash must’ve walked away because Garrett’s eyes tipped down to mine.

“I love you, Mellie.”

There will never come a day when I don’t cherish those words coming from Garrett.

I desperately wanted to say them back, but I couldn’t until I knew where home was.

No, that was easy—home was wherever Garrett was.

“I need a few more days,” I whispered.

“Baby, you have all of my days. Take as many as you need.”

I love youI thought in my head.

* * *

I was blamingmy stupor on my traffic-frazzled mind.

“Another one bites the dust,” Cash muttered.

“We need to start a pool. How many seconds does it take for the Zane Lewis Haze to wear off?” a new man spoke.

That was Zane Lewis.

The man with black hair, sapphire blue eyes, tall, built, with a baby strapped to the front of him. But even though the baby was securely fastened in he still had one of his big hands holding the precious bundle close to his chest.

That was the condom joke teller Zane Lewis.

Lord almighty.

Zane’s gaze slid to Garrett then came back to me and he smiled, taking him from good looking to exceptionally hot.

“He has dimples.”

My hand shot up and I covered my mouth.

Holy shit, I said that out loud. In front of everyone.

The room exploded into laughter just as Kira walked in.

“Did the Dimple King smile?” she asked.

“Do you have to ask?” Garrett grumbled.

Oh, crap.

I turned my head, looked up at him and found he was already looking at me. He leaned down, brushed his lips across my forehead, and kissed my temple.

“Let’s sit so we can get this done,” he murmured.

Well, at least he wasn’t mad I’d ogled his boss.

Garrett introduced my dad to everyone including the man I didn’t know, Lincoln Parker. I now saw his resemblance to Zane.

There was a knock on the doorjamb and a beautiful brunette walked in.

“Sorry to interrupt. Before you start your meeting, “I’ll take Rose,” she said and stopped in front of Zane.

“That’s Ivy, Zane’s wife.”

I could totally see that. They fit, and not because they were both beautiful. There was just something about them standing next to each other that seemed natural.

“I’ve got her,” Zane argued.

“She’s going to be awake and ready to eat in ten minutes.”

“So, I can feed her.”

Zane wrapped an arm around the baby.

I leaned close to Garrett and whispered, “Are they going to wrestle for who gets possession of the baby?”

“That’s a very real possibility.”

“You don’t have breasts, Zane, you can’t feed her.” Ivy’s head snapped to the side, her gaze taking in my father and me. “Sorry, that was rude.”

“Facts aren’t rude,” my father put in.

Who was this man?

He never added to conversations, especially with strangers.

“I have milk for her.” Zane waved off his wife.

“I’m afraid to ask where you got this milk.”

My eyes were ping-ponging back and forth taking in the show and suddenly I wondered if Z Corps was hiring. This was fun.

“Does this happen often?”

“All the time.”

“From your breast, woman. What do you think I’d feed my baby, internet milk?”

“Is there such a thing as internet milk?” I asked Garrett.

“Baby, do I look like a man who would know about internet milk?”

That was a very valid question.

He didn’t but…

“I thought you said you could find anything. I just thought maybe you know about this stuff.”

“Zane Lewis, you never cease to shock me with the things you come up with. So, yes you look like a man crazy enough to buy internet breast milk. May I please have my daughter so you can start your meeting?”

“He’s not gonna give the baby up, is he?”

“Nope.”

“Ivy Lewis, the answer is no.”

Ivy’s eyes narrowed and I didn’t take this as a good sign. She looked down at her brother-in-law and snapped, “Please make sure your brother doesn’t feed my daughter a stranger’s breast milk.”

Linc’s hands came up and he shook his head.

“Oh, no, today is not my day to police breast milk.”

I glanced around the room and no one was batting an eye at this exchange.

Oh, yeah, I wanted a job at Z Corps.

“Do you think Zane will let me work here? I’ll do it for free if I can sit in on meetings.”

Garrett’s shoulders jerked back and he very slowly turned his head toward me.

“Work here?”

Thankfully, Ivy spoke up before I had to answer. “I’m getting another cat.”

“Over my dead body,” Zane hissed and he sounded like he meant it.

“Trade off, Zane. You steal my daughter, I get another cat. And you’re not naming this one.”

“What’s wrong with Fluffy? The thing’s a big grey poof of fluff.”

Wait.

What?

“Did he really name his cat Fluffy? Not Grenade or Rambo or Killer.”

“Fluffy,” Garrett confirmed.

Oh no. A giggle was bubbling up and I wasn’t sure if I could contain it.

“And for the love of God, how much pussy does one man need?” Zane asked.

I shot a look at my dad who was obviously finding this exchange as funny as I was even with the addition of ‘pussy’ which was mind bogglingly shocking.

“Said no man ever,” Kira interjected.

Zane pointed at Kira. “And that is why you’re my favorite.”

Undeterred, Ivy went on, “I’m taking Eric after work to pick up Oscar.”

Then she walked out of the room, leaving a smiling Zane still holding his daughter.

“Run down what you got for us, Kira.” I had to blink at the change in Zane’s tone. Teasing, mock-annoyance to all business in less than two-point-five seconds.

That was impressive.

“Well I have a lot actually. The FBI picked up Randal Henderson in Great Falls, Montana this morning.”

Holy shit.

What?

Just like that, it was over.

So soon.

Panic gripped my insides. I absolutely did not want my family in danger. But now that Ran had been arrested, they could go back to Montana.

Now I had a decision to make, a decision that would affect my entire future, a decision I was unprepared to make.

Before any of the guys could ask any questions, Kira picked up her tablet and continued.

“A Sig P220 was found on his person. The feds believe this to be the murder weapon. Two other arrests were made, Clyde Salisbury and Ty Whitlock. Both have long rap sheets, both are from California. I’ll spare you the details but they’re in my report which has already been emailed to all of you. I will tell you that Clyde owes Ran a boatload of money and he also owns a moving company. And that was how the asshole evaded Patheon. Clyde and Ty picked up Ran in Blackhawk and Ran spent the next five days in the back of a moving van.”

“One of the guys flip?” Garrett asked.

“Nope. Traffic stop. Clyde ran a stop sign, got pulled over, then got jittery and a high-speed chase ensued. We all know how well those end. Clyde, Ty, and Ran were taken into the station and what do you know, a federal warrant for Randal Henderson pops. Done and done. Again, I want to point out that my software is not to blame for the delay in finding Ran. It can do a lot but it cannot see through a moving van.”

Delay?

It had only been five days. I thought this stuff could take months.

“Mr. Rivers, do you have any questions for us?”

My father blinked. I waited in preparation to step in.

“No, I guess the only thing I need to know is how much I owe you.”

“Owe me?” Zane returned.

“Yes, for Garrett and Cash keeping my family safe. The gas, hotels, incidentals, and whatnot.”

“Family doesn’t pay.”

Zane’s tone was firm, leaving no room for argument, but still my father pushed.

“Mr. Lewis—”

“Melissa is family,” Zane declared. “Family doesn’t pay. We take care of our own.”

Zane stood, cutting off further conversation, but his startlingly blue eyes locked on me.

“Yes, I have room if you’re looking for a job.” Then his gaze shifted to Garrett. “Before you leave I need a minute of your time. Mr. Rivers, hope to see you again under better circumstances.”

Oh, crap.

“Mr. Lewis,” my dad called. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

I waited until Zane was out of the room before I leaned close to Garrett and whispered, “Is he mad at you?”

“I don’t get mad, Melissa,” Zane shouted from the hall.

I clamped my mouth shut and gave Garrett big eyes.

“There’s a word for what he gets,” Kira said as she stood. “But I’m a lady and would never use such vulgarity.”

I didn’t know Kira—as in at all—but somehow, I didn’t think that was the truth.

The men sitting around the table bursting into hysterics proved my assumption correct.

“I’ll walk you and your dad down,” Garrett offered.

I wanted to tell him we could find our way but with the maze of hallways and gadgets I didn’t think that was the case.

It was a good thing he offered because I was right; we never would’ve made it to the lobby without his help.

“Please let your dad drive home.”

I looked at my father and skewered him with a stare.

“Did you tell on me?”

“Mellie, baby, when I came down here to meet you your father had the fear of God in his eyes, and you looked like you’d just run through a jungle with insurgents closing in.”

Since I was stubborn but not stupid I handed my father my keys.

“You know if I’m gonna live here I’m going to have to get used to driving in city traffic.”

Garrett’s eyes flashed in a way that I loved. Then he declared, “I might hire you a driver. It’ll be safer for everyone involved.”

I rolled my eyes and let the insult roll off my back.

Whatever.

I was a horrible driver.

Sue me.