34. Jamison

"The victim in yesterday's attack was Evangeline Fairweather, wife of Samuel Fairweather, acting head of Fairweather Holdings."

"Why do they keep using that same old picture of Evie?" Abe asked as they watched the local news broadcast on his phone. "She was all snotty and nasty at Toby's trial. Why haven't you guys provided an approved one?"

"I want them to use those photos." Jamison rolled her sore shoulders. When sleep finally hit, it hit hard. "They build sympathy."

"The attack is said to be linked to The Zanmi Society. However, there is no proof of such accusations."

"You said she had the mark." Annabeth stopped fluffing her eggs and joined them at the kitchen island to watch. "Do you think you were mistaken?"

"Jamison wasn't mistaken." Simone exited her bedroom, dressed and ready to leave. She paused at the back door to watch two Hollingsdale officers wandering around the pool. "She's just very good at her job."

A sense of pride hummed in Jamison's chest. "While Liam dealt with the police yesterday, I worked on spinning the details to the media. The wrong gossip in the right ear will always turn a lie into a truth."

Abe remained confused. "So, you purposely made it seem like Zanmi could be responsible, but then had the media say the opposite?"

"There was an attempted kidnapping of a pregnant woman directly outside of her doctor's office. According to statistics, that's pretty common."

"Common?" Annabeth mumbled. "How lovely."

"It's also pretty common for the attempts to be made by employees in the field," Jamison went on. "Since it happened in a small community, people will be on edge if they assume it's a non-targeted crime. The concern will linger, and as everyone watches their neighbors with suspicion, it'll slow the roll of the news hitting the national stage by a day or two. Maybe even a week."

"Giving Liam time to work," Abe concluded. "Yeah, maybe you are pretty awesome."

Annabeth nudged her shoulder. "Yeah, she is."

"Why do you two sound so surprised?" Jamison leaned in and squinted at Annabeth's full face of makeup. "And are you wearing lip gloss?"

Turning away, Annabeth busied herself at the stove. "Leave me alone."

"Is it flavored?" Jamison teased. "I hear Rowan likes strawberries."

"I'm actually a cherry kind of guy." Rowan strolled in from the main hall and, without giving anyone else a second glance, went straight to Annabeth. "Good morning."

"Morning," Annabeth mumbled, already busy with the frittata she was making. "Since we all slept in, I'm cook—"

Rowan's lips cut her off. Spinning Annabeth around, he laid a solid kiss on her mouth, not at all shy at tasting the gloss with a swipe of his tongue.

"Frittatas." The word came out of Annabeth on a whoosh of air once Rowan was finished with her. "My mother is right there, Rowan."

Rowan cradled Annabeth's crimson face with his large hands, smug over her reaction. "And how are you today, Simone?"

Jamison grinned while Abe rolled his eyes.

"Still a little sore." Simone slipped into the pantry to gather supplies to take to Evie and Samuel's place, not at all bothered by the display they had witnessed. "But other than that, I'm peachy keen."

"Excellent." He dropped another quick kiss on Annabeth's mouth. "Maybe I am a strawberry kind of guy, after all."

Snatching an apple from the basket by the fridge, Rowan took a bite, and walked backward out of the kitchen with his eyes on Annabeth the entire time.

"No one will say anything." Annabeth returned to whisking when he was gone. The whirl of egg spinning like a mini yellow tornado trapped in a bowl. "Not one damn word."

They drove in silence to Evie and Samuel's place. Before drifting off to sleep, Liam had written down what he wanted her to do. A random list involving clothes she should wear, the items she should bring, and the time of day to be ready.

Each had a part to play, and to make this appear as natural as possible, Liam wanted none of them to know the other's roles.

What Jamison did know was that her father had canceled all his meetings, spending most of the day with Samuel and Evie. He returned to Haven right as she and Simone left with Liam. He planned to stay behind with Abe and Izzy in the main house while Rowan locked himself in the media room's office.

"Go on and ask me, Simone." Liam tapped the radio to let them know someone was listening.

Simone sat perched in the backseat with the supplies to make Harper and Theo's favorite dinner secured in her lap. The woman never left the house without her bobbed hair done to perfection and red lipstick on. Today was no exception, but instead of her usual dressy sandals, she was wearing tennis shoes.

Jamison didn't even know Simone owned tennis shoes.

"Evie won't answer my calls."

"I've advised them not to use any phone for the time being."

Simone huffed, not caring to be ignored, no matter the circumstances. "How are they?"

"And what are we walking into over there?" Jamison added.

When she woke up, Liam was already gone, not appearing until mid-morning in his wetsuit. Time on the water always cleared his head, and she assumed he checked in on her siblings while out.

Although, she couldn't be sure since he had barely spoken two words to her all day.

"The girls are fine and totally oblivious. Harper has an inkling of something going on and is keeping close to Evie. Theo is just being Theo," he said. "Evie is shaky but focused. Holden is back at their place, and she's keeping busy by preparing a room for him."

"She's nesting." Simone clucked her tongue. "That baby is going to come right in the middle of all this."

"I have no idea what nesting means, but sure." Liam hit the gas, easing them onto the beachfront highway. "She's building Holden a nest in the guest room."

"What about Samuel?" Jamison asked.

"The residual PTSD is compounding his fear, but Samuel has every right to respond as he is."

Jamison didn't like the sound of that. "Responding how?"

"You'll see."

The gates were sealed tight at Samuel and Evie's place, something Jamison didn't even know they could do, having always thought the twelve-foot black wrought iron was for decorative purposes only.

Liam honked, and the gates rolled open with an electrical hum.

"He's really not going to let any security in here?"

Parking the car in the empty courtyard, Liam shook his head. "Holden only."

"Yeah, but he's hurt," Jamison said as they got out. "How can he help?"

"Even hurt, Holden can protect them."

That was a lot of trust to have in one man, but Jamison let it go, and they helped Simone with her bags of food.

Approaching the front entry, she noticed Samuel's surfboard propped against the side fence leading to the beach. "Did he go out with you this morning?"

"No, I borrowed his board." Liam juggled the overfilled bags in his arms and led them to the door. There was no need to knock. When Toby's first trial ended, Samuel had outfitted the house with a security system. The biometrics on the thing were mind-blowing. "But he did come outside to watch from the pool deck, and yell at me about correcting my technique as if I could hear him over the waves."

"That's our Sammy coming through. Bossing people around helps get his mind off things," Simone said, sounding relieved. "You weren't just surfing this morning to clear your own head."

"No, ma'am."

"He'll feel even better once Josie gets here. Mamas can calm their boys better than anyone."

The front door opened, and Samuel stood in the doorway, the shock of his appearance striking Jamison head on. A sharp contrast from the shirt and tie just yesterday, he wore black athletic pants and a plain black T-shirt with stains on it. His hair hung hopelessly disheveled, sticking up at all ends. "You're here already? I just got rid of my dad."

"Don't be rude," Simone swept past him, dropping a kiss on his cheek as she went by. "Where are my babies?"

"Living room." He moved aside so everyone could enter and shut the door behind them. A series of locks and bolts ground into place, the house going into full lockdown mode. "Did Dad make it back to Haven before you left?"

Liam shoved a bag at him. "Yeah, I told him to go ahead and take his three o'clock meeting while he waits for us to get back."

"Oh." Samuel's brows drew together. "I was supposed to jump on to that."

"I think you'll be forgiven." Jamison laid a hand on her brother's arm. "Are you okay?"

He didn't reply as Theo came dancing around the corner to a song only she could hear. Dressed in a rainbow tutu and orange tank top, she spun over to them on her tiptoes. "Gigi said I coulds swim."

Samuel lowered himself to her eye level. "And I said no."

Theo's hot pink painted lips parted in surprise over being denied. "Gigi said when Gigi here, she da boss."

"Gigi is wrong."

"Gigi said if you says nos again, she gonna call Papa and he gonna come beat yours booty." Theo sucked in a long inhale, filling her lungs to capacity as she argued her case. "And den she said, if you no let me go swim afters dat, Nana gonna be here and whoa boy."

Samuel's brow furrowed. "I'm not scared of Papa, and Nana won't be here until tomorrow."

Matching her father's expression, Theo placed her hands on her hips. "If yous no let me go swim, yous gonna make mama cry again."

That did it. Samuel rose to stand. "Where is your mother?"

Returning to her dance, Theo took her father's offered hand and used it to twirl. "Getting mys bathing suit cuz she said yous gonna say yes now that GiGi and Unc is here."

"Unc to the rescue as always." Liam tilted one of the bags he was carrying so she could see the contents. "Gigi is making you dinner tonight."

Theo halted, gray eyes blinking at Liam as if he'd promised to buy her the pony she'd always wanted. "Chicken nuggets?"

"And I think there's something else you like in here." Jamison tilted her own bag to give Theo a peek. "Gigi's homemade chocolate cake."

"But my daddy said wes gots to eats healthy fers the baby."

"Your dad is boring, Theo. It's about time you learned this," Liam whispered loudly. "How about I just beat your dad's butt now, so we can eat chocolate cake and swim, and not have to hear him complain?"

Theo plastered herself on Samuel's leg. "I loves my daddy, but I loves swimming and chocolate cakes, too." She chewed at her bottom lip, worrying over the choices. "I don't knows what to do."

"Unc won't hurt daddy." Jamison tickled her. "If anyone is going to beat up your dad, it's me."

Theo squeezed Samuel's leg tighter. "Yous can't beat up daddy, right now. Mama needs you."

It was a horrible thing, given the circumstances, but the idea of being needed by her older sister made Jamison's heart soar. So very often, it was the other way around.

She took the stairs two at a time and found Evie in the main bedroom with Harper. The curtains on the back wall were spread apart, giving an unobstructed view of the beach below, but also highlighting the absolute disarray of the space.

"The cavalry has arrived."

Harper came over to hug her, already in her bathing suit. "Is Unc downstairs?"

Unc.

Not Uncle.

Every time she'd heard the kids say Unc over this past week, it had killed her a little. As an only child, Liam had taken the idea of being someone's uncle seriously and wanted to be called Unc instead of Uncle. "Once I'm your husband, then they can call me Uncle Liam."

"Yeah, he seems to be attached to me these days."

"I like that." Giving her a curt nod, a move eerily reminiscent of something her father would do, Harper took the smaller bathing suit from Evie. "I'm going to take this to Theo and get a status update on the case."

Harper buzzed out the door, and Jamison shut it to give them privacy. The thing was heavy as hell and with a set of locks that rivaled the exterior entrances of the house. Another one of her brother's purchases from the days of Toby's trial. The door was bulletproof and pretty much impenetrable. The closet, which served as a panic room, had a similar setup, as did the girls' bedrooms.

Jamison had thought he was crazy to overhaul the house to this degree. The security system, the panic room, the shutters that dropped to cover every panel of glass if the alarm was triggered, all of it had seemed so unhinged in the beginning.

But now, not so much. Evie and the girls were safer here than anywhere else.

Once the door clicked closed, the serene smile Evie had in place collapsed, and she promptly burst into tears. Jamison rushed over, listening to the incoherent rambling spewing out of her sister. Pam. Zanmi. Samuel. The girls. The hysteria came in spurts, shooting out like water through a cracked dam until there was too much, and everything broke free.

"I can't do this." Evie's entire body shook as she cried. "I'll go into labor early if I don't calm down, and Samuel will freak out even more."

"You and the girls are his whole world. He has a right to be upset." Jamison pulled her down to sit on the edge of the enormous bed. "But we do need to be mindful of the little man you've got in there."

"A boy." Evie rested her head on Jamison's shoulder. "I'm going to have a mini-Samuel."

"That's super scary, and now I kind of want to cry." Jamison wrapped an arm around her. "Are the girls happy?"

"They are and stayed up half the night talking about names." Evie sniffed, sucking in her tears. "Samuel is making them sleep in the bed with us, and when they finally went to sleep, I still couldn't get any rest. Theo snores like you do."

"And you can't get your daily dose of dick if the girls are sleeping in here."

"He won't touch me." The tears made their return, and Jamison silently cursed herself. She had been hoping to get Evie to smile. "It's like he's scared I'm going to break."

The door swung open, and Samuel narrowed his eyes on the two of them scrunched together. "Did you make her cry?"

"No, that's all on you," Jamison shot back. "Asshole."

"What?" He slammed the heavy door behind him. "What are you talking about?"

"It's fine." Evie wiped her face and nose. "I'm fine."

Jamison poked her sister's shoulder. "Tell him the truth."

"One of you better start talking." Samuel stalked across the room to kneel in front of his wife. "Tell me how to make this better."

That's all he ever wanted. To make things better for Evie. To give his little family the world. No matter what anyone else thought, the love her brother and sister shared was one of the most beautiful things Jamison had ever witnessed.

Evie shrugged, keeping her gaze lowered. "You haven't touched me."

"What do you call this?" Samuel squeezed his wife's thighs. "See, I'm touching you."

"You know what I mean."

Samuel blinked a few times, the tension visibly leaving his body as it came to him. "It's been less than twenty-four hours, Evangeline."

"Don't laugh at me!" Evie growled, her frustration only making him laugh harder. "It's not funny being controlled like this! Everyone is all surprised because I'm having a boy, but not me." She scrunched her freckled nose at him. "It's not at all surprising that it's some Fairweather male forcing me to act like a sex fiend!"

Samuel's face turned red, and tears gathered in the corner of his eyes as he completely dissolved into hysterics. She couldn't be positive, but Jamison was pretty sure her brother never had—in his entire life—laughed as hard as he was doing now.

"I honestly thought something was really wrong, and you weren't telling me." Samuel's laughter tapered off, but only slightly. "Like you were already in labor or something."

Evie straightened to glare at her husband. "You're such an ass, Samuel."

He sobered, but only slightly, and pressed his forehead to Evie's. "After all these years, you still get it wrong," he said, grinning directly in his wife's face. "It's not, you're such an ass, Samuel. It's, you have a nice ass, Samuel." He nuzzled her nose with his. "Keep practicing. You'll get it right one day."

Taking the moment as her sign to leave, Jamison went for the door before she heard anything that might scar her for life. "And I'm out."

Liam was waiting at the foot of the stairs. "Everything okay?"

Through the rear glass wall, Simone sat on one of the lounge chairs as the girls played in the heated pool. Holden sat with her, his eyes on the beach.

"Yeah, they're fine." She nodded at Holden rising to get a better look at a random couple walking along the beach. It was the off-season, and not many tourists were out and about. "Does he not realize he was stabbed yesterday?"

"Holden does best when he's busy."

Jamison didn't like the girls out there with only Simone and an injured Holden to watch over them. "But what if Zanmi tries to come in from the beach like they did during Toby's last appeal?"

Liam led her to the two-story glass wall. "Holden is armed, but do you see the new fencing installed down on the beach?"

The fence sat around ten feet from the edge of the patio expansion. "People can climb fences."

"Not if they're electric."

Now, she really was upset. "Electric fences and kids don't mix."

"The girls know they're electrified and don't go near them, but as a backup, we have a secondary fence a few feet from the electrical one that will sound an alarm if they get anywhere near it."

This was all too much. Too terrifyingly much. "And when do we start your plan?"

"In a minute or so."

Samuel appeared on the landing, holding Evie in his arms as he carried her down the floating staircase. Neither of them spoke when he set her to stand on the ground floor, the two of them walking past as if she and Liam weren't even there.

Jamison went to follow her siblings, but Liam grabbed her hand, keeping her with him when Samuel and Evie stepped outside. "Thank you for wearing the dress like I asked."

"But why this dress?"

"Because it's my favorite, and I know he'll like it," he whispered. "Three. Two."

"Who? And why are you counting?"

"One."

The lights went out, leaving only the late afternoon sun. The girls continued to play in the pool, happily unaware. No one else acknowledged the power outage either. Samuel sat with Evie on the round patio sofa directly off the pool while Simone stayed put in her lounger, chatting away with them.

Holden was the only one showing signs that he knew what was happening. Having moved to the sandy beach level, he stood ready and prepared if someone should approach.

"You wore the dress but not the shoes," Liam said, the casual warmth that had been in his voice gone. He had wanted her to wear tennis shoes like Simone, but they hadn't gone with the outfit. "One of these days, you'll learn to listen."

The shift in his tone and the grim look on his face had her defenses going up. "Don't hold your breath." The lights kicked on again, the generator working to save the day. "So, what is this all about?"

"Getting answers." With her hand firmly in his, he pulled her along with him to the front of the house. "Let's go for a walk."