Alexander (23 page)

“
Jack, I’m not going to send you away. I’d miss you too.” Alex watched the boy crumple to the ground. “Are you all right? Christ, kid, don’t scare me like that.”

“
I thought you’d want to get rid of me with Mom going to have your own baby and all. I was so afraid. Then when you said I could have a puppy, I thought maybe you’d let me come home sometime. Mr. Alex, thank you. I promise I won’t give you any trouble. Ever.”

Alex sat on the cold ground next to Jack. Neither of them said anything for a few minutes. Each seemed to be lost in thought. When Alex looked over at him, Jack was watching the stars.

“
Your mom and I are going to have children, you understand that, right?” Jack nodded. “Good. I want to have lots, but we’ll play that part by ear, I guess. They’ll be called James as their surname, like mine and your mom’s.”

“
Because you’re married. Grandpa Tom said that I’d be a Laird because you weren’t married to mom when I was born.” Jack looked up at him then back to the ground. “I wish you had been. Mom wouldn’t have had to work so hard if you had been.”

Alex had no answer to that. He wished he’d been there for her as well. He took a deep breath before going on. “I would hate to have you the odd man out. So I was thinking, if you want, we can call you James too.”

“
I guess that would be okay. I like the name James. People could call me JJ then instead of Jackie–O. I’m not a girl.”

Alex had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing at Jack’s tone. He sounded so indignant about being called a girl. Not that he could blame him.

“
Of course,” Jack said slowly, “you could just adopt me then I’d really be Jack Thomas James instead of just calling me that.”

Alex did laugh then. “That’s a wonderful idea. I don’t know why we didn’t think of that. I take it you wouldn’t mind being my son then.”

“
Oh no, sir. Not at all. Your mom and dad said I could call them Grandma and Grandpa—I haven’t yet,” he hurriedly explained. “I wanted to ask you first if it was okay. And Miss Wills, she said if I called her that again she was going to cook for me. Mr. Stone told me that I’d better stop because having Willow cook for a person was paramount to having a death sentence.”

Alex laughed again and pulled him to him for a hug. “You go ahead and call them grand whatever and just for me once can you call Wills Miss Wills while I’m around. I’ll make sure that Jared, Uncle Jared to you, does all your cooking when you go to his house. But I want to see her face when you do it.”

“
You’re very strange, Mr. Alex. Very.” Alex started to ask him to drop the “Mr.” Part, but Jack beat him to it. “I guess I could call you Dad, couldn’t I? I mean, if you don’t mind.”

Alex felt his heart melt and tears well in his eyes. “No, son. I won’t mind that one bit. In fact, it would make me very proud.”

~Chapter
23~

Everything was in place. Everyone who needed to be here was here. Jack was at school, Grandda was going to work, and Alex was in his office. The police and the FBI agents were spread all over the house pretending to be workmen. Mr. Stone…Jared was making sure they didn’t take down a wall in their enthusiasm.

Heather wished she was at work too. But Alex had said that he wanted her close. Plus, no one wanted the trouble taken to the bakery if at all possible. So she was cooking here, trying to relieve the stress, making cookies and bread to fill the time.

At nine o’clock, she was up to her elbows in bread dough when Candace came into the kitchen. She made Heather nervous. She wasn’t entirely sure why, she just did.

“
Mmmm, homemade bread. Is that for here?” Heather nodded at her question. “I love warm bread fresh from the oven. Especially when I don’t have to make it. Jared is a good cook. Did you know that?”

“
Yes, ma’am. He made me breakfast this morning. The lady who owns the bakery where I work, Miss Caroline, she and her daughter sometimes have an entire loaf for lunch between them. They just slice it up as soon as I take it out of the oven.”

“
Oh that sounds so delicious. Maybe you and I can have one like that, you think? We could invite Willow, but she was called away to the site early this morning. Frankly, I think Alex is happy. He didn’t want her here just in case.” Candace leaned close to Heather and whispered, “She’s a bit blood thirsty when she thinks someone is going to be hurt.”

Heather had heard her leave. Jared had been banging around in the kitchen when she had come downstairs before seeing Jack off to school. She didn’t know what to think when he’d made her sit down and he fixed her breakfast. He hadn’t said a single word other than, “sit,” which she had. The omelet was the best she’d ever eaten and before she could tell him so, he stomped off in the direction of the living room and had not come back.

“
Actually, Heather, I’m glad we’re alone. I wanted to ask you a few things.” Heather’s belly churned when Candace pulled out a notepad and a pen. “I have a list for everything. I think that’s where Willow gets it from.”

“
Maybe you should ask Alex. He knows…I told him everything. I don’t know why my mother attacked him. She doesn’t even like me so why she thought…maybe she was protecting him. She thinks I’m a whore anyway. Then there…then there—I’m going to be sick.”

Heather took off for the little half bath on the first floor. She’d just managed to get the door shut when she started throwing up. The knock at the door had her groaning. She didn’t want anyone to hear her.

“
Heather, honey, are you all right?” Alex. What was he doing? Candace had probably gotten him. “Heather?”

“
Please, I’m fine. Just nerves, that’s all.” The door opened behind her and she heard him walk in. “I’m all right. I was just nervous. I think your mom wants you. Would you go make—”

“
Hush. Here, take this please.” He handed her a wet cloth and she wiped her mouth with it. “Can you stand up yet?”

“
I don’t know. Why don’t you go to your mom? I’m fine, really. I just want to sit here a moment.” She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. “I’m just going to close my eyes for a minute.”

She was surprised when he sat beside her. “You scared her, my mom. She came running in my office and said you were sick. All sorts of things ran through my head when she said that. You’ve no idea how scared I was.”

“
I’m so sorry. I’m all right now. I was just…I don’t handle stress well. I throw up when things get stressful. I can do all right in a crisis when someone needs me, but I fall apart after it’s over. I guess it’s been a bit much over the past few days.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I would say so. Are you better now? You look it.” She nodded at him. “I think there’s a toothbrush in that drawer there. I keep a new one down here in case the bathroom upstairs is under construction.”

She pulled it out and the little sample-sized tube of toothpaste. She was using it when he stood up behind her and put his arms around her waist. It wasn’t sexual; at least it didn’t feel that way, more comforting than anything.

“
Heather,” he asked softly. “Why were you nervous? Mom wouldn’t hurt you or say anything to you to upset you. She can be very ferocious when need be, but she loves with all her heart.”

She wrapped her hands over his arms. It felt good. Not unlike when Jack held her but more sensual. She rinsed her mouth and leaned back against him. Without turning around, she answered him. “I thought she was going to ask me about why my mom hit you. Or maybe, I don’t know, what I was doing with you.” She turned in his arms then and looked up at him. “Why am I with you Alex? I don’t understand that myself.”

“
Because I love you. With all my heart.” He kissed her on the mouth quickly then the nose. “She said you were making bread. Can I get some with my lunch, you think?”

“
Your mom wants a loaf for lunch.” Heather pulled away. “I’ll go and tell her I’m sorry. I don’t know enough about families to know how to react to one. I’m sorry.”

“
You should tell her that,” he said as they came out of the bathroom. “She’ll understand. She was afraid she’d made you mad at her. She likes you a lot.”

Heather nodded and walked down the hall. She had messed up again. She decided when she got to the kitchen, she was going to put on a happy face if it killed her. Heather walked into the kitchen and stopped dead in her tracks. Alex bumped into her. She knew the exact moment when he realized what she’d seen.

“
Hello, Alexander. So nice of you to join us. I was just telling your mommy here that you’ve been a bad boy. I’ve been waiting for you for days.” The man holding a gun to Candace’s head looked crazy and worst yet, he knew Alex. “Why don’t you and your pretty maid come in and have a seat? We’re going to have a nice talk. Starting with whatever it is your dead ex-partner told you before he was supposed to be dead.”

~~~

Alex’s heart stopped beating for several seconds then it began to pump like a jackhammer. Mik had a gun pointed at his mom.

“
Let her go and I’ll do whatever it is you want. Just let her go, please.” Alex raised his hands up as he moved in front of Heather. “I swear I’ll do whatever it is you want if you just let go of my mom.”

“
Oh, I know you’ll do what I want.” Mik nodded to the chairs and he and Heather sat down. “You should have stayed with the company when I came to you. There was no reason whatsoever to be all high and mighty and leave like you didn’t trust me.”

“
Looks to me like he had good reason to.” The gun popped his mom on the head when she spoke.

Alex started to rise, but the gun was suddenly back at her head. “Don’t hurt her. I swear to Christ if you hurt her again, you’ll have to kill me,” Alex said through clenched teeth. “Let her go.”

“
You’re in no position to bargain with me or give me demands, Alexander. You’ll do what I want and maybe I’ll let her live. But you…you’re not.” Mik nodded at Heather. “You, girl, fix some coffee for everyone. And don’t do anything stupid or your next check could be covered in blood.”

When Heather stood up, he could see her trembling. He wanted to protect her and keep her and his mom safe. He’d done this, brought this to them. He should have made them leave yesterday, or not come at all when they’d made this plan.

When Jack had explained to him what he’d found, Alex’s dad had called a friend of his at the Bureau. Within an hour, Jack was explaining again what he’d found.

“
The remote access is only for this computer.” He pointed to the IP address in the corner of the computer. “It can command and take over the other computer it’s attached to right now and unless someone moves the cursor, the other person won’t know it’s happening.”

“
What have you found on the other computer? How much hacking have you done? Tell me now, kid, and I’ll go easier on you.” Heather started forward then, a mamma bear protecting her cub, when Alex’s dad stepped in.

“
I’ll have you know my grandson wouldn’t do such a thing. He told me immediately what he’d discovered and if that’s attitude you have, then you can get the hell out of my house.”

“
Edgar.” Tomas Gomez patted his long time friend on the back. “Not everyone knows you the way I do. I’m sorry, son. Tell us what you know, or figured out. This man”—he glared at the man who had made the accusation—“will keep his mouth shut or he’ll answer to me.”

“
There are accounts too. Would you like to see them?” Alex leaned closer to the computer and watched as Jack pulled up the ten accounts that Brick had told him about. “There is another one too, but the password is protected. I’m seeing if I can get the computer to find his password to it.”

“
But you know how to get it, don’t you?” Alex asked with a grin. “You either know how to get it or you’re working on it.”

Jack flushed. “It was a program that I found that can help you find a password if you don’t know one. You know, make one up. I thought I could use it in reverse. Sort of make it figure one out with the right query. All the information is on the other computer. The program will play with all the other passwords he has saved and see what it can extrapolate.”

“
So let me get this straight,” Tomas asked Jack as he sat down. “You are using a program to help say me find a password to figure out a password? And what do you mean saved passwords? You mean like when it says do you want the computer to remember this one?”

“
Yes, sir. You should never let it remember your password. It’s too easy to hack into them and get them. People lose identities that way and some people who save their credit card information on a site they buy from? The hacker can use that information to make all sorts of purchases that you don’t know about and change your password so you can’t get in and stop it until it’s too late.”

“
So this program is going in and finding his saved passwords and is now going to use them against him.” Jack was already shaking his head and Alex simply smiled. “What do you mean no? You just told me that’s what you’re doing.”

“
He said he’s hoping it will find it. It sounds like it will work in theory. But if he doesn’t have the words saved, that could be one problem. Or if it’s too complicated, it could take days to work, if it even does.” Alex winked at Jack. “Not bad for a ten-year-old, huh?”

“
I’m only nine. I won’t be ten until February fourteenth.” Jack flushed again. “Mom said I would forever be her sweetheart. Mushy girl stuff.”