All Messed Up: Windy City Kink, Book 2 (23 page)

Sasha considered that, her lips pouting. “That’s a good question. But she’s coming over this afternoon too, so you can meet her and if you two hate each other…” She held up her hands. “We’ll figure something else out. But I doubt that. Emma’s great.”

They left the restaurant. Sasha had given them directions to her and Kevin’s home. As she drove there, Mallory’s stomach tightened more and more. Joe was also going to meet them at Kevin’s place to help perform introductions and facilitate the getting-to-know-you process for Kevin and Paige, and the idea of seeing him was freaking her out.

“You okay?” Paige asked at one point. “You’re awfully fidgety.”

Mallory blinked, her palms sweaty on the steering wheel. “I’m fine.”

“Mmmhmm.”

They met up there with Sasha on the sidewalk in front of the duplex house. “Kevin owns this side,” Sasha told them, leading the way up the sidewalk to the front entrance. The older building had been kept nicely, with fresh paint and nice brickwork. They stepped inside into a small foyer. Hardwood floors gleamed in the afternoon sunlight. Most of the main floor consisted of the living room and kitchen, with a small eating area separated from the cooking area by a granite counter.

“So the main floor is all pretty open,” Sasha said, turning in a circle and extending her arms. “Living room.” They looked around the room, nicely furnished with a gray leather sectional, a couple of chairs and a big screen TV arranged on a big black-and-gray rug. A green palm tree in a basket sat next to the big bay window that overlooked the street. “Dining room.” She gestured to the black wood table and chairs. “And kitchen. The kitchen’s all updated. Not huge, but really nice.” Black appliances and sleek dark cupboards were lit with sophisticated halogen lighting. “Kevin!” she shouted.

Paige and Mallory exchanged smiles.

“Up here,” Kevin yelled from upstairs. “Be right down.”

“There’s a back door through here,” Sasha continued, leading them through the kitchen. “There’s a small laundry room here and a powder room.” She unlocked another exterior door, opened it and stepped outside. “There’s a tiny little yard, but it’s nice.”

“It’s gorgeous!” Mallory said, taking in the stunning view. “You must have done this.”

“Yeah.” Sasha smiled. “It’s even nicer in the summer when I’ve got all my pots of flowers planted.”

A terrace made of lovely tumbled stones led to a set of two wide, shallow steps down to a small patch of grass. The yard was fenced with privacy fencing in cedar wood, about six feet high and topped with lattice. Curved flowerbeds around the perimeter held shrubs and in the back corners, two Japanese maples glowed with fiery autumn red.

“Hey, everyone.”

They turned to see a man behind them who’d stepped outside onto the patio as well. Mallory’s eyes widened and she cast a quick sideways glance at Paige. Kevin was gorgeous. About six feet tall, broad shouldered, but with a lean build that carried his clothes well, he smiled at them and held out a hand. “Hi. You must be Mallory.”

“Yes. Nice to meet you, Kevin.”

He gave her an appraising look and heat flooded through her remembering this was Joe’s friend and they’d probably talked. Hell. How much had Joe told him?

“You too,” he said with a smile that crinkled up his eyes attractively. He turned his attention to Paige and his eyes softened. “You must be Paige.”

“That’s me. Pleased to meet you, Kevin.” They shook hands too.

So far, so good.

“Come in and I’ll show you the upstairs,” Sasha said. “Then we can all have a glass of wine.”

“I love all the windows,” Paige said as they climbed dark oak stairs to the second floor. “So much light for an older house.”

“That’s true. Kevin’s room has its own ensuite bathroom, which is super nice, so I use this bathroom.” She flicked on a light so they could poke their heads into the room. “It’s pretty much all mine. And this is my room…or your room, maybe.” She flashed a grin. “And the third room is Kevin’s home office.”

“It’s great,” Paige said. “Nice big room.”

“Kevin took all the photographs,” Sasha chatted once they were back downstairs. Black and white framed images crowded the walls.

“They’re beautiful,” Paige said, wandering around to study them.

“Oh, here’s Emma,” Sasha said. “And Jack right behind her.”

Kevin put some music on and the condo was soon full of music and talk and laughter as Kevin and Sasha served drinks and set out bowls of munchies. Mallory nibbled a pretzel and tried to focus on the conversation, but her eyes kept straying to the door and window, watching for Joe. Where was he?

Then Kevin echoed her thoughts. “Hey, where the hell’s Joe? He was supposed to be here by now.”

At that moment, Kevin’s friend Beamer rushed in. “Guys,” he shouted. “Turn on the TV. Channel 5.”

“Why?”

“There’s some kind of hostage taking going on in West Lawn. Joe’s there.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Mallory’s heart leaped then started pounding. Her eyes went wide. Kevin grabbed the remote and soon the breaking news filled the big screen. The room went quiet as everyone gathered around to watch what was going on.

It was like watching a television show but it was real life. The cameras couldn’t get that close to the house, but they could see the SWAT members and after listening for a few minutes, they figured out what was happening.

“TV5 has learned that Emmanual Zyke and his wife are going through a divorce,” the reporter explained. “Court paperwork showed that his wife filed for divorce this past spring, and there was a hearing dealing with child custody in family court late last week. The couple have three children, ages eight, five and two, and all three children are currently in the home along with Zyke.”

“Dear God,” Mallory breathed, watching the screen.

“Investigators say Zyke was armed with a gun when he allegedly broke into his estranged wife’s home and assaulted her before tying her up with duct tape and taking their three children.”

Mallory turned to Paige and saw that her face had gone ghostly white. Her wide eyes met Mallory’s. She reached for Paige’s hand and they hung on to each other. This tragedy was hitting hard on a number of levels—concern of course for the victims, but also for Joe, oh God, Joe who was there dealing with this, and for Paige who’d just been assaulted by her ex-husband. Tears gathered in Mallory’s eyes and she swiped them away to focus on the TV.

“Zyke brought the children to this house on Mapleglen Avenue, believed to belong to a friend of his, and holed up here all night. Police and SWAT converged on the home and spent hours trying to talk him into surrendering. There were two other adults in the home when Zyke arrived, and police helped them escape through a window.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Kevin muttered, sinking to sit on the edge of the couch.

Everyone seemed stunned and horrified by the story. Then Jack said, “Are you two okay?” and when Mallory glanced at him, he was looking at her and Paige.

She nodded.

“Christ, sit down,” Kevin said, jumping up. He and someone else, maybe Beamer, pushed Paige and Mallory down to sit on the couch, still holding hands. “He’ll be okay,” Kevin said to Mallory in a gentle voice. “He’s good at his job.”

She stared at him. How did he know exactly what she was worried about? She didn’t know what to say. “This is awful,” she whispered.

“It’s what he does,” he said. “He loves it. He’s good at it. He’ll get those kids out and it’ll be fine.”

“Oh my God.” She knew this was what he did. But she’d never anticipated watching him do his job like this on television. Her skin went icy cold, her stomach queasy, her heart racing so fast she thought it might burst out of her chest. Paige’s fingers tightened around hers.

“Police and SWAT officers say they were in periodic communication with Zyke throughout the night, but he refused to surrender. Police believe he is armed and extremely dangerous.”

Mallory swallowed a gasp. But frack, of course he was armed and extremely dangerous. Otherwise,
she
could have walked in there and got those kids.

Three little kids. What kind of monster asshole would do that?

What kind of guy would make it his job to save them?

Oh God. She was suddenly remembering the look on his face when she’d last seen him, when she’d told him their crazy week together was done now they were home. The way his jaw had tightened, his eyes had flashed but then he’d lifted his chin and agreed with her. Apologized to her for causing her more stress.

What a fucking bitch she was. Did he really think she blamed him for her stress?

Probably, yeah, since she’d pretty much said that.

And it wasn’t like him to give up so easily. He’d pursued her all week in California. Not in a creepy, stalker way. In a charming, irresistible way.

Kevin sat beside her and set a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and met his eyes. “How much did he tell you about us?”

He had a pretty good poker face. It didn’t change. And he didn’t say much. “He told me.”

She nodded. “Did he tell you about his dad?”

“Yeah.” His fingers tensed a little on her shoulder. “Fuck,” he muttered. “I know it was a shock to him, but not to me. That asshole treated him like crap his whole life. I’m glad he’s not really his dad.”

She blinked at him and gave a little nod. “Yeah. He told me about that too. Obviously, his dad knew he wasn’t really his son. It pisses me off that he acted like that though.”

“No shit.” Kevin shook his head.

“I…I told him last weekend we were done,” she whispered to him. “And he just left. And I haven’t seen him since.”

Kevin studied he face. “That’s why he was so bummed that night. Sunday night, right?”

“Yes.” She bit her lip. “If he was so bummed, why didn’t he stay and try to convince me I was making a mistake?”

Kevin’s lips quirked. “Was it a mistake?”

She closed her eyes, pain building inside her chest. “I think it might have been.”

“After being rejected by his dad his whole life…he’s not one to beg someone to like him,” Kevin said quietly.

She stared at him, mouth open.

Holy jeez. He was so right. She’d rejected him. And like with the dad he’d grown up with and the biological father he’d flown to see, he’d made out like it didn’t matter.

“He made that mistake with Zoe. His fiancée,” he continued. Mallory flinched. Right. Joe had once mentioned that he’d almost gotten married. “She didn’t believe he loved her so she dumped him. Her loss. She didn’t bother to try hard enough to see past his I-don’t-give-a-shit attitude.”

Oh God. Mallory blinked. Joe’d been all “whatever” that night, casually agreeing they were done and walking out. He was always like that.
Whatever. Don’t give a shit. It’s cool.
His dad had rejected him his whole life. Then he’d discovered his dad wasn’t really his dad. Then he’d been rejected by his “real” dad. He’d shrugged and said, no big deal. But that night he’d gotten hammered and called her to come to his hotel room…that night, she’d seen the pain he’d been feeling.

She’d seen glimpses inside him, of the pain he’d felt. She’d seen that he did care. And she’d let him down. Fuck! She slumped against Kevin, who slipped an arm around her shoulder.

“Tell me he’s going to be okay,” she whispered.

“He’s going to be okay. You’re both going to be okay.”

She thought she might love Kevin a little. Not like Joe. But…argh. She squeezed her eyes closed. Did she love Joe?

They hadn’t known each other long, but it had been intense. They’d clicked from the first words they’d spoke to each other in the airport. Yeah, it had been hot and sexy and they shared some unique sexual preferences, but it had been more than that. She really liked him. A lot.

Fuck.

She opened her eyes and sat up and focused on the television. Around them, Joe’s friends and Paige were talking in hushed tones as they watched the drama unfold on the screen. Sasha gave her a warm look, an encouraging smile. Beamer gave her a puzzled look.

Not much seemed to be happening, or if it was they didn’t know about it because all the news people had been moved well away from the house.

“I’m following it on Twitter,” Sasha said. “The police are tweeting updates.”

Then there was a flurry of activity on television. Apparently the news had a helicopter or something, shooting aerial footage, and everyone fell silent as they watched the swarm of black-uniformed SWAT members running to the house. Smoke was coming from the house, and some officers entered. The picture was very blurry and there was no way to tell if one of those officers was Joe. Mallory tried to breathe, holding Kevin’s hand on one side of her and Paige’s on the other. After a few moments, officers emerged from the house, three of them carrying children.

“Oh God, the kids,” Mallory breathed. “They’re okay.”

“Looks like.”

That was good. But still…the father inside was armed… Long moments passed as the news reporters kept talking, speculating wildly about what was happening inside the house, confirming the children were unharmed. And then an officer emerged with a man whose hands were cuffed at his back.

Mallory’s heart leaped, and she stared at the screen.

“They got the bastard,” Beamer said. A cheer arose in the living room from everyone except Mallory, whose throat was so constricted she could barely breathe, let alone talk.

“We’re told SWAT crews used two stun grenades as part of their raid on the house,” a reporter announced. “The suspect Emmanual Zyke is now in custody. We’ll be speaking to Captain Blake Thompson of the Chicago PD in a few moments.”

“Thank Christ,” Kevin muttered. “Holy shit.”

“Can’t wait to hear all about it from Joe,” Beamer said with a big grin. “He loves using those flash bangs.”

Mallory gaped at him. He made it sound like fun and games.

“He does,” Beamer said, catching her look.

“He does,” Kevin agreed, smiling. “Mallory. It’s his job.”

“I know. I know.” She wasn’t going to freak out about that. She knew what he did for a living. She knew there was danger. His friends were so confident in his abilities, so sure he was going to take care of the situation, and she loved that. Yeah, she’d seen the hints of worry in their eyes. Guys were different, true, what seemed terrifying to her was exciting to them, but she’d gotten that they cared about their friend. They just knew he was good at what he did. “Thanks.”

Kevin grinned.

“I think we need more beer,” Beamer announced.

Everyone laughed and the tension in the room dissolved. People moved to the kitchen, drinks were replenished, more food was served. They kept the television on for updates, and Mallory’s eyes bugged out as she got a glimpse of Joe in the background, working.

“There he is!” she yelled, pointing.

Everyone rushed over. Yep, there was Joe, looking scary and intense and hot in his black uniform, clearly wearing some kind of body armor. She watched him doing his job, confident, in control, capable. A rush of longing swept over her so fierce she nearly went to her knees.

“There, see, he’s okay,” Kevin said, nudging her.

She turned to him. “I don’t even know you,” she said. “I don’t know any of you. But I’m so glad I was here with you when this happened.”

His eyes went soft and warm, and he hugged her.

“Paige, you better move in with this guy,” she said a moment later, wiping tears.

Paige grinned. She looked at Kevin. “Seems like a good plan,” she said.

A group decision was made to order pizza, and Jack went to buy more beer and some requested tequila, and the meet-and-greet that had been planned turned into an all-out party.

“Text Joe,” Beamer told Kevin. “Tell him to get his ass over here.”

“He won’t be able to come for a while,” Kevin said. “They’ll be processing stuff or doing whatever shit they have to do after they arrest someone.” Nonetheless, he tapped a message on the screen of his phone.

Mallory felt antsy and tied up in knots, although as the evening progressed she did relax. Joe’s friends were fun. They included her and Paige in their conversations as much as they could, though there were lots of inside jokes she and Paige didn’t get, lots of references to shared history that made her a little envious. She’d had that before, with friends from college, but having moved across the country, she didn’t have that yet in Chicago.

Every time someone mentioned Joe, her heart jolted and her ears alerted. Beamer got a text message back from him saying he’d text when he was off and see if things were still going. “He says he hasn’t slept for over thirty hours,” Beamer reported from a message on his phone. “He wants to go home and crash.”

Mallory didn’t know what to think of that. She both wanted to see him and didn’t. Yearning mingled with nerves. Eagerness with fear. Probably he wouldn’t come, if he was that tired. But… She turned down another drink and said, “Paige and I should be going.”

“Not yet!” They all refused to let them leave. So Mallory drank another beer, which meant she probably shouldn’t drive. But what the hell. This was fun.

Paige seemed to be enjoying herself too, and that was important. If she was seriously going to move in with Kevin, she needed to be comfortable with him and his friends.

Mallory started watching Kevin with Emma. There was definite heat between them, but also a very subtle tension. She had no doubt about Kevin’s feelings for Emma, but Emma’s were more equivocal. Almost as if Emma felt hurt by something…or maybe Mallory was imagining things. She was often perceptive about people’s feelings, but sometimes wondered if she was just good at making things up.

Mallory was in the kitchen, leaning on the counter and talking to Beamer about the work he was doing at Northwest Cancer Center, which was doing cutting edge research. “I’m not a scientist,” Mallory said. “But I know a bit about cancer drugs. Tell me more.”

“This drug could offer advantages over existing treatment for multiple myeloma, like reduced nerve damage,” Beamer said. “It works by selectively inhibiting a protein complex in cells called the proteasome in order to make cancer cells more vulnerable to cell death. Our early data looks really promising.”

With his red hair, freckles and horn-rimmed glasses, he did have a vaguely mad scientist look going on, and the work he was doing was amazing. “Finding the cure for cancer,” she said with a teasing smile. “All in a day’s work.”

Beamer grinned.

Then someone shouted over the music and voices, “Joe! Dude! You made it!”

Mallory turned to see Joe walking in the entrance from the front foyer, carrying a case of beer. He wore his black leather jacket, a black T-shirt and jeans. He looked so good her toes curled.

He grinned at his friends. “Yep. Made it.”

“You’re a hero, dude,” Emma said.

“Riiiiight.” Then he turned to the kitchen and his eyes fell on Mallory. He froze, just for a couple of seconds, although it seemed like an hour, as their eyes met. Heat swept from her chest up to her hairline as they looked at each other. He moved toward the counter, stopping on the other side of it from her, and dropped his case of beer onto it. “Mallory. Hey.”