Finally Home (Home Series) (36 page)

Lainey walked over to her, smiling when Tessa's gaze settled on her.

"Hi, Tessa!  It's so good to see you," she said, embracing her, "you look so much better than the last time I saw you."

Tessa smiled.  "I feel much better now, too.  Walk with me?  I've got to get to the security room."

"Sure.  That was so scary, watching him jump you, but wow, you were awesome!"

"Thanks.  I still can't believe I let him stab me.  That blow to my head had me dizzy and I lost my balance.  Colt would so have lit me up about that if he'd seen."

"Colt made it to you in record time.  I've never seen anyone move as fast as he did.  He made it down ten flights, across the street and up ten flights faster than I could have imagined."

"He's always looked out for me.  Was kind of like the brother I never had.  He taught me to fight
in a way that would work to my advantage against a larger opponent.  When our convoy was hit by an IED attack and shrapnel pierced me, he's the one who took care of me.  After doing a field dressing, carried me five miles back to the base.  I would have bled out if he hadn't been there...and now he and Shane are not getting along, glaring at each other constantly."

"Did anyone tell you abou
t the fight in the waiting room between them?"

"Yes, Shane did.  I can't believe he punched Colt. I was..." she paused, listening, Lainey assumed to her earpiece.  "Can you hear me?  Hello?  Damn, I need to get a new mic," she pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed a number.  "Hey, my mic isn't working, but she's with me.  We're going to the security room.  Well, I assume because she left with me, and I assumed my mic was working."

Lainey rolled her eyes. She could just imagine the other end of that conversation. 

"I understand, but she is with me, I'm sure she didn't think she needed to tell you when she was with a member of the team."

"Let me talk to him," Lainey said.

"With pleasure," Tessa replied handing the phone over to Lainey.

"- can't just wander off without letting me know," Mike was saying as Lainey brought the phone to her ear.

"I didn't wander off like a wayward child, Commander," she snapped.

"Lainey, don't start with me.  I walked into the ballroom and you were gone."

"And if I hadn't walked off with Tessa, I would have texted you to let you know where I was going. Relax, I'm not a complete idiot."

"I never said you were,
cara
."

"Then stop yelling at Tessa like it's her fault.  If you want to yell at someone, yell at Colt.  He's your tech man.  He should make sure Tessa has a working mic."

She actually heard him chuckle.  "Point taken. Give the phone back to Tessa."

"Fine, but you just chill out, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear."

She gave the phone back to Tessa, who was watching her with a bit of an awestruck look on her face. 

"Yeah, sure.  No problem," Tessa ended the call and then gave Lainey an assessing look.

"What?" Lainey asked, a little paranoid.

Tessa smiled.  "You are exactly the kind of person he needed.  You aren't in awe of him at all, are you?"

"Well, that depends," Lainey said, following Tessa into the security room, "I'm in awe of his accomplishments and his perseverance; in his ability to overcome what was done to him.  But just of him in general?  I am, but not to the extent that others are."

Tessa laughed. "Oh, poor Mike.  I bet he doesn't know quite what to do with you.  Someone who isn't falling at his feet with just a glance."

"Wait, what?" Lainey asked, shocked.

"Oh, don't worry, he never acted on any of them...but, well, look at the man!  We'd all go out and women would flock to him.  He could have had any number of women over the years with just a glance and a crook of his finger.  Watch him tonight.  This is his hometown, or one of them anyway.  There will be women watching his every move.  He'll ignore them all, as is his usual but that won't stop them.  He's the last single Casiano.  The society cats will have their claws out."

"Well, that is true enough, but I'm not sure their reaction to him will be quite what you think."

"You don't think so?"

"Oh, they'll still watch him like a hawk...but I know most of these women.  Mike scares them.  I've heard him being discussed numerous times over the years."

"I bet though, that they get over their fear because of who he is and his bank account," Tessa added.

"True."

"I'm curious to meet his brother Nick."  Lainey did her best to repress a shudder but couldn't quite manage it.  "Have you met him?"

"I've had that unfortunate privilege."

"Are they identical?"

"I believe they probably once were.  Looking at Nick is seeing what Mike would have been had he not joined the Navy with Riley. 
Nick's hair is longer and of course, he doesn't have Mike's scars.  He's also bigger than Mike right now.  Not more muscular, just more filled out."

Tessa nodded.  "Well, Mike isn't his normal size right now.  Have you seen pictures of him from before his capture?"

"I saw one at Melissa's."

Tessa pulled her phone from her pocket and opened a picture file and handed it to her.

"Scroll through that folder.  He was quite impressive.  I'm a picture nut.  I take pictures all the time.  There are even a few in there where he's actually smiling."

"Can I send these to my phone?" Lainey asked after seeing just the first two.

"Absolutely.  Just send the whole album.  There are tons of him and Riley and the others."

They both glanced up when the door opened and Shane stepped in.  Lainey smiled at him, seeing that he looked extremely nice in his suit.  He leaned down and kissed Tessa and sat beside her.

"Hi, Lainey, how are you?" he asked, draping his arm on the back of Tessa's chair.

"I'm good.  How are you?  You look nice."

Tessa smiled, smoothing a hand over Shane's lapel.  "He does clean up rather nicely, doesn't he?"

Shane chuckled.  "I'm good, Lainey, and thank you.  You look beautiful," he returned.

"Thanks."

"You're also in trouble," he told her.

Lainey shook her head. "I was with Tessa the whole time, we walked from the ballroom to here. Not my fault Colt gave her faulty equipment."

"Let me just add that to my list of things to blast him for," Shane said, making Tessa glare at him.

"You better learn to get along with him, my friend.  I owe Colt a lot.  And so do you."

Shane gave her a dark look, then shifted his gaze over to Lainey. 

"Just be sure to let him know if you leave the ballroom next time.  He was pretty upset when he couldn't find you."

Lainey sighed, trying not to get too upset.  He was just looking out for her and she knew that, but it was hard to fight the irritation.  Her phone began ringing, drawing her attention.

"Hey, Kace," she answered.

"I'm in the ballroom, where are you?"

"In the security room.  Give me a few minutes and I'll be out there."  She hung up and stood, surprised when Shane stood as well.

"I'll walk you back down there, keep you from riling him up again."

"Good idea.  Tessa, see you later?"

"Absolutely."

Shane opened the door, held her back while he checked the hall, then allowed her to step out. 

"Look, before we go back to the Ballroom," he began, "Mike is pissed, but it's because he was scared, so don't be too hard on him, OK?  You should have seen his eyes when he saw you weren't in there."

"Do you believe I'm in any danger within these grounds?"

"Under normal circumstances, I'd say no...but this guy
has already shown that he is good at staying hidden and he's a good shot with a scope.  If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't take any chances, either."

Lainey smiled, "Yes, but Tessa wouldn't need you to keep her under lock and key."

He tilted his head slightly.  "No, but...I don't know.  If someone were after her, I'd want to."

"She wouldn't let you, though, would she?"

He chuckled.  "No.  Wouldn't stop me from trying, though," he said, leading her back to the ballroom.

As soon as they stepped in, she saw Mike.  His eyes flashed to her and she could see how upset he was.  He started walking toward them and she took a deep breath and said a quick prayer to calm her temper.  Shane was right; his anger was rooted in fear and she needed to remember that.

"There you are!" Kacee said, coming up to her from behind her.

Lainey tore her gaze from Mike and turned to embrace Kacee, who was stunning in a sleek black and gold gown. 
Shane greeted Mike and then headed back to be with Tessa.  While she was embracing Kacee, she held Mike's gaze, not wanting him to think she was ignoring him.

"Girl, we look hot!!" Kacee giggled as she stepped back from her.

Lainey smiled at Kacee, but quickly looked back at Mike.

"Did you need me?" she asked.

"Briefly," he said, "excuse us a moment, Kacee?"

"Yeah, sure, don't mind me," she said, winking at Lainey as she walked away.

"Look, before you start," Lainey said, holding her hand up, but he cut her off.

"I know you were with Tessa and you thought you were fine...and normally, you would be.  But Tessa is still weak whether she wants to admit it or not and if someone had tried anything she wouldn't have been able to protect you."

"She doesn't need all her strength to fire a gun, Commander.  Don't sell her short."

"I'm not I...," he stopped himself from the pointless argument, "just don't go anywhere with anyone without letting me know, all right?"

"Fine...but this would be a lot easier if you were with me and not hovering behind me like Kevin Costner."

He offered her a small smirk then stepped away from her, gesturing for her to rejoin Kacee.  Rolling her eyes, she went over to where Kacee was talking with a couple of her other brothers and sisters-in-law. 

"Is the Sergeant Major giving you problems, Lainey?" Kacee's twin brother, Keith, asked.

"The Commander," Lainey corrected, "and he's just being a typical man."

"Why isn't he escorting you?" Kacee's brother, Chris, asked.

"I told you why," Kacee said, "he's working."

"That's just an excuse," Keith countered.

Lainey sighed. "You aren't helping, guys."

Chris shook his head, looking past her to where Mike stood along the perimeter of the room.

"Mike was always a little...off, I guess.  Quiet."

"Calculating," Keith added.

"He wasn't always," Brent Chandler, Chris' best friend and Mike's cousin said.  "He had a rough stretch right there at the end of college and when he joined the Navy and that blow-up with his dad when he became a SEAL was really bad.  He just shut down after that."

"Yeah, but he was always intense," Keith said.

Lainey glanced over her shoulder to Mike, who met her gaze briefly before continuing to scan the room.  He w
as all the things the Adtkissons were saying about him: reserved, off, intense.  But he was also so much more than that, too.  He was compassionate and giving, and so noble, so...

"Hey, beautiful," Kevin said, coming up beside Lainey, kissing her cheek, "you are absolutely stunning tonight."

She smiled up at him, but took a small step back from him to put a little distance between them.

"Thank you."

"Ready to head to the table? You're sitting with me."

She shot a nervous glance toward Mike.  "Kevin, I -"

"Relax, babe, it's just a seat at a table."

"I know, but Mike -,"

"Will have his eyes on you the whole time.  Come on," he said, offering her his arm.

Lainey sighed and said a silent prayer that Mike wouldn't come unglued as she placed her hand on Kevin's arm and allowed him to lead her to their t
able, the rest of the Adtkissons following them.  She sat with Kevin on her left and Kacee on her right, acutely aware of Mike standing along the wall behind her.  Across the room on the opposite wall, she met Riley's gaze who gave her a pointed, disapproving look.  She could just imagine the look on Mike's face behind her; imagine the ice that had settled into his eyes.  It was almost as if she could feel his gaze on her, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Hey," Kevin said, turning her attention to him, "relax."

She looked up at him and he reached up to brush a lock of her hair away from her eyes.

"Kevin, please don't," she whispered, tensing.

"Are you scared of him?"

"No, but...just please don't provoke him."

"Maybe he needs to be provoked.  It doesn't make sense that he isn't sitting here with you.  If he wants you, he should come claim you."