One to Protect (One to Hold Book 3) (21 page)

“These, also.”

He nods and adds them to the bag, and in less than five minutes, we’re back at the Charger. I unlock Elaine’s door and hold it. She starts to get in but instead steps up on the doorframe, putting her slightly taller than me.

“What are you doing?” I laugh, but she wraps one arm around my shoulders. The other hand holds my face.

“Don’t you ever leave me again, Patrick Knight.” Her lips just brush mine, and dammit if this woman doesn’t know how to get me going. “I get too sad. And a little loopy.”

I toss the bag in behind her and grab her around the waist, pulling her even closer. “Baby, I hope I never have to leave you again.”

She kisses me hard before dropping onto the car seat. “I guess that’ll have to do. Now hurry up, or they’ll think we’re not coming back.”

“Hmm… Mel’s mom’s there. We could take a detour past the beach.”

“Don’t you want cake?”

My eyes travel from her face down to her gorgeous legs in my car. “I’d much rather have you.”

She reaches up, and I lean in for another kiss. “What did I do before I met you?”

“From what I’ve heard, you almost died of boredom.”

“Patrick!” She pushes me back, and I laugh. “Come on!”

Back at the condo, Derek and I leave the ladies inside eating cake, planning showers, and talking nursery themes to step out on the back porch and smoke our stogies.

I can’t resist. “So. Another little Alexander Marine on the way.”

He shakes his head and looks down at the cherry. “Maybe he’ll take after Melissa.”

“You mean by being as stubborn as you are?” I inhale, holding the smoke in my mouth before letting it go. “Watch out USMC.”

He takes another brief pull. “These aren’t too bad.”

“They’re not too good either.”

A short laugh is all I get, and I know he’s not okay. From the deflection of a little military son to the shadow covering his smiles all night, I know what’s bothering him. I’ve known it since the night we sat at that little table in the Four Seasons drinking the adrenaline away. As horny as I’d been for Elaine, I’d actually insisted we come back early for him. I’ve seen it before, guys forgetting why we’re doing what we do. He needed to see Melissa.

Rolling the cigar in my fingers, I have an idea. “I’m headed down to Raleigh tomorrow. I need to pay Toni, and I’d planned to give her that other money as well, be sure she’s okay.”

He still doesn’t respond, so I continue. “Heck, if she forgets Baltimore as easily as she forgot the number she pulled on me, we’re fine. Want to ride along?”

That catches his attention. “Sure. What time you leaving?”

“Nine?”

He nods. “I’ll be ready.”

We’re quiet again, watching the trees and smoking. I know he’s not one to open up, but I’ll give it a shot.

“You did the right thing.”

He only continues staring out at the woods around us. At some point, he’ll have to trust me, and I’m pretty sure after what happened, that point is now.

Plus I’m right.

“According to who.” It’s not a question, and disgust is clear on his face. “So I’m a fucking vigilante? How can I build a home around that? Dex deserves a better dad.”

“Fuck that shit.” I’m getting pissed now. “You’re the most law-abiding guy I know. What happened was unavoidable. It had to be done, and you know it as well as me. You’ll be the best fucking dad to that kid.”

“Vigilante justice is not what America is about. We have laws and ways of doing things.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I’m over here acting like the guys we fought against. What’s worse is I allowed some girl to prostitute herself for it. I stood by and let her take it.”

“Goddammit, stop fucking over-thinking it.” Tossing the cigar on the brick floor, I grind it out with my boot. “Toni did a job. Just like she did with me. It was all business for her. You want to make it personal. Well, it’s not personal. Sloan was a threat to Melissa and your son, and we handled it. Let it go.”

It feels quieter after my outburst, and Derek doesn’t reply. We’re back to looking out at the trees, not speaking. Only now the cicadas have started, so it’s not completely silent.

The door slides open, and we both turn at once. It’s Melissa, looking ethereal in her thin white top. It’s loose to allow her body to grow, and her dark hair hangs in waves over her shoulders. She really does look like a fucking angel.

“Hey.” Her voice is soft. “I hate to break up the pow-wow, but I’m getting tired.”

Derek’s at her side like he’s about to carry her to the car if need be. I guess I shouldn’t judge him too hard, since I’m probably the same damn way about Elaine.

“I’ll pick you up in the morning.” I say as they head back inside. He gives me a small nod, and I look back out at the trees. I might be the younger partner, but tonight, I feel years older.

My partner’s mood hasn’t improved when I pick him up for the drive to Raleigh. He’s quiet and brooding, and I can’t help wondering if Melissa’s noticed the change.

She hadn’t seemed concerned when she told him goodbye this morning. The weather’s gotten warmer, and she’d followed him out wearing a smile and one of his dress shirts over her bikini.

“Elaine’s coming over later, right?” She’d asked me.

I’ve got to get Derek’s head back in the game. Melissa’s too cute with her baby belly just starting to extend for him to be so distracted. “Yeah, she was getting ready when I left.”

She nods and catches Derek’s arm. “You guys don’t be gone all day, okay?”

“We’ll be back by three.” I call to her before climbing in the car.

Derek pulls her close, and I start the engine. Once we’re on the road, and he’s scrolling on his phone, I test the waters.

“Good night?”

He only nods without looking up.

“Checking on the office?”

That at least makes him speak. “Mel and I’ve decided to split the weeks on Wednesday. We’ll head back to Princeton in a few days, then we’ll be back next week.”

“How long you plan to keep that up?”

He goes back to whatever he’s doing. “As long as we need to.”

I give him another glance then just say it. “I’ve been monitoring the police scanner. They found the body.”

Derek’s eyes cut to me. “I know.”

“I figured you were keeping tabs. Looks like it’s going just like we’d hoped. The media hasn’t been alerted. Company executives are sitting on it.”

My partner’s mouth forms a straight line. “For now. I’ll be curious to see if they can pull it off.”

“I bet they do. Reynolds Corp doesn’t want that juicy scandal getting out to their shareholders
or
their competitors.” My grip on the wheel flexes then relaxes. “You’re all good. The police know what he was doing there. That scene had hook-up gone wrong written all over it.”

“As long as they don’t decide to pursue it.”

“They won’t. We cleaned it up too well. There’s nothing to pursue.”

He’s quiet again, that darkness back. I know he doesn’t want to talk, so I switch on the music and let it fill the space for our drive south.

The woman who greets us at the Skinniflute is not the Toni Durango I’d expected. Instead of being back in her usual biker gear of hotpants, jet-black tease and velvet-red lipstick, she’s maintained the light-brown waves. She’s wearing a modest dress, and she actually looks somewhat professional, despite her inked-up arms.

“I figured you earned this.” I slide the large brown envelope across the table to her. “It’s a grand extra. That should give you a boost.”

She picks it up, and for a few moments she seems nervous—a first.

“I was thinking…” Her voice is a little higher as opposed to the usual smoky deep. Dark eyes flicker from me to Derek. “I might try going to community college. See if I can be a secretary for real. Or maybe a police dispatcher.”

The shift in my partner’s demeanor is almost palpable. “Sounds like a good plan.”

Satisfaction shines in Toni’s face, and I have to blink twice.
Did I miss something?

“I thought… since I have some experience doing undercover work, I might try working my way into criminal justice. Maybe I can help there.”

I’m nodding, wondering how that might play out exactly, but Derek is more than encouraging. “If you need a reference or have questions, let me know. Here’s my card.”

She takes the thin rectangle, and holds it, staring at it a few moments. “The way you handled that guy… I guess I saw not everybody in this business is perfect. All it takes is having your heart in the right place.”

My partner shifts in his chair, and I’m not sure her words have the intended effect.

He clears his throat. “You shouldn’t use me as a role model.”

Her eyes flash up at him, and I can tell she’s confused. “You’re saying you did something wrong?”

“Yes. I did.”

“I don’t know that I agree with you. I was on the receiving end of that guy, and you gave him what he deserved.”

Derek shakes his head. “That’s not how our country is supposed to work. And if you do go into criminal justice, you’ll see why I’m right.”

She scoots forward in her seat and reaches across to grab his arm. I lean back and watch this play out.

“I know you don’t trust me. Hell, why should you? But you’re a good man. So you did something questionable. I know why you did it—it was to protect me. And her.”

“And what would she say if she knew the whole story?”

“Don’t tell her.” Toni releases his arm and straightens in her seat. “If you love her, you won’t let her take that blame on her shoulders.”

His eyes go to hers, and he’s frowning. “Blame for what?”

“For being the reason you did it.”

The two of them regard each other a few moments in silence. I can tell that statement had an impact, and I’ll be damned if Toni doesn’t have real potential in some legitimate field. What the fuck it’ll be, I don’t know, but I’m impressed.

Standing, I drop a few bills on the table. “It’s after noon. We’d better take off if we plan to be home by three.”

Derek studies her a bit longer. “Good luck to you. You’re pretty tough.”

“Mata Hari.” She stands and follows us to the door.

I stop before leaving and give her a hug. “Thanks, girl.”

Derek holds out his hand, and she gives it a shake.

Then she holds it a beat longer. “I won’t let my past get me down if you don’t.”

His lips tighten, and then he nods. “Thanks.”

The girls are camped out on the side porch when we get back. They don’t see us, and I take the chance to try one last time. “You going to be okay?”

He lets out an exhale and looks out the windshield toward the house, were Melissa and Elaine are sitting on the small couch just inside the breezy anteroom.

“I will be.”

“Listen, what you did was wrong, it was illegal, but dammit, somebody had to stop that prick.”

“That doesn’t make it okay.”

Looking toward the place where the girls are sitting, I exhale. “Sometimes it does. It’s like when we’re in battle and lives are lost. It’s for the ultimate good.”

He doesn’t respond for a few moments, and I think it’s possible I finally found the right combination of words to help him see how he can still be a hero.

When he speaks again, his voice is reflective. “At some point, I’m going to have to tell her the whole story.”

I take a quarter out of the console and put it on the back of my hand. “Maybe.”

Derek watches as I turn the coin slowly over my knuckles, thinking. A few more passes, and I say it. “I think you should give it some time. See if it can go into that place we have to put things like this.”

He leans forward and rubs his face with both hands then he looks at his palms a moment. He turns them over and closes his fingers in a fist. “At some point she’ll have to know. She’ll have to decide if she can forgive me. If she wants to be with someone like me.”

“Mel will never turn on you.” I can’t help a laugh. “She might turn on me. I was supposed to stop you.”

He’s still contemplative, so I clap his shoulder. “Just do like I said for now. Sleep on it. Give it time. Don’t burden her with the worry. Enjoy your wife and son.”

That’s as far as we get before Melissa sees us and comes bursting through the door. “Derek!” She’s running, and her face is beaming. I can’t imagine what she’s about to say. “I found it! I found it!”

She laughs, and he steps out just in time to catch her as she jumps, spinning them both in her excitement. Elaine follows her and walks around the car to give me a hug. I kiss her head, completely preoccupied by what Melissa’s about to say.

Derek holds her waist, and he doesn’t seem as bewildered as I’d expect. She pulls her hand from behind her back, and an item I recognize all too well drops down, dangling from her fist.

“Tah daah!” She swings the gold chain with the floating heart in the air then bounces up to catch him around the neck again. “Can you believe it?”