Queen Her

by Laine, Terri E.

  So far he hadn’t found us. So far we were living a quiet life with new names. Mom was doing better here. Though the air in our small town had been fine, Montana had given her lungs new life. She’d had fewer infections so far.

  There was only one thing missing. Liam.

  I had no idea if he even still loved me. I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t. I knew there would be no other great love of my life except him.

  Twenty-Four

  Liam

  Seeing the verdict was the freedom to find my woman. Though I didn’t know if she was still mine. It was possible she’d found someone else. I hadn’t.

  I flagged down a cab and caught a ride back to Lizzy’s old apartment which I was still occupying. By the time I arrived, I was sober enough to call Kalen and Connor and sound somewhat coherent.

  “Can you find her?” had been the first question I asked on the video call. If anyone could, they had the resources to do it.

  “Liam,” Connor began.

  “Don’t patronize me. I did what everyone wanted and stayed away. I can’t do that any longer. If you won’t help me, I’ll do it on my own.”

  “Matt is on an assignment. It may take a few days to get in touch with him.”

  Matt being Shawn, or whatever he was calling himself these days while working undercover, had called a cop friend he knew in LA who had grown up in a small town in the Midwest. He had Natalie and her mom wait over a week after they’d been placed before Matt pulled them out of an abundance of caution, in case her father had connections in the Bureau. His friend got them set up in some nameless small town and that was where they were.

  As far as witness protection was concerned, they disappeared. That alone had allowed me to breathe easier at night. I’d feel better when their location was given to me.

  “Just get their location,” I said.

  Connor sighed. “You need a plan. You can’t just go directly there. You could be followed.”

  This had been told to me time and time again when I got too restless waiting. “I know. I’ll pack light.”

  It would probably end up taking a combination of train, bus and or car to get wherever they were located. I would have to keep my eyes open for anyone following me.

  I’d had enough time waiting to plan it all in my head.

  Days later when the information came along, I’d driven back to Maryland to meet Dad and Grant to discuss. There was no longer a question as to whom my father was. The test had proven Uncle Ted was really my father.

  I pulled up in my truck, knowing it was likely the last time I’d drive it for a long time, if not ever.

  “What’s up, son?” Dad greeted me.

  Grant rolled his eyes because Dad always called him ‘boy’.

  “I’m leaving.” I’d packed the stuff I had in New York and came home to tell them all goodbye.

  Grant wasn’t surprised and came in for the hug with several thumps on my back for good measure. “I’m happy for you.”

  “Me too.”

  Dad didn’t look so. “Couldn’t this wait. Your mother is going to be devastated.”

  I’d already warned her of my plans that would take place the day after the verdict was known. She had cried but understood.

  “She knows and I can’t.” I pulled out an envelope that had been waiting for me at Mom’s house. There hadn’t been a return address, so Mom hadn’t thought it was important to send to me in New York. I told her I’d get it the next time I was home. I handed it to my father. He opened it. The only thing inside was a small picture with no writing on the back.

  “Who’s this?” he asked before handing the picture to my brother.

  Grant looked equally shocked.

  “I think it’s my son,” I said.

  It looked like a newborn picture taken at a hospital. Though I couldn’t be sure. It reminded me of the pictures Grant had received of his son the day he was born.

  Though I really hadn’t had time to process it, I knew those times we’d been together at David’s, I hadn’t been careful. I hadn’t cared. I’d just needed her.

  “Tell Mom I’m sorry. I have to leave.” She and Grant’s wife had gone to the city with the kids. They wouldn’t be back until late. “Give her the picture. She’ll understand.” I’d taken a snapshot with my phone and hopefully would be seeing my son in person in the next twenty-four hours.

  “You have the burners?” Dad asked.

  I nodded. We’d bought a few at a time at different places over the last year. They’d been activated but unused. We had a call list so I would use a certain one to call a certain number Mom and Dad had on their end. We’d even had a schedule, by month, what number we would use because we would throw them away after one use.

  “You will come?” Dad asked.

  He recently convinced my mother to agree to marry him. “I will. Same protocol.”

  Grant tossed in, “Will you come to the island?”

  I nodded. Apparently, Connor owned a private island somewhere south of Florida.

  “Connor has everything set on my end too.”

  He’d bought me a house on a plot of land outside of the town where my future wife and son would be living. He’d even set up a business for me, giving me a reason for showing up in a small town. He hadn’t given me any of the details yet in case I was compromised before I arrived. I couldn’t give up information I didn’t know.

  Getting me to them was complicated as we worried Nicolas might have people watching me. That was why I’d settled in New York. It was easier to disappear into the masses. However, I was back in Clinestown and my movements could easily be tracked.

  The first step on my journey was a train ride. Along the route, I’d been given a couple of options to get off. My choice would be last minute, so again, I would notice if someone was following me.

  At any of these stops, I would take a popular bus route west. Connor had found one stop along the way which was used more for a bathroom break than anything else. That was where I’d get off and wouldn’t get back on. I would stay there until, again, I was sure no one was watching me. As the stop was in the middle of nowhere on a piece of land that was flat for miles, it was a good choice.

  There would be a car in the lot waiting for me. I even had keys already. Connor said I would find a scrunched-up wrapper on the passenger side floor that had a number scrawled on it. That was Matt’s friend’s number. He would give me directions from that spot.

  Again, it was complicated. I had no idea how many people had worked on this plan. Connor and Matt. I wasn’t sure if Griffin had been involved or not.

  By the time I’d arrived at that truck stop, the journey had already been longer than I thought. Nearly eighteen of my twenty-four hours had been eaten up as I drove using the directions given to me by a man called Aiden. There was no turning back now and I couldn’t call Connor to verify as I passed a sign that read Welcome to Montana.

  I was tired but determined not to stop. If I did, I risked it all. So far it hadn’t appeared as though I was followed, but I didn’t know for sure.

  The sun was setting when I arrived at the battered ranch I would call home. An old sign dangled in the wind from a rusty post.

  “Thanks, Connor,” I said to no one.

  I stepped on the porch of the old farmhouse. The wooden floors sagged, and I worried I would fall right through. I had a key but didn’t need one. When I turned the nob, the door pushed open as if by a breeze.

  I was about to close the door when a truck came down the road. There was nothing for miles and I had a clear view of anyone coming or going.

  This time I said, “Thanks, Connor,” with a smile on my face.

  Apparently, his choice had been based on security. The truck that stopped next to mine had the logo Mason Creek Sherriff’s department on it.

  “Are you Aiden?” I asked when he got out.

  “Are you Liam?”

  “I am.”

  He pulled out a phone and eyed the screen. “O
kay. You’re good.” Then he headed back to his truck.

  “Hey, what about…” It took me a second to remember what Natalie’s new name was. “Jessica?”

  “I haven’t talked to her yet.”

  “She doesn’t know.” I hadn’t wanted to blindside her with my appearance. I didn’t know where we stood. But even if she’d moved on, I would stay for my son.

  He shook his head and I cursed. “I need to see her.” And my son, I didn’t say. His picture was enough to keep my eyes open this entire journey.

  “It’s late. I’ll talk to her in the morning. If she wants to see you, I’ll bring her by.”

  The wood around the doorframe creaked under my grip as I struggled not to do anything stupid to the one man that knew where Natalie was. I could assume Mason Creek. Then again, he might not have put her in the same town.

  “I thought you worked in LA?” I called after him.

  “I did. Now I’m back.”

  “I love her,” I said out of sheer desperation. A year hadn’t dulled my feelings for her. Knowing she had our child without me, killed me on another level. Connor had gotten the brunt of that anger as well.

  It had only been when he reminded me that their safety had been more important than me knowing that had stopped me from finding Matt and killing him.

  “I heard and I get it. I came back to town thinking I’d win the one woman I loved. Only she was engaged. I feel your pain.”

  I guess he did.

  “Tomorrow,” he said and tipped his hat.

  There was nothing else to say. He’d made up his mind. In truth, I needed sleep. That didn’t mean I had a good sleep. I laid down on the dusty couch, too tired to climb the stairs. I closed my eyes, but I hoped my ears would remain watchful in the ways they could.

  I woke to the sound of a car. I jumped to my feet, surprised by the blazing sunlight that streamed through curtainless windows.

  There was no need to rush as they still had a little way to get here. “Thank you, Connor,” I said again.

  Even in my small town, I’d become immune to the sounds of traffic. Out here, it was blessedly silent.

  Though it was labeled a ranch, it wasn’t a working one. There hadn’t been an animal in sight. So the sound of a car approaching had shattered the stillness like a thunderstorm.

  I was on the porch when Aiden came to a stop at the front, this time in a civilian SUV. He got out. The windows were tinted, and I couldn’t see if Natalie was there.

  He had a thick envelope in his hands, and I thought it was bad news. “This is from our mutual friend.” That would be Matt, though he didn’t say his name, so I didn’t either.

  “Thanks. What did she say?” I asked.

  “Ask her yourself.” He glanced back at the SUV and nodded.

  The backdoor opened and out came Natalie. Though her hair was now several shades lighter—almost blond all over.

  When I saw it, I didn’t wait any longer. I ran down the porch and scooped her up. “You’re wearing the ring,” I said.

  She laughed and repeated, “I’m wearing your ring.”

  I lost all reason and kissed the hell out of her. Then, I set her down. “My son?”

  She glanced down. There was that shyness I’d fallen in love with. “I would have told you. I swear. Aiden made me use envelopes like nesting dolls, one inside another. Each labeled to a different postmaster.”

  Apparently, if you mailed an envelope to the postmaster, if there was another envelope inside with the proper postage, they would mail it on. That made the letter harder to trace especially if she did this trick multiple times.

  “Your timing was just right,” I said.

  She nodded. “I sent it when I could. They were afraid if you knew sooner, you’d come find me.”

  “I would have,” I begrudgingly admitted. “When can I meet him?”

  She moved two steps back to the SUV and opened the door. I heard the cooing and stopped breathing so I wouldn’t miss a sound.

  Then she held him out to me. “Your son. I took video of the birth in case you wanted to see. I’ve taken a picture or twelve of him every day and videos too. I didn’t want you to miss a thing.”

  He was only a few months old and felt tiny in my arms. “Like this?” I asked, with him nestled in the crook of one arm and I supported his weight underneath with the other.

  “Just like that,” she said.

  “His name?” I asked, hating I hadn’t been there to choose.

  “Noah,” she said.

  “You remembered.” Noah was my middle name.

  “It wasn’t hard. I had a picture of your driver’s license.”

  “You kept it?” I asked, remembering her father had her phone.

  “No. But apparently Mom did.”

  I had so many questions about everything I’d missed. “When did you find out you were pregnant?”

  She laughed. “On the road here. I thought it might have been motion sickness, that was wrong. I almost called you then.”

  I leaned down and kissed her lips. “You did the right thing. I’d rather miss a few months than a lifetime.” When she smiled, I said, “Marry me.”

  “Are you sure? You’re giving up everything. You won’t get to have the King name.”

  “I don’t need the name to know who I am. I’d rather you king me by being my wife.” The rest we’d figure out later.

  “Will you?”

  This time she didn’t hesitate. “Yes. I think forever has been long enough.”

  “Not when it means forever with you.”

  Kissing her was my favorite pastime and I had a lot of making up time to do. When we finally pulled apart, she asked, “What’s in the envelope?”

  I shrugged. “And I don’t care. I’ve missed you both too long.”

  “Kiss me, handsome.”

  “You kiss me, wife.” I winked at her before stealing another kiss.

  Our son used that moment to blow bubbles and I wouldn’t have changed a damn thing.

  Forever, I thought. It was only the beginning to our forever. That was the first time I truly felt like I was king of the world.

  Twenty-Five

  Matt

  It had been a month since Nicolas Cortez had been arrested and I was still being watched. My handler advised that I would be fired from the Chicago Police Department and labeled a dirty cop for my safety. And as of now, I was officially on vacation and strongly advised to leave the area. But I’d made promises to my brother-in-law, Connor, and to someone else.

  I walked into the small restaurant in the business district. I spotted him in a booth in the back that had good views of all access points. I walked over and sat.

  “Shawn, if that’s your name,” David Royal said.

  I nodded.

  “You worked for Cortez and the PD. You have a lot of nerve asking for this meeting.”

  “I think we both know some stories are just fiction.”

  “I want to believe you.”

  “If you want me to find your sister, you will. Tell me everything.”

  “Liam came through,” he muttered. Liam, with Connor’s help, had found a way to loan David the money he needed to keep the Royal family business from bankruptcy. “This is my sister’s life…”

  “Half-sister, right?”

  “As if that matters.” His eyes were cold on me.

  “Tell me everything about her,” I said.

  He did and even showed me a picture. She was stunning. A beautiful captive that would likely earn a high price. Just looking at her picture made me feel protective of her. I couldn’t imagine how she’d fared all this time in the hands of Connor’s tormentor. I had to hope she hadn’t been sold yet. Either way, I’d find her. I vowed on my life to David I would.

  When I left, I had what I needed. Based on the research I’d done on her earlier, I knew she was tangled in a dangerous game run by a man that had been ruining lives since he was a kid. Connor was one of those lives. It was time the man w
ho’d named himself Ruin was destroyed. And since I wasn’t hiding behind a shield, all bets were off.

  Epilogue

  Liam

  The air was warm, and the water was a clear blue just as the Caribbean boasted. The house we walked toward was the only one on the island we found ourselves on. It was a rich man’s fantasy. Since it was owned by my cousin, Connor, I wasn’t surprised. Natalie and I walked into the great room which was bigger than the width of my house. Given all the people that were congregating here this week, it was needed.

  “Liam,” Bailey said. She came over and was the first to greet me. “It’s so good to see you.”

  “You too.”

  Then, she went to greet my wife as Lizzy came over. “It’s my baby brother,” she said.

  Lizzy had adopted me as such and though she wasn’t my legal sister, it felt good to have more family, blood or not.

  Connor and Kalen came over. They were unofficially my brothers as well. Though we were cousins, they’d treated me like I’d been a part of their family since the beginning.

  Grant came in and handed his newest child to his wife Jo before coming in for the big brother hug.

  “I missed you, bro,” Grant said.

  “Me too.”

  It was hard being away from everyone, but they kept finding ways to see us. In fact, they’d come to Montana for what was supposed to be a small wedding at the lake house my dad had rented.

  Natalie, her mom, my son, and I had driven up to the hideaway. It hadn’t been an enjoyable ride as we’d been watching our back for the ride.

  Grant and his family had flown into northern California. They’d driven up to Oregon and across to Montana to come. It was supposed to be an annual road trip that reminded them of when they met.

  We’d arrived at different times. Grant had gone to California weeks earlier. We couldn’t risk anyone putting together that the King family had all headed west.

  Only Connor and Kalen had shown up too.

  “Liam,” Mom’s voice crossed the room as she ran toward me. “My baby,” she said, hugging me something fierce.