He shook his head. He shouldn’t have been surprised; she was a lot like her mother. She looked like her too.
Before Calder almost killed her, Lena’s eyes lit up the same way Quinn’s did.
He’d never seen anyone with eyes like hers—deep mahogany pools as rich as the vineyard’s soil, with lightning strikes of cinnamon. Her porcelain skin had been like his mother’s, but instead of fiery red like hers, Lena’s hair had been golden blonde.
Her code name was Barbie, and Kade still remembered the night she’d been given it.
“I still haven’t figured out what to call you,” Kade heard Calder murmur when she walked past him.
“Lena works fine for me.”
“What’s the actress’ name…Lena Horny?” he whispered, but Kade could still hear him.
“Very funny. It’s pronounced ‘horn.’”
“I like the other way better,” he added before walking away.
Kade watched the way Lena’s cheeks flushed, and wanted to slam his fist in Calder’s face for humiliating her. He acknowledged the overreaction. It happened often with his fellow recruit, and it troubled him.
He excused himself from the conversation he hadn’t been listening to between his father and hers.
“Lena, right?” he asked. “You went to Paso Robles High. Were you a year or two years behind me?”
“Just a year,” she answered. “I didn’t think you’d noticed.”
“Of course I noticed the prettiest girl in the building.”
“Come on, Barbie,” her father said. “Let’s get some meat on those bones.”
Lena cringed.
“Barbie?” Calder smirked, making Kade’s hand ball into a fist.
“Have you ever seen those damn dolls? Tall and skinny, just like this one.”
“It’s my fault,” Lena’s mother said once they were seated at the table. “When I was packing away the toys she had as a little girl, I pulled the doll out and commented that it had long, thin arms and legs, and a tiny waist like Lena.” Her mom turned to her. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Your dad picked up on the name and hasn’t let you hear the end of it since.”
“Blonde hair, too,” her father added.
“Thanks, Dad,” she murmured, refusing to look anywhere but at her plate.
Kade didn’t know a damn thing about dolls, but if Lena looked like this “Barbie,” it had to be beautiful. He wished she would smile. When she did, her rose-colored lips curved so perfectly that they looked drawn on.
He didn’t realize he was staring, until her eyes met his, and her cheeks turned the same rose color as her lips. He let his gaze linger momentarily, hoping she knew that no matter how embarrassed she might be by her father’s teasing, there was at least one man seated at the table, who found her breathtaking.
When he looked away, his eyes met her father’s. Leech hadn’t missed any of what passed between Kade and his daughter, and while he expected to see anger, instead, he saw approval.
“Break her heart, and I’ll break your neck,” Leech murmured later when they were helping clear the dishes from the table.
“What’s this?” Calder asked.
“Never you mind,” Kade answered.
From that day on, her code name had been Barbie, although Kade had never referred to her by it. He knew how much she hated it.
His phone pinged with a motion alert from the app his father had installed on his phone the night before. He swiped his finger across the screen and saw Paps, Razor, and someone he didn’t expect to be with them: Merrigan “Fatale” Shaw.
—:—
This was a terrible idea. Her instincts had told her so when Paps suggested she fly back to the States with them. When she’d argued, he’d insisted, telling her it was her boss who had made the suggestion.
“Our mission isn’t over,” Paps reminded her this morning as they drove to the house where Kade was staying. “United Russia won’t stop looking for whatever they believe Calder had on them. While they’ll honor the agreement they made with Doc, since they have no reason to believe Barbie or Skipper were involved, I guarantee they’re setting up shop here in California as we speak.”
“Barbie and Skipper?”
“Doc’s wife and daughter.”
He was married? The last time she saw Doc Butler, the kiss they’d shared made her knees weak and every other part of her body react like he was her own personal sexual beacon. And now, to find out the bastard was married? She was as angry as she was profoundly disappointed, and ready to get on the next flight back to the UK.
The more she thought about it, though, the more she decided it was for the best. His being married was actually a blessing. An affair between a former high-ranking CIA agent and an MI6 agent of equal rank was beyond unprofessional.
When they arrived at the house, Merrigan stood back and watched the reunion between him, Paps, and Razor, getting emotional knowing how she’d feel seeing a colleague who had been long-thought dead.
“Fatale,” Kade said, nodding his head.
“Doc,” she responded.
“Come on in.” He motioned to the door Paps and Razor were walking through.
She went inside, looking about the house for his damned wife. It wasn’t fair of Merrigan to damn the woman; it wasn’t her fault her husband was a bloody womanizer.
“What are you looking for?” he asked, sauntering over to her.
“Nothing,” she answered with a clip that reminded her of her mother’s voice when she was angry.
She stole glances of him as he spoke to his teammates. Even after having been tortured and malnourished for several months, his arms remained so muscular they looked like boulders, and nothing could diminish the breadth of his shoulders. Kade had a swagger that exuded the confidence of a man with eyes so blue they looked like ocean water, and a warm smile she’d rarely seen. Doc Butler could easily make any woman drop her panties. Merrigan included.
He caught her watching him, and smiled. “How are you, Fatale?”
“I’m fine. Thank you.”
“What are you doing here?”
“She’s here on behalf of MI6, Doc,” Paps answered for her.
“As a matter of fact, I was just leaving.”
“Where to?”
She glared at him, still incredulous he’d never thought to mention a wife or a daughter in the time she’d known him.
“I asked where you’re staying.”
“I’m not certain yet.” She turned to Paps. “I’ll get in touch later.”
She pretended she didn’t realize Kade had followed her out the front door, and was in the car, with the door almost closed, when he caught up with her.
“Merrigan?”
“We’ll speak later, Doc.”
“Kade.”
She turned and looked at him for the first time since she walked out of the house. “What?”
“My name is Kade.”
She turned her head away, not able to look at him a moment longer.
“The last time we saw each other—”
“Seriously? You’re bringing that up now? And here of all places.”
“What does where we are have to do with anything?”
“I’ve got to go.”
“You could stay here,” he said before she could close the door.
“You’re unreal.” She wrenched the handle of the door, slammed it shut, and backed out of the driveway.
—:—
Kade stalked back to the house. Merrigan was behaving like a teenager embarrassed by their kiss, instead of the badass take-no-prisoners agent she’d been in Moscow.
“What the hell was that about?” he asked Paps when he came back inside.
“No idea.”
“Why is she here?”
“Because the mission isn’t over, Doc,” Razor chimed in.
Kade nodded. He was aware of that much, but now that Quinn and her mother were out of danger, and he and Leech had personally witnessed the demise of the Mask
hadov organization, he didn’t feel the same sense of urgency to put himself or his team on the line to find something that impacted United Russia more than himself, his family, or his country.
“Whattaya know about Eighty-eight and Skipper?” Paps asked.
“Everything I need to.” The nature of their relationship was obvious. Whatever he hadn’t picked up on when he killed Calder, he’d learned yesterday.
“Incoming,” Razor said, looking out the front window.
For a split second, Kade hoped that meant Merrigan was back, until he saw his brother Maddox climbing out of an SUV parked in the driveway. He waited to see if anyone was with him, and was relieved when no one else exited the vehicle. He could handle one brother at a time better than all three at once.
Kade took a deep breath and opened the door, waiting for his brother to notice him. When their eyes met, he met Maddox halfway.
“Thank fucking God. When Da told me you were alive, I prayed I wasn’t dreaming,” Maddox cried when they were close enough to embrace.
“How are you, Mad?” Kade asked, not knowing what else to say.
“Hell of a lot better seeing you in the flesh.”
Their embrace went on and on, neither of them wanting to let go. While his reunion with Paps and Razor had been emotional, it was nothing compared to seeing his brother again. It would be the same with the rest of his siblings.
“Come inside,” Kade said a few minutes later. “Let’s talk.”
“What a way to celebrate New Year’s Day. I think this is going to be a great one,” Maddox said, smiling with tears in his eyes.
“Damn. The date went right by me.” Kade squeezed Mad’s shoulder. “It’s so good to see you, my brother.”
“You have no idea how often I’ve dreamed of this. Naught and Brodie don’t know you’re back yet,” Maddox told him. “Like I said, Da thought it was better that I knew what I was walking into.”
“I want to see them as soon as possible.”
“How about now? Naught’s at the ranch. I’m not sure about Brodie.”
“Let’s go.” Kade turned to look at Paps and Razor, who waved him off.
On the drive, Kade told Maddox everything he could about the last two years of his life, about his marriage to Lena, their daughter, and about the K19 team, and how he’d asked them to look after his family.
“They were with you in Argentina,” Kade said. “Although at the time, I knew nothing about what was going on here.”
“Tell me what you do know,” said Maddox.
“Eighty-eight—one of my partners—and Da briefed me yesterday.” Kade couldn’t believe all three of his brothers were married, that Brodie and Peyton were new parents of a baby girl, and that Alex was pregnant. Ainsley was the only one of his siblings not married, but Ma told him that she and Cristobal Avila had gotten engaged on Christmas. She’d also told him about Brodie and Peyton’s relationship, and that his youngest brother had been thought dead after the plane he was on crashed in the Argentinian mountains.
What he didn’t tell his mother, because it would sound like he had gone bat-shit crazy, was that so much of what she told him, he felt as though he already knew. Maybe not specific details, but enough that he’d had a sense of déjà vu.
Maddox sent Naughton a message saying he was on his way to Butler Ranch and needed to meet with him. In typical Naught fashion, he’d given Mad a ration of shit about not telling him why.
“Da made it easier on me,” Maddox told him. “I’m not sure how I would’ve reacted if you’d just showed up.”
Kade nodded. Naughton was different, though. Out of all his siblings, knowing in advance wouldn’t be better for him.
“Maybe I should go in first,” Mad suggested.
“No. I’ll handle it.”
When they pulled through the gates of the ranch, a sense of peace washed over Kade. He’d made the decision not to come here last night because he wasn’t ready to see his brothers, but now that he was here, he knew he wouldn’t spend another night at the Harmony house.
Maybe if he weren’t there, Merrigan would consider staying at the house rather than at a hotel. Although she might feel uncomfortable with Paps and Razor. He should’ve thought of that earlier. Maybe that was what was behind her strange behavior. He couldn’t think about her right now, though; he was about to see his brother for the first time in two years.
He knocked, and the door flew open.
“What the hell—” Naughton began, but stopped talking when he saw Kade standing in front of him.
Like with Maddox, the embrace they shared lingered.
“I knew you were alive,” Naughton muttered. “I prayed I wasn’t wrong.”
Unlike Maddox, he didn’t want to know where Kade had been, or why he’d been reported dead. All he cared about was that his brother was home. “You can tell me some other time,” he told him. “Right now, there’s someone I want you to meet.”
Kade and Maddox followed him inside and waited in the living room while Naught went to get his wife.
“This is Bradley,” he said when they came downstairs. “And, sweetheart, this is my brother Kade.”
Bradley’s eyes filled with tears, and instead of shaking his outstretched hand, she hugged him. “It’s so nice to meet you,” she murmured.
Before she let go, the front door flew open.
“Oh my God,” screamed Alex, running over to him. “Tell me you’re real. Tell me I’m not dreaming. I have dreamed about you, just so you know. And I’m getting damn tired of the lectures you give me when I do. God, I’m glad to see you.” She pulled back and looked him up and down. “You look like shit by the way, but I guess being dead will do that to a guy.” She took a deep breath. “Wow, what a way to celebrate the new year.”
Alex held him so tight that Kade could feel every stuttered breath she took as she rested her cheek on his chest and cried.
“How’d you know, Al?” Maddox asked her.
“Sorcha told me there was someone visiting Naughton that I’d want to see. I was halfway here by the time she finished talking. I knew. Don’t ask me how, but I knew.”
Kade had wondered countless times while being held by the Russians, if the connection between him and his family was strong enough that they’d know he wasn’t dead. He’d wondered the same thing with his K19 partners, although with them, the agreement had been to accept the report and act accordingly, but not to put a marker on any grave until they saw one another’s dead bodies with their own eyes. That’s how he’d known they’d never stop looking for him.
“When are you going to see Peyton and Brodie?” she asked and then continued without giving him a chance to respond. “You know they’re married and have a baby, right?” Alex patted her stomach and then pulled Kade’s hand to rest on it. “I’m pregnant. Did Mad tell you? I’m due in July.”
Kade nodded and smiled. He’d always loved Alex and had banked on Maddox figuring out he couldn’t live without her. By the look on his brother’s face, he had.
“They named the baby Kismet Kadence, for you, in part. Oh, and Skye and Mac named their boy Kade. Did you know that?” She walked over and put her arms around Mad’s waist. “Thanks for the house, and the vineyards, and everything else you gave us, by the way.”
“You’re welcome,” he said and looked over at Naughton and his wife.
“Now that you’re back…” Naughton began, but Kade stopped him.
“Nothing changes.”
“But—”
“Nothing. It’s all yours,” he looked back and forth between his brothers. “Both of yours.”
“So Peyton…” said Alex.
Kade wasn’t worried about Peyton. He’d spent a lot of time thinking about her when the Russians left him alone long enough that his mind could process anything beyond the daily pain they’d inflicted on his body.
She’d known, even before he left to rescue Leech, that they weren’t meant to be. He adored her, and her boys, and had even tried
to convince himself that he wanted to marry her. As soon as he’d told his family so, he knew it was wrong. It was as though saying the words out loud was enough to convince him it didn’t feel right. He was so happy that she and Brodie were together; it was what he’d wanted.
“They thought Brodie was dead too,” he heard Alex say. “Jamie and Finn will be fine, I think, don’t you?”
Kade realized she’d addressed her question to him, and he didn’t know how to answer. They were the two people whose reaction he was most concerned about. He loved Peyton’s boys and hoped that, one day, they’d accept him as their uncle.
“Did anyone else see him?” he heard Alex ask Mad.
“I’m not sure. Why?”
“You know how fast news spreads in this valley. I’d hate for Brodie and Peyton to hear Kade was back via gossip.”
She was right. Kade wouldn’t want that either. “Do you know where they are?” he asked.
“Home,” answered Naught. “Wait until you see their house.”
—:—
Merrigan checked into one of the bed and breakfast places scattered along Moonstone Beach Road in Cambria. Kade had talked about it so often when the Russians would leave him alone, she felt as though she’d been here before, and had been stunned that it looked exactly the way she’d imagined it. She wouldn’t be staying here long, though. In a few hours, she had a call scheduled with her superior, during which she intended to ask for a replacement. If she had to, she’d admit the relationship between her and Doc had become personal. It might mean she’d be asked to leave MI6, but that, she could deal with. Seeing Kade with his wife was more than she could bear.
Meeting at 1900 hours, said the text that came over from Paps.
Where? she answered.
When Paps told her they’d meet at the house where she’d dropped them off, she bristled and asked for an alternate location. She was still waiting for a response when a text came in from Kade.
The Return (Butler Ranch Book 6) Page 2