Hawkins_McCullough’s Jamboree_Erotic Jaguar Shapeshifter Romance

by Kathi S. Barton

  Yes. And I’ve cloned her computer to set up with the one in your office. If and when—because you know that they will—they set this up again, we’ll know the precise moment that she has access to it. She told him good thinking. Also, Jamie has been helping me with this since I got here. I would have been caught without her help.

  Are you telling me that I should hire her? He told her that he’d never tell her to do anything. No, you’d be slick about it. But I’ve already put the paperwork through to get her onboard and paid. She’ll be behind the scenes as much as I can make it. The two of you working this way will be beneficial to a lot of people.

  I’m quitting. Hawk waited for her explosion as he left the building the same way he’d come in. When he was nearing his car, he saw Jon waiting for him. I can’t do this anymore, Lauren. It’s not how I want to be a mate to Jamie.

  Do you think I can talk you into one more mission? It has to do with Jamie and the people searching for her. He said that he’d help with that anyway. I know. But Christ, Hawk, what am I going to do without you there at my side?

  Raise your children and have a good long life with my brother. I’m planning to have a bunch of little Jamies and Hawks, and have a good time watching them grow up. And not have to think about where I’m going to be heading the next morning. It’s got to end sometime, and I’d rather me be the one that decides when and how. Jon hugged him, and they got into his car. Before they drove off, Hawk told him that he was talking to Lauren. Are you there?

  Yes, I’m thinking you might be right. I’m getting too old for this shit, and I’ve missed one of my daughters taking her first steps. He didn’t point out that was what he was talking about. She’d get it sooner or later. I’m going to think on this for a bit. But we need to finish this with Jackson. All right?

  He told her he was going to finish this with her and she seemed satisfied. When they closed their connection, he looked at his nephew. There was usually something so calming about him, but today he was tense. Before starting the car, he asked him what was going on.

  “The person that is looking for Jamie is someone that I didn’t expect.” He asked him who it was. “Her father.”

  Chapter 6

  Jarvis was sort of nervous about this morning. He was hurt, yes, but not nearly as bad as it could have been. Lauren told him to just act like nothing at all happened out of the ordinary and go on with his day. The moment that Iris walked into his office, he could tell that she was shocked to see him there.

  “Sir?” He asked her what she needed. “I don’t know. I mean, I didn’t expect you in today at all. We heard about the accident.”

  There had been no report on the accident. It had been cleaned up by the McCullough family, the limo had been put in the barn, and the dead men were all in the morgue with tags on their toes that said unknown. But the look on her face was just the reaction that he had expected.

  “Accident? What accident would that be?” Iris seemed unsure where to go with it, so she asked him if he was free for dinner tonight. “No, I’ve got a great deal on my plate right now. I’m not even sure that we should be seeing one another anymore. I’ve given it some thought, and I think—”

  “You have to see me.” Jarvis cocked a brow at her and said nothing. “What I mean is, we have such a good time when we’re together. I thought we’d have dinner in your suite and then watch some television or something. Why don’t we do that, and if you still think we shouldn’t see each other, I’ll understand.”

  “No. I don’t think so. As I said, I’m very busy, and I just don’t think this is going to go anywhere between us. I mean, from the start we both agreed that it was just a fling. And it isn’t as if we made any kind of commitment to each other. It was just a meeting between two friends.” He smiled at her, and it was the hardest thing he’d ever done. “We can still be friends, but not see each other outside of the office, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, I guess so.” She looked torn, and he asked her what she needed from him. “Oh, nothing. I guess, with the accident and all, I thought I would clear your calendar for you. I’m afraid that I’ve lost it off my computer.”

  “I’ll see what I can do about getting it restored to you.” Jarvis lowered his head to look at the papers in front of him without really seeing them. “If there is nothing else, Miss Nash, I really need to get to work.”

  When the door closed behind her, he let out a long breath. He’d have to call Lauren and let her know what had happened, but right now he had to calm himself. Jarvis was the leader of the free world, and right now he thought he’d rather be in the war room making decisions than have to deal with this woman. When his phone rang, it took him several seconds to realize it was his personal phone and not the ones on his desk.

  “Hey, how’s it going?” Hawk. The man had a way about him lately that made him feel secure. Not that he’d ever not been there when he needed him, but he felt like he was more human lately and less like a killing machine. “I have your computer hooked up to the one here at Lauren’s office. See the little icon at the bottom left? That’s on a different server than you have in the White House. You can chat with any of us without letting anyone know about it. Jon set it up for us.”

  “Do I tell you about my morning on it? Or on the phone you called me on?” He told him he could talk on the phone, though he’d be leery about it. But the chat was clean. “I’ll use that then. Are you guys going by some secret names or something? Very covert?”

  Hawk laughed. “Nah, just Hawk and Lauren. Jamie might come on there too, but she’ll be using mine. By the way, you should know that Lauren is going to make it public about the records in a few days. She said that she has a few friends that will take care that it’s out there.” Jarvis asked if there was anything that he should say. “I’d keep it low. Lauren said that you should simply say that it’s an ongoing investigation and that you cannot comment at this time. It’ll piss a few people off, but you’ll be able to give them an answer.”

  “I like that. It’s like I’m admitting that I know and that I’m clueless as to what is going on.” Jarvis laughed, telling him what happened this morning with Iris. “I don’t know what she was coming in here to do, but she was startled stupid when she saw me sitting at my desk.”

  “She’s called Jackson already, Lauren said. She’s having those conversations recorded as well. Just to cover your ass. Oh, the car is going to be dismantled. Ben, the guy that has it in his barn, said that he’d use the parts for some other cars he’s been working on.” Jarvis didn’t care so long as it didn’t come back to bite anyone in the ass. “Jackson and Iris both have trackers on their cars, so we’ll be able to see where they go. I have a feeling that they’re going to go to the site where you were hurt and look around. At least I’m betting Jackson will. I’ll be close enough that I can see him, but him not see me. Do you have any questions?”

  “Yes. When is this going to end?” Hawk asked him what he meant. “This conspiracy and crap going on. The way that I have to keep you here most of the time to cover my ass. And for that matter, why are people after my ass? I’m a good man. I think a good leader as well. When will all this just stop so I can help the country without worrying I’m going to get shot?”

  “It won’t.” He should have known that Hawk would give him a straight up answer. No sugar coating it with that man. “I can tell you this, however. When you are no longer president, it won’t be much different than it is now. Only it’ll be on someone else’s plate. And I’m retiring.”

  “I’m sorry, what did you just say?” Hawk repeated himself, and even laughed a little. “You can’t retire. The country needs you and Lauren to keep us straight. What the hell will I do without you in my corner?”

  “Write a book? Become a best seller and spill most of your secrets? Other than the Secret Service following you around all the time, you’ll be a free man. Maybe you can find someone that you can spend the rest of your life with.” He had thought that he’d had that with I
ris. However, he wasn’t too upset that it hadn’t panned out. “However, you let us vet her for you.”

  He was still laughing when Hawk said that he needed to get going before Jackson got there. When he put the phone in his front jacket pocket he sat back at his desk. It wasn’t as if he had nothing to do today—there was a long list of things. And now that he held his calendar close to his vest, so to speak, he’d have to remind himself when he had to leave and such.

  Jarvis was just putting one of the files that he’d been working on back in the filing cabinet when his door opened. While he knew Jackson, he didn’t recognize this version of him. He was unkept and hadn’t shaved, it looked like. His shirt was misbuttoned like he’d just thrown it on as he was running out the door. Jarvis asked him if he was all right and had him sit down.

  “There is too much going on around here.” He asked him what he meant by that. “I don’t know. I’m just stressed about some things. Nothing to do with you, however.”

  “I should hope not.” Jarvis sat back down at his desk and looked at the man in front of him. He had never really trusted Jackson. And had never invited him to come into his office like he owned the place. But for now, he’d let him hang himself. “Iris and I have called it quits. We’re not suited to each other, I don’t think.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about? Iris is perfect for you.” He seemed to realize that he had shouted at him and cleared his throat before speaking again. “What I mean is, Iris has made you a very happy man, hasn’t she? I mean, didn’t you guys have dinner up in your suite a great deal?”

  “No, never. Why would you think that?” Jackson just mumbled something about nothing going right. “I’m sorry. What’s not going right for you, Frank? I thought that you had all your plans all laid out and most of them executed.”

  Jackson just stared at him then turned to look behind him. Jarvis pretended not to notice that he was looking at the spot where the camera had been found. Jarvis wished now that he’d had some kind of recording device of his own. But that would be as bad as this man, breaking the law by recording him.

  “Have you had your office scanned lately?” Jarvis said that it was scanned every day, sometimes twice. “Really? That often? I had no idea. I was curious, you see. Nothing to do with you.”

  “You’ve said that to me two times, Frank. It makes me think that something is going on that does have to do with me.” Frank stood up then sat down again. There was something seriously wrong with this man if he thought that he’d get away with this. “Iris asked me about an accident yesterday.”

  Frank’s face literally lost all color. Even his lips had gone a chalky white. Leaning back in his chair, Jarvis watched the man as he explained, as he had to her, that he’d not had one at all. Did he know what she might be referring to?

  “Iris told you that? Well, you know how women can be. Maybe she said that to get you to comfort her or something.” Jarvis told him that she’d said that before he’d informed her they weren’t going to be together any longer. “I don’t know then. I just don’t know about anything of late. Have you seen McCullough or Burcher lately? I was trying to get in touch with them to ask about some projects I have going on.”

  Jarvis reached under his desk and pushed the button to bring security to him. They would enter and escort him out, but they’d never say a word to the man. When the door opened, Jarvis told him that he had a great deal of work to do today and that he should be on his way.

  “And Frank?” He turned and looked at him with a questioning look. “Do not come into my office again without permission. I will have you arrested if you so much as cross the carpet in the hallway outside. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, yes. I just thought that since we were friends and all that I could just come and see you at any time.” Jarvis laughed before telling him that they weren’t friends at all. “I see. Yes, all right, I’ll leave, but you should think about you and Iris.”

  “That is a done deal. There is no Iris and me. Are we clear on that as well?” Jackson left with the security team, and one of them stayed behind to ask what they were to do about him in the future. “He’s not allowed on the property. Not on the grounds, and especially not in my house. If you see him, you have my permission to arrest him and throw away the key.”

  The man laughed and said that he would gladly do that. “Also, sir, I’m not sure if you’re aware of this or not, but someone was in your office late last night. I do believe it was Jackson. Do you want me to run the security tapes to find out? They’ll show us how he’s getting in the front door, so to speak.”

  “Yes, I do. I’ve been told by Burcher that she thought that he was getting much too familiar with this place and I should crack down. The nerve of the man coming here after hours. Look them over, and if you find that he’s been in here, I want to know.” The man said that he would. As he was going out the door, he was giving information to the other guys concerning Jackson. By the end of the day, hell the hour, Jackson would be blocked from all entrances to the place.

  For having such a shitty start to his day, Jarvis thought it was turning out pretty good. So far at least. Pulling out the paperwork to have Iris terminated, along with her arrest, he was just finishing it up when the security team came in the office after a short knock to let him know what they’d found. Iris would be gone with her buddy within the hour as well.

  ~*~

  Hawk looked over the building with an eye for what he had in mind for it. His dad was with him, as was his mom this trip. Jamie was going to meet them here soon. She had gone in to help Lauren with a couple of things. His mom asked him if he was all right.

  “Yes, never better. Why do you ask?” She patted him on the cheek and said that she loved him. “And I love you. Very much. What is wrong, Mom?”

  “Wrong? Well, I don’t even know where to begin.” She started crying, and Hawk held her while she did. Looking over her head, he asked Dad what was going on that had upset her. His mom started talking. “Here it is almost summer, and I’ve not once heard any of you ask me about our annual picnic. I’ve so much to do to get ready for it, but if you’d rather we didn’t have it anymore, I’d like to know now.”

  “Mom, this is the first time I’ve heard about an annual picnic. If you remember, until recently, I’ve not been in the States all that much in the last twenty some years.” She looked up at him with a teary face. “Don’t cry. Please? It hurts me in ways that I can’t explain to you.”

  Hugging her again, Dad left them alone. Finding something for her to sit on, Hawk waited while she gathered her control. He was way out of his element on this stuff. Women he knew didn’t cry—they shot you to fuck when they were upset. But he was pretty sure that his mom wouldn’t be like that. At least he hoped not.

  “What did you do to your mother?” He looked at Jamie and was relieved that she was there to help him out. But instead, she browbeat him for making his mother cry. “Are you cursing again? You know how she hates that from her boys. Am I going to have to kick your ass again?”

  “You just cursed.” She glared at him, and Hawk was sure that he actually felt heat from it. “I didn’t do anything to her. She just started crying about some annual picnic that I know nothing about.”

  “And why is it you’ve not taken the time to get to know about it? Too busy being all macho and shit? I swear to you, Hawkins, I think you need your head screwed on tighter.” He wasn’t sure what the hell was happening here, but he knew that he’d done nothing wrong. But he was going to keep that to himself. Instead, he apologized. “For what? You do something else?”

  “Why are you all pissy with me?” She slapped him on the arm. “This is getting us nowhere. I haven’t any idea about the picnic that’s upset her. I don’t know why she’s crying, and I thought of all people, you’d be on my side.”

  “I’m forever on your side, when what you do makes sense.”

  He was ready to join up in the service again and be away from home for the rest
of his life. Then he remembered how long that would be. He asked if they could start over. “She wants me to help out with the arrangements. I think. I can vaguely remember something about a bash in the summer, but I don’t believe I’ve ever been here for it. I would like to help all I can.”

  “I do want you to help me. I would love to have you helping me for a lot of things. You’ve missed some things over the years.” He’d missed them all, and was wishing now that he wasn’t going to be here for this one. “You should see it, Hawkins. The entire town comes over, and we have roasted hog and all kinds of side dishes. Everyone brings something to share. And then we have fireworks.”

  “What would you like for me to do to help?” He was almost afraid when Jamie put her hands on her hips and glared again. “I’ll get the hog and have it readied for your event.”

  “Yes, why don’t you do that, son?”

  Jamie was comforting his mom again, and he left. He was a coward, he knew, but he wasn’t built to deal with his mom crying. He’d only seen her do that one time before, and that was when he had left for basic training.

  It only took him a couple of minutes to get in touch with one of his brothers to find out where to get a hog. It was much more complicated that he’d thought it would be. But by dinner time, not only did he have it set up and ready to roast, but he’d hired someone to come out and dig a pit to roast it on. He was very proud of himself.

  His building would have to wait until another time. While his dad, also a coward, helped Mom into their car, Hawk headed to the site where the attempted murder had happened. He knew that Jackson was trying to figure out what had gone wrong with his plans.

  Hawkins had gone out to the accident site yesterday morning. And while he could hear what Jackson was saying, mostly to himself, he didn’t understand a large part of it. The man was going on and on about the helicopter that he’d hired, as well as the death of those boys. When he got back in his car and then gone to the airport, Hawk had followed him to his home. There he saw Iris. She was crying too, but it didn’t bother him this time. He had no vested interest in this woman’s feelings. Listening in on them, he’d been hard pressed to not laugh at the two of them together.