by Vaughn, Ann
Lainey Riley, however, was different. She'd captured his attention when she was just seventeen years old. Although he tried not to think of her too often over the years, there were times when her face would pop into his mind. When he was in that hovel in Mosul and they were branding him, her face was what kept him from caving in. Her face. One that he'd seen only once, for maybe thirty minutes at the most, and only a minute or two up close. It made no sense at all, but at his lowest moment, Lainey Riley's face had filled his mind and pulled him through.
She took a deep breath and pressed her face even closer into his chest. He wondered if she were still awake but kept silent, not wanting to engage in conversation again. He began lightly stroking her hair with just his fingertips, fighting the overwhelming urge to kiss her. Her fingers had fisted in his shirt so he knew she was awake, but he didn't want to do anything that would change the peaceful feeling that had settled over him like a blanket. Tomorrow and all it's problems would come crashing in on them soon enough. For now, he just wanted to hold her and not think of anything else.
Lainey knew she'd never been more relaxed, and at the same time more aroused in her life. Being held by Mike Casiano was unlike anything she'd ever experienced. He was broader and more muscular than Kevin. Kevin had been fit and lean; Mike was fit and cut. She could feel muscles that were defined and felt like steel under her palm. Snuggling up to him had thrown him for a bit of a loop, but he hadn't pushed her away. Instead, he'd snaked his arms around her and held her close. Who would have thought that he would be a snuggler? It made her smile against him.
When he started stroking her hair, her fingers clutched his shirt in reaction. She wanted so bad to look up into his eyes and see what he was thinking, but her ultimate goal was to get him to go to sleep. If he would just relax and allow his mind to quiet...but she could tell he was fighting sleep. With a sigh, she snuggled even closer to him and hoped that her body warmth would be enough to lull him to sleep.
Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she felt him press his lips against the side of her head and heard him murmur, buona notte, cara mia; good night, my dear. He'd called her cara mia before and she'd heard Kacee gasp. She made a note to remember to ask Kacee about that, then allowed sleep to finally claim her.
Chapter Nine
When Lainey awoke the next morning, she was still snuggled against Mike's chest, and he was sound asleep. She glanced around for a clock and saw that it was almost seven a.m. He'd slept through the night! And he was still holding her! His arm was curled around her back, and it was slack from sleep, but it was still around her.
She studied his face, thinking he looked fierce even in his sleep. He was relaxed, though, and she thanked God that he was able to shut down for more than just a couple of hours. For the first time, she noticed a scar that went from just behind his ear, across his neck under his jaw and down his neck, as if someone had tried to slit his throat. Or, they had used something that cut into him to try to strangle him. She couldn't tell but it brought tears to her eyes. She knew she needed to get him to talk to her about all that had happened but she was afraid she wouldn't be able to handle it once he did. All her training would mean nothing, because it was him. But he needed to open up to someone, and she sensed he needed to open up to someone close to him, not just a random therapist.
As she watched, his eyes opened and she felt the icy intensity of them as he focused on her. He studied her a moment then glanced toward the clock. She watched the muscle in his jaw tick and a scowl settle between his brows.
"Good morning," she whispered.
His hand came up to touch her hair, brushing a lock that had fallen across her brow away.
"Good morning," he echoed.
"You slept all night," she said.
"It's been known to happen."
"Mike, you -" she began, but stopped when his phone rang.
He leaned over and picked up his phone, closing his eyes a moment.
"Hi, Mom," he said, making Lainey smile.
She liked that he was trying to make up to his mother for the years that he'd caused her to worry about him. Since he'd come back to Springfield, he'd done everything his mother wanted him to. Riley told her of all the dinner parties and social affairs Mike had attended on his mother's behalf and it secretly melted her heart that he would do that when she knew he had to hate every minute of it.
"Yes, Lainey is staying here with me," he said, drawing her attention back to his conversation. "Mom...I don't think...but..." She watched him close his eyes again and drop his head. "Yes, ma'am. Six o'clock. We'll be there." He ended the call then swore violently under his breath, slamming his phone down on the bed beside his hip.
"What is it?"
"My mother wants us to come for dinner tonight at six."
"And this is a problem because?"
He met her gaze. "You do know who my mother is, right?"
"Jeannette Chandler-Casiano. I've known her for several years."
That gave him pause. "Really?"
"Come on, Mike. I told you, I practically lived at Kacee's house. Kacee and I have worked on several charity functions with your mother."
He scrubbed a hand over his face. "Well, that explains this then."
"Explains what?"
"Why she wants us at a full family dinner."
"Want to clue me in?"
He rolled out of bed and began to pace.
"My mother has been trying to set me up with every eligible woman she can think of since I got out of the Navy. Now, she's turning her sights on you."
Lainey giggled slightly. "Well, we have slept together. Twice."
"Very funny."
"Well, we have!"
"Do me a favor: do not tell her that, please. She'll have us picking out china patterns before you know it."
Lainey laughed at the genuine fear she could see on his face.
"The mighty Commander Michael Casiano is afraid of his own mother."
"Damn straight, I am," he confirmed, making her laugh even harder, "you aren't helping, Ms. Riley."
"I'm sorry," she laughed, wiping her streaming eyes, "but you should see the look on your face right now. Priceless."
He shook his head and mumbled something about crazy women as he went into the bathroom. Lainey smiled, watching him walk away from her, then sank back down in bed and hugged his pillow to her, closing her eyes to inhale the scent that was uniquely his. She heard the shower come on and had to bite her lip at knowing he was nude just a few feet away from her. What she wouldn't give to be able to freely walk in there with him.
With a sigh, she put the pillow down and got up to go downstairs to get her suitcase. She'd gotten halfway down the stairs when she realized she wasn't alone on the lower level. Freezing, she saw Riley, Colt, Shane and an older man with salt and pepper hair sitting at the desk in the office area.
"Holy shit," Colt said, and Lainey became painfully aware that all she wore was Mike's oversized T-shirt.
Shrugging because it was too late to change anything, Lainey finished going down the stairs and went into the living area to retrieve her suitcase. Riley came up to her and grabbed her upper arm, scowling down at her.
"What are you...where did you sleep last night?"
"Let go of me, Riley," she said, keeping her tone calm.
"Answer me."
"I slept with Mike. Not sex," she added when his eyes bugged, "just slept...and Riley, he slept. All night."
He released her arm and rubbed his hand over his jaw.
"You slept in the same bed with him?"
"We just slept, Riley. Nothing happened."
"Yet," he mumbled.
She narrowed her eyes at him.
"We have to talk, you and me. About Mike...and why you never wanted me to meet him."
"Long story," he said, looking up when Mike walked out of his room.
If he was surprised that Riley and the others were there, he didn't show it. His face was a mask of icy calm as he came
down the stairs toward them. His eyes briefly swept Lainey's body, taking in her bare legs before meeting Riley's gaze.
"Problem?"
Riley stared at him for a full minute before shaking his head.
"No. Go get dressed, Lainey," he said, turning away.
Lainey watched Riley walk back over to the others then looked up at Mike.
"Did you know they would be here?"
"Yes. Sorry, I didn't think to tell you."
She gave him a small smile. "Gave Riley a heart attack, me coming out of your bedroom, wearing only your T-shirt."
To her surprise, a small smile touched his lips as well.
"I'm sure it did." He reached down and picked up her suitcase and, with his hand on her back, led her back up the stairs to his bedroom. She was amazed to see he had already made the bed; a product of his military life she was sure.
"Towels in the closet in the bathroom," he told her, placing her suitcase on the bed.
"Thank you. Will Riley -" she started but he cut her off.
"I'll handle it. Take your time," he said, then left her to shower and get dressed.
He realized he should have known that the guys would let themselves in; he'd always had an open door policy with his team. There had never been a reason to restrict their movement in his home; until now. He saw Riley stand and come across the room to meet him at the foot of the stairs.
"Got something to say?" he asked when Riley approached.
Riley studied him a moment, then shook his head.
"Just be careful with her."
"I believe she told you; nothing happened."
Riley nodded. "Colt has a possible hit on the picture you got from the security footage," he said, changing the subject.
Mike followed him over to the desk, shaking hands with his former commanding officer, Glen Gibson, who was Tessa's step-father.
"Gib. Shane. How is Tessa?"
"She had a rough night. The pain meds gave her muscle twitches. Her mother is with her now. She wanted to see Gabe," he said, referring to their son.
"Did they find something different to give her?" Mike asked.
"Yeah, thankfully."
"Good. Colt?"
"Gotta run this name by Lainey, see if it jogs her memory, but pretty sure this is Charles Conroy."
"And who is Charles Conroy?" Mike asked.
"Charles Conroy?" they heard Lainey gasp. They all looked up to see her stopped at the top of the stairs. He noted that she hadn't showered yet, just slipped some yoga pants on.
Mike straightened from where he was leaning over to look at Colt's computer, his eyes on her.
"You know him?"
Eyes huge, she nodded. Mike saw her face go pale and saw her begin to tremble. He rushed to her, taking the stairs three at a time to get to her. She looked up at him when he put his arm around her and led her down the stairs into the living room.
"Look at me," he said, squatting in front of her when she sat on the couch. "What do you know about this guy?"
"He's...he was a Marine. He was injured in Iraq...an RPG landed near him and the blast knocked him back. He took a hard hit to the head. He had some memory loss, loss of some basic language and motor skills. His wife couldn't handle the care he needed and left him. He was one of the cases I took at the VA a couple of years ago, remember?" she said to Riley who stood just behind Mike.
"Yeah," he replied.
She looked back to Mike. "He was doing really well when I stopped working with him. He must have had some kind of set back."
"Why did you stop working with him?" Mike pressed.
"Some kind of political maneuver. They didn't allow outside counselors to come in any more."
Mike stood and looked at Colt. "Does that follow with the information you pulled on him?"
Colt nodded. "Yeah."
Lainey raked her fingers through her hair. "I can't believe I didn't recognize his voice. His vocal chords were damaged and he began smoking like a freight train. He's not old, like I thought. He's only a year or two older than me."
"What else do you remember about him?" Riley asked.
"I don't know...that I felt sorry for him. He was injured serving his country and his wife wouldn't stand by him."
"Did he hit on you at the time?" Colt asked.
She shook her head. "He was too upset and too hurt. He was so down and so sad...and..." Her eyes widened.
"What is it?" Mike said.
"I did write him a note. I did tell him he had a nice smile. He was upset when I told him that I couldn't counsel him any longer. And...I saw him at the mall last year. We talked briefly and I thanked him for his service to our country and I kissed his cheek...in gratitude and to cheer him up."
"You didn't do anything wrong," Mike assured her, squatting back down to be eye level with her. "We get that a lot when we're out in public in our uniforms, especially post 9/11."
"I shouldn't have, though. He was my patient at one time."
"You were a citizen thanking a member of the Armed Forces. There is nothing wrong with that," Riley reiterated.
Her eyes drifted to Shane who stood near the back of the group, hands shoved in his pockets.
"I'm not so sure about that. Look what he's done. Look what he did to Tessa."
Shane stepped forward then and squatted down next to Mike, his deep blue eyes locking on hers.
"Don't you for one minute blame yourself for what happened to Tessa," he said, "this is what she does."
Tears filled her eyes, spilling down her cheeks. "She could have been killed because one of my former patients started -"
Shane took her hand between his. "She wasn't killed. She is going to be fine. This is not your fault. My Tessa is tough, so don't you blame yourself, understand?"
She nodded. Shane leaned forward and kissed her cheek, then stood and walked back to the office area. She looked back at Mike, tears still falling down her cheeks. He reached out and gently wiped the tears away, his intense gaze locked on her.
"This is not your fault, cara mia."
Riley sat beside her and put his arm around her when Mike stood and went over to the office area when Colt called him. Lainey put her head on Riley's shoulder, taking several deep breaths to calm herself. She hated crying. Absolutely hated it.
"It's going to be all right, Tink," he told her, kissing the side of her head.
"Charles reminded me of Aaron," she said, referring to Riley's youngest brother. "I can't believe he's the one doing all of this."
"A brain injury is a tricky thing, you know that. Like you said, something obviously set him off, and in his mind, he was turning back to the last person who really helped him."
She nodded and turned to fully embrace her cousin. "Love you, Rile."
"Love you, too, Tink."
She took a deep breath and stood, crossing to the kitchen and the fridge to get a bottle of water. Her hands were shaking so bad she didn't trust herself to not spill the water. She closed the door and just pressed her forehead to its cool door for a moment, trying to calm down. She jumped when a warm hand settled on her shoulder. Mike was there and pulled her into his arms. That was the tipping point. She clung to him, letting her tears have free reign. She heard all conversation stop and knew that all eyes were on her, but she couldn't control the tears. She heard Mike say something to someone but she couldn't make out what or who he spoke to. The next thing she knew, he'd lifted her into his arms and was carrying her up the stairs to his room. He avoided the bed and sat in the leather chair in the corner of the room, cradling her in his lap. He didn't speak, just held her and let her cry, one big hand cradling her head, the other rubbing her back.
"I'm sorry," she whispered after a while, her breath still hitching.
"Nothing to apologize for," he said, his voice soft and low.
"I don't normally cry. I hate crying."
"Cry all you want. I don't mind."
She turned her face into his chest, touched by his words. She had
no clue how long they sat like that, and she really didn't care. With Mike's arms around her, she felt safe and warm and...cherished; but she knew that as much as she'd like to stay exactly where she was, he had work to do.
Sitting up, she pushed her hair from her eyes and looked into his icy eyes.
"I should let you get back to work," she said softly.
He smoothed both palms over her cheeks, wiping her tears from them. For a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her, but he kissed her forehead instead.
"Do me a favor?" he asked, tilting her head up by cupping her chin in his hand.
"Yes?"
He nodded toward the bathroom. "Got a big, huge tub in there. Go soak in the jets and relax. Now that we know who this guy is, we're that much closer to ending all of this."
She took a deep breath and nodded. "OK." He helped her to her feet then stood, turning toward the door. "Mike?" she asked when his hand closed around the doorknob.
"Yes?"
"I am not a crier. I don't use tears to manipulate men. I just...wanted you to know that."
He stared at her a full minute before giving her a wink. "I do know that. Go soak."
Colt and Riley were the only ones left when Mike got back downstairs. They both looked up when he emerged from his room and followed his progress until he came to the desk.
"She OK?" Colt asked.
"She will be."
Riley rubbed the back of his neck. "We've got to find this son of a bitch fast. This is tearing her apart. Lainey is not a crier."
"Do we have an address for this Conroy guy?" Mike asked, changing the subject.
"Shane and Gib went to check it out. Shane was going to try to flash his badge and see what he can get from the neighbors," Colt told him.
Mike looked at the satellite image of Conroy's address. It was one of those jam-packed neighborhoods where the houses were right on top of each other; which could actually work to their advantage. Living that close to one another, people tend to notice what was going on with their neighbors whether they wanted to or not.