by Carolyn Lee
"Another brother?"
"Sort of. He's really our cousin but his mom died when he was young so my mother raised him with us. We are all about the same age."
"What about his dad?"
A dark shadow passed over Keegan's expression briefly. "In prison. For murdering his wife."
"Oh crap."
"Yeah."
"Is Logan a big wig fed like you two?"
Keegan shook his head. "No. He's a municipal cop. He and his wife work for the same agency. They met when she was in witness protection. Logan saved her from a mercenary and now they are married and expecting a baby. They live out by Ma in the mountains."
"So, your mother raised three lawmen."
"Yes. It was important to her that we be respectable."
Nikki laughed. "Law enforcement was a guarantee of that?"
"In my mother's opinion, yes."
"I think she did all right." Nikki reached out and touched his hand.
Keegan turned his over and threaded his fingers through hers. "Why don't you go ahead and ask me what you really want to know. It's okay, we need to talk about it."
So, she wasn't as smooth as she thought. Okay, here goes then. "What really happened with your Margot?"
Keegan cleared his throat. "First, she isn't my Margot. While we were dating she was seeing someone else. Or, I should say, she had me on the side. Only I was the only one in the United States of America that didn't know this."
"I'm so sorry." She squeezed his hand gently. "That must hurt."
"Yeah. Since my brother was one of those people."
"Ouch."
"He didn't want to hurt me. He had no idea how serious I was about Margot and just figured the sex would fizzle. Which it did, by the way. Long before we broke up. I thought it was because of this child killer case we were all wrapped up in. Nothing kills the mood like a dirt bag kidnapping and murdering little kids. When the case was over and we got the guy, I wanted to celebrate and she wanted to break up. The other guy popped the question with a huge rock."
"I can't even imagine."
"It's the reason I left the bureau. I couldn't stand running into her all the time and God help me if we had been put on a case together. My SAC took my resignation well, even pretended he had no idea why I was leaving so suddenly."
"That's how you ended up with Border Patrol?"
"I knew the right people, they sped up the hiring process and let me laterally transfer. I'll have field training but no academy. Honestly, I would have taken a job with port security if I had to just to get out of there."
"How about the house? How did you find that?"
"I'm renting a beach rental but I have to get out soon for the tourist season. I wanted something secluded and away from the out of towners that descend on this place in June. My agent showed it to me almost on a dare, I think. The second I stepped through the front door I was in love. Such a shame it has been left to crumble all these years."
"I don't know what was wrong with that woman."
"What do you mean?"
"She had you and she let you go." She was going all in. What did she have to lose? If Henry hadn't walked in on them, they'd be having this conversation in her bed anyway.
"Nikki—"
"It's okay, I'm not asking you for anything. I'm just simply saying the woman had to be a fool. When a man as strong, confident, sweet and caring as you comes along, a woman takes a second look. Okay, a third. The second look was probably at your ass." His face turned a deep crimson giving Nikki a warm, fuzzy feeling in some very important places. "Anyway, once you stopped passing by, she should have held onto you with both hands and never let you go."
"Nikki—"
She held up a hand. "Hold that thought. I'm not done. I can't believe for a second that she realized what she was giving up. Even after only knowing you for a few days I can see that you are the kind of man a woman would be fortunate to have for a partner. I don't think you need online dating sites or mail order brides or any other scheme your mother cooks up to help you find a wife. You just need to open you heart and mind again to the possibility of falling in love and it will happen without any help."
Keegan rose from his chair, pulling her to her feet in the process. His lips moved over hers essentially ending Nikki's tirade against arranged marriages. She parted her lips willingly to him, forgetting that she was supposed to be pleading her case and let her tongue do the talking in other ways.
When she couldn't have been more thoroughly kissed, Keegan released her. "Are you done now?"
Ignoring the shake in her legs and turmoil in her abdomen, Nikki nodded, "Yes."
"Good. Because it's my turn now. I no longer care who Margot dates or marries. I am glad I left the Bureau and moved here and I am damned glad I bought that old, broke down, wreck of a place. This week I ran into—literally—a woman that makes me feel things I have never encountered before in my life and I want to find out more about them. When I kiss her, the planet stops spinning, time quits passing and I forget to breathe. I've experienced more passion in the past few days than I have in an entire lifetime and when I thought I was going to lose her that to the icy cold Atlantic Ocean tonight, I nearly lost my mind."
As he spoke, Nikki had slowly sagged against Keegan. Her legs refused to support her any longer as his hands ran up and down her arms, across her back and into her hair. All that kept her up right was his hold on her.
"Me? You feel that way for me?"
Keegan let out chuckle, his voice then turning low and husky. "I really thought I had made that obvious in the bathroom."
"I thought it was adrenaline."
This time Keegan laughed outright and motioned to the front of his jeans where a very prominent bulge was straining against the zipper. "Does this look like adrenaline to you?"
Nikki shook her head. "Well, no, but I just thought it was an in the moment thing."
"Then we have had quite a few in the moments just today, haven't we? I really like you, Nikki. Maybe even more than like you. I thought I might wait until the case was wrapped up to have this conversation with you but I really didn't think I could. Margot is my crazy ex but she is over and out of my life."
Nikki started to giggle. "I have a crazy ex too. Troy thinks we are still dating no matter how many times I've told him to go to hell."
"We both have a little baggage to lose. Luckily, I'm good at losing things."
"Me too," Nikki replied, pulling his lips back down to hers. Keegan reached down and picked her up, letting Nikki's legs wrap around his waist. While they found their way back to each other’s mouths, Keegan carried her toward the bedroom. As soon as his foot crossed the threshold, a loud banging sounded at the front door.
"That boss of yours can't take a hint," Keegan said against her ear as he nibbled the lobe a bit. Nikki shivered at the deliciousness of what he was doing to her.
"If we ignore him, maybe he will go away." She started undoing the button on his shirt for the second time that night.
The pounding repeated. Keegan groaned in frustration. "He's not going away."
"Keegan! Come on, I know you’re still in there! Put your pants on and open the door!"
"That would be your jokester twin brother."
"Ugh, yes." He set Nikki onto the edge of the bed and bounded back to the front door without realizing Nikki followed him until he whipped the front door open and nearly knocked her to the ground.
"I’m sorry! I didn't know you were right behind me." He offered her a hand to steady her. To his twin, he said, "What the hell do you want?"
"I got a lead on your case."
"And it couldn't wait until morning?"
"Yesterday you would have wanted me to wake you in the middle night with a lead."
Keegan shook his head. "Fine. You're right. What is it?"
"Why don't you come inside?" Nikki asked, pulling Kaiden in with one hand and closing the door with the other. "I don't need the neighbors talking about the twins I'm
doing."
"What?" Keegan spun around, shock and anger in his blue eyes.
"Relax, Border Patrol, I'm joking."
"Oh." Keegan glared at his brother and maybe at her a little too. "So, what is so damned important you had to tell me at midnight?"
"I know who they are and where they are going."
17
Keegan
"What?" Keegan asked. His brother wasn't making any sense.
"The gun runners. I know who they are. Well, sort of. I know who they are affiliated with."
"Is it a secret?" Nikki asked.
Kaiden shot a confused look. "No, why?"
"Because you keep saying you know but you aren't telling."
Keegan laughed. He loved Nikki's sarcasm so much, especially when she confused his twin.
"I'm about to. Patience, sweetheart."
Keegan glared at his brother, making Kaiden chuckle. "Relax, brother, I didn't mean anything by it. I'm a married man, remember?"
He relaxed a little. Sometimes Keegan forgot his brother the playboy was permanently off the market. Katie had a hold of him that she wasn't releasing anytime soon.
"Fine. So, who is responsible for the guns?"
"The Ricci crime family." Kaiden stood there grinning like a kid on Halloween dumping out his sack of treats.
"You're kidding?"
"Nope."
"Does Logan know?"
Kaiden shook his head. "Once I got the information I came right here. I would have called—"
"But I soaked his phone," Nikki said, nodding. "So, who are the Riccis?"
"The Ricci crime family is the reason our cousin Logan is happily married to the love of his life," Kaiden replied.
"And the reason his wife Angelina spent a year in witness protection before a hit man came after her," Keegan added.
"So, why are they here in Virginia now?"
"Apparently crime families make their money in different ways nowadays. When Angie had her run in with them, she was undercover and discovered they ran a human trafficking ring. Guns must be their new venture."
"You said you know where they are going?" Nikki asked Kaiden.
"Again, you are not going to believe this. The guns are headed to South America. The Riccis support a drug cartel in Mexico."
"That's not really all that surprising," Kaiden said.
"No, it's not. Unless you know their route starts in Staunton and runs down the Blue Ridge Parkway."
"You're kidding." Keegan hadn't expected that. "They go right by Ma's place. And Angelina and Logan. We have to let them know. Give me your phone."
"No need to wake them up now. Angie's about to pop with that nephew of ours. I was thinking we would drive out there. Meet up at the compound and tell them there. Maybe Ma will know something from the local guys."
"Is your mom a cop too?" Nikki asked. "She didn't look like one."
Both men laughed and exchanged knowing looks. Keegan explained, "No, she's not a cop. But, our mother is very involved in a—club—of locals that know a lot about what happens in the area."
"A club. Ha! That's rich." Kaiden chuckled. "So? Let's go."
"My clothes are wet and muddy." Keegan looked down at himself, having forgotten that he too actually could have used a shower.
"I'll grab your go bag from the truck. You can throw on some clean sweats and shower and change when we get on the mountain."
"Mountain? Compound?" Nikki looked from one man to the other. "You two are very strange."
"You haven't seen the half of it." Kaiden laughed again on his way out the door. "Pack a bag, Nikki. You are about to have one heck of a mini vacation."
When he was outside again, Nikki turned to him. "What is going on?"
"Road trip." He grinned.
"Staunton is nearly three hours away. I should call my boss."
"Henry? You want to call Henry, tonight?"
"Yeah, that's probably not the best idea, huh?"
Keegan shook his head. "No. Probably not."
"We need to at least let Will know. This is really more the ATF's deal than ours."
She had a good point. "I'll have Kaiden text him. Ma will be psyched to see him. Will hasn't been on the mountain since Logan's wedding."
"What is this mountain you keep referring to?"
Keegan shrugged. "Home. Why don't you go change and pack an overnight bag? Not that I don't prefer what you are wearing but I'd rather my brother not get an eyeful again."
Nikki looked down at her robe. Keegan watched as the embarrassment climbed up her body and spread over her cheeks. "Yeah, I suppose jeans and a sweater would work. Be right back."
"Need some help?" he couldn't help but ask. Nikki's eyes sparkled as she shook her head and disappeared in her bedroom.
The front door opened. Kaiden entered with a blast of cool night air that washed over him and yet it did nothing to cool the heat boiling inside him.
"I called Will. He and his agents are going to meet us in Staunton in the morning."
"I was just going to ask you to do that."
Kaiden tossed him the duffle he carried. "Here, go get changed. Where's Nikki?"
"Getting dressed and packing a bag."
"Sorry I messed up your night, man." Kaiden winked at him and motioned down the hall to Nikki's room.
"You didn't mess anything up."
"Please. You looked like you wanted to decapitate me when the door opened. I'm seriously apologizing here. It's nice to see you happy."
"I'm not happy." Keegan scowled to make his point.
"Oh okay. Will said, since you met her, you've taken every opportunity to shove your tongue in her mouth that you can. Something's up and Ma is gonna have a field day with it."
Keegan groaned. "Yay. I forgot about our mother."
"Well, if nothing else, at least she might take down the dating profile she put up for you on GetDates.com."
"She did not!"
Kaiden stepped out of his brother's reach. "Oh, yes she did!"
"Why can't that woman stay out of my personal life?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't know I was such an issue," Nikki said from the hall behind them, working hard to hide the hurt in her eyes.
"Not you. It's our wonderful mother. She is desperate to get my brother hooked up. Maybe she'll back off now. I'll see you two outside." Kaiden turned and walked out of the house.
"That was awkward," Keegan mumbled, switching his bag from one hand to the other.
Nikki closed the distance between them. Rising up on tip toes she whispered against his ear, "Not at all. I'm happy to take you off the online meat market just as soon as this case is wrapped up."
Keegan dropped his bag to the floor and slipped his hands around her waist. "I'm sure we can negotiate something."
"I'm an excellent negotiator." The horn of his truck sounded from outside. "Doesn't your brother realize I have neighbors?"
"He realizes it all right. It's just not as important to him as making me miserable. I better go get changed."
She pressed another quick kiss to his lips. "Yes, I suppose you should. I'll meet you outside. I have a couple things to do before we leave."
It took less than five minutes for Keegan to change and meet up with Nikki and Kaiden in his truck.
"I'll drive," Keegan said, pulling open the driver's side door to get his brother out.
"Let me drive. You're tired."
"Says who? I'm fine. It’s my truck. Get out."
"Come on, let me drive for a while. She's pretty sweet." Kaiden patted the dash.
"And I want her to stay that way. The way you drive—"
"What’s wrong with the way I drive?" Kaiden feigned hurt. "Whatever happened to twin love? Unbreakable bonds and all that crap?"
Keegan let out a long sigh. "Fine. You can drive. Nikki? Do you want the front?"
"Nope. I think I'll stretch out in the roomy backseat. Unless you want to join me?"
"No way! None of that when I'm driving!" Kaiden p
retended to vomit.
"Do you have any idea how many times I have had to watch you get all gooey eyed with Katie? Talk about nauseating. It would serve you right if we had sex in the back seat!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Nikki turned the color of a freshly cooked lobster and Kaiden collapsed in a fit of laughter, sliding out of the front seat and hitting the ground. Keegan, snagged the opportunity to slide in behind the wheel and slam the door shut, locking it. Nikki ran around to the passenger side to claim the other front seat, tossing her bag into the bed of the truck as she went. Keegan turned the key, revved the engine, and backed out of the driveway. Kaiden jumped to his feet and pounded on the window as the truck moved.
"Come on, Kee! That ain't right! Let me in!"
Keegan finished backing out and began to slowly drive down the street, Kaiden jogging beside them.
"How long are you going to make him do that?" Nikki asked, starting to sound concerned.
"Not long." Keegan laughed. "Don't worry, he'll survive. Paybacks are a bitch, aren’t they?"
"I'm kind of glad right now that I am an only child."
"Keegan! Stop the damn truck already!" Kaiden was keeping up but barely. Keegan stopped short and unlocked the doors. His brother pulled open the back door and threw himself across the back seat, breathing heavily. "You're a real jerk, you know that?"
Keegan grinned over the seat at his brother. "Katie must be quite the cook. You're a little out of shape, brother."
"I am not!"
"Whatever you say." Keegan hit the gas and the truck lurched forward, sending Kaiden rolling off the bench seat.
"I hate you."
"You love me. You have to. We’re twins."
"There's no law that says so and I should know. I'm a real law man." Kaiden crawled back up to the seat and righted himself in the position behind Nikki. "If you didn't want me to drive, you should have just said so."
"Pretty sure I did."
"Whatever. Just drive already." Kaiden let his head lean against the back window. "I'm taking a nap."
Keegan steered the truck onto the interstate and headed for route fifty eight. "You can take a nap too, if you want Nikki. You've had quite the night."