Terri’s lame excuse of losing track of time wasn’t worth getting angry over. The woman knew Max wanted Tamara and Kevin to spend more time alone, to know each other better and made her objections to Max loud and clear.
She didn’t think Kevin was ready to accept someone new after the trauma of being kidnapped for nine months by his former babysitter, a woman who’d been in his life since birth. For some reason Terri thought she had some moral or familial right to give Max her opinions.
Max hadn’t meant to mention that particular conversation to Tamara, but he had been so upset when Terri mentioned Helen and Kevin’s experiences, he couldn’t sleep. After tossing in bed a bit, he told her about the conversation later that night. It took a while to convince him confronting Terri after midnight wasn’t a good idea.
That night, sleep eluded Tamara. Terri used her position as Kevin’s mom sister, who died months earlier, to spend more and more time with Kevin securing a foothold in his life. If Terri’s motives were genuinely about Kevin, there would be no problem. But the woman slipped on a couple occasions and let Max know her interest included father and son.
Max’s distress lay in what happened in the past, Tamara’s concern dealt with Terri poisoning Kevin against her and how it impacted their future. Despite Max’s assurances that Terri meant nothing and had no say in their lives, Tamara noticed the boy treated her differently when Max wasn’t around, especially after he spent time with Terri.
“Can I have some juice?” Kevin asked his first words to her since he walked inside the house.
“Yes, sure.” She stood, started to wipe her hands on her skirt, thought better of it and headed to Max’s kitchen. “Where does your dad keep it?” She searched the refrigerator and didn’t see any.
“I don’t know.”
Of course he didn’t know, but he expected her to find it. In the back of the pantry she saw a six pack of small fruit punch cartons with attached straws. Pleased with the success of her mission, she took one and placed the others in the refrigerator.
“Here. These are the only ones I saw.” She handed him the small carton.
“I can’t drink that, it makes me sick.” He turned away, clicked the remote, changed the channel and didn’t glance in her direction.
Why would Max have juice in the pantry Kevin couldn’t drink? Since she didn’t know the answer to that, she filed the question away for later and returned to her seat. She shook the juice, stuck the straw in the box and sipped. His gaze dropped to the carton. She read the desire for the juice in his eyes, but refused to say another word on the matter. Max would be there soon with lunch from the club, and maybe a carton of juice.
“It’ll make you sick?”
Tamara shrugged. The juice tasted fine to her but she didn’t know his allergies. In fact, she didn’t know much about him other than surface things like his age, height, clothing sizes. She had no idea what games he enjoyed, or his favorite color, books or anything that shaped his personality. When she refused to move in with Max she explained her desire for a closer relationship with both Max and his son. After her brutal divorce, Tamara wasn’t in a hurry to merge her life completely with anyone without knowing as much as she could about the day to day stuff. Not that she didn’t love Max, she did. But, living together, being responsible for a small child, she was in no rush to take that step.
“I’ll let you know if it does.” She winked, placed the empty carton aside and glanced at her cell phone. “Your dad’s on his way, he has something for you to drink. Can you wait a few more minutes or do you need a glass of water?”
“I can wait for daddy.”
Tamara nodded and glanced at her watch. Max should be here in a few minutes. “What’re you watching?” She looked at the yellow cartoon character that walked under water.
“You don’t know who that is?” His dark eyes widened and his facial expression suggested she just created a crime of the highest order.
“No. Tell me about him.”
He lit up and launched into a fast tale about animated creatures that lived under water and ate crab patties. Ten minutes later, Kevin, caught up in his explanations didn’t see or hear Max arrive. Tamara waved at him but continued listening to Kevin. The boy’s enthusiasm over the cartoon became infectious and Tamara laughed at the shenanigans right along with Kevin.
“Anybody want lunch?” Max asked when the cartoon ended.
“Daddy,” Kevin yelled, jumped off the sofa and ran to Max who picked him up.
Tamara’s heart squeezed as she watched her sexy, handsome lover, so big and strong, handle his son with gentle hands. A lock of his thick, black hair fell across his forehead. Her fingers itched to smooth it back into place.
“You been behaving yourself with my woman?” Max grinned and winked.
Her core throbbed at the promise in his gaze. Unable to look away, she moved to the table and fiddled with napkins. Pathetic, after all these months she still drooled over her manly, man.
Kevin lay his head on Max’s shoulder and looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes. Tamara couldn’t help but smile at the innocent look that tugged at her heart. Such a handsome boy.
“Yes. I been good.” He met Tamara’s gaze with a smile.
“He’s a sweetheart, Max. He got it honest.” She leaned up on tip toes and brushed a kiss across his lips.
“Did Terri drop him off on time?” Max asked while sitting Kevin in his chair.
Tamara opened the bags of food from the restaurant without answering. Max glanced up at her. His eyes darkened but never left hers. Brow raised, his angular face and strong chin reminded her of the Marlboro man from older commercials. “Tamara?”
“No. He got here about fifteen minutes ago. Charlene sent club sandwiches, tossed salad, coleslaw, and what’s this?” She avoided his gaze and looked at Kevin who eyed the half sandwich she had put in front of him.
“Smells like cookies,” she said and then laughed at his shriek of pleasure. After Adele left the restaurant, Charlene hired a baker with a magic touch. Kevin loved the cookies best.
“After you eat,” Max said placing the cookies on a plate in the middle of the table. “Charlie sent the waffle fries for you.” He placed them on Kevin’s plate.
“The chicken salad’s mine?” Tamara asked now that everything from the bag was on the table.
“Yeah.”
She sat across from Kevin with her food and said grace.
“I forgot.” Kevin stopped eating his fries and blessed his food. “I’m supposed to say thank you to God for everything.”
The c-shaped scar on Max’ chin whitened as he clenched his jaw. Tamara understood his dilemma. Helen, the older woman who’d kidnapped Kevin taught the boy a lot of things. Some good, some not. Max walked a fine line re-teaching his son. Times like this reminded Max of Helen’s influence and even though he hated the woman, saying grace over food wasn’t bad. She gave him an understanding smile.
He nodded and took a bite of his meatloaf sandwich. “A friend of mine needs a house. I gave him your number, his wife, Viola, is going to call you.”
“Vet? Someone from the club?” She wiped her mouth with the napkin.
“No. Active. Being reassigned to Bragg. Probably need something in Cumberland or Harnett County, you can work down there, right?”
“Yes, of course. They lived here before?”
“Think so. Chip was stationed at Bragg a while back, not sure if he and Vi were married then.”
The use of the woman’s shortened name caught her attention. “You know her personally?”
Max’s gaze slid from Kevin to her. “We danced a time or two about fifteen years ago, before she met Chip. Her family’s military royalty, high brass.”
Tamara wasn’t sure what all of that meant. “Explain it to me later so I don’t make mistakes when she and I talk. Kevin shared his cartoon with me.” At the mention of his name, the boy’s head snapped up and he smiled.
“You like it now?” Kevin asked.
“Yes, I do. It was funny. I can’t remember laughing like that, thanks for sharing your cartoon with me.”
His eyes gleamed. “You’re welcome. We can do it again.”
She nodded and glanced at Max. “I’d like that.”
Max’s phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, he answered right away. “Mark?”
Chapter 4.
“What do you mean someone was in the house when you got there?” Max asked Charlie, or Charlene as she preferred to be called.
“Just like I said, Chief. I stopped by to check on her like Brock asked. I kept knocking on the front door and then I went to the garage–”
“Get to the part where you got knocked on your ass,” Max snapped, more out of frustration for failing to protect the woman than anything else. The smell of the hospital reminded him of the time Kevin lay helpless and dying not too long ago. Never in a million years would he have returned to such a place this soon. It unnerved him and revived unpleasant memories.
Charlene’s face reddened. “I didn’t see him, he came from the side and rammed into me. We both went down. He just got up faster. By the time I realized what happened, he had run out the front door and I went looking for Adele.”
Max nodded and paced the floor of the hospital corridor. Doctors worked on her in the back and no one came to tell them anything yet. He looked up and saw Brock headed toward them.
“Heard anything?” he asked.
“No. They’re still working on her.” Max waved Brock and Charlene to the side and waited for the nurse to pass them before speaking. “Look into Barretti’s organization. Find out who’s running it now. I want to know if they’re responsible for this. If so, I’ll destroy their ass.”
“Will do,” Brock said.
“I want to know everything the police found in that house during their sweep; think you can get a copy of the forensics’ report?” he asked Brock.
“I’ll try. Do you want to pull Lieutenant Vargas into this?” Brock asked.
Max thought of the man who helped him find his son a few months back. “Hold off until we know who to go after. If it’s Barretti, I don’t want Vargas to know.”
Brock nodded. “Safer that way. Want me to call in the guys?”
Max nodded. “Yeah, we’re going to need them.” He’d send Skinny and Sweet to set up a safe place to take Adele. No doubt she’d put up a fuss, but he refused to take any chances. Thinking the threat was over, he had allowed her to leave the safe house where she’d been hiding from Barretti. Seems they had been premature.
“Chief?”
Max looked at Charlene and the rip in her stocking. He wondered if she knew about the tear or the crooked bend of the blond bouffant wig she wore.
“I found this on Adele’s kitchen floor.” She held an eagle-flag veteran’s pin in her hand. No one spoke as they continued looking at the pin.
“Damn,” Max said shaking his head as disappointment lanced him. The attacker could be former military, which changed things. No telling what specialized training the bastard had, so he didn’t know what they were up against. But he’d find out.
Brock leaned forward and stared harder at the pin. “Max, this is different from the ones you buy retail. Look close, it’s a custom pin.”
A spark of hope lit within him. He didn’t know anything about the different makes and models of pins, but Brock and Jace did. Between the two of them, they may get a break to track down the bastard. “Yeah? That’s good. Jace collects stuff like that. I’ll put him on tracing the owners of those pins.”
“Good idea,” Brock said, making notes on his tablet.
“Still look into Vincente’s operation just in case. The pin could be a decoy,” Max said even though he doubted it. Barretti’s men wouldn’t know there were different types of pins and would have used a common one. This pin belonged to someone who valued their status, and would realize they lost it in Adele’s home. Maybe they’d come looking for it; he hoped they did.
His cell beeped. “Hello?”
“How is she?” Tamara asked. When the call came she insisted he leave immediately and offered to remain with Kevin. He left them preparing to watch more cartoons.
“Still don’t know, she’s in the back, in surgery. Charlene said she was in bad shape.”
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry to hear that. Is the baby okay?” Tamara asked.
“I don’t know anything yet, no one’s come out to talk to us.”
“Will they talk to you? I mean you’re not family or anything.”
“I don’t have power of attorney exactly, but there is a clause in our business contract that allows me to make decisions when my partners are incapacitated, they have the same rights over me. Brock already showed a copy of the document to the hospital administrators. When the doctor comes out, he’ll talk to me and Brock.”
“Oh, that’s good. I feel so sorry for her and the baby.”
“Me too. I shouldn’t have let her leave without sending someone to check out her place, or to watch over her.” Disgust over his mistake ripped through him.
“Who said you were responsible for everyone? Adele begged to go home and you finally said yes after nothing happened from the other guys. This isn’t the navy. You aren’t responsible for everybody.”
“Just my family. I’m responsible for them.”
“What? I thought your mom and brother died.”
“They did. While I was away in the field. Too far to help either of them. I have a new family now. We chose each other, but our bond is just as tight as a biological family. Can you see that?”
“Brock and Crystal?”
“Not just them. Jose, Charlene, Mark, Sweet, Skinny, Jace,” he paused. “You.”
“Me? You think of me as family?”
He smiled at the squeak in her voice. “Yes. You’re mine, I can’t think of you in any other way.”
“Max…”
“Losing my mom, my brother… that hurt like you wouldn’t believe. I didn’t make their funerals, that’s how far away I’d been.” He shook his head even though she couldn’t see him. “But I won’t allow anyone to threaten this family, took too long for us to find each other.”
“And you consider Adele family.”
“Like a sister-in-law. Jose was my brother. Even though she’s carrying someone else’s kid, until she re-marries or has someone to look after her, she’s family.”
“No wonder I love you. You’re an incredible man.”
His chest warmed and expanded. “Glad you think so, I don’t feel that way right now. Frustrated is a better word. Can’t figure this out.”
“Why someone would want to hurt her?”
Max rubbed his forehead. “Yeah. Makes no sense.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, it’ll come to you. In the meantime, I have a date with a sponge living under the sea. Kevin is giving me the evil eye for talking instead of watching cartoons.”
Max chuckled knowing how much his son loved that show. “Tell him you’re talking to his old man that should buy me a few more minutes.”
“Nope. I’ve been summoned to the couch and I must go. Love you, and stop blaming yourself. I don’t like it when you do that,” she said.
“Yes, Ma’am. My goal in life is to please you in everything I do. Make sure you’re not wearing anything beneath when I come home, I may be too tired for a complete unwrapping.”
Tamara laughed. “Baby if you’re too tired to do that, you’re too tired for anything.”
“Brat.” He chuckled and disconnected, turning from a woman whose knowing gaze said she’d heard a part of his conversation. Ignoring her smirk, he re-joined Brock and Charlene, hoping for some information on Adele.
“Have Mark find Jimmie and Greg, I want to talk to them,” he said to Charlene.
She frowned. “Jimmie, who lives in the woods?”
Max nodded. “I want to talk to them.”
“Okay, but you know they don’t have transportation and with h
is bad leg Greg couldn’t have run out the house. Jimmie’s too small anyway.”
“Just have Mark find them so I can talk to them today,” Max said.
“Okay, Chief.” Charlene stepped away to make the call.
“Jimmie? Greg?” Brock said looking down the hall and then at Max.
“They see everything. If anyone has been looking for Adele, or snooping around that we may have missed on the cams, those guys are my go-to eyes.” Max stepped aside as Charlene returned.
“He said okay,” Charlene said looking to the right. Max followed her gaze and saw a nurse point at them. He stepped forward to meet the young woman wearing scrubs.
“Are you here for Adele Fleming?”
“Yes, I’m Max Delgado, this is Brock Sterling and Charlene Wright. How is she?”
“First off, the baby is okay, but we need to keep a close eye on both for a few days. Ms. Fleming suffered blows to the head, face, upper body and back. Fortunately, there were no direct blows to the mid-section. The most immediate threat was the blows to the head, which caused swelling. She’s badly bruised but should recover in time.”
Max knew firsthand the pain and agony Adele suffered and wished he could take her place. No one, especially in her condition, should undergo abuse like that.
“I’ll stay with her,” Charlene said. Max wondered what he’d missed.
“Chief, we’re closed tomorrow, and the crew at the restaurant can handle dinner. I’m staying here with Adele so she won’t awake alone. If I’d gotten there earlier, went straight from work instead of stopping at the store, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”
Max withheld a sigh. Tamara may have a point. None of them could be a hundred percent responsible for everyone. He clasped Charlene on the shoulder, drawing his friend’s watery gaze. “You saved her life, Charlie. By getting there when you did, you stopped the assault. We don’t live in the land of what ifs’ but the here and now. When we find the son-of-a-bitch, he’ll pay for fucking with one of ours. Okay?”
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