Unchained

by Suzanne Halliday

  Draegyn approached from the far end of the table where he’d been holding court with Daniel in his arms. His face made it clear he’d been observing their exchange and was probably about to demand what the fuck was going on.

  Calder groaned. He might as well tap his knife on a glass and ask for everyone’s attention.

  Luckily, a commotion and whoops of laughter from the cluster of people gathered around Brody offered enough of a distraction that they weren’t the center of attention.

  “Where’d it go?” Bella asked.

  Brody bit back a laugh. Meghan’s brother Finn turned out to be an amateur magician and had been playfully teasing Mia all through dinner.

  “I don’t know,” Finn gravely replied to the clearly mystified five-year-old. “Better check behind your ear and see if you feel anything.”

  Bella’s little fingers searched all around her ears but came up empty. Heather took Brody’s hand and squeezed. They’d been worried about a group get-together being too much for his daughter. After all, they’d barely settled in the new house and were still trying to acclimate the little girl to her new life when Family Justice came calling. But Bella Mia continued to surprise them both. Not only had she been the picture of a well-mannered child from the second a dozen new faces pressed in, but she’d also shown a willingness to engage with people who were total strangers to her.

  His baby girl was a warrior—a five-year-old warrior in ruffled denim shorts and a pair of new cowgirl boots. She was so in love with those boots, it was a struggle to get her to remove them each night.

  Finn tapped her on the nose and made a buzzer sound. “Hands up, little missy.” Bella’s hands shot into the air as he reached into her armpit and magically produced the shiny silver dollar he’d made disappear.

  Bella clapped her hands with delight. “Again, again!” she cried.

  From the corner of his eye, he saw Dylan approaching as his chubby little legs thumped the wooden floor beneath him. Seated in a baby walker resembling a shiny red Ferrari sports car, the happy kid was scooting through the clusters of people gathered around their huge table.

  Pounding his hands on the steering wheel and knobby gearshift, he stopped for the occasional high five, added his joyful voice to the rowdy group noise, and looked to be having the time of his life.

  His mom, though, trailing right alongside him, didn’t look nearly as happy. Fuck. He didn’t like seeing Lacey upset.

  Drae filled him in shortly after their arrival in Arizona. He’d been mildly surprised by how readily the guy shared what was happening with Cam. Sort of felt like a validation. An acknowledgment that—yep—he was part of the Justice inner circle now. Gave Brody the perfect opening to pass along his impressions of the recent dealings he’d had with the military and government people.

  It wasn’t always a good thing to fall under curious eyes, no matter how influential and potentially advantageous the attention was. There was always an agenda. At first, he thought it was just him. There was a natural progression to the way the FBI went through the motions. Brody had deep ties at Quantico. Ties he didn’t like to think about.

  But from what Drae had told him, a bigger lens was focusing its crosshairs on Justice. Not only had Cameron been sucked into some fucked-up black ops rescue mission, but some heavy-handed pressure was being visited on Alex as well.

  Chills ran up and down his spine as Drae explained how the Major’s end-of-honeymoon stopover in D.C. was still dragging on. The suits and earpieces wanted something or had something to gain by picking them off, one by one, and very subtly working them over.

  He sighed. It never ended, did it?

  And poor Lacey. She and Dylan were collateral issues—maybe even used as leverage to gain Cam’s cooperation.

  Bastards.

  Dylan and his hot rod came right at Brody’s knees and slammed into him, which made Heather laugh and, in turn, got Bella’s attention.

  “Whoa there, speed racer.” He chuckled with a ruffle of the hair on the kid’s head. “You drive like your old man.”

  “He missed you,” Lacey told him as she watched their interplay. A resounding thud of guilt hit him straight in the center of his chest. He had a special bond with Dylan Cameron. Not to diminish the little kid’s connection to Drae, but so did Alex. With Cam doing who the fuck knows what, he or Alex should have stepped in to be there for Dylan and for Lacey. A quick assessment of the vibe between the St. Johns told him that situation was still a hot mess, so Drae had his hands full. Not just with his family, but also with keeping the whole agency and family situation afloat while Alex was gone.

  It was time for him to step up. Justice saved Brody and gave him a sanctuary where he found the strength to heal and move forward. He had a lifelong debt to repay.

  “I can’t believe how big he’s gotten in just a few months!” Heather was eyeing the slobbering kid like he was the main course of a gourmet meal.

  Lacey chuckled. “They have a way of doing that.” She smiled at Bella and blew his daughter a kiss. “You’ll see. Time goes by way too quickly.”

  The tinge of sadness in her voice practically gutted him.

  Bella wiggled down off her chair and crouched by Dylan’s side. He watched how careful she was and wondered how she knew to be so gentle. Communicating on some kid wavelength, she and the excited boy soon engaged in some lively antics—each of them honking the Ferrari’s horn, then twisting the big red key back and forth as a ratcheting noise sounded.

  “Does he have a dog?” Bella unexpectedly asked.

  He, Lacey, and Heather all smirked at each other. Kids were so broad in their thinking that it was impossible to predict what would come out of their mouths next.

  Lacey pulled out a chair and sat down, leaning forward over her knees until she was almost eye level with both kids. In a very matter-of-fact way, she mimicked their actions, turning the key and honking the horn.

  Lacey was using a conversational voice he knew well from Heather’s handling of Bella, so he watched and listened to the exchange.

  “We don’t have a puppy. Not yet,” she informed the observant five-year-old. “But I was thinking of telling Santa a pup would be a great idea for Christmas.”

  Brody smiled. What a great answer. Heather smiled too. As usual, Lacey Cameron hit it out of the park.

  And then Bella unleashed a big old flock of very angry birds into their unsuspecting midst.

  “Santa couldn’t find me either.” She said it so quietly that he strained to hear her words. And then his heart exploded when he understood what she was saying.

  All around were people having an exuberant and noisy time but at that moment, a heavy pall of ear-splitting silence descended upon the three of them as they stared at Bella’s pained expression.

  Her gaze found his, and her face held far too much sadness. More than any kid should have.

  Without missing another beat, Lacey diverted Bella’s attention by excitedly proclaiming, “Well, guess what! When you guys moved, Betty sent change of address notices out.” Play counting on her fingers, she said, “Let’s see. There was Santa, of course.” For good measure, she added a wink. “And the Tooth Fairy. Very important that one.” Scrunching her face in a pantomime of deep thinking, she looked around and murmured, “Hmmm,” then suddenly put up a third finger and yelped, “And the Easter Bunny!” She held up the three fingers and waggled them for Bella to see. “Gotcha covered. You’re Family Justice now, Bella Mia! And we always watch out for each other.”

  Heather had to look away when a tear started rolling down her cheek. Brody reached for his drink and took a hefty swallow.

  A slow smile crept onto Bella’s face and spread into her expression.

  Lacey, God bless her, slyly murmured, “Hey. Wanna know a secret?”

  Flashes of conflict and uncertainty appeared on his daughter’s face. “Can my daddy know too? And Heather?”

  “Of course, honey!”

  Bella’s bottom lip trembled. “I do
n’t like secrets.”

  Taking the statement at face value, Lacey rushed ahead. “No problem. And come to think of it, this isn’t really a secret. It’s more of a surprise. A happy surprise.”

  In five minutes, he learned a whole hell of a lot. Bella was taught that Santa randomly lost track of children and for reasons he most likely didn’t want to know, she had a thing about secrets.

  Heather joined in. “We like surprises, don’t we, Bella?”

  An enthusiastic head nod vanquished her fears, and a smile played on her face once more.

  “Well, surprise! I’ll see you twice a week at school. Won’t that be nice? The principal at your school, Mrs. Two Clouds, is a friend of Auntie Lacey, and she’s going to let me help in the library. That means I get to read stories to your class! I can’t wait.”

  “What’s a lie-berry?”

  Nonplussed by the question, Lacey prattled on. “A library is a special place to keep books. Lots and lots of books. Picture books. Storybooks. Books for mommies and daddies. Books for teachers. Books for everybody.”

  “I like books,” Bella assured her new aunt in a serious voice. “Heather and Daddy read to me before bed.”

  “I have an idea,” Lacey exclaimed. “Would you like to go to the library with me next time I take Dylan?”

  Bella hesitated. Was she ready to venture out without him or Heather as a backup? School was starting in a couple of weeks, and he was worried she wasn’t prepared to be away from them all day.

  “Um, can Heather come too?”

  “Well, of course, she can, honey, but I was kind of thinking it could be just the three of us. You, me, and Dylan. The little library in town has a children’s story hour. You can help me with Mr. Wiggly Butt. Sometimes, he has a hard time sitting still.”

  Heather ran her hand down Bella’s hair. “Aunt Lacey can help you pick out some books to borrow. Maybe you can find one about dogs that Daddy would like to read.”

  How the hell did a clueless dude like him manage to fall into the middle of such awesome women? With this kind of support, turning Bella’s life around might not be a cakewalk, but at least, their wisdom and guidance would keep his little family moving forward.

  “ANYTHING STRIKE YOU as odd?” Angie asked Parker.

  He looked up from the plate of onion rings he was devouring and glanced around. “Nope. Same shit. Different day.”

  “Pfft,” she answered with a shake of her head. “You need glasses, old man.”

  Wiping his mouth on a napkin, he didn’t respond right away. Then, when he was good and ready, he sat back, draped his arm over the back of her chair, and yanked until it scooted closer to his.

  “Did that bench come with restraints or do I have to search through boxes to find enough rope to tie your smartass up?”

  Grinning at him, she thought, I knew he’d like the bench!

  “Why do you keep assuming it’s gonna be me on that bench?”

  He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked. Hard. “No topping.”

  It would be so much fun to continue playing with him, but too many people were around. Shame, though. She liked where this line of conversation had the potential to go. Angie wasn’t kidding about Parker’s caveman behavior turning her on. Hadn’t taken long to figure out all she needed to do was attempt to call the shots, and he’d get all chest-thumpy and growly with her.

  Meeting his lusty gaze, she bit down on her lip and fought the urge to giggle when she told him, “I don’t have any panties on.”

  Letting go of her hair, he muttered, “Oh, my god,” and fell forward, smacking his forehead repeatedly on the wood table. “Why do you do this to me?”

  Picking up her purse, she reached inside, found the modest scrap of fabric, squished it into a small ball, and held it beneath the table where no one else could see. Reaching for his pocket, Angie stuffed the pale blue silk down deep. When she was finished and withdrew her hand, she went on a leisurely path across a thick thigh until her fingers found and caressed the evidence of her lover’s desire.

  Things were just getting good when she abruptly ended the dick massage and instead slapped him repeatedly on the leg.

  “Look, look, look,” she quietly muttered. “Watch Finn. He’s up to something.”

  Parker grabbed her hand and growled. “If that shithead punk just cost me a happy ending, the only thing he’ll be up to is having my foot removed from his ass.”

  “Oh, stop growling, Chewie.” Whispering to him as his mouth quirked with amusement, she met his eyes and drawled, “I thought we’d sneak into the storage room for a quickie, but if you’d rather wait till we’re in the car, I can work up some enthusiasm for a happy ending.”

  His gaze traveled over her face and settled on her neck. Aching for his touch, she shivered at the lusty promise in his eyes.

  “Baby girl.” His voice was low and edged with possessiveness. “I will fuck you anytime, anyplace, anywhere.”

  “Oh, my god. There he goes again!” she cried out when over Parker’s shoulder she spied Finn heading into the kitchen.

  He gave her a sidelong smirk of complete disbelief. “Seriously? Cockblocked again by Finn O’Brien?”

  Quickly pressing a kiss to his lips, she wound an arm around his neck, moved onto his lap, and wiggled for emphasis.

  “Think of it as anticipation. Not a cockblock.”

  He groaned and repositioned her on his lap. “All right, you witch. Explain what the hell is running around in that crazy head.”

  Permission granted, she launched into a tirade, telling Parker what she’d been noticing.

  “Okay, so, I’ve been watching Finn. Surprisingly,” she teased, “despite your dislike of the guy, he has no trouble schmoozing with everyone. Yes, he avoids you, Drae, and Calder like the plague, but with the rest of the family? He’s almost master of ceremony. I mean did you check out how Bella took to him?”

  He grumped, and she felt a warmth flow through her. No doubt about it. Parker’s caveman turned her on.

  “She’d be standing on her head for me too if I showed up making balloon animals. Magician my ass. Revolting douchebag.”

  “Aw,” she simpered. “Did he make you jealous?”

  “Jealous? Fuck no. Stop trying to jack me up, Angel.”

  Continuing to poke at him for the sake of a response would be fun, but she was truly curious as to what Finn was doing.

  Tossing her hair back over a shoulder, she patted his chest and looked him in the eye. “All kidding aside, Counselor. I’m dead serious. Just watch for a few minutes and you’ll see what I mean. He’s in and out of the kitchen. And it looks to me like he and Barry have some kind of unspoken signal going on. And where the hell is Pete? He never passes up an opportunity to drop in when we’re here. I’m picking up some weird vibes. And don’t even get me started on the black cloud hanging over Remy’s head. I’ve only dealt with her in person a couple of times, but I’m pretty sure she wasn’t half as uptight and brittle as she is tonight.”

  His eyes swung to Remy sitting across from them at the end of the table. She was picking a roll apart with her fingers and making a pile on a plate. Betty sat to her right, engaging in a lively conversation with Ben. On her other side, Carmen was ignoring everyone by tapping away on a phone. The second the kitchen doors swung wide, Remy looked up and instantly scowled when Finn appeared.

  “See?”

  Parker grunted but said nothing.

  “Now, watch carefully.”

  Just like the dozen other times she’d seen him do it, Finn walked to the end of the bar, conferred with Barry, and then headed to their long line of tables. As he passed near Remy, the girl stiffened, and unless she was hallucinating, he swaggered deliberately and even went so far as to brush up against her as he passed by, as if by accident, but who the hell were those two trying to kid?

  “Aw, fuck,” he muttered. “Are those two doing it?”

  Snickering with mockery, she cut off his train of thought. “One trac
k mind much—hmm?”

  He looked around. Drae was at the end of the tables, Daniel in his arms, looking like a serious discussion was happening between him, Tori, her mother, and Calder. It was apparent they were wrapped up in something and not paying attention to the rest of the group.

  Angie sensed Parker’s uncertainty. The long months of playing sheriff to the Justice crew were wearing on him. Being thrown together with Drae so much only managed to tear open a fissure in their already competitive relationship. And Calder, well, he wasn’t much help. Not really. And that was probably as it should be since he and Stephanie were still basking in the glow of their new engagement. But with Cam gone, that left all the nitty gritty in Parker’s lap, and he wasn’t happy about it. At all.

  As if on cue, Finn was just feet away as he made the rounds, so Angie took the opportunity to get in his face.

  “Finnegan!” she hooted. “How’s the Arizona sun treating our newest Boston refugee?”

  He stopped to talk with them. Kind of had to, but she read the unease on his face as he eyed the man on whose lap she was perched.

  “Brought a tube of Leprechaun sunscreen with me. SPF Pot o’ Gold. Seems to be doing the job,” he offered with a friendly chuckle.

  Parker and Finn eyed each other. She sensed the animosity rolling off each man in waves. Jesus lord. Really? Parker’s behavior surprised her. He wasn’t normally so transparent. Since he was obviously not going to be any help whatsoever, she dug her nails into the back of his neck to let him know she wasn’t oblivious to his shitty attitude. And then she tried the direct approach with Meghan’s little brother.

  “What’s going on in the kitchen, Finn? You seem awfully keen on sticking your nose into Pete’s grease pit. There a problem in the back we should know about?”

  She offered him a smile and hoped it was enough to get him talking. When he began to explain, what he shared floored her.

  Sneering, he made a slashing gesture over his chest and drawled, “Cross my heart. No E. coli served as a side.” He shrugged dismissively. “Pete asked me to take a look at the food service and see if I found any ways to improve it.”