by Emma Slate
“Six?”
“This,” he gestured to his stomach. And then he pointed to his shoulder. “That was from the docks when we set up Marino.”
I shook my head, marveling at the passage of time. I hadn’t thought of Giovanni Marino in a while.
“What about the four other times?” I asked, not outright mentioning Dolinsky.
“I don’t know if they count as being shot—bullet grazes, nothing more. All in all I’m lucky.”
I laughed. “Shot at six times, only one of which was nearly fatal. Yeah. Born under a lucky star, all right.”
He chuckled. “We Campbells are pretty resilient.”
I continued to rub Hawk’s back. “Seriously.”
Everyone was suffering from cabin fever, so when Brandon suggested a night out at a local pub, everyone jumped at the idea. As soon as the sun went down, the house emptied except for Hawk, Flynn and I. We had the house to ourselves. Not that we could make much use out of the sudden bout of privacy.
“Help me get up,” Flynn said, moving the covers off of him.
“Why?”
“Why?” he demanded. “Because I’m going crazy in this bed. It’s been far too long since I’ve showered like a normal person.” His eyes darkened. “And far too long since I’ve seen you naked.”
“We can’t do anything,” I said. “You’re not healed yet.”
He grinned wicked. “Oh, love, we can still do plenty.”
I kissed him, our tongues tangling in heat and passion. “Let me put Hawk down and then I’ll help you into the shower.”
It had been so long since we’d connected sexually. So much of our intimacy was wrapped up in it and I was glad that I was aware of it. I never wanted to forget how much I loved Flynn. No matter what was going on with SINS. No matter that our children would take a lot of time away from us as a couple. I’d chosen Flynn first and I would continue to choose him.
After Hawk was down in his borrowed crib, his eyes drifting shut, I hurried back to Flynn. He’d managed to get himself up into a sitting position. His room didn’t have a private bathroom, so we’d use the one in the room where I’d been sleeping. I helped him stand, but he tried not to give me too much of his weight.
“I can take a bit more,” I promised, urging him to lean on me.
By the time we made it to the bathroom, Flynn was gray-faced and sweating. “Maybe this wasn’t a good idea,” I said, helping him sit down on the closed toilet.
“It’s a great idea,” he said with a grimace. “But you might have to do most of the work.”
I raised my eyebrows and he chuckled. “I meant washing my hair for me, love.”
“Oh, sure, that’s what you meant,” I teased. I got the shower ready and then helped Flynn out of his clothes. He was wearing a matching flannel pajama set, so it was relatively easy to get him naked.
I peeled away his dressing to reveal his injury. It was red, but no longer swollen. The stitches were small and even. I cleaned and redressed it so it would stay dry.
I quickly shed my clothes. Flynn’s eyes were on me, hot with lust. I started to laugh as I climbed into the tub.
“What?” he demanded.
“When ever your sex drive is raring to go, I know you’re fine.”
He chuckled and then carefully stepped into the water. It was lukewarm and I would’ve made it hotter, but I sensed that Flynn needed the cooler temperatures or he might just pass out. I showered quickly while he braced his shoulder against the wall to keep himself propped up. He was tiring fast.
I gently washed his body, but didn’t linger like I wanted to. He leaned his head towards me and I massaged his scalp with shampoo, glad we could at least be skin to skin.
“I won’t make it back to my room,” Flynn said as I eased him onto the edge of my bed, a towel wrapped around his waist.
“So stay here,” I said with a smile. “Sleep next to me. The bed is plenty big enough for two.”
“It would be nice to get out of that sick room,” Flynn said.
“And sleep next to your hot wife.”
He grinned. “And sleep next to my hot wife.”
I helped him into clean pajamas and then tucked him into bed. I kissed his brow and settled down next to him until his breathing evened out and he was asleep.
Chapter 59
Jane Elliot returned to London. Ramsey’s sunny mood deteriorated quickly and soon Duncan and Flynn kicked him out, told him to leave Belfast and get his head on straight.
I told Flynn about my talk with Jane, and though his jaw had clenched, he ultimately agreed it was the best thing for her. Despite the fact that Ramsey was angry and heartbroken, it was better for him in the long run. Pain now would be nothing compared to a life built with Jane only to have her leave at a later time.
Ash and Duncan flew back to New York for some alone time together and took Daniel with them. Brandon was healed enough to want to get out of his parents’ house and back to his life and left, too.
Over the next three weeks, Flynn recovered. He eventually moved from the bed to the couch. James made a considerable effort to forge a relationship with his nephew and they spent hours talking and laughing, exchanging stories about Flynn’s mother Caitlin.
While Flynn healed, I took time to rest, too. When the weather turned, I took Hawk for walks outside.
One bright and warm early spring morning, I woke up and looked down at my belly. It was no longer flat and had seemed to pop over night. I glanced at Flynn who was asleep on his back. I poked him into waking up. He jolted and then smiled.
“Morning, love.”
I lifted up my shirt. “Do I look bigger to you?”
“This is one of those moments I’m going to regret later, right?”
“I’m serious. I wasn’t showing this early with Hawk.”
“I’m sure you’re fine, love.”
I quickly did the math, realizing I was already twelve weeks along. I’d hardly noticed the passage of time so consumed with other concerns.
Throwing back the covers, I climbed out of bed. “I’m going into Belfast.”
“Now?” he asked in surprise. “Why?”
“It’s time for another ultrasound.”
He grinned. “Then I’m coming too.”
We ate a quick breakfast while Moira called her doctor for me, pleading to squeeze me in. Because Moira had been a patient for years and the doctor had delivered all three of Moira’s children, she did us a favor, promising to see us in the next hour before the office officially opened.
“That was nice of her,” I said when Moira hung up.
“I’ll drive you,” Moira said. “It’s close by and I have to run some errands in town.”
“Who’s going to watch Hawk?” I asked.
James raised his eyebrows. “Do you think Moira took care of three children alone? I can watch Hawk.”
I grinned. “No Irish whiskey shots.”
Moira kissed James goodbye and then we left the house. She climbed into the car and I sat in the front passenger side, moving the seat forward so Flynn had enough room for his long legs. The doctor’s office was fifteen minutes away, the parking lot relatively empty due to the early hour.
I opened the passenger door for Flynn, who was still moving slowly, but refused to ask for help. Moira came into the doctor’s office with us, just to say hello to the gray-haired woman. Dr. Barrows and Moira chatted for a few minutes, exchanging chitchat about children and grandchildren before Moira waved goodbye.
“Thank you for seeing us this early,” I said, climbing up onto the exam table. Flynn took a seat in one of the chairs along the wall.
“Not a problem.” Dr. Barrows smiled and got the ultrasound equipment ready. “Moira said you’re twelve weeks along?”
I nodded.
She gently lifted up my shirt and squirted my belly with gel. “How have you been feeling?” she asked, her eyes on me and not the monitor. It made me feel like a person instead of an incubator.
“Fine. The morning sickness has passed.”
“That’s good.”
“This is my second pregnancy,” I explained. “Is it normal to already have a baby belly at twelve weeks?”
“You’ve already had a child, so it’s not unusual to show earlier the second time around.”
I let out a breath and glanced at Flynn. He grinned. “Told you—you’re fine.”
“Fine, and the babies are perfectly healthy,” Dr. Barrows said.
“Oh good, I’m glad—wait, did you say babies? As in more than one?” I demanded.
Dr. Barrows nodded. “Congratulations. You’re having twins.”
“Barrett,” Flynn began, his shock apparently having worn off enough so that he could finally speak.
“Don’t talk to me,” I snapped, sitting up.
Dr. Barrows slipped from the room without a word. Flynn watched her go, a look of resignation on his face. He glanced back at me.
“This is your fault,” I continued.
Flynn frowned. “If I recall, it was both of us in that bathroom the night we found Hawk. Both of us lost our heads.”
“You rotten, dirty—”
“Bastard?” he supplied, trying to be helpful.
“Husband,” I finished with a glare. I dropped my head into my hands. “This is ridiculous.”
“I’ll get a vasectomy.” He managed to stand up and come to me. Wrapping me in his arms, he pulled me close.
“We’ll talk about it later,” I muttered into his chest. “Three children. Under the age of a year. I’ll be ready for the insane asylum.”
Flynn stroked my back in an attempt to calm me down. It was working. He kissed my lips gently and cradled my face in his hands.
“We’ve survived crazier things, haven’t we?” he asked with a calm smile.
I sighed. “We have.”
“Let’s celebrate,” he said. “Because there are so many terrible things we could dwell on, but this is not one of them.”
I closed the door to the den so I could have some privacy as I answered a very important phone call.
“Barrett,” Don Archer greeted. “Am I speaking to a real person or is this automated?”
I chuckled. “How are you?”
“Fine. Sorry it’s taken so long to get back to you. What’s going on?”
“I have some information that you need.” I felt a twinge of guilt having a conversation with Archer without telling Flynn.
“What’s up?”
I gave him the brief watered-down version, eliminating any mention of Winters. I explained about Arlington funneling money and that Roehenstart was behind the House of Lords bombing.
It felt seedy and underhanded to get the FBI involved. I was going behind Flynn’s back in order to protect him and those I loved from getting hurt. Duncan and Flynn were in no physical condition to challenge Roehenstart and Ramsey wasn’t groomed for leading the SINS.
Archer cursed. “You’re not giving me a lot of time to pull this together.”
“I have been trying to get in touch with you,” I reminded him. “I didn’t trust anyone else with this information.”
He sighed. “Yeah. I know. I do appreciate it.”
“I’ve done a little digging,” I said slowly. “And I think I have an idea about where he might be hiding out.” I gave him the location of the cabin an hour outside of Lairg.
“I’ll have my guys check it out.”
We hung up and I sat back in the leather chair, wondering if I’d just made a huge mistake.
There was a knock on the door and a moment later Flynn popped his head in. “What are you doing in here all alone?”
My pulse quickened. “Just thinking.”
I wondered if he could smell the guilt coming off of me.
“About the bairns?” he asked.
“No.”
“About me?”
I smiled softly. “Maybe.”
“Have you forgiven me yet?”
“Hmm.”
“Was that a yes or a no?”
“I’m not sure yet,” I teased.
He finally came into the room and dragged me out of the chair and into his arms. He kissed me, driving away all thoughts of my betrayal.
“I think I know how to make it up to you,” he whispered against my mouth.
“How?”
He said something dirty in my ear and it made me shiver from my head down to my toes. I grabbed the front of his sweater. “Have you been keeping something from me?”
Flynn’s hand caressed the back of my head as he said, “The doctor cleared me. Now, lets get upstairs. We have to make up for lost time.”
Chapter 60
“You’re awake,” Flynn said sleepily.
“I’m not used to our bed anymore. It’s too soft.”
“It’s our first night back under our own roof. It will take some time to readjust.”
Dornoch was home, but it would take some time to settle back into the swing of life.
“Come here, love,” he said.
I scooted closer to him and pressed my head to his chest. I closed my eyes and breathed him in. After tomorrow, there was a good chance he wouldn’t want to sleep next to me. Not when he learned that I’d betrayed him and the SINS by going behind his back to Archer. But I didn’t trust Roehenstart not to have something up his sleeve. The man had gone after my son.
“Are you worried about tomorrow?” he asked.
“A little, I guess,” I admitted.
“Don’t be worried.”
“Easier said than done. You and Duncan are calling out The Pretender in front of the SINS.”
He rolled me over and placed a kiss on my lips. “You trust me, aye?”
I nodded.
“Then trust that it’s all going to work out.”
I stroked my hands up and down his body; strength was in every muscle, strength he used to protect me and our family, even at the cost to himself. He was a true warrior, noble, loyal, fierce. He loved deeply. But so did I. And I protected those I loved.
“Do you still want to leave the SINS?” I asked, broaching the subject he had brought up when he was completely immobilized only a few weeks ago. Almost dying changed a person.
“I don’t like what it’s become,” Flynn admitted. “Fighting The Pretender when we should be focused on our cause. I think I’ll know if I want to leave based on how everyone reacts to Roehenstart’s betrayal.”
“When did it stop being about a free Scotland? When did it become a fight for power?” I wondered.
Men like Flynn would never do well taking orders from someone else. Even if Duncan became leader, Flynn would not adjust easily. He’d been autonomous in New York for so long and Malcolm had trusted him.
“You’d regret it, you know,” I said. “Leaving the SINS. Maybe not at the moment or in the near future, but one day, you’d look back and regret it. You’ve been weaned on this cause, Flynn. That doesn’t go away just because you decide you don’t want to be involved anymore.”
“Aye,” Flynn agreed. “A blessing and a curse. Some days, I wish I never hungered for such things.”
“But you do.” I was quiet a moment. “Maybe it’s not just a fight for the SINS. Maybe it’s really about the fight you have with yourself.”
I lifted my head so I could look at him. He smiled slightly. “I’m a lucky man. To have a wife such as you.” His mouth met mine, hungry, devouring.
The time for talking was done.
I rolled over and encountered cold bed. Flynn was gone; no doubt he’d been tossing and turning until finally he’d gotten up so he wouldn’t disturb me. Padding down the hallway to the nursery, I checked in on Hawk. He slept soundly. Maybe he was too young to remember being snatched from this room. Maybe it would never haunt him like it did me.
Flynn wasn’t in his study, nor was he on the porch. I was just about to throw on a coat and boots to go look for him outside when I saw that his own outwear wasn’t hanging on the hooks by
the door. Frowning, I headed to the living room, wondering where he could be. Usually when he left the house, no matter if it was for a short walk, he woke me up to tell me. I headed back up to bed, hearing a faint buzzing sound.
My phone danced across the bedside table and I wondered who could be calling me in the middle of the night.
“Ash,” I said in greeting. “What is it?”
“Is Flynn home?” she asked, her voice desperate.
“No. He’s not. I woke up and he was gone.”
Ash let out a stream of curses. “Duncan’s gone, too. I’m sitting here with Daniel who refuses to answer any of my questions. He says Duncan and Flynn are safe and not to worry—that they’ll both be home before the SINS meeting tomorrow.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” I said. “Why would they go anywhere in the middle of the night?”
“I don’t know. Did Flynn say anything to you? Anything weird?”
“Not that I can think of,” I said truthfully. “Traipsing around in the middle of the night… Flynn’s barely back on his feet. Where could they possibly—”
I cut myself off when I had a sudden thought. “Let me call you back.”
“Fuck that,” she stated. “I’m coming over. I’m not sleeping in this creepy old castle alone.”
We hung up, and I held my cell phone for a minute in my hand before calling Flynn. It went to voicemail. I didn’t expect him to answer. Leaving the bedroom, I walked down the long hallway to the other end of the house. I stopped outside of a guest bedroom and gently rapped on the door before pushing it open.
With the help of soft winter moonlight, I was able to see Nathan asleep on his back. I quietly walked to the chair where he’d set aside the decorative throw pillows. Picking one up, I crept towards him. Just as I was about to take aim and hit him, his voice stopped me.
“Whatever you’re about to do, don’t.”
“How the hell—”
“Light sleeper,” he explained. “Good in my line of work. Mind telling me what you’re doing in my bedroom in the middle of the night?”
I tossed the pillow aside. “Mind telling me where my husband is.”