by Sheila Kell
He nodded. “That’s how it is.”
She had no idea what they were talking about, but it put a huge smile on his partner’s face.
“I won’t stay. You need your rest. Call me if you need anything,” he said with a note of amusement in his voice. He turned to her. “That goes for you too, Ms. Rogers. Remember, we’ll put you in protective custody when you’re ready.”
Megan smiled. “I’m staying with AJ. Thank you, Special Agent Powers.”
“Todd, please.”
“Only if you call me Megan.”
They closed out the conversation and he left.
Megan turned to AJ. “I like him.” She reached for his hand.
“He’s a good man.”
“AJ. You were shot. Is it still safe for us out there?” If they found them once, they would find them again, but this time AJ might die protecting her. Her heart squeezed just thinking about it.
He laced their fingers together. “Don’t worry. We’ll be okay. My family is here.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “So what’s this about you being wanted by the FBI?”
* * * * *
“Don’t worry about it. Just a misunderstanding. Who’s outside the door?” AJ sat up in the bed, tossing his legs off the side, swaying. The nurse rushed over.
“Matt and Brad are now. I don’t know what happened to the two men there before.”
“Would you ask Matt to come in?” He stood and collapsed back on the bed, biting back a shout of pain. He couldn’t let her know how much pain racked his leg, or she’d fight to stay. They couldn’t.
Megan did as he asked but kept glancing back at him.
“We need to bug out. No one is to know. I mean no one,” he told his brother as he entered the room.
“We’re already on it. It’s been damn Grand Central Station here.” Matt tossed clothing on the bed. Then he spun on his heel and left the room.
Nurse Laura began disconnecting AJ from his IV and machines.
“What’s going on? You can’t leave. You’re still recovering.” Megan’s voice rose in a frantic manner.
He sighed. “Megan, someone knows we’re here. It won’t take long for others to know. We can’t stay.”
“But it was just your partner. He’s one of the good guys.”
“But he may tell someone else, who may tell someone else. Or someone could have followed him in hopes he’d lead them to us. Do you see what I mean?”
A horrified looked appeared on her face. “Oh God. But is it safe for you to leave?”
“It has to be.”
He handed her clothing. “Change into this. Did you call anyone while we were here?”
“No. Kristen called me,” she answered. “Oh, Marcus came here to see me.”
His gaze snapped to hers. “What?”
She told him about their visit.
He couldn’t help it, he saw red. Flat out jealousy. She had loved Marcus enough to agree to marry him. Did she still have feelings for him? She’d stayed with AJ, but was that only so she could catch the Magician? He shouldn’t care, but he couldn’t help himself.
Once Megan had dressed, Matt and Brad rolled a gurney into the room while one of the men escorted the nurse out.
Megan looked at their emergency medical technician attire and then down at herself. He barely stifled his laughter. She’d been so worried she hadn’t noticed what she now wore.
He took a deep, fortified breath, stood and limped the few steps to the gurney. Swiping the beads of sweat from his forehead, he covered himself with the sheet.
“You’re leaving on the gurney? Where will I be?”
“Right beside me, my little dove.” He flashed a sexy smile and gave her a wink in hopes to calm her. “Just put your hair in the hat and pull it down low over your face.”
Once on the first floor, they exited through the emergency entrance. His brothers loaded him into the back of an ambulance and then helped Megan climb in. Matt and Brad walked to the front of the vehicle, and they left the hospital.
“Why did we leave like this?” she questioned.
“They would’ve been waiting for us to leave by the front or a side door. It was best not to chance it.”
“Where are we going?”
He chuckled and pulled himself into a sitting position.
“Are we going back to our room?”
“No. They’ll drop me near a new place, and you are going with them.” He needed her safe, even if it wasn’t with him. He had to do what was best for her.
She shot him a scathing look that singed his skin. “I may be a bit scared, but you are not pawning me off on your brothers. I’m going with you, AJ Hamilton. We have something to finish, together.”
He expelled a heavy sigh. He knew she’d argue. “Megan, you are safest with them. I’ve told you that I can do this alone and now it’s time that I do.” There had been too many close calls. His putting her into those dangerous situations for his own selfishness, dumped the weight back on his heart.
“Well you’ve got another thing coming. I’m not leaving you.” She crossed her arms across her chest.
He dragged a hand through his hair and then cupped the back of his neck. He knew he wouldn’t win this argument. “Okay, they’ll drop us. It’s okay, my little dove. We’ll be safe.” He leaned forward and gave her a light kiss.
He hoped he was right.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
This was the first morning AJ hadn’t met Megan with a newspaper and a cup of coffee. Instead, his arms were wrapped around her waist, her body curled next to his. He looked down at her. She was lovely even with the messed up hair.
They had not made love the night before. He’d collapsed in the bed the moment they’d entered the room, sleeping the remainder of the day and through the night, remembering waking groggily for short spurts to tell her that she needed to go with his brothers, because he couldn’t protect her enough himself. Jesse, who had stayed in the room during the evening as what he called extra protection, laughed at him. Damn brother.
AJ had woken to his brothers coming and going, and to the smell of coffee brewing. Megan’s face had lit up when she’d seen there was a separate bedroom with a door, providing the two of them a bit of privacy.
“Good morning, my little dove.” He smiled down at her sleepy eyes.
“Good morning. How do you feel?”
“Like I’ve been shot.”
“That’s not funny.”
“Well, it’s true.” He tightened his hold on her and kissed her forehead. He didn’t want to let her go from his life, but he couldn’t stay with her. He had to fix things with Jake and Emily. He wouldn’t be whole again until he found his foster brother and reunited the two of them. He had to repair the damage he’d done to his sister’s life, before he could live a full life. Megan didn’t deserve a broken man. And he’d remain broken until he resolved this.
He’d kicked Jake out of their home, threatened him if he returned, not realizing Emily loved their foster brother. He’d found out later that she was pregnant with Jake’s baby, turning his world upside down. He couldn’t locate Jake. He had to return the man to Emily. It was past time Amber knew her father.
“What’s our plan for today?” She reached up and brushed her lips against his.
“We’re going to lay low today and allow me to heal. We’ll meet with my brothers, and then we’ll begin to piss off a crime boss.”
* * * * *
“Where are we going?” Megan asked.
AJ chuckled. “To H.I.S. headquarters.”
“Where is it?”
“Between Baltimore and Silver Spring,” Brad, their current bodyguard and driver answered.
She leaned on AJ’s shoulder in the backseat. He wrapped his arms around her.
She’d held back telling him she loved him. Kate had said he cared for her but listening to his brothers’ joke with him, it became blatantly apparent that he was a ladies’ man, not a man to settle down with
one woman. The elation in her heart evaporated. Would her love be enough for AJ to become a one woman man?
How could she break down the barrier Kate told her he had? Heck, he’d been shot putting himself between her and a bullet. Plus, he’d allowed her to stay with him. That had to mean something. Didn’t it?
Marcus never would’ve protected her in that manner. Actually, he wouldn’t have allowed her to continue her pursuit of the Magician. And in allowed, he’d more than likely have had someone follow her and report back to him, so he could physically remove her from where the story took her. He’d have expected her to put aside her need for revenge. He didn’t understand. Probably never had understood her. Even if it hadn’t been about her brother, she’d have still wanted to help Kevin and the police remove Magic Shop from the streets.
But AJ wasn’t Marcus. He understood not only her need for revenge but her need to finish this story. To find the answers the public wanted. To do her job. A job she admitted she should’ve stopped before things became dangerous and she’d been shot at. But that burning desire to see this through trumped anything else.
In the middle of nowhere, they stopped at a remote, rustic house with a light dusting of snow on the roof. Smoke escaped the chimney. The cozy look had her eager to explore.
Kate and a Dalmatian met them at the door, welcoming them to her home and headquarters.
Megan walked into the large, open living room, her eyes zeroed in on the men with guns. She’d met most of them at the hospital. AJ, leaning on a cane, introduced her to them again. For some reason, she immediately knew these men would do anything to protect her and AJ.
A man who looked similar to AJ and his brothers, but had longer curly hair and a softer, more sensual appeal, walked up to her and introduced himself as Devon. She’d almost laughed out loud. She’d expected a computer geek look. She should’ve expected another handsome man. Their father, U.S. Senator Blake Hamilton was an appealing man. His boys were younger versions of him.
A squeal erupted and a flash of red passed her and threw itself at AJ. Devon reached back to keep him from falling on the floor.
“Uncle AJ! You came! You came!” A beautiful dark haired child with an angelic face of five or six wrapped her tiny arms around him, holding his legs tight.
Kate lifted her into his free arm. “Remember what I told you. Be careful, he’s hurt,” she whispered to the little girl.
“I will, Momma.” The child’s attempt at a whisper failed.
AJ smiled and kissed the girl on the forehead. “I had to come see you, Reagan. I’ve missed you.”
She pulled back. “Guess what?”
“What?”
“I have a new brother. And guess what?”
He raised his eyebrows. “What?”
“He’s hurt. And guess what?”
“What?”
“I’m babysitting a cat. And guess what?”
The room erupted in light chuckles at AJ being assaulted with a question the child had mastered.
“What?”
“You missed Amber’s birthday. She turned three.” In her attempt to display the number, she held three tiny fingers up with one hand and used the other hand to hold her thumb and pinky down.
His smile faded, and his body visibly tensed.
“Reagan, meet Ms. Megan.”
The little girl smiled and stuck out her hand for a handshake. “Are you Bob’s mom?”
Grasping Reagan’s small, soft hand, she responded, “Hi, Reagan. I am. Is he around?” Megan hadn’t thought of her cat in days. Kate had told her about his antics, but he’d slipped her mind. Megan’s thoughts had been filled with the man before her. She had to get her head screwed back on correctly.
The little girl squirmed away from her uncle and ran off.
“Hey, doll.”
Megan turned and gave a small squeal of her own. She threw her arms around him. “Trent, you’re okay.”
“Not as okay as AJ. My bullet hit bone so I’m out of business for a while.” He waved down to a brace on his leg.
Her heart sank. “I’m so sorry. I’ll pay you for the time you can’t work. It’s only fair.”
He chuckled. “Doll, you aren’t paying me. It’s a work hazard. Besides, you were worth it.”
“Trent, let her go.” AJ said in a stern yet angry voice.
She swung around and caught the challenging look he cast his friend.
“Hey, AJ, jealous much?” Trent taunted.
The muscles in AJ’s jaw twitched. She’d had enough of the two of them and their territorial whatever.
Before she could give them a piece of her mind, Reagan returned struggling to hold a heavy cat. “Here, Ms. Megan.”
She hurried to retrieve Bob before he fell to the floor. Although cats supposedly landed on their feet, she never was one for testing the theory. Hugging him tight, nuzzling in his warm, long hair and listening to his loud purr, her body calmed. “I missed you, big boy.”
“You should’ve seen it. Bob hissed at Dottie and she barked at him. And later they were friends. They played together. They played with me. Bob really likes chasing the red dot.” Reagan snickered.
“Everyone’s here, let’s go,” Jesse said above the noise in the room.
AJ leaned to her and placed a light kiss on the lips. “Stay with Kate. I’ll be back soon.”
Megan’s hands stroked Bob faster. “But I thought we were doing this together?”
He ran his hand through his already disheveled hair. “We are, but…”
Kate interrupted. “It’s okay, Megan. We’ll find out what they said soon enough without dealing with all of their male bullshit. Besides, AJ hasn’t received his ribbing yet today.” She winked at him.
Looking back and forth between the two, Megan bit the corner of her lower lip. She’d come to trust Kate. She’d saved her and AJ. If she said they would find out then they would. But what was this about him getting ribbed? “I’ll trust you, AJ, but I want to know what Kate is talking about.”
He dropped his head and laughed. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” He and Trent brought up the rear each leaning on a cane.
“Come have a drink with me. This will take a while,” Kate said.
Megan set Bob on the wood planked floor. “I’m right behind you.” A photo on the mantel caught her attention and she picked it up. It showed one beautiful girl and six handsome boys. Five of the boys looked like their father whom they all surrounded. The sixth boy and girl looked different from the rest. And different from each other. Different mothers maybe? But she’d read the senator had only been married once and his wife had died of cancer.
Kate smiled. “I picked up the same photograph my first time here. Perfect looking family, isn’t it? Before you ask, the girl is their baby sister Emily. The boy is their foster brother Jake Cavanaugh.”
“I hope I meet them someday.” It would have to be soon unless she could convince AJ to share his life with her. She’d love to be a part of this family.
Kate took the photo from her and placed it back on the mantel. “Emily moved to New York, and Jake is a long story. One that’s best AJ tell you.”
* * * * *
AJ and Megan waited for the phone to ring. Everything had to go as planned. They needed this drug bust.
Matt, their current babysitter, lounged in a chair watching TV. AJ knew he remained fully alert and listened to everything said. He sighed watching his brother rub his own leg. He loved him and wished he could make everything normal again. AJ’s leg would be fine in a few days. But Matt’s wouldn’t.
“Why hasn’t he called?”
AJ chuckled at her impatience. “He’ll call when he’s able. Now, did you call your boss and tell her you’d have a front page exclusive for her?”
“Yes. She kept pushing to learn what it was. She threatened not to take the story if I didn’t let her know the basics right then. I told her that I’d submit it to her and is she didn’t print it that I’d submit it to o
ther newspapers. Dang, I wish I could have been there to take photos.”
“You’ll have to suffer with just an interview. The phone should ring any minute.” Although Byron couldn’t participate in the bust since it would blow his cover, he’d selected an agent to brief Megan. The DEA appreciated positive news articles about their success with the war on drugs.
She glanced at Matt and then back to him. “Tell me about Jake.”
AJ heart stopped. How could he explain it to her without his appearing a monster? How could he tell her that finding Jake was what held him back from a real life? She loved her brother so maybe she’d understand AJ’s need to find him. She wouldn’t understand his part in his brother leaving. Knowing that, she’d blame him for Emily’s heartbreak like the rest of the family did.
The ringing phone saved him. She’d ask again. He needed to prepare himself.
“Hamilton.”
He handed the phone to her and knew he would lose her for the next hour or so. Her smile widened with every note she wrote. His heart lightened. She was in her element.
She’d insist on attending the meeting his team expected the Magician to have with his advisors who’d failed him. It would be too good of a story for her to pass up. But, she wouldn’t be there, end of story. He’d be her source for her article. The person who’d conducted the arrests.
Megan broke into his thoughts.
“I’m finished. Do you want to read it before I send it?” She turned beaming at him.
His heart skipped a beat. He’d miss her more than he thought.
She almost bounced out the chair with excitement. “I can’t believe he sent me a photo to use.”
AJ trusted her. She’d proved herself and joined the elite few that he did trust. “Go ahead and send it. We need it to be in the morning paper.”
And just like that, step one of their plan had been set in motion.
He rose and walked toward her, pulled her into his arms, his kiss was hard and fast, her tongue meeting his halfway. His need for her took hold of him and wouldn’t let go.
A throat clearing slowly brought him back.
“There is a room with a closed door,” Matt informed them.
She giggled as AJ dragged her there, slamming the door behind him. With her help, he pulled her sweater and bra off. He leaned down and took her breast in his mouth. He pulled back. “I’m sorry to say my injury will limit my ability to make love to you.”