by Wade, Maddie
“Yeah, I bet they do.” Blake laughed. “Give us ten minutes. We’ll meet you downstairs in the bar for a quick chat before we leave.”
“Sure thing.” With a nod he sauntered away.
Blake shook his head and smiled. Reid was a cool guy, a fantastic team member, and had earned a fearsome reputation with the FBI’s HRT team. It made it that much harder to consider him as a possible traitor. Closing the door he turned to see Pax pulling a pair of wide-leg cream trousers and a pale blush blouse from her case.
“What are you doing?” he asked slightly confused.
She looked up and tilted her head. “Getting changed to go see my parents,” she answered as if he was being ridiculous.
“You don’t seriously dress up to see your parents, do you?”
Pax smirked. “You most certainly do.” She indicated her skinny jeans, ballet flats, and green peasant top which he thought looked fucking fantastic on her. “My mother would skin me alive if I turned up like this.”
He couldn’t imagine having to dress up to see his family. They had seen him hungover, sick, drunk, and lounging in his pants on the couch. He had never felt judgement from them. They were his family and they loved him regardless of what he wore. For Pax though, he would do what it took to make her feel comfortable. He grabbed his case. “I guess I better change too then.”
“Oh no, you don’t have to. I’m the only one that will be found wanting. My mother will eat you with a spoon—literally—if you let her,” she said without humour.
Blake continued to pull his case towards him. “Regardless, if you’re changing so am I. Strength in numbers, right?” he said with a wink.
Pax smiled and cupped his face with her soft hands, a strange look passing over her face. “Thank you,” she said simply and with that disappeared into the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later she emerged while he was texting Reid to say they would be down soon. He looked up and saw she had done a bang up job of hiding most of the bruising on her face. He could still make out some near her cheek but all in all, it was a good job. Not that anything, even black eyes, could take away from her beauty. The look she had gone for was pure Pax—elegant, sexy, sleek, and sophisticated. It suited her. She was stunning, but he still preferred her in jeans or a simple summer skirt and vest top. Not that he got or deserved any say on how she dressed. She was her own person and he had no intention of telling her how to be her awesome self.
This though, this was armour and he was going to find out what she needed it for if it killed him.
“You changed,” she said as she picked up her bag from the bed.
“Yeah, it’s no big deal,” he said indicating the navy suit and white shirt sans tie he wore.
“It is,” she said with a wrinkle of her nose. “I feel like I need to pee on you to stop my mother from flirting with you.”
“Yeah, not really my kink.” He laughed as he put his hand to her back and ushered her to the door.
“No, me neither.”
She had relaxed a little, but he couldn’t help feeling the nerves that were emanating from her as they rode the lift to the ground floor. They stepped off and walked through the foyer towards the bar where he could see Reid, Waggs, and Decker standing at the bar with women admiring them like they were pastries in a bakery.
Blake stopped short when Pax froze in front him, almost making him walk into her. She was staring towards the front door, her eyes wide. He followed her line of sight and saw two men with heavy builds in black suits. Typical bodyguard attire—he would know, he’d worn it for long enough as a PPO. Both men were more than likely armed, one bald, the other had long hair pulled into a low ponytail.
“Who are those men?” He already had an idea but wanted Pax to confirm it.
“My father’s personal protection, Eddie and Pete.” She sighed. “They’re okay. I just wasn’t expecting them so soon.”
“How did they know you were here?” He didn’t like that they were being ambushed.
Pax turned to him and shrugged. “We didn’t exactly hide the fact, and like I said, my dad knows everything.”
The two men waited a respectful distance away not attempting to approach her.
“Let’s have a quick word with the guys then we can leave but we take a cab. I’m not being dictated to by them.”
Pax nodded her agreement as he took her hand and they walked towards the bar area.
Waggs saw them and quickly shooed the clearly irritated young women who were hanging on their every word away. One had the audacity to glare openly at Pax. He felt her prickle beside him.
Instead of cutting the girl to ribbons with her tongue, Pax smiled sweetly at her.
The young woman confused by Pax’s smile huffed and stormed off as Decker chuckled. “You probably just cost her three weeks in therapy.”
Pax shrugged her shoulders and smiled, although it didn’t reach her eyes. Blake quietly and swiftly brought the guys up to speed.
“Keep in touch and if we haven’t checked in by eighteen hundred hours, call Jack, and let him know we’re not back.”
He didn’t believe that would happen. Pax’s father wasn’t stupid and even if he was, Blake had a little plan up his sleeve to keep them safe in the short term. Pax had been unsure but eventually agreed. It was smart even if she didn’t like the idea.
With his hand in hers he kissed their joined hands and grinned. “Let’s go meet the parents.”
Pax laughed lightly as he wanted her to, erasing the look of tension that she had worn for the last few hours.
They walked towards the doors and Eddie and Pete nodded.
“Miss Paxton.”
“Hi, Eddie, Pete.”
The two men fell in behind them. To Blake it all felt surreal. He had always been the PPO and now he had two men watching his back similarly. He didn’t like it and he didn’t need it. He had to grudgingly admit though, as Eddie slipped in front of them to get the doors and proceeded them, they weren’t bad at it.
Light flooded the entrance and a cache of photographers and journalists jostled to put microphones in front of their faces as Eddie and Pete hustled them to a car.
“Miss Paxton, what happened to your eye?”
“Miss Paxton, is true you are to marry an Englishman?”
“Miss Paxton, are you back for good?”
Questions came from all angles and Pax handled it with the same calm composure she handled everything else. She held her head high and smiled her unique smile. “If and when there is anything to tell, I’ll tell it.”
Eddie ushered them into a waiting car and Blake let him. It would have raised questions if they hadn’t. The door slammed on the limo and Pete pulled away from the curb seconds later.
Pax sighed and leaned into him, letting her mask slip.
He rubbed her hand with his thumb. “You okay?”
“Yes. I just forgot how bloodthirsty they were.” She sighed again. “Sorry you got caught up in this, Cal.”
She’d used his given name for the first time, and it made him want to kiss her until she could hardly catch her breath. There was something very intimate in her using the name that only his family used. He liked it—perhaps too much.
“Don’t be sorry, this isn’t your doing. I’m glad I’m the one you came to for help.”
Pax quirked her head at him, obviously waiting for him to expand on his remark.
“If you had gone to someone else, I wouldn’t have gotten to know the sweet beautiful girl underneath the stunning sexy woman.” He saw her face soften even as she dipped her head to blush beautifully.
Blake let her have her moment and tapped on the window.
“Hey, Pete, stop the car and find us a cab,” he said when the window came down.
“But…”
Blake cut him off. “Just do it.” His tone brooked no argument.
“As you wish.” Blake could tell Pete wasn’t happy from the way his jaw was clenched tightly as he cast a look at Eddie who sh
rugged.
The car slid to a stop and Eddie stepped out to hail them a cab. Blake followed suit and as soon as the cab skidded to a halt beside them, helped Pax out. Once they were safely inside the cab, he gave the driver the address.
Then they sat back silently, Pax shoring up her emotional defences against the upcoming meeting with her parents and Blake trying to decide how he would play this. Either way, he was going to let Mr and Mrs Paxton know that Gracie was off limits to them from now on and if they didn’t like that, then it was tough shit. The woman who was almost statue still at his side meant something to him. She meant a lot and he wouldn’t let her be hurt ever again.
He didn’t delve deeper into his thoughts knowing now wasn’t the time. But later he would, and he would see what Robert Paxton saw the minute he opened the door.
Chapter Thirteen
As the cab pulled up behind the limo at the first of the two security gates, Pax felt her stomach knot painfully. This had been her home her entire childhood and most of it had been happy, if a little lonely. She felt Blake grip her hand anchoring her to the present. She gave him a shaky smile that felt false even to her.
As they drove, the lights over the beautiful Tuscan style home came into view. It was a stunning house and the view over the mountains and canyon were breath-taking. The cab stopped and she took a deep breath as Eddie opened the door and Blake got out holding out a hand for her. She waited as Blake leaned in and offered the driver some money and took a card with the number to call him back on.
Blake held on to her hand tightly as they walked to the front door and he rang the bell as she had done since the night she’d left, and it had stopped being her home. Blake stood close, his arm touching her shoulder, the warmth from it comforting her and giving her strength. The door swung open and there he was—the man who had raised her, who had been her idol and the first man to break her heart.
She watched him pale underneath his permanent Malibu tan. “Grace!” His eyes traversed her face and if she didn’t know better, she would say he looked shaken.
“Hey, Dad,” she answered her voice sounding stronger than she felt.
He pulled the door open as if remembering his manners and ushered them inside. “Come in, come in,” he said regaining his usual aplomb.
She stepped through and felt the familiar ache in her chest at the house that used to be her home. It was spectacular with large open spaces, marble floors, and a large double staircase leading to the second floor. An entranceway ran through the middle with the kitchen and dining room to the left and the living room and library to the right.
“Dad, this is my boyfriend Calvin Blake,” she said introducing the two men. “Blake, my father Robert Paxton.”
The two shook hands and she could feel them sizing each other up. In a normal situation this would have been the two most important men in her life meeting and would have been significant. Maybe in another life but not now. It was funny to think that without the rift between her and her father she never would have had the life she did now. She never would have met the man who was fast coming to mean everything to her.
“Your mother is by the pool; we’ve just finished a late lunch.” Her father seemed to be trying to fill the silence as he led them through to the back patio and pool area.
“You have a beautiful house.”
Pax felt it significant that Blake didn’t say home and tried to see it from his view.
This house had been her home but as she looked around at the stylish residence with priceless art and not a single thing out of place, she realised she wouldn’t swap her tiny home for it. Her home was filled with warmth and candid snaps of her and her friends in frames.
The only pictures in frames in this house were the stuffy portraits that she’d hated having done.
The sun was starting to wain as they stepped out onto the patio, it was spectacular, and she could see all the way over the manicured lawns to the canyon and beyond. Her mother Henrietta Paxton was a beautiful woman. She stood from the sun lounger as they approached, her long shapely legs on full display as she sashayed towards them.
“Grace, my darling, what happened to your face? You look awful.”
Pax felt Blake squeeze her hand and looked up to see his face had hardened. Pax definitely got her looks from her mother who was tall, slim to the point of being almost too thin, and constantly reminded Pax how she should watch her weight. Both had red hair although her mother’s hair was more blonde than red now. Her mother had blue eyes though, while Pax followed her father for that. She also had her mother’s creamy complexion which her mother was very proud of, hence the reason she wore a sheer cover-up to protect her skin. At fifty-two she was a beautiful woman and Pax had always felt like the ugly duckling to her mother’s swan.
“I was mugged.” Her eyes landed on her father to see if he reacted at all to what he’d had done to his only child.
“Well, you should really be more careful,” her mother admonished.
She could have sworn she heard Blake growl but dismissed it as she watched her father.
“Henri,” her father said sharply and angrily, if she wasn’t mistaken. He seemed furious and concerned filled his face when he turned back to her. “Sit, please, both of you.” He rang a bell and a pretty maid in a white dress came through. “What would you like to drink?” he asked as she and Blake took seats on the cream sofa.
“I’ll have sparkling water.”
“I’ll have the same.” Blake held on to her hand as if he knew she needed his touch.
The maid ran off to get the drinks as her parents sat opposite.
“Tell me about what happened. Did you call the police?”
She felt an odd moment of doubt. Her father seemed so genuinely concerned for her it made her want to weep.
“No, it was dark. I didn’t get a good look at them.” She watched his reaction.
He went still at her words. “Them? There was more than one? Oh, Grace, I do wish you would come home where I can look after you.”
“She’ll be looked after in her home from now on. I’ll see to it personally.”
Her father must have realised he had ruffled Blake’s feathers. “I meant no disrespect, Calvin. I’m merely worried about her safety. I’m heartened to see my Grace with a man such as yourself. You have an excellent reputation in your field as a PPO. To the Queen no less. Knowing she has you makes me feel happier. Although our relationship has been somewhat strained over the last few years, she is my daughter and I love her with all my heart.”
Pax had to swallow the tears down. He sounded so heartfelt. She wanted desperately to believe him but then she thought back to the terrible night she’d found out the truth and hardened herself to his words.
The maid came back with their water and talk turned to other things—her job at the gallery, Blake’s work in private security. Her mother flirted with Blake every chance she got, touching his arm or knee in a mock-friendly way which Pax ignored. She’d seen it done to every boyfriend she ever brought home until she stopped bothering after she found her mother and the last one in a very compromising position.
Her father stood, bringing her out of her reverie and glanced at his wife for a second, a warning look in his eyes before he turned to Blake then his eyes came to rest on hers. “Pax, may I have a second of your time? I need to discuss a personal matter with you.”
Pax looked at her father with a surprise for a second, her instincts telling her she should listen to what he had to say. Her father could be ruthless, but he wasn’t an idiot and with the press knowing she and Blake were here, they had secured their safety for now.
Pax felt Blake squeeze her hand gently to get her attention. She looked at him and he gave her a barely perceptible shake of his head. He didn’t want her out of his sight, the thought made her happy, happier than something so simple should. She gave him a reassuring smile and moved to kiss his cheek then slid her eyes to his before lifting them towards her mother. “It will be
okay. Just keep on eye out for my mother.”
She knew he didn’t like it by the way his jaw tightened but he didn’t fight her on it, just nodded. Pax stood and followed her father from the deck into the house. An older maid walked across the hallway with her head dipped low. She wasn’t one Pax recognised, her mother had very exacting standards and didn’t particularly like the prettier maids; hence they didn’t last long.
Her father led her into his study and a flood of memories hit her as the familiar scent of leather and musk filled her nose. The melancholy pain in her chest was almost overwhelming. She rubbed the ache there and looked around the room she’d spent so much time in as a child and saw not much had changed. Large, high windows looked out towards the vast mountain, and a magnificent oak desk sat in the middle of the room with a brown leather desk chair behind it. The wall to the left was covered in a bookshelf, opposite that sat a drinks bar and stools. It was the original man cave and yet she had been happy in here. Painting and colouring as her father worked.
Pax pushed the feelings of sorrow away, straightened her shoulders and faced her father “What did you want to discuss?”
She watched her father flinch at the cold tone of her voice before his shoulders drooped a little. Pax didn’t want to acknowledge it, but she felt guilty. Considering what he had done, it was silly, but she wasn’t someone who enjoyed hurting others.
He walked to the bar and poured himself a brandy before turning to offer her one. She shook her head no and waited, her back ramrod tight wanting him to get on with it.
“Talk to me, Grace.”
“Talk to you?”
“Tell me what happened to you.” He stepped closer and she held her ground and fought the tears and the tender look in his eyes. “We were always so close.” He looked away as he turned to the window. “I don’t know what went wrong.”
Pax felt her heart rate increase as anger took over. His innocent act more than she could bear. Crossing her arms she leaned back on one hip as she tapped her foot in agitation. “How can you say that? You viciously betrayed me and then acted like it was nothing.”