Fixing Justice

by Halliday, Suzanne

  Alex had finally connected with Victoria’s mother and aside from passing on that she thought Drae was a jerk, she hadn’t been much help. She did offer some hope though by pointing out that if was her; she’d high tail it into a big city where she could remain anonymous.

  Phoenix was out, it was too close so that pretty much left Los Angeles. Cam had been working every angle and managed to pin down one of her credit cards. She’d withdrawn a hefty sum right before she left Arizona – obviously trying to fly off the radar. What she hadn’t considered though was that she could be tracked through her cell phone. Even with the GPS locate switched off, the minute she connected with social media, checked her email or enabled a mapping program, they’d know exactly where she was. It was just a matter of time.

  For his part, Drae had let their attorneys know that there would be no divorce. Period. Telling them both that Victoria was pregnant had changed the entire dynamic. Beyond that, he was pretty much useless. He’d tried going into the woodshop thinking a project would help distract him but that hadn’t been such a good idea. Not if he wanted to keep all his fingers. That left rattling around his big empty house as his only alternative.

  Somewhere in the midst of his anxiety he’d begun sketching plans for a nursery. The house already had a handful of extra bedrooms, but he wanted something special for their baby so he set about re-designing a large space next to his bedroom into a baby’s suite with a comfortable sitting area, a small kitchenette and a custom bathroom with all the bells and whistles.

  He could imagine his sweet Victoria, cuddling with their son or daughter by the French doors opening onto a private deck connecting to the master suite. It would be a special space that she could decorate, someplace where their child would begin their life. It was the only thing that gave him any sense of peace – planning for a future that remained uncertain.

  On day nine, Cam woke him up with a flurry of texts that had him bolting from his bed and into the shower faster than he could ever remember moving. She had used a credit card in Malibu of all places – at an executive stay apartment. One of those places that rented by the month and catered to visitors. Alex had already called for the company jet to be readied and the minute he was packed, the three of them were heading to California.

  All of them going might have seemed like overkill, but having his brothers with him gave Drae some calm. So had telling Desi what was going on. Letting his sister know she was going to be an Aunt had made the whole thing seem real for the first time. She’d cried and laughed and given him a raft of shit when he’d admitted that he had fucked things up royally but in the end, she just loved him and let Drae know how proud she was of him for finally pulling his head out of his ass.

  He’d had a small bag packed for days, ready to leave at a moment’s notice and just before Cam and Alex came to pick him up, he threw the notebook with the nursery plans into the bag.

  Putting on his big boy undies, he’d also taken it on the chin and called Victoria’s mom himself. Stephanie Bennett was one of those genteel southern ladies who had a way of making you feel like a giant ass without really trying. He let her know how desperate he was to make things right and assured her that the welfare and safety of her daughter was his highest priority. She was relieved to learn that Victoria had been located but wasn’t all that happy when she heard where she was.

  “That’s no place for my daughter,” she’d told him, and he couldn’t have agreed more, promising to have Victoria call her the first chance she got. Before the brief call ended she told him, “Remember who you’re dealing with young man.” He knew what she was referring to, that Victoria had already been dragged through the mud once and also that she didn’t quite feel that she measured up in the beauty sweepstakes. Vehemently informing Stephanie that her daughter was the loveliest creature on the planet and that he’d happily smack the shit out of anyone insisting different had earned him a softening in her tone.

  Now all he had to do was figure out what he was going to say and how effectively he could grovel in order to convince his feisty beauty that her future and the future of their baby was with him. Yeah, that sounded easy – not!

  Their flight into Los Angeles yesterday had been a test of Drae’s cool. He could barely sit still and no amount of jovial banter – an attempt by the guys to displace some of his anxiety – helped for more than a few minutes. It had been like this that first year after Alex had finally been released from the hospital and rehab center where the medical folks had served up a series of miracles, saving his leg and giving him back his life. The physical therapy was grueling so he and Cam had adopted a Three Stooges way of dealing with the situation. The atmosphere during their flight reminded him of those days. Jokes, slapstick, ribald commentary – typical guy stuff. He hadn’t really stopped to think how important his brothers were in his world until now. They were the glue that held everything together. “So, tell me guys – did you come along to help me find Victoria or are you here for damage control?”

  They both busted up laughing. “Both you asshole!” Cam taunted. “Considering what a bang up job you’ve done so far, you should be thanking us for holding your hand.”

  “Yeah. What Cam said.” Alex chuckled. “I figure with your less than stellar track record with the fairer sex, it won’t take long for you to open mouth and insert foot. Somebody has to referee if you have any hope of convincing Tori you aren’t an A-1 douche nozzle.”

  Drae winced. “Nice choice of words.”

  “Hey. I call ‘em as I see ‘em.” His friend chuckled.

  Cam laughed too and then turned serious. “Lacey made me come, not that I wouldn’t have anyway,” he added hastily.

  “Wow. Pussy whipped already, dude?” Alex mocked.

  “Fuck off, Major. Your day will come,” Cam snickered. “And for the record, a bit of wifely needling is a whole lot more fun than being the lonely guy.”

  “Oh fuck,” Drae groaned. “Hadn’t really thought about what having a bunch of women around would mean. Jesus. Female solidarity makes me nervous!”

  “Yeah, that’s true,” Cam said, “but in this case Lacey’s interest is more personal.” Drae and Alex shot quizzical glances his way so he continued. “I didn’t have any family growing up which is how I ended up saddled with you two losers. Neither did she. I figured, or rather my wife pointed out, that with Tori being pregnant too, our kid would come into the world with a growing family already in place.”

  Alex nodded in silence with a serious expression on his face while Drae struggled to swallow the tremendous lump of unexpected emotion that lodged in his throat. The seriousness of the situation hit him between the eyes. It wasn’t just him and Victoria anymore. It was everyone. They were all involved in one way or another. “Remind me to kiss your wife when we get back,” he muttered. “This isn’t the first time she’s been the voice of reason.”

  Cam laughed. Drae still had trouble getting used to this happier, smiling, lighter version of the brooding loner. “No smooching for you Mister Double-Oh-Jerkoff! Lacey really likes Tori. She was a huge help before the wedding. Even with a growing belly, my wife will gladly kick your smarmy ass if you don’t make things right.”

  “Understood and duly noted,” Drae offered in all seriousness.

  They’d landed in Los Angeles and checked in to an exclusive hotel after which it took the other two men all but sitting on Drae to keep him from running off to find Victoria the moment he’d dropped his bags on the floor.

  Cam was working the phone and his laptop, gathering information about her movements and habits while Alex babysat him. After a serious talking to, Drae reluctantly gave in and let the pieces fall into place. They were right. He couldn’t just bust in and make demands. It was going to take a whole lot more than a display of arrogance. No, this situation called for real finesse, plus he had to get his act together and be ready to lay down the hard truth that underlied everything. He loved her. Plain and simple. She belonged to him, even if she didn’t
know it yet. Tomorrow would be here soon enough and then he’d go and get his spitfire.

  From the living room window, Tori could see the Pacific Ocean over the rooftops and palm tress below her short-term apartment. She was tired of being in a hotel and just wanted to find someplace where she could relax. After a horrible week and a half that was mostly tears and regrets, she’d come to no conclusions, only a bone-weary ache for the man haunting her dreams. It was a little galling to recognize that a sky high IQ did not give her special skills in dealing with the emotional side of life. Nope, she was wracked with insecurities and doubt, and no amount of rationalization seemed to make a bit of difference.

  She’d almost broken down and called Draegyn once she’d found a place to settle until she remembered that doing so would blow her attempt to stay low. On an impulse, Tori had rented this apartment under an alias, although not much of one. If he was trying to find her, and she wasn’t altogether sure he would be, using her real last name would lead him straight to her door. And right there, she’d hit on the crux of the matter. Was he trying to find her or had he figured good riddance to someone that had been a thorn in his side? Would knowing the answer to that question make a difference? Blaming the pregnancy for her emotional scatter seemed kinda lame but, there you have it. She was also becoming quite adept at the heavy sigh, each bleak murmur reminding her the shambles her world was in. Was it the same for him? Dammit. That was the problem right there. With every thought and feeling assailing her brain, she’d stop and consider Draegyn’s reaction.

  Maybe she’d been a coward by leaving like a thief in the night. After all, she couldn’t stay furious at him for having done almost the same thing. And just like the silence that hovered over them while he was doing whatever the hell he’d been up to in New York, she was doing the same. That thought didn’t sit well.

  Well, she thought, gathering her purse and the keys to her rental car, too much introspection wasn’t helping her general outlook. She had something or rather someone else to consider now and sitting around in a grey funk couldn’t be good for her or the baby. No, she had to get some air, maybe walk around a bit and find something to eat that didn’t provoke the nausea that was her new constant companion. She certainly couldn’t live forever on carbonated soda and water crackers even though that particularly disgusting combination seemed to go easy on her stomach.

  Deciding to walk through the country mart and grab some supplies, she’d stop at a small café and take it easy – maybe do some people watching for shits ‘n giggles. That was one thing she’d already learned about Malibu. There was always a celebrity or two to be found. Well, at least she’d found an amusing distraction.

  Later on she admitted it had been a good morning. Her walk through the outdoor shopping mart had been relaxing and even a bit productive. She’d eaten some outrageously beautiful organic pastries and browsed through a high-end children’s store, indulging in the purchase of a tiny set of pale green booties that she thought would suit either a girl or a boy.

  At lunchtime she found a spot at the outdoor café where she sat quietly and watched the world go by. Tori felt better than she had in some time. She’d even managed to eat half a sandwich and though it wasn’t her favorite, she’d ordered a small glass of milk to wash it down with. She didn’t really know if drinking milk was something she should do, making her tap a note into her phone about picking up some books about pregnancy.

  She’d been sitting there for a while when the bubbly waitress stopped by her table with a big smile and something else. Putting a large container in front of her, Tori frowned and let her know she hadn’t ordered anything else. The waitress grinned and said, “Hazelnut decaf, four sugars, and an extra dollop of creamer for table seven.” This is table seven she added. Tori was confused.

  “There’s been some sort of mix-up,” she murmured as the aroma of her favorite beverage wrapped around her senses.

  “Nope,” the friendly waitress replied. “You have that gentleman over there to thank,” she said while pointing toward the cash register area. Lowering her voice in a conspiratorial whisper she added, “Lucky you. That’s one seriously hot guy!”

  Tori’s head whipped around so fast, it almost fell off her neck. Draegyn. Oh my fucking god, she moaned. It was impossible to see his eyes behind the dark sunglasses he had on but she’d know that proud bearing in the crowd of a thousand. His presence at the café scattered her thoughts. Ignoring the sudden uptick in her heart rate or the way relief washed through her along with a very telling flutter of awareness, was nearly impossible.

  She wasn’t ready to face him. Not yet, so she grabbed her stuff and made a mad dash for the rear exit just steps from where she’d been sitting. Luckily she’d dressed simply in jeans with sneakers on her feet so making speed was no problem but he had beaten her to the lot, where he was casually leaning against a high class but very suburban family-looking sedan with an expression she couldn’t read. As she stepped from the pathway he opened the side door of the car and waved her on as if he were a chauffer. Dammit. This wasn’t how she envisioned seeing him again and just to make matters worse, she was fighting back an awful urge to throw herself on him and cry.

  “Let me help you with your packages,” he murmured softly, reaching to take her purse and carry-all bag from hands gone numb in shock.

  She needed to find her voice she realized, struggling to wrap her mind around the fact that he was very much here and very much trying to take control yet again. Some things never change. “What are you doing here, Draegyn?”

  “I think that would be obvious,” he answered while placing her things on the backseat.

  “Maybe to you, but not to me,” Tori answered defensively. Did he really think it would be that easy? That he could just show up out of nowhere and command her to do as he asked? Her itchy conscience reminded her that she’d absolutely fallen for this act before, sometimes with gleeful abandon.

  Drae was having a hard time remaining calm. When he’d found her at last, sitting all by herself at the outdoor café, it was all he could do not to rush in, toss her unwilling butt over his shoulder, and steal her away to his private lair. She looked all sorts of adorable in her faded Fleetwood Mac t-shirt and a pair of worn jeans that didn’t exactly cling to her curves. She looked thinner, if that was possible, with an exhausted air about her that squeezed his heart. Seeing her so vulnerable with that edge of fragility helped soften his approach. She was backing up, taking small steps away from him but that didn’t stop Drae from reaching out and placing a hand in the small of her back to ease her toward the car. “Get in, Victoria.”

  “No.”

  He had to smile at the petulant frown she was making. “We can do this the hard way if you’d prefer. Believe me honey, I have no problem stalking your cute little ass until you’re worn down from trying to get away from me. Or…you can hush that gorgeous mouth, get in the car, and listen to what I have to say. Your choice.”

  It didn’t help his composure when her bottom lip, the one he so badly wanted to suck into his mouth, started to quiver. She stomped her foot and tried glaring at him and then let out an anguished wail.

  “I can’t do this now, Draegyn. Please. Just let me go.”

  It was his turn to say, “No.”

  She continued to hem and haw, looking for any means of escape. Finally, Drae sighed and gently placed an arm around her shoulder for a brief hug. “Everything’s going to be alright sweetheart, but first you have to get in the car.”

  She turned watery eyes his way but lowered her lashes when his dark glasses got in the way. Quickly removing them so she could see for herself the sincerity of his words he tried again. “Please,” he begged.

  Forgetting about the remnants of the black eye Alex had given him, he was caught off guard when she gasped and reached up to touch the fading bruise. Before she could say anything he quirked a smile her way and simply said, “Big Daddy.”

  After that she slid silently into the passenger se
at. Reaching across her torso, he clicked the seatbelt into place and shut her door, rounding the back of the car to get in the driver’s seat where he quickly started the car and got the air conditioning running. It wasn’t hot, but the way her cheeks were flushing, he didn’t want to take any chances.

  Her voice was quiet, little more than a whisper. “Why do we have to go anywhere? Can’t we just talk here?”

  “C’mon Victoria. You know this isn’t going to be a five minute chat.” She looked away and stared out the side window of the car as he eased it out of the parking area and headed for the coast highway. The silence was deafening so he tried asking a simple question, trying to break the ice. “How are you feeling?”

  “Peachy,” she sniped. Then more silence.

  Okay. That went well, he thought. Maybe it was best to go with a direct approach. He had to cough slightly to clear his voice, as emotions clogged his throat. “Have you seen a doctor yet?”

  She fidgeted in her seat and sighed. “No.”

  “Why not?” Yeah. That did it. She turned on him with that all-too-familiar flash of bitchiness that he knew so well.

  “I’ve been a bit busy, you know. And why exactly do you care, may I ask?”

  He had something to say, had a lot to say in fact, but maybe the car wasn’t the place to start such an important conversation so he neatly changed the subject. “We’re staying in a penthouse suite at the Beverly Wilshire.”

  “Who’s we?” she asked tartly.

  His mouth quirked up at the corners. Damn, she was something else. “We. As in me and my wife.”

  She stared at him with mouth agape. “I’m not your wife!”