The war had just begun.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Joy hurt so good. In the twinkling of an eye, she had her life back. Shannon leaned into Adam, her seatbelt forgotten as Rory drove them to where she didn’t care. As long as her guys were with her, any place would be home.
She sucked in another deep breath, willing the essence of her sweet son back into her soul. It was minutes before she lifted her eyes to see where Rory was headed, but then she couldn’t tell where they were. Jimmy had fallen asleep, and the darkness was gone. Even the Virginia sun seemed brighter, more golden, and full of promise than it had earlier.
Ember still hung over the front seat, the biggest smile on her face as she smoothed a hand over Jimmy’s round, little head.
“This is my son, Jimmy Malone,” Shannon introduced him through her tears. “My baby.”
“Aww,” Ember murmured. “He’s beautiful. He looks like you.”
Alex sat half-turned beside Shannon, his eyes a little misty, too. “This little guy never made a peep.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, sorry for all she’d intended to do to him.
“It was my pleasure.” He looked as casual as they come, even after the tremendously dangerous feat he’d just accomplished. Sneaking into her father’s manor undetected couldn’t have been easy, and yet, he did it—for her.
Confession was supposed to be good for the soul. Shannon gulped past the lump of regret still stuck in her chest. Her soul needed to feel good again.
“I’ve been cruel to you,” she whispered. “I can never pay you back for this. I owe you my son’s life.” She had to be looking like Alice Cooper by then, crying through all that black mascara she’d applied earlier when she needed to look hard and tough. “I was going to Texas today to begin a smear campaign against you. I was going to—”
“Oh, that.” Alex dismissed her apology with his index finger to her lips. “Trust me. I’ve been slandered before. I wasn’t worried. But answer me this. Are you happy now?”
She nodded, blinking hard. Happy was such a little word. Regret so big. “But I was going to destroy you,” she said past his finger on her mouth.
Clear blue eyes twinkled. “No, you weren’t, Shannon. Your father was going to try to destroy me.” Alex traced a line down her chin, where he left a gentle pinch. “You’re a good person, Shannon. I never doubted you so don’t doubt yourself now. You’re not Paul Reagan. You never could be.”
“But I—but he—”
“But you would have done everything you could to save your son. I would have done the same if I were in your shoes. I’ll make you a deal. Why don’t you take care of that cute little guy and let me take care of your father? Good enough?”
She shivered. Could it be that easy? She couldn’t see Alex any more. All she could do was bless the top of Jimmy’s sleeping head with more of her tears as she promised, “Yes.”
“Are we there yet?” Adam teased, one arm still wrapped around her shoulder.
“You sound like Tyler. Hold your pants on,” Rory said, referring to his son as he turned off the highway and onto a gravel road. “And yes. We’re there.”
Tall oak trees way to a rustic cedar home beneath a lush canopy of pine and oak. The circular drive deposited them at an old-fashioned porch complete with wide stairs and cedar rockers, two outdoor-style sofas, and a wooden porch swing. Two little boys burst through the elegantly carved wooden front door before the vehicle rolled to a stop. A red-haired woman followed, a big smile on her pretty face.
“Are they here?” Judy asked, ducking to see past Rory.
“Yep.”
“Unca Wowy!” one little boy squealed. He’d already climbed halfway into the driver’s window. “You is here! Andy Emma!”
Rory climbed out, fending off the boys as they tumbled up his legs. He caught both in one armful, swinging them over his head with a big growl. By the time he was done, they were upside-down by their ankles, their uncut hair brushing over the gravel, and squealing, “Swing us! Swing us! We wanna ride!”
Shannon took it all in. Adam had told her about Harley’s wild boys. Or maybe Harley had. She couldn’t recall. One little guy was red-haired, the other light brown. Rory swung them back and forth a few times before he laid them carefully onto the grassy lawn and told them to settle down so they didn’t wake their new cousin.
“Come on, guys,” Adam said. “Let’s meet Harley’s wife, Judy, and the terrible two.”
Alex and Ember waited with Rory and Judy, but Shannon had no desire to leave the security of the SUV. Then she’d be visible. A target. Paul Reagan wouldn’t let the destruction of his legacy go unpunished.
She pressed Jimmy to her chest and reluctantly climbed out of the SUV to join Adam. Her heart kicked into high gear the moment she stepped into the open. She needed more time, and a safe place to process all that had happened. And to hide. She glanced back at the driveway they’d just travelled. Her father was coming for her. She could feel it in her bones.
“Aww, there he is. Look, boys,” Judy called her rowdy youngsters to her side. “There’s baby Jimmy.”
The brown-haired youngster charged Alex instead. “Unca Alex!” He, in turn, grabbed the boy by his armpits and swung him up to sit on his shoulders. “Settle down, Georgie. You need to be quiet for a minute. There’s a baby here. He might be sleeping.”
“Shh-h-h-h.” Two pudgy fingers covered Georgie’s lips as he stage-whispered to his twin brother. “It’s a baby boy. Yike us. He’s sweepin’. See?”
“Aww.” Redheaded Little Alex nodded adamantly from his perch on Rory’s shoulder. “He so cute!”
“Harley’s told me so much about you, Shannon,” Judy said. “We’re delighted that you’ll be staying with us for a while.”
Shannon cringed, frustrated that others were making decisions for her. “I am?”
Adam smoothed his hands over her shoulders. “Sorry. I should’ve asked you earlier, but honestly, it’s been a crazy morning. I forgot. This is Harley’s wife, Judy Mortimer, and those rug rats are Sponge Bob and The Beast. I told you about them, remember? Anyway, Judy and Harley offered safe refuge for as long as you need it.”
“I not a beast, he is!” Little Alex giggled, pointing at his brother.
Judy chuckled. “Actually, Harley blabbed the minute he knew there was a plan. He’s been dying to get you here where he can look out for you. We’d really love it if you stayed with us, Shannon, unless you’d feel safer somewhere else. We’d understand.”
“No, I...” Shannon glanced over her shoulder again, unsure where that safer somewhere else might be found. So much depended on this one chance at freedom. Reagan Industries had the resources to not only squash this plan, but to annihilate everyone involved with it. How could she risk the lives of Harley’s lovely family to save hers? “I’m just... It’s just that... I don’t want to put you and your family in danger.”
Adam’s arm snaked around her as he burrowed his face into her neck. “Hey, Mama. We had a deal, remember? You take care of my man, Squeaks. Let me and my guys take care of your old man.”
“Come in while you decide.” Judy led the way up the porch steps and into her home.
Instead of accepting the invitation, Shannon turned into Adam. “Are you leaving me?”
“No, ma’am, I am not,” he whispered as he turned her to the porch. “I might have to tear myself away from you and Squeaks to do my job one of these days, but I’m never leaving you. You got away from me once. It won’t happen again.”
“But my father...” Try as she might, Shannon couldn’t shake the feeling that Paul Reagan was on his way.
“Trust me. He doesn’t know where you or Squeaks are. I promise.” Adam stopped her at the doorway. “Besides, do you see that barn over there?”
Shannon followed the direction he pointed. A rustic red barn stood opposite the house on the other side of a wide, grassy yard. “Yes. I see it.”
“There are about ten well-trained attack
dogs in that barn and a couple litters of German Shepherd puppies. Harley raises canines for the local police departments. You can’t see them because the dog runs are on the other side of the barn, but trust me. Harley keeps a couple of those dogs on the premises at all times. You’ll see them playing with the boys, but make no mistake. Harley’s dogs don’t take kindly to strangers sneaking into their pack unannounced. Besides...”
He turned her into his arms. “You’ve got me, Alex, Rory, and Ember on your six, not to mention Connor and Izza will be here soon. Judy’s got a mean left hook. Sponge Bob and The Beast think they can take all comers. You’re not in this alone.”
Shannon let out a tentative sigh. Being safe again would take some getting used to.
“Come on. Let’s join the hubbub.” Adam led her inside. Judy waited near the entry, but everyone else was already seat in the expansive great room to the left. Floor-to-ceiling windows poured light into the house. Rory wrestled on the floor with Little Alex, while Georgie dangled upside-down off the couch, giggling. He waved when he spotted them. “Hi, Unca Ad.”
“Hey, Beast.”
Judy reached for Jimmy. “Aw, may I hold him?”
“Fuck, no!” Shannon shrieked, shielding her baby from this stranger. No one and no place was safe from Paul Reagan. Couldn’t these people get it?
The room quieted. Ember blinked, and it seemed everyone held their breath.
“Oooo,” Georgie whispered in Alex’s ear. “She said a naughty word, Unca Awex.”
Adam never faltered, just eased Shannon into his side, one palm warm and gentle on her shoulder. “It’s okay. It’s all good, folks. Jimmy needs a nap. Same room as last time, Judy?”
“You bet.” She grasped Shannon’s wrist instead of her son. “Let me know if you need anything. We’re here for you, honey.”
“I’m... I’m sorry,” Shannon murmured, ashamed, and her eyes brimmed at her despicable behavior. God, I’m exactly like my father. “It’s just that I’m—”
“It’s just that you need to snuggle that baby of yours for a long, long time. I would if I were you, and it’s me who’s sorry. I should’ve known better. Come here, honey.” Judy put her arms around Shannon and wrapped her and Jimmy inside one of those all-encompassing, motherly hugs Shannon hadn’t realized she needed until then. She squeezed her teary eyes at the raw emotions surging back to life, while the woman she’d just cursed held her tight and patted her back. The real Shannon Reagan was reawakening, and she was a pathetic mess.
“I’m making tacos tonight,” Judy whispered, swaying gently from side to side. “You go take a long nap with Jimmy. I’ll send one of the boys up when dinner’s ready. Are you going to be okay here?”
Shannon bit her lip. “I don’t know,” she admitted quietly. “My father’s coming. He’ll hurt anyone in his way and he’ll take Jimmy back.”
“I’d like to see him try,” Judy growled, and somehow that strong conviction helped.
“I’m sorry I, umm, over-reacted.”
“That’s what us mothers do, Shannon,” Judy murmured confidentially. “We over-react and we’re damned mean when we do it. Harley says I turn into the biggest, baddest bitch on the planet when anyone messes with my boys. It’s that mother bear instinct in us. It doesn’t ask, it just shows up and watch out when it does.”
Shannon almost smiled. “But I’m the biggest and baddest bitch,” she whispered so the boys couldn’t hear her this time.
“Break it up, ladies,” Adam cajoled. “You’re both certifiable, ahem, mothers of the year.” He tugged her out of Judy’s embrace and steered her toward the winding stone staircase along the far wall. “We’ll be down in a while.”
“I wanna go, too,” whined Georgie, bucking against Alex to be let loose.
“Not unless you want to take a nap,” Alex said.
Shannon didn’t hear Georgie’s reply as she hurried up the stairs with Jimmy tucked in tight against her. She all but ran over the luxurious Persian rugs on the hardwood floor. Past the rustic wall hangings of hunting dogs and ducks. Everywhere she looked, the Mortimer home imbued calm, but the nagging sensation remained.
He can find me anywhere.
Adam ushered her into a spacious room at the far end of the wide hall. A lovely deck beckoned beyond the patio windows. Dense green trees engulfed the house, providing a cover that no one could see through. No one except—him.
“Shut the drapes.”
Adam glanced over his shoulder, as calm as she was stressed. “Are you sure? It’s a beautiful day out there.”
She nodded, her nerves strung so tight that a fiddler could’ve plucked “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” on them in ten seconds flat.
Adam did as she’d asked. He didn’t make eye contact, probably waiting for her to take more than one step inside the room, but she couldn’t. Paul Reagan had to be flaming mad.
“Will you look at this?” Adam had wandered to the baby bed tucked in the corner near the expansive, king-sized bed. Both constructed of gleaming logs, only it swung on a cradle. A red-and-black checkered bumper-pad lined the inside. A huge black teddy bear with a red ribbon with white polka dots sat next to it. The crazy bear looked as if it was smiling, its fluffy paws folded over its potbelly. A basket of diapers and other baby supplies stood on the changing table beside the cradle. Everything looked too good to be true. Because it was.
He is coming.
“You’d never know to look at him, but Harley’s the biggest sap when it comes to kids. I’ll bet he picked out this goofy bear.”
“Uh-huh,” Shannon replied absentmindedly on purpose, as she eyed the rough-hewn beams overhead. A rustic, antler chandelier graced the cathedral ceiling. It was a nice room, but if she was safe, why was she hyperventilating? Why was this last step so hard to take?
Poor Jimmy squirmed, arching his back. Shannon loosened her grip on him. By the sounds of it, Connor and Izza had arrived. All those tough male voices coming from downstairs should’ve made her feel protected. Izza’s, too. Shannon had plenty of capable covert agents under this roof, but—were there enough?
Adam wandered into the en suite bathroom. Out of sight. She gulped, trying to swallow the terror that separation created. There had to be a way to settle down and relax. She opted for trite conversation to keep Adam talking. His steady and calm baritone was the only thing keeping her from running. “W-why’d you stay here?” She honestly couldn’t remember.
“You know. I’d just broken up with my ex.” He turned the shower on. “Will you be okay out there while I clean up?”
She wasn’t inclined to answer. He’d stepped out of her line of sight, but she heard his boots thump to the floor, followed by the zip of his pants. He closed the bathroom door, but left it cracked. “I won’t be long. Make yourself at home. There’s food and stuff to drink in the kitchenette. Judy stocks a mean fridge.”
There’s a kitchenette?
Her nose twitched at the fragrance of eucalyptus drifting from the steamy bathroom. Her ears perked up. Adam was just beyond her line of vision, scrubbing himself clean and humming like it was no big deal. One of Judy’s little boys squealed downstairs. A dog barked. And Jimmy touched her chin with his fingertips. He smiled up at his real mother through still drowsy eyes, and Shannon’s sun came out, bright and warm and glorious.
“Oh, I’ve missed you, baby of mine,” she breathed into his downy hair. The soft sweet baritone of the man in the shower belted out some song about country roads, West Virginia, and Blue Ridge Mountains, and Shannon took that all important first step into her brand new life. Then another. She closed the door behind her, and left Paul Reagan behind.
Motherhood took over. “Let’s get you fed,” she whispered to her hungry baby.
Judy had thought of everything, including a hickory rocking chair by the deck door. Shannon kicked off her heels and nestled into the rocker. She unbuttoned her business suit and unsnapped the front of her push-up bra. Jimmy was going to nurse from his real mother this
time, not from some latex nipple while some baby-stealing woman beamed down on him like he was hers.
Shannon stilled the storm in her heart and summoned what few relaxation techniques she had left. It had been so long. Lifting Jimmy to her breast, she forced herself to breathe deeply, exhale slowly. A nursing mother needed to be calm. Izza had taught her that.
It didn’t work. Jimmy nuzzled back and forth, growing frantic. His sweet little face scrunched into worry lines as he searched for what he was used to.
“It’s okay,” she crooned, despite her growing doubt. What if she’d lost the chance to bond with him? Her heart dropped. What if he wanted—Linda?
He growled a tiny growl of frustration.
“Come on,” she urged, panic rising. “You can do it.”
Jimmy stiffened, tipped his head back, and let out a squawk. And Shannon remembered that day on the beach. Those sweet lullabies and the man who sang them. She let the words roll off her lips. “What child is this who laid to rest on Mary’s lap is sleeping...”
The time out worked. Her son latched onto his mama. The wrinkles dissolved from his face, and Squeaks closed his eyes in pure, infantile bliss. By the time the carol to her new life ended, the love of that good man singing in the shower had righted her floundering boat. The storm was past. Burrowing into her cocoon, she gave her son what he needed most.
Herself.
“Shannon?”
She didn’t answer.
“Shannon? Are you out there?”
Still no answer.
Adam wrapped the towel around his waist and peeked his head out the bathroom door. He couldn’t help the smile that cracked his face. There she was, asleep in the rocking chair, her head bowed to Jimmy’s. The poor thing had to be worn out from her daily endurance tests with Paul Reagan. Adam had a cure for that. He turned the flannel comforter back on the bed—the sheet, too. As smoothly as possible, he scooped her into his arms.
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