Gemma cringed when he placed a kiss on her cheek and set her back on the ground. “Hey, sweetheart. Let me introduce you to Gemma Perry.” Cy put his arm around the pretty woman and smiled his genuine smile at her. “Gemma, this is Paige Parker, my sister. And that man over there in the black cowboy hat is her husband, Cole.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Cole tipped his hat and came to join them.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Paige said. “Usually when Cy comes home, it’s to nurse some kind of injury. He’s never brought a woman home before.” Paige openly checked her out and Gemma suddenly felt even more self-conscious than normal as she felt all eyes on her. She instinctively clutched Fred closer to her.
“And these are my parents, Marcy and Jake Davies.” Cy shook his father’s hand and then wrapped his mom in a tight hug as she laughed.
Marcy clapped her hands and everyone quieted down. “You must be exhausted from traveling. Let me make this quick and then get you some breakfast while Cy tells us what this is all about.” Cy’s mother slipped her hand onto Gemma’s arm, gave Fred a scratch behind his ears, and propelled them toward the stairs.
“This is Miles and his wife, Morgan.” Gemma shook hands and introduced herself to the very tall, serious-looking man and his wife who had the darkest hair she’d ever seen. “And this is Pierce and his fiancée, Tammy.” Gemma smiled at the petite blonde practically bounding forward to meet her.
“It’s so nice to meet you. We so have to talk later. I want to know everything,” she whispered to Gemma as her handsome fiancé simply shook his head.
“And this is Cade, his wife, Annie, and their daughter, Sophie,” Marcy continued as she marched Gemma closer and closer to the house. The little redhead clung to her mother’s red hair and giggled as Gemma said hello to them both. Cade, in a Keeneston High School t-shirt and athletic shorts, smiled down at his wife and daughter after shaking Gemma’s hand.
“And here she is,” Cy kissed his sister-in-law on the cheek and scooped Sophie up into his arms as she squealed in delight. “That’s right, I helped bring you into the world and that makes me your favorite uncle,” he cooed.
Annie shot Katelyn a look and they both rolled their eyes, “Yeah, you were a big help all right,” Katelyn laughed with her hand resting on a very small baby bump. “Hi. I’m Katelyn Davies and this is my husband, Marshall,” she said, gesturing to the man standing next to her with short brown hair and jeans that fit tight around well-muscled legs.
“I know you . . . er, I know of you. I’m an investigative reporter for Inside Peek,” Gemma said as she shook hands with the tall sleek blonde.
“Oh,” Katelyn said slowly as she looked straight at Cy.
“Don’t worry, sis, she’s not here for you. I take it everyone else is inside?”
“Yes,” Cy’s father said as he came to stand next to his son. All the brothers had inherited their father’s hazel eyes and tall frame while Cy and Pierce seemed to have lighter brown, almost blond hair, like their mother.
“You’re almost done with introductions. We’ll give you a quiz after breakfast,” Cy joked. Gemma just didn’t know how many more people she could remember, but she followed Marcy up the steps and into the large living room. There were plenty of chairs and couches to accommodate the whole family.
Pictures of all the kids throughout the years hung on the walls, and pictures of the grandkids were set on tables. On the far side of the room sat a man in jeans with his long legs stretched out in front of him and a baby on his lap. On the far end of the couch was a man in the most amazing black suit she’d ever seen. His black hair was slicked back behind his ears and he had his arm around a very pregnant woman whose dark brown, almost black, hair was tied back in a sleek ponytail. She had obviously been in conversation with another lady in a suit with her auburn hair pulled back into a French twist.
Marcy led her over to the couch first. “This is Mo and his wife, Dani.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Mo said as he stood and gave a slight bow over her hand. His low, Middle Eastern accent flowed over her and she found herself with a strange desire to curtsy.
“Please excuse me for not getting up, but I am huge. Once you get me down, it takes a crane to get me off the couch again. Hi. I’m Dani.” The woman in jeans and a maternity tank top held out one hand to shake while her other rested on her very pregnant belly.
“No worries. Wow, when are you due?” Gemma asked as she shook her hand.
“In about eight weeks.”
“Do you know if it’s a girl or a boy yet?” Gemma resisted the urge to reach out and rub the perfectly round belly. Okay, she could admit to herself she wanted a baby badly.
“No. We didn’t want to know, plus it’s a thing in his country. We instructed our doctor to tell us nothing. It’s going to be a surprise for us and all of Rahmi,” Dani smiled as she rubbed her tummy. Rahmi, what was it about that name that sounded familiar?
“Hi, Mo. Thanks for letting us land at your airport.” Cy stuck his hand out and shook Mo’s hand.
Airport, Rahmi, prince . . . ”You’re the Prince and Princess of Rahmi?” Gemma froze as she clapped her hand over her mouth. She didn’t mean to say that out loud.
Dani chuckled and Mo gave her an understanding smile. “We are. Although here we’re just Dani and Mo. We’re enjoying our last week in Kentucky before going to Rahmi for the rest of the year,” Mo told her as he sat back down and slipped his arm around his wife’s shoulders.
“And I hate that they have to leave next week, but her doctor is forcing them. Something about not flying too late in the pregnancy,” the pretty auburn-haired woman pouted playfully.
“The doctor left yesterday, in fact. He wanted to check out the palace and set up a delivery room and a recovery room for the baby. Unfortunately, he has my cell phone number. He’s worse than a mother hen,” Dani laughed.
Marcy smiled kindly but then got back got to the business of introductions. “This is Kenna Ashton and her husband, Will.”
“It’s nice to meet you, ma’am,” Will said as Kenna smiled.
Cy reached around Gemma and with one large hand scooped the baby into his left arm. Sophie was still goo-gooing in his right. “And this handsome fellow is my nephew, Ryan. He’s Annie and Cade’s son, aren’t you, big boy?” Cy bounced him happily as both kids laughed gleefully at a man who was suddenly not looking so dark and dangerous anymore.
Cy reluctantly gave the babies back to their parents when he saw Ahmed quietly slip in through the door. Miles pushed himself off the dining room doorframe and quietly headed toward him as well. The silent show of support meant a lot to him.
Over the last twenty minutes, the group had naturally separated. The women were huddling around the couch talking about babies, and Gemma was filling in Paige about the changes to Los Angeles. It had been so many years since Paige had left there after fashion school. Cy practically forgot she had been there the first two years he was there. Of course, L.A. was so huge, he was never in any risk of actually seeing her. But that didn’t mean he didn’t check up on her.
“Ready?” Miles asked as he stopped next to him.
“I guess. I’m really not looking forward to this. You think Ma’s going to be mad?” Cy asked as he shot a glance at his sweet-looking mother.
“Does a one-legged duck swim in circles?”
“You could've just said yes.”
“And you’ve been in L.A. too long,” Miles grinned.
Gemma scanned the room and her eyes connected with Cy’s. Even at his parents’ house, he wasn’t really relaxed. Oh, he looked it on the outside—as he was just lounging and talking to his brothers. But she could see his lips were drawn slightly and there was tension around his eyes.
Catching herself daydreaming, Gemma smiled at something Annie said before she continued scanning the room with her investigator’s eye. What she realized frightened her slightly. She received the same looks from a number of people there. The room was f
ull of people who were impossible to read, including Cy's mother, Marcy.
A shiver rippled down her back and she knew she was being watched. Gemma casually looked around the room and connected with a pair of cold, almost black, eyes. The man they belonged to stood quietly next to the door. She hadn’t even heard him come in. He wore a black suit with a black tie. For a second she thought the shirt was even black, but when he moved out of the shadow she realized it was the deepest red.
His slightly wavy black hair looked as if it had just been cut and was pushed back away from his strong face. It was his eyes that had made Gemma shiver, though. There was no emotion behind them. The mask this man wore weighed him down to a point where she didn’t know if the man behind it even existed.
Gemma fought the panic she felt trying to claim her. While looking nothing like the man with the shaved head in L.A., the black suit and dark eyes had her scrambling to escape. She knew the women were looking curiously at her, but she didn’t care. She had to get out of there—now.
Miles and Cy turned to where Gemma shot off the couch, her eyes wide with panic. “Does she know Ahmed?” Miles asked.
“No, but she might get him confused with the men after her,” Cy whispered before speaking up. “Gemma, come join me. I think it’s time to tell everyone why we’re here. I also want you to meet Ahmed, the man I talked to on the phone. Remember?” Cy added gently as he reached out for her. He felt her trembling as he brought her against his side to calm her.
“My apologies for startling you, my dear,” Ahmed said in a low voice as he slowly approached.
“I feel so silly. It’s just that you look, well, you don’t look like them. But the black suit and way you were looking at me . . .” Gemma shivered.
“Thick man with a shaved head. Eyes the same color as mine and a scar along his cheek?” Ahmed asked as if he already knew the answer. “Sergei,” Ahmed said as Gemma nodded. Obviously interested in Gemma, he asked, “Who are you?”
“I could ask you the same question,” Gemma shot back, her fear having subsided. She was surprised when one side of his lips quirked but didn’t smile. However, for some silly reason she felt triumphant.
“Son, are you going to tell us what this is all about? I know your mother is over there hoping you’ll tell her you’re married and have a baby on the way so she can die happy, but I have a feeling it’s nothing of the sort. What kind of trouble are you both in?” Jake asked from his chair in the man corner of the living room.
Cy had to grin as he saw Gemma flush with embarrassment and his mom shoot his dad the look, which only served to tell Cy that his dad had been right. His mom was on a major baby kick.
“I don’t really know where to begin or how to even tell you all what’s going on,” Cy stumbled. It was finally time to come clean, but he didn’t know where to start. College? His brothers going off to fight and being left behind? Last week?
“For cripes sake,” Miles muttered, “Cy’s an undercover agent with the CIA. He’s been living in L.A. for the past ten years working as a stuntman for his cover.”
The room froze as they all looked at him. “Thanks, Miles.”
“No problem. Now get on with it.”
Marcy stood up and placed her hands on her hips. “Cyland Dillon Davies, you tell me right now if that was you jumping naked from a window in that movie last year. Oh fiddlesticks, what was the name of it?” Marcy turned to the women around the couch. “You know, the race car driver solves a murder. He’s messing around with a married woman and jumps out her window naked when the husband comes home.”
“Oh, the movie with that hot guy with the great buns? Turn around, Cy, let’s see if it was you,” Kenna joked as Will just shook his head.
“Cyland, you tell me right now,” Marcy demanded.
“Blind Turn was the name of the movie. Yes, it was me.” Cy paused before putting his hands on his hips. “That’s what you’re most concerned about? Out of all Miles just said, you’re upset I jumped out of a window?”
“It wasn’t jumping out of a window, it was jumping out of a window as naked as the day you were born for all the world to see. What kind of wife are you going to attract running around naked in movies all the time? Not the kind I want in my family, that’s for sure.”
Cy’s phone alerted him to a new text message. He glanced at it quickly and tried to delete it, but it was too late.
“Holy sh . . . shoot,” Miles abbreviated after a stern look from his mother. “That’s Katrina Poklavich, the Polish supermodel. What is she doing sending you pictures of herself completely na . . .”
Cy delivered Miles a quick elbow jab to his side. “Nothing,” Cy said through gritted teeth, but it was too late. He saw Gemma roll her eyes and his mother toss her hands in a “see” motion.
“Let’s talk about me being in the CIA.”
“I already know about that. I want to talk about models sending you inappropriate pictures. Isn’t that a thing now?” Marcy asked the women again.
“Sexting,” Paige said with a huge smile on her face.
“That’s right. See, you run around naked for the entire world to see and now you’re sexting. What’s next? Eloping with a pinup? Oh, Jake, the mother of my grandbaby is going to be a pin-up girl posing naked in some magazine.”
“It happens all the time. Shoot, Autumn Hayes wanted a one-night stand with him,” Gemma told his family and friends nonchalantly.
Cy was going to kill Miles if he didn’t stop laughing. Then he was going to kill Gemma. After dropping that bombshell, she just leaned back and smiled.
“Autumn Hayes and Katrina Poklavich? Damn, I mean, dang. Why didn’t I become a stuntman? Or were they throwing themselves at you because you're CIA?” Pierce asked before Tammy swatted him hard against his stomach. “You’re right, then I’d never have met the love of my life.”
“That’s better, hon.” Tammy smiled sweetly.
“What do you mean you knew?” Cy asked his mother before turning on his brother. “I can’t believe you told her, Miles.”
“Oh, pish-posh. Your brother didn’t tell me anything. I’m your mother. I know everything. I even knew my own son’s bottom was plastered across the big screen. I was at that movie with my quilting club. Oh my, Edna was with us. The whole town is going to know by lunch.” Marcy dropped into her chair as if the world was now over.
Cy stood speechless as his brothers grinned and the women bit their lips trying to contain any comments that he could see sitting on their tongues. How had he lost control of this situation?
A sharp whistle pierced the air and all eyes immediately snapped their attention to Jake. “Now, I'd like to hear what’s going on. Just hand the phone over to me so we won’t get any more interruptions.” Cy grimaced as his mother threw a book and nailed his father right on the head.
“At least it wasn’t an iron this time,” Paige said before breaking out into peals of laughter.
“Dammit! The people who tried to kill Pierce are trying to kill Gemma and me,” Cy finally yelled. The room quieted down and Cy let out a breath. He finally had their attention.
Ahmed listened intently. It was exactly what he thought. Sergei. Debate raged inside of him. He could easily manipulate Gemma into becoming bait for Sergei, but she was an innocent and he wasn’t like Sergei. He didn’t hurt innocents. Besides, if Cy was anything like his records indicated, he wasn’t to be messed with. The family all thought Miles was the toughest. But they were all wrong. It was Cy.
The secret file the CIA kept on him read like a spy novel. He took on missions no one else would take and managed to get out without a scratch . . . that is, until Russia. That’s where Sergei must've discovered him. Cy had breached a secure laboratory guarded by armed soldiers. He had busted up the sale, arrested the men involved in the trade, secured the weapons, and was in the process of hauling them out of the facility when he was detected. A firefight ensued and he held them off until he set a trap, escaping with the weapons and criminals. Th
e rest of the CIA was stationed five miles away getting ready to breach the facility, but Cy beat them to it. The records quote him as saying he went alone because he “wanted to make sure the job was done right.”
Ahmed looked Cy over again as he stood telling his family the events from the last twelve hours. Gemma was quietly shedding tears as Marcy and Paige held her hands. She was innocent, he kept reminding himself, but she might hold the key. He’d just have to work with Cy this time, but he’d make it clear—Sergei was his.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Thwack! Miss Lily Rae Rose slammed her broom down on John Wolfe’s balding head. She took advantage of stunning him to race past him down the sidewalk. She might only stand at five-feet two-inches, but she gained four feet with that broom. Enough height to bonk John on the head, she thought as she raced toward the Blossom Café where many regulars were eating lunch.
“Oh no you don’t, Lily Rae,” John bellowed, his round belly bouncing as he chased after her.
John caught her by the arm and swung her around to attempt a kiss. Men. It worked one time so they think it’ll work every time. Lily grabbed hold of his suspenders, rose onto her tippy toes, and kissed him with everything she had. Right when he was leaning forward but before he wrapped his arms around her, Lily shot off down the street again, leaving him standing dazed on the sidewalk.
“Sucker,” she called over her shoulder as she ran toward the café. She passed the large windows and arrangements of bright flowers under them. Lily saw people enjoying lunch as she threw open the door and barged into her sisters’ restaurant.
The patrons all stopped and stared as she gulped in some air. Her sister, Daisy Mae, halted setting a plate of fried catfish in front of Judge Cooper. Violet Mae stuck her head out of the kitchen to see what was happening.
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