by Michelle Kee
“Good morning.” Ethan said.
“A very good morning.” Krista giggled.
Laughing, Ethan took her loofah and quickly washed them both. After turning off the water, he grabbed a towel, dried himself before slinging it around his waist. Grabbing another towel, he handed it to Krista for her hair. Krista had her hair wrapped up in the towel in a blink before taking the other towel Ethan offered. She kissed him softly then walked into the bedroom, making a beeline straight for the closet.
As she dressed so did Ethan. She chose her outfit carefully the night before. She had selected a royal blue top with billowing three quarter length sleeves. The shoulders of the blouse hung off her own, exposing the skin. She had chosen black form fitting tattooed jeans. The back pockets were decorated with blue and white rhinestones in rose patterns. The tattoos of the jeans ran down the outside of each leg in a vine like pattern.
Ethan watched her walk into the bathroom to do her hair and makeup as he laced up his boots. He felt himself smile as he watched her. He found that since Krista had come back into his life, he and his men had been smiling more. He also found that he was wanting things he had never really considered before. Wife, kids, the whole package and he wanted it with Krista. Ethan stood from the edge of the bed and walked toward the bathroom.
"Krista, do you want kids?" He blurted out.
Krista sat down her lipstick and faced him, her eyes a little wide at his statement. "What?"
"Kids, do you want them?"
"Okay, where's this coming from Ethan?" She asked with a perplexed look.
Ethan sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Baby, the last few weeks since you and I came back together I've been thinking. Thinking about things I thought I never wanted."
Krista moved to him. "Like marriage? And kids apparently."
"Yeah."
Krista cupped his face. "Ethan, do YOU want kids? I know you asked me, but you should be asking yourself that question first."
Ethan gripped her wrists as she held his face. "I used to think I didn't want kids, but now I do. I want kids, Krista and I want them with you."
"Well, how many would you like?" She asked with a brilliant smile.
"At least two." He answered, his smile echoing hers.
Krista leaned in and kissed him gently, yet the passion was simmering just under the surface. Ethan pulled her closer, his heart swelling at this amazing woman who stole his heart when they were kids and stole it again now. She was his world. It was Krista who pulled away slowly. Her blue eyes shining with love.
"When do you want me to go off my birth control?"
"How soon do you want to start trying?"
Krista laughed a little. "Since you put it that way."
She made a big production of grabbing the remaining pills she took and dropped them into the wastebasket. Ethan threw his head back and laughed. Yes, they were a perfect fit. They both were on the same chapter, same page, same sentence, same word. He gave her one last kiss before walking out of the bathroom to let her finish getting ready and made his way downstairs to make coffee.
***
Ethan met his guys in the large room that was now set up for Krista's book release. The almost dozen or so tables, all of them would hold about twelve people, were covered in blue, green and white tablecloths. The center pieces were glass vases with sprigs of pine, bluebonnets and Indian paint brushes. He had to admit, the whole place looked fitting for Krista's big day.
"Hey boss." Gage greeted.
"Is everything set?" Ethan asked, slipping into work mode.
Grant nodded. "Bravo team is on the perimeter and they say everything is clear. The fans and press are already arriving and they're checking the ID's of the press. Ms. Carlin says the fans will have personalized invitations and our guys are checking those too. Wilson and his group should be here any minute, the same goes with the Feds."
"The fire team is already here and in place." Tony added.
"Good. Krista says her VIP group will be the first people allowed inside. That should be in about ten minutes. Lance, you're with me and we'll escort them back to Krista and Stacey. We will then escort them back out here, and then we'll start letting people in." Ethan instructed.
Wilson and Ingram chose that moment to walk in with their fellow police officers. Ethan approached Wilson and the two men shook hands. He then shook hands with Ingram. "How's the family? Wilson said you had to take some time off to care for your wife."
Ingram smiled a little. "Oh she's fine now. Just a bout with pneumonia. It was touch and go, thought I was gonna have to take her to the hospital. But she's all better now."
Ethan suddenly felt a shiver run up his spine. His “Spidey” sense was screaming at him now. Yet he couldn't understand why. He tried to quell the feelings, but it didn't work. His whole body was tingling with electricity. Almost as if he were standing near a downed powerline. He looked to his left and caught Gage studying him. The two men had known and worked with each other the longest of their team and there were times, like now, when Gage would just know something was up.
Without a word, Ethan and Gage slipped off to a secluded corner while the rest of the team gave Wilson and his men their orders. "What is it Ethan?"
"Christ, I can't explain it Gage. When I shook Ingram's hand and he smiled at me..." Ethan took a deep breath, then continued. "It was like, something just came over me. My gut's screaming right now that something's not right. That and his smile when I mentioned his wife. Fuck, it was glacial."
Gage frowned. "What do you want to do?"
"I don't know. We can't cancel this thing now. I want you, me and Lance to stay as close to Krista as possible. This fucker's going to make his move today. I know that much."
"Alright. You said this started with Ingram?"
"Yeah."
"You want me to get Helix, from Charlie team to do some digging?"
"Fuck, I hate to do this, but yeah. I know Wilson trusts him, hell we trust him too, to a point, but I can't shake this. Something's off and I want to know what the hell it is."
That was all Gage needed to hear. He pulled out his phone and made the call. Ethan leaned his head back against the wall, his eyes closing. The last time he felt like this had been the day of the ambush in Iraq. He took several deep breaths to compose himself before he rejoined his team.
***
Krista sat with Stacey. "Why am I so nervous."
"Kris, you've got a psycho following you. He killed Jerry, shot at you and your fiancé, burned your house. Hell, I'd be a complete basket case if that was me." Stacey replied.
Krista stood and began pacing. "It's more than that Stace. The second I got here I've been feeling...like I'm being watched or something. I know that's not the case, because Lance and Tony scanned this room before I came in and they said it was clean. My body's just, you know that feeling when you're near a downed powerline or in an electrical storm? That's how I’m feeling right now."
Stacey stood and moved to the other woman's side and slipped her arm around her shoulders. "Honey, I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through, hell what you’ve BEEN through already. All I can say is that you're not alone. You have me, your family, not to mention your sexy and totally fuckable fiancé who is just on the other side of the door."
Krista couldn't help but laugh at Stacey's very apt description of Ethan. "Oh you have no idea how fuckable he is."
Stacey snorted. "Yeah, rub it in bitch. At least you're getting regular dick. Wish I could say the same. I bet his guy Gage would be a wild ride between the sheets."
Krista lifted a brow. "Thinking of making a pass at him while you're in town?"
Stacey lifted a shoulder in a shrug. "I might. I've seen how he's been looking at me. I could use a little action before heading back to New York."
"Oh lord. You have no shame do you?" Krista chuckled, rolling her eyes.
"Nope, not one bit." Stacey countered.
Both ladies turned as there was
a knock on the door. Glancing at her watch, Krista saw that it was time for her VIP's. Making sure her wig was firmly in place, she nodded to Stacey. Stacey walked to the door and opened it. She found Ethan and Lance standing there with a dozen women. Stacey stepped aside and let them in. The second the ladies were in they rushed straight to Krista. Stacey stood next to Ethan and Lance and just smiled at the scene.
"These ladies have been following Kris since the beginning. They are probably her most loyal fans. Kris knows them by name and each one gets a personal letter and card on their birthdays." Stacey stated.
"It shows. You can see how they interact with each other." Lance nodded.
Ethan smiled a little when Krista presented each of the ladies their goodie bags. Each one included a signed copy of the very book that she was releasing today. Seeing his woman so relaxed and openly smiling with the group made him all the more determined to find this guy and end her nightmare. His ears perked up when one of the ladies asked about Jerry.
"Um, Kris? Is it true about what happened to your agent Jerry? That he was murdered?"
"Yes Robyn, it is. That's why these two men and the rest of their team are here." Krista answered. "I wasn't sure if I was going to go through with today, but I also know that Jerry would want the party to go on. That's why the publishing house is setting up a scholarship in Jerry's name at Hamilton University. Plus, half the proceeds of this book will be donated to Jerry's favorite animal charity."
Stacey stepped away from Ethan and Lance and approached them. "Alright ladies, it's time to take your seats. By now the rest of the guests will be making their way inside. As usual, you guys have the table front and center."
Krista hugged each lady before they left with Ethan and Lance. It was once more just her and Stacey. "Well, you better get out there too Stace. Ethan said once he gets them to their table he'll come back for me and walk me out."
"Okay. I'll see you out there then." Stacey replied.
She hugged Krista, gave a quick kiss on the cheek for luck, then walked outside. Krista let out a slow breath as she dropped onto the small sofa. A single tear slid down her cheek as she thought of Jerry. He had always loved release days. In fact, she thought he loved them more than she did. Jerry was such a people person and loved a great party. Three rhythmic raps on the door had her standing. The door opened and Ethan stuck his head in.
"Well, babe, you ready?"
"Yeah. Let's go."
***
"Welcome everyone. For those of you that are new to these things, my name is Stacey Carlin and I am Kris James’s publisher in New York. Today is a milestone for Kris. Today marks the release of not only her twelfth novel, but the fifth in the Midnight series. The Midnight series is her third series and deals with the men and women of Midnight Creek ranch.
"Midnight Passion has been highly anticipated by both fans and critics alike. The book tells the story of Cayden. A hardened former special ops soldier who has hardened himself and his heart against love after being stood up at his wedding. Enter Makenzie, Midnight Creeks new onsite vet. From the first moment they meet, Makenzie and Cayden butt heads."
In the wings, Krista chuckled along with the audience. She looked over when she felt Ethan's hand start stroking her back, almost as if he could sense her apprehension about what she was about to do. As Stacey continued her speech Krista laid her head against Ethan's shoulder, drawing on his strength and love.
For another ten minutes her publisher spoke. Taking a slow breath and releasing it, Krista put her game face on as she was introduced and the audience began clapping with a few cheers mixed in. Straightening her spine and holding her head high, Krista stepped out onto the stage. Smiling and waving to the crowd. At the podium, she hugged Stacey before taking her place with Stacey sitting in a chair at the table behind Krista. Also at the table was Krista's parents, Stan Kolinski, a local book critic from Austin and Kim Easley, a book blogger that she met about four years ago in Denver that had also become a good friend.
"Thank you, thank you." Krista began. "I am so thrilled today to share the release of Midnight Passion to all of you. Before we get to all the fun stuff, I have an announcement to make and today just seemed fitting to make it."
Krista turned her head back and met her parent's eyes. Both gave her nods of approval and her mother smiled. Turning back to the crowd, Krista began speaking once more. "As many of you know, for the last seven years I have written under the pseudonym Kris James. Today, I am revealing myself."
With those words, Krista lifted her hand and pulled off her wig. She studied the audience. There was surprise, astonishment from members of the group who were from Austin as they recognized her. Yet, no one stood out as acting angry or suspicious. Shaking out her long blonde hair she spotted the members of Blackout moving through the crowd.
"My real name is Krista Jameson. I chose not to write under my real name due to the fact of my father's position as the district attorney here in Austin. I didn't want fans or critics to think I was using my father's career as a springboard to launch my own. Nor, did I wish to paint a large bullseye on my back by anyone out for revenge or some ransom demand against my family.
"I do want to point out that other than my name, the rest of the information available on me is all true. I do have three brothers, two older and one younger. I have the best parents in the world. Nick and Debbie Jameson have completely supported me in my career choice and my mom has never missed a book reveal." Krista continued, looking back at her mom who smiled tearfully and proudly back at her.
"This last year has been a rocky one for me, yet also the most creative one. I have been dealing with a personal issue in which I have been forced to turn to law enforcement to help me. Despite that, my muses have never been so active. A year ago, I attracted the attention of a stalker. He started out as a fan, writing letters to me as Kris James. Six months ago however, his letters became darker."
Again, Krista paused and studied the faces before her. She saw worry, shock and fear. But again no signs of her stalker. She could hear people whispering, mainly her VIP group who looked terrified for her. Taking a sip of the water that was in front of her, she pressed on.
"At this time, we are no closer to discovering the identity of my stalker. When this began last year, I made a promise to myself that I would not let fear control me. As you all know I am a huge fan of strong women. Women who take control of their own lives no matter what is happening and that's what I have done and will continue to do."
In the shadows of the stage Ethan watched in pride as his woman spoke. The conviction in her voice never wavering as he watched her scan the hundred and fifty or so faces who watched her. Like Krista, he too studied those faces. He saw his men, the feds, the police and the fire department moving around the room. He saw the catering team were setting up the lunch which would begin after Krista's speech.
"She's doing just fine Ethan." Lance said quietly from his right.
"Yeah she is. She's done exactly what she said she'd do when we flew back from New York. I know I didn't agree initially, but maybe she was right." Ethan nodded.
"What do you mean boss?" Gage questioned from Ethan’s left.
"About reaching out to the public for help. We've got local press, her loyal fans and local fans here today. I just know that her announcement of her identity and her stalker will be all over the evening news and social media in no time." Ethan answered.
Lance frowned and Ethan caught it. He faced his boss and his friend. "And like you said on the plane. That could also backfire on us."
Ethan turned so he was fully facing Lance. "Yes and I still think that. Hawk, if anything happens here today after her speech I need a favor from you."
"Anything." Lance stated.
"If this asshole makes his move here, get Krista and get her out of here. Take her to my place and stick to her like glue. I can't lose her and..." Ethan couldn't continue.
Lance laid a hand on Ethan's shoulder and squeezed. "I will E
than. If shit hits the fan here I'll grab Krista and get the fuck out. I swear it."
Gage watched the two men. Yes, he and Ethan had known each other the longest, but of the five of them, Gage sensed that Ethan and Lance were the closest of them. He knew that Lance carried a scarred past and only Ethan knew the whole story there. The rest of them knew a little bit about Lance's childhood, but only Ethan knew everything. The three men turned once more to watch as Krista's speech shifted gears back to the reason they were here. Her writing.
***
When Krista stepped away from the podium, it was only to walk right into the arms of her mom and dad. Behind her she could hear camera shutters flying and knew within an hour, those pictures would be all over social media. Hell, her own VIP team were snapping pictures and that was fine with her. She felt a sense of relief blanket her now that she had revealed herself.