MemoriesErasedTreachery

by Charlie Richards

  Bad move. Had to haul ass out of there. Good thing I didn't mention the girls' names, and had the prescience of mind to take the paperwork with me. Okay, the personal belongings are a no-go. Been flying blind, not thinking this through. All right. Pills, deep breaths, not going to panic. Need to back up, let everything settle, and re-evaluate.

  I can do this. They are not sending me back to that place.

  Chapter 6

  Three months later

  Damn--two AM

  Devin quietly closed the front door, tossed his keys on the credenza, and headed for the bathroom. He clipped his weapon to the waistband of his jeans and stripped off his shirt as he went. Out for a little over four months, to be home with Ewyn again…he needed Ewyn in the worst way. Even being bone-tired couldn't diminish the depth of his body's need. He intended spending the entire day in bed with Ewyn, making up for lost time. Good thing it was Saturday.

  He entered the bedroom, glanced at the bed, and smiled. Ewyn lay on Devin's side of the bed with an arm flung across a pillow on the other side, something Ewyn did whenever Devin wasn't home. The enticement to touch Ewyn was intense, but he refused to wake him until he had the stink of death cleansed from body and mind.

  He moved to the dresser, pausing long enough to put his weapon away, then strode into the bathroom and eased the door closed. After starting the shower, he unstrapped his ankle holster, laid it on the vanity, removed the last of his clothes, and walked into the shower. Standing under the cascade of hot water, he closed his eyes, sighed and relaxed for the first time in months.

  This time out had been a bitch. One Op dead, two wounded…shit. For a time, he and Timothy had lost track of each other, and when he'd heard the gunfire, he thought Timothy had gone down. Thoughts of Gemma had flashed across his mind, wondering if she could survive a setback of such enormity, at this time of her life.

  Hell.

  Devin opened his eyes, grabbed the shampoo, then washed and conditioned his hair. He needed a haircut. He lathered body wash over every inch of himself, scrubbed his skin until it tingled, rinsed and towel-dried most of the moisture from his hair, before stepping out of the enclosure. Grabbing a bath sheet from the rack, he draped it around his hips and strolled to the vanity. He did a quick blow-dry, brushed his hair into some semblance of order, then stood poised in front of the mirror staring at his reflection. He ran his fingers along a jaw line desperate for a serious trim, but his need for Ewyn's sexy ass outweighed grooming issues.

  He tossed used towels and washcloths into the hamper, snatched his weapon off the counter and flipped out the light as he left the room. Weapon tucked away in the gun safe, he strolled toward the bed and what lay waiting for him there.

  Ewyn hadn't stirred.

  Devin went to his side of the bed, eased beneath the covers, and slipped his arm around Ewyn's body. Hand splayed across the warm chest, he edged closer, spooned the lithe body to his, then stiffened when baby-boy's little round butt snuggled into place. Brow furrowing, he eased his hand down over smooth contours, checking to make sure he hadn't imagined the feel of cool silk brushing against his cock.

  Surprised to find pajamas covering Ewyn's ass, Devin's hesitation was short-lived because it was evident his cock didn't discriminate. Despite the cloth barrier, his prick sprang to life, demanding attention. He slipped his hand beneath the restrictive material, cupping Ewyn's dick in his palm as he nuzzled the slim neck. Low rumbling emanated from deep in Ewyn's throat, yet baby-boy didn't awaken. Something wasn't right. Ewyn always came awake as soon as Devin touched him, and he never wore anything to bed.

  Devin lifted his head and leaned over to look at Ewyn's face. The pillow beneath Ewyn's arm moved. "What the fuck," he growled, scrambling from the bed while reaching for the light switch.

  "Hmm…what?" Ewyn turned his head, eyes narrowed against the bright light. "Dev!" He bolted upright and hurled himself at Devin, who caught him in his arms.

  Devin even returned Ewyn's enthusiastic kisses, but his eyes never left the smiling, chubby feet-and-hands-waving baby wriggling on the bed. Ewyn pulled back and looked up at Devin's face, and then his eyes followed the direction of Devin's gaze.

  "Oh, Dev." Sobering, tears sprang to Ewyn's eyes. "Come here, sit down. Quite a bit has happened while you were away."

  "Oh-kay…"

  Ewyn's change of attitude had Devin's gut tightening with apprehension. Gaze still on the baby, he complied with Ewyn's request and sat down, leaned against the headboard, then tugged Ewyn onto his lap. It unnerved him even more when Ewyn settled, no squirming, no sexual nuance to his actions, just straddling Devin's lap and sitting there, unmoving.

  "Ewyn, what is it? Talk to me."

  "Sorry. It's been hard. The emotions are still raw, close to the surface."

  Ewyn turned and looked down at the baby, who had started to fret. "Hold on." He lifted the child and held her cuddled between his body and Devin's chest. She snuggled in and closed her eyes. "Dev, meet the newest member of our family. Kiera Alanna Calderone."

  "Member of…whose child?" Seeing the tears in Ewyn's eyes overflow onto his cheeks, Devin tilted Ewyn's face up. "Baby-boy, what is it?"

  "Niki and Caro…" Ewyn's breathing caught on a sob. "They died in a car crash almost four months ago."

  "My God, Ewyn…both girls," he whispered, tears blurring his vision. His arms tightened around Ewyn and the baby. "What the fuck happened…where?"

  Ewyn looked up, eyes widening. He reached over and swiped a tear from Devin's cheek. "I tried to contact you. The company said you and Tim were under the radar. I am so sorry, Dev."

  "No, baby. I'm the one who's sorry I wasn't here for you."

  "It's been hell." Ewyn inhaled sharply. "I was afraid for Gemma."

  "I can imagine." Devin sighed. "How's she doing?"

  "That's where this little cutie comes in. Wait until you see the changes in Gem."

  Devin looked down at the sleeping baby, her little lips pursed and her thumb stuck between them. He reached out, ran a finger over one soft cheek and up to her brow. He toyed with a springy tendril of jet-black hair, looked at Ewyn and smiled. The resemblance was remarkable. The hair and the thick black lashes, the stubborn chin…he wondered what color her eyes were.

  "Want to hold her, Dev?"

  "Hell no!" He snatched his hand away. Green eyes sparkling with irritation glared at him.

  "Why not?" Ewyn snapped.

  "Hey. Don't get all over attitude with me." He glowered back. "Look at me, Ewyn. My size, my hands…sometimes I'm still afraid I'll hurt you with my big paws."

  "Oh." Ewyn smiled sheepishly. "My bad. Sorry."

  "Wait a minute." He grabbed Ewyn's chin. "What did you think?"

  "Well, if the texture of her hair is anything to go by, you've probably noticed she's part black--"

  "Ewyn Kelley! You thought… If you weren't holding Kiera, I'd…hell," Devin growled. "I don't know what I'd do, but you wouldn't get any pleasure from it."

  "Ooo, rough stuff. Let me put Kieki in her crib."

  "Kieki? I like…what crib?"

  Ewyn nodded toward the window alcove. Devin looked across the room to where the table and chairs should have been, a crib and a dressing table with baby supplies on the shelves had replaced them. Shit! He hadn't noticed the changes. So much for his keen skills of observation.

  Shifting Ewyn from his lap, he made sure baby-boy was steady on his feet before releasing his grip. Even with the tight little ass encased in pajamas, Devin's gaze followed the enticing outline as Ewyn sauntered across the floor.

  "What's with the pj's?"

  "I thought I should get into the habit of wearing them when Kieki is with me." Ewyn shrugged. "As she gets older, just in case…hell, I don't know. It seemed the right thing to do."

  "Not a problem. I can get used to it, when Kieki is with us."

  Devin watched Ewyn gently place Kiera in her crib, smoothly tuck the covers around her little body, and tenderly kiss her forehead. Tur
ning back, Ewyn rushed across the floor, and when he reached the bed, he unfastened his pajama bottoms, let them drop to the floor, then threw himself on Devin, straddling his lap. Sloppy kisses, babbling--Ewyn pulled away and stared into Devin's eyes.

  "Dev, I've missed you something fierce."

  "Back at you, babe."

  "It's been hell. Mick and Tag have helped. They spend quite a bit of their spare time with Gem and Kieki." Ewyn paused for breath. "After the accident, they contacted Mac for me, yet I still haven't heard from Greg. Although, I could have sworn I saw him at the funeral."

  "Doubtful. It's too soon for him to show himself openly."

  "Mick said the same thing, but Greg isn't testifying against anybody, he just wants out." Ewyn sighed. "He has to come home, Dev. Kieki needs him. She can't grow up not knowing him."

  "Baby, listen. I don't mean to sound cold about Caro and Niki's deaths, but let's put this in perspective. Greg's daughters were dead. He had no reason to show himself, since it wouldn't have changed a thing," Devin rationalized. "He has to adjust to the loss and handle his grief in his own way. Besides, he's not alone with his grief. Pat is with him."

  "Damn. I never considered how Pat might be dealing with this. Niki and Caro were his little princesses."

  "Did you tell Mac about Kiera?"

  "Yes."

  "Then Greg knows about Kiera, and he knows she has enough people to care for her until he returns. Think about it." He smoothed his hands down Ewyn's back. "Greg did the right thing. He may not be testifying against anyone, but it will take more than a year or two for his former associates to get the message that he's not giving them up, but he's out of the game."

  "Yeah. I know you're right, but Keiki…"

  "Ewyn. Greg put quite a few years into setting up his break from the syndicate. What would you have had him do? Come out of seclusion to take care of Kiera and ruin his chances for a clean split and putting his life in order. Or have had him take Kiera underground to live with him. He couldn't have it both ways."

  Unable to resist any longer, Devin leaned forward and took possession of Ewyn's inviting mouth. For several minutes, he reacquainted himself with his favorite taste before pulling away.

  "We'll work it out, okay? Kieki is young. Greg will return before she gets too old, and even if he doesn't, Kiera will adjust to her circumstances."

  "I hope you're right." Ewyn sighed. "Dev, there's more. You need to get involved in the investigation."

  "Investigation?" Devin moved Ewyn away from him. "What are you saying? It wasn't an accident."

  "A gun and unknown DNA were found in the car. Neither girl was driving, and…" Ewyn inhaled sharply. "Caro was shot, Dev."

  "Excuse me," Devin snarled. "You'd better explain that…and what the hell are the locals doing about it?"

  Ewyn told him about meeting Patterson, about the man's derisive attitude, and then he gave him the details of his conversation with the man. "Patterson had the blood run through CODIS, and nothing."

  "So the perp isn't in the system."

  "Right. Do you think CeCe could have survived the earthquake?"

  "Not likely." Devin frowned. "Besides, if her blood had been in the car, her DNA would have some of the same markers as Niki and Caro. The lab would have noted it. Nonetheless, after what your sister-in-law did to this family, I'll talk to Tim. He'll want any possibility of her having survived thoroughly checked out."

  "I've thought about it a lot, Dev. If she's alive, I keep coming back to what does she have to gain?"

  "Only revenge."

  "Yeah, my conclusion, and it would be just like her." Ewyn went on to tell Devin about Taggart's research of the Calabria name. "It's not much, but it's a start."

  "Oh yeah. But my first priority is meeting this Patterson," Devin stated.

  "It's okay, Dev." Ewyn rolled his eyes. "I took care of him. He knows where I'm coming from."

  "You did good." Devin reached above him, turned out the light and then lay down, pulling Ewyn on top of him. "Still, Patterson needs to feel where I'm coming from, since I'm not always around. He needs to meet the entire extended Calderone family, understand what our roles are, and how we operate."

  With Ewyn straddling his body, his hands settled on the little round butt to stop the distracting squirming. "Tim and I will provide said enlightenment."

  Ewyn chuckled.

  "What?"

  "Mick said something similar." Ewyn rested his arms on Devin's chest and propped his chin on the back of his hands.

  Devin snorted. "I'm sure Mick, Tag, and Mac did as much as they could without totally alienating the locals, but we know the FBI and the locals aren't known for playing nice with each other," he clarified. "Mac didn't tell Greg about the way Caro died, did he?"

  "No. We didn't have the information when Mac notified Greg of the deaths and Kieki's birth. Afterward, when we learned the truth, Mac said he hoped to hell Greg wouldn't find out before everything is resolved. He's worried Greg will get wind of the investigation and deal with the issue."

  Lifting his head, Ewyn looked down at Devin, and the soft glow from the clock reflected in the green eyes. Devin remained quiet for a moment, distracted by the inviting look in the warm stare, then pulled himself together and said, "Who could blame Greg? To take out both of his daughters, and one of them was pregnant, is overkill, even as a revenge motive. What about news reports?"

  "Treating the deaths as a tragic accident. I guess I have to give Patterson props for keeping his investigation off the record. Although I think Mac has something to do with it."

  "I'm sure he does. The FBI wouldn't want the spotlight on the Calderone name."

  "True. But the cousins are suspicious. I assured Vince it was just a tragic accident, but I'm not sure he believed me." Ewyn heaved a sigh. "Dev, if they get involved…"

  "Damn. We don't need Vince asking questions. Besides, I doubt the deaths have anything to do with Greg's old cronies. They wouldn't do female family members."

  "Same thing I told Patterson. Something so destructive would indicate serious retribution, and Greg wasn't into old-school syndicate methods. He worked too hard at becoming legit." Ewyn shook his head. "A power play couldn't have been a motive either. All the families knew the cousins were next in line, and you know they were aware of Greg's intentions to step down."

  "True. Still, we don't need Vince starting anything."

  "It could be Kieki's father," Ewyn suggested. "If the bastard isn't involved, why hasn't he come forward to acknowledge her?"

  "Because he doesn't know," Devin replied. "Patterson said Niki's friends believe he goes to school back east. Nevertheless, he definitely tops the list of suspects. I'll touch base with Tim tomorrow and get things started. As members of the family and law-abiding citizens, Tim and I will get more cooperation from Patterson," he asserted.

  "And don't worry about the cousins. If I hear they're scouting--Gem is matriarch of the family and she still has some influence with the older council members. She can intercede. Let's hope Patrick isn't monitoring the family's activities."

  "Oh, shit! Didn't even consider…damn. Pat has been the family's eyes and ears since forever, but he's not fond of the cousins, so I doubt he's keeping tabs on them. And they shouldn't be talking outside of the families. Maybe we'll get lucky."

  "Well, Pat is supposed to be as far under the radar as Greg for the change to be convincing." Devin nipped Ewyn's succulent bottom lip, drawing it into his mouth, sucking, and teasing with his tongue. "Mmm. Enough about the accident for now. I need your sexy ass some kind of fierce. When will Kiera need to be fed?"

  "Oh, Dev, she is such a good baby. She normally sleeps through the night."

  "The shower and the blow dryer probably disturbed her." He brushed a stray curl from Ewyn's forehead. "I don't suppose she's used to late night visitors."

  "True." Ewyn glanced at the clock. "She won't be ready for breakfast for two hours. After she eats, I'll bathe and dress her, then take her home.
Usually, she spends the entire weekend with me, but since it's your first weekend back…"

  "Good enough. Two hours should be enough time to slake my hunger, and then I'll want food," he teased. "While we eat, we'll go over the details of the accident again." He threaded his fingers through the soft curls and pulled Ewyn's head closer. "Come here, you."

  Devin reclaimed Ewyn's mouth and rolled baby-boy beneath him. With great reluctance, he pulled away from the unique taste he only dreamt about over the past few months…mouth moving down over the stubborn chin to the slim neck, nuzzling his way over to that special spot behind the ear. Lips pulling, he latched on, sucking the tender skin inside, teeth and tongue teasing until he had Ewyn writhing beneath him. Cocks pressed between them, their bodies moved against one another as guttural moans echoed deep within their throats.

  "Baby, I want you," he whispered, licking a trail down the smooth torso, only pausing to pay homage to the tiny nipples. The pudgy prick sliding along beneath him pulsed and leaked pre cum on his abs and chest as he inched lower.

  Contemplating the import of Devin's words and actions made Ewyn's balls ache and his cock jerk to attention. Toes curling against the sturdy legs, heat strafed his body as he squirmed beneath the velvet touch stroking its way over his body. Teeth grazing across his tender nipples and sensitive skin had sparks of unadulterated pleasure surging along the network of nerves just below the surface.

  The torment continued with Devin's mouth hovering above his navel. Hot air swept across its surface as Devin's tongue invaded the shallow depths, darting in and out, before the firm lips sucked the surrounding skin into all that wet heat. Muscles quivering beneath the onslaught, Ewyn's fingers clenched and unclenched as he weaved them through the soft blond waves.

  "Dev." His grip tightened as the assault moved lower.

  Ewyn inched his legs further apart and Devin settled between them, his tongue cruising the sensitive grooves flanking Ewyn's groin causing electrifying impulses to jet through his body. Hips tilting off the bed in anticipation of the first sizzling touch of Devin's mouth, he stifled a whimper when only a wisp of breath huffed out, bathing his glans in warmth. Then, Devin's mouth was there.