Her Shield (The Uncut Series Book 1)

by D. Camille

  He smiled and came over to join her. “Is that a bad thing?”

  She touched his face. “No, it's the most incredible thing I've ever experienced.”

  “Then what's the problem?” he questioned.

  Isis took his hand. “My whole life I was dependent on my Daddy. I don't want to be dependent on anyone anymore.”

  Marc studied her face. “Meaning a man in particular?”

  She nodded. “Yes, I lived my life according to my Daddy's expectations for so long. I just want to be free.”

  He brought her hand to his mouth. “I understand sweetheart. I'm not trying to put you in cage.” Gently he kissed her palm. “You do what you need to do and I will support you.”

  Isis smiled at him. “You make me very happy Marcus.”

  “That's all I want to do Princess….” He released her hand. “…And to hear you laugh.”

  Isis yelled and tried to run away as he began tickling her stomach.

  “Marcus, stop!” she screamed while laughing and squirming. He continued until she begged him to end the assault to her mid-section. Isis fell back against the cushions trying to reclaim her breath before Marc climbed over her kissing her passionately.

  “Wherever you go Isis, I'm coming after you...”

  She smiled at him. “I want you to come and take me Marcus...”

  Chapter 12

  Lily Jackson looked across the table at her husband and sighed. This thing with Dr. Camille Smith had him really upset. Although with Sean, one had to be extremely close to him to even notice it.

  “Sean, maybe this is all a coincidence,” she told him softly.

  Sean looked up from his meal. “It's not Lily. I know it.”

  “But you haven't found any proof and it's driving you crazy.”

  He smiled at her before coming to stand next to her seat. “I'm sorry beautiful. I don't want this to upset you.” Sean helped her to her feet and enfolded her gently being careful of her large belly.

  Lily held on to him for a moment before leaning back to look into his face. “What are you going to do?”

  “Clearly, I need some assistance. I can't go to Jordan, Ray or Trent right now. They're all too close to the situation,” he explained.

  “Do you really think it's possible she's responsible for both Milton and Justin's deaths?” Lily asked confused.

  Sean nodded. “It's too much to be just a coincidence Lily.”

  Lily touched his face. “What do you need me to do handsome?”

  He placed his hand on her abdomen. “Take care of my little warriors.”

  “I can't believe there's two. Benjamin Rucker did a really good job,” she teased.

  “He's a Master,” Sean responded before kissing her softly.

  Lily accepted his kiss and held on to him for support.

  “What are you going to do if you find out that she's really responsible?” Lily asked quietly.

  “I'll handle it Lily. I won't let her hurt anyone else.”

  Lily pulled away slowly. “Even though Milton was Isabelle's father, he wasn't a good man. He tried to hurt you, Jordan and Ray. He wasn't even nice to his own daughter.”

  Sean lifted a brow. “What are you saying Lily?”

  She shrugged. “I'm just saying that maybe Dr. Smith isn't the monster you think she is.”

  “She possibly has killed two men,” he explained.

  “With no proof.”

  “Are you defending her?” Sean asked.

  Lily picked up her plate and walked toward the kitchen. “I don't know her Sean. How could I defend her?”

  Sean followed. “So you want me to just let her walk away?” he questioned.

  Lily turned to him. “Those men are dead Sean. There is no proof other than your mother's questions.” She folded her arms. “And your mother was adamant that it was Milton Martin who killed Justin, now you think a world renowned cardiologist killed both of them. What's next?”

  She came to him placing her hand on his chest. “Let it go, Sean. Nothing good is going to come from this. It's just going to open old wounds for no reason.”

  Sean looked down at her. “Okay Lily. I have a few loose ends to tie up and then I'll let it go, I promise you.”

  Lily smiled. “The baby shower is coming and I don't want this hovering over us.”

  “Nothing is going to spoil the shower. Ray, Jordan and I have made sure everything will go smoothly,” he assured her.

  “Okay, I trust you.” She reached up and kissed his lips.

  “You can always trust me beautiful Lily.”

  *********

  Callie sat at her desk admiring the beautiful promise ring Trent had given her. Words could not express how much she loved that boy. Trent was a genius, handsome and as sweet as pie. After all he'd been through living in foster care and then on the streets, he still had a genuine goodness inside of him.

  She looked up as a woman came through the door. She glanced at Ray's calendar noting that he didn't have any appointments this morning. When the woman approached the desk, Callie looked her over. She was incredibly beautiful in a Diahann Carroll type of way.

  “May I help you?” Callie asked.

  The woman smiled warmly. “Yes, I'd like to see Ray Parker pleas, if he's available.”

  “May I have your name?”

  “Alice Graham.”

  Callie nodded. “Do you need some security Ms. Graham?”

  Alice shook her head. “No, Mr. Parker knows who I am.”

  Callie picked up the phone and dialed Ray's office. When she mentioned Alice Graham's name, he was immediately in the lobby. She watched as he smiled at the woman and she opened her arms to him.

  “Ray Parker...how have you been?” she said enfolding him.

  Ray returned her embrace then straightened and looked down at her. “I can't believe the beautiful Alice Graham has come to visit me.”

  “I hope I'm not interrupting,” she said smiling.

  Ray took her hand. “A goddess this lovely is never an interruption.”

  Callie watched the interaction with a raised brow. She knew Ray was in love with his wife, Isabelle and although this woman was beautiful, she was a little old for Ray's type. Catching Callie's look Ray introduced the women.

  “Callie this is Mrs. Alice Graham. She's married to Gregory Graham and she's Marc's mother,” Ray explained.

  Her face showed her surprise because everyone knew who Gregory Graham was. She would have never guessed he was Marc's father since he certainly had never mentioned it. She now thought of their similar eye color and began to also recognize other similarities in the two men.

  “Wow, I never knew that Marc's father was a movie star,” Callie commented.

  Alice smiled. “Yes, Marcus doesn't like to draw attention to that fact.” She turned back to Ray.

  “I was wondering if I could just have a few minutes of your time?”

  Ray smiled down at her. “You can have as much of my time as you like.”

  Callie watched as he led the woman into his office. She wondered why Marc's mother was here to see Ray. She also wondered why Marc had never said anything about being related to Gregory Graham. No wonder he dressed so expensively, his family was on the top of the A-List in Hollywood.

  Callie went to Trent's office and knocked lightly on the door before entering. He looked up from his book and smiled at her.

  “Hey, I know you're studying but I wanted to tell you something,” she said quickly coming over to him.

  When she got to the desk, he turned and pulled her down on to his lap.

  “Trent!”

  He kissed her cheek. “What's up sexy girl?”

  Callie wrapped her arms around his neck. “Marc's mother is here to see Ray and...” she paused dramatically. “Marc's Daddy is Gregory Graham.”

  “I know,” Trent answered.

  She looked surprised. “How did you know that?”

  “When you were gone, I hacked him,” Trent confessed. “
I needed information in case he’d been the one who’d hurt you.”

  Callie quickly changed the subject. She knew that the time she’d been away was still a sensitive issue with Trent. “I wonder why his mother is here to see Ray,”

  Trent shrugged. “Maybe they need some security?”

  Callie shook her head. “Nah, it's something else.”

  “I guess we'll find out,” Trent said kissing her cheek. He then moved to her neck.

  “You smell good.”

  Callie laughed softly. “I smelled the same way this morning.”

  “I know.”

  She touched his cheek looking into his sexy dark eyes. “Do you know how much I love you?”

  He smiled at her. “Yeah, I do.”

  Trent truly loved Callie as well. She'd come into his life during a transitional time. Callie was his friend, his lover, his cheerleader and his heart. There was nothing he would not do for her and he couldn't wait until the day he could marry her and have babies like his brothers.

  Thinking of babies, he looked at her. “You're coming to my sisters' baby shower right?”

  “I can't believe they invited me,” she told him.

  Trent frowned. “Of course they invited you Callie, you're part of the family. They all know how much you mean to me.”

  “Thank you baby,” She kissed him again. “How in the hell did all your brothers get all their wives pregnant at the same time?”

  “They're just that good,” Trent bragged. “I am too.”

  Callie stood to her feet. “And on that note, I'll leave and let you study.”

  He laughed as she walked to the door. “See you later sexy girl.”

  She turned back and smiled. “See you later baby.”

  Callie closed the door behind her and walked back to her desk. She noticed Ray's door was still closed and still wondered what had brought Marc's mother to the office.

  Inside Ray's office, Alice Graham smiled across the desk at him. “You know, we owe you so much.”

  “You don't owe me anything.”

  Alice shook her head. “If you weren't there for Marcus...”

  “Marc is fine. He's one of the best agents the FBI has ever seen,” Ray told her.

  “He's in love now,” Alice told him.

  Ray lifted a brow. “He told you that?”

  She pursed her lips. “You know Marcus would never tell me that. He probably hasn't even told himself.” She watched Ray closely. “I've found out that she's your sister-in-law.”

  “Is that a problem?” Ray asked.

  Alice smiled broadly. “Its’s only a problem if you don't agree to help me.”

  “Help you?” he questioned.

  Alice leaned back and crossed her still shapely legs. “I want Isis as my daughter which means my son is going to marry her. He's already in love with her, but as we both know, he's as stubborn as they come.”

  Ray laughed. “Yes, that is one stubborn dude.”

  “They need to be together Ray. They need each other even if they don't realize it,” Alice told him.

  He shook his head. “I need to introduce you to my wife.”

  “I'd love to meet her. Isis is a jewel so I'm sure your wife is as well.”

  He smiled. “She's incredible.” Ray stood from his seat. “And it just so happens, that she wants her sister to marry your son. So I guess you two can get together and start planning the wedding.”

  He came to stand in front of an ecstatic Alice. “Welcome to the family,” he told her and she stood embracing him.

  “We need to make sure those two stay together until they figure this out for themselves,” Alice informed him.

  Ray thought about Marc standing outside his door at six in the morning ready to fight in order to see Isis then smirked. “Yeah, I don't think Marc is going to let her get too far away.”

  Ray walked Alice out of his office, past Callie and out to her waiting car. He promised to have both her and Gregory over for dinner to meet Isabelle. He came back inside and stopped at Callie's desk.

  “Is Trent studying for his exam?” he asked.

  Callie nodded. “Yes, he's in his office.”

  “You make sure you stay out here,” he warned.

  She laughed. “We don't do that at work... anymore.”

  Ray frowned. “That's not funny.” He turned to walk away then Callie stopped him.

  “Simone is here in the conference room. She said Marc is coming by to debrief her on the assignment at Milton Martin's business.”

  Ray nodded. “When Marc's done with Simone, send him to my office.”

  “Okay.”

  He disappeared into his office and Callie went back to work until Marc arrived a little while later. He stopped at her desk in his suit and dark glasses.

  “Hello Callie.”

  She smiled. “Hi Marc. How's it going?”

  “Good. I'm here to meet with Simone.”

  “I know. She's in the conference room waiting for you.”

  He nodded. “Thanks.”

  Callie studied him, now seeing the resemblance between him and his father. “Do you need anything for your meeting?” she asked.

  “No, I'm good.”

  Marc walked to the conference room where he found Simone sitting patiently at the table. She looked him over and bit her lip while he took a seat.

  “Hi Simone, sorry I'm late,” he said sitting across from her.

  She smiled. “I didn't mind waiting.”

  Marc looked over at her. “I wanted to tell you that you did a great job with the watches.”

  “Thank you. I'd hoped you'd be pleased,” she purred.

  Marc picked up on her tone. “So I wanted to just do a quick debrief to see if there was anything else you saw or remembered while working for Milton Martin that could be useful in our case.”

  “Milton was dirty in every way and he used to look at me like a dirty old man,” she told him. “I mean, I know I'm a young, sexy, attractive woman but that was just creepy.”

  Marc lifted a brow. “Okay...was there anything in his files, or conversations that you overheard? Things along those lines.”

  Simone sat up straighter, lifting her breasts higher. “I know that he had been to that warehouse where the guy ended up dead.”

  “What guy?”

  “The Harrison guy, the one with the other watch.”

  Marc leaned forward. “How did you know he'd been at that warehouse?”

  “He had me find it.”

  “Was he there the day Harrison was killed?”

  She shook her head. “Not according to his calendar, but he could easily have made a detour.”

  Marc ran a hand down his face before he asked a series of questions which Simone answered while devouring him with her eyes.

  Finally, Marc wrapped up. “Thanks Simone, I'll check into what you've told me.”

  Simone smiled. “Anything I can do for you Agent Graham, just let me know.”

  Marc stood. “I'll keep that in mind.”

  “Please do,” she responded getting to her feet. “Hopefully we'll get to work together again.”

  He nodded and waited for her to walk to the door before following her out to Callie's desk. Simone stopped and smiled at Callie. “See you later girl.”

  “See you later Simone.”

  Callie turned to Marc. “Ray wants to see you in his office.”

  “Bye Agent Graham. Keep in touch,” Simone said and he nodded before heading to Ray's office.

  Simone turned back to Callie. “Damn, he is so fine. I just want to lick his neck.”

  Callie frowned. “Lick his neck?”

  Simone laughed. “That where it starts.”

  “Alright...well have a good day Simone.”

  Simone leaned on the desk. “Where's that other cutie on the team?”

  Callie lifted an arched eyebrow. “Who?” she asked pointedly.

  “The tall cutie, real sexy.”

  Callie stood. “What's h
is name?”

  “I can't remember,” Simone said thinking.

  “Is it Trent?” Callie asked placing her hands on the desk.

  Simone thought some more. “No, I don’t think that was it. I think it started with a 'K'.”

  Callie smiled. “You must be talking about Kyle.”

  “Yeah, that's it!”

  “You want to lick his neck too?” Callie asked taking her seat again.

  Simone winked. “I think I'll have to bite his.”

  Callie shook her head. “Bye Simone. I'll tell Kyle you asked about him.”

  Simone laughed before she headed out the door. Callie watched her go wondering how Ray had gotten that one. Simone was very smart, but very man crazy and she'd almost caught one if she'd been talking about Trent. She could be cool with Simone, but not that damn cool.

  Callie laughed thinking about Kyle. If she'd thought Marc was serious when she'd first met him, Kyle was that to the hundredth power. That brother was like ice. He almost made Ray look like a nice guy. Simone should think twice if she wanted to tangle with him.

  That's what Callie loved about Trent, when it was time to be hard core, he could turn it on in a flash; but when it was time to chill, he was the most fun guy to be around. Maybe she'd lick his neck later just to see what Simone had been talking about.

  *********

  Marc left Ray's office and headed to his own. This morning he'd had breakfast with Isis then had taken her to gather some of her things from the house in the mountains before taking her to Tasha's apartment. Tasha had been ecstatic to have a new roommate. When he'd announced that he was leaving, Isis had come over to him, thanked him quietly then lifted her face to his.

  It had taken everything inside of him to kiss her softly and walk out the door. Marc was trying to find the balance between being supportive and throwing her over his shoulder. He understood that she needed time. Isis had been right, things had happened very quickly between them but they had been brewing for a while. Once he'd decided to take Isis, he'd known there was no turning back.

  His family had already clearly decided that she would join them and that in itself could be a problem. Marc didn't spend a lot of time around his family, primarily because his job was very demanding but also because he still couldn't look at them without remembering what had happened. They'd all moved on and tried to put things behind them, but Marc was still plagued by the memories.