“And that had you worried?” she asked. “Why?”
Elena grabbed the crackers and took them over to Madison. “I think one of the things that always stood in our way wasn’t exactly a thing.”
Madison nodded. “Anthony.”
“I just worry with him back in the picture, no matter how temporarily, that he will cause JT to second guess his feelings.”
“Oh, Elena, that man is not going to be second guessing anything. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know what it was, but it just felt like the wanted to tell me something.”
Madison shook her head. “It’s because it took you so long to hook up. Longer than it took Dante and me. So, you are going to end up seeing problems or worrying over things that just aren’t that important.”
Elena sighed and nodded. The tea kettle whistled and she hurried back into the kitchen. As she poured the hot water over the tea, she tried to push her worries away. JT didn’t sound worried or upset as if he was going to be mean to her.
“Hey, do you want to watch some Always Sunny?” Madison asked as Elena walked back into the living area with the mugs of tea.
“Sounds good.”
“Great, because Dante calls me horrible for loving this show.”
“I don’t know what you see in a man with no sense of humor.”
Madison laughed and settled back against the sofa and sipped at her tea. She looked much better than she had earlier. At least, there was that. Charlie hopped up between the two of them on the sofa and laid down.
As they both enjoyed the antics of the Gang, she tried to push her worries about JT and second thoughts out of her head. There was one thing that was for sure.
If Jethro Francis Thomas thought she was going to let him walk away without a fight, he had another think coming.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
A couple hours later, Elena made a couple more mugs of tea and joined Madison back in the living room.
“So, I have been meaning to ask you...” Madison said.
“What?” Elena asked, blowing on her tea.
“You and JT. Serious?”
Elena shrugged. Although she had tried to forget about the tone of his voice on the phone, it had never been far from her mind.
“For me, yes. For him, not sure.”
Madison made a rude noise.
“What?” Elena said.
Madison stared at her for a long moment. “You’re afraid.”
Elena bristled. It might be a little true, but she didn’t want to talk about it. “I am not.”
Madison let one eyebrow rise up.
“Okay, maybe a little. Part of it is…I don’t want to be too pushy.”
Madison’s face went comically blank. “You don’t want to be too pushy? Wait.” She looked around then leaned closer. “What have you done with the real Elena? Is this a body snatcher kind of deal where you took over her body? It would explain why she can eat the way she does and stays skinny.”
Despite her worries, Elena chuckled. “Smartass.”
“Hey, I have known you how many years? I have never known you to have an issue with being pushy. In fact, it is more of a motto for you.”
“You make me sound horrible.”
“No. I always admired you for it.”
“Really?” Elena asked.
“I am not sure if I had a family as big as yours, I’d been able to compete for attention. They are intimidating to outsiders.”
“I am what I am because of that.”
Madison shook her head. “No. Sure, some of it is environment, but some of it is instinct. Why are you doubting it now?”
Elena rolled her eyes. “You know how it is when you fall in love. You worry the other person doesn’t feel the same emotions, or at least, the same level of emotions. I just don’t know.”
Madison smiled. “Yeah, I do, but you can’t doubt his feelings. Hell, he fought Anthony.”
“That’s true.”
“And I saw him with you. Even before he left for the UA, he was falling for you. Honey, that man is completely in love with you.”
Elena tried to control the happiness that spread through her. It would not do her any good to get all excited about something then have it fall it flat into her lap.
“You think?”
Madison nodded. “Dante said it today. He said he thought JT was stupid in love with you.”
“He did?”
“Yep. It made Anthony gross out for a little bit.”
She groaned. “Idiot. How am I related to these idiots? Seriously. If I wasn’t Dante’s twin, I would really wonder if they found me in a cabbage patch somewhere. And there are times I doubt we are twins.”
“You two are too close not to be twins. And, be nice to Anthony. He’s having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that you’re a full grown woman.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah. He used terms like deflower.”
Madison choked on her water. “What?”
“Exactly. He wanted to fight for my honor because apparently being a Marine pilot doesn’t mean I can take care of myself. He went all caveman on me and acted like I’d been ravaged by JT.”
“Well…” Madison said. Then they both laughed.
“Okay. That happened, but it had more to do with me taking charge.”
“What do you think your parents will say?”
She shrugged. “Not sure, but Mom adores him. And she talked to him the other night.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I was on the phone with her when he walked in. I have a feeling she knows what is going on. She didn’t ask to speak to me again. Of course, I am not sure JT would allow that.”
“Why would you say that?”
“I was undressing him.”
“While he was on the phone with your mother?”
Elena laughed. “Yeah. And thinking about it now, I did it when he was on the phone with Anthony before JT left on his last assignment.”
Madison shook her head. “You truly have a sick sense of humor.”
“Kind of hard not to have it when I grew up with that idiot bunch of brothers.”
Madison blinked and all of a sudden tears appeared in her eyes. Panic set in. She could handle tears, but she couldn’t handle Madison Baker Santini in tears.
“What did I say?” she asked, worried she had said something to hurt her feelings.
“Nothing, really.”
Elena handed her a box of tissues.
“Thank you. The crying is worse than the icky stomach. I swear, I cried during a commercial the other day.”
“Was it one of those animal shelter commercials? Those are designed to make you cry. It’s sick.
She shook her head and blew her nose rather loudly. “No. It was a commercial for Olive Garden.”
Elena blinked. “You cried over Italian food?”
“Well, not the food. I thought about how I love pasta and how Dante makes it for me when I ask. Then, all I could think of was him cooking in the kitchen and me sitting there holding a little miniature version of him. I just burst into tears.”
“Ah, okay. Do me a favor?”
“What?” Madison asked sniffling into her tissue.
“Do that in front of Anthony. He really has panic attacks over crying, and I want to get it recorded and onto YouTube.”
* * * *
Three hours later, JT was just as irritated with the case as when they started. No, he was even more irritated. He was fucking furious. He knew there was something about the case that had been bothering him, but he had wanted to get back to Elena. Another reason to walk away from undercover work.
“Hey, don’t take it so hard. I don’t think I would have seen it either,” Anthony said.
He grunted. “I got impatient.”
“You got impatient?” Anthony asked in disbelief.
Dante studied them for a moment or two. “Am I missing something?”
He didn�
��t respond because he was still reprimanding himself for rushing the investigation.
Anthony took over the explanation. “JT has a reputation…well, it goes back to the Marines. He has the patience of a saint. No matter the task, he would spend all his time on it to get it done right.”
Anthony gave him a look, and he knew what his friend was remembering. JT had so much patience because of his father.
“And you didn’t have it for this case?” Dante asked.
He got up and paced away, angry with himself and angry with the situation.
“I’ll be damned. You were telling the truth,” Anthony muttered.
He glanced at his friend. “Of course, I was telling the truth. And it was so damned frustrating. Every time I opened one line of investigation, another one would pop up. Like a fucking hydra that just wouldn’t die. And all I wanted to do was come back here.”
“And so, when it looked like this captain was guilty, you accepted it.”
There was no recrimination in Dante’s voice, but he didn’t understand the work like Anthony did. It made him sloppy, and that was one reason he knew he couldn’t do UA anymore. At least not for awhile.
“I should have looked closer.”
“The perfect Jethro Thomas made a mistake. Oh no, we might think you’re human,” Anthony said, not trying to hide his sarcasm. “Get over yourself and think. You know there is something you’re missing, and you know this case better than anyone.”
He started to turn the evidence over in his head when his cell rang. Dammit, but when he saw Elena’s picture on the screen, his irritation dissolved a bit.
“Hey there.”
“Whatcha doing, Jethro?”
“We’re still working the case.” He glanced at the clock and realized it had gotten late. Hell, it was dark outside. He walked away from her brothers into his living room. “Sorry, time just got away from us.”
“No, worries, just wanted to check on ya. We’ll entertain ourselves.”
“Listen, Elena…” He stopped talking when he realized he didn’t know how to tell her he loved her. Of course, doing it on the phone was kind of tacky and kind of cowardly.
“What?”
He sighed. “We need to have a talk.”
Silence. “A talk?”
Her voice sounded funny. All the warmth had drained from it. In fact, she sounded icy. He wasn’t sure if he had ever heard that in her voice.
“Yeah, a serious talk.”
She said nothing for a second or two. “Not over the phone.”
“We could talk on the phone.”
And there was something niggling in the back of his head, telling him to blurt out just how he felt.
“No. Not on the phone.”
Her voice was distant. Odd.
“Okay. But we will talk.”
“Sure. Call me when you’re done.”
Then she hung up. He frowned and clicked his phone off.
“Trouble in paradise?” Dante asked, from behind him. Of course he was there. The Santinis had no trouble eavesdropping. Hell, they were proud of it and saw it as part of being a close family.
He looked at Elena’s twin. “Not sure.”
“Want some advice?”
His pride shouted no, but his heart knew if one man knew Elena, it was this one.
JT nodded.
“Be up front and don’t dance around the subject. Elena does better with fact and straight talk.”
“I tried.”
“If you’re going to tell Elena you love her, you need to tell her in person.”
He studied Dante for a moment longer and nodded again. “Gotcha. Where’s Anthony?”
“He was talking to a friend he has stationed at Twentynine Palms. He was checking up on a few things. He said he had a feeling about something.”
Dante rolled his eyes, but JT didn’t doubt his best friend. He had an eerie sixth sense when it came to hunches. MCAGcc was where his investigation had been and if Anthony knew someone there, he or she would know what the hell was going on.
The man in question just walked through into the living room. His frown was almost as dark as when he found JT at Elena’s.
“What’s up?” JT asked.
“Hickson went AWOL.”
“Hickson?”
“Yeah. And, I just got off the phone with Glover. He said he finally got to talk to Smith about the deal. He wanted his family safe because Hickson doesn’t go after people straight forward.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Hickson is apparently a real bastard. He doesn’t deal with the person he feels wronged him. He takes whoever is important to that person and kills them, or at least tries to. If anything, he terrorizes the family members or significant others. On top of that, the man was out of his mind when you blew his operation. He apparently sent Smith’s wife quite a few threatening texts. Hickson wants revenge.”
Something tickled at the back of his throat. His stomach churned.
“So, this Captain Smith turned evidence in exchange for keeping his wife safe?” Dante asked.
Anthony nodded. “She’s pregnant. Top it off, Smith apparently had no way of saying no to the Major. He bullied and threatened people who worked for him. He was a year away from retiring and disappearing with millions. They were going over all the information and realized there was some kind of scheme at the last three bases the bastard was stationed at.
“Fuck me,” JT said as he rubbed the back of his neck. “How did we all miss it?”
“He played the perfect Marine. Plus, he didn’t go after big assignments, and he always got someone to do the dirty work for him, someone down the line in his chain of command. He did a good job, and they thought he kept his nose clean,” Anthony said.
“And, think about it, JT,” Dante commented. “Other Marines won’t see him as a threat. I know I wouldn’t. There are so many people competing for fewer and fewer assignments. So, if there is one guy who is just looking to get the safe job that will ensure his twenty years, another person would dismiss him. No ambition for making higher rank doesn’t mean the bastard wasn’t ambitious.”
Anthony drew his attention. “Worse, because he was the supervisor and had been ruled out, he saw the case file. And even worse, the man knows you were working undercover.”
“What?” JT asked, panic fluttering in his chest.
“Apparently, someone from NCIS let it slip to his commander. It was mentioned that he might have your name.”
Everything started to fall into place. Horror hit him first, then terror.
“Fuck.” JT grabbed his keys and started dialing Elena again.
“What?” Anthony said as Dante and he followed JT out of the door.
“There is one person who would stand out to Hickson if he was casing me. I have spent every day with Elena since I returned.”
Elena wasn’t answering her phone. Dammit. The woman picked this one time to ignore his calls or not be in range. Or…he didn’t want to think about or.
“You think he would go after her,” Anthony said as he headed to JT’s truck.
He nodded and opened the driver’s side door. Anthony followed him, pushing him over. JT frowned at him, and he frowned back.
“What are you doing?”
“Driving. You wouldn’t be able to keep your mind on the road. Plus, you can keep calling Elena.”
“I’ll try to call Madison too,” Dante said as he settled in beside JT.
He hit redial on his phone again, hoping that she was just mad. His worry increased with each ring. Damn the woman for being so stubborn. He hung up and hit redial again as Anthony swerved around a slow minivan.
No answer. Still going to voicemail. His panic turned into terror as Anthony pressed harder on the gas, breaking more than a few laws to get to Elena and Madison.
JT prayed they would get there in time, or he might not have a reason to live.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Elena ignored the buzzin
g of her phone as she paced the living room. She was so irritated with JT at the moment, she wanted to scream, but she wouldn’t. And she couldn’t talk to him. Not right now. If she did, there was a good chance she would insult him.
Anthony wasn’t the only Santini with a temper.
“Hey,” Madison said as she and Charlie returned from the bathroom. She watched her pace for a few moments. “What’s up?”
“Nothing.”
Idiot man. Spends one day with her brother, and he starts having second thoughts. And, it was definitely her brother’s fault. He deserved some of her anger. Most of it. JT had just been getting used to them as a couple. Anthony shows up and makes him feel guilty or that he stepped over some kind of line. Or something.
“Um, you’re pacing the floor.”
“I’m in love with a dumbass.”
Madison said nothing as she watched her. Both Charlie and Madison moved their heads back and forth. They looked like they were at tennis match.
“Ugh, you’re making me sick to my stomach,” Madison said as she sat on the couch. “What has you upset, and why do you believe you’re in love with a dumbass?”
“He tried to cool it off on the phone. Wanted to tell me something.”
“How do you know it was that he wanted to cool it off? Did he say that?”
“No. He eluded to it.”
Madison shook her head. “I think you are assuming, and that is never good.” Madison’s phone went off. “Dante.”
Before Elena could tell her friend to ignore her husband, Madison clicked it on. “Hey, babe.”
Almost at the same time, the doorbell rang. Irritated, she stomped to the door.
She could barely hear her friend talk, as she had walked back into the bedroom for some privacy. She looked through the peephole and found a man dressed in a Marine uniform on the other side. A major, one she didn’t know.
“Whoa, slow down, Dante,” Madison was saying as she walked back out into the living room. “You’re not making any sense. A major is after Elena, why?”
Right then, something turned in her stomach. She swallowed as icy fear slid down her spine. She knew something was very, very wrong.
“Madison, go into my bedroom with Charlie, lock the door, then go into the bathroom and do the same.”
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