Steele Hearts Redemption

by M. P. Hingos

  I felt the bed dip alittle and then her stomach pressed against my back as her hands arms embraced me. I turned onto my back and rubbed her ever-growing belly, my little unborn nephew welcoming my touch with a kick in his mommy’s tummy. I gasped in awe as it was the first time I felt the baby and looked at Tess with tears in my eyes. He was not even here as yet but here he was reminding me there was still something great happening in our lives.

  “Butterscotch….?” Tess asked.

  “Butterscotch…” I replied.

  Tess reached over on the nightstand and grabbed the bag of candy she dropped there before climbing on the bed. Butterscotch candy was a pick me up for both Tess and I ever since we became sisters. My mom forbade us from having any form of candy but when Tess and I realized we had the same love for butterscotch candy we’d stock up on it and sneak out for a pick me up when either one of us was having a bad day. All one of us had to do was say the word butterscotch and the other knew what to do. My mother and Alexis thought it was just a stupid nickname we had for each other.

  I unwrapped the candy and popped it on my mouth, savoring the taste on my tongue.

  “Wanna talk about it now?” Tess asked.

  “Where do I begin Tess. Everything’s going to shit right now and I can’t do anything about it,” I replied, hating to place my worries on my pregnant sister, but knowing she would not let up until I told her everything.

  “Al, you don’t need to fix everything that’s going on around you by yourself you know,” Tess said.

  “I don’t know Tess, I fucked up with Gabe, apparently, by saving his ass from being blown up by a bomb and then it seems my bitch sister is coming after the people I care about.”

  “Okay so let’s start with Gabe. You love him and I know he loves you,” I gave her a look that said I highly doubted that but she shushed me and continued, “trust me Ally, everyone could see how much in love he is with you. So you saved his sorry ass from being blown up and I understand why you did what you did. It was instinct and it’s ingrained in you from your FBI training but from Gabe’s point of you, he doesn’t see you as an ex-FBI agent, he sees the woman he loves and for you to have taken the risk that you did in getting rid of the bomb was probably too much for him. But being that he is a Steele, instead of talking to you about it he lashed out. Al, think about how he felt in that moment and tell me if the roles were reversed you wouldn’t be mad at him.”

  I considered what she said for a moment and knew there was some truth to it. But that still didn’t give him the right to be a jerk. I said exactly that to Tess, who only laughed at me for a bit.

  “Just talk to him Al, even if he doesn’t want to. Don’t give up on something that is so right for both of you because both of you are being equally pigheaded. It’s fixable.”

  She was right. It was fixable, but first I need to face the fact that as I move forward with my life, nothing would be as it was before. I needed to come to terms with the fact that I was no longer an FBI agent.

  “Now, on to our next problem…Psycho Alexis. What is up with her targeting Gabe? He did nothing to her. And thanks for telling me about the bomb”

  I gave her a sheepish grin and filled her in on the events that happened in L.A.

  “I know he did nothing to her, that’s why I came to only one conclusion. She didn’t target him because he and I were involved. She was working on whatever evil plan she has for months before I got to L.A., which leads me to one conclusion. She’s set her sights on destroying the whole family Tess, just to get back at us.”

  Tess visibly paled and I hated the fact that I was laying any form of worry on her.

  “Al, we need to end this, we need to find her and end this before someone we love gets hurt,” Tess said, a quiver in her voice.

  “I know, I just don’t know how right now.” And that was the truth.

  “Hey girls, Sterling texted me, everyone’s gathering for a sit down with your friend Max, Ally. He wants us all there,” Lucas’ voice called out from the living room, startling me.

  I shouldn’t have been surprised that he was close by, seeing that he was never far away from Tess, unless Connor was with her. Somewhere along the way, Tess being Tess, crossed that line, and dragged Lucas along with her, from considering Lucas as her bodyguard to one of her best friends. Knowing he was always with her made me breathe easier.

  I jumped of the bed and watched in amusement for a couple of seconds as Tess tried righting herself on the bed to get off. As the giggles burst from my lips I grabbed her hand and gently pulled her up earning one of her fierce ninja stares that had me giggling uncontrollably. It took less than ten seconds for Tess to break down and we both entered the living room, arms around each other as our giggles turned into full on belly ache laughter. Lucas stared at us like we had finally lost it and maybe we did for a moment because it sure felt great laughing amidst the chaos around us.

  We entered the crowded living room of the penthouse and the laughter from my face disappeared as I surveyed the room. Everyone who meant anything to me was here, as well as eight guys from Sterling’s security team. My eyes sought out Gabe and they landed on him leaning against a wall, hand shoved in his pocket, his eyes brooding as he took in the scene in front of him. As if sensing my eyes on him, he looked up, his eyes colliding with mine. I had to make the first step. With slow measured steps I walked up to him.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, pouring my heart and soul into the simple apology.

  “I’m sorry, baby,” he said, before pulling me into his arms and slamming his lips onto mine. I melted in his arms and knew in my heart, although we had a lot to talk about and work out we were going to be fine.

  Someone cleared their throat next to us and we broke apart. I looked around to find all eyes on us.

  “Okay then, now that that’s out of the way, how about we get down to business,” Connor said.

  Turing in Gabe’s arms I faced them all. Spying Max next to us and knowing he was probably the culprit who interrupted our kiss by clearing his throat, I pulled out of Gabe’s arms and walked into his.

  “Thank you for everything you’re doing for my family and I,” I said to him, grateful he was on our side.

  “No problem kid. I just wish there was more I could do.”

  Gabe gently pulled me out of Max’s arms and back into his and we all stood quiet for a few moments waiting for someone to say something. Max was the first to speak up.

  “I take it everyone knows everything that has happened so far so no need to go over it again.”

  Everyone agreed.

  “Okay, so what we’ve learnt since the bombing and with all the information Jonah has given us is that it’s confirmed Alexis is involved. The bad news is that she seems to have gone underground again. It is safe to assume, seeing that she did it once, she’s going to assume a new identity and possibly try an get out of L.A. Maybe she knows by now we’re on to her, maybe she doesn’t, but the FBI has an APB out on her. There is not much else to say guys. We’re combing through her apartment, but there’s not much there. Apparently that was not her primary residence. It was just part of her cover, where she met up with Jonah, but fingerprints have confirmed it’s her. It’s just a matter….”

  “Holy shit, she just texted me!” Jonah, exclaimed, interrupting Max.

  All eyes were instantly on Jonah.

  “That fucking bitch is actually texting me!”

  “Jonah, language,” Marianna chastised.

  “Sorry, but look she texted,” he said, holding up his phone as he read the text out loud.

  “Hey babe, pls call me. Worried sic, heard there was an explosion @ Gabriel’s place. Need to know ur ok.”

  “I have a mind to text her back and tell her go to hell,” he said, anger blazing in his eyes.

  A light bulb went off in my head and before anyone could say anything and Jonah had the opportunity to text Alexis back I lunged at him and grabbed the phone shouting, “No.”

  All
eyes were on me now as I calmed myself and gathered my thoughts. This was the in we needed to get Alexis to come to us. I looked at everyone around me and knew it was now or never in order to prevent harm from befalling the people I love.

  “Al, you want to tell us what’s going on sweetheart,” Conrad, asked.

  “I have a plan, I know everyone here knows I’m no longer with the FBI and I’m not trying to play hero, but I need you guys to trust me and back me up on this,” I said, my eyes imploring them all to so.

  Gabe’s arms snaked around my waist as he stated,

  “I trust you baby.”

  “We all trust you Al,” Connor backed his brother up.

  “Okay then.”

  My plan was simple and it hinged on Alexis’s ego and her hatred for Tess and I. This was first going to be a game of phone tag. We were simply going to lure her to New York by texting her the truth from Jonah’s phone as far as the bomb was concerned. The only thing she wouldn’t be informed of was that we knew it was her.

  Thirty minutes after I laid out my plan a texting marathon ensued. Under the supervision of Jonah, who ensured I used the same text context that he would normally use with Alexis, I was feeding her everything that happened the night of the bombing, making sure she knew how much Jonah wished she was with him for comfort. She was intrigued that he was whisked away on a private plane to New York for his safety and after she expressed concern and coyly hinted she would drop everything in L.A. to be with him I knew we had her hook, line and sinker. After some “manipulation” and “convincing” on her part it was agreed upon that she would meet up with Jonah at the penthouse tomorrow afternoon, with the promise they would have the place to themselves seeing that almost everyone was staying at Gabriel’s parents place for the weekend.

  I knew Alexis couldn’t resist coming back to where it all started. She was arrogant enough to think that she could simply stroll back into Connor’s penthouse and not a hair on her head would be harmed. I was willing to bet everything that I owned that she was going to place another bomb somewhere in the penthouse. Apparently I was not the only who thought so because everyone agreed with me when I voiced that thought.

  After the texting marathon everyone retreated to their own little corner. Everything was now in the hands of Max and the FBI and for everyone else it was just a waiting game. After conferring with his boss and having the sting set up for tomorrow, Max pulled me aside before he left.

  “Al, I know how much this case means to you so I asked Domer if you could get in on this,”

  I was surprised. Domer was his boss’s boss and even though Max got along with everyone he worked for I was taken aback that he would use such a huge favor to get me in on this.

  “He said you can’t go in with the team but if you agreed to it we could keep you onsite for a positive identification after capture.”

  I was grateful for the opportunity.

  “Thank you Max, but can I talk it over with Gabe first?”

  I didn’t want to rush into a dangerous situation once again and have Gabe relive what he did with the bomb. I needed to do things right now and one way of doing that was considering the feelings of the man I love.

  “You got it Al. I need to know as soon as possible though.”

  After he left I took Gabe’s hand and led him to my apartment across the hall. Everyone else were staying in either Connor’s penthouse or the floor below us that Connor kept empty for traveling executives from his company.

  **********

  Chapter 21

  Tyler

  I needed to get away from the crowded room and take a moment to breathe. The moment she stepped into the room I felt the air knocked out of me. It happened every time I saw her. I hustled down the empty corridor and found refuge in Connor’s home office. Seeing her enveloped in my family’s embrace was too much for me. In my eyes she was and always will be perfection in every way and form. The only problem I had and through no one’s fault but my own was all that perfection belonged to someone else. I was the one who let her go and I was the one destined to live in hell for the rest of my life wanting her, needing her. I threw myself down on the sofa and laid down with a huff, closing my eyes as I relived in my mind our time together, memories that were forever etched in my brain.

  I was twenty-three, and already a successful writer, pounding out bestseller after bestseller and had the world by it’s balls. I enjoyed life and shied away from commitment telling myself love was something I should not crave until I was way into my thirties. I played and played hard. Beautiful women were a dime a dozen in my world and they all seem to accept the fact that I was not into anything serious. I had all the girls I wanted, getting them all on my own merit, although having a brother who was a young billionaire and taking the business world by storm and another one who was making quite a name for himself in the movie industry didn’t hurt my chances.

  I remember the first day I saw her. I had dropped by Connor’s office hoping to pull him away from his desk for a few hours for some brotherly bonding time, prepared to do anything to get him out. What I was not prepared for was the tightening in my groin as I stared at the pair of perfectly shaped legs, encased in a snug, knee length black skirt that were sticking out from under the desk as I walked into the outer office of Connor’s executive suite. Mumbling from under the desk drew me out of my drool fest.

  “Stupid wire!”

  I walked over to those legs and knelt down.

  “Need some held under there?” I asked.

  My presence startled her and from the bang of what I assumed was her head on the desk and from the muttered curse that followed, my presence was definitely not appreciated. With a fluid motion she glided herself from under the desk and ignoring the hand I extended, she sat up. My breath was taken away. As a I writer I knew given time I could come up with a number of words to describe her but my numb brain had only one word echoing in it. Beautiful. Her hair was a honey dew color, long and cascading around her, her lips sinfully kissable, pink and clean of artificial color, her face perfectly shaped to accentuate her high cheekbones and her eyes, the color of a pale but bright sky on a perfectly sunny day. She was without a doubt breathtaking. Her lips moved and I instantly became mesmerized. She was talking but I heard nothing. I sat back on the floor and stared at her not comprehending a word that came out her sweet mouth.

  “Hello…”, her sweet, melodious voice broke through my haze.

  She must have thought I was some kind of pervert staring at her the way I did.

  “Sir, do I need to call security?” she asked snapping me back to life.

  “Ah… no I came to see my brother, Connor. Is he in?” I hoped I didn’t sound as stupid as felt.

  She jumped off the floor, brushing her skirt as she tired to compose herself.

  “Crap you’re a Steele? Ah sorry, I meant, he’s not in right now.”

  That was interesting, she was acting guilty about something.

  Maybe she was a spy and was doing something illegal under the desk, like placing a bug or something. Yeah okay, I maybe a writer of fiction but even that sounded farfetched.

  “Okay, maybe I’ll just wait for him then.” I said taking a seat on one of the big comfy chairs that were available.

  “No!…..Ahhh….Okay, but maybe you might be more comfortable in the conference room. I could get you a drink, maybe something to eat while you wait,” she said hurriedly.

  “Is there something going on here that I should be concerned about?” I asked, “Maybe I should call my brother.”

  I saw the panic in her eyes, then the drop of her shoulders.

  “Please don’t call your brother. I really love this job and don’t want to be fired.”

  “So tell me what’s going on then.”

  “I accidentally unplugged some wires from under my desk that connects my computer system with the main systems and I was trying to fix it because I have this report to complete for Mr. Steele before he gets back but there are s
o many wires underneath there I don’t know what goes where,” she explained in a hurried voice, practically out of breath.