Blown Away

by Stephanie Julian

  Merri blushed like a teenager with a crush and hoped like hell Grace couldn’t really read her mind. Although there were rumors… “Yes, ma’am. I’m really sorry to have caused so much trouble. I really don’t want to take up any more of your time or Jimmy’s—”

  “Nonsense. You have been no trouble.”

  Grace reached the bottom of the steps and put her arm around Merri’s shoulders like they were old friends. The gesture made Merri want to confess her darkest secrets and cry on Grace’s shoulder. Oh, this woman was dangerous.

  “Jimmy, why don’t you take a hike over to the office, make sure your father’s not overdoing it. Then bring him back for lunch. Merri and I will be just fine.”

  For a brief second, Merri looked into Jimmy’s eyes and found she didn’t want him to leave her. She forced herself to look away.

  “Yeah, sure, Mom. What’re you making for lunch?”

  Grace grinned. “A phone call. Just be back around noon.”

  Jimmy leaned over to kiss his mom’s cheek and Merri caught a faint whiff of his aftershave, woody and masculine. Oh man, she was in so much trouble here.

  “Then I’ll see you two later.”

  “Come on, Merri.” Grace started walking toward the back of the house. “I understand you had a little problem yesterday. Let’s see if we can work through it together. Would you like some espresso? And I just made a batch of biscotti…”

  *

  Jimmy closed the front door to his parents’ home behind him, but his hand refused to release the doorknob.

  The look on Merri’s face before he’d left had nearly made him grab her and run. Which was just plain stupid. His mom was much better equipped to handle Merri’s problems than he was. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. He’d totally dismissed the trouble Barbara had been having—the mood swings, the panic attacks, the depression. He’d thought she’d get a handle on it. Instead, he’d let down the woman he’d said he loved.

  And now he felt like he was abandoning Merri.

  Shaking his head, he forced himself to walk away. Early June heat had settled on the city, but light cloud cover made the walk to Walnut Street bearable. Tourists and businesspeople mingled on the crowded sidewalks. Traffic lurched by, honking and clanging and wheezing. Jimmy loved the city. All the people buzzing around. All the energy they created. He swore that energy stimulated his brain, helped him work better.

  Last night, just before Merri had arrived, he’d finished the final tests on the formula he’d created to seal wounds instantly. Just a small amount of the liquid form would keep a patient from bleeding out, keep infection from spreading, and be easily removable for surgery.

  When he’d first started working on the formula, before he’d managed to tame it, the compound had been highly explosive. A couple of months ago, he’d knocked himself out when he’d jostled it and it had exploded.

  Thankfully, he’d figured out how he’d needed to fix that problem and the compound had become what he’d intended—a life-saver. Of course, if the damn thing got into the wrong hands and someone figured out that a couple drops, with the addition of one common element, could make a big boom… Well, that would really piss him off.

  Which is why he needed to make sure his notes and the formula were kept top-secret.

  The Army Research Labs had assured him they would be. He had the assurances of the nation’s top officials that the compound would be in good hands. Now he just needed to get everything out of his lab and into the Army’s.

  Then maybe he’d be able to think about what to do with his attraction to Merri.

  By the time he pushed through the office doors, he barely remembered to say hi to Annie before heading for his lab in the basement of the building.

  “Hey, Jimmy! Hang on a minute.”

  Nearly to the basement door, he turned to face Janey’s best friend, who’d taken over as their receptionist/office manager. And recently became his older brother’s lover. Lucky bastard. Annie was a sweetheart. And luckily for Nic, Jimmy knew his brother loved her.

  “What’s up, babe?”

  Her eyebrows lifted at his teasing endearment. “I got a call you need to return right away.”

  He snorted. “Yeah, yeah, they all say that.”

  Annie’s full lips twisted and she shook her head, short blonde hair shimmering. “I think this might be different. The deputy director of the National Security Agency would like you to call him back ASAP. I’ve been here long enough to know that when the NSA calls, you jump.”

  “Did he say what he wanted?”

  Annie’s raised left eyebrow perfectly expressed her feelings. “Now why would they tell a lowly peon like me?”

  Jimmy had to smile. When Annie had taken over Janey’s former duties in the office, she’d discovered that working with various government agencies was a constant test of her patience. She’d passed every background check the government had conducted with flying colors, but she still encountered a lot of resistance when dealing with the alphabet soup of agencies.

  “Annie, if Charlie had been talking to you in person, believe me, he would have fallen over himself to give you the information.”

  Annie couldn’t maintain her narrowed gaze for long before her gorgeous smile broke free. Nic was a freaking lucky man. “You’re damn right he would have. Here.” She shoved a piece of paper at him. “I’m sure you don’t have the number anywhere handy. I don’t know how you manage to find anything in that dungeon.”

  Jimmy leaned over and swiped a kiss on her cheek. “That’s why we have you.”

  “Annie.”

  Jimmy wiped away a smirk as he turned to see his older brother glaring at him from the doorway. “Looks like you’re on a tear already this morning, bro. Old age finally catching up to you?”

  Nic shot him a level gaze that could have flayed a few strips of skin. “I thought you had a call to make. I need to talk to Annie.”

  Jimmy glanced at Annie, whose expression now held a heat for Nic alone. Stifling a sigh, he figured he’d better get the hell out of Dodge before they tore each other’s clothes off.

  “Okay. Try not to break any furniture, children. I’ll be downstairs.” Then he looked at Nic. His brother knew exactly what he was thinking. Freaking lucky. Don’t screw it up. “Don’t make me say it.”

  Nic’s expression never changed but he nodded. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  Jimmy took the paper. He didn’t think it had anything to do with Merri. Charlie had probably already talked to his mom and knew she was here. More likely Charlie wanted an answer. Jimmy didn’t have time to disappoint the man again. Right now, he needed to get downstairs so he could make sure no one could make a weapon of destruction out of the compound he meant only to save lives.

  *

  “So, Merri, I know we haven’t talked much, but Mal and Janey speak about you so often, I feel I know you.”

  Merri sat at the DeMarcos’ kitchen table, sipping homemade lemonade, feeling her walls about to tumble and the tears start to gather.

  Grace wasn’t just good, she was spooky good. She’d loosened Merri’s tongue with just a sentence, and Merri said the first thing that came to her mind.

  “How do you do that?”

  The minute the words left her mouth, she tried to wish them back but Grace just laughed, her green eyes closing and delicately pretty features scrunching in amusement.

  “Honey, I’ve been in the game a long time.” Grace reached for a glass and poured herself a drink. “I’ve had years of practice.”

  “So you know what happened yesterday?”

  Grace’s smile softened. “Not all of it. I did speak to your boss. Charles called me when he couldn’t reach Mal. He’s very worried about you.”

  Merri snorted. “Sure he is. Did he also tell you he’s going to fire me?”

  “He’s not going to fire you. He’s worried that you’re going to burn yourself out. And I know from experience that’s a very real possibility in your position.
”

  Now Grace had her full attention. “Did you work for the NSA?”

  Grace’s smile would rival the Cheshire Cat’s. “Let’s just say I know what it’s like to be a woman in your position. And at your age, I think you’re doing remarkably well. Charles has no qualms about your ability to do the job, Merri. He’s worried about other parts of your life.”

  “What life?”

  Grace’s smile held no traces of smugness. “There, you do see the problem. Charles thinks you need a vacation. Would you like to go home? Spend a little time with your family?”

  She snorted. “Yeah, right. That’s just what I need. ‘Merri, I swear you never want to talk to me.’ ” She mimicked her mother. “‘Why don’t you use that big brain of yours to figure out why you don’t have a husband?’” That was her younger sister. “‘I swear, girl, you don’t have the common sense of a newt.’” And that was her brother. “No, thanks. I don’t think I want to go home.”

  “Sounds like you don’t get along well with your family.”

  Sighing, Merri shook her head. “No, it’s not that. I don’t mean to make them sound bad. It’s just that they don’t understand.”

  Grace nodded sympathetically. “Must have been hard growing up with an IQ the size of yours in a small town.”

  She shrugged. She hated to talk about her childhood. It’d been tough, but wasn’t everyone’s? She’d survived. Actually, she’d done more than survive. She’d made a pretty decent life for herself. One she loved.

  “So,” Grace moved on. “Would you like to stay here with us? I have to admit, with Janey gone so much, it would be nice for Annie and I to have another female around to balance all the testosterone, even if it is only for a little while. If you’d like, Janey and Mal have a few cases they could use a hand with. Nothing earth-shattering, but they might be interesting to you. And since she and Mal have several cases on their plate, we could use your help. Are you game?”

  Just the thought made her blood fizz with excitement. Grace and Frank DeMarco were legends in military intelligence, their names spoken with reverence around Fort Meade.

  When she’d mentioned that she’d met Grace and Frank, her team had hounded her for information about what the couple was like.

  She’d said very nice and meant it. Her team had thought she was holding out on them, but honestly, Grace and Frank had seemed…normal. Gracious, welcoming, warm.

  Which was why Merri was so tempted, even though she knew Grace was only being kind.

  Spend time with the DeMarcos, the Ozzie and Harriet family of the investigative world? Spend time with Grace, one of the most revered female agents in intelligence?

  Merri only had one question. “Why?”

  Grace’s expression was now as enigmatic as the Mona Lisa. “Because I think we need you.”

  *

  When the intercom beeped, Jimmy only answered because the tone meant it was from his mom.

  And he knew she wouldn’t stop calling until he answered.

  He flashed a glance at his watch and grimaced when he realized he’d forgotten to check in with his dad.

  He pressed the button. “Yeah, Mom, I’m on my way. I’ll just stop upstairs and get Dad.”

  His mom laughed. “Never mind, honey. Merri and I will be in and we’ll pick up sandwiches on the way. Tell Annie and Nic. See you in a few.”

  In Momspeak, that meant stop what you’re doing now and come upstairs.

  Jimmy forced himself to turn away from his table. He knew himself well enough to know he’d be engrossed again in two seconds flat.

  Although… he didn’t know if he could concentrate now. Merri was on her way.

  Up two flights of stairs to the second floor, Jimmy found his dad propped in the leather recliner in his office, eyes focused on a file.

  Frank’s steady gaze lit on him the moment he entered the room. “Hey, Jim. Your mom’s on the way with lunch. I was just about to roust you.”

  Standing and stretching, Frank rubbed a hand over his chest. Jimmy knew he’d gotten a clean bill of health from his doctors just last week. He hated to think what might have happened if the doctor hadn’t caught the blockages in time.

  “Dad, you okay?” The question was out before he could stop it.

  Frank laughed and clapped him on the back, hard enough to make him skip a step. “Just stiff. I hear we have company.”

  Jimmy nodded and let his gaze fall on the file his dad had put down. Something marked Top Secret in bright red. “Yeah. Showed up last night. She was pretty drunk. I, ah, took her home and let her sleep it off.”

  His dad nodded as he moved out of the office and down the hall to the large conference room. The table there would hold all of them for lunch. “Good. How’s that new project of yours coming?”

  What? No more questions about Merri? Jimmy couldn’t believe it. Still he took it as a gift and talked about his progress as they cleared files off the mahogany table.

  “So you decided to go with the Army lab.”

  Jimmy nodded. “Learned my lesson last time. I should’ve known what Beecham was going to do with that formula.”

  “Hey, Jim. You can’t control the world. You did what you thought was right at the time. Hell, we all thought that was the right way to go.”

  That formula had never been meant to be used as a weapon. He’d intended it to be the next-generation laughing gas. Not a potential weaponized delivery system for certain airborne pathogens.

  The government had shut Beecham down before he’d bastardized Jimmy’s work, but it’d been a major fiasco. He’d had enough of those in his life. “So, is Mom going to let you go back to work?”

  His father’s eyebrows shot up. “Let me?”

  Jimmy grinned. “Oh, come on. Everybody knows who wears the pants in this family.”

  “And who would that be, James Robert?”

  His mom breezed into the room, carrying two large bags, followed closely by Merri. Jimmy straightened and took a step back before he realized what he was doing.

  Merri wasn’t smiling, but she looked a little better than she had that morning, not as pale and definitely not as glum. Looked like his mom had done her job.

  Speaking of his mom, she was giving him the look. Jimmy grinned. “That would be you.”

  Her left brow lifted. “Then you learned nothing from your father and me.”

  “What’s for lunch?”Nic walked through the door, followed closely by Annie. “Hey, Merri, how’s it going?”

  “Dominic, I swear you have no manners at all.” Annie gave Nic a scathing glance then gave Merri a bright, welcoming grin. “It’s nice to see you again. Are you visiting for the day?”

  “Thanks. Actually,” her glance fleetingly passed by him, “I’m going to be staying for a while.”

  Grace relieved Merri of the bags she was clutching. “She’s agreed to give us a hand with a few cases while she’s visiting.”

  “So you’re staying?” Jimmy pulled out a chair on the opposite side of the table. “For how long?”

  She didn’t meet his gaze. “I’m not sure. I just decided I needed the time off.”

  He nodded but didn’t say anything else as the others took over the conversation and they all started eating.

  So, she’d be sticking around for a little while. Okay. That was okay. Maybe.

  She’d be one hell of a distraction, but he was between projects at the moment. Sure, he had a few dozen ideas to work on but none that had a due date.

  And with temptation sitting one floor above him, that was probably a good thing. Not that he planned to make a move on Merri. Not while she was so distracted.

  “And,” Grace continued, “since Frank and I have to go to that conference in Paris next week, I thought Merri could stay in your cottage, Jimmy.”

  Oh hell.

  He glanced at Merri’s deer-in-the-headlights expression then shot his mother a look she should have recognized. She’d certainly looked at him like this enough when she thought
he was being insane.

  He opened his mouth to speak, but Merri beat him to it. “No, really, Grace. I don’t want to impose. I’ll get a hotel ro—”

  “No, you will not.” His mother’s voice brooked no refusal. “You’ll have privacy and silence and a chance to relax out at Jimmy’s.” Grace turned her falsely innocent gaze his way. “You’ve barely been home lately. And the cottage is completely separate from the house. You’ll never know she’s there.”

  Yeah, right. Like he’d be able to forget.

  Damn, his mom was good. There was no way he could say no and, for all intents and purposes, it was the best idea. He knew Merri would be more comfortable at the cottage. He knew she lived alone in Maryland and would be uncomfortable staying at his parents’ home.

  And she needed the break. He could see it in the dark smudges under her eyes and the way her clothes hung on her. She looked fragile. He’d be damned if she went back to Maryland like this.

  “Yeah, that’s fine.” Jimmy shifted his attention to Merri. “The cottage isn’t big, but it’s not rustic. I lived there myself for a few months while I renovated the house.”

  Merri looked ready to protest again, but Grace broke in with a bright “Good, that’s settled,” and a broad smile. “Now, let’s eat. Nic, what progress have you made on the Schwartzwald case?”

  Suddenly, Jimmy couldn’t wait to get home.

  Chapter Three

  Merri couldn’t think of a single thing to say on the ride back to Jimmy’s.

  He’d been quiet at lunch, and afterward, he’d slipped back to the basement lab while Grace and Annie had shown her around the offices. Despite being on well-traveled Walnut Street, the building was surprisingly quiet. The first-floor rooms were bright and large and painted in soothing shades of khaki and tan with Berber carpets throughout and artwork on the walls.

  The front door opened into Annie’s domain, the reception area. Another three rooms were situated behind the reception area. Mal and Janey’s office sat directly behind, while an empty office separated Nic’s office at the rear of the building. A stairwell near the back led to Grace and Frank’s second-floor offices and Nic’s third-floor apartment while another door across from the empty room led to the basement lab.