The senator gave Owen a pained look. “I have only a few more months to be her father.”
“You’ll always be her father, senator,” Owen said.
“But she won’t need me anymore.”
“You mean home to her. She’s going to need that grounding more than ever when she moves out.”
The senator gave him a long look, then nodded.
“Don’t torture yourself, dear,” Roberta said. “We’ll finally get to take that trip we’ve been planning—the honeymoon we never had.”
Owen sipped his beer. “When are you doing that?”
“We haven’t set a date yet,” the senator said. “It won’t be before Addy’s off to school. And then I’ll need to check with the Senate schedule to—”
“Always with the excuses,” Roberta complained. “You promised me this trip.” She smiled. “Dear, I do believe I’ve earned it.”
Fear washed over the senator’s features, quickly followed by a placating smile. He reached down and squeezed her hand. “You’ve more than earned it, my love. We should just set a date and make it happen.”
Addy came over to their small group. The senator pulled her close for a hug, which she gleefully returned. “I’m proud of you, little girl.”
“Thanks, Daddy. Roberta, this is an amazing party. Thank you for putting it together and letting all my friends come.”
“Of course, darling. It serves two purposes—you get the kids and we get the parents.” Her smile was ice cold.
Owen looked at Addy to see if she’d caught her stepmother’s hatred. How could someone as kind and thoughtful and cheerful as Addy inspire such contempt?
She reached across the group to grab his hand, which he didn’t resist, and pointed a finger at her brother. “Wendelly, it’s time for the pool. Go get your suit on.”
Jax didn’t move. “Addy, I’m too old for your girlfriends. Hell, half of them don’t even look legal.”
“I know. And some of them aren’t. But they’re crushing on both of you. I know that I can count on both of you to be gentlemen around them. Please don’t be curmudgeons and ruin my fun.”
Owen grinned at him as she pulled him away. “We’ve survived worse missions…” And will again on Monday.
Jax huffed a loud sigh and followed them upstairs. The wide staircase let Owen and Addy ascend side by side. She’d stopped holding his hand, which Owen regretted. In their hallway, he and Jax disappeared into their rooms. Didn’t take long for Owen to strip and pull his Speedo on. When he opened his door, Addy was coming down the hall, carrying three beach towels. At first glance, she looked naked, but then Owen realized she’d changed into her suit as well. Her blond hair spilled about her shoulders, covering the straps of her suit. Her hair was a rich blond color with darker undertones and almost bright white highlights.
She looked at his bare legs, then her gaze parked at his crotch, which grew beneath her heated stare. He smiled at her, then took the towels she clutched to herself and set them on a nearby side table. If his body was fair game, then so was hers. She didn’t try to cover herself up, but it seemed she wanted to. Her blue eyes went big as she held his gaze.
He gave himself the gift of slowly enjoying her nearly naked body, but then a darker thought slipped into his mind. He stepped forward, forcing her to either let him come into her space or back her to the wall. “You can’t go downstairs like that. I’m not the only male here.”
The tip of her tongue slipped between her lips, moistening them. “It’s a bathing suit. There’s more of me covered than there is of you.”
Owen braced his arms on the wall behind her. Though perhaps of average height, she was still little compared to him. She’d always been small. He leaned in, bending close to her lips, hungry for a taste of her as he’d never been for anything in his life. His mouth hovered above hers. Her lips parted. Her breath was warm.
And then he remembered she wasn’t single…or old enough yet.
“Addy…” His voice was gruff. A sure tell, if she were paying attention to such things. He hated being so obvious, but when it came to her, he couldn’t help it. “When you’re finished toying with little boys, call me.”
Her hands flattened against his ribs. Her fingers were cold and he was hot. He sucked in a sharp breath. She smiled up at him. “I didn’t think you saw me like this. Like a woman.”
“I didn’t want to. Yet. But the truth is, you’ve always been mine. I’ve waited a long time for you.”
Sorrow, regret, and something else, washed through her eyes. “You tell me this now… I’m going to college. You’re always off on assignments. It would never work.”
Owen closed his eyes and bent his face down to the crook of her neck, stopping just short of burying his face in her skin. It was easier than looking at her in that moment, and he was a fucking coward. He sucked in the warm air haloing her skin. Gooseflesh rose along her shoulder. When he got to her ear, he whispered, “Wait for me. Please, Addy. When you finish college, we’ll be together. I swear it.”
She slipped her arms over his shoulders, hooking them behind his neck. “Will you wait for me?”
“Yes. I will wait for you forever.”
A tear slipped down her cheek. He brushed it away with his thumb. “I’m going to miss you. We can write to each other,” she whispered.
He gave her a half-smile. “Like we promised to be pen pals when I went to West Point? Or when I went into the Army?”
She shook her head. “I was little then.”
“Yeah, you were. You still are.”
“I will write this time. Will you?”
“Yes.” But he knew they wouldn’t.
Owen heard sounds coming from Jax’s room. He wondered if the bastard had been eavesdropping. He straightened, putting a little distance between him and Addy, though nothing short of an EMP could neutralize the charged air surrounding them.
Jax came into the hall, sending a look from his sister to Owen. Addy grabbed the towels, kissed her brother, and told them both to hurry down. When she was gone, Jax gave him a dark look and waved at his Speedo.
“Jesus, O. Point that somewhere else.”
Owen sighed. “I hope the water’s cold, though it may not matter if your sister is anywhere within sight.”
“You must be very proud.”
Owen laughed. “If I were proud, I’d swim nude. I’m more concerned about keeping my suit on, unlike you. Don’t the girls call those baggy things you’re wearing culottes?”
“How the fuck would I know?”
Owen sent a look down at himself, glad Addy had gone on ahead of them so he could cool down. He went into his room and grabbed the shirt he’d been wearing before, a white Oxford. He had no doubt his body would keep reacting the way it did every time he saw Addy; the shirt would at least give him some coverage.
6
Addy slowly came awake. She felt as if she’d slept a day and a half. The thought made her frown. She was worried she’d missed her playtime with Troy. She leaned up to look at the clock. It read 3:30 p.m. She’d slept for nearly two and a half hours. Something on her nightstand caught her attention. A folded piece of paper. She smiled, thinking her son had drawn her a picture…but what she saw was horrifying. The outline of a body. A chill slipped down her spine. Was it a threat? She sat up, then noticed the side chair had been moved closer to her bed. She gasped and sent a look around the shadows of her room. Was someone here?
She ran barefoot over to the drapes and threw them open, then frowned down at the paper. There was more than just the body outline…there were dots on it. And lines drawn between the dots. The writing said, Do you remember?
No. She did not remember. Remember what? What did this mean? Had Owen taken Troy? Were these wounds he was going to inflict on Troy or her?
She ran down the hall to Troy’s class. It was empty. She hurried down to the kitchen. No one there had seen him. She never let her son be alone in the house. Never. He knew he was supposed to come to he
r room if Ms. Denton had to do something. But then, Addy rarely slept so late in the afternoon. Maybe he’d gone out to the playground.
She ran outside without shoes or a coat. She didn’t even feel the cold. She called for Troy as she rounded the corner. She called again and again until she came to an abrupt halt. He was on the playground…with Owen. Ms. Denton stood off to the side.
Hot relief chased away the icy fear in Addy’s veins, leaving her angry and shaken. She marched over to the hand-over-hand module where Troy was showing off to Owen. She stubbed her toe on its metal base, but didn’t even pause in her rush to get her son away from the threat.
Owen saw her before Troy did. He straightened and faced her. She glared at him, her eyes narrowing in fury before she reached up to pluck her son from the bars. Owen noticed the trail of blood she was leaving behind her as she hurried back to the house.
“Hey,” he said in a lame attempt to stop her. The woman was furious; he was going to have to do more than that to get through to her. He reached out and caught her wrist so she would turn around and face him.
Her face went pale as she looked down to where he was holding her.
“Addy.”
She didn’t look up at him. When he reached for Troy so he could set him down, she began to fight against him. Troy looked terrified. Owen finally got him free and set him on his feet. When the nanny came forward to take him, Addy screamed and pulled her son behind her. A pool of blood was spreading around her foot on the concrete sidewalk.
Owen bent close and caught her face in his hands. “Whoa. Easy, Addy. It’s all good. Troy’s fine. No one’s hurt. Except you. Your foot’s bleeding. Let me help you, all right? Troy’s not going anywhere. He’s going to stand right here next to you. Yeah?” Owen nodded to the tutor.
Addy reached down and gripped a fistful of her son’s fleece pullover. She released a ragged breath that immediately condensed in the air between them.
Owen pulled his jacket over her shoulders. The sidewalk was red under her foot. He was ticked that she’d run outside in this cold weather barefoot. A cut like that needed stitches. Maybe a tetanus shot. And they were a long way from a clinic. She didn’t let go of Troy. Owen reached over and pushed one of her hands through a sleeve of his jacket.
“Honey, you’ll have to let go of Troy so I can get this on you before you get a chill,” Owen said. Her eyes met his and her jaw clenched. “Please?”
He thought about promising that he’d never hurt her son, but he didn’t. He’d learned the hard way that even if he didn’t cause the boy harm, his being here might be its own kind of harm. Owen caught her hand and pulled it away from Troy then slipped it through its sleeve.
When she was covered, he swung her up into his arms. Again she fought, pounding at him, kicking to be freed. Owen brought her close in a tight hold. “Stop. Addy, look at your foot. You can’t walk back to the house.”
She did look at her foot then. Her face went pale, as if it was the first she’d been aware that she’d hurt herself. “I can walk.”
“Not barefoot. And my boots won’t fit you. I’ll carry your boy, too, if I have to. Or he could just walk ahead of us so you can see him.”
She appeared to relent, so he readjusted her weight. “Put your arm around me.”
“I’m too heavy. Really, I’ll be fine walking.”
“You aren’t even half as heavy as some of the guys I’ve had to carry out of battles.”
She put her arm around his neck. He had to stifle his body’s heated response to that. “You probably fireman-carried them out, not held them out in front of you.”
He grinned at her. “I could fireman-carry you. In fact, I could put you over my shoulders and race Troy back to the house.”
Troy laughed and clapped. “Do it, Mommy!”
Owen laughed, then made the mistake of looking down at her. Her serious eyes were watching him. He got lost in them for a few seconds, and found himself at a complete loss for words. The only thing he knew for a fact was that he had her in his life once more and wasn’t about to let her go.
That…and a smart man never got between a mama and her kid.
She lowered her gaze. “I couldn’t find Troy. I thought you took him.”
“I would never do that.”
“You took Augie.”
“I did not.”
“Then you ordered him taken.”
Owen shook his head, trying to understand how she could be so mistaken about him. Just the talk of her boys made the shadows around her eyes darken again. She wasn’t handling stress well. She never fully relaxed against him, but at least she’d stopped fighting him. He’d been her hero since she was two, but now she hated him. He looked away from her. They were nearing her house. Troy held the front door open for them.
“I’ll take Troy upstairs,” the nanny said.
“No,” Owen said. “I want him with us. Why don’t you take a break? I’ll come get you if you’re needed.”
She disappeared down the hallway leading to the kitchen. “Where’s the nearest bathroom?” Owen asked Troy. He pointed to a short hallway off the foyer. Owen carried her in there and set her on the large vanity, then began looking through the cabinets and nooks for a first-aid kit.
“I know where the medicine is,” Troy offered.
Owen nodded. “Go get me some disinfectant and some bandages. Be quick about it.” The boy ran out.
“I can do this myself,” Addy protested.
“I’m sure you can.”
“Then leave me to it.”
“But why should you do it alone when you have help?”
“If it weren’t for you, none of this would have happened in the first place.”
Owen absorbed that volley without blinking. “True. I can’t undo what’s been done. But I can change things from here on out.”
“No. I made an agreement with the Omnis. I’m out of their organization. So are my children. You aren’t welcome here.”
Okay, that hurt, but he didn’t have time to pick it apart. A lot of what she said just didn’t make sense. “I’m not going anywhere until we get Augie back…and until I know Troy is safe.”
She scoffed. “Troy is not your concern. I don’t want you talking to him or interacting with him in any way.”
Owen helped her turn so that she could get her foot under the tap. “That’s a little dramatic, don’t you think?”
She straightened and glared at him. If her eyes were lasers, he’d be fried.
“No, I don’t. And I don’t need you to talk down to me. I’m Troy’s mother. I have sole custody over him. And after having one son taken, I’m not going to run risks with my other one.”
“Who’s trying to take him, Addy?”
“As if you don’t know.”
“I don’t.”
She poked his chest. “You can’t have him. And you can’t have me.”
Owen met her hard look. “I can have you. And he comes with you, so I can have him too.”
Her eyes went wide. He felt her pull away from him, though he still held her foot under the cold stream of water. He didn’t press his point. Instead, he focused on washing her foot and injured toe. Troy came back with the requested supplies.
Owen glanced at the boy’s anxious face. Deciding it was better to include him and calm his fears rather than send him away, Owen moved to one side so that Troy could stand on the toilet and watch what he was doing.
“Mommy”—Troy pointed to his head and then to hers—“your head’s uncovered.”
Her hands flew to her head as her face paled. She gave Owen a resigned look as she lowered her hands to fuss with the scarf draped around her neck. “It’s fine. No biggie, honey.”
Owen tucked that away for future consideration. Her hair was short, still very blond, and had the slight curl that he remembered. It was beautiful. She didn’t need the wig she’d been wearing.
“Hand me that.” He nodded to a linen hand towel hanging on the bar near Troy.
>
“Does it hurt, Mommy?”
She smiled at her son. “A little. Nothing too bad. You’ve had a skinned knee before. It’s no worse than that.”
“I cried when that happened. You aren’t crying.”
She smiled. “I cry at other things.”
He nodded. “I know. You cry a lot.”
Owen frowned at her, wondering what made her cry. He made short work of drying off her toe and getting the first butterfly bandage on it. He put a second one on, then covered the toe with gauze and tape. “One more errand, Troy. Your mom needs slippers.”
She told him which ones to fetch, and he ran off without argument. Owen helped her to her feet, but kept her between him and the vanity. “Why do you cry?”
“I miss Augie.”
Owen held her gaze a long moment before nodding. “We’ll get him back.”
Again, that caustic laugh of hers. “You could snap your fingers and have him here in an instant. But you don’t, so I don’t believe your words.”
“I’m no magician.”
“Give him back to me.” Her face hardened. She caught a fistful of his cashmere pullover and twisted it as she drew him close. “I will kill you if anything happens to him.” She gave a little shake of her head. “In fact, I’ll likely kill you anyway for taking him.”
Owen braced a fist against the wall behind her to keep himself from touching her. “I didn’t take him.”
“Of course not. Your minions did. Same difference.”
Owen stared into her steely eyes. They were the same eyes she had when she was two and he’d first met her. They were the same eyes she had when she was six and had asked him to be her dragon slayer. They were the same eyes she had when she was eleven and had cried over the braces she’d just gotten. They were the same as ever…and yet different. Filled with hate and fear, things he’d never thought to see in them.
He switched his gaze from her eyes to her cheek, which looked soft and young. She smelled sweet, like a field of daisies heated by the sun.
Forsaken Duty, The Red Team Series, Book 9 Page 5