Billy shook his head even though his friend couldn’t see him. “No. Nothing at all out of the ordinary.”
“Good. I’ll let you know as soon as I—”
“No. I can cover the kids.” Expect the worst might as well be his middle name these days. But he knew who to call. Lord help him. The guys might resent the hell out of him, but they wouldn’t say no to protecting a couple of kids.
“Looks like Mrs. Deluca had more sense than we gave her credit for. Can’t ask for more than you and Nick, two of Uncle Sam’s best. As soon as we get more info, you’ll hear from me.”
The familiar pain throbbed in his bad leg. Uncle Sam’s best. Maybe Nick, but not him. Not any more. “Thanks, man.”
Brooklyn chuckled. “You may not say that when you get my bill.”
Billy winced. He could only imagine what that bill would be if Brooklyn actually charged his full rate. “Later.”
Opening the drawer, he pulled out the invitation he’d successfully ignored until now. The wedding wasn’t scheduled for another two weeks, but the bachelor party was only a week away. Some of the guys might be in Honolulu by now. All it would take is one call.
Slowly, as though handling a precious artifact, he fingered the messages Lexie had conspicuously placed on his desk over the past few weeks. The air in his lungs thickened. Drawing in a fresh breath seemed harder than it had been only a few minutes ago. He could do this. It wasn’t for him. It was in the best interests of the children. Good kids. He could do this.
Swiping at the phone, he tapped in the numbers and waited.
“Borden here.”
“How’s it hanging, LT?” Silence. Billy sucked in a lungful of air. “I need your help.”
* * *
“You’re shitting me.” Nick tossed the broken regulator on his desk and collapsed into the chair. “Basically the guy was a glorified real estate agent. I’ve been racking my brains the last hour wondering why in the hell anyone would want to kill him.”
“Maybe the intention hadn’t been to kill him.
Only scare him.”
“And something went wrong?”
Nick hitched a shoulder in a casual shrug.
“Shit happens.”
Wasn’t that the truth? Billy had the scars, and
Joe had the widow, to prove it. “I’ve spoken with Maggie.”
“Did she know?”
He nodded. “She knew.”
“And she didn’t tell us?” Nick sprang to his feet. “What if whoever messed with the plane decides he wants to mess with the kids? Did Miss Household Manager think she was going to be able to protect those kids on her own?”
“She’s agreed to meet with us. Tonight. At my place. In order not to alarm the kids, we thought to make it a little dinner party. Do you and Kara have any plans?”
“If we do, we’ll change them.”
“I thought it would help to invite Lexie and Angela.”
“Good idea. The more the merrier.”
“Jim Borden will be there, too. He’s flying in from Honolulu this afternoon.”
“Why does that name sound familiar?”
“We were on the same team that day.” He didn’t have to say which day was that day. It was simply understood. “He’s stationed at Pearl now. Getting married in a couple of weeks.”
Nick bobbed his head. “Right. He’s been calling.”
Yeah. He had. “Tonight at six. In the meantime, I’m heading over to check out the Deluca condo.”
“I’ll cover here.”
“Thanks.” Billy pushed to his feet. If whatever mess Tom Deluca was involved with reached Kona shores, his responsibility for Adam and Bethany was going to prove to be a hell of a lot more than a technicality.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Gulping down the last swig of lukewarm tea and two ibuprofen, Angela closed her eyes and wondered how the pioneer women felled the forest and literally built a new life with cramps and no aspirin.
“You’re looking a little piqued. You shouldn’t push yourself so hard.” Lexie leaned over the small round table at the local coffee shop.
“I’m not. I got my period four days ago. The cramps stopped yesterday, but as long as I’m still spotting, I’m taking the ibuprofen.”
“So the surgery didn’t fix the pain?”
“Oh, yeah. Now I have what is probably normal cramps for normal people. At least I’m guessing that’s what I’ve got. Anytime I can kill the pain with only two pills every six hours, that’s a good day.”
“Supposedly having a baby stops cramps for most people. Something about stretching the uterus. I saw a show on TV when I was a kid comparing a uterus to a balloon. The host blew up the balloon the first time, and it was slow going needing a lot of puffs. Then he let all the air out, and the balloon was bigger and flimsier than before. He called that the uterus after the first child. Apparently the new size and consistency makes cramps less likely.”
“And you still remember that?”
“It was really cool. Next he blew the balloon up again. This time it took fewer puffs and blew up quickly and a bit bigger than the time before. Which is why so many women show sooner and get bigger with the second pregnancy.”
Angela had no idea if she was going to get to test either of those balloon theories, but she was a heck of a lot more hopeful now than she’d been just a few weeks ago. And a heck of a lot more nervous. If today was the last day of her period, she could be ready to start working on a baby in less than two weeks.
“So, now what?” Lexie peeked over the rim of her coffee mug.
The last couple of weeks had Angela running so crazy with clients who’d insisted on waiting for her, homes ready for a sign in the yard, and unattended paperwork that she’d had no more than a few quick conversations with her friends. Here goes nothing. “I’ve decided to try the frozen pop route.”
Lexie coughed up her coffee. “What?”
“Sorry.” Maybe her attempt at reality had been a bit over the top. “Donated sperm is frozen until needed. I’ve read somewhere that some people refer to them as frozen pops.”
Setting the cup down, Lexie patted her chest, cleared her throat, and nodded with a smile. “Too bad. I was looking forward to a manhunt in Honolulu.”
That was the last thing Angela wanted to do.
Hunting all over creation for a man just seemed so…wrong. Not that a not-so-anonymous donor was that much better, but for her it would be. Even if it meant telling a little white lie to her friends. “Say a prayer. My first try should be in a couple of weeks.”
“When?”
“Don’t know. It depends on when I’m ovulating and have the best chance for conception.” Theories on that were all over the place. The oldest being to take her temperature every morning. When it went up a decimal point, she’d ovulated, and it was most likely too late to conceive. Regardless, she’d already bought a new thermometer and was about to start making the suggested charts. There were also the predictor kits. One of those was on her shopping list.
Lexie rubbed her hands together. “You must be over the moon. I’m only going to be an honorary aunt, and I’m excited.”
“Yeah.” A grin tugged at the edges of her mouth. Excited definitely trumped nervous. And tonight she would finally get a chance to visit with Billy. “Are you going tonight to Billy’s?”
Lexie nodded. “You could have knocked me over with a feather. I think it’s the first time I have ever been invited to his house. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m glad for it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Taking days off? Throwing an impromptu dinner party? There is definitely change in the wind, and I for one am liking it.”
Big didn’t begin to cover the upcoming changes. And if the grace of God was on her side, a dinner party was all Lexie would get wind of.
* * *
“I don’t see why you’re so upset.” Magnolia Maplewood perched her hands on her hips and dug her heels into the carpet
.
Why was she wearing heels in Hawaii? Billy glanced over her shoulder, making sure the kids were not within earshot. “Someone deliberately sabotaged Tom’s aircraft. Until we know who or why, those children and their mother could be targets.”
“Nonsense. Nothing has happened since we arrived. We’re perfectly safe. If anyone is looking for the kids, they won’t find them here.”
Of course. Three sets of children had flown out of LA, and according to Brooklyn, none were on their way to Hawaii. “What name did they travel under?”
The broad grin that took over the blonde’s face gave him all the answer he needed.
“How long do you think it will take the person who took down Tom to start looking for two kids with the last name Maplewood, not Deluca?”
What little color her porcelain complexion had held drained from her face.
“Right.” He shook his head. “Not that hard. Whose idea was it?”
“Mrs. Deluca. It took a couple of days for the investigation to determine the crash wasn’t due to ordinary engine trouble. By the time Annette was awake enough to put the pieces together, she ordered me to bring the kids here. Fast. She trusts you. Being underage the children don’t have government identification yet. Forging school IDs was easy.”
“The PIs again?”
Maggie shook her head. “All I needed was Photoshop and a laminator.”
Nick came in the back door. “Took a little ride around the block.”
Not that he expected the bad guys to come knocking on Billy’s door, but Nick understood the gravity of the situation. And the unpleasant possibilities. So did Jim.
“I don’t think all this cloak-and-dagger routine is really necessary.” Maggie picked up a bowl of chips and salsa and, turning her back to the two men, marched to the living room.
Nick and Billy tossed a glance in each other’s direction, both most likely thinking the same thing. If there was a stalker out there, she was going to make the bastard’s job much easier and theirs a heck of a lot harder.
“I’ll have Kara speak with her. Maybe another woman can talk some sense into her.” Nick looked to his wristwatch. “She should be here any minute. Are you picking up Jim?”
“No. He’s renting a car. Said he was going to scope out the condo and then come here.”
Billy resisted looking at his own watch. All day he’d been resisting letting his mind dwell on seeing Angela tonight. His thoughts needed to remain focused on protecting the Deluca children and their caretaker should the seedier side of life seep into their already-sad world.
The front doorbell sounded, and Nick brushed past Billy. “I’ll get that. You better tend to the rest of this party.”
By the time Kara, Lexie, and Angela had arrived, Billy had the burgers ready for the grill, a salad tossed, and two choices of store-bought potato salad set out.
“So grilled cheese isn’t your only specialty?” Angela leaned against the kitchen wall. “Need any help?”
“Hamburger buns are in the fridge.” His head tilted toward the opposite side of the kitchen. Scooping the potato salad into bowls, he kept Angela in his peripheral vision. He had no idea why some man hadn’t staked his claim long ago. She deserved so much more.
The doorbell rang again, and Billy’s spine stiffened. That would be Jim. The man he’d avoided since that day.
“Is something wrong?” Angela placed a hand on his arm.
The look of concern in her eyes was almost his undoing. He wanted to be there for her, not give her something else to worry about. “No. Everything’s fine.”
Taking the opportunity to return the touch, he let his hand slip into hers for a moment and squeezed.
“You’ve got me for ten days.” Jim Borden strode into the room, nodded at Angela, extending his hand. “Jim Borden.”
“Angela Carson.”
“Ten days?” Billy asked over Angela’s introduction. “What about your bachelor party?”
“Made a few phone calls. If King Kona won’t come to the mountain, then the mountain will come to King Kona.”
“You moved the party here?”
Jim nodded.
Angela raised a brow at Billy. “King Kona?” He hitched a tense shoulder in a failed attempt at a casual shrug.
Jim offered her a killer smile before turning back to Billy. “Perimeter doesn’t appear to have been compromised at any point. No signs of a lookout, though that doesn’t mean there isn’t someone with heavy-duty equipment keeping tabs from afar. There’s only one easy way in or out. I’ll focus my attention on that. When Doug gets here, we’ll trade off. Matt and Brent are coming, too.”
“I’ll do my share,” Billy added.
Jim shook his head. “You have a business to keep track of and a little boy who needs your attention. We’ll take care of the rest. For ten days. After that Brooklyn is going to have to send reinforcements. Bridget will keelhaul me if I don’t show up for the wedding.”
“No problem.” Now that Brooklyn knew there was a problem, Billy had no doubt that he’d get to the bottom of this unexpected mess. All Billy had to do was survive ten days with his old team and the ghosts that came with them.
* * *
Angela didn’t understand any of this. While the children were in the room, the conversation filtered back and forth with jokes and stories and all the normal things adults chatted over when gathered over food and drinks.
Every time the kids found their way outside or into the den with the big-screen TV, the battles began. Nick, Jim, and Billy lobbing Magnolia Maplewood with reason after reason why she and the kids needed twenty-four hour surveillance. The way the three men spoke, she was convinced she was seeing a firsthand version of how special ops were planned. Magnolia didn’t stand a chance. These strong men were a formidable challenge.
“Oh, for land sakes.” Magnolia threw her hands up in the air. “How am I supposed to explain strangers following us by day and sleeping in the condo at night? We don’t want the children to know the airplane was tampered with. That’s why Mrs. Deluca sent us here. She knew Mr. Everrett, I mean Billy, and his partner are more than capable of handling trouble on the off chance something should crop up. Which it hasn’t.”
Jim leaned forward on his seat, his hands falling casually over his knees. Angela was willing to make bets there was nothing casual about the way this man moved. “What if tonight Bethany or Adam are kidnapped as leverage to persuade Mrs. Deluca to do something she otherwise wouldn’t do? Or if one of the children is killed to set an example for what could happen to the other? Don’t underestimate these people. If whoever sabotaged the plane to kill Tom Deluca and his wife still wants something from this family, he or she won’t bat an eye at eliminating a couple of kids to get it.” Her lips pressed tightly together. Billy couldn’t tell if Magnolia was finally accepting the new reality or about to bury her head deeper in the sand. It took only five minutes for her to agree. And another thirty for the four of them to leave for the condo.
“I thought Maggie was smarter than that.”
Kara kicked off her shoes.
“Well.” Lexie tucked her feet beneath her.
“She is blonde.”
“So are you,” Billy added.
Lexie batted her lashes. “Which is why I can get away with the comment.”
“I think it’s time we head home.” Nick stood.
“I’ll get Bradley.”
Kara nodded, her hand on her stomach.
“Sounds like a plan. I wouldn’t mind sleeping for a week.”
“You do look a little pale.” Lexie paused. “Actually, you look a bit green around the gills. Are you still fighting that flu?”
Kara quickly dropped her hand to her side and glanced up to where Nick had stopped in the doorway. He shrugged one shoulder, she gave a slim shake of her head, and Angela realized they were having a discussion only the two understood.
“Oh. My. God.” Lexie had watched the same conversation and had clearly come to the
same conclusion Angela feared. “You guys are pregnant.”
Nick retreated to stand beside his wife. “That would be biologically impossible.”
Lexie threw her hands up in the air. “Okay, Kara’s pregnant. Aren’t you?”
The heat of a strong hand settled on her shoulder. Angela wasn’t sure when Billy had moved to stand beside her, but the boulder on her chest making it painful to take a deep breath seemed to roll away at his touch.
“Well. Are you?” Lexie repeated.
Nicks slid his hand over to enfold Kara’s. He gave her a quick squeeze before she turned to Lexie and quickly back to Angela. “That would be an affirmative.”
Lexie flung herself at her friend. “What wonderful news. I’m so excited we’re going to have a baby to hold and fuss over.” And then her brain obviously caught up to her mouth because Lexie went as pale as Kara at the mention of holding babies. Immediately, her gaze flew to Angela’s. “Oh, hon. I’m so sorry.”
Billy’s hand slid down to latch onto hers. She didn’t care who saw. She held on like a drowning woman to a life preserver. Kara was having a baby. The baby she wanted.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Billy closed the front door of his house and turned the deadbolt. Leaning forward on the sofa, Angela kept her hands around the mug of tea. She’d maintained a cheery disposition through all the smiles, backslaps, and congratulatory hugs. She’d even managed a convincing smile for the soon-to-be parents. And when Lexie gathered her belongings on the heels of the expectant couple, Angela held up her freshly brewed tea, flashed another happy smile encouraging her friend to go on home and get a good night’s sleep before the early dive, and insisted she’d be going home as soon as she finished her drink.
Not a single person walking out the door questioned that he and Angela would be left alone. Though he wasn’t sure why they hadn’t. And now, as she stared into what had to be a lukewarm mug of tea, he stood at the edge of the living room and debated between what he wanted to do and what was the right thing to do.
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