Nightingale: A Reed Security Romance

by Giulia Lagomarsino

  “I’m your greatest weakness, so you’ll never see me coming.”

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  “I don’t like Knight training him,” I grumbled as Florrie put some ice on my neck back in our suite.

  “You don’t like him training Reid because he taught him how to win against you,” she laughed.

  “No, I don’t like it because he’s teaching him to be more like some kind of ninja than a real fighter.”

  “Oh, come on, Alec. You’re pissed because he taught your kid how to kick your ass.”

  “Whatever. He shouldn’t be trained by Knight anyway. He’s my kid and I should get to be the one to teach him all I know.”

  Florrie straddled my lap, letting her legs dangle on either side of me. “I know you want to be the one training him, but Knight is best for the job for a reason. You and I would be too easy on him.”

  “You still spar with him.”

  “Yeah, and only so that Reid has someone to train against. I have strict orders from Knight on what I’m supposed to do in the ring. And I only get to train with him when Knight isn’t doing it himself, so he can assess how Reid’s doing.”

  “Why is he taking such an interest in Reid anyway? He doesn’t do that with the other kids,” I grumbled.

  Florrie wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me on the lips. “You know what Knight did. He took away his father.”

  “He was scum.”

  “And he didn’t exactly force Reid’s mother to come back with him. I think he feels responsible for Reid being in the position he’s in.”

  “I still don’t like what Knight did.”

  “He did what he had to, Alec. You know the senator was a bad man. Why is this so hard for you to accept?”

  I sighed, resting my forehead against hers. “I don’t want to teach Reid that you should take the law into your own hands. There are rules for a reason. Knight is a wild card and he always has been.”

  “Well, we’re not going to agree on this one. I’m happy that Knight killed him, and I’ll never regret what he did for us.”

  “But that’s just the thing, Florrie. He didn’t do it for us. He did it for his own reasons. And maybe he feels bad about that now, but at the time, it was all about his own agenda.”

  “What does it matter?” she asked, pushing away from me and standing up.

  “Florrie, when I saw Reid on the streets, I knew that I wanted that kid more than almost anything else. I wanted to bring him here and show him a life that he could have, away from all the crap that he’s grown up with. It doesn’t do him any good to be taken away from one bad situation only to be put in a situation with different problems. I want to teach him about the good in the world and the right way to do things. I don’t want him following Knight’s lead and going rogue. I want him to go to college and figure out his own path.”

  “Knight went straight. He did that for his family. You can’t still think that he’s a bad influence.”

  “Look, I like Knight. He’s a good man and I know he would do anything for any one of us, but he still has his own moral compass, and it doesn’t always align with mine.”

  “Oh, and ours has always been pointing in the right direction? Alec, we’ve done some terrible stuff too. We killed off two gangs! We took on the cartels. And even though those people were not good, was it really our place to be their executioner? You can’t have it both ways. You can’t always have the moral high ground.”

  “I’m not saying that I do. But I can still teach that kid how to use his head and make smart decisions.”

  “And you can still do that. Knight is training him in the ring. That’s it. He’s not having man to man talks with him or trying to give him life advice. You have to let this go.”

  I grunted, pulling her back toward me to sit on my lap. She was always trying to give herself space around me, and it felt a little too much like when she used to push me away. I knew that wasn’t really what was happening, but I didn’t have to like it either.

  “We need to finish our other conversation from earlier.”

  “What’s that?”

  I kissed her lips and then across her jaw to her ear. “The one where I tell you all the things I want to do to you and you nod along.”

  “That doesn’t sound like a conversation to me,” she whispered.

  “It is. It’s my body telling you what I know yours wants to hear.”

  “Well, I think it might be willing to listen.”

  I was just about to flip her over on the bed when Reid called through the door, “Hey, are we going for dinner? I’m hungry!”

  Florrie chuckled and pushed off me. I was left grasping for her hand, trying to get her stay, even though I knew it was pointless.

  “That kid is cockblocking me every chance he gets.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Florrie

  “Uh, what is everyone doing here?” I asked as we were led to a huge room in the back of the restaurant. Pretty much everyone from Reed Security was already seated at a long table, and there were three chairs open in the middle.

  “I asked them to come.”

  “Why?”

  “Because we’re celebrating.”

  I wracked my brain, trying to figure out what we would be celebrating, but the only thing I could come up with was the fact that Reid had taken Alec down in the ring earlier today. That didn’t really seem like a big celebratory dinner kind of thing, but what did I know? Now, if it had been his first kill, that would be different.

  Alec pulled out my chair and waited for Reid and I to sit. He picked up a glass and clanged his fork against it. “Thank you for coming here tonight. I know you all hate being pulled away from your kids,” he joked. “I asked you here tonight because I’ve finally convinced Florrie, after five very long years, to marry me.”

  Everyone started cheering, but I just stood there, shocked that he had just announced that. I mean, I was thinking that there would be some time for me to adjust to the idea of getting married. Now he had just thrown that idea out the window.

  Alec wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me in close. “Relax. You knew I wouldn’t let you get away this time,” he whispered in my ear. “I had to make sure that there was no way you would run.”

  “You could have just trusted me,” I said between clenched teeth and a pasted on smile.

  “I do trust you, but I’m not patient. I want you to be mine officially, and I’m not waiting anymore. Besides, with me switching teams, this is the perfect time to take this step.”

  “Congratulations,” Craig said, coming up to me and hugging me. “This is so awesome. I’m really happy we’re past that awkward phase,” he chuckled. “You know that one time that we all had the dream about the really weird stuff.” He chuckled and glanced around the room like he was looking to see if anyone overheard him. “Yeah, that was a really weird time, but definitely over.”

  “Why don’t you just stop fucking talking about it?” Alec ground out.

  “Or better yet, go see Dr. Sunshine about your lingering thoughts.”

  Craig looked at me in horror. “Are you fucking kidding me? That’s who got us in the mess to begin with.” He shot me a nasty look and walked away.

  “So, who’s going to be your best man?” Cap asked.

  “Well, I was hoping Reid would take that honor,” Alec said, patting Reid on the shoulder. Reid beamed up at him, obviously really liking the idea of taking part in this.

  “What? What about me?” Craig asked.

  “It’s not like I was your best man,” Alec retorted. “As I recall, you had Knight there with you. Maybe I’ll ask Hunter to stand up also.”

  “Hunter?” Craig glanced toward him and then swung his gaze back on me. “Figures you would choose him. He was in on this whole thing way before any of us.”

  “Trust me, that wasn’t something I needed to know,” Hunter piped up. “If I could have not walked in on that, I wouldn’t have.”

  “Walked
in on what?” Reid asked.

  “Uh…”

  “Hunter was the first to find out that Alec and I were together. We were kissing,” I said in mock horror.

  Reid didn’t squish up his face like I expected. Hmm, maybe he really liked kissing Caitlin.

  “So, if I’m your best man, do I get to plan a bachelor party?”

  “How do you know about bachelor parties?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “I hear things. I would probably need help with a few things. Can kids rent strippers?”

  Craig burst out laughing, pressing his hands to his eyes. “Oh shit. Let the kid plan the party. This will be the best fucking bachelor party of your life.”

  “Wait, if I plan the bachelor party, who’s going to plan your party, Florrie?” Reid asked.

  “I think we should let the wives do it,” Chris grinned. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Florrie?”

  I grimaced, thinking about all the girly shit they would force me to do. Wrapping me in toilet paper, trying not to rip wrapping paper….it all sounded terrible.

  “Actually,” Lola cut in, “I’m pretty sure that I can plan something. Maybe I’ll even enlist Maggie’s help,” she said, smirking at Cap.

  “No!” he pointed a finger.

  “Yes!” Maggie shouted at the same time. “This will be so awesome.”

  “No grenades,” Cap said fiercely.

  “Ooh! Instead of party poppers, we could throw grenades!”

  “I said no grenades,” Cap reiterated.

  “And a knife throwing contest,” Lola smirked.

  “Only at dummies,” Cap said quickly.

  “And we could use that new gear that Knight was testing out a while back!”

  “That only covers the chest,” Cap said. “What if you miss?”

  “I’m good with this,” I shrugged.

  “No,” Cap said again, though no one was really listening to him.

  “I think ten grenades per person should be sufficient,” Maggie said thoughtfully.

  “We are not having grenades, and that’s final,” Cap said, putting his foot down.

  “I’m sure I could find a few things to blow up,” Lola nodded.

  “Is anyone fucking listening to me?” Cap snapped.

  “Yeah, Cap, we heard you. But it’s Maggie,” I shrugged. “Do you really think she’s gonna listen?”

  He sighed heavily, running his hand down his face. “Just don’t…let her blow off any other fingers.”

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  “I can’t believe you bombarded me like that,” I said to Alec, shoving him down on the bed. “You could have told me first.”

  He grabbed my hips and lifted me over his waist, holding me against him. “If I had told you, you never would have shown.”

  I yanked my top over my head and tossed it to the ground. “You’re damn straight I wouldn’t have gone. I hate getting together with people to celebrate.”

  He sat up and pulled the cups of my bra down, pulling a nipple into his mouth. I groaned and ran my fingers through his hair, holding him against my breast. His tongue ran over my nipple, soothing the pain he caused with his bite.

  “Don’t care,” he muttered against my breast. “You might not like it, but I wanted everyone to know that you’re mine.”

  He bit down again, making me hiss and pull his hair hard. “Everyone already knows.”

  “Doesn’t fucking matter. Not until my ring is on your finger.”

  I tossed my head back and let out a gasp with every flick of his tongue against my nipples. God, he knew just what to do to drive me crazy.

  “You know how I feel about that.”

  “I know you don’t give a shit about marriage, but I do.”

  He lifted me off him, plopping me on my feet as his fingers grasped at my jeans, yanking them down my legs. I held onto his shoulders as he tore the material from my legs and slid down to the floor between them. My eyes glazed over with need as he grinned up at me just before tearing my panties from my body and leaning forward to sniff between my legs. I felt the gush of my arousal as he moved in and swiped at my pussy.

  “Oh God,” I whispered as my legs quivered.

  His tongue licked and flicked, sending zaps of what felt like lightning through my body. He spread my legs further, refusing to let me slow the need building inside.

  “Come on my face, Florrie.”

  “I want you inside me,” I gasped.

  “On my face,” he urged.

  I tried to hold off, but Alec had never been one to back down from a challenge. His tongue drove me insane, and just when I thought I couldn’t take any more, he slid three fingers inside me and pumped until I was collapsing against him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my head on his shoulder as the shivers subsided.

  “Still think you can get away with not marrying me?”

  I chuckled as his hand ran lazily up and down my back. “I have no problem marrying you. I just don’t want a bunch of people watching me. It freaks me out.”

  “You have no problem with someone watching you shoot.”

  “That’s because I’m good at shooting. Walking down an aisle in a white dress while people stare at me is totally different.”

  “So, you can wear tactical gear, and instead of walking down an aisle, we’ll jump out of a plane.”

  I pulled back and smiled at him. “You’d really do that for me?”

  “Baby, I’d do anything to have you. I don’t give a shit where we get married, as long as in the end you’re mine.”

  I stared into his eyes and did something very uncharacteristic. I let my face soften and I took his face in my hands, leaning in to press a soft kiss to his lips. This man had me heart and soul, and it was time that I started showing him how much I needed him.

  My phone rang and broke the connection between us. I didn’t want to answer, but there were only so many people that might call me.

  “It’s probably Cap. Let me just tell him to fuck off.”

  I slipped out of Alec’s arms and stumbled over to my bag to grab my phone. I felt the swat of Alec’s hand against my ass and glared at him, even though I wasn’t angry.

  “Hello?”

  “Ms. Younge?”

  My stomach dropped. It was the social worker. This was the call we had been waiting for. “Yes.”

  “This is Rachel DeWitt, Reid’s-”

  “Yes, I remember.”

  “We’ve gotten the test results back from the couple in Utah. They are a positive match to Reid.”

  I swallowed hard, nodding even though she couldn’t see me. “Okay, what does that mean?”

  I felt Alec’s arms wrap around me and leaned back into him for comfort.

  “It means that they are who they say they are. Mr. And Mrs. Fuller are his aunt and uncle on his father’s side. They’re seeking custody of Reid.”

  “When?”

  “I’ll be filing the paperwork with the court tomorrow morning. When I know the court date, you’ll be the first to know.”

  “Thank you,” I said quietly, not sure what else to say. I hung up without another word and turned into Alec, burying my face in his chest. His hand ran up and down my back soothingly, but even his touch wasn’t enough to calm me right now. I felt like I was having Reid ripped away from me, and I wasn’t sure how to deal with that.

  “It’ll be okay,” Alec whispered. “We’ll get through this.”

  “What if they take him away?”

  “We just have to fight. That’s what we do, Florrie. We fight for those we love.”

  “But what if we can’t win this one?”

  “Hey,” he pulled back and stared down at me. “Let’s not think like that right now. We just have to think positively right now. This isn’t the end of the line. We’ll meet with the lawyers and do everything possible to keep him with us.”

  But I knew deep down that we weren’t going to win. I could feel it in my heart. These people were related to Reid, and aside from
them being psychotic, what were the chances that the judge would grant us custody?

  “What do we tell Reid?”

  He sighed and pulled me back into his chest. “I think we tell him the truth. But we have to keep things normal for him. We can’t walk around like we’re going to lose him. We need to keep his life as normal as possible. We can’t talk about this all the time or we’ll freak him out. The last thing that kid needs to worry about is this shit.”

  “I fucking hate this.”

  “So do I,” he muttered.

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  “Ms. Younge, Mr. Wesley.” The lawyer sat down across from us in the conference room looking a little grim. “I’m sorry to meet again under these circumstances. I’ve looked into the case that Ms. DeWitt has started, and I’ve had my investigators start digging into their lives. Hopefully we’ll find something we can use against them.”

  “Mr. Claussen, I’m confused,” I started. “We have legal guardianship of Reid. Doesn’t that give us some kind of leverage against these people?”

  “If it was anyone else petitioning for custody, then it would, but these are relatives. The courts always try to keep families together, so it’s very likely that a judge would rule in favor of Mr. and Mrs. Fuller.”

  “Even though he’s been with us for eight months,” Alec stated.

  “Again, it’s up to the judge and what he thinks is best for the child. Now, Reid can talk to the judge and give his preference, but that doesn’t mean that the judge will grant you custody based on what he says. And anything he says could end up hurting you.”

  “How?” I asked incredulously. “We’ve been good for him.”

  “I can guarantee that opposing counsel will bring up the fact that you two aren’t married. On top of that, you live in a panic room-”

  “Which keeps him safe,” I snapped.

  “And would make the judge question what you’re keeping him safe from,” the lawyer continued. “Look, the fact is that the government can’t come in and take your biological children from you because you choose to live in a bunker or are armed to the teeth. But they can decide that you wouldn’t make good guardians to an impressionable young man that needs to learn his way in the world. Now, I’m not saying that what you’re doing is wrong, but a judge may not see things the same way.”