BlackJack (A Standish Bay Romance Book 1) (27 page)

He felt
Shannon’s body tense up and he mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

Shannon
squeezed him tight. “Don’t be sorry. You need to do this. I admire your
strength and courage.”

“Courage.” Cole
laughed. “It took every ounce of courage I possessed to meet your parents. I
was scared out of my mind.”

“They like
you.”

“Hmm, do they
now?”

“Yeah, they
said so.”

“I like them
too.”

“I’m mad at you.”
She nipped his ear.

“Is that
right?”

“You told John
about the attack.”

Cole’s body
trembled. “I had to. You aren’t taking this seriously. Someone tried to kill
you.”

“I know.” This
time her body trembled, giving away her nonchalant attitude.

“I find it hard
to believe, but it must’ve been AJ. Now that he’s dead, I’m safe.”

Cole reached
for her arms and pulled her in front of him so he could see her face.

“Contrary to
what AJ confessed to, he didn’t kill Lindsey.” He smacked his chest. “I know
inside here he didn’t do it. That means you’re not safe. You may not notice
them, but John and I hired an agency to watch you 24/7 until Lindsey’s real
murderer is caught. There are four security personnel on you at all times.”

She turned her
head looking all around them. “I don’t see anyone?”

“Precisely,”
Cole said, trying to gage her emotions. For the first time since the night it
all happened, he witnessed fear on her face and in her lovely blue eyes. “If
you can’t see them, then neither can your attacker. But don’t you fret, they’re
watching and keeping you safe.”

She placed her
soft hands on either side of his face and smiled at the same time tears
glistened in her eyes. “Thank you. I love you.”

Now tears
threatened his eyes. “I love you, too.”

“Come back
inside with me. Being cooped up in that room with my family is more than I can
handle right now. Don’t get me wrong. I love each and every one of them...it’s
just...it’s crowded and…” Shannon laughed, but it was fake. “I don’t know, the
stress and worry from Cameron’s accident and what we just discussed…” she fake
laughed again and he felt her hot breath on his neck. “When I’m tense or
stressed or worried I tend to seek solitude.”

This time he cradled
her face in his hands. He could see the strain and stress around her mouth and
eyes. The dark circles under her eyes reminded him of a raccoon, not that he’d
tell her that.

He kissed her
gently. “Let me take you back to the hotel so you can get some much needed
rest?”

“Hmm, that
sounds like a wonderful idea, but my family’s here.”

He kissed her
again, only this time it was deeper. “They’ll understand.”

Shannon leaned
into him and her body relaxed against his. “I’m going to stay. John asked me if
he could spend the night with Cameron. I can sleep later.”

This time she
kissed him with the promise of doing much more than sleeping come nightfall.

When they
arrived back in Cameron’s room, Cole took Cameron’s guitar once again and
played the afternoon away for Amber. Every time her dad called Amber’s name,
Cole’s heart soared as he finally felt as though he were doing something
worthwhile with his music. Nothing would please him more than to make a
difference in Amber’s life, the difference between life and death.

She still didn’t
wake up that afternoon, but she squeezed her father’s hand numerous times. Cole
figured her brain still needed time to heal, and he was convinced she would
wake up when she was good and ready.

The night
turned out to be a crazy one. Everyone but John went out to dinner to a French
restaurant. Cole slowly became more comfortable around Shannon’s family, and
boy could they talk. He really didn’t have to join in the conversation going
around the table like a tornado because with all the Gallagher’s talking at
once, no one noticed his silence, no one that is, except Shannon who kept
silently apologizing with her eyes for the whirlwind which was her family.

What she didn’t
know was he thought it was great, and he had a touch of nostalgia as he
remembered the last time he sat around the table and ate with his mom, stepdad
and his two sisters. God, it seemed like a lifetime ago. He almost couldn’t
connect with the person he’d been then, and that scared the shit out of him.
Had
he really changed that much in all these years
?

A side trip to
Wales to see his two sisters would definitely be put on his agenda after, he
shuddered, AJ’s burial. Maybe he could finally put the past behind him and
visit Lindsey’s gravesite as well.

“Cole.” Hearing
Shannon’s soft voice and feeling the warm touch of her hand on his knee brought
him out of his private thoughts.

“Yes?”

“Are you ready
to go?”

“Sorry I was…”
He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. “I was thinking about AJ and
Lindsey.”

***

Shannon would
have to be blind not to see the sadness and pain in his eyes. God, would he
ever find peace? Her stomach rolled. She hoped so because she loved him so much,
and she wanted him to be happy and comfortable in his life again. He deserved
it and it was high time he had it.

Hopefully his
trip and the burial of AJ would help lead him in the right direction. A pain
knotted in her heart with worry for him. It would be hard burying AJ, and she
wondered who he would lean on during his time of grief?

Thank God the
other band members were going and he wouldn’t be alone. Although she knew Cole
well, well enough to know he would be alone surrounded by hundreds of people.

“Hey,” Cole now
interrupted her thoughts. “I thought we were going,” he said with a warm smile that
melted her heart and made her forget her concerns and think about the night
ahead. Think about the lovemaking that was sure to come during the long, cold,
dark hours of the night.

She rose from
her seat, bid her whole family goodnight and dragged Cole by the hand out into
the night. Immediately they were blasted with cold air. They walked hand in
hand in comfortable silence the short distance to the hotel. Shannon kept
glancing Cole’s way, knowing he thought about the things she thought about.
Where were her bodyguards? Did they see anyone suspicious following her? Tomorrow
would be a much different day than this one. A day they would have to say
goodbye once again. Only this time the goodbye wasn’t going to have their
future hanging over their heads. This time, thank you God, it would be under
the knowledge of when they would see each other again. Not if.

Even though
they never had the relationship conversation, Shannon knew in her heart and in
her mind that they were now a team forever. A team to be reckoned with if
anyone so much as batted an eyelash to keep them apart.

***

“Hmm, good
morning,” Shannon murmured as she snuggled closer into Cole’s wonderful arms,
the arms that had held her tight the entire night. There was nothing in the
universe like making love, and then being held the whole night long in the arms
of the one you loved.

“Morning,” he
said as he kissed her neck.

Shannon
regrettably pulled away. It was time to give John a break from spending the
night with Cameron. She also wanted desperately to see her son. To see the
progress he made during the night in the healing department. She also wanted to
stop by and see Bill, hoping he would have good news about Amber.

“Hey, where are
you going? It’s still early.” Cole yawned and stretched. “At least I think it’s
still early.”

“I want to get
to the hospital.” Shannon walked naked to the bathroom door, paused and said
over her shoulder in a sexy voice to go along with her wanton look, “Care to
wash my back?” She scooted inside the door laughing, knowing damn well he was
already out of bed and halfway to the bathroom.

The morning
flew by. Shannon rarely saw Cole as he hadn’t left Amber’s bedside once since
they arrived. Shannon could only imagine how tired he must be, not to mention
the soreness in his throat and arms. She stopped in now and again to bring him
juice and crackers or coffee because he refused to take a break. He wanted to
play as long as he could until his late afternoon flight.

Amber proceeded
to show more and more signs of pulling out of the coma. Even Doctor Splaine was
hopeful and that, in itself, meant a lot.

Shannon watched
and listened as Cameron argued and pleaded with Doctor Splaine to let him see
Amber.

“Why can’t I go
see her?”

“Cameron,” the
doctor said, trying once again to reason with him. “I don’t think it’s in your
best interest to be moved at this time. Your body has been badly damaged, not
to mention your concussion. I’ll revisit the idea in several days.”

“But...” Cameron
stammered, “I need to see her.”

“Soon.”

Shannon knew
her son all too well, and she knew he was not happy about the doctor’s answer,
and she also knew Cameron would defy the orders and crawl down the hall to
Amber if the doctor didn’t give him the okay soon.

John had gone
to the hotel to grab some sleep while Shannon’s parents, Rachel, Bridget and Mitch
crowded in Cameron’s room with her. They all snuck out once in a while to
listen to Cole play for Amber. My, Shannon mused, how times had changed. Everyone,
including John, finally treated Cole with the respect he always deserved.

Before Shannon
knew it, the time for Cole to leave had come, and she could visibly see him tense
up. She couldn’t blame him. The next couple of days would be tremendously
challenging for him, the other band members and AJ’s wife and children. Shannon
could only imagine the Macleod family’s grief. Death was tragic enough—suicide
had to be the worst. Never mind the circumstances leading up to it. They
believed him to be a murderer.

Shannon did not
envy Cole one bit for what the next several days would bring him. She only
wished she could be there to offer her support, comfort and love.

She accompanied
Cole to the parking garage, and as soon as they neared his rental car, he
pulled her close and buried his head in her hair.

“I wish I
didn’t have to leave you. I’m worried about your safety,” Cole said, sounding
as though the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. “I wish I didn’t
have to leave Cameron or Amber. Cameron is looking better, isn’t he?”

Shannon tried
to make her voice sound light, but found it hopeless. Her heart was being
eviscerated ever so slowly.

“He is. And
Amber does as well. Thank you so much for what you did.”

“Shannon.” He
cradled her face in his large, cool hands. “I love you. I’d do anything for you.”
He brought his lips down to hers and kissed her deeply, lovingly and reverently.
He finally pulled back, and she watched as a single tear slid down his cheek. “Stay
safe. I’ll call you.”

Shannon didn’t want
to cry, she wanted to be strong, but damn if she didn’t lose the battle and cry
tears straight from her breaking heart. “I love you,” she said before Cole left
her alone, except for her bodyguards, she presumed, in the chilly parking
garage. Her arms hugged herself as she watched him drive away and disappear
completely from sight.

She’d been
without Cole nearly her whole life. She could be without him a while longer. She
hiccupped as she wiped her tears away and went back inside to be with her family.
Thank God she could always count on her family. It was a good feeling and one
she wouldn’t, or at least would try not to, complain about again, at least not
anytime soon.

Chapter
Twenty-One

Cole sat in
first class, his hand gripped a glass of soda water like a vise as he thought
ahead to Chicago where he was meeting his bandmates at the airport. Then they
had an immediate flight out to Heathrow with a connection to Scotland. AJ’s
body would be on board the plane. Cole couldn’t believe the laughter spewing
out of his mouth as he thought what if the coffin got lost? If the airlines
could lose luggage, they could most certainly lose a dead guy. As quickly as he
laughed, he began to silently cry. Damn it, this sucked. He missed his best
friend. He missed Shannon.

He knew he
acted like,
oh poor me
, but he’d spent so many years wanting things. Things
like Lindsey’s love and his freedom from prison, why should his life continue
to be any different now? The difference being, now he wanted Shannon and he
wanted AJ. One was lost to him forever, and one, God willing would belong to
him. Correction, they would belong to each other, like equal halves of one
whole.

Surprisingly, things
went smoothly in Chicago even though he had a small moment of panic when he saw
Kyle Ward enter the plane. What was he doing going to Scotland? He ignored him
and found his seat just as a text arrived from Shannon.

“Thank you
for coming to Colorado. I don’t know if I could have managed without you.”
He
cracked a smile as he read the next line
. “It meant so much to me having you
here. Bill wanted me to thank you as well. Unfortunately not much has changed
with Amber. Dr. Splaine said Cameron can go home in a few days. Mitch’s company
has generously and graciously offered the use of their jet to fly us home. Cameron
says he won’t leave without Amber. We’re working on that. I believe my boy’s in
love. Call me when you can. Not a second goes by that I don’t think of you. All
my love, Shannon.”

While he sat
quietly, he came to a conclusion. Shannon needed him and he wanted to think his
presence helped Cameron and he knew Amber responded at the times he played his
music for her. So the big question was? Did he continue on this quest or go
back to the people who needed him? AJ would understand if he turned right
around and went home. Cole could hear his voice in his mind. “Life’s too short,
go for love. Nothing’s more important than love. Without it, what would any of
us be? Dull, empty, lonely humans wandering the earth in a lifeless haze,
struggling to survive. Love, we all need love.”

 Cole knew Brad
and Ted could handle everything. And when Cameron was better, they could travel
to Scotland and pay their respects to Elizabeth and her children, AJ’s children.
He could introduce Shannon and Cameron to his sisters. And while they were in
Wales he would ask Shannon to marry him in this beautiful stone chapel near the
house he grew up in. It was built in 1670 and was still used today for special
occasions. And his marriage to Shannon fit the title of special occasion.

His heart
pounded painfully and he sweated profusely. Damn, what the hell was he doing in
this tin box, flying over the black of the Atlantic, when he should be taking
care of securing his future? Shannon meant more to him than anything. She
should come first. She and her injured son should come first. If something
happened to Amber? He would never forgive himself. He could make a difference
in her life. AJ was dead, there was nothing he could do for him now, but Amber,
my God, she was only seventeen and still alive.

His thoughts
turned dark. What if the security people screwed up and Shannon was killed? He
suddenly had difficulty breathing, and Cole fought hard to keep the anxiety
attack at bay. That would not help the situation any.

In four more
hours, the plane would land in London, and Cole would turn right back around. His
gut told him he had to. He closed his eyes briefly and whispered, “AJ forgive
me. But I know you of all people would understand someone in need.”

“Cole,” Brad
said from his seat across the aisle. “I forgot I had this. The concierge in
Chicago said this was dropped off by a messenger service this morning.”

Cole took the
sealed note from Brad, opened it and his world tilted once again. His stomach
tumbled as though the plane did a barrel roll. Oh shit. His hands trembled as
he read the typed note.

“
I hope you
said your goodbyes to Ms. Gallagher as you will never see her alive again. I
may not be able to frame you for this murder, but I will have succeeded in
taking another person you love away from you. Possibly I’ll take her son as
well as an added bonus. This time, I hope you take a cue from AJ and join him
in taking your own life. AJ was so easy to convince he killed Lindsey, I almost
feel sorry for him.”

Cole stole a
look across the aisle and up several rows from him at Ward. Deep down in his
gut he knew Ward killed Lindsey. If he just threatened Shannon and Cameron, who
had he hired to do the killing? Were they professionals? What a perfect alibi
he’d planned. Although his gut could be wrong, and it was someone else
entirely.

***

Cole ran
through the Denver airport, his feet barely touching the ground, his breathing
labored and his heart pounding. He had to get to Shannon. Ever since he read the
note on the plane he’d been in panic mode. His stomach twisted up in knots as
he felt desperate and on the verge of collapse. Everything that had happened
lately came crashing down around him as he tried to crawl out of the dark abyss
and into the light of day. Only he was lost in a labyrinth of endless tunnels
and mazes.

He’d
contemplated texting her about the note the second he landed in London, but
decided not to make her panic. She was safe, he had to believe that. Had to
believe the security people and John were keeping her safe.
Just keep
telling yourself that
.

He ran past the
lobby desk at the hospital, past the nurses’ station and straight into Cameron’s
room waving the note and mumbling like a lunatic. He handed the note to John
and pulled Shannon into his arms and held her close and tight. He could feel
his heart pounding inside his chest and knew Shannon could as well. But the
longer he held her, the calmer he became. She centered him and led him out of
the maze and into the light, into life. This one woman would never know how
much she changed his life, more than changed it, saved it. Before he met her,
he was a hollow human being struggling with life, and when he met her she gave
him life. Oxygen, love and everything else a person needed to survive. He now
had to give the gift back to her.

“Cole. What...how...”
Shannon asked, her voice breathless with surprise.

“I couldn’t go.
I’m needed here more.” He pulled back and kissed her with all the love he felt
for her. He didn’t care if every member of the Gallagher family watched, and he
was quite certain they were, and watching no doubt with their jaws hanging open.
Let them watch because this was something they would have to get used to
because he planned on kissing Shannon every chance he got for the rest of his
life.

“We need more
security,” John said as he left the room with his cell phone in his hand.

Cole took
Shannon’s hand and led her out into the hall where he explained everything. His
heart broke for her when he told her about the threat to Cameron’s life. Her
face lost all color and her body shook uncontrollably so he wrapped her in his
arms and held her close, murmuring soothing words he would never remember
later. “Will you be okay?”

“I…I think so.
I can’t believe this bastard would threaten my son. Who is this asshole?”

“Do you
remember me telling you about Kyle Ward?”

“The senator?”

“The one and
only. I think it’s him. It all makes sense. He was having an affair with
Lindsey at the same time she was with AJ. The only thing I don’t understand is
what did I ever do to him to make him hate me so? And how did he convince AJ he
killed Lindsey?” He stepped back, looked at her and winced at the tears wetting
her face. “He’ll be caught eventually. Meanwhile we need to find out who he
hired? John’s taking care of all this right now, so I want you to sit with your
son and not worry about anything.” He brought his lips to hers for a quick
kiss. “Do you think you can do that?”

“No.”

“I figured as
much,” Cole said as he took her hand once again and led her back to her son,
then had a private word with Mitch. “Do me a favor and don’t let Shannon or Cameron
out of your sight unless John or I are with them.”

Cole gave Mitch
credit, he hadn’t blinked an eye or questioned the why of it, he just said yes.

Knowing they
were in good hands, there was one more thing he needed to do. He needed to play
for Amber, and when he walked in the room and found her alone, he took a seat
next to the bed and played. Halfway through the song he heard a soft female
voice.

“You really
were here. My father told me you were, but…”

Cole nearly
dropped the guitar in shock. “You’re ...awake?”

She fluttered
her eyes open, they were a brilliant shade of blue, much like Shannon’s, and
Cole’s heart melted.

“Yes. Last
night. I thought I dreamed all the music. I kept hearing it and trying to reach
for it, but the darkness wouldn’t let me through.” There were silent tears
dripping down her face onto the pillow. “Thank you. Without your music to guide
me and make me strong enough to fight the force that kept sucking me into the
dark, I don’t know if I could have found my way out.”

Cole wiped away
his own tears and hugged Amber gently to him. “Welcome back.” Then he ran down
the hall and burst into Cameron’s room. “She’s awake and talking.”

“Mom?” Cameron
pleaded with wide eyes full of moisture.

“Dr. Splaine
said you can’t leave your bed yet,” Shannon said with a deep sigh.

“The hell with
that,” John interrupted. “Jackson, grab the IV bag. Shannon carefully take his
leg out of that contraption. We’ll wheel his bed down the hall. My son wants to
see his girl.”

Cole stood off
to the side and watched the tearful reunion between the two young people with a
lump in his throat. Before they took Cameron back to his room, promises were
made to get the two of them together once they were all back home and
recovered.