Bound For You: Men in Blue, Book 6 (23 page)

Finally, they snuggled together in Shari’s bed, with her in the center, where she preferred to sleep between them. He realized they were forming a routine, and couldn’t be happier.

Their new normal was the one he wanted to keep for the rest of his life.

He could grow old and die content, just like this.

S
hari smiled
as their whole gang packed a waiting room at St. Ann’s Hospital yet again…this time for much happier reasons than usual. Well, Jambrea, who was in hour twenty of labor, might not exactly agree with that assessment. Lacey was also missing, since she was assisting in the delivery.

When the exterior door opened and a man in a dark trench coat entered, Shari’s stomach flip-flopped. Everything from his short, slicked-back hair, to his dark sunglasses, to his non-descript yet expensive clothes reminded her of men who had visited her brother at their compound, when it had still been more fortress than resort.

Whoever he was, he clearly belonged to an elite, well-funded organization. Friend or foe? Military or civilian? That, she couldn’t say. Frankly, she hoped he kept right on walking. They’d had enough of that kind of shit to last a lifetime. Boring, that’s what she wanted.

He glanced discreetly around the room, then strode to her with enough purpose that JRad and Mason stepped closer, about the same time Ben and Ryan angled themselves in front of her.

“Ms. Shari David?” he asked, though he obviously already knew who she was.

Which put her at a severe disadvantage.

“Who wants to know?” Ben demanded.

“I’m a representative of the Banks Fund,” he replied, as if they should know what that meant.

“Oh!” Izzy hopped up from where she’d been keeping Ezra and Julie entertained at a low table with a wooden train set on top of it.

“Sweetheart, you know this guy?” Razor asked his wife.

“Not exactly,” she responded. “But I grew up with Archer Banks.”

“You must be Isabella.” The man smiled at her and extended a black leather-gloved hand. “So nice to meet you. Your family is lovely. Archer sends his congratulations.”

“Likewise. I’m so proud of what he’s accomplishing.” She held herself more formally, as if etiquette instinctively threw her back to her socialite days. It was easy for Shari to forget sometimes where they’d each come from. The only thing that mattered was that they’d ended up here, together, as if they’d been intended to find each other from the start. “If you’re here, does that mean…?”

The man nodded once, then returned his attention to Shari, Ben, and Ryan. Specifically, he stared down at the two-piece set Shari wore on her left ring finger. “That’s very beautiful. Unique.”

“Thank you.” She didn’t plan to pretend it was anything other than a pair of precious promises, given to her by the loves of her life. “My men gave them to me to symbolize our partnership.”

“I see. I believe this is my favorite delivery yet.” The man cracked the hint of a smile. “I’m honored to give you this on behalf of the Banks Fund.”

From his breast pocket, he withdrew an ornately embossed envelope which didn’t have a single dinged corner or smudged bit on the parchment. He presented it to her with the front facing her, so she could clearly make out her own name, Ben’s, and Ryan’s in astonishing handwriting that probably took a skilled calligrapher hours to perfect.

“I, uh, thank you?” Shari wasn’t sure how to respond.

“You are so very welcome.” As soon as she accepted the envelope, the man turned to leave. He was out the door before she could think of what to ask him next. Right before he stepped out into the chilly afternoon, he gave Izzy a subtle tip of his head, then left without another word.

“What. The. Fu—”

“Fudge.” Jeremy cut off Special Agent Salinas, who had officially accepted his new job with the OSPD, before he could owe the kids more money for the curse jar.

Everyone turned to stare at Izzy.

She gave them a coy shrug. “It’s a good thing, I promise. Go ahead. Open it.”

Shari looked up at her guys. “Do you know about this?”

“No clue.” Ben eyed the envelope suspiciously while Ryan shrugged, shaking his head.

The stationery was so thick it might as well have been cardstock. It felt extravagant between her fingers. With the utmost care, she slid her finger beneath the flap in the back, sad to break the royal blue wax seal with an ornate D stamped into it.

Odd for something from the Banks Foundation, wasn’t it? Why not a B?

She didn’t have long to wonder.

From within the gold foil lined envelope, she withdrew what turned out to be an invitation.

“What is it?” Ellie wondered from where she perched on Lucas’s lap.

Shari read it aloud, hardly able to form the sentences when they seemed so surreal. “‘You and the guests listed below have been selected for an all-expenses-paid luxury cruise on Archer Banks’ mega-yacht, the
Divemaster
. We would like to thank you for your courageousness in maintaining the home front for some of the bravest men and women to have served our country. In addition, we would like to show our appreciation of the valor you and your friends, who have each made major contributions to your community in their own ways, have demonstrated. It is our hope that by offering you and your life partners the chance to celebrate a commitment ceremony at sea, in whatever location you select in the world, some of your selfless actions will be rewarded. Nothing would please us more than if happy memories could replace a few of the dark ones we understand each of you carry.

“‘Please contact us at your earliest convenience to arrange the dates that work best for you and your party so we can schedule our private jet to pick you up and transport you to the
Divemaster
. A month of leave for each of the Men in Blue members has been prearranged and secured with a generous donation from the Banks Foundation. These funds will be used for the expansion of the technology department of the OSPD and significant raises for each man and woman employed there who is included in this missive. We’re sure you will have many questions, which we are glad to answer. We look forward to welcoming you aboard! Sincerely, Banks, and the Divemasters.’”

By the signature line, her mouth had gone dry and her hands were trembling so hard she thought she might drop the beautiful letter.

“Is this for real?” Shari looked to Izzy, blinking rapidly.

Her friend nodded, too emotional to speak.

Tyler did it for her. “Damn, that’s like getting a golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s factory. But better. I heard about this on the news. They’ve been sending these things out to notable people across the world. Who would have thought we counted?”

“I can’t believe it.” Detective Tran, who’d stopped by for a bit to add her support, said, “You guys are so lucky! And the department! So much good can be done as a result of that funding. This is amazing. Congratulations.”

“Raya,” Shari said softly. “You’re coming too.”

“
What
?” For the first time since they’d started hanging out with her following the kidnapping, she forgot to wear her stone-cold bitch face. “Are you kidding me?”

“Nope. Gregory’s also on the list. You all are.”

“Hell, yes!” The Special Agent broke decorum to shout.

Julie looked up from the train set only long enough to shake her finger at him. “That’ll be a quarter, please.”

Razor whooped, then said, “Bathing suits are optional in international waters, right?”

“Your cheeks are too white for skinny dipping.” Lily gave them a solid spank.

Lucas spun Ellie around, while Shari watched Ben and Ryan share a deep kiss before turning toward her. “I guess we’re getting hitched.”

She bounced up and down. “I’m finally going to see the ocean! Tropical blue water, palm trees, and a romantic destination wedding with our friends. It’s a dream come true. You guys are my dream come true.”

“All I need is for you two to be happy,” Ben said softly to her and Ryan before hugging them both so tight they almost merged into one person.

They would have continued their celebrations, except just then Clint burst through the door. “They’re here. Come quick. We want you to meet our kids before Jambrea uses up the favors the other nurses owe her.”

“Uncle Clint! Don’t mess around. Are they
girls
?” Julie demanded as she ran to his side and grabbed his hand.

“Why don’t you see for yourself?” He picked her up and carried her into the main area of the hospital. The rest of their bunch followed close behind.

Razor tackle hugged Clint from behind. “Congratulations, Daddy.”

The rest of the guys who could reach took turns slapping him on the back.

“When you’re ready for a break, I’ve got a box of cigars out in the car,” Jeremy told him. “Good ones.”

As they squished themselves into Jambrea’s room, Shari thought about a scene not so different from this one. Ezra had only been days old, Lucas a mess after his amputation. She’d only recently met Jambrea, though she’d known right away they’d be friends for life.

Shari had stumbled into this eclectic blend of people. Friends with a complex web of ties between them. Somehow she’d become one of them.

Grateful and weepy, she couldn’t hold back her happy tears anymore when she spied Jambrea, exhausted yet radiant. She nursed a tiny, perfect human with a pink hat while Clint rocked an equally itty-bitty baby with a blue hat.

“One out of two isn’t bad. Good job, Uncle Matt.” Julie patted his hand, then abandoned him in favor of gawking at her new besties.

Shari laughed and cried at the same time.

She’d never been happier in her life. Each morning she kept shattering her personal best record from the day before.

And she had a feeling that they would continue that streak for many years to come.

A
rcher Banks relishes
his carefree lifestyle. Together with friends and fellow divemasters Miguel Torrez and Tosin Ellis, he travels the world, SCUBA diving by day, entertaining lonely female tourists by night. Until his father dies, instantly transforming Archer from a beach bum to a billionaire by shackling him with an enormous, undesired inheritance.

With the help of his family’s longtime butler, Archer is determined to turn his new golden handcuffs into a golden opportunity. He prays Miguel and Tosin will come along for the ride when he repurposes his family’s mega-yacht into a vessel well-suited for both work and hardcore play.

Never in his worst nightmares does he expect their maiden voyage to be such rough sailing. Not only is Archer’s old crush, Waverly Adams, among their passengers, but the men have also stumbled upon a vast sunken treasure—one worth killing for.

Waverly surprises Archer with an alluring naughtiness he never got the chance to experience in their younger days. Busy accepting the challenge she issues his dominant side in the
Divemaster
’s onboard club every night, he might be distracted and short on sleep. But could he also be blind to more dangerous facets of her personality?

When the divemasters can no longer deny there’s foul play at hand, will Archer be going down with the ship, cursed by his family’s fortune, or will Waverly turn out to be the woman of his most wicked dreams?

Archer’s ringing cell trampled the tropical night symphony composed of lulling waves, chirping bugs, and rustling palms. He would have fumbled around on the nightstand to silence the racket if an armful of bronzed, slender woman hadn’t stopped him. After rolling the beach bunny off his chest, he settled her quickly yet gently on the edge of his double bed. Refusing to be distracted by her wild, sun-bleached mane, or the way the moonlight steaming in the window highlighted her damn-near-perfect ass, he forced his dick’s attention from the adorable snuffle she surrendered as she burrowed into his lumpy pillow.

Archer turned his back on all that natural beauty. He rebelled against everything in his soul by lunging for one of the only remnants of offensive technology he allowed to intrude in his life. He didn’t have a choice, really, since the hunk of plastic threatened the integrity of his eardrums by refusing to shut the fuck up.

Only one person in the entire world had been programmed with that specific God-awful, completely unnatural racket that now blared from his phone. The man who was instructed only to interrupt his solitude in a life-or-death emergency.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Archer launched himself from the freshly laundered sheets, which smelled of sunshine and salty ocean spray.

“Don’t expect me to rush to that bastard’s side for some kind of deathbed confessional.” Archer figured he maybe should have said hello first. His bitterness rushed out before he could manage anything else.

“No need. He’s gone.” The familiar voice on the other end of the line, thousands of miles away, made Archer more homesick than the news of his own loss. “It was fast. Painless. Though probably traumatizing for the two young ladies your father was attempting to have sex with when the stroke hit.”

“Jesus.” Archer stumbled across the room. He slipped out the sliding glass door that led to a half-rotten deck, barely big enough for two plastic chairs, then down the three stairs to the beach. Naked, he sank onto his knees in the sand. He glanced over his shoulder toward the woman whose name wasn’t nearly as memorable as the way she’d sucked him off before getting him hard again, then riding him with thighs powerful enough to cling to a breaching humpback.

Brittany! That was it. He was
almost
sure.

Was he turning into everything he’d spent his entire adult life trying to distance himself from? Had his father remembered the names associated with the pussies that had killed him?

Archer’s stomach churned at the thought. Acid seared his esophagus. Just like it had before he’d left that world he’d never belonged in. He hadn’t looked back since.

This was definitely going to be the worst night of Archer’s life.

“Sir?”

He shook his head when the question came softly—kindly, even—from his family’s butler, who’d been more like a true relative than any he shared filthy blue blood with. It was the reason he’d borrowed the guy’s name when he’d fled. “Come on, Banks. You changed my shitty diapers plenty of times. Don’t you think formality’s a little uncalled for? I’ve never been that person. Much to my father’s disappointment—”

“Archer.” A soft chuckle warmed Banks’ tone this time. “That might have been true once. But not always. Over time I think he might have envied your escape. Admired it, though he was too proud to admit such things. Or maybe he respected you too much to go against your wishes and contact you.”

“I highly doubt that.” Archer swallowed hard against the feelings he’d thought he’d buried long ago. He might be a thirty-year-old man, but part of him would always regret that he hadn’t been able to be the son his father wanted.

“Well, this is for certain. He didn’t truly disown you. You were never cut out of his will. In fact, despite your wishes, he left you everything.”

“
Everything
?”

“His entire holdings. All of it, down to the last cent.” Banks delivered the most devastating news of the night.

Everything Archer had never wanted had finally caught up with him. Golden chains ensnared his wrists and ankles, keeping him from imagining he could ever move freely again. He’d seen firsthand what it took to run an empire.

Just like that, Archer had gone from beach bum to billionaire.

Fuck him, life as he knew it—and
loved
it—was over.

He scrubbed his hands through his hair and caught sight of the woman he’d left in his bed dressing hurriedly by the light of the wall-mounted lamp before blowing him a kiss and heading for the door.

At least he’d gone out with a hell of a bang.

Literally.

“It’s not exactly a death sentence, Sir.”

“Banks,” he growled.

“I mean…
Archie
.”

The shock of hearing that long lost nickname, right now, had Archer blinking fiercely. Somehow he didn’t think there was enough salt spray in the air to blame his reaction on that. “It feels like it. I’m proud of who I am these days. I don’t want it. I don’t want to be like him.”

He scrunched his eyes closed. It was as if he were a recovering alcoholic who'd been offered an entire chain of distilleries. Archer knew how easy it would be to be corrupted by unimaginable wealth. It hadn't been easy to sacrifice everything once, but he'd quit superfluous material possessions cold turkey and had never been happier than he was here. With next to nothing.

“So we'll give it away.” Banks’ solution seemed genius. Simple yet complicated at the same time.

“Really? Will you help me?”

“Of course. If that's still what you want, after you've really thought about it some,” Banks promised. “I am the estate’s executor. It will take some time to settle things. Let me see to the legalities, and you start dreaming about who you’d like to help. This fortune can do so much good in the world.”

“I…uh… Okay, thanks.” Archer couldn’t believe this was happening. “Pay yourself. A shit-ton. Ten times whatever you think is an outrageous salary. You deserve a hazard bonus for the decades you’ve put up with my family’s shit. God knows I couldn’t do it. As if that wasn’t obvious when I bailed.”

“I will.” Banks laughed, then said warmly, “For the record, I’m proud of you too. Dream big, Archie.”