Hell Bound (Seventh Level Book 2) (9 page)

Shaking himself, Mark concentrated on the road. No good could come of thinking about Anne. Failure was a heavy load. Thankfully, Wade kept a few extra security people in rotation, and Mark was able to go straight home. For once, he thought he might be able to get some sleep. Wade spent every spare moment at Champ’s in hopes of finishing his project. Therefore, Mark was surprised to see his 2014 Dodge Ram parked in its usual spot in the garage. He must have left Champ’s right after they did. The sprawling house sitting in the center of acres of land was more out of necessity and privacy than any desire for luxury on Wade’s part.

The secluded location made it hard for trespassers to make it all the way to the house without security catching them and Wade could go outside without being mobbed. The house had enough space for guests, staff, and more importantly a recording studio so Wade didn’t need to leave the property. Mark also didn’t doubt Wade had Morgan in mind while purchasing the house. He wanted her to have it all.

To be on the safe side, Mark went in search of his boss before crashing. If a problem had arisen to bring Wade home early, it was better to find out now than ten minutes after going to bed. He found Wade by the pool. Kicked back in a lounge chair, Wade’s booted feet were crossed at the ankles, and his Stetson was pulled low to keep the sun from his eyes. His arms were crossed over his chest and he stared sightlessly at the water. There was always something unnaturally still about Wade. He lived inside himself.

Mark knew Wade loved Morgan. Even if he’d not known it earlier, the cuts across his knuckles, and the look that had been on his face as Mark pulled him from Morgan’s attacker would have settled the matter. A minute longer and Wade would have killed the man. Mark had no doubts about it. However, it was the first time Mark had seen a glimpse of what Wade kept hidden behind his calm façade.

“You might as well say whatever you’re thinking,” Wade said taking Mark by surprise. He didn’t think he’d noticed his arrival. His expression hadn’t changed, but if he wanted Mark’s thoughts then he would get them. “I can’t believe you sent the Washington ass to deliver the money.”

“I knew she wouldn’t accept it if I’d shown up with it.”

Mark sat sideways on the lounge next to him and rested his elbows on his knees. Wade might be his boss but Mark had come to think of him as a friend. “Just tell me something, Wade. You love this woman, and man, I saw it. She loves you too. You have this awesome child together now. How did the two of you end up like this?”

Wade dropped his head hiding his expression from Mark with the brim of his hat. It wasn’t like Mark to drag shit out or talk about feelings, but fuck, he felt as if he’d been set down in the middle of a foreign country where he didn’t speak the language. Neither Wade nor Morgan pointed the finger of blame at the other, but something had driven them to this point.

“Have you ever met the devil?” Wade asked taking him by surprise. Thankfully, he didn’t wait for Mark’s answer because he was incapable of answering. He had met the devil, but somehow Mark didn’t think they were thinking of the same person. “I have,” Wade added without any hint of emotion. “I lived with him every day for fifteen years. My mom died when I was three.” He let out a mirthless laugh. “Hell, she probably willed herself into the grave in order to escape my dad. He was twisted in every way imaginable. Whatever hell you’re picturing in your mind isn’t enough to describe what it was like.” He fell silent and Mark tried to absorb the words while keeping his face carefully blank. It seemed he didn’t know much about Wade after all.

Wade cleared his throat and kept his head down, and Mark couldn’t blame the guy for not wanting to look at anyone as he spoke. “I learned how to shut down and keep everything locked inside me, but then when I was fifteen my dad went to jail on a forgery charge. The state sent me to live with my Uncle Jack. Honestly, I expected him to be the same. After all, I’d never known any other life. I didn’t sleep the first two weeks I lived with him. It seems insane to me now that I didn’t drop dead from the strain of staying awake, but I just knew as soon as I closed my eyes he would slip into my bed.”

Mark’s eyes fell closed, and he thanked God Wade wasn’t looking at him. As Wade continued telling his story, dread built inside of Mark. He knew—just knew—the worst was yet to come. “Finally, I let my guard down and I realized I was safe. Everything was different. Obviously, Jack knew something wasn’t right with my behavior but he didn’t ask and I didn’t offer. He became the father I should have had and I became like a son to him. He taught me how to fish, drive, and play guitar. Then my father was released.” Wade made a helpless gesture before crossing his arms again. “Jack picked me up early from school in order to break the news. I flipped out, destroyed the tiny apartment we lived in, and in the end I confessed everything. He got this look on his face,” Wade shook his head. “It was like nothing I’d ever seen before or since. It was as if a sort of calm rage seethed inside of him and he simply walked out the front door without saying a word. My whole body shook while I waited for him to return with my dad in tow, but a few hours later the cops showed up instead. My father’s body had been discovered after someone placed an anonymous call to the police. He’d been stabbed thirty-two times before his throat was slit. Uncle Jack was found an hour later in his car in an abandoned parking lot. He died from a single self-inflicted gunshot.”

“Shit,” Mark said without thinking, and Wade turned his head in his direction as if he’d forgotten he was there. Wade’s face was devoid of all emotion and Mark finally understood. It was how he held onto his sanity. He kept everything inside locked down.

This time when Wade spoke, he didn’t look away. “Turns out, my grandfather had been every bit as sadistic as my father, and nobody wanted a teenager from my sort of family living in their home, especially if they had younger children. I sort of drifted from place to place until I could make it on my own, then one night in the parking lot of Champ’s, I met an angel.”

Damn, Mark couldn’t even imagine. Going from living in hell to being with Morgan must have been indescribable. “This crazed desire to give her everything choked me every second of every day. I was so driven to succeed I ended up shutting her out. Hindsight is a terrible thing. By the time I gained everything I wanted to give her, I had nothing left she wanted. For a little while though—damn man—I held the fucking world in my hands when I was with her.”

That was it. Wade had to win Morgan back and Mark wouldn’t let him quit. “You’re gonna have to step up your game,” Mark said, causing Wade to laugh. “I’m serious,” he added. “You can’t buy her off or protect her from a distance any longer. You need to overwhelm her and not give her a chance to say no. I hate to say it, but you might need to become a bit conniving.”

A thoughtful look passed over Wade’s face and after a minute, he leaned forward and pulled his cell phone from his back pocket. After searching through his contacts, a buzzing sounded, and Wade left the phone on speaker.

“Hello,” a male voice answered after the third ring.

“Hey man, what’s going on?” Wade asked in a bright tone, which even to Mark, sounded fake.

“Wade! Not a thing, man. What can I do for you?”

A calculating smile touched Wade’s lips. “I need you to call that slimy reporter who works for the gossip column. Tell him you heard a rumor I’m dating a local woman and it looks serious. Let him know I’ll be at her house at eight-thirty in the morning.” Wade rattled off Morgan’s address and the two said their goodbyes.

“What the hell did you just do?” Mark asked as soon as Wade ended the call. The first genuine smile Mark had ever seen of Wade’s stretched across his face as he answered. “I’m taking away her choices.”

Chapter Five

“Oh, it’s you,” Kathy said in way of greeting.

“Lovely to see you too, as always. I see you’ve been forgiven.”

She stepped back allowing Mark and him inside, but not without comment. “Unlike you, I stick around until Morgan decides it’s easier to keep me.”

“Huh, sounds a lot like my plan,” he mused aloud. Kathy eyed him carefully, as if assessing his resolve. He didn’t know what she saw, but she dumped Cole into his arms without giving him a chance to protest. “Good. You can start by getting to know your son and Morgan is in the kitchen refusing to rest. If you head to your left there,” she said pointing in the direction of a short hall. “Maybe you can convince her to take a break. In the meantime, I’ll make sure your guest feels at home.”

Since she was sizing up Mark as if he was a prize pony, Wade warned her, “He’s on the clock so don’t break him.”

Snagging Mark’s arm, Kathy laughed while Mark appeared almost desperate for an escape. “Oh, no worries,” she called over her should as she hauled him away. “I can spot a pussy whipped man from a mile off and this one screams ‘taken’, but it doesn’t mean I can’t make him sorry.”

Wade watched the pair disappear into what looked like to be a den in an attempt to delay the reality of the squirming bundle in his arms. Left with no other options, he finally glanced down at Cole. A pair of solemn green eyes met his and Wade wondered if Cole could sense his uncertainty.

“What’s your name?”

After a moment of scrambling panic, Wade settled on the truth. “Daddy.”

Cole twisted until Wade set him on his feet. He felt a bit ridiculous, but he wasn’t sure if Cole could walk or not. It looked as if he was big enough and obviously, he could talk, but every time he’d seen him, someone had been carrying him. Thankfully, he remained steady as he grabbed Wade’s hand before tugging him toward the kitchen.

“I want cookie.”

Wade bit back a smile. Obviously, the moment had not been as profound to Cole as it had for him. Either that, or cookies were the toddler equivalent of needing a stiff drink. His humor didn’t last long as he caught his first glimpse of Morgan. She looked like hell. Wild curls stuck out in every direction from her head and her clothes were wrinkled. Standing on a small step stool, she leaned awkwardly over the sink and pulled at some white contraption with her one good hand. She didn’t bother turning as he entered the kitchen. “If it was the awful guy from down the street wanting to talk me into going to church with him again, I hope you kicked him in the balls.”

“I’ll head his way now, if you’d like.” At the sound of his voice, Morgan twisted too fast and teetered on the edge of the stool. With his heart in his throat, Wade rushed to steady her before she could fall. Wade wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her from the stool before setting her feet back on the ground. Instead of moving away, his fingers massaged the skin beneath his fingertips in an unconscious motion as he looked her over. Up close, he could see the smudges underneath her eyes. She’d obviously not been sleeping. He took heart in the fact she didn’t attempt to pull out his grasp.

“Daddy needs a cookie.”

“What the fu-” Morgan snapped her teeth together and shot him an evil glare. He raised his eyebrows in challenge, daring her to tell Cole different. The screech of chair legs tore through the silence as Cole pulled a chair out from the table and climbed into the seat. It took some work but he finally managed to maneuver into a sitting position but his eyes barely showed above the table. Morgan pushed out of his hold and moved to Cole’s side.

“Does daddy want a cookie or does Cole want a cookie?”

Cole merely sat awaiting his treat without bothering to respond to Morgan’s question. He was so adorable and Wade was overwhelmed with the desire to crush him to his chest. Something about hearing Morgan call him daddy combined with the domestic scene caused reality to crash down on him. He was someone’s parent and everything he ever wanted without even realizing it was in the room with him.

“What Cole really needs is some yogurt, but mommy can’t open it one-handed.” She was almost growling by the final word and without thinking, Wade moved to the refrigerator. Spotting the yogurt, he pulled one out and tore off the lid. He didn’t ask where anything was, he simply dug through each drawer until he found a spoon and set everything down in front of Cole.

“Can he eat this on his own or does he need help?” he asked, finally meeting Morgan’s gaze. Her face was blank, leading him to wonder if she was hiding her feelings from him. “He can do it by himself but he’ll end up with more of it on his clothes than in his mouth.”

Determined to help, Wade moved the snack out of Cole’s reach and glanced around for how best to go about doing this. Since there didn’t seem to be any special seat for Cole to sit in, and his head barely reaching the table complicated things, Wade lifted the child from the chair and sat down. With Cole settled on his lap, he dipped the spoon in the yogurt and held out a bite for him. It was awkward having Morgan watched his every move, but Cole didn’t seem to care who fed him as long as he got to eat. After a minute Morgan joined them at the table.

While concentrating on the task at hand, he said, “You look tired.” Realizing how his words sounded he tried covering his ass. “You’re still beautiful, of course.” She snorted. “I can’t get my bra on one-handed. I can’t do anything with only one hand.” It took every tiny bit of his restraint not to look at her breasts at her comment. Thankfully, Cole scarfed down the snack, slipped from his lap and ran from the room giving him something else to focus on instead.

“Ark!” Cole screamed from the other room.

“I think he means ‘Mark’,” Morgan supplied helpfully.

Once they were alone, he made a supreme effort to keep his eyes on her face. Morgan bit down on her bottom lip and the corner of her mouth twitched as if she knew what he was thinking.