Redeeming Justice (7 page)

Helping her into a chair, Alex smiled down at her. “How’s the bump today?” Seeing
her little round tummy restored his faith in humanity.

Tori giggled and rubbed a hand all over her protruding belly. “She’s rocking and rolling
today. Takes after her Daddy. Restless energy.”

He barked out a laugh. “I hope if it is a
she
that a precocious pink princess drives her daddy bat shit crazy. Serves the old fucker
right.” They both laughed.

“
So
. Anything new with you?”

Alex wasn’t stupid. He knew a neat segue to another subject when he heard one. The
innocent tone in Tori’s voice told him the gossip train had already left the station
and made at least one stop. He wondered how long it would take before Drae came knocking
too.

“Tori St. John – you would
so
flunk Private Investigator 101,” he told her with a wry shake of his head.

“For real?” she laughed. “Aw, come on!” Their laughter filled the air. “How ‘bout
this instead? So. Alex. Who’s the woman in your guest room? That any better?”

That was why he liked her. She had a take no prisoners approach to life. He hoped
Drae knew to watch himself around her. She’d incinerate his ass if he were ever stupid
enough to step out of line.

“I plead the fifth,” he joked.

“Don’t be mean to a pregnant woman,” she teased while making a pouty face.

“What is it you want to know, woman?” he barked in mock annoyance.

Tori laughed in his face. “For Christ’s sake Alex. Two simple questions!
Who
is the woman, and
why
is she in a guest room and not the Casita? There! Was that direct enough for you?”

“I’m going to have to speak to your husband about that smart mouth of yours,” he grumbled.

She snorted in amusement. “Good luck with that! Now answer the damn questions or I’ll
get Lacey up here too, and we’ll tag team you till we get answers.”

“Fuck,” Alex groaned. “I
knew
letting women in the compound was a mistake.”

Patting her tummy for emphasis she stuck her tongue out and sneered, “Too late for
that, don’t you think?”

It was an old joke that never failed to get a laugh. The three of them—him, Draegyn,
and Cameron—had been living in bachelor heaven until ten months ago when Lacey came
on the scene followed shortly thereafter by Tori. In a neatly precise one-two punch,
each woman had taken down one of the lone wolves of the Justice Squad. Only Alex was
left now.

Sighing, he grabbed a rolling stool and pulled Tori’s legs into his lap. “Your feet
are awfully swollen little lady. Didn’t the doctor tell you to slow down a bit and
spend more time off your feet?” He slipped her flip-flops off and began rubbing her
soles.

Tori sighed and grumbled, “I’m going to be huge in another five months!”

It pained him to hear her distress. She was going to be a wonderful mother but her
pregnancy wasn’t going to be an easy one. He knew Drae agonized over her condition.
After all, she was just a tiny little thing, and her growing belly was starting to
look completely out of proportion to her small frame. She was going to need all of
them to get through the months ahead.

They sat there like the oldest of friends as he rubbed her swollen feet and she caressed
her baby bump. He was happy for Drae—and Cam too. They both found incredible women
to stand by them. He sometimes wished that his future held something similar, until
he remembered why it couldn’t.

In the bluntest of terms, the burdens he carried from his time with Special Forces
didn’t play nice with the everyday world. How exactly did one explain the nightmares
and the bloody dreams reliving moments of hell and agony? How did you justify a botched
nighttime raid or the collateral damage it caused? How did you tell a young woman
that her fiancé didn’t come home because of a crazed suicide bomber?

“You do know a foot massage isn’t going to distract me, right?”

Alex switched gear from deep introspection to lighthearted in a heartbeat. “It was
worth a try, wasn’t it?” he grinned.

“Out with it or I swear…Lacey…speed dial!”

“I surrender,” Alex chuckled. “Her name is Meghan. She’s a teacher from Boston. As
for why she’s not in the Casita, well…..she just isn’t.”

Tori sat forward and planted a huge smacking kiss on his lips obviously in approval.
“I love you Alex Marquez!” she trilled. Sliding off the chair, she slid her feet back
into the flip flops and headed for the door. Apparently, now that she had her information,
she was done with him.

Waving over her shoulder she told him, “I’ll have Carmen set enough plates for a family
dinner.” And with that she was gone.

“Fuck my life,” he groaned as his eyes squeezed shut. A family dinner?
Shit.
How the hell was he going to explain who Meghan was and why she was here to Cam and
Drae?

The dining room was full of lively conversation and about a dozen people when Meghan
made her way downstairs. Carmen had been in and out of her room multiple times throughout
the afternoon, making sure she had everything she needed. When the housekeeper let
her know that Family Justice would be gathering for dinner, she suspected she was
about to be put on display.

Luckily the Hispanic housekeeper was also a fountain of information, which gave Meghan
a grasp on the immediate cast of characters. There were Alex’s two partners, Cameron
and Draegyn, and their wives, Lacey and Victoria. In addition to Carmen there was
the cook Ria, plus her husband Ben who was some sort of property manager. Betty, the
woman who ran the business end of things, would also be there. Then there was Gustavo
who took care of the horses and all the riding vehicles. Meghan got the impression
Carmen had a soft spot for Gus. There was also Brody Jensen, the guy who trained the
agency’s guard dogs.

She also now knew that Brody was in residence all summer until the winter holidays;
that Carmen lived nearby in town; that Cam and Drae lived on the property in their
own houses; and that Betty had an apartment above the business center. Ria and Ben
had renovated the old stable master’s house where they lived year round. One big happy
family that Meghan was now in the middle of.

The second she started down the steps, Alex appeared at the bottom to escort her in
to the dining room. She was glad she’d changed into something less casual the minute
she saw his eyes light up. Wearing a 1950’s style dress with a halter top, cinched
waist, and full skirt, she skipped down the steps and pulled up at his eye level.

“Major, you look dashing,” she told him as her eyes took in the crisp white shirt
and black trousers he wore. He’d made some kind of effort with his hair but it was
so out of control it was hard to tell. The beard however stayed. She’d never kissed
anyone with facial hair before.
Wait
. What? Had her thoughts actually gone there? Good lord.

He smiled into her eyes for a brief second before slapping a neutral expression on
his face. “C’mon Meghan. Come and meet the family. You look fantastic, by the way.”
She stumbled slightly at the sound of lusty appreciation in his voice but managed
a quick recovery. When he put his arm out for her to slip her hand into, she almost
died. Everything about his demeanor screamed
gentleman
.

“Everyone,” he rumbled as soon as they got close to the gathering of people, “this
is Meghan O’Brien. She’s visiting from Boston.” Short, sweet, and to the point.

To Meghan he said, “I’d make them all wear name tags but I suspect the teacher in
you knows all about remembering who’s who.”

He took her around the room after that, introducing her to everyone. They were an
uncommonly friendly bunch that clearly had a bond with and affection for each other.
Especially for Alex who came off as the Big Daddy of the group. Meghan was deeply
conscious of the emotional tie they all shared.

She’d have to have been blind not to notice a bit of eyeball hockey going on between
Alex, Draegyn and Cameron. It was interesting to watch—rather like a conversation
that only they could hear. Meghan knew who they were of course; David had spoken of
them all. Especially Cameron. She wondered if Alex had told them yet how he knew her.
Until she got some indication that he had, she wasn’t going to bring any of that up.

Dinner was off the charts good, as was the company. Hearing that she planned on doing
some exploring while she was around, everyone chimed in with suggestions and told
her what to definitely avoid. Gus even offered to give her a few riding lessons so
she could take one of the horses out. Meghan couldn’t believe it. Maybe she was finally
going to live out her cowgirl fantasy. The thought made her giddy.

After dinner, everyone headed to the patio ablaze with the warm light of a dozen candles.
Even though it was July, a small fire crackled in the fireplace since the evenings
took on a chill in the desert once the sun went down. It was such a warm and friendly
gathering that Meghan felt she’d known them forever instead of having just met that
day.

Alex let her wander off to chat with others and didn’t try to dominate her attention,
but he did keep his eyes on her. She knew this because every time she glanced in his
direction, she was aware of his gaze locked on her like a tractor beam. It was….well,
it was disconcerting and thrilling at the same time.

Eventually, people started drifting away until just Cam and Drae remained along with
their wives. This was the inner core of Family Justice. The brothers. Meghan had an
easy time remembering David’s words. He’d written so often of the three men and their
fellowship. It certainly was an odd quirk of fate that found her here with all of
them.

“Meghan,” Tori said. “Alex says you’re a teacher. What do you teach?”

“I would be the gym teacher!” She laughed at their startled expressions.

“Well shit,” Cam snorted. “I’d have actually gone to class if my teacher looked anything
like you!”

Lacey elbowed him and pretended to look peeved. “Oh great!” she dead-panned. “Hot
for teacher much?”

Meghan grinned when Cam swatted his pregnant wife on the butt then kissed her soundly.

Drae moved closer to the fireplace and sat down with Tori on his lap. They looked
adorably cute, his hand resting on her bump while she sat with her arms around his
neck.

“I thought about teaching as a career,” Tori told them. “But honestly, with my temper,
I’d rip some kid’s head off for being obnoxious on day two.” Her frankness got a chuckle
from everyone.

“It’s not all that bad,” Meghan assured them. “It’s tough being a kid these days.
They grow up way too fast. But teaching isn’t all I do.” Alex looked up when she made
that pronouncement.

“When I’m not trying to get our nation’s youth up off the damn couch and away from
their portable technology, I do motivational work with athletes. Fitness training
and stuff like that.”

“For real?” Alex asked.

She chuckled. “Yeah. Why so surprised? Not a girl’s job?”

“Oh, fuck no! That’s not it at all. I’m intrigued.”

She had his full attention so she fleshed out all that she did. “Well, in addition
to my teaching certification, I also have an advanced degree in Kinesiology. You’d
be surprised the demand for my services and not just for athletes. How the body moves
in space goes well beyond sports and recreation. A lot of big corporations are heavily
invested in wellness programs for their employees. Now that I’m not teaching in a
school, I’ve been thinking about doing some freelance work in that field. Last year
I earned my certification in massage so if nothing else I can always put my talents
to good use in a rehab center.”

“Before you go and do anything like that, let us know,” Draegyn told her. “We’ve been
talking about getting a trainer to help with the agency programs. I’d be interested
in hearing your opinions on how best to make that happen.”

“Sure. I’d be happy to share my expertise. With the ladies too!” Turning her attention
to Lacey and Tori she asked, “What kind of exercise are you Mommy’s-in-Waiting doing?”

“Yoga,” Lacey told her with a grin. “It helps a lot.”

“My exercise?” Tori snorted. “It’s called lugging this bump around on my tiny frame.
I want to try some Yoga but Lacey’s coach is booked solid.”

“Well, this is your lucky day. I’d be happy to get you started on an easy routine
that you both can do right through the end of your pregnancy.”

Looking at Lacey she asked, “May I?” with her hands open asking for permission to
touch her big belly. “I can probably tell you what position the baby’s in.”

“Really?” Lacey asked, her eyes shining with delight. “Well, then get over here and
tell me what junior is up to.”

Meghan laughed as she pulled Lacey upright and told her to stand with her back against
her husband’s chest.

“Junior, huh? Do you know it’s a boy, then?”

Cam interjected, “No, we don’t - because my wife wants it to be a surprise.” He kissed
the side of her face good naturedly as Lacey settled against him.