Apparently, Jack Stone was fucking rich!

I drove to the address listed in our itinerary and found myself pulling up to an impressive estate located in a luxury suburb outside Memphis. A woman who was very clearly Jack’s sister stepped out the front door as we pulled to a stop, a bright smile on her beautiful face.

“Remy?” Alli asked as she slid from the passenger seat.

“That’s me. And you must be Alli. The girls talk about you so much, I feel like I’d know you anywhere.”

The one called Remy enveloped Alli in a big hug that spoke of familiarity. I came around the truck just in time to see the smile of pleasure on Alli’s face. I’d expected discomfort. Maybe even annoyance. But she seemed really happy to be welcomed with such warmth.

“And you must be Crispin,” Remy said, turning to me.

“Crispin Sullivan.”

“Jack has told us all about you. It’s nice to finally put a face to the name.”

She held out a hand, but when I took it, she changed her mind and came in for a hug. I was a little taken aback, but it was a kind thing.

“Momma!”

Two girls, one with short, strawberry blond hair and one with thick dark hair that almost matched her nearly black eyes, came rushing out the front door. As I watched, they wrapped themselves around Alli, both talking all at once. I watched, able to see Alli in each of their faces. The older one was a striking beauty, the darkness in her coloring intriguing. The younger one was an interesting combination of innocence and maturity. They both seemed to have taken all the good things about Alli and left the bitterness where it belonged.

It spoke volumes about Alli. It opened yet another door to her complicated personality.

Alli took Sue’s face between her hands and studied her a moment. “You’re glowing.”

The girl blushed.

“She’s met a boy,” Tommy said, elbowing her sister in the ribs. “He works at Stone Security.”

“Is that right?”

Sue turned her head to hide her blush, but she nodded. “I’ll tell you all about him later.”

“And you? You’re graduating with honors. That’s impressive, kid.”

Tommy smiled brightly, no blush for her. “And I got into Vanderbilt.”

Alli’s eyes widened. “No shit?”

“No shit!”

They both squealed and hugged again. I glanced at Remy. She was watching, a pleased smile on her lips. Then she glanced at me.

“Coffee?”

I nodded.

We went inside, tiptoeing around baby toys scattered all over the living room.

“Sorry about that.”

I shook my head. “No worries. I remember what that stage is like.”

She glanced over her shoulder at me. “You have kids?”

“A boy. Well, he’s a grown man now. Twenty-seven.”

“Mine’s just over ten months now. Crawling and getting into everything. The only time I get a chance to breathe is when she’s napping, like now.”

She gestured toward the video monitor on the counter as we walked into the kitchen. It wasn’t a typical baby monitor, but more like the surveillance monitors we put in clients’ homes and offices when we were watching for signs of stalking. But that didn’t surprise me. She was a Stone, after all.

Remy poured us each a cup of coffee and gestured to a chair at the cozy, ten-seat table. “Sue’s been a godsend these past few months,” she said as she sat across from me. “I don’t know what I’d do without her help. The baby loves her, and it gives me time to work.”

“You’re Stone Security’s lawyer, right?”

She nodded. “I head a small department here at the main office.”

“Talk about all in the family.”

She smiled. “It took a while to convince Jack to give me the job. He didn’t want me involved in the company because I’m a girl.” She rolled her eyes. “Never mind the fact that I was doing half the work anyway.”

I didn’t want to get drawn into family stuff, so I didn’t comment. I just sipped at the coffee and then took another sip because it was probably the best cup of coffee I’d had in years.

“You have an easy trip here?”

I nodded. “No problems.”

“Patrick called to let us know about the change. He said you weren’t too happy about it.”

Another sip.

“It was just unexpected. But it was a good trip.”

Remy studied my face for a moment, then dropped her eyes, a slight smile on her lips.

“How’s Jack?”

She giggled. “Jack is so hard to figure out. He left here depressed over a breakup and comes back with a beautiful new girl. And then he gets married without bothering to tell anyone.” She brushed a hand over her cheek like she was wiping away a tear. “And he calls me indecisive.”

“To his credit, Ruth is something special.”

“She is. We liked her well enough, the whole few days he gave us to get to know her before he whisked her off on this extended honeymoon.” She shook her head. “There used to be a day when we couldn’t get Jack out of the office. Now he won’t come back.” She sipped her coffee. “How are things going in Ellaville now, anyway?”

“Good. Things have been quiet since the raid on the Guardians’ compound. And construction’s been going well.”

“I’ve been seeing the permit requests. Looks like it’s progressing well, except for your accommodations. Patrick says it’s pretty difficult to sleep past seven because of the noise.”

“That’s true.”

“Jack mentioned that he thought it would be a good idea to build a sort of barracks on the lot to the west of the main building for those of you guys who need a room or a place to sleep during a big case.”

“Is that right?”

“Yeah. I’m looking into zoning laws for it. For now, though, we’re looking at putting everyone up at the hotel downtown.”

“I’m sure Patrick, Quentin, and Matthew would appreciate that.”

“And you?”

“I have an apartment. I was just staying there while the stuff at the sheriff’s office was going down. But they arrested him yesterday.”

“I saw that.” Remy looked thoughtfully into the top of her coffee cup. “I think the attorney general will probably need a lot of eyewitness testimony to make anything stick.” She glanced at me. “Have they approached you yet?”

“Yeah. Months ago.”

“Since the arrest?”

I shook my head. “But if they do, I’ll agree. I’d like to see the guy go down for what he did.”

“So would Jack.” She sat back. “What would you think of putting everything on tape?”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you ever given a deposition for a case?”

“Sure. Multiple times.”

“I could set it up so that you could give something like a deposition in a lawyer’s office. That way the attorney general can see that you’re serious. So can the defense.”

“You think it’s a good idea?”

“I do, actually.” She tilted her head slightly. “Patrick said you were getting threats. This could be a good way to make it stop. You put your testimony on tape, there’s nothing they can do to stop it from being played in court.”

I hadn’t realized Patrick was aware of the threats. My opinion of the man suddenly rose a few notches. “I think it’s a good idea.” If it would make the people threatening me back off and leave me to concentrate on Alli, all the better.

Speaking of which…

“Crispin!”

Alli and her girls came storming into the kitchen, all wrapped up in smiles and each other. Alli touched my shoulder to draw my attention to them, as if I could ignore three beautiful women.

“I want you to meet my girls. This is Sue,” she said, drawing the dark girl forward, her arm snaking around her waist. She was taller than her mother by a few inches, but had the same slender, boyish figure. I might have wondered how often they shared clothing, but Sue dressed more conservatively than her mother. At the moment, she was wearing a tasteful skirt that hung in flowing folds all the way to her ankles and a translucent blouse over a dark undershirt. She was a pretty girl with the same high cheekbones as her mother, the same wide eyes. I could almost see in her what Alli must have looked like at her age.

I stood and politely took her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

She looked me over with open curiosity, but didn’t say anything.

“And this is Tommy,” Alli said, drawing the other girl forward.

Of the two, Tommy looked more like Alli. She was the same height, had the same cheekbones, the same nose. But Tommy was fuller, with more curves than either her mother or sister. In a few years, she’d be a knockout. Right now, there was still too much innocence in her eyes.

“Congratulations,” I said as I shook her hand.

She studied me like her sister had done. But she wasn’t nearly as silent.

“You’re an ex-cop?”

“Yes. A sheriff’s deputy.”

“And you helped Jack take down the Guardians?”

I tilted my head slightly. “I played a part.”

“Now you and my mom are together?”

I could feel the heat burning my face. Tommy had managed to do something no one had done in more than two decades. She had made me blush.

“Tommy!” Alli smacked her shoulder.

“What? You said—”

“You talk too much,” Sue said, grabbing her arm and yanking her out of the room.

“Sorry,” Alli muttered, her eyes jumping between me and Remy. Then she followed the girls.

I turned to Remy, and she looked completely delighted. “Don’t worry about it,” she said, waving her hand. “I could tell you stories about my brothers that would make that exchange look like nothing.”

A part of me wanted to hear what she had to say. But then a tall man with a baby in his arms walked into the room, and she forgot everything but the two of them. I watched her greet them and found myself wondering if that was what Gloria and I had looked like when our son was small.

I hoped so.

 

 

A party broke out a short time later. A group of men who looked a lot like Jack showed up with beautiful women, creating a huge lawn party where there’d been nothing just a short time before. Then others descended, mostly operatives from Stone Security and their families, but also neighbors and other students from Tommy’s high school. I stayed on the fringe of the group, playing my role as Alli’s bodyguard. I didn’t let her out of my sight—which I wouldn’t have done anyway—watching the other party-goers closely for anyone who might mean her harm. But it was clearly a happy get-together, the kind of thing where danger is the last thing anyone thinks about.

Each of Jack’s brothers came over and introduced themselves. Brent, Gentry, and Aiden were interesting guys. And Bo. I got the impression he was an honorary brother long before he married Remy. They were all nice. Perfect.

It was a little unnerving.

It was easy to relax under the circumstances. I lost myself in memories as I watched Alli with her daughters. My son’s high school graduation had been more subdued. Gloria wanted to throw a huge party, but he wanted to go celebrate with his friends. We compromised and had dinner in a nice restaurant before sending him off to the round of parties he and his friends wanted to attend. Gloria cried on my shoulder most of the evening, torn between hurt that he didn’t want to share his big day with us, and grief that her baby was a grown man now.

We should have had more than one child. Gloria was born to be a mother. But she had so much trouble delivering him that it scared me. But maybe my selfishness had cheated her out of a better life. If I had it to do over again, I would definitely do it differently.

Alli caught my eye, a look on her face that suggested she knew the direction in which my thoughts had gone. She extracted herself from the person she was talking to and came toward me, a soft smile touching her full lips as she drew close.

“You look awfully gloomy,” she said softly, gesturing for me to follow her back into the house.

I glanced around, wondering if anyone had noticed. But everyone seemed preoccupied with their own conversations.

As we wove our way through the big house, she reached behind and took my hand. The next thing I knew, she was pulling me into this tiny powder room tucked under the stairs. She pulled me to her as she walked backward a few steps, stopping when her hips hit the vanity.

“You need a distraction,” she said.

“Do I?”

“You’re too caught up in your own head. You need to come out and live with the rest of us.”

“And how do I do that?”

“Like this.”

She scraped her long nails over my jaw before tucking her hand around the back of my head and pulling me into her. Our lips brushed, but she pulled back, refusing to offer what I’d thought she’d brought me in here for. Instead, her mouth moved over my chin and down along the front of my throat, her tongue stealing a slight taste of the dip above my Adam’s apple.

“Alli,” I groaned, my body reacting to her immediately.

“I love the way you say my name,” she sighed.

She tugged at my shirt, exposing as much of my chest as she could without undoing any buttons. Her hands slid down over my chest, pressing for a moment against my belly. And then she was tugging at my belt. I grabbed her wrist, trying to pull her hands away.

“You don’t have to do this.”

“I want to.”

She watched my face as she tugged at my belt, her fingers digging under the waistband of my jeans. I closed my eyes, the feel of her lips brushing over my throat enough to drive me out of my mind. Add to that the feel of her fingers brushing against my erection…she knew what she was doing!

I lifted her chin and stole her mouth, needing the taste of her. Her hands moved deep inside of my pants, touching me in places no woman had ever touched. Gloria, as much as I loved her, had not been one to be the aggressor. And I never would have thought to ask more of her than the honesty of our lovemaking in the dark. But Alli…I had the feeling she’d never be content with simplicity.

Alli was my teacher, and I was her willing student.

I slid my hands under her skirt, searching for the edges of her panties. It took my breath away when I suddenly realized she wasn’t wearing any.

Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!

I pulled her forward, nearly dragging her off the edge of the vanity. But that wasn’t what she wanted.

Alli shoved me back, catching me off guard so that I moved quickly and easily despite myself. And then she was on her knees in front of me, and I barely had time to hope that the floor was clean before she swallowed me and sent me reeling.

All I could do was stand there and watch the most erotic sight I’d ever seen.

This woman had the power to either take me to soaring heights, or destroy me like a nuclear weapon going off.

I was voting for heights.