Chapter Eight
DAY SIX OF MY CAPTIVITY. I haven’t let Declan Shaw get dead, but I did sleep with him. What was she thinking? She’s done that with all the guys in her unit. Pass an Afghan winter solo, you’d sleep next to Satan if it meant the extra heat.
She was surprised he’d dropped off to sleep quickly. Declan hadn’t slept the night through since she taken the job. She’d spent every night listening to him try. If she didn’t have the days off so she could sleep she’d be one cranky bitch. After she stopped over at her parents to get an ass chewing and do the family lunch she was going to her apartment and make nice with her pillow.
Her cell phone rang and she tapped the button on her steering wheel to answer it. “Peterson.”
“Ms. Peterson, this is Cherry O’Brien.”
This couldn’t be good. “Ms. O’Brien, how can I help you?”
“Thank you for taking care of Declan and my boys last night.”
What was she supposed to say? She settled on a quick thank you.
“I think your plan to use Declan as bait went too well. I’m inclined to pull the plug and bring them back to L.A.”
Hell no to that plan. “If I may ma’am, the reason it failed was because the house was not properly equipped due to the company who installed the bullet-resistant glass, they are replacing it as we speak.”
“I don’t like excuses.”
Neither did she. “That is a reason.”
“Be that as it may, can you insure their safety?”
“I take my duty very seriously ma’am.”
“My sons nearly died.”
She could hear the panic in her voice. “Ma’am your sons acted rashly. They ran in to protect their friend without proper training. It does speak to their character.”
The other woman sighed. “You’re good.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Yes you do. You flattered me and my sons. Senator Burton was correct about you. I understand you and the men you worked with accompanied him several times to the Middle East as his translator. He said you have a handle on the bullshit.”
“Which makes me perfect to work with Declan Shaw.”
She sighed. “Are you any closer to catching this woman.”
“She made a mistake coming this close. She’s getting sloppy. She’ll make another attempt at close range and we’ll get her.”
“You don’t want to have to deal with me if you fail.”
She didn’t. That woman was the apex predator in a sea of great whites. “I understand ma’am.”
“If you need anything you have my personal number don’t hesitate to call.”
“I will. Thank--”
Okay she hung up on her. Jane pulled up to her parent’s house and saw her dad sitting on the top step of the porch, newspaper in hand. He was doing the crossword puzzle. She grabbed the three boxes of cigars she brought him from her ‘trip’ to Cuba. She was making sure he was on her side. Marcel ‘Pete’ Peterson was a big man. Once upon a time he was a linebacker at Grambling University, but a knee injury ended his football career. After he graduated college he joined the Army and became a Ranger. After that he came home and joined NOPD moving up the ranks until he was now chief of detectives. He was her hero and she knew he’d do anything to keep her safe. She walked up the sidewalk and sat next to him. She kissed his brown forehead. “Hey?”
“Run while you can.”
“She’s that mad?”
He slapped her on the knee with his paper. “You paid off the house, you know that woman has pride.”
“I’m not scared of her.” Well that’s not true. Addy could scare a charging rhino.
“I always thought you were smart.”
Jane held up her fists. “I can take her.”
“She’s little but she’s mean.” He pushed the reading glasses on the top of his graying head and put the paper on the cypress wood porch. “Why’d you do it?”
Because she loved them. Because she could. Because she wanted them to enjoy life a little more. “I had a major payday.”
He narrowed his dark eyes at her. “Do I want to know?”
Pete knew what she did on the side. Back in his Army days’ he did some pretty classified shit so she knew if she needed to talk she could and it wouldn’t go any further. “I nabbed a really big bad guy.”
“How big?”
“My take was over eleven million dollars.”
He looked at her with respect. “You can buy me a car too.”
“What do you want?”
“A Rolls.”
She smiled. “I’ll buy you one if you retire.”
Panic crossed his mahogany colored face. “I can’t retire and be under her feet, your mama will kill me. You know I annoy her.” He picked up his newspaper and wrote in an answer. “The funny thing is that I’d be investigating my own homicide.”
Jane laughed.
“What else you do?”
She took care of everyone. Because she could. Her parents and her brothers and sisters were her world. Giving them an easier life was worth everything. “Paid off David’s mortgage and set his boy’s up with a trust. Set up college funds for Simon’s twins and paid off his house, sent up trusts for Kendra, Andre, and Ling, and when Marisol is official I’ll set up a trust for her. And if Addy takes in another stray, I’ll set them up too.” Because no one was sure if Pete and Addy were done with kids yet. There was always some kid that needed help and they were willing to give it. They were the best kind of people. She was so lucky to get them.
“You don’t have to do this. You know Addy is good with money.”
Her heart squeezed and she felt that big lump in her throat every time she realized how things could have gone for her. “You saved me. I know what it cost you.”
“You know we can’t talk about that.”
Who the hell was there to hear? “You have files of all your unsolved cases and still go over them, because it bothers you that you couldn’t get justice for those people. I know it killed you to let my mother’s murderer go unpunished because of who my grandfather was.”
He shook his head. “No it didn’t. I couldn’t let the CIA turn you over to your grandfather. I loved you before I got you home. Any man who could do that to his own child didn’t need to get his hands on you. We’re square. I don’t care what kind of badass ninja commando chick you are. You’re my baby girl. I got the better end of the deal.”
“We’re never going to be square.” Jane kissed his cheek. “Machiavellian.”
“What?”
“A thirteen letter word for expediency, deceit and cunning. Seven down.”
“I’m not to the down part yet.” He smacked her knee with the paper. “Go face your mama alone.”
She stood up. God she loved him. “I brought my Kevlar.”
“You’re going to need it.”
That was cool. “Oh I have a souvenir for you.” She handed him the three plain beige boxes.
He flipped the lid and then closed it quickly. “Are those what I think they are?”
She nodded. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“How did you--”
“I liberated them from a corrupt fascist regime so they could taste the sweet freedom of this glorious country. I was doing God’s work.”
“You’re a patriot.” Pete snickered.
“I am.” Jane got up and walked into the kitchen to see her mom standing over a boiling pot. Her nose told her it was gumbo. Tradition was that everyone showed up to Addy’s and Pete’s for Sunday lunch. Jane showed up early so Addy could get her ass chewing out of the way and they could get on with the rest of day. Baby Marisol was sitting in her highchair munching on carrots, she turned her head and squealed. Jane walked over to the baby.
“Did you think you could sneak up on me?” Addy lifted the spoon from the pot and banged it on the lip. She put it down and popped her hip against the granite kitchen counter.
She wasn’t that good. Jane took the baby out of the highchair and hugged her inhaling her sweet baby scent. “I like your new hair. You wear the braids well.”
“I could afford to get my hair done since I no longer have a house payment.”
“Win win.” Jane walked over and leaned over and kissed her caramel skinned forehead. “Don’t be mad.”
“What did you have to do this time?”
“I helped make the world a little safer.”
Her hazel eyes narrowed. “The more money you make the badder they are.”
Jane laughed. The op went by the numbers. “Actually it was one of the easiest job I ever had to do.”
“I heard you got shot at last night.”
Damn sometimes she hated that her dad was a cop. “Did Detective Swan call Pete?”
Addy rolled her eyes. “He asked a lot of questions about you. Pete said he’s in need of the right wife.”
Well shit, that ain’t me. She didn’t want to talk about Swan he was so not her type. Which was strange because he used to be. “So we’re not going to talk about the money?”
“Are you going to take it back?”
“Nope.”
Addy pursed her lips. “Why should I waste my time? I’ll be silently angry.”
“Cool.” I can handle that. “Actually Declan Shaw was shot at, I was just in the same room.”
“Is he okay?”
“He handled it better than I expected.”
“Disappointed?”
How did she tell her mom, she have a crush on a big bad rock star. “He’s not the ass I thought he'd be.”
“What about the other one?”
“Malcolm?” That’s one Addy really wanted to hear about. “He’s not the ass I needed him to be.”
“You like him?”
She did like what she knew about him, although he was trying to figure her out, but she had been politely evasive. “I don’t know if I’d go that far, but he seems okay. He’s a good friend to Declan.”
“Are you going to tell him who you are?”
At this moment no, but in five minutes that might change. “I’m conflicted.”
“In what way?”
When you had a mother who worked in the foster care system, she knew how to dissect a problem and make you talk whether you wanted to or not. “I’m jealous.”
“Why?”
Jane didn’t detect any judgment in Addy’s question. “I’m angry that Fox Elliot threw me and my mother away.”
“So it’s not Malcolm you're mad at, it’s your father.”
She leaned back on the counter. “I shouldn’t be mad at either of them. I have a great family. You and Pete love me. You kept me safe and made me the person I am. Who knows how I would have ended up if my bio dad was in my life. I could be some waste of space celebutant.”
“It’s okay to be mad at your father. It’s okay to like Malcolm, and you would still be you no matter who raised you.”
God she loved Addy. “How do you know the right thing to say?”
She shrugged. “I wing it.”
“We’re cool?”
She let out a long breath. “I don’t have to sell a kidney to pay for Kendra to go to Stanford, but I still don’t like that you didn’t ask me or your father first.”
She kissed her mother’s forehead. “Get over it.”
“I will… eventually.” Addy pointed to the back of the house. “Go take a nap, you look tired. Lunch will be ready in a couple of hours and you can tell Kendra the good news then.”
Jane smiled breathing a sigh of relief. She knew if Addy pressed the point she would have relented and taken back the money. She did feel better getting her feelings about Malcolm and Fox off her chest. In her logical mind, she knew Addy was right all those thoughts were okay, but she still had to deal with Malcolm and mostly she had to deal with her escalating attraction to Declan Shaw. That man was rocking her world and she didn’t like it one bit.