A Little Harmless Secret (12 page)

“It’s all starting to make sense now.”

“Now, there’s something you’re not telling me about my house.”

“I should have known you would pick up on that.”

“Of course. I knew you and Micah both were lying.”

“I didn’t lie.”

Oh, the arrogance of men. They always seemed to think they could leave things out and she would just ignore it. First her father and now Devon. She needed information, even if it was bad.

“You just didn’t tell me?” She settled her hands on her hips. “That’s a lie of omission.”

He tapped his fingers against the glass. She knew he was coming up with some other diversion to get her off the topic. Her stomach clenched. If he was really worried about telling her, it must have been something really, really bad.

“There wasn’t much damage.”

“You said that.”

“The only thing we found was a bullet hole in your pillow.” She was just getting that assimilated in her head when he continued. “And, there was one in Bridget’s pillow.”

For a moment, she said nothing. Her heart had almost stuttered to a stop as she tried to come to terms with what he just told her.

“You know what this means, don’t you?” he asked.

She looked up at him. “They know about my daughter now.”

“Yeah,
our
daughter has a big red target on her back.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Devon was up before dawn. It wasn’t something he did that often.

Strike that. He was sometimes up before dawn, but mainly because he hadn’t gone to bed.

Once a hacker, always a hacker.

He smiled as he sipped his coffee and walked out to the lanai. Soft waves were lapping at the small dock at the end of his property. He set his cup on the table and settled back in the chair. As he watched the sun peek up over the horizon, Devon decided he needed to rethink his views on early morning rituals.

He’d hoped to get some sleep, but he had failed. Exhausted, he had fallen asleep quickly only to awake less than two hours later. His brain was still drenched with the memories. Hell, he could still taste her essence and hear her moans.

His cock lengthened. Fuck. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. As soon as he did, images of having her in his bed washed over him. Damn. The woman was in his life again for less than a week and he couldn’t control himself.

“How ridiculous is it that this is your view every morning?” Ali said from behind him.

She was wearing a simple blue shirt and a pair of jean shorts. Her feet were bare. He’d barely gotten himself back under control, and he had to deal with this. He turned to look at her and felt another surge of heat roll through him. He thanked the Lord she was looking out at the bay and not at him. Drawing in a deep breath, he turned around.

“Very, but I don’t live here all the time. I bought this to be near Dee. We spent enough time apart.”

“And because you’re an uncle now,” she said, taking the seat next to his. He noticed she had a cup of coffee also. “Family is really important. I get that.”

She was letting him know she equated her duplicity to his need to be near Dee. In a way, he could understand it. When he thought Dee was in danger, he’d kidnapped her. He would do it again in a heartbeat. Family
was
important.

“How’s Bridget?”

She smiled. “Still sleeping. I think it was a bit overwhelming for her.”

“The granddaughter and daughter of a master spy is overwhelmed?”

He felt her glance. “I’m hardly a master spy.”

“I could have been talking about myself.”

She laughed and there it was again. That happy sound moved through him. It did more to tangle up his libido than any words could. He knew that most of the time, she saved her happiness for Bridget. Their little girl was too happy not to have spent time with a mother who showed joy. The sound of her laughter was like a drug.

“Not bloody likely. Let’s remember, you didn’t finish training.”

Why did she need to keep bringing that up? “And you did.”

She looked out at the bay, avoiding eye contact. He didn’t know if she was uncomfortable with the questioning or him. Or both.

“I lived it. From the time I was twelve.”

“Not from birth.”

Her smile dimmed. “No. Before my mother…died…we lived a normal life. Well, normal for a two spy household. After that, my father became focused on keeping me safe.”

Before he could ask her more, the sound of small feet came smacking against the wood stopped him. It was one he knew from the times Alana had spent the night with him.

“Mummy,” Bridget yelled, a laugh bubbling out of her throat. “There you are.”

As she ran toward them, her hair flew behind her. Innocent abandonment. Not matter how irritated he was with Ali not telling him about Bridget, he knew she had done an excellent job on raising their daughter. Even after everything they had been through in the last couple of days, Bridget looked fearless.

She launched herself at Ali, who caught her without blinking an eye. He’d watched Dee learn the ins and outs of parenthood and knew it was an acquired skill. Especially without a full cup of coffee.

“Of course, I’m right here.” She set the girl on her feet then smiled. “Did you have good dreams?”

“Yes. Lots.” She looked at Devon. “Good morning.”

He nodded and tried to think of something to say. It was all still too new to him. In the end, he did nothing more than smile.

“Did you use the potty?” Ali asked.

“Yes.”

“Hungry?”

“Yes!” Then she turned and ran into the house. Devon looked at Ali, who shook her head.

“Is she always like this in the morning?” Devon asked.

“Yes. Even when she was a baby. She was always an early riser. And a happy one. It was very hard to deal with.”

He chuckled as he stood and followed Ali into the house in search of their daughter.

Their daughter
.

He still didn’t know what to say about that. Or feel. She’d kept his daughter from him, but there had been extenuating circumstances.

“Do you think Mr. Stryker has waffles?”

“I’m not sure, because I asked him to get us oatmeal.”

Bridget frowned. “I really want waffles.”

Ali laughed again. “Okay, but I am not sure he has them, so you have to ask him. Nicely.”

Bridget looked around her mother and smiled at him. Two little dimples winked at him. She was such a delightful mixture of both their features. Her joyous spirit reminded him of Dee. And she was his.

The air backed up in his lungs as his head spun.

“Devon,” Ali said, turning to face him. She was frowning. “Are you okay?”

He nodded, but the room started to revolve. She walked over to him and touched his arm.

“I’m sorry. I don’t need waffles,” Bridget said; rushing forward, worry darkening her blue eyes.

He shook his head. “You can have waffles. I keep some frozen ones for when Alana spends the night. They’re in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator.”

Bridget smiled.

He looked at Ali, who had an understanding expression on her face. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Devon nodded. Then sat at the breakfast bar. Ali looked at him for a moment longer, but Bridget demanded attention and she turned to help her daughter. They giggled and chatted. Devon sat there, with the morning sun streaming into the kitchen, and enjoyed the view of his child and her mother interacting.

* * * *

Alicia watched Devon as he and Bridget sat together eating breakfast. She knew he had been stunned by something before, but she didn’t have the heart to grill him. The bare emotion she had witnessed told her all she needed to know. Devon wasn’t a threat, never had been. And she had kept his daughter from him.

“Mummy, is there something wrong?” Bridget asked.

Devon turned to look at her. Dammit. The love of her life was just too perceptive for a four-year-old. Considering her parents, it wasn’t something that should have surprised her, but it didn’t make it any easier to deal with.

“I’m fine, poppet. I think I have some jet lag.”

“What’s that?”

“When you travel, sometimes you don’t feel that well for a few days.”

“Oh.” She went back to eating her breakfast.

“Are you sure?” Devon asked.

She nodded and went to pour herself another cup of coffee.

“So, what do you do for a job?” Bridget asked.

“I invent games.”

“Do you mean like Chutes and Ladders and Candyland?”

“In a way. But I do them on the computer.”

“I like the computer, but Mummy only lets me stay on it for a little bit. She says it will rot my brain.”

The last part was interjected with Bridget’s impression of her mother’s accent. Her face heated.

“Is that a fact?” he asked.

“Yes. She says observ…what do you call it, Mummy?”

She turned and faced the two of them. Devon was smiling.

“Yes, what do you call it, Mummy?”

Bridget giggled. “She’s not your mummy.”

“He’s just being silly, Bridget.”

“You still haven’t answered the question,” Devon said.

“Observation.”

“That’s right,” Bridget said around a mouth full of waffles. “Mummy says that is more important to develop than sitting at a computer playing stupid games.”

Devon looked like he was trying his best not to laugh. “Oh, is that a fact?”

“Yes.”

He looked at Alicia, that sexy smile curving his lips, and she blinked. Her body felt as if it were on fire. All of the sudden, images of that smile as he looked down on her while they’d been in bed came rushing back to her. Her face turned even hotter.

“I have to agree with your mother, kid. Observing is definitely better than the imagination sometimes.”

Dammit. He was making her hot and bothered just by looking at her. His gaze swept over her body, and she could swear it felt as if he touched her. And in front of her daughter.

She crossed her arms over her breasts. “I was thinking we could pick up a swimsuit today for Bridget.”

Some of his humor faded. “Sorry, but we have a meeting with Conner this morning. You know, I could probably call Dee and she could pick you something up.”

Alicia wanted to argue with him, but she knew it was probably for the best. It was hard for her to accept, but she was going to be forced to rely on other people. She nodded.

“If we are going to have a meeting, I better make myself presentable. Are you done, poppet?”

“I can keep an eye on her.”

She hesitated, not because she didn’t trust him, but because she wasn’t quite sure he knew what he was getting into.

“Are you sure?”

He nodded. “I’ve handled Alana and she is a handful, so I am pretty sure I can handle Bridget.”

“Okay. Tell you what,” she said to Bridget. “Why don’t we go upstairs and you can get dressed? Then you can meet Devon back down here.”

“Okay.” She turned to look at Devon. “I’ll be right back.”

He stood and helped her down. As they walked away, Alicia knew he watched them. She could feel his gaze boring into her back. But, for the first time in a long time, she felt comforted by the attention. It had been a long time since she’d had someone watch her back.

* * * *

Devon grabbed his fishing pole as he and Bridget walked out onto the lanai. Before moving to Hawaii, he had never really fished. Being the geek he was, he didn’t spend a lot of time outdoors. He’d found the pole at the house one day and spent time on the dock. He hadn’t caught a thing, but it had given him time to think out a problem with a new program he was working on.

“Are there a lot of fish in the water?” Bridget asked.

“Not sure. I don’t catch much.”

“Oh,” she said, sounding disappointed. “I hope Dee comes soon with my new bathing suit. I really like to swim.”

He nodded as they walked side by side down the dock. He helped her sit down, then took the spot next to her.

“Dee said she would be here soon, and I think there is a good chance Alana is coming with her.”

“Yay. I don’t get to spend much time with other girls.”

He would love to read Ali the riot act about that, but considering the situation, there was a reason. She had been doing everything right to keep their daughter safe.

“So, what do you do to fish?”

He smiled down at her, then turned his attention to the pole. He set it in the water.

“This is it.”

Bridget said nothing for a few minutes. He had a few nibbles, but nothing really came up and took hold.

He looked at Bridget, who was scanning the area. She looked so much like her mother at that moment it was a bit uncanny.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking. I might not get to stay here long and I want to remember it all.”

That seemed a little mature for her age, but there was a good chance she had a near genius IQ. Plus, living with someone who was hyper conscious of her surroundings probably caused Bridget to be a little more observant.

“I’ll tell you what.”

“What?”

“You can come back here anytime you want. You and your mommy.”

The moment the words were out of his mouth, he realized how true they were. He did want a relationship, especially with his daughter. Her mother…he wasn’t sure of that yet.

“Really?” she asked.

“Sure, I have more than enough—oof.”

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.

“I would love that more than anything.”

“So, you like Hawaii now?”

She leaned back. “Yes, and Alana and you.”

He blinked and realized his eyes were burning. She was smiling, at him, that big grin and right then and just like that, his heart tumbled out of his chest and fell with a splat against the dock. He brushed his hand over golden hair, realizing he had just fallen in love with his little girl.

* * * *

Alicia watched the scene out at the dock. She was too far away to hear what they were saying, but she knew it had been important. Each moment longer they spent with Devon, the more attached he was getting to their daughter. She waited for the panic to set in. Since birth, she had kept Bridget a secret from everyone in her life, even her cousin Millie. She thought it would be best not to let anyone know there was the most precious piece of her running around in the world. If they had killed her father, they wouldn’t hesitate killing Bridget.