Mercy's Angels Box Set (79 page)

“Who’s Braiden?” Phillip asked as the doctor quickly set up the paints before us.

“Dillon’s cousin. Charlie says he’s a badass ninja.”

I chuckled—I couldn’t help myself—and Eli smiled, proud to have drawn the amusement out of me. That was our Eli, always trying to crack the carefully controlled shell of an adult.

“Wow, your mom’s friends sound pretty cool.”

Eli looked up at his father, a little bit of confusion in his furrowed brow.

“They’re my friends, too, so is Jax and Ella and Rebecca and Emily and Bomber and Larz and Gabbie. Dillon was a soldier and he owns a place that rescues people and protects people. They all look after Mom and me.”

Phillip’s smile vanished, and I was surprised by the curiosity I saw in his eyes. As Eli began painting with nonchalance only a child could manage, Phillip kept nervously looking my way, an almost pensive expression on his face. The rest of the visit was painfully uncomfortable, and Eli was well and truly ready to go well before the two hours were up. With twenty minutes to spare, Phillip suggested we should bring the meeting to an end. Eli offered his dad a reluctant hug before we turned for the door to the doctor’s office.

“Dillon, is it?” I stilled and turned to glance at Phillip over my shoulder. “Could I have a quick word with you, in private?” There was no way I was going to make Eli wait outside the room while Phillip tried to throw the father card in my face.

“Doc, maybe you could wait with Eli by the door while we have a quick word over there.” I nodded toward a window at the back of the room. The doctor smiled and took Eli’s hand as I slowly made my way around the furniture to join Phillip. I wasn’t sure what he wanted, but I was already on the defensive, my eyes sharp and watching his every move, my back straight, my chin high. I had dealt with scarier fuckers than Phillip Lonergan in my days; there was no way he was going to intimidate me.

We stood before each other, me still but ready for action. Phillip, however, was nervous as hell, sweat beading his forehead, his hands constantly fidgeting.

“Are they safe?” he murmured. At first, I wasn’t sure if I had heard him correctly, and when I realized I had, I was stuck in a state of shock. It hadn’t been what I was expecting. Phillip seemed suddenly submissive and uncertain, not at all like the hard man who had walked through the door almost two hours ago. “Eli said you have a business that protects people. Can you protect them?”

“I own a security business that specializes in retrieve and rescue, and I have a task force of highly skilled operatives under my command, but even if I didn’t, they’d still be safe with me. I would give my life before seeing a single hair on either of their heads hurt.” I expected Phillip to look at least contrite, but he didn’t; if anything, he seemed relieved. “Is there a reason they need protection, Phillip?” My voice was low and calm, but Phillip obviously heard the threat as his nervous gaze jumped to mine.

“I’m not there for them. I just wanted to make sure someone was.” He nodded his head as if satisfied and began to walk away. It didn’t miss my attention that he hadn’t really answered my question. I watched Eli’s hand grip the doctor’s a little tighter as Phillip walked by them. “Be good for your momma,” he murmured as he left the room. I wasn’t sure what I expected from Phillip, but his erratic behavior had left me confused. His question relating to Annie and Eli’s safety bugged me. I wasn’t sure it if was nothing more than genuine concern or a warning.

“That was fantastic. Phillip really needed to re-establish the bond he was missing with his son. This will do wonders for him.” The doctor’s enthusiastic voice broke into my thoughts and pissed me the hell off.

“Do you expect it to do wonders for his son and his ex-wife, or is that something you didn’t take into consideration?”

Her smile fell, and her shoulders pressed back. “Of course I thought of them, too. They need this reconnection to move forward, especially Eli; he deserves to know his father.”

I pushed the door open which led out into a busy waiting room. “Eli, just wait over there by the water cooler.” Eli hesitated for only a moment before moving to the cooler that stood right by the receptionist’s desk, then I turned to pin a hard stare on the doctor.

“If you had given a moment’s consideration to Eli or his mom, you might have decided to speak to one of them before forcing Eli to sit in a room with a man he is afraid of. The last two times Eli has seen his father he has been in a full blown manic episode. He beat his wife so badly she still carries the scars and during the last episode, he threatened to abduct Eli, and tried to choke his babysitter to death, so you can appreciate that left them both with issues as far as that man is concerned. If Phillip requests to see his son again and Eli objects, you can bet your ass I will fight any court order you try and shove in our faces. I have enough money and connections to win that kind of fight. Understood?” The doctor held my stare, her chin stuck stubbornly forward. I nodded, satisfied she understood me completely, then turned to take Eli’s hand.

“Mr. Montgomery?”

I glanced back over my shoulder.

“I should have had a little more sensitivity towards Mrs. Longergan and Eli’s situation, for that I apologize. If Phillip makes another request to see Eli, we’ll discuss it first, okay?”

I gave her a nod before turning my back and leaving. As soon as we left the building, Eli’s entire body seemed to relax and his smile returned. Sitting in my car, he chattered about anything but the visit with his father, his usual charisma back in place. The return of his positive mood helped me relax a little.

“You okay with seeing your dad today?” I asked when he paused long enough for me to get the question in.

Eli shrugged. “It was alright.” He glanced down at the baseball and gloves at his feet. “I don’t have to go there again, do I?”

“You don’t want to?” I wondered out loud.

“Not really. I just want to stay with Mom, but if I have to go again, will you come with me?”

“Always.”

“How long before Little League starts?”

And just like that, the conversation took a sharp turn away from his father. Annie might have feared that Phillip would sweep in and capture his son’s affection and devotion, but she shouldn’t have doubted Eli’s love for her. Nothing would separate Eli from his mom.

“How was your dad?” I’d been hedging around the question since Dillon had picked me up from the mall. Eli had been filled with conversation that was clearly void of anything to do with his father. I hadn’t even had a moment to ask Dillon how it went. All he had managed to give me was a smile and nod, and a promise to ‘talk later’. Now, as I buttoned up Eli’s jammies, his dark brown eyes watched me carefully.

“It was okay,” he murmured.

I sat back on my haunches. “Just okay? It must have been pretty cool for you to come home covered in so much paint.” My words sounded far lighter than they felt. Eli shrugged and his mouth opened and shut as he hesitated with his words. “You can tell me anything, Bean. You know that, right? I won’t be mad; I promise.” Eli didn’t even admonish my slip with calling him Bean which had me worried.

“Are you going to send me to live with Dad?” My heart ached at the amount of worry in his question.

“Do you want to live with your dad?” I asked carefully.

There was no hesitation in the solemn shake of his head.

“Then you don’t have to. I’m not going to force you to do something you don’t want to do. Your dad might want to see you again, though, is that okay?”

He thought about it for a moment. “Can Dillon go with me again?”

I nodded. “If you want him to be there, he’ll be there.”

“If Dillon comes with me, I’ll see him, but I don’t want to live with him.” My eyes filled with tears but I didn’t dare let a single one drop. Instead I smiled and tickled his tummy.

“That’s good, because I want you to live with me, forever!”

“Forever?” Eli laughed, trying to push my hands away. “Even when I get married?”

My tickling abruptly stopped. “Is there something you’re not telling me, Eli Lonergan? Do you have a girlfriend you haven’t told me about?”

Eli scrunched up his nose. “Ewwwww, girls are gross!”

“I’m going to remind you of that when you’re a teenager,” I promised him.

We left the steamy warmth of the bathroom and made our way back into the motel room. Dillon was sitting on the tiny, worn sofa in front of the equally tiny TV. He seemed reluctant to leave us tonight, and I was reluctant to ask him to. Truth was, his presence was soothing and filled me with a sense of tranquillity that only Dillon could generate. I had barely slept a wink the previous night; a combination of fear and worry had me staring at the faded grey walls for hours.

Eli climbed up into the bed and slid under the covers. “Dillon, can I play on your phone for a bit?”

Dillon pulled his phone from his back pocket and joined Eli on the bed. I glanced from the couch back to the bed. I was exhausted and the heat from the shower had lulled my body into complete relaxation. Finally, my body won out, and I climbed into the bed, Dillon on one side, me on the other, and Eli in the middle. As I snuggled into the familiar warmth of Eli, I glanced across his little form to see Dillon watching me, a hunger in his eyes that I hadn’t seen before. Oh, I knew he had some feelings for me and he had of course asked me out on a date before today. This hunger was different, though; it was intense, it was loud, it was deep, it was thick, it was everything and so much more than I ever imagined possible. My arm slid across Eli’s chest protectively, and Dillon didn’t hesitate to take my hand and pull it the extra distance so it rested on his chest, his own hand blanketing mine. I would have taken a moment or two to revel in the intimacy, even with an eight-year-old between us, but my exhaustion quickly dragged me under. My eye lids fluttered shut, and I slipped into darkness.

***

On the cusp of sleep and wakefulness, I heard Dillon move quietly from the bed and the bathroom door clicked softly shut. I had opened my sleepy eyes at some stage during the night and realized he was still in bed with us, fast asleep. His presence filled my heart and left me feeling content and safe. The sun was still early on the horizon, the soft light slipping through the curtains, hinting that dawn had not long passed. Eli was still in a deep sleep, the slow rise and fall of his tiny chest proof of his restfulness. When the toilet flushed, I quickly threw my legs over the side of the bed and made my way towards the bathroom door. I hadn’t had a chance to quiz Dillon on Eli’s visit with his father, and once Eli was awake, any further chances would be gone until he was asleep again tonight. And I couldn’t wait that long.

Pressing my ear to the bathroom door, I could hear the gentle splash of water from a faucet. I gave two short soft knocks before pushing the door open and slipping in, leaving the door open a crack so I could hear if Eli woke. I slowly turned from the door to face Dillon who stood with his back to me before the sink. He glanced at me from the mirror and arched a brow. My heart stuttered in my chest, and my eyes dropped to the wide expanse of his naked shoulders. Dillon still wore his jeans, which sat low on his lean hips, but he had discarded his shirt at some stage during the night, and holy shirtless wonder, Batman. The only time I had ever seen Dillon without his shirt on, was in the Calender he posed for, raising money for Mercy’s Shelter. Curiously enough, July had quickly become my favorite month. My mouth felt thick and dry, and my head clouded with shameless desire. Seeing him up close and personal in this half naked state was a moment that took my breath away; the bronzed skin would have been flawless if it weren’t for the small puckered scar high on his back. It’s where he had been shot while attempting to save Ella from her deranged stepfather almost two years ago. I knew the story well but had never witnessed the physical burden he carried. As he reached for a towel to dry his face, the muscles in his shoulders coiled and bunched with the movement. Slowly turning to face me, I found myself sinking back against the wall, my eyes glued to the perfect coils of roped muscle across his taut stomach and the smooth skin of his wide chest. When my eyes eventually reached the stubbled jaw of his chin, and finally his eyes, Dillon was smiling with a mischievous glint. He glanced to the shower then back to me.

“You want to take a shower with me, sweetheart?” The underlying amusement in his words didn’t detract from the seductive offer, and I found my own eyes crossing to the shower as I allowed myself a moment to contemplate doing such a thing. When I looked back to Dillon, the amusement was replaced with surprise. “I sure didn’t expect you to consider that,” he murmured. “Careful, Annie, you keep looking at me like that and I might not ask next time. I’ll just drag that sweet little body in there and have my wicked way with you.” I licked my lips at the thought of tracing rivulets of water over his perfect body, and Dillon groaned, closing his eyes as his head fell backwards. His hands clutched at the sink behind him in a tight grip that caused the muscles in his arms to bunch. “You’re determined to test my resolve this morning, Annie.”

“I’m not the one standing around half naked,” I murmured. Dillon smiled as his gaze returned to mine.

“You followed me in here, Sunshine. You’re lucky I’m not completely naked.” His head tilted to one side. “Or is that what you were hoping for?”

I rolled my eyes. “No, King Arrogance, I wanted to talk to you before Eli woke up.”

Dillon grinned. “About the possibility of taking a shower with me?”

“No,” I said with a smile, unable to not enjoy his playful banter. “About Eli’s visit with his father yesterday.” His smile faltered for only a moment, and his grip on the sink loosened, his arms crossing in front of him. Leaning against the counter, jeans sitting low—and unbuttoned—he looked the vision of male temptation.

“You sure? ‘Cause you’re looking at me like you want to eat me.”

I felt the blush all the way to my toes. “Stop distracting me. Eli’s going to wake soon.”

“Fine, fine, ask your questions, then we can come back and talk about the shower after.”

I chuckled and caught a glimpse of my own reflection.

“Typical, you climb from bed as if you’re ready to hit the town, and I look like a bird nested in my hair during the night.” I tried to gather my knots into some resemblance of control.

“You look beautiful. The only thing you’re missing is the glow of sexual gratification on those cheeks, which we’ll have to work on.” His words stumped me for a moment.

“How did the visit go, really?” I asked, more than a little distracted.

“Nice subject change.” Dillon smiled. “The visit went well,” he continued, giving me a reprieve from his sexual teasing. “Phillip came in looking more than a little nervous, but that quickly changed to a man on the defensive, ready posture and posed in an effort to prove himself as Eli’s father. It didn’t take long for him to see the genuine fear his son had of him, and when Eli told him all about me and Braiden and our friends in Claymont, I think Phillip was both ashamed and genuinely pleased that you have people who care about you and are looking after you.”

I cringed at the thought of Eli telling Phillip about our new home. In the first six months of having moved to Claymont, Phillip tracked Eli and me down. He came looking for us and knocked the door of our apartment clean off in an attempt to get to Eli. I had been working late that night, and Ella had been looking after Eli. With all the thought and composure of a woman who had played this game before, she hid Eli in the bathroom cabinet and confronted Phillip on her own. In a rage, Phillip had demanded Ella place a call and have Eli returned to him immediately. Her quick thinking saved both her and Eli that night; Ella called ex-soldier Jaxon Carter on the pretense that she was phoning Eli’s babysitter, and Jax turned up just in time to prevent Phillip from doing any real damage. Eli and I had moved from that apartment a week later; fear and memories had tainted it. Since then, I had taken every precaution to prevent Phillip from finding out where we lived. The apartment complex, thanks to Jax and Dillon’s scrutiny, was modern, clean, and most importantly, secure.

“I got the impression that Philip has come to peace with losing you and Eli and that he genuinely wants to try and repair the damage he has done, at least where his son is concerned. I would imagine, if you gave him the chance, he would be asking for your forgiveness, too.”

My arms wrapped around my middle in an attempt to ward off the memories that threatened to consume me. “I can’t give him that,” I whispered.

Dillon nodded with understanding. I wondered, though, if Phillip would actually use the word ‘sorry’. It was a word that Phillip had never used when we were married. His remorse was rarely acknowledged; he was far too proud a man to admit he might have been wrong, and following a manic episode, once his medication had evened his mood out, he was left in a state of flat-out misery. I almost felt guilty for forcing him to see doctors and take his meds.

“He said he was sorry?” I finally asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

“No, but he didn’t try to hide his guilt and shame.” It surprised me. Phillip was not a man to show guilt or shame, and at the same time, knowing it left me feeling strangely despondent. I had never demanded an apology from Phillip; a part of me actually didn’t believe he owed me one, but for some reason, I found myself wanting one. The room filled with silence. “Maybe now is a good time for that shower,” Dillon suggested. I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. The man was, if anything, determined.

“I couldn’t agree with you more,” I murmured, brazenly admiring his body while trying to ignore the slightly shocked look on his face. I stepped forward and boldly ran a hand down his arm to his hand. His skin was warm and smooth, everything I imagined it would be. I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door. With his strained biceps under my small hands, I turned him and pushed him out of the room. “Eli will be up soon. There is cereal in his bag and milk in the fridge.” I winked before closing the door on his shocked face. I had no idea where that moment of bravery came from, but I liked it. It made me feel alive, invincible, and seductive—all the things I had not felt in far too long.

With a little smile and inward pat on the back, I reached into the shower and turned on the water. Imagining Dillon in here with me, under the water, naked, my heart raced and my body shivered with awareness. I had it bad, and no matter how many times I tried to deny it, Dillon Montgomery had systematically found a way into my heart. My heart, which I had been so determined to keep closed off in an effort to protect me and my son. I couldn’t give him all of it, though; I just didn’t have that kind of trust in me anymore. But whatever I did have, it was Dillon’s.