Healing Hearts 6: To Love Again Read online

  “Are you sure you’re all set for tomorrow?” he asked, and she grabbed the pillow and hit him with it.

  He widened his eyes, and she jumped up, only for him to tackle her gently to the rug. She laughed, and he lifted the T-shirt Houston had given her to wear and began to suck on her breasts then blow air bubbles on her belly. She slapped his shoulder rather hard, and he lifted up and narrowed his eyes at her. She gave him a mean look, and they both started laughing.

  Eagan came back into the room. He looked upset, and maybe angry.

  “Eagan, what’s wrong?” Houston asked, and Miller sat up, and so did Emma.

  “I’m going to head upstairs. I need to work on something.” He walked away.

  “Eagan.” When she said his name, Miller tapped her thigh.

  He looked at her. “Don’t.”

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “It has something to do with work, and he can’t tell you or us anything anyway. Let him be,” Houston said to her.

  “Obviously he’s upset. Maybe there is something we could do.” She stood up, and Miller did, as well, and grabbed her hand.

  “You will not ask him anything. You let him do what he has to do. As a woman to a soldier, you abide by rules and you’ll need to learn them.”

  She gulped. Little did they know that Westin had served for a few years, and he’d been shot during a mission. She almost lost him then, which made losing him for real three years later even more difficult to digest.

  “It’s getting late anyway, and I have this big event tomorrow and the client is a real huge pain in the—”

  Smack! “Ouch,” she exclaimed, covering her ass.

  “You were saying?” Miller asked.

  “You know, Miller, I can make tomorrow a living hell for you.”

  “And I can take you in that little office, lock the doors, and bend you over your desk and make you say yes sir as I spank and fuck you over it.”

  Her face flushed.

  “Oh, that sounds naughty and hot. I’d do it if I were you, Miller, bet you don’t got the balls.” Houston egged him on, and Emma gasped and smacked Houston’s arm.

  “Don’t encourage him or turn this into an immature brotherly dare.”

  Houston pulled her by the front of the T-shirt and kissed her hard on the mouth. A moment later he was carrying her upstairs and back to the bedroom.

  * * * *

  Eagan stood by the window and could hear his brothers making love to Emma. He wanted to go in there and join them, but his mind was so frazzled. He felt a mix of emotions. Anger, guilt, and confusion. He was angry that Carson and two other soldiers had been killed in that mission. Angry that the cocky Marine might not have followed Eagan’s training and directions. He felt guilty because he’d thought of tagging along, of helping out, and he knew he could have done it with just one call to the commander, but he was giving Carson a chance to show his capabilities just like his trainer had given him a chance many years ago. He was confused, as well. Confused about where his future lay, on whether he even wanted to continue to be active or retire. He thought about a future with Emma and the fact that she was so much younger. He wasn’t getting any younger and should grab onto her and hold on. He never felt so strongly about a woman, and he could see himself telling her about this situation, too. Her boyfriend had been a soldier and a cop, too. Would she compare him to that guy?

  He could hear them making love, and he didn’t want to cause a wedge between them all. He would deal with this like he did with anything having to do with the Marines, and he would process it his way. He walked out of the room and down the hallway to the bedroom. Emma was just getting off of Houston. Miller gave him a look then lipped, “Are you okay?”

  He nodded. “What do we have going on in here?” he asked, and Emma turned around. He could tell she wanted to ask if everything was okay, but he didn’t give her a chance. He lifted her up into his arms, kissed her hard on the mouth, and then lowered her to the bed. He would spend the rest of the night getting lost in her body and be thankful that he hadn’t gone on that mission but was safe here with Emma and his brothers, which was exactly where he belonged.

  * * * *

  Emma lay her head against Eagan’s chest. She’d taken a shower and the decision was made for her to remain at their place for the night. She would need to get up by five in order to go home, change, and then be at work on time. She ran her palm along his pectoral muscles and then along the American flag tattoo he had on his arm. She noticed he also had a tattoo with some kind of intricate design on his forearm, which was also filled with muscles.

  She kissed his shoulder, and he rolled toward her to look at her. Miler and Houston had gone to their rooms to shower and change.

  “You should be getting some rest.” He stared down into her eyes. She held his gaze.

  “Are you sure that you’re okay?” she asked him, and he looked away, leaned back, and exhaled, staring up at the ceiling. She knew that look. She remembered when Westin had been caught in a battle and had lost some of his fellow troops and gotten shot. It had been his final tour. The days and nights that followed were hard for him. He felt guilty for multiple reasons. For not being there to help continue the mission. For getting to go home when others had to stay and they’d been injured or killed, and being there and surviving while others died.

  “I want you to know that you can trust me and that I’m here for you if you need to talk.”

  “I don’t.”

  She exhaled. “I would understand, that’s all.” He looked at her. “You would understand? Why? Because your boyfriend was a soldier?”

  “Forget it. Just don’t hold it in. Whatever it is, be sure to talk to someone you can trust.”

  “What the hell. Do you think I would go hurt myself or something?”

  She sat up. She was wearing one of his T-shirts, a regular one in green. “What is with the attitude? All I’m saying is that I’m here.”

  “I appreciate that. I’m just not used to discussing anything with anyone.”

  “Ahh, the whole vulnerability hang-up. Got it.” She lay back down.

  He rolled halfway over her, almost crushing her, but leaned on his elbows. “I’m fine. I’m just used to not talking about this stuff. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately and this incident just validates the direction of my thoughts.”

  She held his gaze and stroked his sides. “What happened to upset you?”

  He looked away and then exhaled. “A troop of guys went in for a mission. I wasn’t sure several were ready, and one soldier, when I spoke to him before he went, he was cocky and threw shit in my face. Basically saying I wasn’t giving him his shot because I thought I was the best and no one could be better. Stupid shit. I warned him to not be cocky. Anyway, got word that he and a couple of other newer soldiers were killed.”

  “Oh no.”

  “Yeah. It’s never easy.”

  “Shit, Eagan, we’re sorry to hear that,” Houston said as he and Miller walked into the room.

  “That is never easy,” Miller added.

  “Well, it happened, and I just started to think about how I almost went along with them and what might or might not have happened and shit like that.”

  “You can’t think like that. You weren’t meant to go, plus you’ve been slowing down, too, with the missions,” Houston said, and she swallowed hard.

  “It’s hard to explain. I’ve been thinking of calling it quits entirely, you know retiring and being done with the danger and the missions.”

  “Seriously?” Miller asked, seeming shocked.

  “It’s time.” He held her gaze and kissed her nose. He lifted back up.

  “It isn’t easy to lose anyone, especially soldiers on a mission you felt you should have been part of,” she said to him.

  “It’s hard to explain.”

  “No, I get it.”

  He squinted at her, and she looked at him then Houston and Miller. Eagan lifted up, and she sat up on
the bed, and he did, as well. They were all gathered around her.

  “Westin was in the Marines for almost four years when he was on a mission with his team and was shot.”

  “Seriously?” Houston asked, and she nodded.

  “It was scary as anything. I remember being so relieved that he lived and then his way of processing things was having to leave the service. He worried about the rest of his troop and felt guilty not being there to help finish the mission. He felt guilty for living when others didn’t. He even felt guilty for retiring and then going into the police department. But he was too young, and he had his whole life ahead of him. He loved being in law enforcement. When he was killed, it was a high-profile case. There was an investigation, and the media was involved, so you can just imagine the stress and the emotions.”

  “Of course. How did you handle it all? You have family?” Houston asked her.

  She shook her head. “I don’t have any family. Westin was my everything. I had his parents and family and, of course, his best friend and partner who was there when Westin was shot.”

  “Who is that?”

  “Martin.”

  “The friend from New York? That’s the guy who kept calling you after the abduction?” Miller asked her.

  “Yes. He’s just a good friend.”

  “He was there when Westin was killed?” Eagan asked.

  “Held his hand and waited for paramedics. Told me Westin told him to tell me he loved me. I held on to that information, and it helped me to get through the tragedy.”

  “Is that why you left New York?” Miller asked her.

  “I couldn’t handle the reminders, the city life, and the news talking about it constantly. I started to feel differently about the city, and I pretty much figured that I would never really be with anyone else ever again.”

  Miller squeezed her knee. “We changed all that.”

  “You sure did.”

  “I think I’m done, too. I’m getting older, and the adrenaline rush, the danger is just not so appealing anymore. Seems like there’s more important things to focus on and build upon,” Eagan said and then leaned forward and kissed her.

  “I can get used to nights like these. With Emma between us, and us filling Emma up with cock,” Miller said.

  She gave his arm a slap. “You better be on your best behavior tomorrow, Miller, or else.”

  “If you think I won’t make it known that you’re my woman, you have another think coming.”

  She laughed. “I haven’t even told my friends,” she whispered as they began to tuck her into bed. Eagan moved right beside her and pulled her back into his arms.

  “They know. Believe me, they know,” Houston said, and they chuckled.

  She snuggled up close to them and exhaled. “I get the feeling I won’t want to leave the safety of your arms by morning.”

  “Just think, we have all weekend, and we can sleep in Saturday and Sunday,” Miller told her.

  “Not all of us,” Houston said.

  “We’ll have to meet Houston at Gordon’s,” Eagan told her.

  “I don’t know about going back there quite yet.”

  “What? You’re going back there. In fact everyone is going to know you as my woman, and don’t worry about those women. Rocky told them they were never allowed there again.”

  “Rocky said that?” Miller asked.

  “Seems he really took a liking to Emma. Told me not to screw things up,” Houston said.

  “Smart man,” she said, and Houston gave her ass a pinch under the covers, and she cuddled closer to Eagan.

  She definitely could get used to nights like this one and for a lifetime.

  * * * *

  Ice was locking up the office and heading to meet Casey, Ranger, Roman, and Frankie at Corporal’s when his cell phone rang. He read the caller I.D. and smiled.

  “Hey, to what do I owe this pleasure, Detective Fountine?” he asked and heard the chuckle.

  “That’s special investigator now.”

  “Oh pardon me. How is it going, Felix?”

  “Things are good. Got a lot of stuff going on and working in a specialized unit. How are your brothers and that beautiful woman you guys snagged?”

  “All is well, and Casey is definitely a lot better now. So what’s up? Why are you really calling?”

  He heard the chuckle. “Got a case I’ve been working on, and some names came up. As I dug for more information, it turns out the girlfriend of a cop that was killed suspiciously in the line of duty several years ago is living in Mercy. I just wanted to check in and see if you might know who she is, who she hangs out with, and if she has had any visitors?”

  “Is she in some kind of danger?”

  “Not that I can tell. It’s more precautionary. It’s complicated. I was hoping to keep things on the down low. I understand that you’re good friends with the chief of police.”

  “Caden? Sure thing. Who is the woman? Maybe I know her.”

  “Oh, you know her. It’s Emma Grace.”

  “What?”

  Ice listened as Felix explained about Emma’s boyfriend, how he’d been a soldier, and became a cop, then was killed in the line of duty. He talked about the media coverage and about the ongoing investigation.

  “So she isn’t a suspect in anything?”

  “No. If anything, a victim. We believe her boyfriend was murdered, but I can’t get into the details. Like I said confidentiality, and I know I can trust you.”

  “You sure can. What can I do to help?”

  “Well, put me in contact with the chief. If your girlfriend is good friends with Emma, perhaps you’ll know if she gets any visitors or if anything suspicious is going on.”

  “I can try to help as much as possible. She’s a sweet young woman. In fact, she’s seeing a few good buddies of mine.”

  “Really?”

  “You sound surprised, Felix.”

  “Just confused. Her boyfriend’s best friend and partner has kept in touch with her. He kept really close when the boyfriend died.”

  “He was a partner and a best friend, probably giving moral support.”

  “You’ve seen Emma Grace. My guess is he was trying to move in on her, but she left New York.”

  Ice had a bad feeling in his gut.

  “I can keep an eye on things. I’ll call you if I catch wind of anything.”

  “That would be great. In the interim I’ll need to talk to Caden.”

  “I will call him now and then send you his number.”

  “Thanks, Ice. Talk to you soon.”

  Ice ended the call, and he felt uneasy about the conversation. Could Emma be in danger? He quickly dialed Caden’s number.

  “Hey, Ice, what’s going on?”

  Ice explained the situation.

  “I don’t like the sound of this at all.”

  “Neither do I.”

  “You trust this guy, Felix?”

  “He isn’t dirty. He’s a good cop and he’s making a name for himself.”

  “Did he say what special unit?”

  “Nope.”

  “Okay, give him my cell number. He can call me now, and I’ll see what I can get.”

  “Okay, together we’ll keep an eye on Emma.”

  “Maybe tell Eagan if need be.”

  “We’ll wait to see. I’m actually meeting Emma, Casey, my brothers, Eagan, and Houston at Corporal’s tonight. Miller will be late. Hopefully it’s nothing but precaution.”

  “Exactly.”

  Chapter 6

  Martin had everything all planned out. He’d already shipped boxes to a storage facility in South Carolina and put them under Emma’s name. He was just waiting on the last job with Bosen and Dixen, and then he could recover in South Carolina with Emma fussing over him while he charmed her into bed. It was coming together perfectly. All loose ends were tied, or at least the ones that could pull him under and end his career. The funeral for Costano had been yesterday, and of course, there had been Internal A
ffairs and federal agents there, all looking around, seeing who was in attendance.

  Martin remained straight-faced and not wanting to talk to anyone. He even spent an extra couple of minutes by the grave site and shook Costano’s father’s hand. He bit his lip, not letting the guy know his son was a corrupt fuckup. He would find out soon enough. Martin had planted evidence that linked Costano to Westin’s murder, as well as two other police officers working undercover that had nearly blown Martin’s involvement over the years. Yeah, it was all coming together nicely.

  He had to meet up with one of Bosen’s guys, one of the men who’d been at the warehouse a couple of weeks ago. He would be the one to shoot Martin so he could get out of the job, out of the NYPD and go live his fantasy with Emma. Goddamn he missed her. He knew she looked good, even more beautiful and mature than the last time he’d seen her. Virginal despite the fact that she wasn’t, but she had only been with Westin, so that was fine with him.

  Martin gave Emma a call. It was Friday night. He knew she had a big event at the hotel during the day so he hadn’t called her until now. It rang and rang, and when she finally picked up, he could hear the music and loud voices. He hadn’t mistaken what he heard as she said hello.

  “Sorry, Martin, I’m at Corporal’s, and it’s so loud in here. They’re doing a fundraiser for a firefighter who got hurt last week in a fire. What’s going on?”

  Then he heard the male voice. “Baby, don’t go too far. I like you nice and close.”

  “I need to take this and don’t be silly.”

  “Who was that?” he asked, feeling instantly jealous and pissed off.

  “Oh, a friend of mine.”

  “Sounds like more than a friend. You seeing someone and didn’t tell me?” he asked, and she was silent a moment.

  “Hold up, I’m taking this outside.”

  He started to pace outside of his unmarked car.

  Fuck, fuck, fuck, I waited too long. Bosen and Dixen cost me losing Emma to some dick. Fuck.

  “Sorry about that. What’s going on, Martin? How are you?”