CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“Will you marry me?”
“What? Are you nuts? We just met a few weeks ago!”
“I know it seems crazy, Jenny. But these last couple of weeks have been life-changing for me. As ludicrous as it sounds, I’ve known since the second I laid eyes on you, that you’re the woman for me.” Adam was on one knee, holding up a little blue box with the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen.
“I…I…I don’t know what to say.” Tears filled her eyes, and she pressed her hands against her cheeks, trying to hold in the panic.
He stood and grabbed her into a hug. “You don’t have to say anything right now, sweetheart. I’m sorry I put you on the spot.”
He leaned back and kissed away the tears that were falling slowly. “I love you, babe, and I want to marry you just as soon as you’ll have me. I’ll drop it for now, but be forewarned, I’m a very persistent guy,” he said with a smile.
So many things were running through her mind.
Jimmy was there for sure. What would everyone think?
Was it too soon? What about the boys? And Mitch.
Oh God, Mitch. He would freak for sure. There were lots of reasons she shouldn’t do this yet.
They’d only just met, and she didn’t know everything about him. People would talk.
But, when she stopped thinking and tuned in to how she felt, there was a warm, peaceful glow in her heart.
Adam loved her. He didn’t feel sorry for her because her husband had died.
He didn’t treat her like a widow. He treated her like a woman.
A good man with a huge heart, he made her laugh and feel alive again.
It didn’t sound rational on paper, but in her heart, she was certain it was right. They could have a long engagement to get to know each other better.
“Well, not so fast. I haven’t officially answered you.” Jenny smiled. “Let me see that ring again.”
It fit perfectly. A two-carat, princess cut diamond set in white gold. She held her hand at arm’s length to see it in the light. “It’s gorgeous,” she whispered reverently.
“A gorgeous ring for a gorgeous woman,” Adam said solemnly. “If you want it now, it’s yours, love. If you want to wait, I’ll wait as long as it takes.”
“What will we tell the boys?”
“We can talk to them together and float the idea around. See what they think before we announce anything. I want them to feel like they have input. If they aren’t ready, maybe we have a longer engagement.”
“Oh, I don’t know what I did to deserve you.” His plan to deal with the boys was perfect. This would be a big change for them, and she needed them to be fully on board. “It does seem soon, but it also feels right.”
“Are you saying yes?” he asked tentatively and then held his breath.
“I’m saying yes.” This time they both teared up. “I love you, Adam. I do want to be your wife.”
“God, I am the luckiest man on the planet. We need to celebrate. How long do I have to ravish you until the boys come home?” He scooped her up into his arms and headed toward the bedroom.
“About fifteen minutes,” Jenny said between giggles.
“Fourteen and a half minutes of sex it is then. Sex with my fiancée. I like the sound of that.”
***
“Thanks for coming out, man.” Mitch stuck his hand out to shake Adam’s.
He’d been working on plans to keep Maggie safe but also wanted to figure out a way to catch Manuel and finish this once and for all.
He’d asked Adam to come out to help strategize.
He was also looking for feedback and fresh ideas about how to do it as expeditiously as possible.
“No problem. We definitely need some sort of plan.” Adam seemed on edge, but Mitch figured it was just nerves.
“Come on into the kitchen. Maggie made some delicious chocolate chip cookies this morning.”
Adam held up the gallon of milk he was holding. “I presume that’s why you needed this so badly?”
“What else would you wash cookies down with?”
They made their way to the kitchen where Maggie was sitting, chewing on a pen, and squinting at notes she’d taken in a spiral notebook. When she saw Adam, she stood and hugged him.
“You doing okay?” he asked her.
“Yep. Doing great. How are Jenny and the boys?”
“Everyone’s good. They may try to come out for the weekend. The boys have a bye in their baseball schedule, so it would be perfect. You need some company?”
“That’d be great. Do you think it’s safe?”
“We should discuss that tonight. What do you think, Mitch?”
“I think Manuel’s operation isn’t as sophisticated as we thought. His associates, for lack of a better word, are idiots. Tracking us down will take manpower and know-how, and I’m not sure he has either.”
“Also, you’d think with the drugs and the guns he should be rollin’ in money, but that dump they were hiding out in makes it seem like there’s a cash-flow problem,” put in Adam.
“Probably why they robbed the bank,” Maggie added.
“Yeah, good points. So, between the lack of cash and brainpower, we might have a chance at trapping him somehow.”
“I think my plan is the best. Wanna hear it?” Maggie looked hopefully at Adam. She’d already tried to persuade Mitch earlier, but he hadn’t liked the idea one bit.
Adam nodded.
“You use me as bait,” she suggested.
He immediately went from nodding to shaking his head.
“Just hear me out.” She held up a hand to keep him from interrupting. “I’ll just go back to work and act like nothing’s happened. They take me, and to keep them from killing me right away, I’ll tell them I know Mitch and can lure him in.”
“What happens if they don’t kidnap you and just shoot you in the head?” Mitch asked.
“Or decide to take turns raping you before they have you call him?” Adam chimed in.
Maggie’s eyes went wide. “Okay, fine. So it needs a little tweaking.”
“This isn’t a game, Mags,” Mitch said. “Manuel may be stupid, but he’s also lethal. I won’t let you put yourself in danger. We’ll figure out another way to catch him.”
He walked around the kitchen island and grabbed three glasses. Halfway back to his seat, he was blindsided by Adam tackling him. They fell to the floor, just as a window shattered.
“Get on the floor, Maggie. Now!” Adam yelled as he made the tackle.
The bullets made soft, thunking noises as they embedded in the wood cabinets directly behind where Mitch had been standing.
“Shit!” Mitch crawled his way over to Maggie and pulled her, not so gently, to safety. Adam followed, and all three sat huddled in the hallway behind the kitchen. Once quiet, they could hear the blades of a helicopter retreating.
“Holy fuck! How’d you know that was coming?”
“The red laser beam on your chest was my first clue.” Adam rubbed his knee.
“Are you okay, Mags?” Mitch turned her to face him and ran his hands up her arms, searching for injuries.
“Did someone just shoot at you?” Maggie was shaking, and her eyes were the size of saucers.
“Yes. And I’d be dead right now if it wasn’t for Adam. Damn, man, that’s the second time this week you’ve saved my ass. Now I really owe you.”
“I’ll put it on your tab.” Adam slapped him on the back.
“Damn it. This shoots to hell the theory that Manuel doesn’t have good help. It took some brains to figure out we were here and some cash to send a helicopter,” said Mitch. “He must have called for backup, but from who?”
“We’ve got to get you two somewhere safe, and then we’ll worry about the rest. I’m sure they didn’t count on missing, but if somebody with brains is calling the shots now, there’s probably a Plan B.”
“You’re right. And that could mean anything from them storming the place to lying in wait on the main road to ambush us. We need to get out of here quick.”
“And I’m sure they’d recognize our rigs by now. Maggie, do your grandparents have a car we could borrow?” asked Adam.
“I’ll check the garage. Assuming they hitched a ride to the airport, it should be there.”
Mitch reached up to turn the kitchen lights off, plunging them all into darkness. “I’ll come with you to check. Lead the way, but don’t turn any lights on.”
“Adam, will you call Jenny and have her start the family phone tree to tell them the beach house is off-limits until further notice? I don’t want any of my family getting hurt.”
“Of course. I’ll do it now while you guys check for the car.” He patted her shoulder. “What do you think, Mitch? Leave the local police out of this for now?”
“Yeah, someone might call in the helicopter noise, but since we didn’t hear the rifle shots, I’m sure no one else did, either. Dealing with the police will take forever and we should go as soon as possible.”
Mitch grabbed Maggie’s hand, and they set off slowly down the long hallway. Her hand felt cold and tiny in his.
When they made it to the garage, Mitch turned on the flashlight app of his phone and was relieved to see a dark blue, four-door Toyota Camry. The most common car in the world. Perfect.
“Thank God. Let’s go find the keys.” He turned to go but stopped.
Maggie hadn’t moved and was strangely quiet. He put the phone, flashlight still on, in his breast pocket. It gave just enough light to see her face.
“Look at me.” He turned to her and put both hands on either side of her face. She was trying hard not to cry. He kissed her hard on the mouth.
“Mags, I’m not gonna lie to you. This did just get more serious. Manuel has obviously called in some reinforcements, but I swear to you, I will not let him get you.” He kissed her again, softly this time.
She melted into him and began to relax. He took the kiss deeper and pulled her in tight. Guiding her toward the car without breaking the kiss, he backed her up to it and sat her on the hood. She spread her legs, and he moved in between them, one hand on each side of her hips.
“You’re going to be the death of me, woman.” He put his forehead to hers. Neither said anything for a long minute.
Then, reluctantly, he helped her off the hood. “Come on. Let’s go. Better not start something we can’t finish.”
Staying clear of the windows, they quickly packed their things, found Oliver, and headed back to the city. Adam drove while Mitch and Maggie stayed curled up on the backseat floorboard. Once they confirmed no one was following, Mitch climbed into the front seat.
***
The men spoke in deep, hushed voices, and Maggie, after losing track of the conversation several times, laid her head back and closed her eyes.
A lot had happened in the last couple of days —the threats, the running, the hiding.
The sex. Her relationship with Mitch had progressed to reluctant friends.
With benefits. It should be the least of her worries, but she couldn’t stop thinking about him.
What she wanted to say in the garage, but couldn’t, was that she was more worried for him than for herself.
She couldn’t tell him that she might be, just a tiny bit, in love with him.
That despite her better judgment and all the pep talks she’d given herself about how sex with him was just about the sex, it was possible, that maybe, she truly cared for him.
No, he would not want to hear that. She promised him no commitment, and she’d stick to her word.
She knew from the beginning that casual sex would be hard for her, but was also smart enough to realize it had moved past that for her.
Watching him barely miss taking a bullet forced her to admit she had feelings for him.
Strong, deep feelings that he would never return.
She might as well face that now. Did she still want to sleep with him knowing he would probably break her heart?
Maybe. Surely a few more times wouldn’t hurt.
She finally dozed off. Mitch woke her once they arrived at his apartment building.