Crashed, p.24
Crashed, page 24
Isabel rolled her lips inward against the instinctive urge to laugh when all that escaped Ellison was a snarl that didn’t even sound human.
She curled her hands into claws as if she’d like to attack Rye’s pretty face with them. Then she whirled back to Isabel and snapped, “We’re not done talking about this.”
“We can discuss it all you want ... once everything is settled. But my relationship with Travis is none of your business. And you will be polite to him.”
Ellison had been about to storm out of the room, but now she spun back to Isabel.
“He’s coming here?”
“He lives next door,” Isabel responded.
Ellison opened her mouth again.
Rye cleared his throat.
She hissed at him and stormed out of the room.
Isabel closed her eyes and rubbed her temple. A headache had taken up residence there and she had a feeling it wouldn’t be going away any time soon. Aware both Rye and Mari were still watching her, she forced her hand down and looked up.
“You said you needed to speak with me?”
Trey and Ressa had opted to stay behind in Santa Monica with the twins’ parents.
Now, alone again after the short flight to Arizona, Travis sped down the highway outside of Tucson. He was on his way to the house where Zach and Abby had moved after finding out they were expecting.
According to the report he’d just received from the teams watching his older two brothers, Zane, Keelie, Zach and Abby were all together there. Abby and Zach were expecting their parents to descend within the week and knowing Abby, she would want the house organized down to a T—and since Travis knew his brother, that meant he would have hauled his brother and friend Keelie into helping, doing what he could to keep Abby from doing anything more than the bare minimum.
Travis had no doubt Abby would have somehow managed just fine—she was terrifyingly efficient, likely a response to her freakishly chaotic mother. Travis was of the opinion that her mother, Blanche, was one of the sorriest excuses of human excrement ever to grace the planet and the only decent thing she’d ever done or created in her life was Abby, and he knew he wasn’t alone in that opinion.
But Abby adored her husband and if sitting around while he doted on her made him happy, she’d play along ... until it drove her crazy.
And now he was going to go in there and drop all of this on them.
As he pulled into the neighborhood, he called the two teams assigned to watch the couples, giving them a heads-up. One was in the empty house across the street, doing unnecessary repairs. The other had found the house behind and the right of them available for long-term rentals on Airbnb, so either Uncle Sam or Miles were currently footing that bill. There was another team located closer to Zane and Keelie’s place just in case the oldest Barnes brother and his wife made a quick exit and one of the teams couldn’t quickly vacate.
Zach and Abby were still somewhat visible in the media and unlike Sebastien and Marin, they were easily accessible and, therefore, vulnerable. Miles wasn’t taking any chances. Travis couldn’t thank his mentor enough for the care he was taking with his family.
As he parked the simple Black Ford Fusion in the driveway, he blew out a breath. A couple more hours, and he’d be back on his way to Isabel’s side. He checked his phone for any updates from Miles, or a text from Isabel, but saw nothing.
Just as he was pushing his phone back into his pocket, the front door opened and the two men there paused at the sight of him.
Travis went still, tucking his phone away and offering Zach and Zane a smile.
“Ah ... hey, guys.”
A wide grin split Zach’s face and then he took off running. In seconds, Zach had him wrapped in a tight bearhug that threatened to choke off his air supply. A second set of arms soon joined it and Travis closed his eyes, letting himself just enjoy his family for a minute.
“You’ve got security watching us, don’t you?”
The question came from Keelie. She was wearing a skinny denim skirt over a pair of pink fishnets, Doc Martens and a pink tank top, her eye makeup playing up her exotic eyes—one the pale gold of whiskey, the other icy, remote blue. And those eyes were sharp, peering right inside you. Travis had always taken care to avoid spending much time around this woman—she had the kind of street smarts that had made him suspect she’d pick up on things about him he’d rather she not see, much as Ressa had.
Since he was about to introduce them to their respective security teams, there was no point in lying, so he shrugged and nodded. “It’s necessary. Until this threat is dealt with, you’ll have people watching you.”
Zach scowled. Abby rubbed her belly.
Zane yelped and rubbed his side, looking at Keelie, who had just poked him in the side.
She had a smirk on her face and was smiling at her husband. “I told you so.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He tugged her in close and kissed her, then looked at Travis. “How long?”
“I can’t say for certain.” Blowing out a breath, he said, “My gut says it won’t be long.” Glancing at Zach as he wrapped his arm around Abby, he added, “Guys, I’m sorry.”
Abby frowned at him. “This isn’t your fault. Blame whoever this bastard is that’s terrifying your girlfriend ... Isabel, right?”
“It’s not just this,” Travis said.
“Travis.” Zane’s quiet voice pulled Travis’s gaze to him. “All of us have known you were dealing with some shit for a while now. We all hoped you’d come to us if you needed help, although ... fuck, I don’t think any of us thought it was going to be something like this. And as it turns out, you’re not in trouble, you’re just carrying weight from seeing the absolute worst of society out there. And you were doing it all because you couldn’t quit blaming yourself for being a stupid kid. You could have died at any point in time since you threw yourself in there. You don’t owe us any apologies. You were hauling kids out of hell. Shit, you’re a fucking hero.”
“No,” Travis said in a gritty voice. “I’m not.”
“I’ve been one of those kids living in hell, Travis,” Keelie said quietly. “Not in a pit as deep as some of the kids you’ve helped, but it was still hell. You sure as hell are a fucking hero.”
Eyes stinging, he lurched off the couch and paced over to the window.
He wasn’t any damn hero. He’d spent years living lies and he was ready to be done with it.
Soft hands touched his shoulders and he turned to stare blindly at Abby.
“Travis ... it sounds like you’ve got a second chance with this woman, and it sounds like you’ve loved her for a long time.” She smiled at him, a dimple creasing her cheeks. Glancing over her shoulder at Zach, she looked back at Travis. “I could have missed the best thing that ever happened to me if I’d insisted on being stubborn. Don’t you go insisting on being stubborn, too, and messing up this second chance you’ve been given. Not everybody gets one.”
She pulled him in for a hug. “Now ... bring in these bodyguards we’re supposed to have, then you finish up what you need to do so you can get back to where you’re supposed to be.”
Chapter 27
Travis stepped back into what sounded like the beginning of World War III.
Brooklyn was standing in the middle of the foyer with her hands over her ears, crying quietly and looking like she wanted to hide.
Jacob was on the steps with a deer in the headlight look in his eyes and when he saw Travis, he bolted up the steps. Over the din of raised voices, Travis heard a bedroom door slam.
Storm was trying to calm Mariah, along with one of Isabel’s twin sisters—it had to be Mary Kate ... no, she went by Marilyn now.
Aaron sat on the foot of the steps, watching Isabel face off with the other Steele twin, Ellison, if Travis remembered right. He still hadn’t officially met either of the Steele twins, but he’d seen plenty of pictures and hadn’t forgotten any of the details Isabel had told him.
She’d face off with the devil if she felt the need to, Isabel had once told him.
Considering the look of pure fury in Isabel’s eyes as she glared at her sister, Ellison might have been better off squaring up against Lucifer. But damn if there was a lick of concern in her bright green eyes.
As Travis watched, she rocked up onto her toes and drilled a finger into Isabel’s chest.
“ ... got it?”
Two of the security team who were supposed to be monitoring the situation inside the house took one look at what was unfolding and backstepped, but not before Travis caught sight of the looks on their respective faces—looks that told him this wasn’t the first blow-up between the sisters.
He cast another look around, hoping to find Ace or Rye, because what the fuck, he’d expected at least one of them to stay on top of the situation.
But he spotted neither.
So, seeing no other alternative, he lifted a hand to his mouth and gave a piercing whistle.
Silence struck like a hammer.
Brooklyn and Isabel spotted him at the same time. A soft smile curved Isabel’s lips. Brooklyn’s face remained teary but she dashed toward him and he dropped his bag and bent to catch her in his arms, the fist that wrapped around his heart tightening just a little more.
Aaron shoved off the stairs and took a couple tentative steps toward him.
Recognizing what he saw in the boy’s face, Travis walked over to him and held out his arm, letting the kid decide.
Aaron flung himself at Travis’s chest.
“Nice to see you, too, kid,” he said.
Aaron gave him a quick, fierce squeeze then shoved away while Storm sauntered over, Mariah suddenly calmer and making excited chattering noises. Storm rose on her toes and kissed Travis on the cheek, then pushed the baby at him.
It had been a few years since he’d juggled a baby and having Brooklyn in one arm while he adjusted to Mariah’s softer, smaller body made it a little more interesting, but in a few seconds, he had both of the girls cuddled in close. Mariah patted his unshaven cheeks while Brooklyn snuggled against him and sighed in satisfaction.
“She wants Ms. Bella to send us away to another foster family,” Brooklyn pronounced. “Don’t let her, Mr. Travis.”
Travis looked up and found all three Steele sisters staring at him.
But a familiar voice rang out from down the hall before he could speak.
“Nobody is sending you kids to another family, Brooklyn. You’ve got my word on that.”
Brooklyn turned that heart-melting smile on Miles Hawkins for a long moment, then, without a blink, looked at the woman squaring off with Isabel and stuck out her tongue.
Travis bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.
But then he got a good look at his mentor, and all humorous thoughts evaporated.
As Rye put a hand on Miles’s arm to steady him, Travis said, “What the fuck, man ... you look like shit.”
“You cussed,” Brooklyn whispered.
Travis barely heard the girl.
“I know,” Miles said, waving a dismissive hand. “But I’m upright and mobile and my brain is still functioning. My replacement is en route and I’m not abandoning these women until I know they’ll be comfortable with who takes over for me.”
“If he trusts him, I don’t see how I can trust anybody he brings in,” Ellison snapped. “Not to mention how he thinks it’s okay for these kids to be here.”
“People know about the kids,” Travis said, catching her eye when she tossed a dismissive look at him. He stared at her, a hard, challenging look, and as he’d expected, she didn’t look away. “Save for one, they’ve all lived here for months. People know their names, and what they look like, enough to identify them. Finding secure places for them—all of them—would be a logistical nightmare. You want your sister and Miles to abandon five vulnerable kids? Is that what you’re saying? And do you think she would? Do you know her at all?”
She opened her mouth, then snapped it closed.
“That’s what I’ve been explaining to her,” Isabel said in a cool voice. Then, after a withering look at Ellison, she came to Travis, took Brooklyn in her arms and planted a smacking kiss on her forehead before putting her down. “Why don’t you ask Aaron to help you set up the PlayStation? You can play games for a little while.”
Brooklyn looked like she wanted to argue. Aaron caught her hand and tugged. “Come on. We can do that racing game you’re always beating me on.”
Storm offered to take Mariah, but the baby had fallen asleep against Travis’s chest and he shook his head. So the older girl disappeared up the steps. In the relative silence, he pinned Rye and Ace with a hard look. “Why the hell weren’t you two out here?”
“Bossman had vapors.”
Miles gave Ace a disgusted look and the pretty, petite Black woman with the curves of a movie star from Hollywood’s golden years and a mouth like a sailor gave him a sunny smile.
“What else you going to call it, sir? You all but swooned on me and unless I’m even hotter than I think, it wasn’t because of me.” She winked at him.
Despite the playfulness of her tone, Travis heard the worry in Ace’s voice. Judging from the grim way Rye was watching Miles, the other person here on security detail wasn’t having good vibes, either. Ace, like Rye, worked private security and had done highly specialized work with Miles. Travis had done more than a few ops with her and would trust her at his back in any crisis.
But he didn’t need her sharp eye to know Miles had gotten weaker since Travis had seen him.
He had lost even more weight, so much that his clothes hung from him. He hadn’t bothered with a suit, just pulled on a dress shirt and trousers, the belt cinched in so tight, Travis wondered if he’d had to punch extra holes in it so it would fit.
But the man’s eyes were sharp as ever.
When Miles inclined his head, Travis knew it was a silent message.
I got this, son. I’m going to see this through.
Travis gave a short, sharp nod, then cleared his throat. “My family is all squared away, settled with their teams.”
“Good. Now, let’s discuss what’s next.” Miles glanced to the family room, then at Isabel. “How about we set up in the kitchen? I imagine it’s the quietest place.”
“What are we setting up for?” Ellison demanded. “And FYI, I’m not staying in the same place as him.”
She jabbed a finger in Travis’s direction, tossing him a derisive look. “Maybe you think that pretty face of yours can get you out of any kind of scrape but it won’t work with me.”
“If I was the kind to think my pretty face could keep me out of trouble, I would have tried getting your sister back over a decade ago,” Travis said in a flat voice. “And she would have planted a boot in my face—deservedly so. Now, we have serious shit to cover and if you can’t be mature enough to be quiet and let the grown-ups talk, I’ll have Rye escort you to your room until we’re done.”
Ellison went a blistering shade of red, opening and closing her mouth as she struggled for words.
Finally, she sputtered out, “Escort me to my room? Excuse the fuck out of me? Who the hell do you think you are?”
“Right now?” Travis closed the distance between them. “I’m the man who will damn well make sure everybody here, from your sisters to you to those kids, all stay safe. And if you get in my way, you will be removed from the discussion and decisions made without your input.”
Ellison spun and glared at Isabel. “This is your house! And Miles is the one who handles our security! Why are we putting up with him?”
“I’ve sat behind a desk for the better part of a decade, Ellison,” Miles said. “And your sister has always trusted my judgment on matters of her safety—and yours. He’s active in the field—I’m not. I’m the senior person here, but Travis is my eyes and ears, along with the rest of the crew—and he’s one of the best I’ve ever worked with.”
“I’m not in security and I’m not an FBI agent or anything else.” Isabel smiled serenely. “I take care of kids. I cook. I bake. None of that seems helpful in our current situation. So, either be quiet, Ellison, or you can take a walk with Rye.”
Rye shifted closer to the younger woman.
Ellison made a soft growl of frustration and cut around all of them to storm into the kitchen.
While the others moved to follow, Travis lingered, catching Isabel’s hand. Her eyes went wide and soft as he pulled her to him.
“How did it—hmmm ... ”
The rest of her question was caught against his mouth as he kissed her, one hand going to grip the back of her neck. The clip holding her hair fell out and he shifted his hand to his twist his fingers in her hair.
She pushed onto her toes, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him closer as if she’d crawl inside him. Hell, it wasn’t possible, Travis thought. She was already there, tucked inside his heart, where she’d been every day since that first summer when they’d met all those years ago.
From several feet away, somebody cleared their throat.
Travis broke the kiss and said, “Ace, go away. We’ll be there in a minute.”
“Alright, hot stuff. But cool it, you’re gonna make me need a cold shower.”
Travis felt blood creeping up the back of his neck and Isabel buried her face against his neck and giggled. The bright, happy sound settled inside and made him want to haul her against him and swing her around until she laughed like that again and again.
“She’s embarrassing,” he mumbled.
“I like her.” Isabel lifted her head and said in a conspiratorial voice, “I think Ellie is afraid of her.”
“Anybody smart is afraid of Ace. I think even Miles is.”
Isabel laughed and Travis reached up and brushed her hair back. “You were about to ask me how it went ... it went ... fine, mostly. Weirdly enough, two of my sisters-in-law and my mom were the least surprised.”
