Dawn Read online

  Even upon waking, as my alarm rang its morning song, my mind was on my husband. Yes, I thought about his unmatched ability to bring me to orgasm, but I also thought about his words. More than once, Mason had said that Reid was quiet. I wouldn’t say my husband was boisterous in any way. His words were weighed and measured.

  That quality made each and every one of them all the more sincere and heartfelt.

  As if knowing my thoughts, Reid came closer and brushed a chaste kiss to the top of my head. “Did you get some sleep?” he whispered with a smirk.

  Warmth filled my cheeks as I reached for the cup of coffee I’d just poured for him and handed it his direction. If we were alone, I could respond with an appropriate retort, one that would match the pink blooming on my cheeks. Instead, I replied, “Yes. Thanks for asking.”

  “Breakfast smells wonderful,” Patrick said more loudly as he went to Madeline and kissed the top of her hair. “How are you feeling?”

  She shook her head.

  “We made her sit down,” Araneae offered. “I’m no expert, but I think you should stay in Chicago, Patrick.”

  “Mom won’t say what’s going on,” Ruby added, “but she’s quieter than normal. Who would believe that I’d think my mom was too quiet.”

  Patrick’s blue eyes opened wide as he stared at his wife. “Contractions?”

  Madeline shrugged. “I think.”

  The entire room stilled. If this were a television show, this would be the moment where one person would narrate, telling the audience the thoughts of each person. Instead, we all remained quiet as we waited for more.

  Madeline lifted her hand as if to minimize our concern as Ruby walked over to her mother.

  “They’re not strong or close together,” Madeline reassured us. “The doctor said to wait until they are regular.” She sucked in a breath as she sat taller.

  “Mom?” Ruby asked, her one-word question laced with concern.

  “I’m all right, honey.”

  Patrick’s hand went to Madeline’s midsection. “Are you having one? Is it normal for you to feel so hard?”

  Ruby’s hand joined her dad’s.

  The rest of us stood quietly by as Madeline reassured her husband and daughter that it was normal and she’d call if things progressed. Ruby also promised to not leave her mother’s side.

  As they stood there, the three of them, emotion bubbled within me. For any other family, to be together and having their second child in eighteen years may seem surreal. For the Kellys it was no less than a miracle.

  It was as I opened the oven to remove an egg casserole we’d made earlier that I noticed Sparrow across the room. Leaning against a counter, wearing his suit for Michigan Avenue with his feet crossed at the ankle and a mug of coffee in his hands, his dark eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched as he silently observed Patrick and Madeline.

  I nudged Araneae, standing nearby cutting fruit. Her soft brown eyes met mine. I tilted my head toward Sparrow. “If you ask me,” I whispered, “your man is realizing that childbirth will be something he won’t be able to control.”

  We both turned to him, completely unnoticed. Sparrow was too lost in his thoughts to see us.

  Araneae laid down the knife, smiled at me, and walked toward her husband. From my vantage, I couldn’t hear what she whispered or what Sparrow replied in response. My only clue was body language, a rare visual glimpse of what the two of them shared in private. As they spoke and she smiled, his muscles relaxed until he had his hands at her waist, holding her close.

  Even in our large kitchen filled with family, it appeared as though the queen had just soothed the king. She’d recently entered her third trimester, and despite our ordeal, everything was on schedule.

  Slowly, the murmurs around the room grew louder as Laurel, Ruby, and I moved the food to the large granite table, and the men refilled their mugs with fresh coffee. In no time, we were all seated, discussing everything from the cooling autumn weather to local and national news. Throughout it all, Patrick watched his wife as if she could disappear before his eyes.

  Mason mentioned that he may be headed to Washington DC for a meeting and let it slip that my husband could be accompanying him.

  My lips came together as I lowered my fork to the side of my plate. “I thought your job was here on 2?”

  Sparrow’s stare bypassed me and went to Mason. “I’m going on that expedition. Don’t even consider going without me.”

  Araneae’s gaze met mine.

  “I don’t know if that should make me feel better or worse,” I said.

  “Better,” Sparrow replied. “No one gets shot when I’m there.”

  We all turned to Reid who smiled and lifted both hands. “One day we’ll move on to other news.”

  Sparrow’s gaze narrowed. “Don’t hold your breath. Today isn’t that day.” He shook his head. “I have some important meetings this morning; I can’t leave before noon.”

  It was as Madeline stood that I realized she hadn’t eaten.

  “Mom, are you sure you’re okay?” Ruby asked.

  Madeline’s complexion had paled. “I think I should head to our apartment and rest.”

  Patrick’s chair scooted across the floor as he hurriedly stood. As he reached for Madeline, she gripped the back of a chair. Her face contorted, her fingers blanched, and she bore down, bending her knees.

  I momentarily turned to the sink, thinking I’d heard something.

  When I turned back, her green eyes glistened.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Madeline, it’s—”

  “Oh my gosh,” she interrupted, looking toward the floor, “my water just broke.”

  The next few minutes sped by at warp speed. All our chairs screeched over the tile. Sparrow pulled out his phone and barked orders as Patrick instructed Ruby to hurry to their apartment for the bag Madeline had packed.

  “Garrett is in the garage,” Sparrow said, “ready to take me to the office. Go now, he’ll get you to the Women’s Hospital.” He turned to Araneae. “This is why I wanted a delivery room set up here.”

  As she shook her head, I stood. “I’ll call your doctor, Madeline,” I volunteered, thankful that I’d added all the numbers to my phone earlier.

  Sparrow and Mason exchanged looks.

  “Don’t worry,” my brother said, “I’m calling now. She’ll be fully guarded. No one is getting near her or Patrick.”

  “Or me. I want to be there,” Ruby said.

  Madeline reached out to her grown daughter and turned to Patrick who nodded his approval at Mason.

  “Don’t worry about a thing,” Mason said. “Reid will have the place monitored electronically, and I’ll have it crawling with Sparrows.” He grinned at Reid. “Our meeting in DC will need to be postponed.”

  Reid

  As everyone dispersed, Lorna reached for my hand. “Let me know if you hear anything.”

  “You too. I imagine Ruby calling or texting you or Araneae before Patrick calls one of us.”

  “But won’t you know?” She tilted her head, her green eyes questioning. “How far can you infiltrate the hospital’s computer system?”

  “My focus will be on security. Patrick already has it worked out where Madeline will be in a secure and private wing. This won’t be the first baby delivered to a family who requests the utmost privacy.” When Lorna didn’t respond, I added, “Money has its privileges.”

  Leaving the kitchen as it was, Lorna rode down the elevator with me, stopping at the apartments. As the doors opened, she lifted herself on her tiptoes and brushed my lips with hers. “Get to work. I’m going to talk to Ruby.”

  Before she was out of reach, I seized her hand. “We haven’t talked about this in a while.”

  Lorna’s eyes opened, the emerald clouded with confusion. “What?”

  “There has been a lot of baby talk around here, and I was thinking that it might be nice to be where Patrick and Madeline are.” I wasn’t convinced what prompted my statemen
t. It could be the baby who was about to arrive or perhaps it was the toddler yesterday. Nevertheless, the idea of a child had been recurring in my thoughts.

  Lorna’s lips curled. “I think it would be better to be where they will be after Madeline pushes out an eight-pound baby boy.”

  I squeezed my wife’s hand. “I’m open to talking about it again.”

  “I’m open to sex as much as you or I want because talking won’t give us a baby.”

  My thoughts went back to this morning. “Neither will coming in your ass.”

  Pink filled her cheeks. With a twinkle in her eyes, Lorna looked around the common area beyond the elevator, no doubt verifying that we were alone. Her tone lowered. “No, Mr. Murray, it won’t.” Her smile dimmed and her breasts moved with her respiration. “We can have this conversation another time, maybe when Madeline and Patrick aren’t about to be parents again or you aren’t out for revenge. You know that I haven’t taken birth control in over seven months. Maybe we should face the possibility that having a child might not be in our future, but” —she forced a smile— “I can make a kick-ass surrogate aunt to this little boy and Sparrow and Araneae’s baby.”

  Though the doctor said we were prematurely concerned, we’d had a few preliminary tests run. There was no detectable issue stopping Lorna from getting pregnant, and my swimmers were given the doctor’s seal of approval. So far, we simply hadn’t conceived.

  My chest twisted with my wishing I hadn’t mentioned a child, at least not right now. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” Lorna said. “Let’s not talk about it now.”

  I nodded as she released my hand and walked toward Patrick and Madeline’s apartment door.

  Before Lorna reached the barrier, it opened inward, and Ruby rushed out, rolling a travel suitcase behind her. “Hold the elevator,” she shouted.

  Following the suitcase were both of her parents. Madeline’s fingers blanched as her grip of Patrick’s hand tightened. Her expression was contorted as she blew short puffs of air.

  “Ruby, please keep us posted,” Lorna said. “Text me or your aunt.”

  Excitement sparkled in Ruby’s blue eyes while her lips tightened with worry. “The last time Mom did this she was my age.”

  Lorna turned to Madeline. “Every eighteen years.”

  Madeline shook her head, her expression softening. “I’m afraid I will be too old in another eighteen years.” Her hand went to her midsection as her eyes went to Patrick. “I can’t believe this is real, that we’re doing this together.”

  I stepped from the elevator. “Go, because I don’t think you want one of us delivering your son.”

  Patrick slapped my shoulder. “Thank you. I’ll keep you updated. Let me know how the security is going.”

  “I sure will.”

  As the elevator doors began to shut, Patrick reached out and stopped them. “Reid, I began searching for that money trail we discussed this morning. You’ll see some programs running on my computers on 2.”

  “Everything else can wait, Patrick. Go, Reid Kelly is ready to meet his mom and dad.”

  Patrick smiled as the doors shut.

  “Do you know the name they chose?”

  “No. They’ve both been very tight-lipped about it.”

  “I’m sorry if we never have a little Reid.”

  Wrapping my arm around Lorna’s waist, I pulled her close. “I don’t need a little Reid. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I’d want to name a son after me.” My mind went to Little Gordy and the way Gordon Maples boasted about having a son. “I think it would be good to give a boy or a girl their own identity.”

  For the moment, we were stuck on our floor, waiting for the elevator to return.

  There were stairs for safety purposes, but the stairwell was monitored, physically blocked by faux decor—much like the elevator in the penthouse was hidden behind a pocket door—and attached to a very loud alarm. If Sparrow could have constructed the tower without stairs, he would have done it. The fact that they’re well-hidden and protected was completely due to his need to keep the tower safe.

  Going to the elevator, I scanned my palm again, telling it to return once Madeline, Ruby, and Patrick were in the garage and hopefully in Garrett’s car under protection.

  “I need to get back upstairs and clean the kitchen,” Lorna said.

  “I’ll be on 2. And with the baby coming, no one will be leaving town.”

  “I like that.”

  When the doors opened again, the elevator was empty. Lorna and I entered. “I guess I’ll go up before I go down.” I hit the button for the penthouse.

  Lorna took a step forward and leaned into me. “You know, all the steamy romance novels and movies have a hot sex scene in an elevator.”

  Without thinking, my gaze went up to the trim between the walls and ceiling before I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her to me. “Do all of those scenes include voyeurs?”

  She gasped, stepping back. “There are cameras, aren’t there?”

  “Yes, sweetheart. And while there’d be a good chance I’d see the footage first, there’s an equally good chance of it being either Patrick or your brother.”

  As the doors opened to the hallway in the penthouse, she replied, “Never mind.”

  “Anything I should know?” Sparrow asked as he held the door open, allowing Lorna to step out.

  She shook her head. “Absolutely not.”

  Sparrow grinned as he entered and the doors closed. “Garage.”

  “I guess my new role is elevator operator.” I hit both the 2 and G buttons. “Who’s driving you to Michigan Avenue?”

  “Christian was closest. He’ll drive me to the office and wait until Garrett is back from the hospital.”

  Again, the elevator stopped. Holding the doors ajar, I asked, “Are you confident in the team of Sparrows Mason is installing at the hospital?”

  Sparrow nodded. “Watch the security and infiltrate the patient information. Check to make sure no one else is in the system. There’s no reason for us to assume that Jettison or his partner would be after Patrick or Madeline. Everything points to Laurel.”

  Thousands of questions I’d asked myself earlier came to mind. However, as Sparrow stood in his Michigan Avenue attire, I knew now wasn’t the time to discuss them with him. I’d do my own research. As the elevator closed behind me, I scanned my palm on the sensor.

  The steel door slid open.

  Lorna

  As I stepped onto the marble floor of the penthouse hallway, I heard noises coming from the direction of their home office. For many years—until Araneae arrived—the room had been Sparrow’s office and his alone. Walking toward the slightly open door, I smiled, recalling my surprise at Sparrow’s willingness to share this space with his then acquisition or girlfriend or whatever title he’d bestowed upon her.

  I pushed the door open, seeing Araneae standing near her desk where there used to be a sofa. Her desk didn’t match her husband’s. Sparrow’s was a large wooden one with ornate carvings. Truly, his desk was the one piece of furniture that didn’t fit in this room or the entire tower. Araneae’s desk was sleek, made of glass in an ‘L’ shape, and hosted multiple screens. Her back was to me as she scrolled something that looked like lists and lists of numbers. From where I stood, I couldn’t see the particulars.

  Rapping my knuckles on the doorjamb, I waited.

  Araneae turned toward me and smiled. “I’m sorry.”

  “Why are you sorry?”

  “I got a call from Louisa and have been caught up in these reports. I’m afraid I left the kitchen as it was. I can help you clean up in a—”

  I shook my head. “I don’t mind. I want to stay busy. My thoughts are on Madeline.”

  Araneae let out a long breath as she leaned back in her leather chair. “If I’m honest, I think I welcomed the distraction of these reports. At least Madeline knows what to expect. I’ve read books and watched videos.” She shook her head. “I
don’t recommend the videos.” She laid her hand on her very visible baby bump. “The thing is, I think it’s a bit too late for me to back out.”

  “I’d agree. It’s too late for that. Didn’t Madeline have a cesarean section with Ruby?”

  Araneae nodded. “She did, but the doctor said she could deliver this boy naturally since it’s been so long.”

  “Can you imagine having children eighteen years apart?”

  Araneae’s hand was still on her midsection. “Right now, I’m having trouble imagining having one child.”

  “What about your friend Louisa? She has two children, right?”

  “She does, a girl and a boy. Louisa says that no matter what the birth is like, holding the baby makes it all worth it.”

  “Sounds like good advice,” I said. “Are you going upstairs anytime soon?” I was asking about the second floor of the penthouse. “I was going to clean up there today. I want to stay busy and since I saw Sparrow leave, I figured this was a good time.”

  “I should say that I’ll do it.”

  “And then what would I do? Besides, those numbers look boring to me.” I gestured toward her computer.

  “Oh, they’re really not. The Sinful Threads holiday merchandise that was previewed in New York is a hit. We have orders from distributors all over the country. The numbers are ridiculous. That’s what Louisa called about. If we plan to meet these orders, we’ll need to ramp up production. She thinks we should consider limiting sales.”

  “Isn’t it better to sell more?” I asked.

  “Not really. We learned early with Sinful Threads that the exclusivity of our merchandise allowed us to create a higher quality product, charge more, and make higher profits. If the market is flooded with a product, it becomes less desired.” She laughed. “I think about brand-name purses and outlet malls.”

  “Like you shopped at an outlet?”

  Her brown eyes widened. “I most certainly did. Kennedy did.”

  “Araneae Sparrow doesn’t.”