Passages (The Kings of Guardian Book 13) Read online

  She gazed up toward the second story. If she wanted privacy, she'd hit up a bedroom upstairs, especially with everyone preoccupied down here. What she wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall.

  "Those two men are up to something." She sipped some more of her cider. Damn, she was getting the 411 on this shit. It was good.

  "Of that, there is no doubt." Dixon pulled her into his side and kissed her forehead.

  Chapter 2

  Jacob pushed open the bedroom door. A night light flooded the darkened room with a soft hue. The crib that sat in the corner was definitely occupied. He glanced over the railing. Little Marcus was sound asleep. The baby monitor beside the crib was active and listening. He glanced back and out the hallway. Tori and Keelee wouldn’t come into this room unless Marcus fussed and his dads didn’t answer his cries. It was the safest place he could think of to do this. He tiptoed across the plush carpet and turned off the baby monitor. Hopefully, Jared and Christian would be distracted enough with the pandemonium downstairs they wouldn’t notice the monitor being off for a few moments.

  He lifted his sweater, careful not to lose the precious cargo hidden underneath. He carefully and quietly placed the small wooden box on top of the dresser where the baby monitor sat. He was excited to show Doc. Hell, he was excited to see what was inside. In order to open the box, Justin had had to special order tools from somewhere in Asia. Justin could have forced the latch, but he’d asked Justin not to damage the box in any way. The small chest had belonged to Keelee and Tori’s mother. Justin had opened it this morning when he and Jillian arrived. Keeping it away from Tori since then had been a fucking carnival shell game. The door pushed open. Jacob, expecting Doc, chuckled when Jared peered into the baby’s room. “Damn it man, that didn’t take you long,” Jacob whispered.

  “What in the hell are you doing in here?” Jared hissed before he peeked over the crib railing at his son. He crept to stand beside Jacob.

  “I’m meeting Doc in here. It’s the furthest away from Tori and my room, so I’m hoping like hell she won’t track me down.” Jacob glanced at the door again. “Did you see Doc when you came up?”

  “No, I came up because Marcus has been sleeping for a while. Christian is making him a bottle.” Jared glanced at his son again.

  Jacob couldn’t miss the pride and love in his brother’s expression. He knew that feeling. The enormity of caring for someone who is completely helpless and utterly dependent on you changes a man. Marcus was Jared’s biological son. Christian would be the donor for the next child. Their surrogate had already agreed to carry their second child. He was damn glad for his brother. The man deserved every happiness in the world.

  The door creaked open again. Both he and Jared turned. Doc peaked in and then shuffled in the room, shutting the door behind him. He edged up to where Jacob and Jared were standing. “Is that it?”

  “Yeah, I picked it up from Justin this morning. Dude, you have to hide this thing for me. Tori almost discovered it twice today. She knows I’m hiding something. Thank God, she hasn’t found me out yet. It has been almost a year since I took this box. She asked about it a couple months ago. I told her it was destroyed when it was opened, and there was nothing in the box.” Jacob sighed. He’d hated lying to Tori, but this was one Christmas where the woman wouldn’t know what she was getting from him. Well, his and Doc’s present. They were going to give it to both Tori and Keelee at the same time. Before he did that, he’d make damn sure the box contained no unpleasant surprises.

  “Have you opened it yet?” Adam looked at the box as if it was going to bite him.

  Fuck. Jacob so hoped it wasn’t going to bite them in the ass. He didn’t have another “major” gift to give her.

  “No. I needed five minutes to myself to do that. I have four boys, a wife who is hell-bent on finding this without knowing exactly what she’s looking for, and a house full of brothers, sisters, nephews, and nieces. When would I have time to do anything by myself?” Jacob rubbed the back of his neck. Today had been nonstop.

  This year, the entire family had gathered at the ranch for Christmas without protest. Everyone went out of their way to ensure they were here, together. Frank Marshall had been battling Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma for almost the entire year. His treatments had taken a lot out of the man, but he was one tough son of a bitch. He still worked the ranch and was involved in the day-to-day activities. Frank Marshall had become a father to the King clan and he’d done it without trying to take Chance King’s place. Those shoes, nobody could fill. Good thing Frank didn’t wear shoes. He wore boots.

  “Well, are you going to open it?” Jared whispered. Jacob pointed at the door. “You’re the lookout.”

  Jared reared back. “No way, this is my kid’s room. I want to see what’s in the box.”

  “Fine, but if Tori or Keelee walk through that door and see this before we get it wrapped, you will be the sacrificial lamb,” Jacob growled.

  “The only person coming through that door anytime soon is Christian. So, get a move on, little man,” Jared whispered and then glanced quickly at the cradle. Marcus squirmed and made a squeaking noise. Jared reached over and rubbed the baby’s tummy, settling him quickly.

  Jacob took a deep breath and glanced at Doc. “Ready?”

  Doc nodded. “Let’s do this.”

  Jacob lifted the tiny latch and pulled the top of the box open. In the glow of the baby’s night light, three sets of eyes studied the contents of the box. It had been over twenty years since the inside had been examined. Jacob stared at the contents as a smile spread across his face. Photographs, macaroni necklaces, and pieces of jewelry filled a red velvet tray. He lifted the small stack of Polaroid photos. Pictures of Tori and Keelee riding horses with their mother. The women were duplicates of their mom. There were pictures of birthdays, Christmases, and what had to be Easter, because damned if that wasn’t a young Frank wearing bunny rabbit ears.

  “This is fucking perfect.” Doc lifted one of the macaroni necklaces. The pasta had been dyed. Red and green. Definitely a child’s work. Tori had several of the same types of treasures from their boys. Every preschool in the nation must make macaroni necklaces for Mother’s Day. Jacob chuckled as he picked up the second one.

  Jared pointed to a small velvet tab at the bottom of the box. “Is that for decoration or do you think the bottom comes up?”

  Jacob brought the box closer to the nightlight and examined the bottom. He handed Doc the assortment of jewelry and gently pulled the little piece of fabric. The bottom of the box lifted away to reveal a tray holding three envelopes. He handed Jared the velvet covered cardboard and picked up the envelopes. All three men stared as he carded the envelopes out in a fan. One each, labeled, Tori, Keelee, and Frank. Holy shit. His eyes had to be the size of saucers. "This could be really good, or really, really bad." His gut was firmly on the side of ‘this is bad.’

  “Why would there be three letters?” Doc set the jewelry down on top of the dresser. “I mean, I understand if you are deploying, or you know that you’re ill and don’t have long to live. I get why you’d write a letter to your family for those reasons, but, Skipper, she wasn’t sick. She unexpectedly died falling from a horse.” Doc gazed at Jacob and then regarded Jared.

  “They’re sealed. We can’t open them.” Jacob turned the envelopes and ran his hands over the sealed edge of each.

  “So, do we give the envelopes to them? I mean as a Christmas present?” Doc shook his head. “What if what is in those envelopes isn’t a Christmas thing? What if what’s in those envelopes isn’t something family needs or wants to hear.”

  Jared cleared his throat. “I’m going to take Marcus to Christian. This suddenly got way too personal. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you luck.” He reached over and scooped up his sleeping son.

  Jacob nodded. He waited until Jared left the room before he turned to Doc. “Chances are the letters are a good thing. Something they’d want to hear.”

  “Are you willing
to gamble this Christmas, which could be our last Christmas with Frank, on that assumption?” Doc took the envelopes and returned them to the box. He laid the red velvet cardboard bottom over them and the red velvet tray on top of that. “Doc… do you really think this is our last Christmas with Frank?” A chill ran down his spine. He’d never asked that question. Honestly, he didn’t want to know the answer. It wasn’t like him to stick his head into the sand and hope the storm blew over, but damn it, this time he’d done exactly that. He believed Tori had done it too. Neither had acknowledged the elephant in the room, and as far as her father’s health was concerned, they pretended life was going to go on without changing. Tori talked to Frank almost daily. She knew about his treatments and told Jacob all the details when they were alone in bed. He’d held her when she cried, and he’d comforted his mother the times he’d come home during the year. But damn it, he’d avoided asking his best friend the hard questions.

  “Frank has the best doctors money can buy. Gabriel ensured his treatment is supervised by the best. The treatments are going well, and he’s holding up, but we are talking about cancer. As far as I know, it has not metastasized, which is promising. The cure rate on this type of cancer is close to the ninetieth percentile. But, given even the slimmest odds, do you want to take a chance on those letters being bad memories?”

  Jacob glanced at the top of the dresser to ensure they hadn’t forgotten anything before he shut the lid of the box and fastened the tiny latch. His hand ran over the smooth wood and shook his head. “We should give it to the girls before Christmas.”

  “That’s fine by me. I was able to get Keelee a new saddle and bridle, hand tooled by one of the best leather artists in the nation.” Doc chuckled and shook his head. “I can see by the expression on your face you don’t have another gift for Tori, do you?”

  “I have several gifts, but I was banking on this being the special one.” Jacob rubbed his face in aggravation. He glanced at the date on his watch. He still had four days. He had access to aircraft. If need be, he’d pay Guardian for the fuel, pilots, wear-and-tear on the aircraft, and take it on a shopping spree. He’d be damned if Tori wouldn’t have the best gift he could give her. Fuck him. He’d hoped the box would have been it.

  “There’s still time.” Doc tapped small box. “If we give them the box tomorrow and preface it by saying the box is a Christmas gift, if necessary, we could still bust ass and find Tori a gift. But if I were you, I’d start a search now. Think about it. Have you ever known anyone to leave letters like this unless they were heading to war or dying?”

  “No, and it’s killing me not to open that letter. I don’t want to give her something that’s going to upset her, but this… this isn’t our call, Doc. The girls need to make the decision. Open the letters or don’t.” Jacob put both hands in his pockets and stared at the box.

  “That still leaves a question, when do we deliver that letter to Frank?” Doc mimicked his actions and shoved his hands in his pockets.

  “I think we should let the girls determine that.” Jacob looked at his best friend. The thrill of giving Keelee and Tori a once-in-a-lifetime gift had come crashing down. The unknown nature of those envelopes? That definitely killed the fun. He shrugged. What could he do? Nothing. “So, can you hide this until we can get the girls together tomorrow and give it to them?” Jacob nodded to the little box.

  Doc grabbed it off the dresser. “Yeah, come to the hospital with me. I’ll lock it in one of the vacant offices. We can take the girls to the clinic tomorrow. There are no patients. We’ll have privacy there.”

  Jacob nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” He followed Doc out the door. Damn it, what the hell was he going to get Tori? He usually planned her gifts far in advance so they were special. Well, this Christmas would be special all right. He just didn’t know if that was a good special or an “Oh shit, Jacob, you just fucked up,” special.

  Chapter 3

  Joseph barked out a laugh at the small triage area. LED Christmas lights were wrapped around every possible surface. Red and green garlands draped across the door and strands dangled from the exposed beams in the ceiling. "It looks like the Grinch threw up Whoville in here."

  "Shut up. Lizzy and Kadey did it." Doc threw a wadded-up clump of garland at him.

  "Oh, then it is beautiful," he deadpanned and rolled his eyes.

  "Damn straight, motherfucker. My girl has taste." Adam dropped the duffle he carried on an exam table. A clank of glass made everyone cringe.

  "Don't fucking hurt the liquor, Doc." Jacob reprimanded.

  "Why don't you make yourself useful and go get the rest of the stuff off the porch?" Doc tipped his head at Jason. "He'll need some help."

  "What the fuck do you have out there?" Chief busied himself helping Joseph and Adam remove bottles of scotch and bubble wrapped glasses from the duffle on the exam table.

  "Dude, over the years I've learned I do not depend on anyone else for this gig." He waved his hand around the triage area.

  "Holy shit, there is enough food in here to feed an army." Jason, Dixon, Drake and Jacob entered, each carrying a bag or a box.

  "Or, conversely there is enough food in there to feed all the King brothers and the now defunct Alpha Team." Adam shoved the last of the bubble wrap into his duffle and tossed it into the corner.

  "Who are you calling defunct?" Dixon piped up.

  "Oh, shit. Here we go." Joseph poured himself a damn big portion of scotch and grabbed one of the comfortable desk chairs.

  "Defunct? We aren't defunct. We are… shit… we are defunct. Nonfunctioning." Drake blinked up from the bag at his brother.

  "Discontinued, superseded," Dixon added.

  "Out of commission." Chief handed a glass of scotch to Doc.

  "Antiquated," Drake agreed.

  "Bull-fucking-shit." Jacob laughed and shook his head. "We are more valuable now, as separate entities, than we ever were as Alpha Team."

  "True that. Except him. He has always been worth his weight in gold. Fucking King Midas over there." Joseph pointed at Justin as he and Nic walked in with Jared and Christian.

  "What? What the fuck did I do?"

  "How many restaurants do you own now?" Jared unzipped his coat and handed a thermos to Jason. "Unleaded and there is some soda sitting out on the porch. Wasn't sure if Doc had room in here to keep it cold."

  "Thanks. You have seventeen now, right?" Jason took the huge thermos and unscrewed the top as he glanced at Justin.

  "Eighteen. Dani and I just opened one in Paris." Justin shrugged out of his cashmere overcoat and draped it over an unused table.

  "And yet you still steal shit." Joseph stirred the pot.

  Justin waited for the laughter to subside before he grabbed one of the glasses filled with scotch and said succinctly, "I am not a thief. I'm an information–"

  "–extraction specialist." Every man in the room finished for him.

  "Exactly." He smiled and lifted his eyebrows a couple times.

  "To being defunct." Joseph lifted his glass. A round of here-here's were followed by lingering silence.

  "Who would have imagined this seven years ago?" Christian's soft rumble turned every head.

  "Not me." Joseph would never have imagined the twists and turns his life had taken. He glanced around the room. Each face was a study of concentration. Memories, events, struggles, triumphs, hell even failures, had formed each of them but had also welded the individual men sitting in this room into a formidable foundation of the world's largest security company.

  "Four boys." Jacob chuckled. "I love being a dad." There was a round of agreement from the men who had started a family.

  "I'm good with being an uncle. I can't see us having kids." Nic lifted his tumbler and downed it as everyone laughed. Jade as a mom.

  God, Joseph prayed he'd see that day. As much as the woman denied any maternal instinct, he had a feeling she'd rock the mom gig.

  "Someday." Drake smiled and shrugged. "Maybe."

&n
bsp; "What about you?" Joseph asked Dixon. The fact he'd roped that hellcat of a Shadow was impressive. That woman had sharp as fuck claws. Moriah being all… domesticated. That shit did not add up in his books. But, hey, whatever.

  Dixon shook his head. "We've had that talk. Joy wants kids someday, and I'm okay with that. Until then I'll be one hell of an uncle to all your kids."

  "We're waiting a couple years. We want to find our normal before we have kids." Justin laughed and shook his head. "Whatever normal is." That statement earned a round of “Amens”.

  "Chief, what about you and Taty?" Jacob lobbed the question across the room to where Chief sat beside Jason.

  "We might not be able to have any. Been trying for a while. No luck." He lifted his eyes and stared at each one of the men in the room in succession. "We are never bringing that up in mixed company. Taty would be devastated."

  "It'll happen someday. Then you can join the diaper brigade." Christian winked at Chief.

  "Oh, my God. The first time I changed a loaded diaper… I thought I'd puke." An exaggerated shiver shook Jacob.

  "And what is with the color? Why is baby poop that color? I thought for sure Marcus was dying." Jared's eyelids peeled back as he spoke.

  Christian leaned into his husband laughing. "No shit. He woke the doctor up and demanded a video chat. Of course, he held up the diaper as evidence."

  "No, he didn't..." Justin looked at his brother in disbelief.

  "Yep. The load slid off as Jared was ranting to the doctor about Marcus needing to be admitted. The entire diaper plopped right onto his bare foot." Christian was laughing so hard tears were forming in his eyes.

  "Oh, I can do you one better! Reece had the flu. Faith had an appointment and the nanny was on vacation. That means, I'm home with my son, who is sicker than a dog. Kid swears he's feeling better, so I let him eat some of my sandwich. We're doing great, right? So, we head into the den and I put him in the chair with me. I tell him to be really quiet so I can talk to Gabriel on video chat. Just random shit I need to get off the docket, nothing Reese can't hear, right?"