Lucky II (Patten Bodyguards Book 6) Read online

  I need to be someplace else.

  My cock enters her sweet core and she screams out my name. “Lucky! Oh God. I need you so much.”

  I’m married. She’s my beautiful wife and she’s got my baby growing inside her.

  Babies.

  I’m back in the school bus, again surrounded by infants and I don’t know which one is mine. I need to save them but the smoke is so thick I can’t find them.

  I fucked up.

  The thought permeates all and is so heart-wrenching I gasp and struggle for air. When I open my eyes, I’m surrounded by debris.

  Callie? “Callie!” I run to what used to be a front door.

  Below street level, the building is destroyed and smoke pours out from a crater.

  No fucking way.

  “Callie!” I scream and try to figure a way down. Maybe she’s under the rubble. I need to find her.

  Part of my brain registers she’s gone while the other half is in complete denial. Fuck, no. We were just getting started. Our baby. My God, it can’t be.

  I lost them both.

  On my knees I sob, staring into the burning wreckage where baby shower pieces float down onto the wreckage like pink snow.

  She has to be alive but how? Flames chew at the wood, my lungs burn, and some guy tries to pull me back but I shove him away. I need to find her and the others. Maybe she got clear.

  I remember Suds has a headset but he’s not responding either. This has to be a nightmare so I pinch myself.

  The scene doesn’t change.

  Sirens sound in the distance as I run up and down Seventh Avenue looking for her pretty blond head. The buildings on either side of the restaurant collapsed as well, but aren’t on fire. I’m sure I’ll see her any second now. She’ll wave and call out to me.

  “Callie!” My voice goes hoarse and tears flow freely but I don’t give a shit.

  My phone buzzes, a call from my buddy, Slate. “What happened? Are the girls alright?”

  Hell no. Nothing’s ever going to be right again but I can’t tell a mate his wife may have died. Certainly, not over the phone.

  “Just get down here. Bring everyone.” My throat’s so tight, I can barely choke out words.

  For the first time since I was a kid, I can’t do anything to fix what I see in front of me. Tears roll down my fucking cheeks and for a moment, I consider jumping into the flaming wreckage with her.

  That’s how the first responders find me.

  A fireman grabs my arm. “Was anyone in there?”

  “My wife and four other women. They were having a baby shower.” I fall onto my knees at the sight of a piece of Callie’s bright pink scarf.

  Ah fuck, she didn’t make it out.

  “You need to back up, sir.”

  “No, I need to find her.” I pull out of his grasp and jump onto the wreckage, burning my hands as I toss bricks to the side.

  “Callie! Izzy? Are you in there? Shout out if you hear me, luv.”

  It takes four policeman and a taser to pull me off the debris, sit me on the tailgate of a paramedic’s truck, and treat my burns. When I promise to behave, they let me stay.

  Grayson arrives about twenty minutes later with his eyes and nose red. He raises his fist and punches me in the jaw. Then, we hug like brothers, neither able to talk.

  Slate shows up a few minutes later, then Jack, followed by CJ and Andy. This was supposed to be a happy reunion. We had a guy’s night out planned after we got our ladies safely tucked into bed.

  Jack grabs my t-shirt ready to hit me, too. “What the fuck happened, Lochlan?”

  Grayson pulls him off me but I deserve to be beaten. Even though I wasn’t officially on duty, I had a comm unit on. I was one of the team of two that fucked up.

  “Well?” Jack glares while his fists clench and his jaw muscles tick.

  Swallowing hard, I try to sift the grains of truth from the nightmare that followed. “They were fine, having a great time. Callie asked me to take a couple presents to the car. I swear, I was only gone five minutes when she texted 911. A few blocks away, I dropped everything and ran but the front door had chains. I was going to shoot the lock off but there was the smell of gas. Maybe if I had taken a chance…”

  “The restaurant would’ve blown sooner and you’d be gone.” A cop standing close by offers his two cents while taking notes on a tablet.

  The agony piercing my gut makes me wish for death but not until I find out who did this.

  “Did you see anything suspicious?” Jack clenches a fist around the neck of my t-shirt.

  “You think I’d have left them if I did?”

  I turn to Slate. “You’re the one with the sixth sense. Did you feel anything?”

  “Shit, no. I wasn’t close enough. I wish to hell I’d been here.”

  Closing my eyes, I work to recall the moments before the blast. There were no strange vehicles, no pedestrians, no nothing.

  I do remember how she’d looked at me as I left with the crib filled with baby stuff. She’d mouthed I love you. My eyes water and I rub them with a fist. Damn it all. I can’t do this. I can’t go on without her.

  Grayson curses, his whole body coiled. I’ve never seen my boss so emotional.

  He calms when a plain-clothes detective flashes a badge. With a grim face, the cop holds forth a chain and padlock. “The front and back doors had these on them. I’m going to need to talk to each of you.”

  Andy, always the lawyer, glares at us. “Don’t say a word without me present.”

  Bloody hell. In addition to losing our wives, now, we’re suspects.

  My whole world lost, I glance one last time at the rubble. Suddenly, a small bit of hope lights my dark despair. I jump off the back of the truck, rush to the front of the building, and point to the collapsed mess to the right. “The last time I saw them, Suds said he was taking them downstairs.”

  “Hey! Over here!”

  A fireman with a dog rushes over.

  “Check out that building.”

  Time stands still as we hold our breaths, praying and watching. Suddenly, the animal barks excitedly and wags his tail.

  “We got something.” The fireman waves over more men.

  We help them push a microphone into the wreckage and for over an hour, I pray like I have never prayed before pacing behind the yellow tape they insist I stand behind.

  “I hear them.” A fireman grins. “They’re all alive!”

  Chapter 3

  Calliope James

  For almost five minutes I cough my lungs out. If I’m dead, God didn’t think so highly of me. Dying alone in a black void is my worst nightmare. Hey, up there. I wasn’t such a bad person. If I had lived, I’m sure I would’ve done something meaningful, eventually. I was working on it.

  God? Anyone? Buehler?

  A little life kicks inside my belly and hope gushes into my being. I’m betting pregnant women don’t happen in heaven or hell. Fortified by this strange reasoning, I struggle to move fingers and toes. Once I’m certain they work, I test my wrists and ankles. Still good, I put my hand in front of my face.

  Holy shit. I can’t see. It’s either very dark or I lost my sight. Heart thumping and hyperventilating, I inhale to scream but stop when my head bumps the ceiling. Seeing stars, I stop worrying about being blind. With fingers forward and aft, I crawl until I can sit upright, albeit cross-legged. Then, I put my hand to my hair.

  Jesus, that hurts. Sorry God. I turn the curse into a prayer. Please help me.

  A favorite saying of Sister Mary comes to mind. God gives every bird his food but doesn’t throw it in the nest.

  If I’m going to get out, I need to do is focus. The last thing I remember was getting dressed for brunch. The Patten wives, as we like to call ourselves, were all getting together because our husbands were in town.

  What the hell happened after? In my small confines, there’s sharp edges everywhere so I decide not to feel around anymore.

  What if I got buried alive
and I’m in some kind of underground prison?

  My chest pounds, my ears ring, and I claw at wood, dirt, and stone. “Please! Someone, help me!”

  “Callie?” Blake’s high muffled voice breaks through the silence.

  Oh my God. I’m so glad to hear her voice, I burst into tears.

  Gulping, I squint in her direction. “What happened? Where are we?”

  “There was an explosion.” Blake moves a little closer. “Are you hurt?”

  “I can’t see. Is it really dark in here?” I hold my breath imagining the rest of my life blinded. How could I possibly take care of a child?

  When a tiny sliver of light shines behind a wall of debris, I smile. Thank you, thank you, God. Moments ago, I was opening shower gifts and worried about having a baby.

  Now, I hardly dare ask, “Did everyone make it okay? Are they with you?”

  “Mel, me, Izzy, Suds, and Lilac. We’re all here.”

  The image of a white shirt stained with blood comes to mind. “Is Suds hurt bad?”

  “Yes, but Lilac stopped the bleeding and says he’s stable. She’s asking me if you’re injured.”

  Blake moves the light closer and I wish she hadn’t because now I can see the blood. I touch the top of my head, it hurts like the blazes, and my fingers come back sticky. I need to bandage up the wound but covered in dirt, I’ll only make things worse.

  “I got a nasty cut on my head.” I pull off my boot, grab a sock, and press it to the wound.

  “Ow. Holy shit, that hurts.”

  Melanie shouts out, “Is the baby okay, hun?”

  “I think so. I felt her kick.” Despite the screwed-up situation, I smile at the muffled cheers on the other side of the wall. Then, closing my eyes, I rest, assured Lucky will find me.

  Half-awake, half-asleep, I relive our first kiss in my building’s elevator. His costume consisted of high leather boots, cape, and tight leggings. He was the perfect sixteenth century pirate, every woman’s wet dream.

  My fingers slide under his silk shirt until they find the ridges of his abs and I caress him until he moans. With molten eyes, he leans over, dark roasted coffee on his breath. His lips stop inches from my mouth, I shiver, and reach one shaking hand to the back of his neck. I pull him to me and hold on for my dear life as he takes the kiss deeper. My nails bite into his flesh, he growls, and I open my eyes. Large black centers almost block the brown and his nostrils flare. He pulls his hard, lower-half to mine, grinding until liquid pools between my legs.

  Hungry for more, I press my hardened nipples into his chest. We’re both heated, and ready for the bedroom. I’ve never done anything so reckless before. Yet, at this moment, I can’t think of one good reason why I shouldn’t make love with this perfectly perfect stranger.

  The elevator dings, I grab his hand, and rush him toward my apartment. At the door, my hand quivers so badly, the key misses the hole. A warm palm reaches out to steady me and together, we unlock the door.

  Once we’re inside, he slams it shut with his heel, pushes me against the refrigerator, and pulls up the unending folds of my sixteenth century costume. Eventually, he finds my butt and squeezes. My legs part, waiting for him to touch my need.

  When a car horn blares, his brows furrow, and his eyes darken. Breathing hard, he takes two steps back.

  “Dammit, I-I can’t.”

  “Why not?” Are you kidding me? To hell with my ego. I’ll fall down on my knees, take him into my mouth, and teach him what he’s missing.

  As if reading my mind, he takes me by the shoulders, and holds me at arm’s length. “I could give about a million reasons. For one, Sir James is an act, luv.”

  “I don’t understand. What’s your name got to do it?” My throat grows tight. Dammit. Somehow, I blew it, turned him off, sent him running.

  He doesn’t want me.

  Lucky paces the small kitchen and scratches his head. “This is the real me, Lucky, from down un-dah. ’Straya.”

  My mouth drops open. Surely, this isn’t happening. “You stopped kissing me because you’re Australian?”

  “No luv. I stopped, because until I’m off the clock, you’re my client and we were about to end up in bed.”

  “I’m not your type. That’s it, isn’t it” When one lone tear drips down my cheek, I bite hard on my lower lip until it hurts more than my pride.

  “Callie?”

  “Lucky?” I peek open one eye, the kitchen goes black, and I’m in a dark tomb.

  “No, hun, it’s me, Lilac. Thank God. You’ve been quiet for almost an hour. We were really getting worried.” The internist shines her phone, lighting up ghostly features.

  “I’m okay. I fell asleep.” My headache throbs, my stomach wretches, and I fight back the sour bile threatening to erupt.

  I close my eyes to rewind back to my sweet dream. I’d much rather die there than in a cold dark hole in the ground, covered in puke.

  Lilac brings her mouth to the hole that separates us. “No more sleeping. I think you have a concussion.”

  Everything is a bit foggy, I don’t recall hitting my head but it hurts. I do remember an explosion.

  “Where’s Lucky?” My legs have fallen asleep so I unfold them and squish knees to chest.

  “Hold on a little longer. There’s quite a bit of loose rubble overhead so the rescue team is being careful.”

  “Can you tell Lucky I love him?”

  “Hold on a sec.” There’s a moment of silence, some muffled shouting, then she adds, “He’s asking for you to shout. They want to pinpoint your location.”

  “Hey! Here! I’m here!” My voice gets swallowed by the surrounding walls.

  “Again.”

  “Hello!” I scream until I’m hoarse.

  “Can I stop now?” My throat raw, I wait in darkness and fret.

  A good ten minutes later, she returns, her voice cheery. “He says they’re good.”

  “Great.” Weighty lids droop, ready for more dreams.

  “How about we chat?” Perky Lilac is the worst. She shines her phone into my space and I moan.

  “Okay. You first.”

  Dust falls on my head as she moves closer, mouth almost to my ear. “You there?”

  “Uh huh.” Where would I go?

  “How about I tell you how I met Slate.” All the women in her side of captivity giggle in a manner so contagious, I can’t help but join.

  Lucky told me about them but I can’t wait to hear it from a female perspective. “You were his dogwalker, right?”

  “Right. He was going out of town and had recently found a stray dog. He told my agency he needed someone right away and left a key to his guesthouse. When I arrived, it was late so I put on my PJ’s. That’s when he burst in on me, stark naked.”

  I smile, imagining my husband’s handler and the petite doctor confronting each other for the first time. “Not a stitch on him?”

  “Nope. He sleeps in the nude. Because the agency never told him I was coming, he thought I was breaking in.”

  She giggles. “He made a big first impression.”

  I wait for the snickering to die down before I ask, “Was it love at first sight?”

  “Not hardly. Lust, maybe. He was a real jerk at first. His life was pretty messed up at the time.”

  “My husband said his dog found a human hand, right?”

  “Yeah. It was a wild summer but I wouldn’t change a thing.” The young doctor sighs, my lids lower, and I yawn.

  Melanie pipes up next. “Want to hear my story? …Callie you there?”

  “Hmm? Everyone knows about you and CJ. Small town girl marries famous quarterback.”

  She harrumphs. “I bet you didn’t know it was all a scam? A fake marriage?”

  If this is her ploy to keep me awake, it’s working. I sit up a little straighter. “No way! You got three kids.”

  She laughs, her nose now closest in the dim light. “Right? The marriage was only supposed to last a couple months.”

  “G
et out of town.” I think back to all the postings on social media and the TV ads.

  “At the time, Chance had the best public relations firm money could buy. Only a few knew. CJ needed an image makeover and I needed a wedding to get back on my feet. My ex had locked me out of my apartment and took everything I owned.

  “Wait. Didn’t you feel guilty, fooling everyone?”

  “Not really. Over the years I’d spent thousands on gifts for my cousins. I figured fair is fair. Not only that, I was desperate.”

  “What then? You fell in love for real?”

  I picture the NFL star turned coach as I last saw him. He had two toddlers wrapped around each leg and carried a third in his arms. At that happy thought, I smile. My dark prison turns to summer and I’m sitting in a large field of green. Fluffy summer clouds float overhead and a red-headed toddler in a gingham dress runs toward me. Lochlan is there, too. He squats and scoops us both into a warm hug.

  “Callie, luv?” He calls to me in my dream.

  Flecks of stone fall into my face, I breathe fresh air, and open my eyes. The light next door is gone and everything again, black.

  “Loch? You there?” Did I dream his voice or was it really him?

  “Thank Christ.” My husband’s voice cracks. “Are you hurt, honey?”

  “How long have I been down here?”

  “Don’t fret. We’re minutes away from getting you out.”

  “What happened to Mel, Suds, the rest?” My heart races. Am I alone?

  “They’re fine. Keep talking to me, luv. Don’t fall asleep. Promise me.”

  The nasty headache throbs to the point where I wish I was unconscious but he’s right. I need to stay alert, whatever it takes.

  “Remember the day we met?” Smiling, I stretch out as best I can.

  “How could I forget? The moment you lowered your scarf, you stole my heart. Prettiest sheila I ever saw. I knew right then I had to have you.”

  “I love you.” My heart bursts with love.

  “I love you, too. Standby, the blokes with the heavy lifters say we’re only five or ten minutes away.”

  Engines roar, a brick topples onto my leg, and I scream. “Lucky, tell them to stop. I’m getting buried alive.”