Full Force Fatherhood (5 page)

Chapter Seven

Lynn managed to not lose her composure when she came into the entryway, moments after Mark shut the front door. What she didn't manage to do was keep her eyes from roving up and down the man. She cut a quick look to Kelli, who was at his side, before extending her hand.

“You must be Mark,” she greeted him.

Mark took her hand. “And you must be Lynn.”

The short-haired woman beamed.

“That's me—childhood best friend, keeper of all embarrassing stories, holder of everything secret. You know, the norm.”

Mark chuckled, and Kelli swatted at her. Knowing her, she'd launch into one of those embarrassing stories if not adequately distracted.

“Why don't we go ahead and sit down?” she suggested, ushering the group into the next room. The table wasn't made up as fancy as she would have liked, but judging by what she had seen of his apartment, Mark didn't mind the lack of flamboyance. Like Kelli, he seemed to find pleasure in simpler tastes.

“You weren't kidding about boxes,” Mark commented, taking the first seat he made it to. His back was facing the door but with a perfect sightline to a pyramid of boxes against the wall behind the table.

Kelli laughed. “I warned you.”

“Yes, you did.”

Lynn sat across from Mark while Grace climbed up on her lap. Normally Kelli would have said something, but the toddler had been in such a good mood that she didn't want to jeopardize it. Not that she thought Mark would have been angry if she had thrown a tantrum. He seemed to be a good man.

“I hope you like spaghetti,” Kelli said, bringing in a pot full of it. “I'm not a five-star chef, but these two have never complained.”

Lynn leaned in a bit but spoke loudly. “I just haven't told her that I'll never turn down free food.”

Mark laughed, and the three of them launched into the small talk that happens when everyone isn't fully acquainted. Lynn brought up her disdain for her boss and, immediately after, her dream of owning her own marketing agency.

“I'd force this one here to leave her gig and get a job with me,” she said, thumbing in Kelli's direction. “She can use those artsy skills to make a mean profit, helping me design pretty campaigns.”

“You're still working in art therapy?” Mark asked after downing a mouthful of noodles. Kelli was surprised he remembered.

“Actually, no,” she admitted. “I currently train others to use art therapy to help senior citizens with special needs. I used to be the one
doing
it, but now I teach those who will.” She shrugged. “I have to say, it's way more flexible schedule-wise, which helps me take care of that little thing there.” Grace's attention was on her food, even though half of it was on her face. “Though the pay leaves room to be desired.” She glanced at the boxes stacked in the living room.

“It's great what you're doing, though,” Mark replied once he, too, had glanced at another stack of boxes. Kelli wondered if he'd put together the fact that her new job and its lower pay was a big contributor to them moving. “Helping people can be a hard business.”

“Speaking of helping people,” Lynn chimed in, “Kelli tells me you're no longer working as a bodyguard?” Kelli's eyes shot daggers at her best friend. Always one to talk before thinking, Lynn's eyes widened. She'd finally realized the most likely reason behind his change of work. However, it was too late to take her words back.

If Mark was offended, he didn't show it.

“Yeah, I needed some time away from it,” he said. He didn't meet their gaze but focused on his drink. “Don't get me wrong. Orion is the best place I've ever worked, but I'd been doing it for so long, I needed a break.”

Kelli hoped what he was saying was true, that he'd changed careers for reasons that didn't involve her or her family, but she certainly wasn't going to pry into his motive.

“Orion. I just love that name,” Lynn said, showing Kelli she wouldn't pry, either. That earned a smile from the man.

“The founder, Nikki, named it after Orion's belt. It was her way of remembering why she started the group.”

“Why did she? What's the connection?” Kelli couldn't help but ask. Even though they'd hired Orion, she'd never heard their origin story.

“I'll warn you, it wasn't the best beginning,” he said. “Nikki and I, along with two other agents, were working at an elite security agency called Redstone Solutions before Orion was even a thought. We did almost the same thing as Orion does now, but for a high price.” Sadness crept across his face. Kelli realized that perhaps she'd jumped from one sore topic to another. “One day a woman named Morgan Avery came in, asking for protection while she traveled to the UK. She was competing for placement in an astronomy program that was really hard to get into. She said she'd been receiving threats and was terrified. We were told to turn her down—she didn't have enough money—but still she came day after day to ask again.”

He paused. Instead of trying to find the right words, Mark looked like he was trying to forget them. “Her body was found in a ditch near the airport.” Kelli and Lynn gasped. “That's when Nikki used the contacts she'd made as secretary to leave and start her own security group. She named it after Morgan's favorite constellation. She wanted to help those who couldn't afford it. Orion occasionally takes on wealthy clients to keep the place running, but the bottom line is we protect those who don't have the money for it.” His frown tilted into a half smile. “And I went with her.”

“Whoa,” Lynn whispered.

Kelli couldn't help but agree. Warmth at the realization of why he helped people who couldn't afford it started to spread throughout her chest. Without a doubt Mark was a good man.

The conversation from there became lighter. A storm rolled in, and they found a more comfortable ground of discussing—of all things—the weather. It led to other topics mundane enough that no one was forced to remember a tragic past but interesting enough that the conversation stretched into an hour. Mark was more than the quiet man she'd met before and met once again. He livened up enough that she could see he wasn't just a bodyguard—former or otherwise—but a normal guy with a sweet smile.

He complimented her cooking and thanked her for the meal. He talked directly to Grace as much as any person could and even gave her a few compliments of her own. Lynn must have decided she liked him, as well. Without asking Kelli or Mark, she cleared the table and replaced their dishes with wineglasses.

“It's storming outside, so it's not like you can leave right now,” she explained to Mark. “While we wait, let's have a glass of this wine I was polite enough to bring over.”

Kelli found that she quite liked that idea.

“You said you'll never turn down free food?” Mark asked Lynn, eyeing the bottle. “I won't turn down free wine.”

* * *

T
HE
STORM
DIDN
'
T
DISSIPATE
.

The longer they waited, the worse it got. If Grace hadn't skipped her nap, she would have been terrified. As it was, she was bundled up in Kelli's bed, fast asleep. But with the growing volume of each boom of thunder, she wouldn't be for long.

It was well past ten and Lynn, Mark and Kelli had thoroughly exhausted all small talk. A majority of
that
had been done by the vivacious best friend who hadn't been shy with the wine she'd brought over. Whether she was making sure to fill the conversational void constantly or was just really excited for new company, Kelli couldn't tell. What she did know was that Mark had been nothing but polite. He hadn't been quiet, but she realized he hadn't said much about himself, either. The only time he'd momentarily opened up was about Orion before the wine. Past that? It was like talking to a ghost.

It made her wonder how he lived his life.

And how much of it he didn't.

“If you think I'm letting you two leave in this—” Kelli motioned to the living room's front windows “—then you're sadly mistaken.”

Mark's head was tilted down over his phone, but he chuckled. “It isn't that bad,” he said.

Lynn, who had taken up the other side of the couch, moved her head to see what he was looking at. “That's a very red radar,” she commented.

Mark sighed. “Yes, it is.”

Kelli stood from the chair opposite them and put her hands together. “Then it looks like we're all bunking here tonight.”

Mark's eyebrow shot up so fast that Kelli instantly questioned her decision.

“Listen, you took a taxi here right?” she asked. He nodded.

“I realized my truck was running on empty,” he admitted. “I thought it would be easier to just grab a cab here instead.”

“Well, they aren't going to send someone out in this, and even if they did, would you trust them to get you home all right?” On cue, the sound of rain pelting the house intensified. She could tell the man was now reaching the same conclusion. “If you don't mind taking the couch, Lynn, you can bunk with me and the munchkin since her room is all packed up. Okay?”

Lynn reached over and patted Mark on the shoulder before standing with her empty wineglass.

“Don't fight it, man,” she said. “That look she's sporting? That's her Mama Bear face. Right now she doesn't see us as people. We're her cubs.” Mark laughed.

“Call it a side effect of motherhood,” Kelli responded, hands going to her hips. She fixed Mark with a less intense stare. “I can't make you stay, but I assure you it's no inconvenience to us.”

Mark glanced at the window and the dark abyss outside. He was hesitant in answering. “If it's really no trouble, then it might be a good idea to stay, at least till it passes.”

Kelli smiled and Lynn clapped. The sound was drowned out by another
boom
of thunder. It didn't diminish her cheer.

“Haven't had a sleepover in years,” she squealed.

Kelli promptly rolled her eyes.

* * *

T
HE
DAY
HAD
been full of surprises, but now the night was trumping them. Mark settled back onto the couch, trying to get comfortable under the multicolored blanket. Kelli had said Victor had never been a fan of its brightness. Bringing Victor up, however relevant he was, had put a feeling of guilt and confusion within him once again.

Now the house was as quiet as the storm outside would let it be. The light kept on in the kitchen buzzed through the madness. Neither of these things kept Mark awake. It was the room across from him that grabbed his focus and kept it.

Victor Crane's office.

Kelli had mentioned it was the last room they had packed and as soon as she'd said it, her expression had darkened. That's where she'd found the notebook.

Mark let out a long breath and tried to readjust to a more comfortable position. Nothing was working. His mind was refusing to shut down for the night. After a few more minutes of no success, he pulled out his phone and checked the radar again.

“Desperate to leave?”

Mark sat up quickly, turning toward the hallway that separated the living room and kitchen. In the dim light, Kelli smiled.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you,” she apologized. “Unlike the two ladies passed out in my bed, I can't sleep through all of this.”

“And here I thought I was the only one,” he responded. His voice had dropped in volume to match hers, but every part of him had to focus to keep it from getting too deep. As she stood there in a tank top and plaid boxers, with no makeup, her short hair in a ponytail, Mark found himself admiring how beautiful she was.

“Well, since we can't seem to fall asleep, would you be interested in a late-night snack?” She grinned. “I know where Grace's mom hides the chocolate-chip cookies.”

For the umpteenth time that night, Kelli made him laugh. It was not only a foreign feeling to him but also a sound he wasn't used to hearing.

“As long as you don't tell, I won't,” he responded with a wink. Kelli's smile grew, and Mark followed her into the kitchen. Wanting to avoid another shirtless session with her, he'd been mindful to keep his undershirt on when he had first lain down.

The light above the sink was enough to illuminate the room. It showed Kelli climbing up onto the countertop next to the refrigerator. She looked back at his questioning look before opening up the small cabinet above.

“You really made sure Grace couldn't reach those, huh?” he whispered.

She laughed softly. “And Lynn.” Kelli found the bag of cookies and passed it back to him. “Keeping any sweets in the house has proven to be a very difficult thing to—”

Another
boom
of thunder hit, but the sound that immediately followed wasn't storm-related at all. It was glass shattering. Both of them turned their heads toward the living room, even though the wall was in their way. Frozen, they listened.

Another crash was partially masked by the storm.

Every part of Mark went on high alert. He crept along the kitchen wall until he was at the doorway. Crouching so he wasn't at full height, he looked across the hallway to the room he had just been trying to sleep in. Past the couch and through the double French doors, movement caught his eye.

Someone was climbing through the office window. Judging by the flashlight in his hand and the mask on his face, it wasn't a person filled with good intentions.

Mark moved quickly back to Kelli. His face must have shown it all. She didn't question when he grabbed her by the waist. She put her hands on his shoulders, and he lifted her up off the countertop and set her back down on the floor. He took her hand and pulled her through the other kitchen doorway that opened farther down the hallway. The intruder couldn't see them as Mark rushed them to the master bedroom. But that also meant they couldn't see the intruder.