Into the Blackness (Blackness Series Book 4) (32 page)

“I can’t believe you’d go into an organized crime family take over and not tell your man or your family,” I say shocked at how ballsy she is. I don’t know why I’m shocked. Shannon Kelly is a unique brand of badass.

“
Pfft
,” she blows out. “They would’ve tied me to a chair if I told them. Kieran’s my family and he needed me. He did the same thing for me not long ago.”

“That man loves your crazy ass.”

“Who doesn’t?” she deadpans before falling into raspy laughter. “Hang on.”

“’Kay.”

“Hey, Kieran just walked out here and says he needs to talk to you now…like important shit now.”

“Put him on,” I say gruffly.

“He says I need to hear this too,” she responds cautiously.

What the fuck? Why the hell does Shanny need to hear anything that Kieran needs to tell me?

“Speaker.”

The phone rustles around before she asks, “Can you hear us?”

“Yeah.”

“Shannon you’re pregnant so you gotta keep your shit together,” Kieran orders in his deep whiskey and tar voice.

“Now you’re just freakin’ me out. Talk,” she barks. I agree.

“All right. A few weeks back Nick found a seventeen-year-old girl that had been taken from Chicago about a decade ago. He didn’t have a lot of details about her so he asked me to look into it. I’ve had a hell of a time findin’ anything about her, but I’ve got somethin’ now.”

“What?” I growl.

“From what I’ve been able to find out, Cara’s father is Vito Mancini and her mother was Deirdre Murphy,” Kieran says softly for Shannon’s benefit.

This can’t be fucking happening. My uncle and Shannon’s dead mother…no fucking way.

“You’re wrong, Kieran. My mother’s been dead for twenty-three years,” Shanny states confidently.

“From what I’ve been told that’s not true. Mancini took her and kept her for a few years before he put her out of her misery. I’m gonna go have a chat with Mancini to confirm it, but my sources are good, Shannon.”

“Go get Kel,” she growls at Kieran and I hear him dutifully obey.

“Nicky, is this even possible? This has to be a mistake,” she pleads with me to fix this truly fucked up situation.

“Shanny, I have no clue. I’m just gettin’ this information too. You know Kieran though. He wouldn’t tell us if he wasn’t sure. Fuck,” I groan.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I hear Dylan Kellerman tending to his upset fiancée.

“Kieran thinks I have a half-sister that Nicky found a few weeks ago,” she explains in a pained voice. No tears, just hurt.

“What?” Kellerman snarls in a low deep timbre.

“My sources are good, man,” Kieran reassures Kellerman.

“Shanny, I’m gonna email you an address. I need you to send in a DNA sample and I’ll send one in too. We’ll know for sure in a few days max.” My agent brain has finally kicked back into gear.

“Okay, Nicky,” she mumbles, probably into her massive fiancé’s chest.

“Hey, Cooper. I didn’t know you were on the phone,” Kellerman says with a tinge of annoyance in his voice. He’s not my biggest fan. I don’t think he likes sharing his woman as much as he has to with her huge family and I just got added to that equation a year ago. I think he also sensed my feelings for Shanny, but I never would have made a move on her and he knew that too. Now that I’ve got Kat maybe he’ll ease up a bit.

“You can be nice to him, caveman. He’s got a wife and four kids now. And his wife’s pregnant,” Shanny chides Kellerman.

“What?” Kellerman and Kieran ask in confused harmony.

I chuckle into the phone at my best friend’s amazing ability to just say shit, plain and simple…no bullshit.

“I’ve been busy,” I admit proudly.

“No shit,” Kellerman and Kieran continue their unified speech.

Kat comes in the office with a question on her brow when she sees the overwhelmed confusion on mine. I pat my knee and she plops down in my lap.

“Shanny, you wanna say hi to Kat?”

Kat’s eyes get huge and then her face breaks in two with a giant toothy smile.

“Hell yes!” Shanny says excitedly as I put the phone on speaker.

Kat snickers at Shanny’s excitement.

“Hi, Kat,” Shanny says in her soft sweet voice.

“Hi…uh I don’t know what to call you. I’ve heard you have a lot of nicknames,” Kat says kindly.

“That’s because I’m surrounded by idiots that can’t be bothered to say my name,” she jokes. “You can call me whatever you want, but my friends call me Shannon.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Shannon. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Don’t believe a word Nicky says about me. He’s a pathological liar. Here, let me introduce you to my fiancé Dylan Kellerman.”

“Hi, Dylan.”

“Hey, Kat.”

“Holy shit what kinda face goes with that voice?” Kat asks animatedly.

The phone fills with laughter as I offer Kat a scowl. She gazes back innocently.

“I love you already,” Shanny announces. “My crazy ass cousin is here too. Kieran Delaney meet Kat.”

“Hey, Kat,” Kieran purrs on purpose.

“Hi, Kieran,” Kat says holding back a giggle. “Uh, you got some kinda phone sex side business, Shannon?”

“I know right? I’m surrounded by big sexy men. It’s a sacrifice, but I make do,” she jokes.

“You two together are gonna be trouble. I feel it,” I huff.

“Wait until I get Quinn in on this shit,” Shanny fans the flames. “Quinn’s Kieran’s fiancée. She’s tiny firecracker of awesomeness,” Shanny explains to Kat.

“Oh my God and all three of us are pregnant!” Shanny spouts excitedly.

“Trouble,” Kellerman, Kieran and I grumble in unison.

“Cavemen,” Kat and Shanny respond in mirrored harmony.

The five of us fall into fits of united laughter. With what Shanny and I just learned it’s a harrowing laugh but much needed.

“Kieran thinks Cara is Shanny’s half-sister and my cousin,” I explain to Kat as we come back down to earth.

“No fuckin’ way. Oh my God that’s why she looks like Shannon!” Kat exclaims.

“She looks like me?” Shanny whispers.

“I’m so sorry, Shannon. That was insensitive of me. She does though. Nicky couldn’t quit staring at her it freaked him out so much.”

“Nicky?” Shanny asks for confirmation.

“It’s true. I almost fell over when I saw her face. I felt like I climbed in a time machine when I looked in her bright green eyes.”

“This is un-fucking-real,” Shanny huffs. “On a side note before I turn into a puddle of hormonal tears, I love that you call him Nicky.”

“Me too,” Kat says through a sweet smile. I never told her Nicky is the nickname Shanny gave me as a kid. I can see on Kat’s face she gets how huge it was for me to suggest that she use it day one. More than that, it means something personal to me beyond words to share it with the woman I love more than life. My sweet Kat.

“Okay. I’m gonna get off here and go bawl my eyes out and then eat a pumpkin pie. Nicky, I’ll send in that DNA sample tomorrow. When we’re sure Cara’s my sister I’m on a fuckin’ plane and don’t even think about tryin’ to keep me away or I’ll go commando on your ass,” Shanny levels a very real threat.

“Noted.”

“It was nice to meet you, Dylan and Kieran,” Kat says tenderly.

“You too, Kat,” they reply in tandem.

“Shannon…thank you for bein’ such a good friend to Nicky. You mean the world to him and that means the world to me. I can’t wait to meet you in person so we can get into a shit ton of trouble,” Kat finishes with a chuckle.

“I love Nicky. He’s the only part of my past that I have and I’m glad he’s got you as his future. And we’ll definitely be getting into trouble…soon.”

We all go about saying a very long complicated five-way goodbye and hang up. My mind is a mess. I can’t wrap my head around half the information rolling around my brain so I decide to put it on hold and make out with my wife. She willingly complies.

Kat

“Hollander,” Shane answers gruffly.

“Hello, Shane,” I say coolly.

“Kat?” he questions like he’s trying to figure out if he’s in a dream or not.

“Look, I’m still pissed at you. I just wanted to call and tell you that even though you hurt me and need some serious help weighing your priorities in life…thank you. Thank you for getting us the boys.”

“Kat, I’m so fuckin’ sorry for hurting you. I’m not gonna try to excuse my actions. I was wrong.”

“Yeah, you were,” I huff.

“I love you. I really do love you. The last few weeks thinkin’ I’d never have you back in my life has been miserable. Bein’ in that hospital room with you and not bein’ able to talk to you or hold you was worse than any torture I’ve endured. Please tell me I can fix this. I’ll do anything.”

“Don’t hurt me again, Shane. You and Jess have been the only people in my life since my parents died. I need you. I need you in my life because things are changing for me. My life is growing and I can’t imagine what it would look like without you. Don’t take what we have for granted again,” I say quietly.

“Never,” he declares ardently.

“All right, get Jess and put the phone on speaker.”

“Uh…okay.”

“Hey lady,” Jess calls out brightly.

I called and made up with her after Sawyer’s attack. She yelled at me for a half hour before she cried and then forgave me. I held this last bit of information from her though. I wanted to tell Nick first.

“Hey you. Merry Christmas.”

“Did Santa bring you some happy?” Jess asks noting my brighter tone.

“And then some. I’m pregnant.”

I’m met with a long drawn out silence.

“Kat,” Shane whispers.

“I’m good you guys. This happened before…well, before.”

“You’re happy?” Jess asks tentatively.

“I’m over the moon.”

“That’s freakin’ amazing!” I can hear her jumping with excitement.

“You want off the op?” Shane asks professionally.

“No.”

“Should I still take you off the op?”

“No,” I answer in a snicker. He’s thinking about me, finally.

“Should I ask Nick?”

“Shane,” Jess warns.

He grumbles something about an assassination in his future but doesn’t push anymore.

“Okay, I want details. Hot juicy details, but we’re heading to the safe house to spend some time with Cara,” Jess says excited for me and the bun in my oven.

“Cara’s the other reason I’m calling. I’m gonna pass you off to Nick. I’ve gotta get back to the boys. I love you both.”

“Love you too,” Jess coos.

“Congratulations, Kat. Thanks for givin’ me a second chance. I won’t fuck up again. I swear,” Shane spouts confidently.

“I’ll sick my husband on you if you do.”

“I don’t doubt that. Love you, Kat.”

“Love you too. Here’s Nick,” I say handing the phone to Nick who’s been watching me intently from the other side of the desk.

He takes the phone and presses a kiss to my palm where he removed the phone from. Fuck, that feels good. I leave the office and head down the staircase to find my boys. I’m relieved in a way I didn’t know I could be. I was still so mad at Nick even after Sawyer’s attack and finding out I was pregnant that I didn’t know how I was going to get through any of it.

Then Nick protected us from that cow Patricia and then immediately assured me he’d get us custody of all the boys. That’s when it happened. I realized then that no matter how badly he fucked up telling me he wanted a future with me, it was true. He honestly and truly wants this life with me and the boys. He’s not motivated by the op or Shane…he’s motivated by his love for us.

I didn’t jump back in with both feet at that moment though. I’ve waited and given myself some time to heal and watch Nick. Even though I’ve shut him out he’s still been taking care of me. He makes me coffee every morning, he deals with the boys before school (which is a task), he walks me to the garage then hovers watching me drive away, he cleans my weapons, he brings home flowers at least once a week, he compliments me often and with sincerity, he takes away my worry at every juncture and above all he shows me that he loves me with every breath he takes.

I wasn’t expecting Shane to get us the boys. And as mad as I’ve been at him, I’ve missed him. My life has only had two constants since I joined the DCA, Shane and Jess. What Shane did is…beyond agonizing, but I know there was some goodness behind the selfishness. The idiot needs to work on his communication skills. I don’t know if our friendship will ever be the same, but I’m not willing to let it go.

Now we’ve got to get this damn op wrapped so my family can start a real life together. I feel my game coming back full strength and I’m ready to play. I’ve had enough of
Stepford
and the crazy that encapsulates the space. The Bookers are about to get schooled and I’m going to be their professor of pain.

“Mom!” Cole shouts from the basement where some intense gaming has been going on since this morning.

“Yeah!” I yell back loving the tingle him calling me Mom causes me.

“That bitch that gave birth to me just called!”

Not really a conversation I want to have screaming through the house. I thud down the stairs and enter the land of video games and stinky teenage boys.

“What happened?” I ask as I flop on the huge charcoal sectional couch next to Cole.