Redeeming Justice (24 page)

Waiting for Alex to reappear was probably the longest forty-five minutes of her life.
Tori had bustled into the hacienda ten minutes ago and was chatting happily about
the things she hoped to pick up, telling Meghan her plans for the nursery she was
decorating and gushing about her love for a hand-carved cradle her hunky husband had
made for their baby. Seeing her joy and hearing how she spoke of Draegyn warmed Meghan’s
heart.

When Alex finally did stroll down the big stairway from the second floor, she almost
vapor locked at his appearance. Used to the bearded and burly presence that he made
look so damn good, she was unprepared for a completely different side.

The beard was gone and instead of his usual casual clothes he was wearing a dark blue
business suit that was obviously tailor-made to fit him perfectly. She almost giggled
like a schoolgirl at how unbelievably sexy he made the serious suit look. If Tori
hadn’t been right there she would have leapt on him like a crazed fan girl and given
him a lip lock he wasn’t likely to forget. Damn—he was one handsome dude.

“Ready ladies?” he asked when he hit the bottom step.

Picking her jaw up off the floor, Meghan smirked at him and feigned a swoon while
teasing, “Oh God! Be still my beating heart!”

Tori busted out laughing and fanned herself in jest, joining in the fun. “Don’t tell
my husband I said this Meghan, but he
is
seriously hot, huh?”

Alex’s broad smile at their exaggerated reaction to his makeover was cute as hell.
Sliding a pair of Ray-Ban aviators on, he flashed his pearly whites and offered each
of them an arm.

“C’mon wenches. Time to get this show on the road.”

As if his transformation wasn’t enough to get Meghan’s insides all tingly and warm,
when they went to the driveway she saw that today he was driving the top-of-the-line
car she’d seen on her arrival. The beautiful S-Class was the ultimate in Mercedes
Benz luxury. Meghan was familiar with the amazing car, having purchased one for her
parents with her lottery windfall.

She knew all about the hot stone massage seats, the way the rear seating would enable
Tori to comfortably recline, the kick-ass audio package, and the unbelievable safety
systems that made the car unique. It was first class from top to bottom.

Once they were on the road, she couldn’t help but smile. He handled the vehicle a
lot like he handled her body—with skill, pushing the limits and then backing off.
An instinctive ability that made her sit up and take notice. He looked over at her
from time to time and met her smile with one of his own. Yeah, he really was full
of surprises.

When they were close to their destination, the three of them mapped out a plan. Alex
would drive straight to the office of the legal firm where his meeting was being held
and let the ladies take the car for their shopping excursion. They’d meet up in a
couple of hours, grab a late lunch, and head back to the Villa.

When the time came for Meghan to slide behind the wheel, he kissed her briefly by
the side of the car and helped her get situated then totally blew her mind by insisting
they use one of his credit cards that was so exclusive they could literally purchase
anything they wanted. Money was hardly an issue for her but he wouldn’t take no for
an answer, admonishing Tori to buy whatever her heart desired for the baby with his
compliments.

And they did. Over the next few hours they visited a number of high-end boutiques
and specialty stores that took shopping for baby to a whole new level. Meghan enjoyed
watching Tori bring her nursery vision to life.

With a trunk full of bags and boxes and a bounty of other things ordered for delivery,
they returned to the office building where they were to meet Alex. The minute they
walked through the door a cheerful receptionist who was clearly anticipating their
arrival offered a friendly greeting and directed them to an empty conference room
where they could wait while Alex’s meeting wrapped up.

When he finally appeared, there was another man with him in an equally gorgeous business
suit that looked to be about Alex’s age and someone he clearly knew quite well.

“Well, if it isn’t Mrs. St. John,” the man said with a welcoming smile at Tori who
quickly rose and responded with a big hug.

“”It’s good to see you again, Parker. Draegyn and I had a great time last month at
the picnic. Are you guys playing again anytime soon?”

“Actually, I was just trying to get old Thunder Foot here to drag his sorry ass out
tonight for a reunion gig at Crazy Pete’s.”

“Oh my God!” Tori giggled with glee. “For real?”

“Okay. That’s enough,” Alex replied drolly. “Don’t try and use the pregnant woman
against me. Not fair, dude. Not fair. And take your paws off Mrs. St. John before
I have to knock you the fuck out.”

The three laughed in unison as Meghan stood by and watched.

“Come on over here, sweetheart,” Alex told Meghan, “and meet one of my oldest friends.”
She smiled when he called her sweetheart and went to his side aware that he was looking
at her like she was the most beautiful woman on the planet.

Meghan was glad she’d decided to wear the teal colored bandage style dress that showed
off her curves and made her boobs look like a million bucks when she saw appreciation
light up Alex’s eyes.

Causally putting his arm around her waist he introduced her to the other man. “Meghan,
this is Parker Sullivan. We grew up together, and as it happens, we even went to the
same college. Luckily for me and the agency, he’s taken over his family’s law practice
since he knows where quite a few skeletons are buried from our younger, wilder days.”
His affection for the lawyer was evident.

“Parker, this is the lady I was telling you about. Meghan O’Brien.”

He’d been talking about her?
Squee!

Parker took her hand and gave it a good squeeze. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Meghan.
You’re everything I’d expect when it comes to a woman being even remotely interested
in putting up with this guy’s bullshit.”

Meghan laughed but swiftly removed her hand from his when she felt Alex’s reaction
tighten at their brief contact. She liked that he was outwardly possessive toward
her.

“It’s good to meet you too, Parker. Mind if I ask what
thunder foot
refers to?”

Tori chuckled as Parker answered. “He hasn’t told you then? Sheesh, Alex. You’d think
you were embarrassed by your former notoriety! To answer your question Meghan…back
in the day, Alex and I played together in a cover band. Started in high school and
kept up through college until other things became more important. I gig with a couple
of the other guys for shits ‘n grins a couple of times a year but getting this one
to join in is like pulling teeth. Maybe you can convince him that an evening spent
in a dark bar playing old school rock ‘n roll for our devoted and mostly inebriated
fans is more fun than it sounds!”

“Seriously?” she asked, looking at Alex for explanation.

“You play dirty,” he sneered at his old friend. “First the hormonal pregnant lady
and now my girl? Come on dude. I’m still trying to impress her, not scare her the
fuck away with an aging rock star fantasy.”

Tori chimed in, waving her cell phone at them. “It’s settled. I texted my husband,
and he’s all in for a trip to Crazy Pete’s. Sorry boss, but you’ve been outnumbered
on this one.” Her snarky smile said it all.

“You will pay for this, Sullivan,” Alex ground out.

Meghan couldn’t tell if he was truly annoyed at having been maneuvered so neatly or
just playing a part.

Slapping him on the back, Parker laughed at his reaction. “We go on at nine o’clock.
Hope that’s not too late for your old ass. Bring your sticks man and be ready to rock
out with your cock out.”

Meghan snorted out a disbelieving laugh at the man’s pithy remark while Tori chortled
gleefully with a delighted and smug look on her face.

“Irish, you are in for a treat!” she said.

Alex’s dark scowl suggested he wasn’t happy but had no choice but to go along.

“Alright you asshole. You win this round. But I’m gonna seriously consider taking
my legal business elsewhere.”

“Fuck you, Marquez!” Parker barked with laughter. “Meghan, I’ll see you tonight. “
And with that the strange encounter ended as Alex made his farewells and hurried them
along to the car for the drive back to the Villa.

Crazy Pete’s Roadhouse turned out to be exactly what one would expect of an old, slightly
rundown bar halfway between Sedona and the sleepy little town close to the Villa.
The parking lot was crammed with pick-up trucks, motorcycles, and SUVs with the occasional
beater car thrown in.

Inside, the place was a classic hole-in-the-wall with a small stage where the bands
played, a dance floor that looked like it had seen its share of boot scooting boogie
fun and a long bar that ran along the back wall and down one side.

Hearing that Alex had been coerced into playing a set with his old bandmates, everyone
and their brother came along to join in the fun. Cam and Lacey were there with Drae
and Tori, of course. There was also Ben and Ria who commandeered a wobbly table where
they set up camp along with Carmen and Gus who looked suspiciously as though they
were on a date. Even Betty had come out, as had Brody and most of his K9 crew. There
were also a couple of people Meghan didn’t know who worked for the agency.

Alex had bitched non-stop the entire drive home from Sedona but by the time they’d
all gathered at the bar he seemed somewhat bemused and adorably happy to have so many
people there to support him

The band was actually really, really good – playing a varied set of country rock,
old school rock ‘n roll and even some newer stuff like one really impressive Soundgarden
cover. The alcohol was flowing pretty freely and by the time the last set of the night
was gearing up, everyone except the designated drivers and pregnant ladies were pretty
toasted.

Meghan had put a lot of thought into her outfit, deciding at the last minute to wear
her borrowed cowboy boots along with a short denim skirt that had a flared hem and
a simple scoop necked cotton top. With her hair down, hanging in a riot of curls around
her shoulders, she almost looked like a southwestern local.

As the final set of the night started, the Justice crew was dominating the space on
the dance floor eagerly awaiting Alex’s performance. Parker strode to the microphone
and thanked everyone for coming out.

“For you old heads in the audience we have a real treat for you tonight. While it
took an act of blackmail to get him here, we are thrilled to bring out our original
drummer and king of badassery himself … none other than the legendary Thunder Foot
in the flesh.”

A loud cheer burst from the gathered crowd that quickly escalated into wild screams,
whistles, and applause. “Get your ass out here Marquez and show these good people
how it’s done!”

Taking the stage, Alex sauntered up to the massive drum kit just vacated by a long-haired
guy who bowed low, waving him to the seat, and sat down with an amused expression
on his face. She, Tori, and Lacey screamed like the Beatles had just come on the scene
when he twirled his sticks and barked out a count as the band ripped in to a rousing
rendition of “You Give Love a Bad Name”.

The dance floor erupted as everyone went bat shit crazy and the good times flowed.
Meghan worked up a sweat, dancing her ass off to the loud rock and roll, one song
after another. The very pregnant Lacey did a lot of swaying and boob shaking but for
the most part it was a wild, drunken, gyrating good time. Even the guys joined in.
Turned out Drae had some serious moves as did Brody who stuck close to Meghan.

A couple of songs in, it was Alex’s turn at the mic. The hollers and crowd sing-a-long
when he pounded out “My Hero” by the Foo Fighters while doing the lead vocal offered
Meghan yet another surprising insight to his personality. The way Cameron and Draegyn
looked at each other and then at Alex when they sang along got her thinking about
everything they’d all been through. It occurred to her that they understood all too
well how damn lucky they were to have survived the war together, and also the depth
of feeling the two men carried for her Major.

She was seriously impressed by Alex’s rock ‘n roll presence and totally got how he
earned the Thunder Foot nickname. It also occurred to her that hammering the shit
out the drums for so long had to be killing his leg.

As the song ended and the place erupted in raucous applause, she saw him reach for
a towel and swipe away the sweat sliding down his face and neck. He acknowledged the
response of the crowd with a grin but she noticed the tautness around his mouth and
tension in his neck. Parker leaned over the drums to say something to which he nodded
and twirled his sticks as if nothing was wrong but she knew better. When he looked
out at the crowd and found her watching him, some of the strain evaporated when she
winked and shot him a smile.