Redeeming Justice (48 page)

For the first time in weeks, she actually fell asleep when she hit the bed several
hours later.

Alex checked his suit jacket pocket for the hundredth time to make sure the ring box
was still there as his cab pulled up to the red brick building where Meghan’s father
worked. He’d planned out what he wanted to say to the man who pretty much held his
balls in the palm of his hand. He’d be fucked six ways from Tuesday if he couldn’t
win him over.

It occurred to him that he’d been on a lot of missions in his time. Serious shit with
deadly consequences, the sort of stuff he’d struggled with for years. But nothing
he’d done before was as scary or as potentially life altering as this meeting. The
thought was immensely sobering.

Handing the driver the fare and a hefty tip, he climbed from the cab and gathered
his wits about him as he stood on the sidewalk eyeing the old red bricks on the façade
of the station house as he adjusted his tie, smoothed his hair and feeling rather
like Drae, pulled on his cuffs until he was satisfied he looked the part he was playing—that
of a gentleman and successful businessman with a serious purpose in mind.

Pushing open the door to the station, he stepped inside the ancient police building
and swiftly headed for the desk. A serious looking policewoman with an expression
that bordered on hostile eyed his approach.

“Is Detective Patrick O’Brien available?” he asked.

“Who’s doing the asking?” she bit out. Clearly she had missed out on charm lessons.

This was it
, he thought.
Please lord, don’t let me fuck this up
.

“Tell him Alex Marquez would like a word with him on a personal matter.”

“Is that so?”” she replied with the charm of a serial killer. “Pahk yer ass over there,”
she nodded at some dilapidated chairs, “and I’ll see if he’s accepting callers.”

As he took a seat Alex couldn’t help but wonder how his Irish goddess had managed
to avoid the heavy Boston accent that he’d been hearing from the moment the plane
landed.

Looking at his watch he noted the time and wondered how long the irritating intake
cop was going to have him sit there and stew before letting Detective O’Brien know
he was there.

Friday morning had been a whirlwind for Meghan and her mother. Starting with a visit
to a local salon where they each indulged in spa manicures after an enjoyable stretch
in one of those cushy massage chairs while they enjoyed a delightful pedicure, they’d
stopped for a restorative jolt of caffeine while they planned out their shopping strategy.

Focusing on a slew of high-end Southie boutiques, they’d visited half a dozen shops
where, at her mother’s insistence, Meghan tried on nearly every available white dress
they could find. In the end she decided on a stunning number that reminded her of
something a Jennifer Lopez type might wear. It was form fitting with cap sleeves and
a low square neckline that with the right bra would put her tits on glorious display.
But what made it really awesome was the silhouette created by dark green material
for the back of the dress that wrapped around to frame the front, which was a soft
shade of white. The contrasting colors and the way the material hugged her figure
highlighted her bodacious curves. There was no way her Major wouldn’t need to wipe
away a bit of drool when he caught sight of her in the sexy outfit.

Next came a pair of delicious open toed, high heels with an ankle strap that made
her legs look amazing. She’d indulged her mother with a pair of sophisticated L.K.
Bennett heels that the saleswoman insisted were just like the shoes Duchess Kate wears.
Watching her ma twirl and preen before the mirror as she admired the classy footwear
was nothing short of delightful. So was the hilarious conversation between her adorable
parent and the shop girls about English royalty and how nobody wore shoes or hats
better.

Lingerie was next and to her astonishment, Ma had suggested an exclusive boutique
that specialized in outrageously sexy underthings. Apparently her mother had a secret
guilty pleasure when it came to undergarments. Knowing that Alex really,
really
liked naughty undies, she went a bit overboard and practically bought out everything
the store had in her size. Didn’t help that Ma was egging her on every step of the
way.

Their shopping spree wouldn’t be complete without indulging in two over-the-top purchases,
a glorious white Hermès bag for Meghan and an outrageous Fendi for her mother. Yeah,
it was a bit much, but after all, what good was having all that money if she couldn’t
go a little crazy at times?

They’d had a ball and while not exactly setting her credit card on fire, they had
racked up quite a sum. It was well worth it though not just to spoil her mom but also
to see her eyes twinkling with mischievous delight as she prodded Meghan to walk a
bit on the wild side.

When Maggie O’Brien suggested in all seriousness to her only daughter that they visit
an exclusive, high-end establishment that was for all intents and purposes a friggin’
adult boutique specializing in sex toys and naughty accessories, Meghan abruptly pulled
the plug on their shopping spree. There was no way she was browsing lube and handcuffs
with her mother by her side. It was bad enough that she suspected her proper and well-mannered
mother was a member of the Vibrator of the Month Club.

After stopping for a late lunch that she still had no appetite for, by the time they
got back to the house, Meghan was exhausted. The weeks of stress and unhappiness that
eventually made her sick still lingered despite knowing that Alex was finally coming
to his senses.

Eventually she gave up any pretense of being productive and went off to take a nap.
The last time she’d seen her mother, she was chatting with a neighbor over coffee,
but two hours later, after passing the hell out and sleeping like the dead, she awoke
to an empty house and what looked like a hastily scribbled note.

Meggie,

Daddy called and asked me to meet him at the station. After, we’ll grab dinner. Heat
up some leftovers if you’re hungry

Ma

Finding herself alone wasn’t such a bad thing. The shopping spree had really wiped
her out, physically and emotionally. She hadn’t been taking care of herself, not by
a long shot, and she knew that pulling it together was a necessity.

Still, it was a bit odd – the note her mother left. She knew Maggie had a particular
dislike of the station house where her father worked. Hardly a pleasant, happy environment,
going there always reminded Ma of the bad people and unspeakable crimes that made
up her dad’s work-world. Those reminders made her anxious and worried – something
the entire family tried to avoid like the plague. Nothing upset everyone’s apple cart
quicker than an overwrought mother.

And so she forced herself to eat something healthy instead of the ice cream and gallons
of coffee that had been keeping her going for the past few weeks. She then curled
up on the sofa and mindlessly watched some television. When nothing held her attention,
she settled on QVC, eventually becoming engrossed with being In the Kitchen with David
and ordering a bunch of cool things she thought would please her mother.

Hours later when she was almost dozing under a soft throw blanket with the remote
control still clutched in her hand, she heard her parents come home. Sitting up, Meghan
stretched and worked out some couch potato kinks just as they walked through the door.

“Hey, you two,” she called out. “Have a nice dinner?”

“Prime Rib Friday at Baxter’s,” her mother replied drily without looking in Meghan’s
direction.

To say she was surprised by her normally talkative mother’s seeming dismissal when
she immediately headed for the stairway to the second floor bedrooms was an understatement.
What the hell was that all about?

“Off to bed,” Maggie called out, flying up the steps like a bat out of hell.

Meghan frowned as she took in her mother’s unusual behavior. It was so unlike her.
When she found her father staring at her pensively she flinched, surprised.

“Okay, Da,” she griped. “What’s up? And don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking
about. Is everything alright at the station?”

“Everything’s fine, Meggie,” he told her with a half smile that didn’t quite reach
his eyes.

She sat silently and watched while he wandered here and there around the den as he
put on a good show of straightening up a room that didn’t have a single thing out
of place. Eventually he stopped the charade and turned to face her with a deep expression
of love for his only daughter that warmed her heart.

“Any plans for the weekend?” he asked.

Okay, now she really was starting to freak out. The way he asked the question made
her wonder what was going on in his head when she heard a slight hesitation in his
voice. She couldn’t imagine why, but it made her feel like she was being set up for
an intervention.

“Yeah, actually,” she answered pithily. “Was thinking about getting season tickets
for the Yankees,” she muttered knowing full well that her dad was a die-hard Red Sox
fan.

“Mmm, sounds good,” he replied.

What the hell was going on? When Patrick O’Brien didn’t so much as react a whit to
her statement she knew he was a thousand miles away.

“Um, I think I’ll join your ma. It’s been a long day. You good, daughter?”

“Yep, Dad. I’m good. See ya in the morning.”

And just like that her anxiety level skyrocketed and a ball of worry settled in the
pit of her stomach. Something was definitely up but she couldn’t begin to imagine
what.

Meghan awoke after yet another restless night, courtesy of the odd behavior her parents
displayed the night before. Feeling like she was trapped in a stress bubble that simply
would not pop, she lingered in the shower almost draining the water heater in an effort
to quiet her troubled emotions.

Having a cop for a father and surrounded as she was by her firefighter and EMT siblings,
she couldn’t help but worry that she was missing something or that some sort of serious
situation was being kept from her.

“Damn alphas,” she muttered to the silence in her bedroom. The very last thing she
needed were more reminders of a certain domineering and powerful man who still had
not surfaced even though Tori insisted he would.

Checking her phone yet again, hoping to see that he’d called or left a message, she
was disappointed to see that Alex was still maintaining radio silence. According to
the information her friend had shared, his business in Washington had wrapped up –
so now the waiting game was in full swing. In all honesty, she wanted quite badly
to call him and throw herself at his feet. It didn’t even matter anymore about his
guilt or his issues or anything for that matter. She’d take him in all his fucked
up glory if it meant being back by his side.