Bordering On Love (A James Family Novel Book 3) Read online

  "Boys! Breakfast! Nikki too!" Clara called from somewhere in the house. The smell of bacon had begun to permeate the bedroom.

  "Coming!" Logan and Keegan called back simultaneously.

  "I'll meet the two of you out there. Don't take too long or you know Ma will come in here with the bucket of ice water." Logan disappeared through the door.

  Nikki sat up and hung her feet over the side of the bed, grateful she had slept in actual pajamas and not her usual nothing. "I just want to wash up quick."

  Keegan nodded toward the bathroom. "Go ahead, I'll wait for you."

  Nikki grabbed some jeans and an emerald green sweater on her way to the bathroom. "I promise to be quick. Wouldn't want you to miss your share of salt and cholesterol."

  21

  Keegan

  As the door closed, Keegan's mind wandered back to their last bathroom experience. It had taken every last ounce of self-control he had not to walk right back into her bedroom after his shower. He would have preferred to spend the few hours he had to sleep with Nikki wrapped in his arms.

  Less than two minutes later, she stepped back in to the bedroom. "You ready to eat, Border Patrol?"

  "You bet. Come on, I'll show you something that will amaze you."

  "I've seen food before."

  "I'm not talking about the food." He directed Nikki down the hall with his hand at the small of her back. The contact was minimal but it appeased his desperation to touch her for the time being. This whole thing was so foreign to him. Margot had been attractive and he never had trouble responding to her but Nikki's presence kept him in a continuous state of arousal. There was no way around it. If she wasn't physically with him, his thoughts stayed on her.

  At the end of the hall he steered her to the right and they stepped into the great room. At one end was the family room area with Clara's newest acquisition, a theater sized flat screen television. A huge sectional sofa was arranged in front of it, large enough to accommodate the entire family. At the other end was his mother's pride and joy—the kitchen and dining area. Clara was a hostess. It was ingrained in her DNA to serve large, home cooked meals to as many people as she could as often as possible.

  "Wow. This place—I mean, just wow." Nikki was looking around, trying to take it all in. "Did you grow up here?"

  "No. We had a little place in town. Mom waited until the three of us were on our own before building her little empire. She does insist we visit as much as we can though."

  "Food's getting' cold!" Clara called out to them.

  Keegan walked over and pulled a chair out for Nikki. Once she was seated, he kissed his mother on the cheek. "Good morning, Ma. This looks fantastic as usual."

  "And smells even better," Nikki said.

  "Hi, I'm Angelina but the family here calls me Angie, much to the dismay of my mother." Logan's wife smiled and gave Nikki a quick hug from her seat beside her.

  "I'm Nikki."

  "I know. We have already heard all about you from Cousin Will over there."

  The ATF agent waved to Nikki from across the table. "Don't worry, I didn't tell them everything."

  Keegan shot him a scowl before picking up the platter of scrambled eggs and scooping a pile on to his plate. "There isn't a lot to tell."

  "Oh, I'd say there are a few things left to discuss," Kaiden said. "Like who is responsible for the gun running operation."

  "Is it terrorists?" Clara asked around a forkful of hash browns.

  "No," Keegan replied, turning to face his cousin. "Logan, Angie, we thought you should know. Kaiden got some intel last night that the gun runners are a part of the Ricci family."

  No one spoke or said anything. The only sound was the crash of Angelina's fork against her plate when it fell from her stunned grasp.

  "The Riccis are here?" Angelina finally managed to whisper. "I thought Salvatore and his father were in prison."

  "Daddy Ricci is still locked up good and tight," Kaiden said. "But, the junior was just released on an appeal about six months ago. There was some kind of major error during the trial that got him off on a technicality."

  "Oh, man, that sucks," Will said, shoving a forkful of eggs into his mouth. He was the only one still eating.

  "Where are your agents?" Keegan asked.

  "Left them at a motel in town. They wanted to sleep instead of eat. I told them they were nuts but they haven't yet experienced a James family meal."

  "Can we get back to the people who tried to kill me, please?" Angelina asked, her hands resting protectively on her pregnant belly. "What are we going to do about them?"

  "You aren't going to do anything." Logan put his arm across her shoulders and kissed his wife on the cheek. "We will hunt down Salvatore and his crew and make sure he goes right back where he belongs."

  "I want to help."

  Logan shook his head. "Nope. You've already got an important job. Stay safe and make our boy strong and healthy. The ATF's got this one, right?"

  Will nodded, his mouth full of potatoes. "There's a team on the way. Kaiden's lead says they are meeting their shippers at the place where the Blue Ridge Parkway starts tonight."

  "What about the boat? You know, the one the guns were on when I fell into the water?"

  "Turns out they were just storing them there overnight. Once you and my brother came across their hiding place, they needed to move the goods until it was time to truck them out here. Coast Guard told me this morning they kept an eye on the guys all night. They anchored a couple of miles offshore and have just been sitting there. "

  "Hiding in plain sight," Keegan said.

  "Yes," Kaiden replied.

  "All right then, so we go after them and bring them down. I've been waiting for this opportunity." Logan rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Just so there's no question, Salvatore Ricci is mine."

  "He should be mine," Angelina said.

  Logan leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I know, honey. But, I'll do a good job, I promise."

  She smiled back at him. "I know. It's just personal."

  "I get that, really, I do. But you and our son are personal to me. He hurts either one of you and I'll kill him. I don't want to raise our baby from federal prison."

  "Maybe you should stay out of it, Logan?" Clara asked. "Let the ATF do their thing. Will here will be make sure he gets the royal treatment, won't you?"

  "You know I will, Auntie Clara."

  "Actually, I think you should hang back, Logan," Kaiden said. "You've interacted with some of Ricci's men before. There might be someone there that recognizes you and we can't risk that."

  Logan let out a long sigh. Keegan understood how he felt but he agreed with Kaiden. "It's probably a good idea."

  "Fine. But if that prick shows his face, one of you better get a swing in at him. Break his damned jaw."

  "It's a promise," Keegan answered.

  "Same here," Kaiden agreed.

  Nikki had stayed unusually quiet during the exchange. In the short time he had known her, Kaiden had not witnessed a Nikki that didn't have a definite opinion about everything. Her expression showed nothing and that worried him.

  "Breakfast was delicious, Mrs. James." Nikki pushed her chair back and rose with her plate.

  "I told you last night, call me Clara. I insist."

  Nikki nodded. "Sorry. I'll help clean up, Clara."

  "No, ma'am. The boys here can do it. It's been their job for near to twenty years to clear up and do the dishes after a meal. Don't want to break with tradition."

  She set the plate back on the table with a devilish grin. "If you insist. I want to make a few phone calls anyway."

  "You'll have to take the cell phone outside, dear. No reception in my rock walled palace. Angie, can you show our guest where the patio is?"

  "Sure." Angelina hefted herself clumsily from the chair. Nikki offered a hand but Angelina declined. "I'm not exactly graceful these days but I'll be okay. Thanks though."

  Keegan watched the two women leave the ro
om. When the front door closed, he fought the urge to follow them. Being separated from Nikki was starting to be something that bothered him.

  "Come on, guys, let's get this place cleaned up."

  Kaiden clapped him on the shoulder. "What's wrong, brother? You afraid your girl is going to escape?"

  "She's not a prisoner!"

  "Touchy, aren't we?" Logan asked, snapping him on the hip with a dish towel. "Don't worry, Angie will take good care of her."

  "I hate you both, you know that, right?"

  "Hate is just another word for love too much," Kaiden teased.

  "Whatever. Let's just get this done."

  "So, you can get done?" Will said.

  "What's your issue, man?"

  "Never met a man more in need of getting laid than you, my cousin."

  Keegan balled up his fist and swung at Will who sidestepped the blow with a huge grin. "Point proven."

  "Come on, Keegan, you know it's true." Kaiden stepped between the cousins. "Except maybe for Will's brother Ben. He's a total hermit these days."

  Will laughed. "Ben's in better shape. He knows how to take care of business if he needs too."

  "Keegan doesn't do one night stands. He wants love," Kaiden said, laughing.

  Keegan punched his brother on the arm. "I can't believe I shared my placenta with you."

  "You love me and you will never be able to get away from me."

  "Now I know how the witch felt when Dorothy dropped a house on her."

  22

  Nikki

  Nikki followed Logan's wife out the front door. After being inside the windowless house, the morning sunshine seemed especially bright. As they walked around the side of what Nikki had thought was a small cabin, what she saw stopped her in her tracks. The view of the Blue Ridge Mountains was absolutely breathtaking. The greens of the trees against the blue of the sky and tendrils of early morning fog weaving in and out of the mountain tops painted a picture that no words could do justice.

  "Wow."

  Angie looked at her over her shoulder. "I know. It blew me away the first time too."

  "How long have you and Logan been married?"

  "Just about a year. We had a quick romance, I guess." Angelina laughed.

  "That's what Keegan said about Kaiden and Katie."

  "The James men are pretty intense, and when they make up their minds about something, they go after it. No messing around."

  Nikki nodded. "They are intense."

  "Keegan has already made up his mind about you. I can see it in his eyes. He is head over heels for you."

  "We just met, less than a week ago."

  "I knew Logan loved me two days in. Of course, our courting period happened while we were on the run from mercenaries that wanted me dead so we may have felt a bit of pressure to get things out in the open." She laughed again and motioned for Nikki to follow her. A few hundred feet away was a patio with comfortable oversized chairs and an awning. Angelina lowered herself into one of the chairs and waved Nikki to the one beside her. "So much better to sit."

  "I'm not sure I'll ever have a baby. Pregnancy seems so hard. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

  Angelina smiled. "No worries. It is hard. The hardest part is being on leave and not be able to go after the bad guys anymore. I would give my left arm—not my right because that's my gun hand—to be there when Salvatore goes down but they are right, I need to stay here."

  "Is there anything you would like to say to him? I mean, I could pass on a message for you when we get him."

  "A well placed knee to his crotch would make me exceptionally happy."

  Nikki grinned. "You got it. I mean, as long as those boys don't go all macho on me and cut me out of the action."

  "Ah, so that's what's bothering you."

  "Come again?" Nikki tried not to sound annoyed but she wasn't very successful. She sounded like a bitch even to her own ears.

  "I read people very well. You were pretty pissed in there."

  She shrugged. "I was. Am. This started out as my investigation. I know I have to share it with the ATF but honestly, they have all hijacked it totally. I'm just an onlooker now and I'm the one that did all the leg work."

  "You know why, right?" Angelina smiled and patted her arm.

  "Because I am a woman?"

  "Oh, no. The James men are not like that. Clara would kick every one of their asses off the side of this mountain if they were."

  Nikki sat forward and looked Angelina in the eye. "Then what the hell is wrong with them? Do I threaten their masculinity or something?"

  "Nope."

  "Then what?"

  "I told you, Keegan is in love with you."

  Nikki shook her head. "No, he isn’t. We just met."

  "Doesn't matter. He has decided you are the one and once a James decides they love someone, you are instantly inside their circle of wagons, so to speak. They are protecting you now."

  "I don't need protection. I want to do my job."

  "Then stand up to them. Don't let them shut you out. Even though they aren't trying to do that, they will in a heartbeat if it keeps you safe. Logan about lost it when I was shot. He wouldn't even let me go to the bathroom alone for months. I had to sneak away when he was asleep to go to the supermarket. They love hard, those guys, but they love with every fiber of their being."

  "I'm not sure I'm ready for all that."

  "I wasn't either but they grow on you. Or wear you down. One or the other." Angelina chuckled as she appeared to slip away for a moment into a private memory. "Anyway, if you don't mind me saying, it is my opinion that you are more ready than you think you are. I see the way you watch him and the way he touches you whenever he can and it makes you blush just a little. Keegan is a really good man, Nikki. I hope you won't be scared off by his intensity. He needs someone like you to even him out."

  "I just got out of a bad relationship."

  "I know a thing or two about that. Salvatore was my bad relationship."

  "You dated a mobster?"

  Dark shadows filled Angelina's eyes as her mood turned serious. "I was undercover. Managed to infiltrate the Ricci family by pretending interest in Salvatore. It was a good set up to take them down, until I went and fell in love with him."

  "You fell in love with the man you were supposed to arrest?"

  "Essentially, yes. I didn't realize it though until he proposed and I almost said yes."

  "Damn," Nikki murmured.

  "Yes. I know. It wasn't pretty. Ultimately it ended me up in witness protection. I lost everything. My job, my family, my friends. Ironically, though, I gained everything from it too. If not for Salvatore, I wouldn't have met Logan and I wouldn't change that for anything."

  "You two seem very happy together. This is a good family. I like Clara. My own mother died when I was young so I can appreciate a good one when I meet one."

  "Clara is devoted to her boys for sure. She is the strongest woman I have ever met."

  "You all are lucky to have her."

  "Yes, we are."

  Nikki pulled her back up cell phone from her pocket and looked at the time. It was nearing ten o'clock. She had to bite the bullet and give Henry a call. It was the last thing she wanted to do at the moment but aside from what happened the night before, he was her boss and she was on a case. Sort of.

  "If you don't mind, I need to give my boss a call. He doesn't know we are here and Henry hates being left out of the loop."

  "I understand how that goes. I'll head back inside. You know how to find your way in?"

  "Yes, thank you."

  Angelina hefted herself awkwardly from the chair and started the trek back to the house. "I'll let Keegan know to give you a few minutes."

  She nodded at the other woman. "Okay, thank you."

  When Angelina was gone, Nikki pulled up Henry's number. There was no way to avoid the call. It had to be made. Everything just felt weird now after what had happened the previous night. How could her boss, who wa
s old enough to be her father, be in love with her? Henry had been her father's best friend. Hell, he was Uncle Henry until she fell into his supervision at the bureau. It was creepy to think he had crossed that line in his mind.

  Taking a deep breath, she hit send on his number and waited for the familiar voice to answer. On the fourth ring, she heard a very tentative "Hello?"

  "Henry? It's me, Nikki."

  "I know. This isn't your number though."

  "It's a burner phone. I lost mine in the marina, remember? I just wanted to bring you up to speed—"

  "I know. You are in Staunton."

  "What the hell? Are you having me followed?"

  "Nikki—"

  "God, Henry! Wasn't your behavior last night freaky enough? Now you're spying on me? Did you track my phone?"

  "Nikki! Stop! The ATF agent Will James updated me."

  "Oh. Sorry. I didn't know. I'll call you when I have news then."

  "Nik, wait. Please."

  "What do you want, Henry?"

  "Don't be like that."

  "Like what? Creeped out that my boss barged into my house and saw me naked in the shower or that said boss thought he had some say over who I date. Or that same boss has a very nasty, very inappropriate thing for me? How should I be then? You tell me."

  "I’m sorry, Nikki. For all of it. I shouldn't have come to your house. I was worried about you when didn't check in."

  "I've got to go now, Henry. I'll be in touch."

  "Nikki—"

  She hung up without replying. What a mess her life had become in such a short time.

  The things Angelina had said to her about Keegan were unnerving. After her last nut job of a boyfriend, getting involved wasn't really anything she had considered.

  You've certainly considered it enough to let him shove his tongue into your mouth. And what about the whole you in a towel thing?

  Even her conscience was betraying her these days.

  It was time for her to take the control of her life back. Once they made the take down that night and they went back home, Nikki was putting in for a transfer. It was time to start over in a job—and a house—that had no connection to her old life.