Isabel was doing her level best to follow Alex's advice but Max wasn't making it easy. She had spent the past three days in endless meetings with Charles Whitman, debating the relevance of their suspicions in regards to one of his current employees and possibly two previous employees.
"You don't need me here for this, Max," she said insistently. "I've played along for three days but I'm done; I'm going back to New York. You said you needed me here for one day and it's been three."
Max paced around the hotel suite, ignoring his wife when she motioned for him to calm down. "Kyle and Charlie can handle – "
"I didn't say they couldn't handle things." She shook her head. "Why can't you just trust me to know what I'm doing?"
"Max, didn't you tell me earlier that you were planning to call Diego so Isabel could be back in New York before nightfall?"
He glanced at his wife and caught the denial before it was spoken aloud. Her expression told him that he'd better do exactly as she was suggesting or else he was going to be in serious trouble.
"Look, I know you're just concerned about me but I'm fine. I'm better than fine, Max; I feel alive for the first time in years."
"I hate to keep harpin' on this but he still has no recollection of his past and that includes you."
"And he may never remember his past. Do you honestly think I don't know that? I won't turn my back on a second chance with him because he can't remember – "
"What happened the day of the accident, Isabel?" He shook his head. "You seem to be awful accepting of the fact that the amnesia could be permanent. Maybe you don't want him to remember."
The slap was unexpected and he stumbled back several steps as his hand came up to rub his stinging cheek.
"I'm leaving," she growled.
"Fine." He didn't make an effort to try and stop her as she grabbed her bag and walked out the door. "I don't wanna hear it, Liz," he muttered darkly, well aware that her disapproving gaze was burning into his back.
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"Where do you think you're going?"
Alex turned to face the woman, his hand wrapped around the doorknob in a death grip. "I'm gonna go outside for a few minutes."
"Wrong answer, buddy."
He frowned at her unrelenting tone and motioned at the door with his free hand. "I go out for a walk every night about this time; Isabel doesn't have a problem with it."
"Maybe she doesn't, but I do. It's not safe for you to be outside; as a matter of fact you need to get away from the windows. I'm getting tired of repeating myself."
"When will Isabel be back?" he asked, his tone defeated.
"She'll be back when she gets back; the meetings are takin' longer than Max anticipated."
Kyle lowered the newspaper he had been reading and glanced at her after Alex had gone back to his room. "You're gonna piss her off, Charlie."
"His safety is in our hands, Kyle, and I don't intend to lose him by being careless."
"She told us before she left that they go out for a walk every evening." He folded the paper in half and dropped it on the table between them. "One of us could go with him."
"It's a risk." Charlotte's tone was uncompromising.
Kyle shook his head and turned his attention back to his newspaper. "She's gonna be pissed; that's all I'm sayin'."
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Isabel was beyond pissed.
She stared at the pair of agents, right arm outstretched and braced on the countertop. Her fingers drummed impatiently as she waited for an explanation. Alex had been as close to depressed as she had ever seen him when she had gone to check on him after returning from her impromptu trip. It had taken time to get to the reason for his moody behavior and when he had finally told her the cause she had been livid.
"I told you he needed to get out of the house for a while in the evenings; he has trouble being closed in for so long and – "
"It's not safe for him to be outside," Charlotte interrupted. "And if he were any other client you wouldn't even consider letting him anywhere near the door. But because you had a past relationship with him you've bypassed all of the protocols and – "
"I am not having this discussion with you; I gave you a direct order and you disobeyed it."
"It was an order based purely on emotion and I was right to not follow it. I can't…" She glanced at Kyle. "We can't do our jobs effectively if you're gonna undermine our authority with the client."
"The client has a name," she snapped, "and if you can't remember it I'll have you on the next flight back – "
"You're too emotional and it was a mistake to put his protection in your hands. You would never assign someone to protect a client if there was even a hint of personal history between them and you know it."
"I don't need you second-guessing every move I make. Just do your job and keep your opinions to yourself." She left the room without another word.
"Told you she was gonna be pissed," Kyle muttered, taking a bite out of his sandwich.
"Tell me I'm wrong."
"I didn't say that, Charlie." He motioned for her to join him at the table and waited for her to sit down across from him. "No, she's not followin' protocol but she won't let anything happen to him; he'll never be safer with anyone else or at any other time than when he's with her."
"Just once I'd like to see you take my side when I disagree with her." She pushed her chair back and stood up, dropping the book she had been reading on the table.
"I'm not takin' sides, Charlie." He looked up at her, wincing when he saw the hurt in her blue eyes.
"I know you had feelings for her at one time – "
"Would you keep your voice down please?" he growled, standing up.
"Why? Is it a secret? I love you, Kyle, and I want to be with you more than anything in the world; maybe you need to rethink whether or not you really want to be with me."
Kyle gently grabbed her arm when she turned to walk away from him. "I am not in love with Isabel; yes, at one time I thought we could be more than friends but those feelings were one-sided. We're close and we're best friends but I would never betray what I have with you to pursue anything with her or anyone else. You have to know that I wouldn't be with you if I still had feelings for her." He fumbled for the small box in his pocket and held it out to her. "I wouldn't have bought an engagement ring for you if I was in love with anyone but you." He opened the box and fumbled with the ring as he removed it, dropping the box on the table before quickly lowering himself to one knee. The hand on her arm slid down to wrap around her hand and he swallowed hard as he looked up at her. "Charlotte Stuart, I love you, and if you'll accept this less than romantic proposal of marriage, I'll spend the rest of my life proving it to you."
Charlotte stared at the ring in disbelief. This was the last thing she had expected and for the first time in her life she found herself without a quick response. "Oh, my God…" She reached out and touched the ring as if trying to make sure it was real. A moment later she pulled her hand back and lifted it to cover her mouth as she raised her eyes to meet his loving gaze. "You're serious."
"More serious than I've ever been about anything else in my life."
"Yes. Yes, I'll marry you." Tears welled up in her eyes as she held her left hand out and a shaky laugh escaped her when he slid the ring on her finger and she noticed that his hand was trembling.
Kyle relaxed once the ring was in place, wrapping his arms around her tightly when she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
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Alex walked beside Isabel, the silence broken only by the steady fall of rain as it hit the leaves before sliding down to pool on the floor of the forest. She hadn't said a word since coming to get him and he had respected her unspoken request for silence but he knew he was going to have to speak soon. He had overheard their conversation and he was sure it was the reason for her melancholy mood.
"She's not right, Isabel."
She stopped walking and turned to face him when she realized he had stopped several steps back. "No, she is right and that's why this is a problem." She shook her head. "I wouldn't allow any of our people to protect someone they had previously been involved with; it's a conflict of interest."
"Why? Who would fight harder – "
"It makes it hard to make certain decisions."
"Does it? Who would you be more inclined to put your life on the line for? Would you think twice about throwing yourself in front of a bullet for someone you care about faster than you would for a stranger?"
"That's not an option in this business, Alex. If the client is in danger you do whatever is necessary to keep them alive and if that means taking a bullet that's what you do. You don't have the luxury of debating your options when it comes down to that moment and if you hesitate you're in the wrong business. Protecting someone you care about is a completely different story."
"Why?"
"Because you'll take more risks for someone close to you… and you could make a decision that could completely change your perception of who you think you are." She glanced at him again. "If whoever is targeting you were to show up here I would kill them and I don't even have to…" She lowered her gaze and took a deep breath. "I'm not talking about… there are so many different scenarios where someone could come after you and I can deal with having to shoot someone if it comes down to it; I've had to do it before. But if someone were to show up here and threaten you… I'm not explaining this very well. The point is I know I would kill them and I wouldn't hesitate."
"If that were to happen, if they were to come after me… " He cradled her chin in his right hand and applied just enough pressure to bring her haunted eyes up to meet his own serene gaze. "I won't let that happen, Isabel." He smiled gently and his hand slid down to settle around the nape of her neck. "You just concentrate on keeping me alive and I'll protect your soul; I promise I won't let you lose yourself." He felt her relax and reluctantly lowered his hand and stepped back. "And just so you know, I don't want a different bodyguard assigned to handle my case; it would take too long to break another one in."
Isabel laughed at the sheer absurdity of his statement and knew her relief was probably visible on her face but she didn't care. She had hoped that he would be able to understand but at the same time she had been afraid that he was going to request that someone else be assigned to handle his protection.
Even soaking wet with her hair plastered to her head from the rain that hadn't let up the past few days she was the most breathtaking sight he had ever seen. The sun hadn't made an appearance at all but the light from the overcast sky was gradually fading and he knew they would have to go back soon.
"What're you thinking?" Isabel asked when she became aware of his scrutiny.
Alex shook his head as if he couldn't believe his own thoughts. "You take my breath away," he said simply.
She reached up to brush her wet hair back, suddenly self-conscious. "No, I'm… " Her voice faded into silence when his hand closed around her wrist, stopping the nervous movement.
"Don't do that," he chastised gently. "You are without a doubt the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on… you've got a heart that is unbelievably genuine and a spirit that is so strong but at the same time so incredibly fragile." His left hand lifted to cup her delicate jaw, his thumb stroking her cheek in a soft, sweeping motion. "I'm gonna kiss you," he warned seconds before his mouth settled over hers.
The kiss wasn't the least bit tentative and her arms lifted, sliding under his to wrap around him. Her fingers tangled in his wet hair as she returned the kiss with a passion that matched his and ignited the flames of desire that she had been fighting so hard to keep under control around him.
Alex pulled away suddenly, breaking the kiss and staring at her in the near-darkness. "Did you see that?" he gasped, his breathing choppy from the lack of oxygen.
"What?" She reached out to touch him and he backed away, shaking his head. "Alex, what did you see?" She mentally cursed herself for the momentary lack of control. By letting herself get lost in the kiss she had let the mental barriers drop and he had gotten a glimpse of the flashes that occurred when the connection had formed between them.
"I don't know exactly," he muttered as he paced around, agitated by what he had seen. "It was all jumbled up… fragmented, like it was in no kind of order."
"I'm sorry."
The regret and pain in her voice caught his attention and he jerked around to look at her, immediately seeing the hurt in her expression. He called himself ten different kinds of fool as he rushed over to her and pulled her rigid form into his arms.
"You have nothing to apologize for, Isabel. I didn't pull away from you out of fear or disgust; I was just trying to get my bearings and understand what I saw. I can't think clearly when I've got you in my arms," he whispered, his warm breath ghosting over the tip of her ear.
He felt her smile when she relaxed and buried her face in the crook of his neck, nuzzling against him. "You're not the only one," she admitted quietly a while later. "We should get back; it's almost dark." She leaned back in his arms and reached up to trace the tips of her fingers over his face. "Let's get warm and dry and then you can tell me what you saw and I'll explain the flashes to you."
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"So the flashes can go both ways?" Alex asked as he came back with two cups of coffee.
Isabel turned away from the window where she had been watching the rain as it landed on the glass and slid down to pool at the bottom. They had been talking for quite a while and while his curiosity was endless his questions had been phrased in a sensitive way out of respect for her feelings.
"They can go both ways but only if both people are receptive." She accepted the steaming mug with a nod of thanks.
"You're saying I could block you or vice versa if we chose to."
"Exactly." She followed him to the couch, sitting beside him with her back braced against the arm. She pulled her legs up and wedged her bare feet under his left thigh, shrugging when he glanced at her.
"You didn't block me earlier."
"No, I didn't."
"Okay, but you said a while ago that the flashes could occur simply by touching someone, right? So, how do you keep that from happening?"
"It's rare for it to happen by touch and usually it's a very stressful situation, but we normally maintain the block unless we're with people we trust and who know about us."
"I guess there aren't too many people who fall into that category."
"No. Most people would be terrified of us if they knew what we are," she said sadly.
He watched the fingers of her right hand as they worried the inseam of her jeans where they curved around her bent knee. "Most people are fools," Alex stated, reaching for her hand to stop the nervous movement. "It must take a lot of effort to maintain the block."
"Not as much as it used to; it's something we do without even really thinking about it now."
"I'm sorry that it's necessary for you to hide that part of yourself."
Isabel smiled at the sincerity in his voice. "We don't have to hide around the people who really matter."
"I'm honored to be counted among the few who matter."
Her hand came up to caress the left side of his face, her thumb rasping against the light stubble that shadowed his jaw. "You're the one who matters most," she admitted quietly.
They looked up when they heard a car pull up in front of the house and Isabel was reaching for her weapon when she heard her younger brother's voice. She relaxed and re-holstered the gun before settling back into her former position with her hand resting in Alex's.
"What're you guys doing here?" she asked when Liz and Max had come inside.
"Well," Max said as he turned from locking the door behind them, "we wanted to go over a few things and Mom and Dad thought we should bring someone up here to see you."
"What?"
"Apparently he's been missin' you and they thought it'd be good for both of you if we brought him with us."
Alex frowned at the other man's words and started to verbally object until a whiskered muzzle poked out of Max's jacket. The dark-haired man crouched down and opened his jacket, releasing a small blur of tan and white fur that crossed the room in record time and jumped up into Isabel's lap. He watched the happy reunion that lasted for several minutes before she looked at him and shifted the dog so he was facing Alex.
"Alex, I'd like you to meet – "
"Dante," he interrupted, studying the animal's face. "His name is Dante."
Max and Liz exchanged a surprised glance at his knowledge of the dog's name as they shrugged out of their wet jackets and hung them up.
Alex stared at the dog, speaking without even realizing that he was voicing his thoughts aloud. "We were planning to get a dog after we got settled into an apartment… we had already decided that we were gonna get a place off campus and we were gonna get a dog… we spent hours debating over different breeds before we settled on a Jack Russell and we had the name picked out months before we were even gonna get the dog." He glanced at her as he held a tentative hand out to the dog that was sizing him up, wincing internally when he realized that the second memory that had surfaced involving her was tied to a dog. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I can't control the – "
"Don't be sorry; it's one more piece of the puzzle. It's not necessarily one of the ones that I'd prefer to have you remember first but it's still a memory." She tugged on his hand playfully. "And it is one that involved me so I'll let it go this time."
"Where are Kyle and Charlotte?"
Isabel glanced over her shoulder at her brother when he questioned the whereabouts of the two people that had been keeping an eye on things while she had been gone. "They went out to check the perimeter a while ago; they should be back soon." Her gaze dropped down to the briefcase in her sister-in-law's hand. "What've you guys got?"
"More questions for Alex," Max answered.
"I think that can wait until morning," Isabel said as she stood up. "You could've called before just showing up."
Alex stood when she tugged on his hand, shocked when she handed the dog to her brother before turning to lead him back towards his bedroom.
"Uh, Iz…?"
"You should've called, Max; we were in the middle of something so if you don't mind we'll continue in private."
"Well, actually, I do mind," Max said, setting the dog on the floor and crossing the room to block their path. "I'd like to talk to you for a minute. Alone."
Isabel looked between the two men and before she could speak Alex shifted to face her brother. "Y'know, I may be completely overstepping my bounds here – " He glanced at the woman beside him. "And if I am please feel free to tell me." His attention went back to Max when she shook her head. "But we weren't expecting company in any form and like the lady said, we were in the middle of something and we'd like to get back to it without any further interruptions."
Max stared at the closed door trying to process what had just happened.
"Well, I guess he told you," Liz said, laughing at the scowl on her husband's face
"It's not funny, Liz."
"I beg to differ; you didn't see your expression when he shut the door in your face." Liz settled down on the couch with Dante while Max ran outside to get their overnight bags from the car. She knew by the time he came back inside he would already have Michael on the phone and that meant they were going to have a full house come morning.
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"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Isabel asked, leaning back against the headboard and watching Alex as he pulled a sweatshirt on over a white tee shirt. "They're probably gonna grill you like crazy because they think we're sleeping together now. Which we would be if you weren't so intent on being modest." She smiled and poked him with her foot when he walked past the bed to let him know she was just teasing him.
Alex grabbed her foot, holding it hostage until he sat down and then propped it up on his left thigh. "It has nothin' to do with bein' modest and everything to do with wantin' us to be completely alone." He leaned back on his elbows and looked at her as his left hand continued to stroke her bare calf. "I have no interest whatsoever in havin' your brothers or your best friend or anyone else on the other side of the bedroom door when we finally make love." He let his eyes roam over her as she reclined on his bed and wondered how he had managed to hold her all night and just sleep. She had gone over to her room to shower and change clothes earlier so she had been gone when he woke up. He hadn't expected her to be back in his room when he had finished his own shower and his mouth had gone dry as soon as he had come out of the bathroom and seen her stretched out on his bed wearing a pair of worn cut-offs and one of his shirts that she had taken from his closet. "I know what they're gonna think and we can quickly set them straight – "
"We could," she agreed with a grin, "but we're not going to. We're both adults and what happens between us is our business so I really don't see why there needs to be any discussion about it or why they would need to be involved in it."
"I just don't want this to be any harder on you than it has to be. I'm sure they're gonna have some reservations about us getting involved on this level and obviously they have every right to be concerned – "
"It's none of their business but since they think it is they can just draw their own conclusions about our relationship." She rubbed her foot against his denim-clad thigh and smiled at him. "I have no problem with us just being ourselves around them; they'll accept it eventually."
"You're sure you're okay with this?"
"Positive."
Dante watched them as they talked, his small ears pointed upright as he listened to the animated tone in his mistress' voice. His head swiveled back to the man at the end of the bed and he cocked his head to one side as he studied him intently. He had felt the change in Isabel the night before when he had jumped up in her arms and it had only taken moments for him to realize that the difference had everything to do with the man who had been the focus of her attention. He had watched them off and on once he had been able to sneak into the room and he had decided that he liked this man that made her laugh. Especially once he had noticed Dante and instead of putting him out of the room he had allowed him to jump up on the bed and curl up with his mistress.
"He stares at me a lot," Alex commented as he stretched his hand out to scratch behind Dante's ears.
"He's not used to me really spending any time with men other than my brothers and Kyle," she explained, watching the small dog fondly.
"How long have you had him?"
"Kyle got him for my birthday three years ago." She glanced up and saw the tension in his tall frame. "He's my best friend, Alex, nothing more." She shifted around until she was leaning over him, her hands framing his face and forcing him to maintain eye contact. "We've never been more than that. There was a time when we came close to crossing that line but it didn't happen and I don't want you to say anything to him about it, okay? He's always believed that I have no recollection of what almost happened and I'd like to leave him with that illusion. Heart, body, and soul, Alex," she whispered as she lowered her head to kiss him. "I've been yours since I was sixteen years old and that's never changed."
"I hate that I can't remember that," Alex muttered when they pulled apart several minutes later. "I could live without remembering the rest of it if I could just remember you… and us."
"You will, Alex, but until then we'll be making new memories."
"I suppose that's a good way to look at it." He smiled and nudged her ribcage with his raised knee. "As much as I hate to be the one to say it, we'd better go face your brother and get this over with."
Isabel couldn't stop the smile at his response. "Yeah, that's gonna be brothers. Plural." She nodded at his disbelieving look. "Trust me on this; I haven't heard Michael yet but he's here. I'd bet money on it."
"Uh-huh," he said slowly. "I'm not sure which one I should be more worried about."
"Neither of them."
"Isabel, if I had a sister and she was with a guy who had thought even half of the things that I've thought about you I'd kick his ass."
"We can't read minds, Alex."
"I wasn't referring to any type of alien abilities." He shrugged and motioned for her to leave the room ahead of him. "It's a guy thing, okay? They're gonna know that my thoughts in regards to you aren't all that innocent."
"Good. It's time they started realizing that I'm a grown woman and I have the same needs, wants, and desires that every other red-blooded woman has. Besides," she said as she turned to face him, stopping his forward movements, "they might as well get used to seeing us together because now that I've found you I'm not letting you go."
"Well, you're not gonna get an argument outta me." He grinned at her satisfied expression and shook his head. "Just don't expect that to be the norm; I'm not always this agreeable."
"I've already figured that out for myself and I'm still not letting you go." She smiled when he gave a content nod and reached for her hand.
"Let's go – " He looked down when Dante barked sharply and took off running through the living room.
"Don't ask; you'll see for yourself in just a minute."
Michael rolled his eyes when Dante slid across the floor, scrambling in vain to gain purchase on the highly polished tiles. The small, compact body slammed into his right leg and the dog immediately latched onto the cuff of his jeans, growling as he attempted to pull his prey away from the stove. Every attempt to shake the dog free was met with resistance and more growling as the fur on the animal's neck stood up.
"Max, you didn't tell me you brought Satan's smallest minion with you," he complained as he tried to shake the dog off once more.
Max raised his head from the magazine he had been flipping through. "What? Mom said you called her and told her that it'd be good for Iz if we brought him up here."
Maria had to look away when her husband flushed hotly because she knew if she didn't she was going to start laughing. He still got flustered and embarrassed when others found out that he had done something nice.
"That is not what I said," he denied. "If I wanted the little demon runnin' around the place I would've brought him up here already."
"Maybe if you were nicer to him," Isabel suggested as she and Alex entered the kitchen.
"Iz, you know I love you but your… pet… hates me. I'm not the one who goes on the attack every time we're in the same room." He shook his leg, trying unsuccessfully to dislodge the dog. "See? This ball of fur is obviously a direct descendant of the devil."
Dante snarled and growled as he jerked on the denim, backing up momentarily when the material finally gave and the ripping sound caught his attention. After several seconds of staring at the piece of material he barked triumphantly and attacked again.
"Iz… please?"
Alex grinned at Michael's pained expression but he decided to take pity on the poor man. "Dante, give it a rest, buddy."
Michael stared at the dog when he backed off and moved to sit beside the chair Alex had dropped into. His eyes narrowed suspiciously when the animal continued to watch him and he was sure Dante was just waiting for the right moment to come after him again.
"Michael and I were thinkin' we should have a talk after breakfast, Iz," Max said. "Maybe take a walk and get some things straight."
"Well, it's a beautiful day for a walk; I'm sure you'll enjoy yourselves," she said, deliberately misunderstanding. She pushed her tongue against the inside of her cheek so she wouldn't start laughing and reached for two mugs on the counter beside the coffee pot. She mentally counted down the seconds knowing he was going to start setting her straight as soon as his mouth caught up with his brain.
"No, we're not goin' for a walk."
"Isn't that what you just said?"
Michael shook his head and went back to making breakfast when he caught the smirk on her face. This was one argument he had no intention of getting caught up in.
"Stupid isn't a good look for you," Max snapped.
"Um-hmm." She leaned over Alex's shoulder to place one of the mugs on the table in front of him. "And arrogance isn't a good look on you so why don't we drop the pretense and you can just tell me what's on your mind?"
"You want to take a walk now?"
"No, I don't want to take a walk right now; if you have something to say just say it."
"I think we should just keep it between us for now," he hedged.
"Alex?"
"Um-hmm." His tone was distracted as he glanced through the magazine her brother had abandoned. He turned his head when she didn't say anything else. "I'm sorry, what were you sayin'?"
"Max would like to discuss our relationship and I was wondering if you wanted to participate?"
"Sure." He pushed his chair back and pulled her down to sit in his lap as he wrapped one arm around her waist. "Want me to take it from here?"
"Please."
He nodded and looked at her younger brother. "Can I be honest with you, Max?"
"Of course."
"First, I'm in love with your sister and you can rest assured that I'll protect her and keep her safe. Second, I know you're all concerned because our relationship has progressed as quickly as it has and as her family that's your right. But you also need to accept and respect the fact that she's a grown woman and she has the right to pursue whatever makes her happy." He smiled at her. "And as long as that's me she won't have far to go." His expression was serious as he turned back to Max. "Third, let us worry about what's goin' on between us because it has nothin' to do with any of you. Should we find ourselves in need of your advice regarding our relationship at any time we'll be sure to let you know."
He turned his attention back to the magazine lying on the table without another word to the stunned man sitting across from him.
"So, who's lookin' to buy?" he asked, motioning to the pages that were marked in red.
"Michael's trying to convince Maria that he needs a new toy," Kyle answered as he came up behind them. "Personally, I don't think he's gonna do it."
"Have faith, Valenti," the man at the stove said. "It'll happen."
Kyle snorted and leaned over Alex's right shoulder. "You're lookin' pretty seriously at the Softail."
Michael looked up from the stack of pancakes he had just finished and moved the pan back off of the burner before joining them. "You've gotta admit that's a beautiful bike."
"Oh, yeah."
Charlotte rolled her eyes at Kyle's agreement. She could practically hear him drooling over the machine.
"It is a nice bike but I'm partial to this model," Alex said, turning a couple of pages and pointing to one of the motorcycles.
"You ever taken one out?"
He glanced at Max and shrugged. "I own one. I love hittin' the open road with it but thanks to the physical limitations and my father I haven't taken it out as often as I'd like." He rolled his eyes. "My doctors and Dad were so worried that I was gonna get hurt… there were times I wondered if they kept changing my meds to keep me from goin' out." His eyes took on a faraway look and he smiled fondly. "My mom kept encouraging me to get out and try new things, to push myself and find my own limitations… so I did and the bike was one of my first major acts of rebellion."
"The freedom was worth the pain, huh?" Michael asked, sensing that Alex was getting lost in the past and not in a good way.
"Yeah."
"What kinda paint job you got on it? You get it customized?"
Alex turned his head to look at Kyle when he fired off the questions. "Yeah, I got it customized and I went with the classic colors; black and chrome." He pointed at the bar. "If you'll hand me my laptop I'll show you some pictures of it."
"Why don't we eat before you completely lose all of your interest in food," Maria suggested.
"We're just gonna take a quick look at Whitman's bike," Kyle said as he handed the laptop over.
"It'll just take a minute," Alex promised with a quick glance in her direction.
"Uh-huh, well if that's anything like the last minute in a football game we might as well wait for lunch."
"C'mon, DeLuca, just give us a minute."
Maria glared at him. "What time is it, Michael?"
Uh-oh. She was using his first name and that was not her happy voice. That particular tone was his only warning before he was put on the couch for the night.
"Tell ya what, Alex," he said as he straightened up. "Why don't we just take a look at that later? Besides, it may be easier to convince her I should have a bike after she's had something to eat and some sleep."
"No problem." Alex ran through a list of folders before selecting one and opening it.
"Now that is a nice bike." Kyle stared at the picture on the screen and gave a low whistle. "You got more pictures of it?"
"Uh, no, not really."
"How safe are they?" Liz asked, drawing his attention from Kyle.
Maria listened to him praise the machine's safety features while she watched her brother reach around Alex to click on the next picture. He continued to run through the frames, uninterested since the pictures had apparently been taken at some type of gathering and the bike was blocked to some extent in most of the shots.
"So, what's the deal with this picture?"
Alex glanced over his shoulder and immediately flushed crimson. "I told you there weren't any more pictures."
"Looks like a picture to me," Kyle laughed. He wondered how many shades of red the poor man was going to go through before he stopped blushing.
Isabel leaned forward just enough to see the picture that had embarrassed Alex and she felt her breath catch in her throat. Oh. My. God. He was leaning back against the motorcycle, black leather chaps covering long, denim-clad legs that were crossed at ankles encased in black riding boots. His arms were crossed over a chest left bare beneath an open leather jacket and someone had teased a grin out of him before snapping the picture. A pair of mirrored sunglasses completed the look and she was sure they hid the pain that the pose must have caused in his damaged body.
At sixteen Alex had been like a newborn colt with arms and legs that just hadn't seemed to fit his still-growing body. Somewhere along the way the rest of his body had finally caught up and she couldn't believe that he had stayed single.
Maria unknowingly voiced Isabel's thoughts when she suddenly spoke. "How have you managed to stay single?" She rolled her eyes at his clueless expression and pointed at the screen.
God, this was so humiliating, he thought, rubbing his neck self-consciously. "Look, I have a friend who's a photographer and I lost a bet okay?"
"What's her name?" Charlotte asked, slouching down in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest. She was still smarting from Isabel's reprimand the night before so she had no problem dragging his embarrassment out for as long as humanly possible. She quirked one eyebrow when he looked at her miserably. "What? It had to be a woman; a man didn't take that picture."
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Alex," Isabel said, shooting daggers at Charlotte for making him uncomfortable. "Although I happen to think it's a very good picture."
He looked at the woman sitting in his lap, surprised when he noticed that her eyes had gone so dark they were nearly black. His blush completely faded at the realization that she was turned on and for the first time he mentally thanked Sierra for pushing him to pose for the picture.
"You like that, huh? I could have Sierra print a copy for you; she swore she gave me all of the negatives but I know her better than that."
Max flipped his own laptop open and searched through the names of the people he and Liz had been interviewing and investigating for the past month. "We don't have anyone by that name on the list," he said after a minute. "Why isn't she on the list?"
"Because my father refuses to acknowledge their existence or my association with them," Alex answered, tearing his gaze away from Isabel. "He doesn't approve of them and so he chooses to pretend they don't exist." He paused when Isabel leaned forward, blocking his view of her brother so she could get closer to the screen. "What?"
"Alex, what're you wearing here?" She tapped the screen. "The necklace… what is it?"
"My mom gave it to me not long before she and my dad divorced. She said that it was from someone special and that my dad didn't need to know about it. He didn't want her giving me any information about my past and when he found out about the necklace he threw a fit and they got into the biggest argument I can remember them ever getting into." He shook his head and reached into his shirt to pull the chain out. "That was the last time I saw her; she moved out before the divorce was finalized and I've never seen or heard from her again."
Maria watched Isabel as she reached out and lifted the small medallion at the end of the chain and her eyes widened in surprise when she recognized it. The medallion was engraved with a symbol from wherever they were from and they had all assumed it had been lost years ago.
"You gave it to me," Alex guessed when he saw her rapt expression.
She nodded, unable to speak around the lump in her throat.
"Who is Sierra?" Liz asked, hating to interrupt the moment but knowing they needed as much information as possible.
"She's a friend and you don't need to investigate her. I've been friends with her long enough to know that – "
"What kind of friends?"
Alex looked at Max. "Man, you are just tryin' to start a fight with me aren't you? Sierra happens to be a very good friend and we spend a lot of time together. With her husband." He reached out and clicked through the pictures until he reached one of him standing between a tall woman of Native American descent and a mountain of a man in front of a bar that was frequented by bikers. The woman was very pretty with black hair, dark skin and eyes, a nose ring and several visible tattoos on her upper body. The man was bald, his eyes were hidden behind sunglasses, his tattooed arms crossed over a massive chest, and he had enough earrings to make a pirate proud. "They never treated me differently just because of my problems… do not put them under investigation."
"It's our job to investigate any possible lead – "
"These people are my friends; there is no reason to drag their pasts up."
"We're very discreet, Alex," Liz assured him.
Alex motioned for Isabel to get up so he could stand, closing his laptop as he did. "I don't care how discreet you are I don't want you digging around in their personal business. I realize that you don't know them and based on their appearances you probably think they look like good candidates – "
"You're not seriously considering this are you, Max?" Charlotte asked. "Since when is who we investigate decided by the client?"
"Charlie – "
"No! This is the most absurd case I've ever worked. You have Isabel protecting someone she was previously involved with when that is against every rule in the book, you let her take him outside despite the danger that is attached to that decision, and now you're gonna let him dictate how the investigation is being handled? You're putting him and us in danger by bending the rules for him and you know it. With any other client none of this would fly; it wouldn't matter what the reasons were they wouldn't be allowed near the windows and they sure as hell wouldn't be allowed to go outside."
"Fine!" Isabel shouted. "You'll be removed from – "
"That doesn't solve the problem. Do you really think – "
Michael turned the stove off and stalked around the kitchen to push his way between the two couples that were now in the middle of an extremely loud shouting match. Dante was jumping up and down, barking and growling at the disturbance, and adding to the noise.
"Okay, that's it! I've had just about enough of this bullshit! We're not here to argue about how Alex's protection is being handled. I don't appreciate all of this fighting; no one was invited up here to destroy what little bit of peace we've been able to find in the insanity that makes up our day to day lives." He was ready to throttle all of them for their behavior and he had to take a deep breath to bring himself under control. "You know what, Napoleon? You're right, okay? Any other client wouldn't be allowed near windows or outside; they'd be locked up tight without regard for what they want and who the hell knows? Maybe we're all wrong here and you're right but the fact of the matter is that Alex isn't just any other client; this case is personal and that changes the rules. Should it change them? No, absolutely not. Does it change them? Yeah, absolutely. As for your bitch about investigatin' anyone and everyone who has ever had any type of involvement with Alex…" He turned to look at his sister and shook his head, his dark eyes begging her to understand his position. "I have to go with Napoleon on this one, Iz." He glanced at the man standing beside her. "I know these people are important to you and you want to protect them from the invasion of privacy that an investigation will bring but if we're gonna find the person or people responsible for the threat against you we need to know everything about everyone you know. We're not lookin' to dig up all the skeletons in their closets; we just need to rule them out as possible suspects."
"No." Alex shook his head. "No, I'm not helpin' you search through my friends' pasts. I won't do it." He snatched up his laptop and left the room without another word.
"Iz, you need to get his cooperation. Get their names and the names of anyone else who could – "
"I know the drill, Michael," she snapped angrily. "Don't talk to me like I'm some rookie agent."
He threw his hands up in the air when she turned and left the room with Dante running after her. "This has been a great mornin' so far; I can't tell you how glad I am that I'm here fightin' with her when I could be in bed with my wife." He leveled his irritated gaze at his brother. "Thanks a lot, Max."
"Now it's my fault? How the hell is this my fault?"
"Because if you weren't so busy worryin' about whether or not they're sleepin' together maybe you'd have somethin' concrete by now."
"Are you gonna try to tell me that you're not the slightest bit concerned that it's been a month since we found out that he's alive and they're already in a physical relationship? I think we both know better than that. She's movin' too fast!"
"You think I don't know that?"
"Boys, boys, boys!" Maria stepped between them, placing a hand on each of their chests. "One thing at a time here, okay? Max, maybe you and Liz should focus on what little bit of information we just got. Charlotte, you need to chill out and relax, stop worryin' about every little detail. Kyle, why don't you find something to keep your fiancé occupied so she's not obsessing over every little rule that we're breaking here. And, Michael, I still haven't eaten."
People scattered in the wake of her tirade and Michael grabbed his brother's arm before he could make his escape. "If I end up on the couch over this I am gonna kick your ass all the way back home," he threatened, his voice a low growl.
