Chapter 7
Fiona sat alone in a sparse office in the CIA building, staring out the wide window at the ocean sparkling in the morning sunlight. She didn't know why she was here. After the rescue she and Sam were taken to the hospital to be patched up, and she spent the night there, but she was well on the mend now. After she and Michael reunited on the Coast Guard ship and he followed her to the hospital, she hadn't seen him again. It was as if he'd been a dream, a ghost from her past that comforted her in her time of trouble and was gone in a wisp of smoke. She'd learned her lesson from this fiasco, that hanging onto what used to be turned out to be nothing but trouble. While she waited for whatever was to become of her, she drilled that revelation into her head.
Surely she wouldn't come out of this without some charges. Sam knew what she was doing. Michael certainly knew. The evidence was in the submerged airplane and if the government bothered, they could recover it.
Hearing footsteps on the polished floor, she halted her rambling thoughts and turned in expectation. Her ghost was back. She smiled a thin, weak twitch of her lips. "Michael." She swallowed. "It's good to see you again."
The look of tenderness in his eyes belied the professional stoicism in his expression. He walked into the room and sat in the chair beside hers, not on the other side of the desk as she expected. "Fi, I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you after... everything. I got called away."
"Of course. Your job comes first, I understand that."
Something broke in him. She could see it in the wrinkled brow, the crinkles framing his eyes, and the way he leaned across the distance between them and grasped her hands. His grip was firm, but warm, as his thumbs caressed the backs of her hands. "Fi. If it were up to me, we wouldn't be here right now. We'd be out there working on cases with Sam and Jesse, or..." His smile turned wistful. "Or maybe we'd go off on vacation somewhere together." Sniffling, he continued. "I know it's too much to ask, Fi, but can you wait for me? I'm working as fast as I can here to fulfill my obligations to the Agency because I don't feel..."
"Feel what?" She turned her hands palms up and squeezed his. Her eyes bored into his, searching for the truth in what he wanted to say but couldn't seem to get out.
"My heart used to be in this. The Agency was my life. But as I got closer to you, Sam, my mom... I began to see how empty I was." He blinked. "I don't want to be empty anymore, Fi."
His words touched her heart, causing her to sit up straighter in the chair and smile. But she controlled herself. She'd heard words from him before, promises that turned to dust. "How long? I can't wait forever. I'm sorry, but I can't."
"I know. I wouldn't expect you to, and that is why so many times before I tried to push you away. It wasn't fair to you." He took a breath.
"It was my choice to stay, and maybe that was foolish of me, but I love you, Michael. No matter what I always will. It just makes more sense for us, if we love each other, to be together."
The corner of his mouth tipped up. "I agree. If things work out, I could be done in six months, maybe sooner." An excitement glinted in his eyes. "We are so close to bringing down a lot of people who are connected. Of course those people are linked to others that the agency wants, but we get these key players and the rest the young guys can handle." His smile widened. "Then I am truly free, Fiona, and you and I can have our future."
She wanted to believe it so badly. The look in his eyes told her that he believed it too, and he had more faith in them than he'd ever had before. "I can wait for that," she said.
"Good." He squeezed her hands and on impulse lifted one to kiss it. Then he rubbed the spot and said, "I want you to stay at my Ma's until I get out, and then you and I will figure out what we'll do next, where we'll go."
"I want to stay here," Fiona said. "I like it in Miami."
"Me too," he said and laughed. "Seven years ago I was sent here kicking and screaming, but the things that happened changed how I feel about this town. The nightmares from all those years ago are gone, and... and everyone who loves me is right here." He paused and basked in the glow of her happiness. "You just have to promise me something, Fi."
"What?" She looked at him, uncomprehending what could be so important and grave for him to turn serious.
"Don't ever hook up with old boyfriends again."
"You're an old boyfriend," she countered with a slight smirk.
He laughed. "I meant other old boyfriends."
She sobered and said, "You know about Kelly?"
"Yes. I found out last night after my people did some checking on him. Why did you get involved with him again?"
Fiona had to think about that for a moment. He was a piece of her past when she was in the Irish Republican Army. He was unstable and unpredictable, and when he became angry he was unstoppable. He frightened her when he got like that. Yet he had an intense tender side, and when he loved her, he gave her goosebumps. Only one other man could do that to her.
"I missed you so much, Michael. I tried to forget, to get into my old contacts and dealings again as a means to putting the past behind me." She shook her head. "I know it doesn't make much sense to go to the past to take up a new future, but that's what I did. Kelly reached out to me and wanted to be partners." She looked up from their hands into Michael's eyes as she spoke. "He made it hard to resist."
"What, did he flash money, a rare assault rifle, what?"
She licked her lips, hesitating, because Michael wasn't going to like what she had to say. "He... he's a passionate man. Was, a passionate man, I should say." She tossed her head, forcing her locks behind her back and she confessed. "We slept together a couple of times. Michael, I am so sorry. Please believe me." She was near tears. "I made a dreadful load of mistakes, and I can't ever undo them."
"I know, Fi." Michael stood, and he pulled her to her feet before taking her into his arms. "I forgive you." The jealous part of him wanted to hurt her like he hurt at the moment, but they'd done too much of that over the years. The only way to start again was to forgive and move on, and that was what he intended to do.
When her ear rested over his steady heartbeat, she knew that he had truly forgiven her. And she forgave him for leaving things the way he did, but then, it wasn't his fault. He explained it to her. She was the one who chose not to listen and discount everything as an excuse to avoid commitment.
The couple lost track of time standing in the middle of the room holding onto each other. An agent appeared in the doorway. "Sir..."
Fiona didn't see the look Michael gave him. If his eyes had been 50 cal guns, there would have been nothing left of the younger man but a pile of flesh and blood. Seeing the look, the younger man retreated. Michael turned his attention back to Fiona and held her tighter, kissed the top of her head, and burrowed his cheek into the warmth and flowery scent of her hair.
"After I wrap this up with Kelly, I have some time free. A few days, it's not much, but I want to spend it with you." He pulled back and looked into her eyes. "What do you say?"
Her smile spoke for her, but she added words. "I'd love it."
"Good. Pack your bags, Fi. I'll see you in a couple of days." He kissed her, framing her face with his hands, until they were both breathless. With an impish smile he said, "Maybe that'll keep you until then. I want you all to myself."
"I promise you, Michael, there will never be another. Just you." She left a swift kiss on his lips before turning toward the door. She stopped and addressed him over her shoulder. "So, why did you want me here, anyway?"
"I was supposed to talk to you about Kelly. I got enough."
Fiona turned to face him. "And what did you get?"
Michael closed the distance between them as he replied, "He coerced you into working with him. With my pull, I can avoid any charges on your head, and you'll walk free." He took her hand and his curled around it as if he couldn't get enough of the sensation. "We've got people working to recover the plane and the guns. Fortunately, the place where Sam ditched the craft wasn't more than thirty feet deep. It'll be an easy operation. Maybe we'll find Kelly too." He shrugged. "Not that it matters."
"Again, I'm sorry, Michael. I should have not let my desires get in the way of reason. He was a terrible man. I knew that, and I let myself get burned anyway." She looked up at Michael. "I wasn't thinking. But with you, on the other hand, I can be thinking as clear as day and still let myself get tangled in your schemes." She smiled. "Maybe I'm just hopeless."
"I'm different," Michael countered. "You really love me." He smiled at the soft love in her eyes when he spoke the words. "And I love you, Fi. It makes a huge difference." He kissed her one more time before releasing her. "Now, I better get back to work and finish this up so we can take off."
"Take off? Like in an airplane?"
"Perhaps." Michael grinned. "I just know I'm not letting Sam fly us."
Fiona laughed. "Michael, if you'd seen the way he landed on the water without killing us all, you wouldn't say that."
"I was just kidding," Michael said. "I've already talked to Sam, and we're working on something. You'll just have to wait and see."
When Fiona left Michael's office, she felt as if her feet floated on clouds and not concrete. He said he loved her, and he really meant it. She thought back to those first days after she reunited with Kelly. He lacked the honest affection that lay under Michael's words and actions, but somehow when he kissed her she forgot that. He was rough and left marks and bruises, and the act of mating was more like a fight to the death, but it got her blood pumping and all reason went out the window.
Michael was almost boring compared to Kelly. But his tenderness was not a sign of weakness. Rather, it was a sign of the strength of his respect for her. He would never willingly hurt her. Of Kelly, she hadn't been so sure. Considering how he tried to kill her on the plane, she realized the truth. He was an animal, and now he was dead. If she wasn't a lady, she'd spit on the ground and stride away, her anger pounding the pavement under her feet.
Fiona walked from the CIA offices to her car parked almost a block away. As she drifted along thinking about her encounter with Michael, she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. A man appeared in her line of sight backing out of a storefront, and as he turned, she collided with him. She gasped in surprise.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss," he said and reached out a hand to steady her.
He was white-haired, perhaps in his 70s, but he kept himself in good shape. Fiona's eyes drifted up to his face and stopped there, frozen, and she gaped for a moment before coming to her senses and closing her mouth. The man looked like she imagined Sam might appear in twenty years or so. He had the same brown eyes, full brows, and the peaky nose and cheek bones that squared out his face. Even his lips reminded her of Sam, but the chin was less pronounced and more rounded.
"Is there something wrong," he asked, concern filling his features for every second she remained speechless.
"I'm sorry," Fiona managed to speak. "You remind me of... of a friend. You're almost his double, but... but he's younger."
The man's breath sucked in, and he asked, "Are you a friend of Sam Axe?"
Even his voice was a shadow of Sam's. Fiona took a step back and glanced at him from head to toe. No wonder he conjured up images of her friend. He even dressed like him! Blinking behind the shelter of her sunglasses, she replied, "Yes. Sam Axe is a friend. Who are you?"
The smile was scary in how it mirrored Sam's, but it wasn't quite the same. "I'm Sam Axe. Sam's father."
"You didn't happen to be at a fundraiser the other night by any chance?"
He chuckled. "Yes, I was there. I saw Sam, and I couldn't believe my eyes. I wanted to get closer before I said anything to him, but he kind of blended into the crowd. There were a lot of uniforms there that night." He smirked. "I've been trying to find him since. I located his girlfriend's hotel and set up camp there, but no one has seen either of them for a few days."
Fiona's suspicions were up and she looked at him askance. "Why are you spying on your son?"
"I left Sam and his mom over forty years ago on less than ideal terms, and I'm sure he hates me, but..." He paused and he fought a film of wetness that covered his eyes. "I don't know if he'll ever want to speak to me again, but I had to find out. I loved him then, and I still love him, and I wanna know what he's been up to all this time. It's too late to ask his mom."
"I don't think he's been in contact with her for years," Fiona informed him.
"She's been dead for almost three decades," the senior Sam countered with a hint of bitterness. "I never got a chance to tell her how sorry I was, and I decided that I didn't want to make that same mistake with Sam."
"I can understand that." Fiona pursed her lips and nodded. "Listen, I have an idea. Why don't I take you back to the hotel, and I will track down Sam. If you give me a number where I can reach you, I'll call you with a place we can all meet."
"You're going to help me? Why?" He looked at her with doubt.
She dropped the sunglasses from her eyes, looking deep into his eyes as she said, "I've recently had a revelation about love, Mr. Axe, and I can see how you feel about your son. It would be a terrible injustice if you two didn't have a chance to hash out the past and bury your animosities."
"Thank you, Miss. I don't even know your name."
"Fiona Glenanne." She held out her hand and he shook it.
"It's a real pleasure to meet you, Miss Glenanne." To her surprise, he turned her hand and kissed the back. Not like Michael did, but it was very suave and charming as it was.
She couldn't help but smile. "And you, Mr. Axe. I promise, you'll see Sam today. It think I know where I can find him."
"Bless you, Fiona."
"Let's go. My car is right down there," she said and pointed to the little blue Hyundai a few spots away. She knew where to find Sam during this time of day, so her promise would be easy to fulfill. The hotel wasn't far away, but the distance was long enough for her to learn a little about Sam's father, and apparently the apple hadn't fallen far from the tree. She only wished that once she got them together she could stick around. Most likely there would be fur flying, but then who knew. She and Michael made up with little fuss. Perhaps Sam and his dad could do the same.
She parked in the lot rather than take advantage of valet parking. Sam's dad was spry enough to walk, and she wanted the time to figure out how she would tell Sam that his dad was still at the hotel and he wanted to meet him.
"Mr. Axe, what room are you in," Fiona asked as they entered the lobby and she removed her sunglasses.
"I'm in six ten." His voice shook as if nerves had taken over. "You really think you can get Sam to sit down and talk with me?"
"I'll do my best, Mr. Axe." She smiled and patted his arm.
"I really wish you'd call me Sam, but, uh, that might be kind of confusing with the two of us." His chuckle even sounded like the Sam she knew, only more nervous. "You have my number."
"Yes." She tapped a pocket on her bag where she kept her phone. "I'll call you when he's ready to meet. And if you don't hear from me before dinner time, call me."
"I will. Thank you again, Fiona. I don't know how I could do this without you."
"Somehow, I think you would have gotten the courage, especially if you saw him around. He's a good man. I think you'll be proud of him," Fiona said before parting from him. She turned away from the elevator bank and moved to the pool area.
Her eyes scanned the deck for the familiar frame lounging in a chaise, but he wasn't there. She entered the area and walked around the perimeter, her eyes scanning every square foot of the place, but still she didn't see him. This was unusual. She was baffled. On the opposite end of the pool, she spied Elsa in a suit and heels talking to the man behind the bar, so she picked up the pace to meet her there. Her anxiety ramped up and she hoped that Elsa would be agreeable to Sam meeting his father.
"Elsa," Fiona called as the elegant woman turned away to go back to the hotel lobby. "Elsa, wait!"
Elsa stopped and looked over her shoulder, and she showed her surprise at seeing Fiona. "Fi, is there something wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong. I was just looking for Sam."
"Oh," Elsa said, nodding. "He's upstairs taking a nap. The medication the doctor put him on for that stab wound really did him in." She looked a little embarrassed as she added, "I told him he was trying to do too much this morning."
"Do you think he would be up to meeting his father," Fiona asked.
"He's still here," Elsa asked, eyes wide. "I thought he was being obnoxious when he first arrived. I told my people to keep an eye on him and if he didn't settle down they were to evict him."
Fiona shrugged. "He must have settled down. I ran into him not far from here, gave him a ride back to the hotel, and he wants to see Sam." She hesitated, not sure if Elsa's protective side could be permeated by the last bit of news. "He desperately wants to patch things up with his son. Surely you know what that's like."
Elsa stared at Fiona. She knew exactly how difficult it was for her with Evan. She fought against him and his desires, demanding that he go to college and learn the business. But Evan wasn't built for that, and Sam helped her to see that she was not only spinning her wheels in trying to make Evan do something he had no interest in, she was driving a wedge between them. Only through Sam's unorthodox methods did she and her son come to an understanding, and thanks to his meddling she and her son were closer than ever.
She nodded and declared, "I know he might be mad, but after what he did for Evan and me, I owe Sam. He needs his father back in his life. What do you want me to do?"
"I haven't quite figured out yet how to make this happen. Perhaps we can discuss it?"
"Sure. Let's go to my office." Elsa led the way to a door at the far end of the lobby.
As the women disappeared, Sam Axe Junior was on his way from the penthouse to the ground level. He wore his prime lounging wear, swimming trunks and a matching Hawaiian shirt, with flip-flops on his feet and a towel hanging around his neck. He was ready to get a little tan. The bottle of lotion slipped out of his hand and dropped to the floor as the elevator stopped on the sixth level. An older man dressed in swim trunks and a similar outfit to Sam's got on board, the doors closed, and they began their descent.
Sam straightened after rescuing the bottle from the moving feet and stared into a pair of brown eyes just like his. He gaped, and in a thick voice he said, "Dad."
"Hello, Son. Funny meeting you here," Sam Axe Senior quipped with a cocky smile.
"Yeah," Sam responded with a crooked smirk. "What are the odds?"
"This is a bit... awkward."
The elevator made a strange grinding noise, like metal on metal, and with a sudden jerk the car came to an unplanned stop. At the same time, the lights went out, leaving them in complete darkness unable to see anything before them. Both men staggered to keep their balance, and the younger Sam grabbed the rail along the outer edge. He came back with a snappy reply. "You were saying?"