Into the Blackness (Blackness Series Book 4) (35 page)

Nick

“Mom!” the boys holler in unison.

She winces at the sound and Johnny wakes up with a start. Kellerman hurries to pick him up out of the stroller as I squeeze the shit out of my wife’s hand.

“Kat,” I murmur into her cheek as I hover over her body. “How do you feel?”

“Like I got my fuckin’ head smashed in,” she says through a grimace.

“You did, Sunshine.”

“The boys okay?”

“Yes.”

“The baby?” she asks holding a protective hand over her flat belly.

“Fine.”

She slowly peels her eyes open and locks her blue-green-greys on mine searching for a lie. She doesn’t find it and relaxes. I rub my thumb across her cheek before smashing my lips to the soft skin.

“I love you,” I whisper in her ear.

“I love you too,” she whispers back.

My breath hitches, but I steady it quickly for the boys benefit. Kat’s never told me she loves me. Those words have just set an unbalanced thrum within my chest. She squeezes my hand and I retake my seat at her side as the boys come over and hug and kiss her. A few tears are shed quietly, but mostly the room is filled with relief.

“Hey, Kat.” Shanny leans into her face.

“Thanks for comin’,” Kat replies with genuine appreciation.

“Always.”

Shanny leans her belly over the side of the bed and wraps her arms around Kat in a tight hug before releasing her.

Kellerman is last to approach my wife as he hands off Johnny to Shanny.

“Hey, gorgeous,” he purrs placing a kiss on her cheek.

I growl earning me a chuckle from Kellerman’s throat.

“Sucks doesn’t it?” he asks shooting me a knowing glance.

“Dick,” I mutter through a grin.

“You need anything from us, say the word,” Kellerman says as he returns his gaze to Kat.

“I need you guys to take the boys back to Kansas City,” Kat replies earnestly.

“Okay,” Shanny and Kellerman answer immediately.

“What?” the boys ask in shock.

Kellerman retakes his seat his face a mask of seriousness.

“Jake, shut the door,” I order gruffly.

I guess it’s time to be honest with the boys. Shit!

Shanny takes her seat at Kat’s side and scoops her hand into hers, offering her strength and warmth. I wish Jess and Shane were here right now. Jess has a horrible stomach flu and didn’t want to risk getting Kat sick. Shane flew in and back out quickly once we knew Kat was stable.

“I want you boys to listen to me without interrupting,” Kat orders.

They nod in unison.

“Nick and I work for a government agency called the Domestic Crime Agency. We’re undercover in Maybelle to find a human trafficking ring. After everything that’s happened I need you boys safe while we finish our job in Maybelle. You’ll be safe with Shannon and Dylan.”

“We fuckin’ knew it!” Dane spouts.

“Huh?” I ask shocked.

“We knew it. After what happened at the Lancasters’ we were sure,” Cole responds.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Kat asks.

“We figured it wasn’t safe or something,” Sawyer answers in a shrug. “I saw you that day in my house. I knew you weren’t a housewife the way you attacked him. Then you killed him and never said a word about it. A normal housewife would’ve been fucked up about that shit.”

“You’re not mad?” Kat’s gaze is tentative.

“No,” all three answer in harmony with conviction.

“What about you?” Cole asks Jake.

“What about me?”

“Are you one of them?” Dane asks offering him a pointed look.

“Not yet.”

“You’re not their nephew are you?” Sawyer chimes in.

“No.”

“You’re not fifteen are you?” Dane continues with twenty questions.

“No.”

“Fuckin’ crazy,” Sawyer breathes out before falling back on the couch.

“Are we really your kids?” Cole whispers.

“Yes,” all four adults spout loudly making Johnny jump in Shanny’s lap.

“Everything we have on you guys is legal. It wasn’t obtained that way, but it doesn’t matter. You’re ours and no one can take you from us. Our legal names and signatures are on the guardianship court orders. You’re our kids,” I state emphatically.

“What are your real names?” Sawyer inquires.

“I’m Nick Cooper and Kat’s name is Katherine Russell.”

“You’re not really married?” Dane asks with huge eyes. SHIT!

“No, we’re not. We just met in September,” Kat answers sheepishly.

“Wow…do we know anything about you guys?” Sawyer asks, becoming offended.

“A lot of the facts are lies boys. It’s to keep us safe while we’re undercover. But everything we’ve experienced together is real. We haven’t been anything but ourselves when we’re with you. And as far as Nick and I go…we may not have been together for ten years, but we’re together now and we’re not faking that. I love him and I’m having our baby. We’ll get married as soon as the op is wrapped. Anything else that you wanna know about us feel free to ask. No more lies,” Kat says genuinely.

“What’s your name?” Cole asks Jake.

“Jake Cooper.”

“How’s that?”

“Nick and Kat adopted me before Christmas. That wasn’t a lie that day.”

“Can we change our last names?” Sawyer asks me.

“If you want to.”

“Really?” Cole asks shocked.

“You’re my kids. I’d love nothing more than for you to have my last name,” I answer honestly.

“I’ll get to work on it when we’re back in Kansas City,” Shanny pipes in, attorney mode in full effect.

“Are you two agents too?” Dane asks disbelievingly.

“No, I’m an attorney and Dylan’s in marketing.”

“How can they keep us safe then?” Sawyer asks me confused.

“Shanny isn’t an agent, but she’s got skills like one. She’s probably better than me. I trust her with my life. She’ll keep you safe.”

Kat squeezes my hand and I squeeze back. I don’t want to send the boys away, but Kat’s right. Shit is getting too dangerous. We were reckless getting involved with them. I don’t regret it for a second, but we need them safe to finish the op. After this latest clusterfuck it’ll be easy to sell to Maybelle.

“Is Jake comin’ with us?” Dane asks sheepishly.

“Yes,” Kat answers before Jake can say no. “You’re goin’ Jake and don’t argue with me.”

“You need me here,” Jake huffs.

“I need you safe.”

“And I need you safe.”

“I don’t wanna go either,” Dane chimes in.

“Me neither,” Cole and Dane finish.

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m your mother now and you don’t get a say,” she says pointedly. “Jake that goes for you too. I’m your mother and I know you’re an adult and I don’t give a shit. I can’t let you stay here.”

“Then I’ll go back to headquarters so I’m close if you need me,” Jake barters.

“No. You’ll go with Shannon and Dylan and finish your senior year of high school as Jake Cooper and then you’ll go to college and play basketball like you deserve to.”

“You can’t make me leave the DCA,” Jake growls.

“Jake,” I warn him of his tone. Kat ignores it and pushes forward.

“No, I can’t. But I want you happy and life in the DCA isn’t a happy one. You on the court is where you’re happy. Take the opportunity. Allow yourself the happiness you deserve. I resigned from the DCA. This is my last op. I’m done. This is Nick’s last op too. We have the chance to build whatever life we want and I want us to have a normal one.”

“I don’t belong in a normal life,” he grumbles.

The room gets silent as Kat and I struggle with what to do with that. We both feel that way too, but our reasons are different than Jake’s. We feel that way because of the DCA. Jake feels that way because of life.

“Jake can I tell you a story?” Shanny asks quietly.

“Sure.”

“Once there was a little girl that had everything in the world. She had a rich and powerful father that could’ve given her anything. She was full of love and opportunity. Then one day someone murdered her father and tried to kill her. Her uncle rescued her and spent the next ten years training her to be a machine so she’d never be in danger again. A machine that could kill anyone that got in her way. A machine that could stay calm in any situation that she might face. A machine that didn’t belong in the normal world. That girl went off to college trying to find a place where she fit in the normal world. She didn’t have a friend or family left other than her uncle that was dying of cancer.

“So on her first day of class at college when three annoying cocky boys invited her to a party she decided to take a chance at normal. It was the best and scariest choice she ever made in her life. That night at the party she was attacked and almost raped. It didn’t matter that she was a machine because she was alone in the world and needed someone to have her back. Those three boys found her and saved her from the monster that was attacking her.

“That night she got the family she didn’t have. She found her family in an unconventional place, but it gave her normal. It gave her the chance to build her own normal world where a machine could learn to live and breathe. She didn’t belong in the normal world either…until she found the place where she could be the normal she needed to be,” Shanny finishes her green eyes never leaving Jake’s big browns.

Kellerman picks up his fiancée’s hand and kisses the palm. He knows that story better than most I’m sure and it still causes him pain. It causes me pain.

“Are you happy?” Jake asks Shanny softly.

“Yes.”

“Do you think you could teach me how to live and breathe?”

“Yes.”

A small sob breaks from Kat’s chest. I squeeze her hand, but I keep my eyes trained on Shanny and my son.

“I have to be able to shoot to breathe,” Jake admits sheepishly.

“Me too, sweetheart,” Shanny coos.

“Okay, Mom. I’ll go to Kansas City,” Jake says leaving Shanny’s gaze and looking over to Kat.

Kat doesn’t say anything, she just nods with tears streaming down her cheeks. We still don’t know the details of Jake’s life, but knowing that he feels a connection to Shanny’s story paints a bad enough picture that it’s gut-wrenching to imagine.

Kat and I have been a lot of things in life, but Jake needs someone like Shanny. I’m even more thankful for my friend in this moment. She can help Jake heal in a way that I’m not sure we could. And looking into Kat’s eyes right now she knew that. As his mother she knew we didn’t have enough in common with him to help him. My wife continues to stun me at every corner.

“Do you have enough room for all of us?” Sawyer breaks the tension in the room.

“Man, we’ve got plenty,” Kellerman answers in a chuckle.

They live in a monster of a house that Kellerman just finished adding an even bigger addition to. I think last Shanny told me it had something insane like fifteen bedrooms and twenty bathrooms. They’ve got room for my four boys.

“Can we call you Aunt Shanny?” Sawyer whispers.

“I’d love that. And you’re gonna make me cry and I don’t cry, so knock it off,” she finishes in a huff, steeling herself against the tears pricking her eyes.

“I wish I could do that,” Kat scoffs wiping her tear stained cheeks.

“No, you don’t,” Shanny says grimly. That’s part of the machine.

Kat squeezes her friend’s hand in understanding.

We go about setting up plans to get the boys and their stuff to Kansas City. It won’t take much work so it’s a short conversation. Which is good, because Kat’s doctor comes in and starts poking and prodding my wife as soon as we finish talking. I growl and scowl at the man as he does his job. Kellerman offers me empathetic gazes and a few smiles. I think he may be a new friend for me. I’d like that. I think moving to Kansas City is looking more and more like the best option for my family after the op is wrapped. The look on Kat’s face as she watches her boys banter and jack around says we’re thinking the same thing. Normal life here we come.

Nick

“Cooper,” I bark into the burner phone.

“Nick, we’ve got the DNA results for Cara,” Shane informs me.

“Yeah?”

“She’s Shannon’s sister and your cousin.”

“I need you to put Cara on a plane here. Shanny’s taking the boys back to Kansas City, Jake included. Shanny’s here at the hospital. Thanks for callin’ her by the way.”

I’m speaking in short clipped sentences because my brain is beyond tired and overwhelmed at this point. I don’t have much to offer.

“I’m not sure Cara’s ready to make a move like that.”

“Shane, I need your help here. I don’t wanna cause Cara any more trauma, but if you don’t send her here, Shanny’s comin’ to her. You don’t know Shannon Kelly, but you don’t wanna have to deal with her on your own.”

“I did some digging on your friend. You’ve been keeping some talent hidden.”

“Yeah and she’ll stay that way. I wouldn’t advise you trying to do anything about that. If she doesn’t kill you, one of her family members or I, will. In case you’re wondering, that’s three fathers, two mothers, nine brothers, a crime boss cousin, and a few others that I can’t even begin to explain. Stay the fuck away from Shanny,” I growl.

“Nick,” he huffs, “I wasn’t givin’ you shit. I was just pointing out the obvious. You’re clearly not in the head space for it.”