Switch Master: 6 (Ink and Kink) (24 page)

“Thank you, Morgan,” Taran said. “Glad to know my
sister-in-law believes in me.”

“I believe in you too,” Ethan stated. “Never doubt it, bro.
By the way, can someone take a moment to explain the Slam Bam Sam jacket in the
mudroom?”

“That’s easy,” Sam said. “I’m officially a roller derby
babe.”

Ethan’s mouth dropped open.

“Roller derby, as in sexy women taking on other women on a
skating rink?” he asked when he recovered. “Hot damn, bro, you get to be part
of that?”

Sam laughed out loud. “Taran’s not a roller derby babe,
Ethan.”

“That’s true, but I do get to watch,” Taran said. “I can’t
wait to see my detective pivot her way to a score.”

“It’s not that simple,” Sam warned.

Morgan came over to pet Guinness, who dropped Taran like a
hot potato to snuggle with his mom. That was the way with dogs. Morgan was a
softie, Guinness knew it.

“I think it’s great that you finally told Taran about the
roller derby. I knew you’d make it,” Morgan commented.

“You knew, how?” Sam asked.

“I have my ways,” Morgan answered, grinning. She was
pregnant with hers and Ethan’s first child and it was really beginning to show,
especially the glow.

“You’re not upset I kept it from you?”

“I understand why you didn’t want to say anything,” Morgan
assured her. “I can’t wait to watch you in action. I bet you’ll kick ass.”

Seconds later, Morgan turned her eyes to Sam, watching her closely.
Rarely did she use her psychic abilities to read a friend unless they asked.
However something in Morgan’s actions caused Sam to remain very still.

“Do you have your phone with you?” Morgan asked.

Sam reached into her back pocket to get the phone, handing
it over to her friend. Morgan gripped it for about a minute, staying very
silent. Giving it back, she waited until Sam put the cell phone in her back
pocket.

“Did you just do the psychometry thing with my phone?” Sam
asked, aware that Morgan was a psychic with a gift of knowing an object’s
history when she touched it.

“Yes, please don’t be offended,” Morgan said.

“I’m not,” Sam assured. “What did you sense?”

Morgan smiled softly, sadly. “You received a call from
someone in your past, someone who hurt you. Mark’s call opened wounds you’d
thought were closed. You’re worried. You needn’t be.”

Sam’s mouth dropped open. “How do you know all that?”

“I’m not sure how to explain it. All you need to know is
that you’ve no reason to be afraid. Ethan, Phalen and Taran will find Mark and
everything will be all right again.”

“Do you think Mark will contact me again?”

“Yes, but not by phone,” Morgan said. “He has to before it’s
too late.”

“During our stakeouts, you told me about Mark Cormack, Sam,”
Ethan interrupted. “Are you saying he called you out of the blue?”

“He did. Taran took care of him,” Sam answered.

“Little brother, we need to talk. I know I kept you in the
dark about Mark and Sam, but I did so at her insistence. Now that you know
about him, you’ll need to keep a close eye on her.”

“You won’t need to,” Morgan interjected. “Trust me.”

“Ethan, we’ve talked a lot about my past, but I’ve kept some
things from you. Now that Taran knows the truth, it’s time to come clean with
you and Morgan too.”

“What are you saying, Samantha?” Taran asked.

“I’d like to tell them about the baby,” Sam said.

“If you’re sure, go ahead.” Taran’s vote of confidence was
what she needed.

“Maybe we should all sit down,” Sam said, gesturing to the
booth.

“Okay,” Ethan agreed, following them to the other side of
the kitchen.

Morgan busied herself by giving Guinness a fresh bowl of
water and dry dog food before joining Sam, Taran and Ethan at the table. Taking
a seat beside her husband, she settled in, sighing.

“Are you feeling okay, Morgan?” Sam asked.

“I’m feeling fine, thank you. Ethan’s son likes to kick, a
lot! He’s going to be a handful.”

Taran froze in the seat beside Sam. “You two are having a
boy?”

“Yes we are. I had an ultrasound Friday afternoon and Ethan
and I wanted to let you know in person.”

“That’s huge,” Taran said. “Do Phalen and Cassie know yet?”

“We told them over the weekend. They’ve chosen not to find
out the sex of their baby,” Ethan admitted.

“Do you know if their baby’s a boy or girl?” Taran asked
Morgan.

“I’ve my suspicion but staying mum. I know about our son
because Abigael Maddox stops in on my dreams from time to time, letting me know
everything’s fine, especially after I recover from a headache.”

“I should have remembered that,” Sam remarked. “Touching my
phone didn’t cause you any pain?”

“Not this time. I’ve learned to let go of objects before the
pain becomes too much.”

“Are you still planning to use a midwife?” Sam inquired.

“So far, yes. If something happens, Ethan will be ready to
whisk me to the hospital.”

“We’ll all be there for you,” Taran said.

Morgan smiled softly. “Thanks, Taran. Sam, what did you need
to talk to us about?”

At first, Sam wasn’t sure how to begin. Taran’s hand touched
hers, giving her the confidence she needed to tell Ethan and Morgan everything
she’d shared with Taran about being pregnant and losing the baby.

When she fell quiet, she wasn’t sure what to expect. Ethan
and Morgan spoke to each other quietly and then Morgan reached across the
table, offering her hand to Sam. She placed her free hand in her friend’s,
feeling welcome.

“Thank you for sharing with us,” Ethan said. “We love you,
Sam. You’re the sister I’ve never had.”

Tears welled in Sam’s eyes. For once she didn’t fight them,
realizing it was okay to cry when you were with friends and family.

“I feel the same way about you, Ethan. You can be a pain in
the ass, but I wouldn’t change partners for the world.”

“That’s a damn good thing,” he said. “Morgan, do you mind if
I take care of something?”

“Not at all,” Morgan said, letting go of Sam’s hand to stand
up. “Brace yourself, Sam.”

A second later, Ethan scooted out of the booth, came right
over and dragged Sam out of the booth and into the biggest bear hug she’d had
since Taran held her upstairs a little while ago.

“Partner, you could’ve told me about the baby. I’m so sorry
Mark and James put you through hell. I really might go find those sons of
bitches and put them in the ground.”

“You knew about the hell part,” Sam said.

“I didn’t know the level of hell. Honestly, I’m glad you told
Taran about the baby first. That was the right thing to do.”

“I’m glad you’re not upset with me…or with Taran.”

“Taran’s a good brother,” Ethan said. “He’s a great man.”

Sam somehow disengaged from Ethan’s strong arms. “You’re
right, partner. Pretty boy is beginning to grow on me, think I’ll keep him.”

“Not that I’ll let her go anytime soon,” Taran added,
standing up to take her back into his arms.

“You two were meant to be. I knew it all along,” Morgan
confided. “There’s something else you two should know.”

“Might want to make it fast, Samantha and I have plans in
Framingham,” Taran said. Ethan returned to his seat beside Morgan.

“What sort of plans?” Ethan questioned.

“I’ll tell you all about Luke tomorrow at work,” Sam
answered.

“Who’s Luke?” Morgan asked.

“He’s a sixteen-year-old boy I’ve befriended recently and
Taran’s helping with a legal situation. It’s complicated. Tell us your news,
please,” Sam insisted after she and Taran reclaimed their seats.

“While we were in Salem this weekend, we did some house
hunting,” Ethan said.

Sam smiled. “You found a house? Taran mentioned you’d
contacted a real estate agent.”

“We found a great place in Danvers,” Ethan told them.
“Morgan loves it. It’s old, has plenty of character and a lot of bedrooms.
Better yet, it’s close enough to the highway that I can get to work easily.”

“It’s also haunted,” Morgan added.

“That doesn’t bother you?” Sam asked.

“Hauntings don’t scare me unless I sense a malevolent
entity. After walking through the house, I got the impression it served its
previous family very well and will serve mine and Ethan’s just the same.”

“So when are you guys moving out of here?” Taran asked.

“Slow down before you go about taking over the master
bedchamber, little brother. We put in a bid. We’ll have to wait to see if it’s
accepted first. Morgan and I will still be living here for a while.”

Taran shifted, placing his arm along the back of the booth
behind Sam. “Are you sure you want to move? This house is as much yours and
Phalen’s as it is mine and Samantha’s.”

Incredibly touched that Taran included her in his comments,
Sam relaxed against him. It was nice to be close to him.

“Phalen sold his share to us when he and Cassie got married.
I’m willing to sell my half to you, Taran.”

“This house will always belong to a Maddox,” Taran declared.
“Mom and Dad would want it that way.”

“Sounds as if the home in Danvers is meant to be yours,” Sam
said. “I hope the bid is accepted. Let me know what I can do to help when it
comes time to fix it up.”

They talked for a little while longer about the house. Sam
was really happy for Ethan and Morgan. If they weren’t upset about living with
a ghost or two then it really was the right place to raise their family.

Before she and Taran took off, they hugged Ethan and Morgan,
petted Guinness goodbye, put on their boots and coats in the mudroom and headed
out, with Ethan teasing Taran about the overnight bag in his hand.

Outside, it was chilly but the sun was out. Taran led Sam
across the street to the parking lot, helping her dodge a few ice patches. A
couple minutes later, they were in his truck and heading to Maddox Ink.

Sam was going to drive her car to her apartment, leave it
there and then they’d go pick up Glenda Davis and Luke. Driving herself home
felt good, though she missed Taran’s warmth immediately. By the time they
pulled into her apartment building’s parking lot, she was more than ready to
jump into the truck’s passenger seat.

“Are you up for stopping to get Luke a phone on the way?”
Taran asked after she’d buckled her seatbelt. “We’ve got the time.”

“Definitely, let’s stop.” The cab of the truck was nice and
warm, being with Taran was even better.

Ten minutes later, they stopped and purchased a prepaid
no-contract cell phone. It was basic, but he could use it for texting and
talking. If he wanted something else, he could get a better one once he began
working.

Shortly after the stop at Best Buy, they pulled into Glenda
Davis’ driveway and made their way to the house. Luke had shoveled the
walkways, making them safe for his aunt’s use. The driveway had been plowed.

Glenda answered the door when they knocked. She wore a
simple but nice pair of slacks and a heavy green sweater. Her hair was freshly
brushed and she wore a little bit of makeup.

“Come on in,” she invited with a smile.

“Hi, Glenda, thanks for agreeing to lunch,” Sam said,
heading inside the house.

“Thank you for offering,” Glenda replied. “Luke will be out
in a moment. Not sure what that boy’s doing, he’s taking longer than usual
getting ready.”

“There’s no rush,” Taran said. “Do you have a preference for
where you’d like to go to lunch?”

“Anywhere you choose will be fine,” Glenda assured. “Not
having to cook is a godsend on a Sunday afternoon.”

“Do you have those papers we’d talked about, Ms. Davis?”
Taran asked.

“Yes, in my den. I’ll be right back.” Glenda headed off to
retrieve the documents, returning after a minute or two. “Here you are, Mr.
Maddox.”

Taran took the thick envelope from her hands. “Thank you,
please call me Taran.”

“As long as you call me Glenda,” she agreed.

Luke emerged from his bedroom, the smell of Axe body spray
following him. It was strong, but wow, Luke had taken extra care to wash and
comb his hair. He’d even attempted to shave.

“You look nice, Luke,” Sam complimented.

“Thanks,” Luke murmured. “Thought this would do if I wanted
to impress someone I plan to work for. I don’t have work clothes, but Aunt
Glenda said she’d take me to Target before I start at Taran’s place.”

He wore the nicest pair of jeans Sam had ever seen, a
button-down shirt and a pair of clean boots. He was still the same
sixteen-year-old addicted to his skateboard, but he kept looking at Taran for
approval. Sam realized Luke had made an effort to look nice for Taran.

“You impressed me Friday night,” Taran assured. “Your effort
is to be commended, young man. Good job.”

“Does that mean I got the job?”

“Not quite yet. Based on my knowledge of Massachusetts labor
laws, you’ll have to apply for a work permit and teenagers your age can’t work
more than forty-eight hours a week. Monday, I’ll check with your school
district for further restrictions, just to make sure we do everything
aboveboard.”

“And my case?” Luke asked. “You’ll still help me with that?”

Taran nodded his head, tucking the envelope under his arm.
“You’ve got a lawyer, Luke. Try not to worry or think otherwise. You’re going
to have to trust me going forward.”

“Let’s talk at lunch,” Sam suggested.

Luke went to get his and Glenda’s winter coats, assisting
his aunt into hers. Shortly, the four of them headed off to lunch at a fondue
restaurant that resided very close to the Roller Emporium.

During lunch, Taran used the three-course meal to read
through the legal documents Glenda Davis provided to him, periodically asking
questions. By the time they got to dessert, he told them that he had a pretty
good handle on how he’d approach Daria and Russell Walker’s attorneys.