September: Calendar Girl Book 9 Read online

  “Is she uh, okay?”

  Warred blew out a long breath. “Physically and mentally, no. Will she live? Yes.”

  I blinked away the tears, trying to hold it together as best I could. “Did anyone else make it?”

  “Hold on.” I could hear Warren sniff and blow his nose in the distance. “I’m okay, Kathy, talking to Mia. Gotta finish this. Yes, some tea would be helpful. Thank you, dear,” Warren said to Kathleen.

  Kathleen was the woman he’d finally admitted he was in love with after all these years. They were together, and it made me happy knowing that even second chances at love happened in this world.

  “Sorry, Mia. Even at my age, this stuff never gets any easier to say.”

  “No, I can’t imagine it does.” I took a breath, squeezed Maddy’s hand, and swallowed. “When is he coming home, and when can I talk to him?”

  “My sources say he’ll be home within two weeks. They are treating him medically and psychologically, trying to be considerate of the fact that they are severely malnourished, have had little to no sleep, and have been tortured, beaten, and seen some incredibly vile things occur.”

  Every word Warren said was like sticking straight pins through every pore. My skin itched with the need to see Wes, touch him, love him.

  “Warren, I need to see him. Talk to him.”

  “As soon as I know more about where he is and when you can see him, I’ll notify you. Just give it a few days, okay?”

  I stood up instantly and paced the room. “A few days? You want me to wait a few days to talk to the man I love, the man who has been missing for over three weeks? Are you insane? Warren, this is ridiculous. He goes from being held hostage by radical extremists to being detained by the government? The United Fucking States! The land of the free!” I roared so loud that Max put his hands on my shoulders, once again stole the phone, and put it on speaker.

  “Shipley, this is Max here. What is it going to take to get my sister a phone call to her man?”

  Warred grumbled and huffed loudly. “A lot of fucking strings being pulled.”

  “Then I’d say you need to become a puppeteer. From what my sister tells me, you owe her a favor.”

  “Mia, you told him?” Warren’s voice turned to ice.

  “No!” I shot back, pissed that he’d even think I’d risk telling more people, though my brother wasn’t just anyone.

  Max’s eyes went from pale green to a dark forest green, the pupils big and frightening. Right then, Max realized that whatever I held over Warren was big enough to screw a very rich, very powerful man over. Usually, those things were jail worthy. If Aaron so much as fucked up by missing a single anger management class or a counseling session, I had the power to make a formal complaint and he’d lose his status as the Senator for California. Not that it would be a huge love loss for the state. With one phone call I could ruin Aaron Shipley’s career. Not only that, I knew doing so would screw over Warren in the process, and I had absolutely no intention of destroying the good he’d been doing with his new business venture to help people in third world countries. Now that I knew what type of crazy shit happened in those countries, it was even more important.

  “Mia, I’ll see what I can finagle, but I make no promises.”

  “Anything would be helpful. Anything, please.” My voice was low, emotional, and pleading as I said the words through the tears that had started to fall.

  Maddy’s arm came around me and pulled me close. I held on to her, one of the most solid things I had in life. My sister.

  “You need money or resources, you call me,” Max stated in his I-run-an-empire business drawl. “Whatever it costs, make it happen. You hear?”

  “Loud and clear,” Warren answered.

  At that point, I was too raw to even think straight, let alone respond. My man had been saved only more lives were lost, but the lives of those tourists had been saved, yet I couldn’t see or speak to him. Now the government had him locked away in some secret location for another couple weeks. Jesus. How would I survive the next fourteen days without another word? The simple answer was, I wouldn’t.

  “Good man. Have him call her cell and see about making it quick,” Max demanded and I smiled through my tears.

  Leave it to my new brother to move some mountains. Hell, he was big enough to do it single handedly. Now I knew how he could run such a large empire. Not only was he forceful and fair, but when he spoke, people listened. Natural born leader. That’s what happened with a father like Jackson Cunningham. I didn’t know the man, but the son he’d raised was something to behold.

  * * *

  After the call, I went to bed. Ginelle slept in the other, and Maddy cuddled next to me. Apparently, she’d been worried all night even though I texted where I was. She wanted to come and see me. Matt had forced her to stay with him. Matt.

  I blinked away the hours of sleep, got up without disturbing Maddy or Ginelle, and tiptoed into the other room, carrying a new pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. Once I’d had a steaming hot shower, and with the knowledge that Wes was safe—unreachable, yet still safe—I felt a lot better. Pops was breathing on his own, the medicines were helping the allergic reaction, and the doctors believed his prognosis would be good.

  The only thing I had to do now was deal with Blaine, but first, I settled for a chat with my sister’s fiancé. I entered the main area and found Max snoozing on the couch. The balcony doors were open and the breeze wafted through the room, which was lit with the orange-and-pink glow of the sunrise. I could see Matt’s feet up on the railing.

  Grabbing a bottle of water from the mini bar, I walked outside and made sure to shut the door. Matt turned to me, a pair of black sunglasses perched on his nose. He wore a plaid button-up shirt and nice dark-wash jeans. On his feet were a pair of Converse chucks. The epitome of a college kid. Well, a smart looking one.

  “How’s Maddy?” he asked when I sat down, his body going tight, alert.

  I put my feet up on the railing, fluffed my hair back, and looked out over Vegas. The desert mountains that surrounded the city were something to behold and were part of the attraction that brought out the tourists in droves. That and the casinos, of course.

  “Relax, she’s fine. Sleeping still.”

  Matt’s shoulders dropped and he laid back into the lounge chair. “She was really worried about you last night.”

  I chuckled. “I can take care of myself.”

  “Doesn’t hurt to lean on someone who loves you.”

  Tilting my head to the side, I squinted at him. “You mean the same way you were leaning on her to get married right away?”

  His eyes widened. “She, uh, told you about that.” He moved his legs to straddle the chair and leaned forward, head hanging down.

  Poor boy. He had no idea whom he was dealing with. “Matt, let’s get a couple things straight. I’ve been Maddy’s primary protector since she was five. I’m her sister, but a lot of the time I had to be the parent too. We’re tight.” I held up two fingers pressed together.

  “Yeah, I got that, but I thought what happened was private. I made a mistake.” His voice was low, apologetic.

  “One I hope you’re not going to be making again anytime soon.”

  His eyebrows furrowed. “I still want to marry her. As soon as she’ll have me,” Matt said, rushed.

  I put out my hands. “I get it. I didn’t tell her not to marry you. Truthfully, I think you guys are great together. You’re good for her, and you’ve proven that through all of this.” I waved my hand in the air. “It’s just Maddy needs some time to adjust. You’ve only been together a few months. Enjoy one another, be silly, hang out with friends, and work hard in school. Don’t let the pressure of needing to grow up too fast make you miss out on the best parts. The journey.”

  I looked down at my foot and the script that had come to mean so much more than I ever thought possible. The letters intertwined with the petals blowing in the breeze reminded me that I needed to touch b
ase with my friends as well as add some new petals. Even though my life seemed out of control, I should make time for the other people that have come to mean so much to me. Alec, Mason, Rachel, Tony, Hector, Angelina, Tai, Heather—Anton, just thinking about each face brought memories of better times and put a smile on my face.

  “Why were you in such a hurry to tie the knot anyway?” I asked and focused on his body language. It looked…defeated, and for the life of me, I couldn’t imagine why. He wasn’t the type that would cheat, and if he did, I’d absolutely kill him so it couldn’t be that. The Rains clan was a loving breed, and they didn’t seem too pushy about the marriage side. Matt’s parents seemed happy that their boy had found a great girl, and they’d been supportive of their decision to move in with one another.

  Matt shook his head. “You’ll think it’s dumb.”

  I laughed. “Probably, but tell me anyway.”

  He smiled and then just as quickly as the grin spread across his face, it disappeared. Matt blew out a long, slow breath. “There’s this group of guys. Jocks. Big dudes, good looking. They’re always chatting Maddy up after class, casually trying to get her to study with them, help them with their homework. Saying they’d even pay her to tutor them.”

  “And does she do it?”

  His expression morphed into one of disgust. “Hell, no. She’d never do that.”

  I knew that answer before I asked, but I wanted to know his response. Point for Matt. “Go ahead.”

  “It’s just they won’t let up. They’re successful, all from rich families. They could give her anything she wants, and they play sports. Maddy loves sports. I just watch ’em for her.”

  That made me piggy snort. “You watch sports for my sister?” I couldn’t help but tip my head back and laugh hard. Man, it felt good, too. Of course, Maddy would cling onto the one man that didn’t love sports. Just goes to show how much opposites attract.

  Matt chuckled. “Well, yeah. She loves it. Says it’s what you and Pops do together as a family, and since I want to be a part of her family, I watch it too.”

  Sweet. Too fucking sweet. My sister had really scored with this guy. “I’m not understanding the problem. Are you jealous of these jocks?”

  His shoulders slumped again. “I don’t know, maybe. I’m a plant guy. I’ll be working for companies that deal in farming, botany, and the like. They’re going to go pro, run family businesses, and be able to give her a life I can’t. I’m just a geek with a green thumb. And Maddy, God, she’s so beautiful. Kind. Loving. Crazy smart. She could have anyone with the snap of her fingers.”

  Aw, I got it now. He was insecure. “That she could. My girl is beyond gorgeous. But you know what, Matt?”

  His eyes were sad when he looked up at me. “What?”

  “Maddy loves you. Maddy wants to marry you. She gave you something very special, and you’re the only man she’s ever wanted to have it. Get what I mean?”

  He grinned, and his cheeks pinked up. Too fucking cute. Talk about sex and he blushes. Yeah, he was damn near perfect for my girl.

  “I think so. I just thought if I could get her to be my wife, then I wouldn’t, you know…”

  “Lose her?”

  He nodded, and I clapped him on the shoulder. “All I can tell you, Matt, is have faith. Have faith in your love, and have faith in Maddy. She’d never do you wrong. It’s not who she is.”

  Matt patted my hand. “You’re right. We talked about it. I admitted most of it to her. She thought I was crazy, said I was the hottest guy she’d ever known, and then she jumped on me and proved to me how much she loved me.”

  And then he lost that one point. “Gross. Did you just seriously tell me, your fiancée’s sister, how you had awesome make up sex? Blech. Sick!”

  He laughed. “Too soon?”

  “Way too fucking soon. Ew wee, now I need to have my ears professionally cleaned. You’re one twisted dude! First plant talk, and then sex talk? God. I don’t know how Maddy puts up with it.” I grinned and looked at him through one eye.

  Together, we spent the next hour bonding, laughing and talking about the funny things that he and my sister did to pass the days, minus the sex talks. I asked him how he felt about moving to Texas if Maddy wanted to work at Cunningham Oil & Gas. He said he would defer to her. Go where she wanted to go. Matt understood that, until Max, Maddy hadn’t had a family besides me, and he wanted her to be happy. Plus, he liked Max and liked the area where Max lived. Apparently, he and Maddy talked about maybe looking at buying some land out in Texas and he’d farm the land. Maybe open up his own small business with the local produce, or something like that. All good ideas and solid for the future. He agreed that the wedding would definitely happen after they both graduated.

  Knowing that Matt and I had our talk and worked out some of the slight irritation I’d had on hearing that he was pressuring Maddy made one more weight on my shoulders disappear. Last remaining problem, besides getting access to my man, was a doozie. Blaine douchebag Pintero.

  Chapter Nine

  Friday had arrived, and I was no closer to finding out how the hell I was going to pacify Blaine with no money and no desire to get between the sheets with him. Pops was on the mend. Maddy and Matt were solid and back on their life plan. Max was still in town, and Ginelle was safe. For now. I, on the other hand? That was a totally different story. I was a fucking mess. It had been a few days and no call from Wes and no additional information from Warren, even though I’d called him three times a day since he told me Wes was alive. He had taken to ignoring my calls. Once Kathleen picked up and told me he was working on it and wouldn’t stop until he got some facts about Wes’s whereabouts. For now, though, he couldn’t listen to my broken voice and get anything accomplished. I understood that. If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to get anything done with a psycho, emotional wreck calling every five minutes for an update.

  This must be what hell feels like. Knowing the man I love, the person I’d give my life for was hurting mentally and physically and I wasn’t there to touch him, lend a hand, or support his healing process. It sucked…royally.

  My neck had a permanent cramp from looking down at my phone incessantly, waiting, hoping for a call from an unknown number. Every time the damn thing rang, it jolted my system into action, all synapses firing, my heart beating wildly only to find it was Max, or Maddy, or Gin. Ugh.

  Last night, I’d finally broken down and made some calls to my friends. Hector cried while I told him what had happened to Wes. Tony got angry and asked if I needed money, plane tickets, anything that could help. Such a fixer. I assured them I was handling it and that I had faith he’d be home soon. Pretty much a fat lie. I got strict instructions to check in next week with both men or they’d hunt me down. I had no doubt they’d fulfill that threat. Mason was not nearly as kind. He was pissed. Ready to skip out on the last handful of games in the season even though the Red Sox were killing it and he was their star pitcher. I remembered our call last night.

  “Mia, this is bullshit. You wait until things are so fucked up to call?” Mason’s voice got more distant, as if he’d moved his mouth from the receiver. “No, Rach, I won’t be calm. This is not cool. We’re her family.”

  Hearing him say I was family hit hard. I had no right to keep all this drama to myself. I had people who cared, even loved me the same way I loved them. It was time I started counting on them more, if not physically, at least emotionally.

  He came back on the line. “I can’t believe you found out you have a brother. That’s crazy.”

  “Yeah, but he’s really great, and check this out. I now am the owner of twenty-five percent of Cunningham Oil & Gas.”

  “What the fuck? You shitting me?”

  “Nope. Apparently, Jackson Cunningham knew about me all along and wanted me to have a piece of his legacy as Max’s sister. What he didn’t know about was Maddy, who as it turns out, is a full-blooded member of the Cunningham clan. Mom pawned off Maddy as my father’s.”

&n
bsp; “Jesus. Your mom was wacked.”

  I thought about Mason and his mom, lost to breast cancer when he was younger. His mother would have given anything to have one more day with her children, and my mother walked away from not one, not two, but three children who needed her. That’s the kind of life-changing event that is impossible to forgive. Made me wonder if Max had a chance to set his investigator to work on finding where our dear mother ended up. If he did find Meryl Colgrove, would I even know what to say to her? You suck? Throw it in her face how great we are. Well, Max and Maddy are doing great. Me? I’m an escort paying off the debt of the man she left.

  When Mace and I ended the call, I promised to be more present in their lives, visit next year, introduce them to Wes. Next was Anton and Heather. Of course, Anton took the philosophical approach to everything, asking how it affected the big picture, how I felt about it. I swear Anton, the Latin Lov-ah, was a hippie underneath all those gold chains. Heather, on the other hand, offered a bunch of “no ways” and “holy shits.” Mostly she was worried about me and how I was taking Wes’s disappearance. I didn’t have a lot to say because if I did, I’d melt into a puddle of tears. If nothing else, I owed it to Wes to stay strong and keep fighting, and that’s what I planned to do.

  Alec, of course, was Alec. Everything about his voice, his genuine love, made me feel better. He had a way with words, and he told me that he was confident in my abilities to survive another day. On the other hand, if I wanted to, he’d happily whisk me off to France where he’d ravish my body and fill my soul with light. His words, not mine. Though they were said in such eloquent French my entire body broke out in a series of tingles. I had to stop that sexy train with a sweet warning, which my Frenchie understood. Love was love to him, but he accepted the forever kind and would respect my wishes. Hence, it meant no future hanky panky with filthy-talking French artists. I had to say that part in English and repeat it in French to get the point across.