Band of Bachelors: Alex, Book 2 Read online

  “It actually does,” said Sydney.

  A nurse came in. “I’m gonna ask all of you to go outside now while I give her a check. You can come back when I finish updating her chart.”

  Alex, Nick, and Sydney exited to the waiting room. A very young father was on a cell phone even though signs posted around the room advised all phones be turned off.

  The trio walked through the double swinging doors back into the lobby just outside the surgery waiting room which was three times bigger.

  “So how long are you up here for?” Nick finally asked.

  “Just today, tomorrow and part of Sunday, when I go back.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad. I’m sure Devon would have wanted you to see all the things she’s discovered about the property. Zak and Amy have already started with cleanup. Supposed to get the appraisal done next week.”

  “I guess Coop’s in-laws are investing in it too?”

  “Think so. We’ll need a final head count and tally of moneys we have to work with, but Devon says they want us to have the property. Zak’s got several of the single guys agreeing to come up here occasionally for a work party.”

  Alex wanted to know about Zak. He was hoping the transition to civilian life wouldn’t be hard on him, especially with the loss of his eye.

  Nick reassured him. “Seems to feel quite at home. We’ve been talking about labels, which is getting way ahead of ourselves. Something with the pirate theme, maybe a drawing of Zak with his eye patch.”

  “Pirate piss wine.”

  “Actually, we were thinking about brewing some beer too. We kind of liked the name Frog Piss, maybe make it green or put it in green bottles.”

  “I’m glad he’s adjusting.” Nick went into detail about the land while Alex watched Sydney. She observed several pregnant couples arriving at the birthing center. Another woman dressed in a hospital gown like Devon’s was walking between a man and an older woman who appeared to be her mother.

  Sydney caught him watching her, and abruptly she looked away.

  Nick discovered he was being ignored and started asking Alex questions about their visit to Iraq.

  “You got Ali, right?”

  “We sure did. None too soon, either. We took out four bad guys, one kid really young, the rest teenagers. Nobody high level, or at least the DNA didn’t give us anyone we knew about. We think they were there just to make sure the kids or the aid workers didn’t escape. Our terp said they expected someone big to arrive and choose which children to take.”

  “Sick bastards. Glad you got out without injury.”

  “Me too. And it helps when we get accurate intel. That doesn’t always happen anymore.”

  Nick agreed, but refocused his attention on Sydney. “So how do you like it up here? It’s different than San Diego.”

  “It suits me fine. Got a great training partner, and the facility is awesome. Ever heard of it? Beach Inc.”

  Nick shook his head.

  “They have four sand courts in addition to the regular gym floor. That’s where I train. But I’m also the director of coaching, so I get to work with girls of all ages, from just starting out to gals from Sonoma State and the J.C.”

  “I’ll bet you were a find for them, then.”

  Sydney rolled her shoulder and shrugged. “It’s the perfect arrangement.”

  “Well, after the baby’s born, we’ll have to come down and watch you play.”

  “Thanks. Even Alex hasn’t seen that yet.” She winked at him.

  The nurse poked her head outside the double doors and told them she was finished with Devon. Sydney held Alex back.

  “I don’t want to stay too long. I don’t care if she wants us there, I’d like to give them private time.”

  “No complaints from me.” He slipped his arm around her waist. “You doing okay?”

  She darted a quick look at him, low-level defensiveness showing just under the surface of her flawless tanned skin. “Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  He squeezed her tighter to his side. “Just checking.”

  Devon was having another contraction as they walked back inside, and this one had her nearly swearing. Alex waited until she regained concentration to indicate he and Sydney would be leaving soon.

  Sydney bent over and gave Devon a hug. “Best of luck. I understand being a mother is the hardest job you’ll ever love. I know you two will make great parents, from all I’ve heard about you both. I’ll be thinking of you today.”

  “Aww. Thank you, Sydney. What a lovely thing to say.” Devon’s face was flushed with a bright smile. “So glad I got to meet you on this special day.” And then her face scrunched up as another contraction began.

  Alex loved Sydney’s soft features as she wafted past him, leaving the hospital room to wait for him outside in the hall. He felt awkward for a second, with Nick attending to his wife and Devon focused on her delivery. He gave a thumbs up, which Nick returned.

  All the way down the corridor, down the elevator and across the parking lot, he held Sydney’s hand loosely. Neither one said a word.

  Chapter 27

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  Sydney was moved by the hospital scene with Alex’s friends. She’d been there to witness a miracle, the start of a new life, and she pondered the impact it would have on everyone around them. Even her.

  She was even more sure of her decision than she had been earlier in the day. Something inside her soul had settled. And yet, there was so much unknown about the future. She was proud of herself. Instead of fear, she was changing, rising to the opportunity to face this new challenge with grace and dignity, bearing the emotions and the fear and doubt she knew would come along as hitchhikers for a time here and there. She wasn’t being a Pollyanna about it. She stared reality in the face and reality blinked. She did not. Would not.

  Out of the corner of her eye she could see Alex give her furtive glances. That was good, she told herself. He had noticed a change in her. It would be the first of many. She chuckled at the remembrance of their first date, only a few weeks ago. The zombie movie and the popcorn and—

  “What in the devil are you thinking, Sydney?” he asked.

  She examined his face in profile as he drove. “You’ll take this off-ramp and go under the freeway here.” She pointed and then went back to feasting on his handsome face. “I was thinking about our first date. And don’t ask me why I thought about it just now.”

  “Why did you think about it just now?” he said with a grin.

  “Funny.”

  “No, seriously. Why?”

  “I can’t believe I was so out of control.”

  Alex raised his eyebrows. “That’s an understatement. I wasn’t sure you were safe to be around.”

  She speculated on what he would look like in twenty years. He’d stay handsome, stay rugged-looking, and lose what little boyishness he had, which wasn’t much. He’d probably stop getting tats, but maybe not. His hair would be streaked with white perhaps. She smoothed her fingers through his temple, letting them delve into his scalp, and then squeezed the back of his neck. “I think you’ll be even more handsome when you’re in your forties or beyond.”

  “And I think you’ll always be that volleyball goddess everyone had pinned to their lockers.”

  “You think so?” She liked that at least he tried to lie for her benefit. It was a lie she could live with.

  She finished the directions, and at last they came to the complex. He was at her side of the car in a flash and opened the door for her. As he leaned past her and grabbed his bag, the scent from the proximity to his muscled neck nearly made her weak at the knees. She resisted the urge to kiss him there, figuring there would be time for the fog of lust, if that was what was to occur. She was orchestrating something, now. There were things she urgently wanted, but she had to put some of them on hold. It actually felt good to be more in control of her emotions. She wanted to walk through the doorway of this day and remember it all. Remember tomorrow and Sunday. Remember how she
felt on Monday and thereafter.

  He walked beside her as they climbed the three flights. He was barely out of breath when they got to the outside of her apartment. She turned, her back flat against the door, her hips at an angle. “Kiss me, Alex.”

  He bent forward, dropping his bag and placing both hands at the side of her face and then nourished her with a loving kiss that sent chills all the way to her toes. She knew she’d always remember that special kiss. It was life-giving. She hoped the tiny child she was carrying could feel it too.

  She placed her fingers over his mouth. “I love your kisses, Alex. I just want to say that.”

  “I have lots more.”

  “I was hoping so.” Looking down, she examined her keys. “I want to take it a bit slow at first, if you don’t mind. Not because I don’t like the fun and the intensity of the other way, but I just want to honor our last weekend together.”

  Emotions were beginning to steep inside her, her heart fluttered a bit, as some of the old fear reared its head. Her eyes were beginning to water, but she faced him anyway and let him see all of her.

  “Syd, I’ll take it fast, slow, any way you want it. You have nothing to fear from me, sweetheart.”

  It would be so easy to just drown out all logic, let herself go, and set up the make-believe world of the Happily Ever After and deny herself the opportunity to show him what a real lady she was. Yes, she was a character. But she was also a lady, and she was going to be a mother, a task she willingly took on with pride. It didn’t matter if her baby’s birth day wasn’t shared with him. He could be halfway around the world in some hellhole, doing things she didn’t even want to know about. It would make it no less sacred a time. No less important. She’d make it the best day of her life, like today was for Devon and Nick.

  Once inside, Alex watched her set her keys aside and kick off her shoes, which was always her routine. He was still holding onto the canvas bag, the strap hanging from his shoulder.

  “Where do I put this?” His sparkling eyes and little boy smile cheering her.

  “Unless you’d rather sleep on the couch, I suggest the bedroom.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He’d left his jacket behind when he returned. He approached, wrapping his arms around her waist. His fingers removed a couple of long errant hairs from her forehead. “I’m getting used to kissing you on my tiptoes. The first time it happened, I wasn’t so sure it would work for me.”

  She met him half way and they melded together as though there were no distance between them. Sydney took his hand and directed him to sit on the couch. She sat crossing him, her legs nearly touching the end. “I have a couple of ideas of some things we talked about. Some things I’d like to do this weekend, if you’re game.”

  His large hand massaged the top of her spine, something she loved almost more than morning sex. “Okay, shoot.”

  “Wine tasting. There’s the rugged coastline. Oysters at Marshall’s Cove. You game for any of that?” she asked.

  She noticed he was keeping his hands to himself. “And I’d like to talk more. I want to know about you and your family.”

  “You mean you want my pedigree?”

  She was embarrassed she’d come that close to coming right out and telling him she wanted to know what she would tell their child some day if he wasn’t going to be in the picture. Sitting as she was on his lap, that seemed less likely. “You’re being cute. There must be something you want to ask of me.”

  “Yes.” He inhaled big and leaned forward, holding her face in his hands again and kissing her deep. “Among other things, I’d like to see you play volleyball.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes ma’am. I’m as serious as a heart attack.”

  She scrambled to her feet, pulling him up. “Carly will be there now. If we go right now, we can show you what we’re working on.”

  “I just want to watch you jump and spike and do all those things I’ve been fantasizing about in my mind. I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I was over there.”

  “Let’s do it. Let me get changed and we’ll go, okay?”

  “You need any help? It’s been driving me crazy.” He pulled her to him again. “I wasn’t going to go anywhere near that, but honey, I’m afraid I’m a flawed man. I can’t help myself.”

  She liked that he wanted to dally. Pressing her lips to his, taking nibbles as she did so, she whispered, “We have all night, Alex. I promise to make it up to you, okay?”

  He held her at arm’s length and examined her face. “Going to make me wait?”

  “The anticipation will make it sweeter. Trust me on this. If you want to see me play, we have to leave right now or we’ll miss Carly.”

  “Call her.”

  “Good idea.” She waved to him, standing there with his long arms down at his sides, his shirt halfway pulled out of his jeans, and his hair messed up. His lips had a bit of her red lipstick that lingered and made him look sexy as hell. Those eyes and his playful smile promised kisses she loved all over her body.

  Carly didn’t answer her cell, so she left a message. “Hey there, Alex and I are coming over, so don’t go anywhere. He wants to get a personal tour and watch us play a bit. See if you can get some of the older girls to stay behind too. See you in like ten. Bye.”

  The sight of his black bag and jacket placed on her bedspread sparked her with excitement. She used the restroom quickly, then rummaged through the top dresser drawer where her underwear was located. She hadn’t worn the little yellow outfit in over a year. She slid off her clothes, tossing them into her hamper in the closet, and then stepped into the tiny thong bottoms, sliding them up her flat abdomen, the arch of the panty coming just below her hip bone. Then she slipped the bra top over her head, pulling it down until it lifted and supported her breasts. She examined herself in the mirror, turning around to make sure everything looked right.

  “Vera vera nice,” Alex said wolfishly. “You’re sure we couldn’t fool around with this little outfit for a few minutes before you get it all hot and sweaty?”

  “Oh, but I like things hot and sweaty,” she said as she slipped past him, making sure to brush against his growing package. “All good things come to those who wait. And in this case, you won’t have to wait very long. We’ll do a late lunch, or just skip lunch and come back here. Unless you have a better idea.”

  Her fingers brushed over his lips again. He grabbed her arm and pressed her palm to the outside of his jeans.

  “Nice,” she whispered. “but if you want to see this gal jump and show off for you, your private volleyball player, you’re gonna have to hold that thought until just a little later.” She kissed him quickly. “Come on.”

  She stepped into her black workout pants and fleece jacket with the Beach Inc. logo on it, while he slipped on his jacket, taking something from his pocket, and then adjusting his waistband.

  She slipped on her shoes, and they headed down the stairway to her car.

  The early afternoon traffic was heavy for a Friday. They got to the Beach in a little over twenty minutes. The parking lot was full of SUVs and only a couple of sedans. She recognized Mrs. Beeson’s car. Two large white vans were backed into the rollup doors at the rear side of the building. Sydney didn’t recall any tournaments scheduled or team scrimmages. Without markings and windows, she assumed perhaps a private delivery service was setting up some new equipment the general manager had ordered.

  As they exited the Murano, Alex got a call from Zak. He placed his finger up in the air while he answered the phone.

  “I’ll go get warmed up. Take as long as you like,” she whispered to him, then gave him a kiss on the cheek. She plugged her earbuds into her cell phone, unzipped her jacket and snapped the device into the Velcro holder on her arm. She liked warming up to the Rocky theme song and played it as she jogged toward the entrance.

  Closer to the lobby, a mother with her child was walking back toward her. Sydney removed one ear bud.

  “Oh, Sydney, thank go
odness you’re here. They’ve got it locked. I knocked and no one came,” the mother said.

  Sydney cocked her head, concerned. “Well, I have the keys, let me open it for you. Someone’s little sister must be fiddling with the door lock mechanism.”

  “Well, I know someone’s inside, with all these cars out here,” the mom said.

  Sydney got out her keys and no sooner had she inserted the metal fob into the dead bolt when the door swung open and she was yanked into the dark cave of the dark gym. Someone else had the young girl in a choke hold, brandishing a knife. The girl’s mother screamed and got slapped across the face for it. Not more than a second passed before the door slammed shut behind them, cutting off the only light. Sydney’s eyes started to adjust as she wondered if Alex had witnessed any of this from his vantage point in the car.

  The girl was dragged to the back stairs leading to the smaller gyms on top. She struggled keeping her balance to such an extent another masked man with a semiautomatic rifle grabbed her feet around the ankles, and the two of them brought the wriggling teen down into the back.

  Through the glass partitions, Sydney could see two gym spaces upstairs holding people crowded together, their hands and faces plastered against the glass. On one side were the young players. In the adjacent gym were parents. Some were standing near the partition to their daughters’ side, others sat stoically, and some looked down below to watch what the screaming and commotion was all about. In the middle of that crowd she noticed the unhappy face of Mrs. Beeson.

  Sydney scanned the people, looking for evidence of a male figure somewhere, and sadly, found none. She located Carly sitting down nearby, her head in her hands resting over her knees.

  Two metal ladders were set up under the overhang of the gyms upstairs. Near the top of the ladders, two men were wrapping something over a metal beam. Sydney’s heart started racing when she realized they were duct taping something to the underside of the gym flooring. The objects were the size of a shoebox.

  “Your purse,” a masked man demanded. One of the men on the ladder looked across the gym and Sydney knew him as the older brother of one of her Somali players. In fact, Sydney thought most of the men were young, and now recalled seeing several of them coming by to pick up their sisters or relatives.