Promise Renewed (17 page)

Before Darin could open his mouth they were dragged to a small nursery down another hall. The hospital was small. Compared to one in Houston where you almost needed a map to get from one spot to another, this was minuscule. However, it was clean and well kept.

“Dugan, this is Gina Carlson, my new partner.”

“Hi Gina, he said, turning to the window. “Look.”

Darin and Gina looked through the plate glass window.

“He’s so tiny,” she breathed. “And so beautiful.” Tears dampened her eyes. Would she and her sister ever get over their brutal childhood and have what Dugan and his wife had?

Darin slapped Dugan on the back. “You did good, bro. How’s Kate?”

“She’s great.”

Dugan’s nose was to the glass as if he couldn’t get close enough.

“I can’t wait to get him home.”

“Then you’ll have those two o’clock feedings,” Gina teased.

“I’ll welcome them. He’s a miracle.”

“Do you have a name?” Darin asked. “If I’m going to be the godfather I need a name.”

“We’re not positive just yet, but how does Devlin Maroney Callahan sound?”

“It’s lovely.” Gina smiled.

“I like it,” Darin added. “I guess you’re going to keep up the D names.”

Dugan just grinned. Then led them down another hall to Kate’s room.

“I’ll stay out here,” Gina said. “You go ahead.”

“No way.” Dugan took her by the arm and opened the door. “Kate, look who’s here! This pretty lady is Darin’s partner, Gina.”

Kate was sitting up in bed with a satisfied grin on her face. Darin gave her a hug. “That son of yours is amazing.”

“Isn’t he, though?” she agreed.

Gina walked over to the side of the bed. “I didn’t want to intrude, but your baby is beautiful. Congratulations.”

Kate tilted her head and gave Gina a long look. “So, you’re Darin’s new partner?”

Gina nodded.

Kate let her gaze wander from Gina to Darin and back again. “Good. Perfect.”

“I know you’re tired. I’ll wait outside while you talk to Darin.” She scooted out of the room before anyone could stop her.

Wandering down the hall she found herself back at the nursery. Little Devlin
was
beautiful. She leaned against the glass, watching every tiny movement, each wrinkle in his precious face. He was perfection. He let out a cry. The nurse was right there to pick him up. Settling him on her shoulder she patted his tiny back until he quieted, then bent to put him back in his crib. Seeing Gina she held him up and turned him toward the glass window. “Beautiful,” she mouthed. The nurse smiled and put Devlin in his crib.

The urge to hold the baby was so strong she had to leave. Turning, she almost ran into an older woman. “Sorry,” she said.

“It’s okay. I just wanted a quick look at my grandson before I go in to see his mother.”

“Are you Darin’s mother?” Of course she was. And even prettier than her picture.

“I am.” The woman smiled. “Nellie Callahan. You are?”

Gina stuck out her hand. “Gina Carlson. I’m Darin’s new partner. We were on a job and detoured here for the day.”

Gina liked the way the older woman’s eyes sparkled. They were the same emerald green as Darin’s. From the way she smiled you could tell she enjoyed every minute with her family.

“You must be so proud. Is this your first?” Devlin was her fifth, but Gina couldn’t very well let on she knew more about the Callahans than what Darin had told her.

“My fifth,” she said proudly. “They’re all beautiful.”

“I can see why. They take after their grandmother.”

“You’re being kind. They have beautiful parents. How could they not be gorgeous?”

Darin came up and kissed his mother on the cheek. “Congratulations, Mom. The house must be getting smaller every year.”

“It is.” She chuckled. “But it’s wonderful, don’t you think?”

“Have you met my new partner?”

“We introduced ourselves.” She looked over at Gina, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “I’ll bet she’s the prettiest partner you’ve ever had.”

“She is,” Darin agreed.

Other members of the family came in to see the baby and seemed eager to greet them as well. Gina recognized them from the dossier. Darin’s sister, TJ, and her husband, Max, followed by Donovan and his wife Phyl. He
was
different than his brothers, but in a nice way. Douglas and his wife Lisa were in the rear. All of them were here to see the baby and congratulate the parents. They were a beautiful family.

Darin could barely get in introductions before they were at the window oooing and aaahing.

Unable to keep the smile off his face Dugan handed out bubble-gum cigars.

An older couple walked straight to the window. “I knew he’d be gorgeous,” the woman said.

“Takes after his great-grandmother,” the man countered.

Darin laughed. “This is Kate’s grandmother, Grace, and her husband, Ed.”

They were a nice looking pair. She had nothing in her dossier on either.

Darin whispered in her ear, “Grace raised Kate after her mother died. She’s more mother than grandmother to Kate and Dugan adores her.”

Love. It reverberated around them all. Even to extended family. Did Darin realize how fortunate he was? It didn’t seem to matter where the Callahans were or what they were doing, when something important affected family they were there to help if needed—to celebrate when called for. She’d read of their closeness in her work-up. Seeing it herself was refreshing. Easing away she followed the hall to the entry where she found four children being supervised by one of the nurses.

“I’m old enough,” the oldest boy complained to the nurse watching them. “I want to see the baby, too.”

The tow-haired boy had to be Donovan’s adopted son, Mark. She recognized his little sister Susie from her picture. TJ and Max’s son and daughter were playing. They had several stuffed animals and some small cars and trucks.

“Later,” the nurse explained.

Gina sat down close to the children. They were as beautiful as Nellie claimed.

“Can I help?” she asked the nurse.

“Hi! Do you know the Callahans?”

“Darin and I are partners at HPD.” Her heart took a quick breath. Darin’s family was so different from her own. Her mom had been sickly all her life, finally succumbing to cancer when the girls were in high school. Her dad had died in a job-related accident when the girls were young and her mother remarried. At the time, Elton Griffin seemed like the answer to their prayers. He had a good job working with computers and for a while her mother seemed happy.

Then she and her sister started their periods and became more mature. That’s when the groping started.

Gina told her mother what Elton was doing. She wouldn’t listen. She told Gina she was imagining things. Elton wouldn’t do such a thing.

Gina did a little babysitting. She saved until she had enough money to put a lock on their door. From then on the sisters spent more time in their bedroom with the door locked than anywhere else.

Until the night everything changed.

These children were the fortunate ones. TJ’s baby girl looked up at her and grinned. Gina held out her arms picked her up and held her tight. “You’re so pretty,” she said, brushing blondish red hair back from the baby’s sweet little face.

The baby chattered in a language only she could understand. Gina laughed aloud.

“Aren’t they adorable?” asked the nurse.

“They are,” Gina agreed. “Do you have children?”

The nurse didn’t have time to answer before the children’s parents swooped down on them, gathered them up and made ready to leave.

“Will you and Darin have time to come by the ranch?” Nellie asked.

“We don’t,” Darin said as he stood beside Gina. “We’ll grab a bite at Molly’s and get back to our job.”

“It’s such a short visit,” Nellie complained. “We haven’t had a minute to get acquainted with Gina.”

Gina made it a point to go to each member of the family and shake hands. She really
was
glad to meet them. It gave her a much clearer picture of who Darin was. She liked what she saw.

“Will you come again?” Nellie asked.

“I’m not sure,” she said, hedging. “We’re pretty busy.”

“I understand.”

Nellie gave Gina a kiss on the cheek, which took her by surprise. She’d barely met the woman.

When they finally made it back to their car Gina had a moment of clarity. This was the way families should be. Not the abused children Maddy worked with—not the sisters’ abusive childhood that had left her and her sister scarred. A family like the Callahans was full of joy and love. Gina vowed if she were ever so lucky to have a family of her own she would pattern it after the one she’d just witnessed.

After lunch at Molly’s, where it seemed everyone there had to stop at the table to say hello to Darin, and be introduced to the woman with him, they made the trip back to San Antonio and were soon back on the plane.

It took every minute of the time back to Houston to get into their disguises and get in a little more practice. When they disembarked at Hobby in Houston, the man and woman who stepped off the plane weren’t recognizable as the two who had entered.

Chapter Fourteen

“I hope the mike is working in the Rolex,” Gina said as they walked toward the Mercedes waiting for them.

“I’ll turn it on and check with the FBI later,” he told her. “By the way, you look sensational.”

“Typical male. You like the boobs.”

Darin chuckled. “Damned right.”

“Thank the bustier I have to wear to get this stupid look. Damned thing itches.”

He burst out laughing. She loved the sound.

As they got within hearing distance of the car they went into their act. On the way to the hotel the FBI driver glanced into the rearview mirror every so often and shook his head.

Stepping into the lobby of the Indigo was like stepping into another world. Luxurious was a good word to describe the damask upholstered chairs, the marble floor flowing to the mahogany registration desk.

Tall ceilings and rich wallpaper added to the ambience.

“Nothing like the office, is it?” he said in a low voice.

“Don’t even go there,” Gina whispered.

The driver carried in their bags. “Call me when you need the car again, sir,” he said. “We’ll be ready day or night.”

Darin nodded.

The mirrors on the wall reflected two strangers waiting to register. The man was big. His Stetson sat squarely on his head. Long black-gray hair could be seen beneath it. The scar under his left eye turned heads. The woman wore a tight short black skirt with a top showing a lot of cleavage, black boots and big hair completed the picture. Gina didn’t recognize either one. She’d bet Darin didn’t either and prayed no one else would.

A man in a business suit came up to them. “Mr. and Mrs. Farley?”

“Yes,” Darin said, his voice impatient.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Please...” He waved for a valet. “We’ll show you to your suite.”

Gina didn’t question the fact they hadn’t formally registered. Evidently, their bill was prepaid. Thank you, Agent Peavy.

The valet opened the door to a suite almost as large as Maddy’s apartment. Gina caught herself just before she let out a gasp of pleasure. Meg Farley was accustomed to such lavishness even if Gina Carlson had never seen anything like it.

The room had wide windows covered in drapes with deep rich tones of red and gold. The couch was in a softer gold while the carpet was of the same deep red. The armoire holding the TV was in dark oak, as were the table and chairs.

A quick glance in the bedroom showed a king-sized bed in the same wood. Good copies of paintings by Monet hung on every wall.

“Do you have a masseuse on duty?” Gina asked. “I want these kinks out of my back tonight.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll have someone sent right up.”

“Good. Tell them I want hot rocks.”

“Of course.”

Darin gave the man a bill and waved him away.

Gina stepped close to Darin, put her arms around his shoulders, and whispered close to his ear. “Has the room been swept?”

Darin cleared his throat. Being so close, his body next to hers in an intimate embrace made her body heat up. “I called Peavy before we left the plane. It’s been swept so it’s safe to talk. The FBI will have someone come in every two hours to make sure it stays that way.”

“Good.” She let out a relieved sigh. “I’m not sure I can keep this up 24/7.”

“I don’t know about that. You’re good.” He gave her an admiring look that sent heat to her face.

“You don’t do so bad yourself.” Though Darin as himself was much more appealing, they had a job to do. Every detail had to be just right. To do otherwise could prove deadly.

“What do you think?” she asked softly. “Will they make contact, or will we have to?” If they had to, it would be awkward since they didn’t know which cartel was involved.

“They will. I’m sure they knew the minute we checked in.”

“Scary.”

“Yes. But it makes our job easier.”

A knock at the door stopped their conversation.

“That’s my masseuse.”

“Enjoy yourself,” he said. “I’m going to wander into a few of the hotel shops.” Darin kissed her goodbye on the lips before the masseuse, table in hand, walked in.

Why did he have to kiss her? Then she realized he was just staying in character. But her thumping heart wasn’t part of the script. It upset her that she couldn’t seem to help herself where Darin Callahan was concerned.

She spent the hour-long massage time thinking of him. She wasn’t quite as worried now as she had been about his disguise or his ability to carry off the role. He was better than she hoped. She only prayed the two of them would make it believable when they were faced with drug dealers and possibly a killer.

She couldn’t help but wonder if she could handle the kisses that went with their pretend-marriage. Every single one left her weak and shaky.

****

An hour and a half later, Darin walked back into the room. He would never grow accustomed to such lavish furnishings. He’d been raised on a ranch. His lifestyle then and now wasn’t comparable. To tell the truth, he preferred his simple home with its traditional furnishings to all of this redundant stuff the hotel charged a mint for. The ranch with its familiar rooms that hadn’t changed in years was far more comfortable. Did that make him old-fashioned? He didn’t care. This wasn’t him. But it
was
Dutch Farley. For the next few days he’d have to act as if this outrageous luxury was his due.