Chapter Nine
Normally Brian hated being on the road. He always opted for as few stops as possible in order to reach whatever destination they were headed for faster, but the next show wasn’t until tomorrow and, as much as everyone else was looking forward to an evening out in Denver, it simply meant another lonely night in a hotel for him, so he was in no particular hurry this time.
Mac was shocked when he suggested they stop for lunch somewhere that didn’t have a walk up counter, but she happily agreed to it. More than the fact that she valued every precious moment she had on solid ground, she was intrigued by Brian’s mood. He’d seemed slightly more relaxed ever since the late night movie they shared on the tour bus a couple nights back. And today, as he sat with his son across a booth from her, it was almost as if he were enjoying himself. “Which one is this?” he asked as he pointed to a brightly colored picture on a kid’s menu.
“California,” Baylee replied as if the question was too easy. “And that’s Los Angeles where we live sometimes.”
“Ok Mr. Smarty-pants.” Mac laughed. “Which one is this?”
Baylee studied the map for a moment and then shrugged. “You don’t know the state where Nick and Howie used to live? Where your daddy lived when he first became a Backstreet Boy?”
Mac was too captured by the devilishly innocent pout on Baylee’s face to notice Brian’s curious glance. “Where Disneyworld is?” she continued to hint.
“Florida!” Baylee squealed.
“That’s right, that’s Florida.” Mac laughed. “I guess it couldn’t hurt to try our hand at geography in our study time this week, huh?”
Mac laughed again when Baylee wrinkled his nose at the mention of study time. “Someone’s up on her Backstreet trivia.” Brian finally spoke up with a twinkle in his eyes that Mac had never seen before.
The guilty woman was caught so off guard by the statement that she couldn’t stop her cheeks from turning pink. The undercover agent had an excellent poker face, but Brian had been in the business way too long not to recognize the look she quickly covered up. “Oh my God, you’re so busted!” He laughed. “I didn’t know you were a fan.”
“I may have an album at home somewhere,” Mac said, trying to casually brush off the comment, but her jaw dropped at the way Brian raised a questioning brow at her. “Ok fine, a few,” she snapped, annoyed and mortified that Brian of all people had figured out her secret.
“It’s okay,” Brian said, toning his laugh down to a giggle when he saw her embarrassment. “I mean fans are kind of what we’re going for, I just didn’t expect it from you.”
“Yeah, well it’s a little known fact that I’d appreciate your secrecy on.”
Brian laughed again and crossed his heart with his finger but after a moment he suddenly frowned. “What is it?” Mac asked when she noticed that he was staring at her.
“Its nothing, I just realized that I don’t really know anything about you.” Brian shrugged and then quickly averted his eyes to the plate of food in front of him.
“Well that’s because you’ve never asked. If you haven’t noticed, you don’t exactly talk to me unless it’s about Baylee.”
Brian frowned at Mac’s blunt comment, and, after seeing his hint of guilt, Mac felt bad for saying it. “Well we’re talking now,” Brian began again, a little more cautiously, “So tell me about yourself.”
Mac thought for a minute and decided this wasn’t exactly the best idea considering she would most likely have to lie to him to keep her cover safe. “There’s not much to tell really.”
“I know lots about Mac!” Baylee interrupted, unhappy that the attention had somehow turned away from him.
“Like what?” Brian asked his son curiously.
“She can do a hundred push-ups!” Baylee said with wide eyes.
“A hundred?” Brian repeated impressed.
“Yup, she showed me and we counted them together.”
Brian laughed and happily asked, “What else?”
“She used to have a fish named Jake Jr., but it died and she flushed it down the potty. And, she likes the yucky kind of chocolate.”
“Is there a yucky kind of chocolate?”
“Dark,” Mac specified and Brian gave an understanding nod.
“Anything else?” Brian asked, with the twinkle back in his eyes.
“I think he about summed it up,” Mac said, wanting to get the conversation off of her.
“Just one more thing.” Baylee smiled. “I know a secret.”
Brian smirked at the sudden look of concern on Mac’s face. “Mac isn’t the kind of girl that puts out on the first date,” Baylee announced proudly.
Mac blinked in shock, certain the boy didn’t say what she thought he said until Brian choked on his food, confirming that he’d heard the same thing. “Baylee!” he gasped, and now it was his turn to blush. “Where did you hear that?”
“AJ said it yesterday when Nick asked if he had a lucky date.”
Brian leaned his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands for a moment before looking sheepishly at Mac. “I am so sorry.”
He felt a little relief when Mac smiled at him, but not nearly enough. “Bayster, what did I tell you about the things Nick and AJ say?”
Baylee frowned, but obediently answered his father. “You said if they were laughing about something, then I should pretend I didn’t hear it.”
Mac had to hide a smirk at the response, but for Brian it was no laughing matter. “That’s right,” he instructed. “And you should definitely never repeat it.”
“But AJ wasn’t laughing when he said it!” Baylee whined in his own defense. “Nick said he was losing his touch, and then AJ said Mac wasn’t like the slutty little girls Nick likes, he said she’s a real woman who has some self espec.”
“Respect,” Brian muttered as he buried face in his hands one more time. “Okay, new rule,” he said after taking a big breath and releasing it forcefully. “From now on, just don’t repeat anything Nick and AJ say. Ever.”
Baylee frowned and Mac laughed, but she felt a hint of sadness as she watched Brian rub his temples as if his head now hurt. “Maybe we should get going again,” she offered. “So we can get to Denver while we still have an evening to enjoy. You know if you want to go out with the guys tonight, maybe blow off some steam, I can take Baylee for you.”
“Yeah!” Baylee squealed.
“Oh no,” Brian said, surprised by the kind offer. “It’s your night off, you should take advantage of it. Those don’t come around very often, and I’m not really the going out type anyway.”
“Okay,” Mac said eying the man as she rose from the table. “But if you change your mind, just say the word.” Mac turned her smile to the energetic five-year-old sitting next to his father. “Come on Baylee. You should make one last pit stop before we get going again.”
Brian watched his son leap from the booth, anxiously grabbing Mac’s outstretched hand. He could see how much his son liked her, and even needed her to an extent, and he smiled to himself, secretly grateful that Mac had come into their lives.
The mood stayed light the rest of the day, but it lost the playfulness that had been present at lunch, and, once they reached the hotel in Denver, Brian and Baylee parted ways with Mac. She only went as far as the room next door to theirs, but she was still grateful for the alone time. Being on the road with Brian and Baylee had proven to be a lot less private than she expected, and it was hard for her to find time to work on her investigation without having to worry about being caught.
First things first, she filled the tub with steaming water and climbed into it letting her sore muscles relax while she looked over the case files in her journal. It hadn’t taken her long to learn who the useful people were on tour, and, after only a ten minute flirtatious conversation with the tour manager, she had her hands on a crew list and now had a page in her book for every single person on tour. After narrowing down everyone not fitting the description of a white male with bright blue eyes, the only things consistent with every single police report, she still had a list of about twelve possible suspects.
As she soaked in the bath, she began ordering that list of men by who she felt were the most likely candidates. At the top of her list was a man named Jeff Sanders. He was on the security team and not only fit the general height and build of the hero in question, but he was quiet, kept to himself, and had lost his sister just over two years ago to a drunk driver. He seemed nervous anytime Mac tried to talk to him, and Mac always got the feeling that he was trying to hide something. All the pieces seemed to fit for him, so Mac decided he would become her main priority. After him, the rest of the list was a lot more difficult. The only thing she knew for sure was that Brian’s name went at the very bottom of the list.
She laughed a little to herself as she wrote his name down, thinking the possibility ridiculous, but she couldn’t discount the fact that he fit not only the physical description, but if anyone had cause to want justice, it was him. She flipped back to the page in her journal that had Brian’s picture glued to the top and laughed again. He certainly did have the striking blue eyes that seemed to capture the hearts of every woman the Avenging Angel rescued, but they always seemed to lack the life that these women spoke of, until today that is.
Mac thought of her lunch with Brian today and was still truly baffled. She’d seen that fun playful side of him try to break out every now and then when he was with his son, but today he’d taken a step beyond that and let her in. He let his guard down, however briefly, and Mac could hardly believe the transformation. What she couldn’t figure out was what had caused the change. She thought about it a while longer and sighed when she figured she would never fully understand the man.
Finally, she pulled herself from the water and, after donning her favorite pair of giant sweats, she plopped down on her bed, thinking that after the bunks on the bus, this might be the first time she was actually excited about sleeping on a hotel mattress. She didn’t rest long, though, because soon there was a soft knock at her door. She was surprised when she looked through the peephole and saw Brian standing in the hallway. “Did you change your mind about going out?” she asked hopefully when she opened the door.
“Actually, Baylee’s really mad at me for turning down your offer to take him tonight, and he’s refusing to go to sleep until you tuck him. I hate to ask, but I don’t think I’m going to win this time.”
Mac smiled, but Brian seemed truly exhausted, and it was a little disappointing to see the lifeless quality back in his eyes. “Sure.” She smiled and followed Brian next door.
After she kissed and tucked in her favorite five year old, Mac found Brian lying on the sofa, staring mindlessly at the TV set. “Sound asleep before I could turn out the light,” she promised him as she made her way to the door. “But don’t beat yourself up over it, sometimes it just takes a women’s touch.”
“Thanks again.” Brian sighed, deciding to turn off the TV.
“That’s what I’m here for.”
Mac smiled again and then opened the door to let herself out, but before she could leave Brian called her back. “Hey, Mac?”
He looked nervous, but not upset, and it had Mac puzzled. There was definitely something on his mind, so she joined him on the couch. “What you said at lunch, about me not talking to you?”
“I shouldn’t have said that, Brian. It was uncalled for, and I’m sorry.”
“Oh, no, I wasn’t looking for an apology. It’s just that, I think the guys kind of give me special treatment because of everything that happened, but you’re always very straightforward with me, and I appreciate that. And you were right today, I’ve been a jerk.”
“Definitely a little grumpy, but I wouldn’t say jerk,” Mac teased and was grateful for the weak smile she got for it.
“I’m sorry.”
Mac was touched by the apology and even a little relieved that Brian was acknowledging his moodiness because, the fact is, the last couple weeks really had been extremely uncomfortable between the two of them, and Mac was thrilled at the thought of getting past that. She gave him a very sincere, sweet smile and gently patted his knee. “Don’t be sorry,” she said. “We had a good day today. Lets just try to do that more often.”
“Okay,” Brian whispered.
Mac was glad to see somewhat of a smile return to Brian’s face, but, when his eyes drifted to her hand on his knee, she quickly gave him one more friendly pat and then rose to her feet. “Well, if you’re sure you don’t want to get out for a while?”
“I’m sure. You go enjoy the night off. Have a good time for the both of us.”
Mac smirked as she thought of all the work she still had to do tonight. “Actually, I was just thinking of maybe hitting the gym for a while and then calling it a night.”
“That’s it?” Brian asked with a smirk starting to spread across his face. “No, uh, plans with AJ tonight?”
As much as she was surprised by the question and could feel herself blushing over it, Mac was kind of excited by this new playful side of Brian. She simply met his smirk with one of her own and said, “Goodnight boss.”
“Goodnight Mac.” Brian laughed.
The smile stayed on Mac’s face until she got back in her room and saw the journal lying on her bed. The minute she sat down she felt her eyelids get heavy and decided that if she were going to get through all the background checks Jake faxed her earlier of her twelve suspects, without falling asleep, she needed to get her blood pumping first, so she changed into some more suitable workout clothes and decided to go for a good run.
Once Mac left, Brian lay back down on the couch, wanting to just drift off to sleep with the hum of the TV in the background, but, when he turned it on, it was showing a high-speed car chase on the local news. He perked up instantly but was really surprised that he hadn’t once thought of taking up Mac on her offer to watch Baylee. Just the other day, he’d been thinking that being on the road didn’t leave him much time for the avenging business. And now that he’d had the perfect opportunity, it simply slipped his mind; he was more concerned that Mac get the night off that she deserved.
Brian couldn’t leave Baylee alone, so he decided that he would just close his eyes and tell himself that the Avenging Angel couldn’t be everywhere all the time and the cops could take care of it. But the longer the stolen sedan raced down the freeway, the more that feeling of vengeance itched inside Brian’s heart. After a few minutes, he simply couldn’t take it, and he called up Howie. He was relieved to hear that he and Leigh were planning on just spending the night alone, and, when he told them that he really needed to get out, they happily agreed to watch the sleeping child for a few hours.
After thanking Howie and Leigh once more, Brian left with his secret identity hidden beneath the disguise of a jogging suit. He quietly snuck past the gym, not wanting to have to explain himself to Mac. But when he crept passed the door, Mac was nowhere to be seen. He wondered for a minute if she was still in her room or if she had decided to go out after all, but it was just a brief thought that passed quickly and, just a few short minutes later, the city of Denver was being guarded by an angel.
At first, the treadmill in the hotel’s gym had been more than suitable for Mac, but, as she was running, she saw her number one suspect pass by and decided to see what he was up to. She tailed the man for nearly half an hour as he wandered along the 16th street mall until he finally took a seat at the counter in one of the local bars. Mac found a nearby bench and watched as he chatted with the bartender and a few random people here and there, and, soon enough, another hour had passed.
Mac was starting to give up on the idea that this man was going to find a phone booth to change clothes in and suddenly start scaling buildings and fighting crime, but when a large group of people from the tour approached, she wasn’t the only one to notice them. Mac thought it very suspicious when her target opted to leave the bar before his co-workers could spot him, and she decided to stick to him and find out what he was really up to. She followed him to the end of the street and had to wait a few minutes when he turned a corner down a much darker side street. She waited for him to get a safe distance away and then quietly headed down the street behind him, but she only got a block before she heard footsteps behind her. “Mac?”
The question came too late, and years of training took over when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Within a single second, AJ was lying on his back on the sidewalk. “Jesus AJ, you scared the shit out of me!”
“I thought that was you.” AJ coughed as Mac helped him to his feet apologetically. “What the hell did you just do?”
“I was born and raised in downtown Los Angeles.” Mac shrugged. “I took a lot of self defense classes.”
“I guess they worked,” AJ whined as he rubbed his lower back still a little stunned by the attack. “I think you broke something.”
“Oh, don’t be such a baby.” Mac laughed as she started to rub the sore spot on AJ’s back for him.
She glanced down the street, but Jeff Sanders was long gone already. AJ frowned when he saw her looking around as if she were lost. “What the hell were you doing walking down a creepy-ass street in the middle of the night anyway?”
“Oh, um, I was just…” Mac’s mind raced for some sort of excuse until she noticed a drug store just a block down the street ahead of her. “…not feeling all that well. I was headed over there to the drug store.”
“Oh.” AJ frowned and then held out his arm. “Well, even though it appears you can more than take care of yourself, I’d still feel better if you let me walk with you.”
Minutes later, AJ and Mac were browsing an aisle of over the counter remedies, and it didn’t occur to Mac that she didn’t know what she was looking for until AJ asked, “So you’re not like, contagious, are you? I’m not going to wake up with your crap in the morning, am I?”
Mac scanned the shelf in front of her and smirked when she saw a small blue box. “Not unless there’s more to you than I know about,” she replied and handed him the box of Midol.
Mac smirked at the look on AJ’s face when he realized that the pills were for menstrual cramps and quickly handed it back like it was infested with cooties. “Ooookay,” he said nervously. “So is that all you need or are we actually gonna have to get some… you know… some of the other things, too?”
Mac burst into laughter and for a moment thought about torturing him, but finally shook her head. “I got that covered,” she said, laughing at the look of pure relief on AJ’s face.
Mac was still kind of giggling when she and AJ left the store but, as they headed back up the dark deserted road they’d come from, things got quiet. AJ looked at the busy street, just booming with nightlife, a few blocks ahead of him and quickly pulled Mac into a nice private side alley. She was surprised by the move but was more nervous about the look in AJ’s eyes than their surroundings. “Thanks for walking with me tonight,” she said nervously and laughed as she held up the box of medicine. “I’m sure this is not how you wanted to spend your night off.”
“It was worth it,” AJ said as he leaned in.
Mac’s heart fluttered when she realized that AJ McLean was about to kiss her and she leaned against the building, half expecting her knees to give out from the experience.
And then it happened. He leaned in, she leaned up, and, and…and their lips met in what was surely meant to be, in Mac’s opinion, the most amazing kiss ever and would prove to both of them that Mackenzie Adams and AJ McLean were meant to be together. Her eyes closed. His arms came around her.
From three stories up and across the alley, Brian crouched on a fire escape and watched it all happen. His hands clenched into tight fists as an unreasonable anger knotted in his stomach. He had no idea why he was suddenly so angry at seeing Mac and AJ kissing, but he wasn’t going to sit there and try to rationally understand his rage. His vision obscured by a haze of red, he turned away and leapt off into the darkness, fury burning inside him.
Down below, Mac and AJ pulled apart and, after a moment of staring at each other, started giggling like a couple of crazed maniacs. AJ was laughing so hard there were tears dripping from his eyes, and Mac’s stomach hurt because she was giggling so much.
“Wow, AJ. Just wow.” She placed a hand on a nearby brick wall to hold her steady as she tried to talk between her laughter. “No offense, but I was expecting fireworks, you know.”
“Boy, do I know.” He wiped his eyes and grinned at her. “That felt more like I was kissing my cousin or something. No offense.”
She smiled back, her eyes twinkling with humor. “None taken. Well.” She let out a relieved sigh. “I’m glad I don’t have to hurt your feelings when I say I think we’re better off as friends.”
“Me, too.” He slid his arm around her shoulders as they began to walk again. “I think it’ll be fun being friends.”
“Especially since we won’t have all those woo-woo sexual vibes between us.” Mac patted his arm companionably.
AJ’s brows furrowed for a moment. “ ‘Woo-woo’? You’re sooo weird, Mac. But in a good way,” he added quickly. “Anyway, since we’re going to be friends, I just have one, teeny favor to ask you.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
“Please don’t ever talk to me about your, uh, feminine issues ever again. Please.”
Mac burst into peals of laughter as they walked along the brightly-lit sidewalk on their way to becoming good friends. What they didn’t know was that their actions had caused a definitely opposite reaction in someone else.
Someone who wasn’t about to have quite the carefree night that they were having…
Author's Chapter Notes:
Its a bird, it's a plane, NO! It's A NEW CHAPTER OF IN THE SHADOWS!!!! I know I can hardly believe it myself! But thanks to those who have faithfully poked us when we were being slow!!! We love you for it!! Hope you like!
