Read Watching From The Shadows: Trident Security Book 5 for Free Online Page B

irritated glare, he stared out the window. The sun had been up for about an hour or so…life was continuing as normal for so many people and he wished like hell he was one of them. “Hey, change of subject, how the hell did you do that last night…with the baby, I mean?”
    “What the fuck are you talking about? What did I do with the baby?”
    He faced the other man. “You know…holding her and all that…that baby talk shit.”
    A soft bark of laughter escaped Brody and his eyes lit up in amusement. “Baby talk shit? Oh my friend, do you have a lot to learn. I know kids give you the heebie-jeebies, but holding a baby is a piece of cake. Now, changing diapers is something to freak out about. Especially when that shit starts to smell. It’s yucky poo-poo, as my nephew, Brendan, would say.”
    That’s when it hit Marco. Back in Texas, the geek had three sisters and two brothers. They’d started cranking out rug rats a few years ago, which was right around the time Marco had stopped visiting them with his buddy. The Evans family was close, loud, and boisterous, and very, very , big huggers. While they had always welcomed him with open arms, he tended to feel out of sorts amid the chaos, which always seemed to occur with the large family. Growing up, Nina and he never had friends over, and while he did have friends in school, their parents weren’t always too keen on having him in their homes. He hadn’t been a bad kid. He’d just lacked manners, decent clothes which hadn’t come from a thrift store, and had a foul mouth on him, thanks to his mother and grandmother’s penchant for cursing. Now he was comfortable in groups and one on one, but he still had trouble adjusting to his friends’ energetic families. He preferred things to be low-key gatherings, and still felt like the outsider, waiting to be told he wasn’t good enough to be invited into people’s homes.
    Soft sounds emanating from the bed caught both of their attention. “ Mmm . Mara…Mara…”
    Leaping from the chair, Marco hurried to Harper’s side and took her hand in his. “Harper…Harper, sweetheart, wake up.”
    Her head whipped back and forth on the pillow as the beeping from the monitor picked up speed. Her arms and legs struggled to fight whoever or whatever her unconscious mind had conjured up. She moaned louder and the pain he heard there pierced his gut. “Brody, get a doctor in here.”
    “On it.” The geek rushed out of the room.
    Marco stroked her cheek, being careful to avoid the bruises on her face from when she’d hit the floor after being knocked down. “Harper, honey. Wake up. The baby’s okay. You’re okay. Come on, sweetheart. If you wake up, I’ll have your mom bring the baby here, so you can see for yourself she’s okay.”
    “Mara!” Her scream was followed by her jerking awake and her eyes flashing open in sheer panic. Obviously confused, she began swinging her arms and fists at him, and he grasped her wrists so she wouldn’t hurt herself…or punch his lights out. Damn, the woman could pack a wallop. He wondered what she could do if she was completely aware of her surroundings.
    “Harper. Shhh . It’s okay. It’s me…Marco. Calm down.”
    “W-what?” She stilled as her eyes focused on him. “Marco? Where am I? Where’s my b…”
    He saw the moment she realized she almost said ‘baby’ before she slammed her mouth shut again. His teeth ground against each other. Now wasn’t the time to discuss why she hadn’t told him he was a father, there would be plenty of time for that later. Taking his teammate’s advice, he channeled his inner, gentle, understanding Dom. Yeah, good luck with that. “The baby’s okay. She’s with your mom.” Her relief was evident on her face. “Do you remember what happened?”
    The look of confusion returned as she tugged one of her wrists from his grasp and brought it to her bandaged head. “I don’t…I’m not sure. What happened?”
    They were interrupted by