by Terra Kelly
“Me too. When I arrived on Wednesday and looked at my cottage, I wanted to buy it right then and there.”
“Let’s do it?”
“What?”
“Let’s do it. Let’s buy the cottage. Make this place our get-away place. The kids would love it.”
She let go of her legs and turned her body toward Miles. “What are you saying?”
He looked out at the ocean, then back at her. “I want it all, Preslie.” He then surprised her by getting down on one knee. “I want you, the kids, everything.” He pulled from his pocket a little black box. “I want to give you your happily ever after and that includes kids. I plan to swoon over you every day just like you want.” Inside the box was a gorgeous one karat diamond nestled in between a cluster of little diamonds. He took the ring out. “You said you didn’t want to be whisked away on a horse, you wanted a sailboat. I’m here to whisk you away forever. I love you, Preslie Summers.” He held out the ring. “Will you marry me? I need you in my life. I want you in my life forever. You and I, we were meant to be.”
She had tears running down her face. “Miles, you remembered. Yes, a thousand times, yes. Oh, I love you so much. Now we need the sunset to make it all come true perfectly.”
“That will be here in a few hours. I said you deserved it all, princess.”
Epilogue
One year later…
It was early Sunday morning and Miles had the whole day off. Their lives were very different now since the divorce was final and David had been put away for a long time. Miles still planned to protect Preslie, he loved her so much. They were still in bed, but not sound asleep anymore. Preslie had her back to his front and was snuggled next to him. They both were lying there laughing at the noises that could be heard out in the hallway. Gracie was shushing Jack and then he would tell her to stop being so bossy. Miles wanted to laugh out loud, but he had a feeling he knew what they were doing. He pulled Preslie in closer and kissed that sweet spot behind her ear. “I don’t want to get up yet.”
She laughed. “We have to get up soon, I’m excited about today.”
Just then you could hear the door knob move and then the door creaked open. Gracie and Jack jumped onto the bed and yelled, “Get up, get up, get up!”
Miles and Preslie leaned up at the same time. Preslie grabbed Jack, and Miles grabbed Gracie. They all fell back together and hugged each other. Gracie sat up. “Jack, be careful. You don’t want to hurt baby sissy.”
Jack huffed. “It’s a baby brother, I told you that yesterday. And I being careful.”
Preslie was six months pregnant and growing more every day. Her pregnancy so far had been smooth sailing, but she knew the next few months would get intense. She laughed. “What if we had both?” Miles had gone with her to the ultrasound a few days ago, it was confirmed - one boy and one girl. She never expected to be having twins but here they were. She loved being pregnant. She loved everything about her life. The last year had been crazy, between getting married and finding out they were pregnant. The most intense part was getting Miles’ kids to accept her and want to spend time with her. Angie was not doing well, she had started drinking way too much. Miles had to take her back to court and try for full custody. He won. Preslie decided to only work a minimum of four hours a week, sixteen hours a month. If she worked at least sixteen hours a month she could keep her nursing license active. Miles had told her she could stay home but only if she wanted to. After a few months in the new way of life, Preslie loved it, and loved getting to know Gracie and Jack more. She even had time to write and took up sewing.
Gracie sounded surprised. “Both? How?”
Miles smiled. “Preslie is going to have twins, one boy and one girl.”
Both kids seemed shocked. Jack turned his head to the side. “Both? You mean I get to have a brother?”
Preslie hugged him tighter. “You do buddy. How do you feel about that?”
Jack leaped off the bed and danced around. He was singing. “I’m getting a brother.”
Gracie looked at Preslie. “Momma…I mean…Preslie. I’m getting a little sister?”
Preslie’s heart melted. “You can call me Momma if you want. No pressure though, sweetheart.”
Gracie leaned into her. “I would like to call you Momma and sometimes Mom.”
Miles was having a difficult time processing this all. He loved how his kids had warmed up to Preslie and now Gracie wanted to call her Mom. He glanced over at Gracie and Preslie and one word came to mind, stunning. He reached over and moved hair out of Gracie’s face. “You want to go to the Ontario Science Centre today?”
Gracie’s eyes went huge. “Yes. Are Uncle Ricky, Finley, and Aunt Vikki going to come, too?”
Finley was close to the family and spent a lot of time with them. Ricky was like a brother to Miles, so he would show up unannounced all the time. Vikki was Preslie’s best friend and soul sister. Plus, there was chemistry between Ricky and Vikki, but they wouldn’t admit it.
Miles laughed. “We better call them and see.” Gracie ran out of the room, probably to go grab the house phone. Miles turned to Preslie. “You feeling up for going out today?”
“What, are you kidding me? I would never miss a day at the Science Centre.”
Just then his cell phone rang. “Finley.” He laughed as he picked it up. “Were your ears ringing? We were just about to call you.”
“Ringing? Nope. I hope you planned to call to get me out of this new assignment.”
Miles stopped smiling. “What’s up? Everything okay? What assignment?”
“I guess Cooper got asked to put one of his team members on an undercover job. Guess who drew the short straw? I have to leave tomorrow and head to the states. I guess I will live somewhere in Minnesota.”
Miles sighed. “Well shit man, I had no idea.” He looked at Preslie with concern. “Do you need us to help with anything?”
“Nah, I wanted you to know what was happening. I know the kids ask for me and I don’t want them upset.”
Miles laughed. “As a matter-of-fact Gracie asked for you today. We are heading to the Ontario Science Centre. I will let her know you will be away for work. Stay safe, man.”
Preslie reached over and grabbed Miles’ hand. “How long does he have to be gone?”
Miles shrugged his shoulders. “As long as necessary. It’s always hard to say with undercover jobs. He won’t be able to call again until he’s back.”
“The kids will be heartbroken.”
“Everything will be fine. Finley has done assignments like this before. Wait. Do you hear that?”
She looked confused. “It’s silent.”
He laughed. “Exactly. Let’s go see what kind of trouble the little ones are getting into now.” Preslie threw back the covers and headed for the door. Miles was following behind her, even pregnant she took his breath away. “I love you so much, Preslie Callahan.”
“And I love you, Mr. Callahan."
Did you have fun meeting Miles and Preslie? Thank you so much for taking the time to read their story!
Have fun with book two,
it’s a crazy rollercoaster ride!
Grab a cocktail and join my closed reader group on Facebook to share your thoughts and say hi!
Volume Two
Take This Pain Away
Synopsis
After twenty-eight years, Giano Nesta will finally get what he's owed…
...the life of Letizia, whose parents tried to outsmart him.
When Letizia makes an appearance on the national news, her world spins wildly out of control.
The life she thought she had is a lie.
The security she’s felt is stripped away to reveal a frightening new reality: she is the target to Toronto's most infamous mob boss.
Her one hope for survival is Finley, an ambitious cop with the Emergency Task Force. For Finley, work has always come first–until Letizia is captured by the one man Finley is hired to protect her from.
&nbs
p; Time is not on their side–especially when Giano Nesta has one goal: shoot to kill.
Fear will throw Letizia into the arms of her protector, but love will keep her there.
If she and Finley survive.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to all the crime, mystery, and thriller shows that inspired me to go outside of my comfort zone to write this book.
Prologue
Twenty-four years ago, in Toronto, Canada…
“Don’t you fucking move.” Giano was standing over Lando with a gun pointed at his temple. “How the fuck did you miss the drop off point? Dego gave you the time, place, and names of whom to meet. What, your first time reading? Do we need to have a lesson on that shit, too?” He drove the barrel of the colt further into his temple; you could hear Lando whimper.
Lando’s breath hitched. “N…N…No, sir. Please...”
Giano let out a maniacal laugh. “N…N…No, sir. Please. Are you fucking kidding me? Do you know what happens to people who forget to follow specific directions? This.” Then without hesitation he pointed the gun at Lando’s wife, Dani and let one round off hitting her point blank between the eyes. She never had a chance to react.
Lando screamed. “Dani! No! Why? Just give me one more chance. Please.”
Giano turned back toward Lando. “Second chance? Those only happen in fairy tales.” Giano was getting bored by the minute. Who the fuck did this asshole think he was, his long-lost uncle? Leaning back to have better access to Lando’s legs, he shot his second round into his associate’s left kneecap. “There’s your second chance.” Then, he shot a third round into his right kneecap. “Oh, and your third chance, too.” He laughed and his cronies joined in.
Lando was in the fetal position screaming, “Oh my God. Why?”
Giano hated pussies, and that was exactly what this associate was, a pussy. He looked at his second in command. “Dego, finish this off. I can’t take any more of this bullshit.” He headed toward the front door. As he walked out, a fourth round was shot off shaking the walls of the house once more.
One
Present Day…
“The palmiers are done. Who can grab them from the oven?” Letizia, or rather Zia as her friends called her, had her hands elbow deep in brioche dough. Looking over at Amy, she arched a brow. “Hey, Amy?” Then she noticed Amy had earbuds in and was most likely listening to music. Talking much louder to get her attention, she called, “AMY?” When her baker turned toward her. “Remove the earbuds.” They had a radio in the bakery, but no one could agree on a station to listen to, so it was turned off. “What did I tell you about earbuds and baking? They don’t mix. Now, can you please grab the palmiers out of the oven?”
She noticed how Amy rolled her eyes while removing the earbuds. Grabbing hot pads, she asked, “Want them on the cart with the éclairs?”
Zia formed the brioche dough into a ball and put it back in the bowl to let it rise for a few hours. She grabbed a towel and wiped the dough off her hands. “No, let’s put them on the empty cart. That’s the last of our orders for today.”
Just then, Stacy, a short woman with a hair net perfectly in place came running into the kitchen holding an iPad. Raising the tablet up in the air, she gushed, “Oh my God, Zia, you’re on TV.” She walked up to Zia and held the tablet for her to see, then pushed a button to turn up the volume. “I can’t believe this, you made the national news.”
Her eyes went wide, and she threw her hand to her chest, felling excited, “Shut the door, let me see.” She had entered two different cupcake recipes in a baking contest about four months ago but heard nothing…until today. There, on the screen was the front of her bakery, Z’s Bakery. In fine print below it read: Home of the best cupcakes this side of the Atlantic. They all screamed. “I made the top five in the contest? How is this even possible? Now what?”
Stacy laughed. “Looks like you get to make your recipes in front of a panel of judges in Toronto, Canada.”
Zia needed to sit down. Panel of judges? Toronto? She was just a small-town baker in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Sure, people loved her cupcakes, but how was it possible they were top five material? Walking over to the stool by the prep table, she flopped down on it. “What you’re saying is…I could win this thing?”
Amy smiled. “Or more like, you will be one of the top bakers in the world if you win.”
She shook her head. “Well, let’s calm down there. That won’t happen, not by a long shot.” She walked around Amy and headed back to the prep table to finish cleaning up her station, looking toward her friend. “But, just imagine, Zia’s Bakery wins James Beard award for her Apple and Peach Delight Cupcakes. That would be…What? Amazing.”
Meanwhile…
“They had a fucking daughter? What do you mean?” Giano was about to go find that bitch himself.
He heard Dego stammering, “S…She…She was on the national news for a baking contest…or something along those lines. She’s the spittin’ image of her mother.”
Giano had no clue Lando and Dani had a daughter. How the hell had they hid a pregnancy? “Well, why are you fucking still standing here?” Standing up from his chair behind his desk, he slammed his hands down, making the sound ring throughout the house. “Go fucking find her.” Almost screaming he added, “Bring her back to me...dead or alive.”
Two
“Passport, sir?” Finley watched the young flight attendant reach out her hand.
He had a backpack slung over his shoulder and his hand securely held a bag full of case files. Juggling each item, he managed to get his passport out and not drop his boarding pass in the process. “I knew it was there somewhere.”
The flight attendant smiled, then looked down and nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Adams.”
He almost didn’t respond. It was weird hearing his undercover name. It would take time to get used to. “Thank you.” Cooper let him know a week ago his name would be Derek Adams for the trip. Now, he had to just remember to respond when someone called for Derek.
As he followed the passengers down the corridor heading to the plane, he had to pay attention to who was boarding. There was a slight possibility that one of the associates for the mob boss he was hunting would be on the flight, too. Admittedly, there was a slim chance of that happening. Finley had requested a first-class and paid for the second seat next to him. If he had to read up on the case while flying, there was no way he would share the space with someone else.
As he settled into his assigned spot by the window, he placed both bags under the seat in front of him. He peered out the window, curious about who was standing around the plane. The men in orange vests and headphones were all working diligently to get all the luggage placed on the carousel heading up to the aircraft. He didn’t notice anyone out of the ordinary. The men seemed to know their job and worked as a team to complete it.
He leaned back and sighed. This was going to be an interesting case. Reaching forward, he grabbed one of the files from his bag next to his feet, pulled down the little table that sat nestled in the seat in front of him, and placed the folder on top of it. Finley was about to open the front cover when the flight attendant from the terminal stopped and smiled at him.
He noticed her move her hips back and forth like she was trying to get his undivided attention. She winked at him. “Would you like a drink, sir?”
Nodding, “I’ll take a Coca Cola, no ice.”
She leaned her hip against the seat. “You sure you don’t need anything else? We have Champagne available if you need a pick me up?”
He had not dated in a while and was not interested in dating anyone now, so her flirting hadn’t registered until then. Glancing at the nametag that sat right above her left breast, he sighed. “Andrea, I think just the Coca Cola will be plenty. Thanks.”
Defeat crossed her face as she turned to walk away, not saying more. Finley wanted to laugh. Settling back, he opened the file, and read the first page.
Letizia Aria Magrino. Femal
e. Four years old. Born in Toronto, Canada, January 15th, 1988. Parents: Danielle and Lando Magrino. Killed September 12th, 1992. Comments: It is believed both Mr. and Mrs. Magrino were killed by the Nesta Mafia. No arrests have yet been made. The daughter, Letizia, is missing.
He sat there for a moment soaking up that information. Letizia had been just four when her parents were murdered. He wondered if she’d witnessed the murder. Why was this case high-priority? Giano Nesta, the head of the mafia or his underboss would’ve killed the child had they known, that much Finley was sure of.
He flipped to the next page. August 2, 2002: Letizia Aria Magrino living in St. Cloud, Minnesota. A woman believed to be a family member cares for her at a home in the suburbs of the small town. There are no prior images of the unknown woman with Letizia. After looking at the birth certificate for the young girl, Dani had a sister that was still alive at the time of the murders. There have been no sightings of the Nesta family in or around St. Cloud. It is believed Giano Nesta does not know of Letizia’s whereabouts.
Finley turned his head and caught a glimpse of the sun setting off in the distance. If this woman was alive, which she seemed to be, she was one lucky lady. After years of working on the Emergency Task Force, he had experienced enough horrific cases that involved the Nesta Mafia. One thing was for sure: They never left a living body in their tracks.
May 4, 2012: After viewing an article on the Internet, it is determined that Letizia Magrino just opened her own bakery. More surveillance has been added in and around St. Cloud, MN. It is still unknown if the Nesta Mafia have become aware of this new development. One undercover agent was sent to work with Letizia at the bakery. Letizia does not act as if she had a larger family. She does normal day-to-day events and seems comfortable talking to people in the small town.