Just in case, he had a plan. A wise man always had a contingency plan, and his wisdom was hard fought, earned through adversity. People looked at him and thought he had it easy. They were wrong. Wealth didn’t mean one didn’t have problems. It meant only that the problems were bigger.
“Your plane is ready, sir. Would you like me to load your luggage in the car?”
“Yes, Geoffrey. Thank you.”
Rudolph Ulrich took one last look at his home. He had several, but this one was his favorite. He would likely never see it again. Just because he didn’t think they’d come after him didn’t mean they would allow him to continue his current lifestyle. Things would have to change. He told himself that was fine. He had his own island. Had loyal servants who would see to his every need.
Millions of people would envy him. He need never lift a finger again. He was through kowtowing to people who only used him for what they could get out of him.
He was free!
Rudolph stepped out of his bedroom suite and into the hallway. He felt the slightest rush of wind and had barely a second to wonder about its source before massively large hands lifted him from the floor and flung him over the railing of the landing.
As he was on the third floor of his mansion, he saw many of his favorite possessions on his way down. The statue of Venus perfectly positioned in an alcove so when the sun hit the stained-glass window a certain way, Venus appeared to be smiling. A few feet lower, he spotted the Van Gogh hanging not far from the west wing stairway. And just before he reached the bottom, he saw the enormously expensive crystal figurine of an angel. Three people had bid eighteen million euros for the piece, but he’d made the winning bid at twenty and had been enormously proud.
He had no time for regrets, no time to curse the ones responsible. No time to wish he had lived a different life.
With a resounding thud, his body landed on the cold marble tile.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Two Weeks Later
Montana
Wearing soft gray sweats, one of Liam’s chambray shirts with the sleeves rolled up, and thick wool socks, Aubrey sipped delicious French roast coffee as she gazed out the giant window of their bedroom. Snow-capped mountains, majestic and ancient, as far as the eye could see looked down upon her.
She had to be the most blessed person alive. Liam Stryker, a man of honor, who was gentle, kind, gorgeous, and incredibly courageous, loved her. So much had happened over the last few weeks, her mind had barely been able to grapple with the consequences of one thing when something else had arisen. She had been exhausted in both body and mind.
They had returned to Montana ten days ago. Liam’s stay in the hospital had been blessedly uneventful and brief. Upon their return to his home, they’d stayed secluded, cocooned by a white, snowy world on the outside and warmth and contentment within. Liam continued to heal and their love continued to grow deeper and stronger.
The only event to mar their idyllic world was the news that Rudolph Ulrich had been found dead in his home in Zurich. According to news media, Rudolph had tripped over a rug in the hallway and lost his balance. He had somehow tumbled over the railing of his balcony and fallen three floors. He had died instantly.
The world mourned a great business leader, innovator, and philanthropist. A monument was being discussed in Ulrich’s hometown. Flags were lowered to half-mast in three different countries to honor the man who had done so much for so many.
And while the world believed Ulrich had died tragically from a common household accident, a select group of people knew the truth. Rudolph Ulrich, while hugely influential and wealthy, had failed to live up to expectations.
Everyone was apparently expendable.
What the man had done and to whom he had answered were still mysteries. Liam had included her in all the research and numerous OZ meetings regarding who the members of this group were. So far, every lead had led to a dead end. It didn’t help that all the players they’d known about were now deceased.
How many members were there? No one knew. What was their purpose? What did they want? Power and money, obviously. But what else? What was their end game? Did they have one? No one knew any of those answers, but they were out there, manipulating lives, corporations, and governments.
Liam had told her that OZ would find the answers. Though he was optimistic that the mystery would be solved, he was realistic that it would take time. One thing he assured her was that OZ never gave up.
Today was Liam’s first day back at OZ. He didn’t anticipate needing to leave on an op anytime soon, but it could come at any time. And he would need to be ready to roll.
The fact that she had almost lost him and that he was back to putting his life on the line was an issue she tried not to think about. Never would she want him to change, but that didn’t take away the worry or concern. Liam Stryker was born to rescue. He had definitely rescued her.
She glanced behind her at the shelf he’d had installed. When they returned from LA, she had been mentally exhausted. Losing two of the people she’d loved most in the world, learning that one had betrayed her, and had almost gotten her killed more than once, and then almost losing Liam had put her in an odd state of numbness.
When he’d opened the door to their bedroom that first night back, a smile had lit up his face. “They’re here.”
Wondering what he was talking about, she’d peeked inside the room and had been surprised to see a stack of boxes in the corner.
“What’s that?” she’d asked.
Liam had dropped onto the bed. His face had been pale and she’d known the trip had exhausted him more than he wanted to admit.
“Grab one of the boxes, bring it over here, and let me watch you open it.”
Puzzled, she’d done exactly what he’d asked. She’d grabbed one of the boxes, and as he reclined against a stack of pillows, she’d opened up that first box.
In it had been a doll. A doll just like her father had given her.
“How did you know?” she’d breathed.
“Eve told me that out of everything that was destroyed at your house, losing the dolls hit you the hardest. She knew of a man and woman who restores dolls.”
“You mean these are the originals? This is the doll—” She’d glanced over her shoulder at the stack of boxes, swiftly noting there were twenty-one of them. The exact number of dolls her dad had given her. “All of these are the originals?”
“Of course.”
She hadn’t been able to speak for several seconds. The fact that he had gone to such lengths for her went well beyond her ability to express her appreciation. Liam had understood. Instead of waiting for her to recover, he’d settled deeper into the pillows and said, “Tell me their stories.”
So while he’d rested, she had opened each box and shared the memory of what year she’d received the doll and what she remembered about the event. It had been one of the sweetest moments of her life.
After that, their days and nights had been filled with laughter, passion, and the sheer joy of being together.
They hadn’t talked about the future. Her career was in limbo. Until she could figure out a way to make her documentaries without putting anyone in danger, she would work on them by herself.
She had thought she was doing fine. Even her nightmares had disappeared. But then Liam had done something that had brought everything to a head.
They’d just come downstairs to prepare breakfast when, instead of heading to the kitchen, Liam had led her to a window at the far east corner of the house.
Standing behind her, he’d put his hands on her shoulders and said, “I think that’s a good place for the pool, don’t you?”
“Pool?”
“You had one at your home in Florida, and I know you were on the swim team in high school. We’ll figure out a way to enclose it during the coldest months so you can swim all year.”
Somehow, inexplicably, that had been her breaking point. Tears had filled her eyes, and she had tu
rned into his arms with an anguished sob.
He hadn’t asked why. He had known. She hadn’t yet cried over Becca or her uncle. She hadn’t yet cried after almost losing Liam. Except for the dolls Liam had had restored for her, she had lost all her possessions and possibly her career. None of those events had broken down her defenses.
Until then.
Tears she had needed to shed for weeks had come forth like a flood from heaven. Even now, when she thought about that day, her eyes grew misty. This time though, the tears weren’t from sorrow but from the memory of Liam’s tenderness. He had understood where they’d come from, and he had just gently held her and let her cry.
After that, she’d felt a cleansing and freedom she hadn’t expected. Whatever happened in the future, she had her Lion, and that was all she needed.
The doorbell rang, bringing her out of her reverie. Wiping the dampness from her face, she went to the door and peered out. She saw footsteps in the snow, but no one was around.
Cautious, she opened the door and found two boxes waiting for her. Since they were addressed to Cat, she knew they were from Liam. Only a select few—her OZ family—knew about that name.
Picking them up, she carried them inside and placed them on the coffee table. The rectangular box was taller and much heavier than the square, flat one.
It didn’t occur to her to call Liam. He had sent these to her and obviously intended that she open them without him being here. She opened the card attached to one of the boxes and read it.
I will be twelve years, seven months, and five hours late for our date. See you at six. PS: Open the heavy box first.
Giddy with excitement, she opened the heavy box and pulled out a statue of a lion. It was a replica of Fortitude, one of the lions in front of the New York City Public Library, where they had planned to meet.
A lump the size of Montana in her throat, she turned to the other box, already knowing what it contained. Removing the lid, she peeled away the tissue paper and sighed with delight at the navy blue dress with yellow and white daisies. Just like the one she had described to him that she would be wearing when they met for their date.
Taking the dress from the box, she held it against her body and looked into the mirror on the wall in front of her. Reflected was a pink-cheeked woman with stars in her eyes and a beatific smile on her face. A woman who had a date with the man of her dreams.
More nervous than he’d been in his life, Liam knocked on his own front door. The boxes were gone, so he knew she’d found them. And since he hadn’t heard from her, he figured she’d definitely opened them. What he didn’t know was how she had reacted. Or what her response would be for the next part.
The door swung open, and there she stood, dressed in the blue dress with the daisies. Much the way he had imagined her over the years. She’d left her hair down, letting it lie on her shoulders in soft, golden waves. Her face glowed with an inner light, and her lips, the color of the pink roses he held in his hand, were tilted up in a delighted smile.
He took one step inside and then halted in panic.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
He nodded at the floor. “I forgot to send shoes to go with your dress.”
Her laughter both joyous and sultry, she took his hand and pulled him inside. “Thick wool socks have become my favorite footwear.”
Handing her the bouquet, he said with all truthfulness, “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you. I feel beautiful. And you look quite handsome, too.”
That was good to know. No one had bought him clothes since he was a teenager, but since he hadn’t wanted Aubrey to know what he was going to do, he hadn’t been able to take any clothes with him to change into. Rose, bless her, had taken care of that for him. The dark gray suit and light blue shirt were a perfect fit, and the blue tie with tiny yellow and white daisies a whimsical nod to Aubrey’s dress.
He glanced over his shoulder and noted she’d placed the lion statue in a prominent place on the mantel. “I see Fortitude arrived safely.”
“He certainly did.”
His heart thudding with anticipation, he took her hand. “I can’t wait any longer.” Pulling her with him, they stood in front of the statue together. Removing the ring from his pocket, he held it out to her.
Her fingers shaking slightly, she gingerly touched the antique princess-cut diamond ring. His mother had sent it to him a few days ago with the demand that he bring Aubrey to meet the family as soon as possible. Since he always did what his mama told him to do, he’d already booked a flight for them to Missouri next week.
“It was my grandmother’s.”
“It’s perfect.” Raising her head, tears sparkling like diamonds in her eyes, she whispered, “You’re perfect.”
Liam shook his head. “I’m far from perfect, but I do have a perfect love for you. Aubrey Starr, my beloved Cat, would you do me the great honor of being my wife?”
Her voice husky, she answered, “Liam Stryker, my handsome, courageous Lion, I would be honored to be your wife.”
Slipping the ring onto her finger, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her with all the love and deep passion he felt for this precious, wonderful woman.
Although it had taken twelve years to get to this point, all of that was behind them now. His Cat and her Lion were together at last.
Thank You
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading Relentless. I sincerely hope you enjoyed Liam and Aubrey’s love story. I fell in love with both of them and hope you did, too. If you would be so kind as to leave a review to help other readers find this book, I would sincerely appreciate it.
Next up in the OZ series is Heartless. I’m only a few pages into the story, but I’m loving all the surprises already!
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Other Books by Christy Reece
OPTION ZERO Series
Merciless, An Option Zero Novel
LCR ELITE Series
Running On Empty, An LCR Elite Novel
Chance Encounter, An LCR Elite Novel
Running Scared, An LCR Elite Novel
Running Wild, An LCR Elite Novel
Running Strong, An LCR Elite Novel
LCR Elite Box Set: Books 1 - 3
GREY JUSTICE Series
Nothing To Lose, A Grey Justice Novel
Whatever It Takes, A Grey Justice Novel
Too Far Gone, A Grey Justice Novel
A Matter Of Justice, A Grey Justice Novel
A Grey Justice Novel Box Set: Books 1 - 3
LAST CHANCE RESCUE Series
Rescue Me, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Return To Me, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Run To Me, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
No Chance, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Second Chance, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Last Chance, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Sweet Justice, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Sweet Revenge, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Sweet Reward, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Chances Are, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
WILDEFIRE Series writing as Ella Grace
Midnight Secrets, A Wildefire Novel
Midnight Lies, A Wildefire Novel
Midnight Shadows, A Wildefire Novel
Acknowledgments
I am beyond blessed to have so many wonderful and supportive people in my life. Writing can be a lonely, solitary endeavor, and I could not do what I do without the following people:
My husband, Jim, who loves and encourages me in ways too numerous to mention. Thank you for the laughter, for bringing me goodies to keep me going, and for handling a mil
lion things that I take for granted. You are, and will always be, my one and only beloved.
My beautiful mom, who inspires me everyday.
My incredible and precious fur-babies who bring me smiles and more love than I ever thought possible. I would mention all their names but I would run out of room!
The amazing Joyce Lamb whose copyediting and fabulous advice are always on-point.
Kelly Mann of KAM Designs for your gorgeous cover art.
The Reece’s Readers Facebook group, for all your support, encouragement, and wonderful sense of humor.
Anne, my first reader, who always goes above and beyond in her advice and encouragement, and knows just what to say to keep me going.
My beta readers, Crystal, Hope, Julie, Alison, and Kris, who always offer great suggestions and much-needed encouragement.
To Kara, my last reader, who always finds those things I missed even after reading it a thousand times.
Linda Clarkson of Black Opal Editing, who, as always, did an amazing job of finding those superfluous words that seem to sneak into my writing without me knowing it. So appreciate your eagle eye, Linda.
Special thanks to Hope for your help and assistance in a multitude of things. Thank you for your generous heart and for keeping me on track.
To my all readers, your support means so much to me. I thank you for your patience and encouragement as I continue to learn my way around a new series and brand new characters. I hope you love them as much as I do!
RELENTLESS: An Option Zero Novel Page 29