“She’ll have it out for you, Grey. She may not wait until her current job is done before she comes after you.”
“She’ll be after you, too, Irelyn.”
“Yes, I know.”
“Then lets fight her together. Come back to Dallas.”
“I can’t. You know that. You know why.”
“I can keep you safe.”
The soft laugh was one he often heard in his dreams. “You know I can protect myself.”
“Then come back and protect me.”
“You have an advantage. She doesn’t know how deadly you are, what you can do. That doesn’t mean she won’t get you in a weak moment, though. Watch your back, Grey. I’d be very pissed off if she got to you before I did.”
The line went dead. He cursed softly. Even though he knew it was pointless, Grey put an immediate trace on the call. And as expected, got nothing. Irelyn was too smart to be that careless.
Once again he was left with more questions than answers, along with an ache that would never cease until he found her again.
Chapter Forty-six
Lorient, France
Eli and Kathleen sat on the small sofa, the children snuggled between them. They’d been huddled like this for at least an hour. If it were up to him, they’d stay like this forever. But he had only a limited amount of time to act. They were leaving in a short while. The Slater yacht he’d had docked at the marina for such an event as this was being prepped. In a few hours, everyone he loved would be on the water, safely away from danger.
But first things first.
“And then Aunt Lacey drawed a picture of me and Pia and put it up on the wall. Want me to go get it?”
Violet had yet to stop talking, and though he was happy to be back with his children, it broke his heart a little that his baby girl had grown so much in such a short time. The last time he’d seen her, she’d been the quiet one. Now, as if she were trying to catch up with her sister, she’d been chattering nonstop. Even Sophia was having trouble getting all of her questions in, which, thank you, God, hadn’t stopped.
Eli resented that he’d missed a single second of watching them grow.
As if she could read his thoughts, Kathleen squeezed his shoulder gently. “You’ll catch up, Eli.”
He sent her a smile of appreciation. “I know it.”
“Do you want me to go and get it, Daddy?”
“Maybe in a few minutes, Violet. I want to talk to you both about something.”
Both his daughters looked up at him, so innocent, so sweet. Dammit, they deserved every good thing. And he was going to start with the very best thing right now.
Shooting Kathleen a look of apology, since they hadn’t talked about how they would do this beforehand, Eli said, “I asked Kathleen to marry me.”
Two little golden-blond heads turned from him and looked up at Kathleen who was looking both startled and extremely nervous.
“Really?” Sophia said. “You mean, we’ll be a real family, with a daddy and a mommy?”
“Mommy? Oh, sweetheart…I…” Kathleen gave Eli a quick help-me look. “Your mommy is—”
“Yes,” Eli said. “We’ll be a real family, with a daddy and a mommy.”
Accepting her father’s statement, Sophia continued, “And you’ll come live in our house, too?”
“Yes,” Kathleen said.
“And you won’t leave?”
“No, I won’t leave.”
“Ever?”
Kathleen shared a tender look with Eli and then said softly, “Ever.”
Not to be outdone, Violet had her own demands. “Will you read Starburst to us?”
Kathleen gave a relieved laugh. “Yes, I will.”
“Every night?”
Kathleen enveloped both girls in a fierce hug. “Every single night.”
“Okay.” Then, showing that she hadn’t forgotten her daddy’s promise, Violet looked back up at Eli. “Now can I go get the picture that Lacey drawed of me and Pia?”
“Yes,” Eli said. “I’d love to see it.”
The girls sprang up together and took off running. Sophia stopped at the door and said, “Do I get to call you Mommy?”
Her eyes glimmering with tears, Kathleen shot another anxious, pleading look his way. He understood her dilemma. She didn’t want to take anything away from Shelley. And while he appreciated that, Sophia barely remembered her mother. Having her accept Kathleen as her mother was what he had hoped for.
Nodding his approval, he said, “That sounds good to me.”
“Then yes, please, Sophia. I would love for you to call me Mommy.”
Her smile bright, she said, “’Kay,” and then ran after her sister.
Kathleen turned to Eli, so full of emotion she could barely think straight. “I don’t know what to say,” she whispered softly.
“Before they come back in, there’s something else I need to ask you.”
“What?”
“Marry me now.”
“Now?” she squeaked.
“Yes, now. Today. As soon as we get on the water.”
“But…I…”
“We can have another wedding later on, so Kennedy, Nick, and Justice can be there. And anyone else you want to invite. But let’s do it officially today, privately.”
“Why?”
“I want you to be mine as soon as possible.”
Dread washed over her. “You’re doing this, in case…” No, she couldn’t finish the sentence.
“I want you to be part of the family, Kat. Immediately. I love you, you love me. There’s no reason not to make it official. Is there?”
Peace settled within her. Even though she knew Eli’s rush to get married was in case Johnson’s hired killer found them, he was right. There was no reason to wait. Whether it was one day of marriage or fifty years, she wanted it to begin immediately, too.
“But what about a minister?”
“He’s meeting us on the yacht.”
She grinned. “Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
“Sure of myself? Occasionally. Sure of you and of my love for you? One thousand percent.”
At the naked emotion in his eyes, the sweetness of his words, love swelled within Kathleen, almost overwhelming her in happiness. “Then yes, I do believe I’d like to get married today.”
Eli’s arms closed around her, and they shared a tender kiss. In just a few hours, she and this wonderful man would be married. And they, along with two beautiful little girls, were going to have a happy, long life together. She refused to think anything different.
“Can I take this one, too?” Sophia asked.
Kathleen looked at the dolls and books already lined up to be packed. Eli had asked her to help the girls gather a few toys and books to take with them on their trip. From the looks of things, they might need a bigger boat.
“How about just the ones who want to go on vacation with you? Then, when we get back, we’ll gather them all together, and those who went can tell those who stayed behind all about their trip.” She nodded at the line of dolls. “Which ones are the very best storytellers?”
While Sophia made that choice, Kathleen went to the other side of the room, where Violet was gathering up a year’s worth of art supplies. Thankfully, everything was flat and fit perfectly in the small suitcase designated for toys.
“You don’t want to take one of your dolls or animals?”
Violet’s lip trembled, and her brown eyes glimmered with tears. Panicked, Kathleen crouched down. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“That lady took my fluffy puppy and won’t give it back.”
“What lady?”
“The one standing over there.”
Icy fear sliding through her veins, Kathleen’s hand surreptitiously went to her ankle holster and pulled her weapon. “Stand behind me,” she whispered to Violet. “No matter what. Okay?”
Innocent eyes wide with fear, Violet nodded quickly.
Kathleen gave her a quick, re
assuring smile. Then, as if she had all the time in the world, she stood and slowly turned. A tall, slender woman with black hair, silver-gray eyes, and a pouty little smile was standing in the doorway. In one hand she held a dingy white, floppy-eared stuffed dog, in the other hand was a Glock pointed directly at Sophia.
“We meet at last, Kathleen.”
A calm resolve washed over Kathleen. Damned if she would allow the slightest harm to come to these children, her children.
Her hand steady, she pointed her weapon directly at the woman they now knew as Ivy Roane. Without taking her eyes off the hired killer, Kathleen said calmly, “Sophia, come over here with me, sweetheart.”
Ivy surprised Kathleen by allowing Sophia to move to her. As soon as Sophia was close enough to touch, Kathleen reached for her and put her behind her back, where Violet stood.
“Now, Kathleen,” the woman mocked, “do you really think you’re going to be able to protect those little chicklings when you’re lying dead on the floor?”
“Maybe not, but if you shoot, so will I.”
“I’ve studied your portfolio. You’re quite the marksman.”
“Which you apparently aren’t.”
She tilted her head. “Now why would you be saying a thing like that?”
“Getting someone else to do your dirty work for you?”
“Ah, you’re speaking of your little sister, Alice.”
Kathleen’s gut churned. Everything within her wanted to shoot the woman in the head and be done with it. It would be a selfish, irresponsible act, because if something happened and the woman shot Kathleen instead, the children would be at this woman’s mercy. And she had none.
“You forced someone to shoot Alice, and then when that didn’t work, you killed her yourself.”
A little smile lifted Ivy’s mouth. “Took you forever to figure that out, didn’t it? But I put the poor, dear girl out of her misery. She wasn’t going to make it.”
“You murdered a helpless, innocent woman who couldn’t defend herself.”
“Innocent? Oh my dear, your little sister lost her innocence long before she met me. To be honest, I did the girl a favor.”
“Killing her was a favor?”
“Well, not that part, but the other.”
“Killing Frank Braden was no favor. She was framed for a murder she didn’t commit.”
Surprise flickered on her face, and then she laughed. Kathleen was struck that though her beauty was almost too perfect, her true nature revealed itself in her laugh. It was one of the most evil sounds Kathleen had ever heard.
“You really don’t know, do you? Perhaps I gave you too much credit for being the brainy one.”
“What are you taking about?”
“Alice put the poison in his brandy. She really did kill Frank Braden.”
It shouldn’t have surprised her, but it did. Why Alice had never told her the truth she didn’t know. Didn’t matter now, but the hurt was there all the same.
“Now before you go and get all mad at little Alice, let me explain. I approached her when she was coming out of a hotel where she’d spent the night servicing one of Braden’s clients. We went for coffee. Poor, dear girl looked so alone and desperate, like she really could use a friend.”
That comment, more than any other, slashed at Kathleen’s conscience.
“I offered her the choice of killing Braden or me killing you. Poor thing already felt guilty for the hit-and-run that almost killed you. She thought Braden had done that because she’d run away from him. You probably know by now that he had nothing to do with it. Anyway, it was easy enough to get her to put the poison in his brandy. She knew he drank a glass every night.”
As much as it hurt her to know Alice had been forced into doing that, it didn’t surprise her. Alice had felt so alone. And she had been protecting Kathleen.
But there was one thing she was sure of. “You’re the one who used the knife on him. Alice didn’t do that.”
“I did that for Alice. Frank Braden was a despicable human being. Mutilating him was quite satisfying. It was just unfortunate that he was dead before it happened.”
Kathleen had heard enough…more than enough. She needed to get the children away from this murdering bitch. The things they’d already heard would give them nightmares for years.
Still holding the gun on Ivy, Kathleen began to walk backward and used her other hand to wave at the girls to back up, too.
“Now, now, now. No cheating.”
“You only know how to destroy the defenseless and weak. Why don’t you give yourself a real challenge?”
“And what would you be proposing?”
“Take me on, hand to hand. Loser dies, winner lives.”
“Not that I think I would lose, but you must understand, you cannot live. I have a contract to fulfill.”
“Not anymore. William Johnson is dead.”
A brilliant smile brightened her features into an otherworldly beauty. “So the little bastard finally bought it. Good riddance, I say. He was an irritating little prick. I can’t, however, shirk my duties. The contract is still valid. Besides, I have a reputation to maintain.”
“A reputation for only killing the weak and innocent is pitiful.”
She shrugged. “It pays the bills.” But Kathleen could see that her interest had been piqued. And perhaps her ego slightly dented.
“What are you afraid of, Ivy?”
When the woman started slightly, Kathleen knew she had surprised her. “You’re not as smart as you seem to think.”
“But of course I am. You think it matters that you know my name?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Put the children in the closet. I’ll take care of them when I’m finished with you.”
Without taking her eyes off Ivy, Kathleen spoke softly to the children. “Girls, go get in the closet.” And lowering her voice even more, praying only they could hear her, she added, “When I shout ‘go,’ run downstairs and out the door. Don’t stop for anything.”
Both girls were whimpering in fear, and she wished with all her might she could turn around and reassure them. But Ivy Roane was as unpredictable as she was deadly. No way in hell would Kathleen trust her to keep her promise.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the girls run to the closet and then close the door. Her heart sank. Had they not heard her about running? Knowing she had no choice, she turned back to her opponent.
“So I guess it’s best that we lay our weapons down at the same time,” Ivy said.
“Very well. On three.” Wary of a trick, Kathleen kept her eyes on the weapon in Ivy’s hand. If the woman reneged, she had to be prepared to shoot.
“One. Two. Three.”
At the same time that Ivy placed her gun on the bed, Kathleen put hers on the table beside her.
They walked several steps toward each other and then began to circle, each looking for the opportunity to strike, for that one vulnerable spot.
Noting how Ivy kept her shoulders rounded, her hands loose at her sides, Kathleen knew the woman was expecting an upper-body strike. Ivy was about five inches taller and probably weighed a good thirty pounds more, mostly muscle. Since she’d always been small, Kathleen had learned how to use an opponent’s size and weight against them. But first, she had to get the woman off guard. Springing up, Kathleen kicked out, slamming her foot into Ivy’s kneecap.
Ivy stumbled back, and Kathleen took advantage and leaped toward her, slamming the woman into the wall. At the same time, she shouted at the girls, “Go!”
Beneath the rush of blood, she heard the girls screaming as they emerged from the closet and ran out of the room. The next second, Ivy retaliated, and Kathleen went headfirst into a nightstand. Her ears ringing from the blow, she glanced up to see a fist coming at her full force. Kathleen rolled away, dodging at the last second. Jumping to her feet, she leaped onto Ivy, the momentum carrying them both to the floor.
Eli loaded the last of the bags into the back of the
SUV. He’d told both his mother and Lacey to pack light. Their interpretation of light wasn’t the same as his.
“Looks like we’re ready to roll,” Macon Yates said.
“I don’t think there’s room for anything else in the back.” He checked his watch. “You go ahead with my mother, sister, and Teresa. Kathleen’s helping the girls pick out some toys to take. We’ll catch up with you.”
Yates nodded. “We’ll see you in a few minutes.”
He waited while the SUV backed out of the drive. Jonah, Trevor Yost, and two other guards were already on the yacht, ensuring its security. As soon as they were all on the boat, they’d head out to the middle of the ocean. No way in hell could Ivy Roane get to his family there.
Pulling his phone from his pocket, he pressed the speed-dial number for Gunter as he walked toward the chalet. Frowning when the man didn’t answer, Eli sped up, running toward the steps. His heart almost stopped when he heard Sophia and Violet screaming. Taking the steps three at a time, he met them on the porch.
Grabbing them in his arms, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“A woman with a gun is fighting with Kathleen!” Sophia shouted.
Eli picked both girls up and headed down the steps.
“Mr. Eli!”
Turning, he saw Gunter coming around the house, holding the side of his head. “Sorry, sir. Got caught from behind.”
“Take the girls and get out of here.”
“But, sir. She’s—”
“I don’t have time to argue. Kathleen and I will handle her. Take care of my children, Gunter. That’s all I ask.”
Dropping a quick kiss on each daughter’s head, he handed them over. Turning his back on them, knowing Gunter would protect them, Eli dashed back up the steps. Kathleen was somewhere in there, fighting for her life.
Chapter Forty-seven
Bruised, breathless, and aching, Kathleen circled the other woman. With the children safe, she’d been able to concentrate solely on bringing this bitch down. Ivy Roane was a tough, well-trained killer, but Kathleen had an advantage this woman would never understand. She had a lifetime of love to fight for. This woman killed for money, only knew how to destroy.
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