Her throat worked as she swallowed, but she nodded again. The woman had dealt with some of his associates, so she knew exactly what he meant.
“Another issue. My fiancée has only recently returned to me and we still have a few issues to iron out. She may seem a bit reluctant. I want your assurance that this will not concern you.”
A slight smile. “And you have my assurance. You and your fiancée’s relationship problems are none of my business and will be of no concern for me. My only goal is to give you both the wedding of your dreams.”
“Excellent.” Damon stood at the knock on the door. “That should be her right now. I will warn you that she has a bit of laryngitis, so she won’t be able to interject anything into the conversation. However, I did want to introduce you so you can understand why I want this day to be so special.”
His love entered the room and his heart almost stopped beating. The simple little summer dress she wore brought back so many wonderful memories. Though she had filled out a bit more and her facial features had changed a little with age, she still looked so much like the girl he’d fallen in love with.
Turning to the wedding planner, he said, “Leave us. I will be in touch.”
He had no idea, and didn’t care, what she might have seen in his face or heard in his voice. Apparently it was enough to have her stand up and walk out the door without a word.
His legs shakier than he could ever remember them, he held out his hand and said softly, “Come.”
Though she still looked terrified and defiant, he was beginning to see a gradual softening of her features. He’d known it would take some time for her to accept being here with him, and he was glad to see it was happening even faster than he’d hoped.
Unable to wait any longer to taste her, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He heard a gasp and plunged his tongue into her mouth. Yes, this was what he had missed. This connection. All the women he’d had since the last time he’d been with McKenna disappeared into oblivion. They had been nothing but a way to satisfy a hunger. Holding McKenna in his arms was nothing like touching those other women. This was all about love; the others had been lust.
She stood stiffly in his arms. Tension raced through her body, but she didn’t fight him. Didn’t respond, either. That would come eventually. Just the taste of her in his mouth gave him a certain amount of peace. Their wedding would be this weekend. And then their honeymoon would commence. He had been waiting this long…he could wait a little longer.
Paris
McKenna stifled a yawn, surprised at the effort it took to put her hand over her mouth. She couldn’t remember ever being so tired. Since officially joining LCR, Noah had insisted she receive more specialized training. He and two other operatives had been coaching her in everything from self-defense to shooting a long-range rifle while running at maximum speed. She was by no means an expert at anything, but Noah had told her more than once that her skills were good and her instincts were excellent. Despite the weariness that tugged at every muscle and sinew, the praise gave her a lift.
In between the trainings, she’d worked two separate rescues. Previously she had rarely worked more than one a month. Not only did a rescue take enormous energy, but in her case, undercover was often involved. Building trust with people who trusted no one took time and finesse. The two jobs she’d worked hadn’t required undercover; they’d been straight-up rescues. However, between the training and the rescues, exhaustion had crept into her bones, and now just climbing the stairs to her apartment seemed like a major feat.
And she was lonely. There, she’d admitted it—not that the truth would do any good. Before she met Lucas, she had been alone and hadn’t really given it a lot of thought. It was what it was. But now, after being with him, talking with him, and getting to know him, she wanted to be with him again. It was crazy insane. She needed to get over the need. This want and ache would lead nowhere, and even allowing herself the fantasy was so damned dangerous it scared her.
Finally reaching her apartment, McKenna unlocked and opened the door, forcing her mind back to the present. Staying aware kept her alive and out of Damon’s clutches. Gun at the ready, she eased her head in. Heard and saw nothing wrong. Taking no chances, McKenna closed the door behind her and went from room to room, checking every place a person could hide. She released a tired sigh. All clear.
Placing her gun and keys on the coffee table, she collapsed onto the sofa. She should eat—she needed to eat—but she wasn’t hungry. She was tired and she was lonely and that was that.
Maybe she should just get it over with and confront Damon. Even as exhausted as she was, a surge of adrenaline-drenched fear shot through her at the thought. Stupid? Absolutely. She who had confronted kidnappers, rapists, and every other kind of conscienceless person in the universe was scared to death of this one man.
Was he the most evil man in the universe? Probably not. She knew her fear came from something else, somewhere else. Memories of what he had done. What he was capable of and what he would do if he had the chance. No, he wasn’t the most dangerous person to others, but to McKenna, who had seen him screw with her mind until she barely knew her name, he was evil personified.
Curling up on the sofa, she wrapped her arms around a soft throw pillow for comfort and closed her eyes. A nap…she just needed a nap. Then she would feel better. Her eyes closed.
“You look pretty. Where are you going tonight?”
McKenna whirled around from the mirror. She’d been so into her thoughts, she hadn’t heard her mother come up behind her. Taking a breath, she said, “Tina is babysitting her sister. Since we both have history finals on Monday, we’re going to have an all-night study fest.”
Something flickered in her mom’s face and McKenna waited for her to call her on her lie. Though it wasn’t technically a lie. She was going over to Tina’s house. Tina was babysitting her sister. And they did plan to study. Of course, the studying would come after McKenna got home from her date with Damon.
“Are Tina’s parents out of town?”
“No, they’re going to some kind of concert.”
“And this is really studying? No boys?”
Ignoring that ever-increasing bite of conscience, McKenna huffed a sigh. “Mama, I wish you would start trusting me.”
Tears filled her mother’s eyes, and McKenna felt lower than a slug.
“Honey, I want to. Your dad and I both want to. But you betrayed our trust before. Saw that Damon character when we told you not to. How do we know you’re not going to do it again?”
Tears filled her own eyes. “I’m seventeen, Mama. Almost an adult. You have to trust me sometime.”
Her mom’s raised eyebrows told her the tears were useless. Jane Sloan was no fool. Tears had always been one of McKenna’s tools to get her way, but they rarely worked anymore. Which was stupid, because this time they were real. Her mother and father were finally getting their way. Tonight she would tell Damon she couldn’t see him again. And it was breaking her heart.
McKenna whirled back around and faced the mirror. What did she care that her mother didn’t believe her? She was breaking up with the man who was the love of her life all because her parents thought he was too old for her. After months of sneaking around and pretending, it had become too much.
They thought Damon was bad for her. She didn’t agree, but the constant lying was getting to her. Despite the way she had treated them lately, she truly loved her parents and hated having this rift between them. They used to be so close. Since she’d met Damon, that closeness had disappeared. More than once, McKenna had screamed at them for their lack of understanding, for their backward thinking. And now they were finally getting what they wanted.
Damon would be hurt, but she had an answer for that, too. She would be eighteen in a few months, a full-fledged adult. Then she could see Damon and her parents would just have to accept him. It wouldn’t be pleasant, but they’d come around eventually. They just hadn’t given Damon a chance.
Thanks to Amy, who’d ratted on her before she could tell them about him, they already disapproved. And the minute she told them that he was nineteen, they’d immediately demanded she stop seeing him. But they didn’t know him like she did. He’d had terrible parents, and because of that he’d been in trouble with the law. Damon just needed someone to love him and take care of him. Once they saw that beneath his tough-guy image a really sweet boy existed, they’d come around.
But that would have to wait until she turned eighteen. Then she’d show them. Once they got to know the Damon that she knew, they would love him, too.
With a jerk, McKenna woke. What had woken her? Sobbing noises came from her throat. That wasn’t unusual. She was used to waking up crying, with tears on her face. After eight years of nightmares, this one was no different.
No. Wait. Was that a noise outside her door? Grabbing her gun, she crept to the door and looked out. She did indeed have a visitor. Dylan.
“McKenna, you there?”
Lifting the hem of her T-shirt, McKenna scrubbed her face clean of tears. Taking a breath to compose herself, she opened the door and Dylan meandered in. And meandered was the correct term. For a man who could move faster than just about any person she’d ever seen, Dylan Savage didn’t look as though he’d move quicker if his clothes were on fire. There was laid-back and there was very laid-back. Dylan was very, very laid-back.
McKenna had often wondered if he saved all his energy for rescuing. There was no one she’d rather be on an operation with because the man could move like lightning when it was necessary. Any other time, he was like a sloth. A big, masculine, and very handsome sloth.
But just because she liked working with him didn’t mean she wanted him here in her apartment. “What are you doing here, Dylan?”
His broad shoulders moved in a lazy shrug. “You left the job even quicker than usual. Just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fine. Just tired.” She wrapped her arms around herself. Dylan didn’t really make her uncomfortable, but having him in her apartment and being this near to him made her nervous. Lucas was the only man she felt comfortable being close with. At that thought, a sigh burst from her before she could stop it.
She detected a flash of compassion in his expression before it went blank again. Sympathy was the last thing she wanted from anyone. “You need to go.”
Instead of leaving, he walked deeper into her apartment, then turned to face her. This time she recognized the look in his face; he didn’t try to hide it. Anger. “You live in a shithole, McKenna.”
Her lips twitched. “Tell me what you really think.”
He ignored her amusement, his eyes glittering with anger. “Why? I know you’ve got your damage. Hell, we all do. But why the fuck do you live like this? LCR pays you well.”
“What I do with my money is my business.”
“You’re right, it is. I just hate seeing you live like this.”
Oh hell, there it was. She knew he’d been overly protective of her lately and now she knew why. What was it about her that everybody wanted to be her big brother? Even Noah, in his gruff, bossy way, was protective of her.
“I live the way I choose to live, Dylan. Just like you do.”
“At least I enjoy what I’ve earned.” He gestured around at the bare walls and shabby furnishings. “No one in their right mind would enjoy living like this.”
“Never said I was in my right mind.”
“Why do you punish yourself? We’ve all screwed up, McKenna. You couldn’t have fucked things up any worse than I have.”
She knew nothing of Dylan’s background. Knowing him better would put their relationship on a whole new level. One she couldn’t afford. Having any kind of relationship, friendship or otherwise, was out of the question. So she didn’t ask him to tell her more. She hated that because Dylan would be a good friend to have. Not only was he an excellent operative, he was also the kind of person who would be easy to be with. No expectations of anything happening between them. Friendship. How she would love to take up the offer that was so obvious on his face. She couldn’t.
Seeing no reason to prolong the pain, she made it quick. “How I live my life and what I’ve done to fuck it up is none of your damn business.”
Instead of snarling at her that she was a bitch, he gave her a quick grin. “You’re right, squirt. It’s not.” He headed toward the door, stopping on the way to give her an affectionate pat on the head. “I’ll be around if you need to talk.”
The door closed behind him, and McKenna fought the need to call him back. She did so much better when people weren’t nice to her.
Knowing Dylan better would be dangerous. If she knew more, she might feel as though she should reciprocate. Telling her story to Noah and Samara had been one thing. Noah was her employer and deserved to know the truth. Actually sharing it as part of a budding friendship was altogether different. Sharing was an intimacy she could give to no one. If she were to share her past with anyone, she wanted it to be with Lucas. But she couldn’t. Because if she did, he’d know the real McKenna. The selfish, egotistical, and stupid bitch who’d gotten her entire family killed.
Returning to the couch, McKenna curled up and forced herself back to sleep. This time, pray God, she could escape the nightmares.
ten
Palm Beach
Damon frowned at the almost full plate across the table from him. “Are you not hungry, my love?”
Staring down at her plate, she said, “No.”
He sighed. “McKenna, look at me when I speak to you.” He waited until she lifted her head. “You used to have such a healthy appetite. Was it not to your liking?”
Though her expression was stiff, her words were polite. “It was delicious. I…I just don’t have as much of an appetite as I used to.”
While that could be true, something odd flickered in her face. A look he’d seen before, as if she were keeping something from him. He knew it would take some time for her to trust him again, but he didn’t like that she had secrets. It had been eight years since they’d been together. She had eight years of secrets to share with him. He wanted to know them all.
Earlier today, her voice had returned. Damon had used the drug on a few women before, just as an experiment to see how effectively it worked. He knew it was best that she rest her vocal cords as much as possible. This evening he’d allowed her to speak for the first time. Not that she’d had much to say.
“You managed to elude me for two years. Where did you live during this time?”
Again that look of secrecy, then she shrugged. “All over the country.”
He frowned again. Something in her voice wasn’t right. “You have a southern accent. Why?”
Her eyes lowered to her plate again. “I’ve lived in a lot of southern states. It’s an easy accent to pick up.”
“You’ve moved around so much…I still can’t believe I finally found you after all this time.”
She looked up at him then. “How did you find me?”
Delight filled him. It was the first question she had asked of him. They were finally sharing. “I have an entire investigative agency totally devoted to finding you. I’ve had men scouring the country for years. Cities everywhere are installing surveillance cameras these days. With the right kind of skills, you’d be surprised at how easy it is to hack into them. My people are excellent at getting into some of the most sophisticated systems in the world. I knew it was only a matter of time before you were spotted.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“There must be a reason you brought me here.”
Genuine shock held him speechless for several seconds. “What a ridiculously odd thing to say. Why would you ask such a question? I’ve already admitted to my past mistake. It’s time that you do also.” Feeling unusually tentative, he touched her soft hand, caressing it gently. “I want us to start all over again. Forget about the past. There’s nothing and no on
e standing in our way now. What’s done is done. I’m willing to forgive you for your betrayals and for running from me. Can’t we get past what happened and look to the future?”
She was silent for the longest time. Damon was beginning to think he’d have to shake a response from her. Finally she nodded and gave him a trembling smile. Damon felt all his anxiety melt away.
“Good. Now, I know that you haven’t had a chance to look around since you returned. I’d like to show you your new home.” He stood and held out his hand. “I remember how you loved warm weather—that’s the reason I moved here to south Florida. You’ll be able to enjoy summer year round.”
As she stood beside him, he felt another odd sense that something was wrong. He’d held her in his arms earlier but desire had blurred his thoughts. Now, standing so close to her without touching, he felt that something was off. What? She seemed like the old McKenna, yet not. He reminded himself that after eight years, it was only normal that people change. Nothing more than that.
Shrugging off the feeling, he led her out the door to the patio. He had focused so much effort on finding her, his brain was having to readjust. Soon they would settle into their lives and everything would be as it should be. She still seemed so uneasy around him, but that would change soon. She had another couple of days to get used to him again and then she would be his forever. Of course, she would have to endure the punishment he planned because of her betrayal and abandonment, but that would take place after they returned from their honeymoon.
Once that punishment had passed and she had full knowledge of the boundaries and guidelines, they could enjoy the peace and harmony of a happily married couple.
London
Last Chance Page 11