by Meryl Sawyer
Paul took his sweet time but finally pulled out the tiny key.
“Unlock the cuffs.”
Paul hovered over Taylor, and she saw her reflection in his eyes. She also saw raw fury like a rabid dog.
He inserted the tiny key in the lock. It popped open, and Taylor yanked her wrist free. Her arm was numb from being in one position so long, and her fingers tingled from lack of proper circulation.
“Are you okay?” asked Shane.
“Yes. I’m fine.”
“Stick out your wrists,” Shane told Paul.
“Can you cuff him?” he asked Taylor. “Or do you want me to do it while you hold the gun on him?”
“I’ll do it.” Taylor had never handled a gun and didn’t trust herself in such a crucial situation.
Paul shoved his hands at her, palms up. Taylor opened the handcuffs and adjusted them for a man’s larger wrists. Her right hand tingled, the circulation not quite normal. She fumbled as she attempted to clamp the handcuffs over his wrists.
“Need help?” Shane asked.
“I think I’ve got it now.” She had the cuff on one wrist but couldn’t quite clamp it shut.
Shane took a half step forward. Taylor looked up, her mouth open to tell him to stay back. The handcuffs slipped through her numb fingers and hit the floor. She dove after them.
In a lightening flash, Paul yanked a small switchblade out of his shirt pocket. The knife was at her throat in a heartbeat.
“Toss the gun onto the bed or the bitch dies.”
Please, God, this couldn’t be happening, Taylor thought. Tears blurred her vision. How could she be so clumsy?
Paul would kill Shane, too.
And get a big kick out of it.
“You heard me,” Paul yelled. “The gun.”
The Glock hit the mattress—thunk. With his free hand, Paul grabbed the gun.
“I was going to wait a few days before killing her,” Paul told them. “You’ve forced me to come up with a better plan. A murder-suicide. That way the police—should they ever find this place—won’t look for anyone else.”
“The police are on their way.” Shane’s voice was calm.
“You’re bluffing. I remember you from Colombia. You thought you were hot shit. You wanted to take me down yourself so you can be little Miss Perfect’s hero.”
“He is my hero,” Taylor said. If this maniac killed them, she wanted Shane to know how much he meant to her. “He’s been there for me in a way no one—”
“I love you, Taylor.”
“Oh, pul-leeze.” Paul waved the gun, motioning for Shane to come over to the bed.
Shane walked over and stood beside Paul.
“How did you find us?” Paul asked.
“Taylor sent a message when she called.”
“Impossible! I listened to every word.”
“I did it by pressing the keypad while I talked.” Despite the knife pricking her jugular, Taylor couldn’t help being proud of herself.
A crackling laugh split the night air.
“Well, hell. Aren’t you the smart one,” Paul said. “That’s what I liked about you. Beauty and brains.”
“It won’t do you any good to kill us,” Shane said, his tone level, calm. “Help is coming. You don’t think I drove all the way out here without telling someone, do you?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Paul replied. “I’m trying to decide which of the two of you to kill first. Who’ll suffer the most seeing the other one die?”
“You’re one sick bastard,” Shane said.
“You’re just pissed because I outsmarted you.”
“He found me when—”
With a ferocious snarl, a streak of black bounded into the room.
Auggie.
He lunged for Paul, fangs bared like a wolf. He whirled around, aiming the gun at Auggie. Taylor grabbed his arm, and the shot went wide. Shane tackled him just as Auggie pounced and sank his teeth into Paul’s arm.
Paul howled in pain as he hit the floor, Shane and Auggie on top of him. They rolled back and forth across the splintery wood floor, a blur of arms and legs and dog.
Shane put a hammerlock on him, and Paul was forced to drop the gun. It clanked onto the floor and Shane grabbed it He pointed it directly at Paul’s temple.
“Get the dog off me.”
“Down, Auggie.”
The dog backed away but kept snarling at Paul, who had blood gushing from his upper arm where Auggie had bitten him. Auggie had always been so mellow Taylor never realized he had such huge fangs or that he would actually bite someone.
“Just for the record,” Taylor told Paul, “my mother had nothing to do with you being busted. Shane did it.”
“A DIA sting,” Shane added.
“Ask me if I care,” Paul said, but Taylor could see he would have gone after Shane had he known the truth.
“I never knew Auggie was trained to attack,” Taylor said to Shane.
She was lying in his arms in the bedroom of a cottage at Parmer Place in Big Pine Key. By the time the police had arrived and taken their statements, it had been too late to drive back to SoBe, but they’d called her mother to let everyone know Taylor was safe.
“He isn’t trained to attack, but like a lot of dogs, he’ll instinctively protect his owner. I had him on a ‘stay’ command. I’m surprised he jumped out of the car window to come after me.”
Auggie must have sensed they were talking about him. He put his head up on the bed and Shane petted him, then Taylor took her turn.
“You arrived at just the right time,” she told Auggie.
“Saved me from taking a bullet,” Shane said. “I wasn’t going to let him kill us without putting up a fight, you know.”
She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “I meant what I said. You are my hero.”
“And you’re mighty clever. I’m not sure I would have thought to use the keypad to send a message.”
“I didn’t know what else to do. I’m glad you figured it out.”
Their lips met, and he kissed her, lingering, savoring the moment.
“So you finally admit it,” he whispered. “You’re in love with me.”
“Yes, I am, and you love me, too.”
“When are we getting married?”
“Right away.”
“You’re that hot for me, huh?”
“Don’t get cocky now.” She gently punched him. “I want to do it soon because my mother may not have much longer to live.”
“Good idea.”
“I want her to help plan the wedding. She’s great at parties. It’ll take her mind off her illness.”
“I’ll call my mother and grandmother and send them plane tickets. They’ve been pestering me for years to settle down. They won’t believe I’m finally doing it.”
“I want to be married out by the pool at our house. Is that okay?”
“Anything you want, babe. Planning weddings is not a guy thing.”
“Any chance Caleb Bassett will be gone in two weeks? That seems like enough time to plan a simple family wedding.”
“No chance.”
Shane explained to her about Caleb being her mother’s first love and Renata’s real father. She was stunned. He didn’t appear to be the type of man her mother would love, but she’d been very young then.
She listened while he brought her up to speed on the other developments that had happened while she’d been with Paul. She was thrilled to hear Jim Wilson wasn’t a criminal. Lisa deserved a good man.
When they arrived at her mother’s the following afternoon, everyone was waiting for them. Her mother had brought in a caterer, who had set up an elaborate buffet table.
Her mother was on a chaise by the pool, with Caleb hovering nearby. Taylor rushed into her arms.
“Heavens! I thought I’d lost you.”
Her mother burst into tears, which was unusual. Taylor had seldom seen her cry.
“Don’t cry. I’m safe. I’m here.”
&n
bsp; “These are happy tears.”
Unexpectedly, Taylor was crying, too.
Tears of joy. Tears of love.
Shane put his arm around her, and Auggie licked her hand. She dabbed at her tears with a tissue Brianna handed her and listened to Shane tell everyone the details of their harrowing experience with Paul Ashton.
“You’re very brave,” her mother told Shane.
“That’s one smart dog,” Uncle Doyle remarked.
“Paul murdered Renata,” Taylor told her mother.
Caleb nodded. “We figured as much.”
Taylor doubted this, but didn’t call him on it. This man was Renata’s father and part of her mother’s life now. Taylor would do anything to make sure her mother’s last days were happy ones.
“I’m sorry if I acted suspicious of you two,” her mother said to Taylor and Trent, who was seated nearby. “It was wrong of me. I should have known better.”
“It’s my fault,” Caleb said, actually sounding as if he meant it. “I thought one of you did it to keep my baby from inheriting anything.”
“Don’t blame yourself,” Vanessa told Caleb. “Anyone in your position would have thought the same way. I should have known better but the stress of finding Renata and all the medication I was taking played terrible tricks with my mind.”
“It doesn’t matter now,” Trent said.
“He’s right,” Taylor said. “It doesn’t matter at all.”
“I’m glad everything is straightened out,” Lisa said. She was sitting at the foot of the chaise where Jim Wilson was sprawled. “No more blaming innocent people. Forgive and forget, right?”
“There’s one thing I’m not going to forget,” Taylor said, glancing at them one at a time. “Shane told me how you all pitched in to try to find me. I want to thank you. It means a lot to me.
“There was a time out there when I didn’t think I would ever see you all again. Know what my biggest regret was? I hadn’t had the opportunity to tell you all how much I love you.”
“We love you, too,” said Uncle Doyle and the others echoed his words.
Taylor stepped away from Shane and went around the group. She gave everyone a hug and a kiss. Brianna and Lisa started to cry, which brought tears to Taylor’s eyes again.
“They’re crying because they’re happy. Go figure,” Shane said.
“Women,” Vince said with a shake of his head.
“That’s why they cry at weddings.” This from Caleb. “They’re so happy.”
“Speaking of weddings,” Shane said to the group, “I’ve asked Taylor to marry me, and she said yes.”
Vanessa clapped her hands. “I’ve been mentally planning your wedding for years.”
“We want to be married right here. A small wedding. Nothing fancy,” Taylor told her mother. “Two weeks from now.”
“I guess we should consider this an engagement party,” Trent said. “Let’s break out the champagne.”
“We have a lot to celebrate,” Brianna said.
“We had a family powwow this morning,” Uncle Doyle said. “We’ve decided not to sell To The Maxx. I’m going to stay on with Trent. Brianna’s coming to work, too.”
The news surprised Taylor a little, but it made her happy. Without Raoul’s interference, things would be great again.
“We know you’d rather develop your own game company. You could start it after the honeymoon,” added Uncle Doyle.
“I’d like that,” Taylor said.
Even though she preferred starting her own company, she was glad they’d decided to keep the business that had meant so much to her father. She was certain Brianna would be a valuable addition to the team.
It was early evening and everyone was still hanging around, eating and having a good time. Auggie had been rewarded with a steak for his bravery, and he’d fallen asleep at Shane’s feet.
Taylor finally managed to get Caleb alone. There were questions she wanted to ask about Renata, but seeing how happy her mother was discussing the wedding plans, Taylor didn’t want to spoil things by bringing up such a sad subject.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” she told Caleb. “I wish I had gotten to know Renata better.”
“You would have liked her. She could be prickly at times, and we fought more than a father and daughter should, but she was a good girl.”
“Did you tell her that she really was Mother’s daughter?”
“I didn’t tell her until I saw the TV program and realized Vanessa was searching for Renata.” Caleb paused a moment, and looked across the pool area to where her mother was sitting. “My baby went ballistic. She couldn’t believe I’d withheld the truth from her all those years.”
Taylor couldn’t blame her, trying to imagine what it would be like. “She knew you were her father, didn’t she?”
“Yeah, but she thought Mary Jo was her mother.”
“Why didn’t you tell her the truth?”
Caleb didn’t seem to be offended even though her tone was a little sharp.
“I didn’t want her hunting for her mother and making more trouble for me. She was hard enough to handle as it was. I loved her. You may not believe that, but I did.”
Something in his voice made Taylor suspect there was more to it than he said. She waited him out, gazing intently at him to see if she could get him to say more.
Finally, he added, “I lost your mother, and there was so much about Renata that reminded me of Vanessa. I didn’t want her to leave me to search for her mother.”
But then you found out how much money Mother has and you changed your mind. Taylor kept this thought to herself. In his own way, maybe Caleb had always loved her mother.
“Renata really didn’t want to come here, did she?”
Caleb shook his head. “Not at first, but I convinced her. Know what? Once she got here, she loved it.”
“Did she forgive Mother for giving her up?”
“No. Not really. Renata liked Vanessa okay, but she was out for what she could get.”
Taylor thought about how warped Paul had become. Part of it was caused by his feeling of abandonment because his mother had given him up. Renata hadn’t lived with it for years the way Paul had. Still it had made her bitter.
“How did she become a stripper?”
Caleb rolled his eyes. “She was determined to be a dancer in Vegas, but she wasn’t good enough. She worked awhile as a waitress, then found out she could make more money stripping.”
“Were you with her in Las Vegas?”
“Nah. I was selling insurance. She’d gone off to Vegas on her own. I assumed she was dancing. We lost contact. I didn’t hear from her for over three years.
“Then out of the blue I got a call. She needed money. We talked, and I convinced her to move to New Orleans.”
“Did you see her? Did you know what she was doing?”
“Yeah, I visited. She’d changed her name from Peggy Sue Bassett to Renata Rollins. She admitted she was stripping. Nothing I could say would stop her.”
Taylor believed him. She hadn’t known Renata well, but she had given Taylor the impression she did as she pleased.
“She was a good girl, though. When I hurt my back, she invited me to live with her. Of course I used my disability check for my share.”
Taylor nodded. People, she thought, often led lives she found hard to understand. They made their own choices, and she refused to condemn anyone for it.
But it was depressing to know a man she’d brought home had killed Renata just when she was on the verge of starting a new, better life.
“You’re wondering why I never tried to find your mother,” Caleb said.
“I assumed you did try. Was I wrong?”
“Yes. I never looked. Vanessa was exactly like Renata. She had stars in her eyes. I knew she’d run off to some big city. She’d never be happy in a small town with a guy like me.”
Taylor sighed inwardly. Caleb did truly care about her mother. She doubted she would ever warm up to h
im, but it didn’t matter. It was how her mother felt that counted.
Shane walked up, Auggie at his heels. “What’s going on?”
“We were talking about Renata.”
“I think I’ll get a Johnnie Walker,” Caleb said.
Taylor watched him stroll away. She turned to Shane and told him what she’d learned about Renata.
“I had to know,” she said. “It’s been bothering me.”
He pulled her into his arms. “There’s nothing you can do to help her now. Stop beating yourself up about it.”
“I know, but—”
“Come on. Let’s go into the house and call my family. They’ll be so excited.”
Arm in arm, they walked into the house where she’d grown up. Once again it was a happy place full of fond memories.
“Oh, my gosh. In two weeks my name will be Taylor Donovan. Sounds good, doesn’t it?”
“I love it.” He kissed her, a light, sweet kiss. “I love you.”
About the Author
Meryl Sawyer is the New York Times–bestselling author of more than twenty-five romantic suspense novels. Among her accolades are the Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards for Contemporary Romantic Suspense and Contemporary Romance, the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Romantic Suspense, and the Georgia Romance Writers’ Maggie Award for Contemporary Romance. Sawyer grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and lives in Newport Beach, California, with her golden retriever.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2002 by M. Sawyer-Unickel
Cover design by Mimi Bark
ISBN: 978-1-5040-2722-9
This edition published in 2015 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
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