CHANCES ARE (Last Chance Rescue)

by Reece, Christy

  LCR had expected a simple rescue operation and Rupert was prepared for Armageddon.

  After conferring with Aidan and Angela, Seth had made the call to Noah, requesting more operatives. Until reinforcements arrived, the three of them were to watch and wait.

  This was her fourth op since returning to work. As usual, Noah had been true to his word—only giving her assignments where the danger was minimal or partnering her with some of his most experienced people. She’d barely broken a sweat on any of them but Angela wasn’t complaining. Noah had warned her that her assignments would be heavily supervised for a while. He had severe regret for allowing her to take the Red Rose Killer assignment. Angela couldn’t blame him for his caution. She had rushed things and they had all paid a heavy price.

  She wouldn’t wish her experience with Delacourte on anyone but she had learned some valuable lessons. Jake’s words that his Army chaplain gave him had proven true. When the time came, God had given her courage to act. She hadn’t done anything superhuman but she had taken down a serial killer and saved Clarissa Eaton’s life, as well as her own. And she’d proven to herself that she could step up and be an effective operative.

  She hadn’t heard from Jake since he’d stormed out the door. He was on assignment in the States. She didn’t know when the op would end or when he would return to Paris. His desertion hurt. And the loneliness of her bed was unbearable at times. More than once she had picked up the phone to call him and promise anything if he would just come back. She hadn’t made that call and she wouldn’t. Yes, she loved him but he was asking her to be someone she wasn’t. If she agreed to his demands, how long would it be before she began to resent his ultimatum?

  The adage her mother used to say came to her mind—cutting off your nose to spite your face. She wanted to be with Jake—she loved him, ached for him. Every night when she closed her eyes, the memories of what they had shared crashed over her. Did Jake miss her as much as she missed him?

  How would he treat her when he came home? After what they’d shared, she couldn’t go back to the lighthearted flirting they’d had before. Nor could she bear the painful awkwardness that came from a relationship gone bad. What if he ignored her altogether? Just acted as if she didn’t exist? That would be even more hurtful.

  “Okay…listen up,” Seth said. “Our reinforcements are here. Thorne, Montgomery and I will go through the front. Ingram and Kelly, go through the back. Everyone else, stay out of sight but close. We still have no idea how many are inside. If they start swarming like pissed-off wasps, be ready.”

  Angela tensed, waiting for the raid to begin. How many additional operatives had Noah sent? She smiled to herself. Rupert and his friends were in for a big surprise.

  “Let’s do this,” Seth said.

  Staying low, Angela moved closer to the house and hid behind a large stone well in the middle of the yard. Using her binoculars, she watched as Riley and Justin sneaked in through the back door. She couldn’t see them but knew that Seth, Aidan and Jordan were going in the front just as silently.

  Though all LCR missions required being armed, no one had intended to use lethal force. Rupert’s weapons and obvious instability had changed the game. Now, in addition to a rescue, Rupert and his friends had to be neutralized before anyone got hurt.

  Adrenaline flowed through her. Expecting anything, she waited. What she heard next chilled her blood ice cold.

  “Shit!”

  “Ah dammit, what the hell…!”

  “Go get him!”

  A barrage of gunfire blasted, the shots so loud in her ear, she winced. Shouts, screams and curses erupted. Her gun steady in her hand, Angela held her position. Though everything within her wanted to rush inside and see if she could help, she waited. They all had jobs to do. If she was needed, they would let her know.

  She heard a door squeak open and detected movement at the back of the house. Pointing her binoculars to where the sound came from, she squinted, focused, and then went stiff with dread. Oh hell.

  Running like a man possessed, Jake headed to the back of the house. He’d been stationed at a side window and saw what was about to go down. If he didn’t get there in time, he knew who would be facing the maniac that came out the door.

  He skidded to a stop and froze in place. If he moved, it would cause a distraction. And if that happened, Angela and the woman they had come to rescue would be blown to pieces.

  “Rupert,” Angela said softly, “you don’t want to do this.”

  “Oh, but I do. She has defied me for the last time. She will pay the price for her disobedience.”

  “And your children? What’s to become of them? Their mother will be gone and their father in prison.”

  Rupert snorted. “My father is a very important man. He will make all of this disappear as if it never happened. And believe me, my children will be much better off. I’ll find them a mother who is loyal.”

  “And will you kill her too if she doesn’t obey your commands?”

  Easy, baby, Jake thought. Piss Rupert off and there was no telling what the unpredictable idiot would do. Beatrice Gardon stood eight feet in front of her husband, a homemade bomb of dynamite strapped to her torso. Rupert held a Glock in one hand and what looked like a garage door opener he was using as a detonator in the other. It would be no problem for him to press the button for the bomb and squeeze off a bullet simultaneously.

  Angela stood between Rupert and his wife. Both the bomb and the gun were a danger to her.

  “If a woman makes a vow, then she should keep it,” Rupert snarled. “She promised to obey me and she didn’t.”

  “Rupert,” Beatrice sobbed, “I’ll do what you ask, I promise. Just please don’t do this.”

  Rupert lifted both hands. “Your promises come too late, woman.”

  His heart in his throat, Jake took off. The only option was to tackle the man before he pressed the detonator or squeezed the trigger. Before he could get to Gardon, Angela did something extraordinary. Almost a blur, her movements so swift, she knocked Gardon’s gun from his hand with her forearm and kicked the bomb detonator out of his other hand. Then, before Jake could make a grab for it, she caught the detonator in mid-air.

  With a soft cry, Beatrice Gardon’s knees gave out. Switching directions, Jake dove forward and caught the terrified woman in his arms. He turned back to check on Angela and was unsurprised to see that she had Rupert face down on the ground. Kneeling on top of the man’s back, she was already cuffing his wrists with zip-ties.

  “Now that, sweetheart, was impressive,” Jake said.

  She twisted her head around to face him. “Jake? What are you doing here?”

  He wanted to grin, tell her how damn proud he was of her. He wanted to throw her over his shoulder and take her away from the danger. However, there was still the small issue of a bomb attached to the poor sobbing woman in his arms. Jake examined the device. Thankfully it was as crude as it was ugly—a simple wire/switch combo. He jerked the wire connector, unbuckled the vest and lifted the dynamite off.

  The instant he did that, kids were shrieking around him, screaming, “Mama! Mama!”

  Jake moved quietly out the way and glanced over at Angela. Instead of looking at him, her eyes were on the reunion of mother and children.

  An uncomfortable lump in his throat, Jake stood, transfixed. He knew he would never forget this moment. Triumph and satisfaction had turned Angela from beautiful to something otherworldly. A transformation was taking place before him. Angela Delvecchio, survivor and one incredibly strong woman, had achieved her dreams and found her place in life.

  Two hours later, Rupert Gardon was on his way to a luxurious drug rehab center courtesy of his father, his three thug friends were in jail, and Beatrice Gardon and her children were already back home.

  Jordan and Eden Montgomery, along with Riley Ingram and Justin Kelly, had headed back to headquarters for new assignments. The rest of the LCR crew, Thorne, Cavanaugh, Angela, and Jake, sat around th
e table at Luigi’s All American Pub and rehashed the events.

  “Rupert Gardon shouldn’t be in a rehab facility,” Cavanaugh said, “The asshole needs to be in jail with his buddies.”

  Jake agreed. When Gardon’s father had asked for LCR’s help, he had described the situation as a simple domestic dispute. This had been a million miles past simple. The idiot could have blown up his entire family. Not to mention the LCR operatives who had been trying to save them.

  “I heard McCall had a few words with the father,” Thorne said.

  Yeah. Jake had been in the office when Cavanaugh’s request for reinforcements came in. Jake had seen his boss in many different moods but he’d never seen him like that. If Arthur Gardon had been face to face with McCall, the man would be sporting some major bruises. The LCR leader had been livid.

  Having just returned from a grueling month-long rescue mission in the States, Jake had been exhausted. His plan was to give McCall a brief report of the successful op and then go looking for Angela. He’d been so tired that the only thing keeping him from keeling over was the need to see her and get everything out in the open. It had been simmering in him for weeks.

  Despite his exhaustion, when he’d heard Cavanaugh’s request, he had been about to offer his help. Even though he wanted to get the confrontation with Angela over as soon as possible, his duty to LCR overrode his personal needs. The instant he’d learned who one of the operatives in danger was, his offer became something else. Nothing could have stopped him from joining the op.

  “Yeah,” Jake said. “I don’t think Gardon will be calling on LCR again.”

  “So what went down inside?” Angela said.

  Thorne, who usually had a semi-pleasant expression on his face, looked pissed as he said, “When we got inside, we were greeted by Rupert’s friends. They were all wearing the same outfit—AK-47s.”

  “It’s a wonder they didn’t shoot you as soon as they saw you,” Angela said.

  Thorne grinned, his grim expression replaced with his usual humor. “Yeah, well, just cause the idiots had the weapons didn’t mean they knew how to use them. We got two of them disarmed quick.” The grin disappeared as he added. “The other one got off a few rounds before we could neutralize him. That’s when Gardon forced his wife out of the house.”

  And Jake would never forget what happened next. Seeing Angela in that kind of danger was the stuff of nightmares. But damn if she hadn’t handled herself like a pro.

  He’d had a month to think about what he’d done and now, nothing was going to stop him from saying what he needed to say. Problem was, did she want to hear it? Other than her initial “What are you doing here?” Angela hadn’t spoken to him, had barely even looked at him. Was he too late? Had he fucked it up so bad, he couldn’t fix it?

  No, he refused to believe that. She’d damn well listen to him…she had to.

  Cavanaugh took a long swallow from his beer and stood. “I’m headed to my room for some shuteye. The plane leaves at 0700.” He shot a glance at Thorne. “You coming?”

  His gaze going from Jake to Angela, he slumped back in his chair with a lazy grin. “Nah. Think I’ll stay a while longer.”

  The grin turned to a painful grimace when Cavanaugh’s hand landed hard on the man’s shoulder. “Let’s go, Thorne.”

  Jake threw Cavanaugh a grateful smile while Thorne winked at them both and got up. “Come to think of it, I am kind of sleepy.”

  The two men disappeared out the door, leaving Jake and Angela alone at last. Unsure how to start, he cleared his throat. He’d never been one for declarations so dammed if he could figure out the exact words he wanted to say, especially about something this important. After having had weeks to think about it, one would think he’d have a whole speech prepared. But instead of spilling his guts, he heard himself say, “How are you feeling?”

  “Good. Completely fit. I think the scars on my feet will completely fade with time.”

  “That’s good.”

  Hell, he felt like he had sawdust in his mouth. Swallowing, he was about to say something hopefully meaningful when she gave him unexpected news.

  “Delacourte’s dead.”

  “What happened?”

  “Someone got to him in jail. The theory is that a relative of one of the victims paid to have him killed.”

  “The world’s a better place without him.”

  “I agree.” She looked down at her hands, a clear indication that she was uncomfortable.

  Jake cleared his throat. “Can we go somewhere and talk privately?”

  She looked around. “This isn’t private?”

  “Not the kind I’m going to need.”

  “I see.” She grabbed her purse and slid off her stool. “We can go to my hotel room.”

  Angela watched as Jake shoved his chair back and threw money down for their tab. Why was he here? The moment she had seen him, all she could think about was throwing herself into his arms. If Beatrice Gardon hadn’t had dynamite strapped to her body, that’s exactly what she would have done.

  Was he going to try to talk her out of being an operative again? She was tired and vulnerable tonight. If he asked, she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t at least tell him she would think about it just to have him hold her again. Angela hated that she was so weak but it had always been that way with Jake. She wanted to please him.

  They walked the short distance to the hotel in silence. It was past one in the morning and only a few people were around. She breathed in the fragrance of the spring night and tried to pretend, for just a moment, that all was right in her world. That she and Jake had just come off a successful mission and were enjoying some downtime together.

  The fantasy lasted until they walked into her room. Then the silence, instead of easy and comfortable, became painful. Angela moved across the room to the window and leaned against it, her arms crossed. As much as she wanted to say things to make it all better, she couldn’t. And if she stayed close to him, she knew she wouldn’t be able to resist touching him.

  Jake sat on the edge of the bed and faced her. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you, too.”

  “I’ve had a lot of time to think about things.”

  Angela tensed. The expression on his face was impossible to read.

  “I came back here to ask you to reconsider being an operative.”

  Her heart plunged and despair filled her again. Angela opened her mouth to once again try to convince him to change his mind when he added, “And then when I saw how you handled yourself today, I realized I couldn’t. You were in your element, doing what you’ve always wanted to do and doing a damn good job.” He shook his head. “I should never have asked you to give up your dreams.”

  Hope rising, her voice was so thick she hardly recognized it as hers. “So what are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that…” He stopped and shoved his fingers through his hair. “I’m saying that whether you’re an LCR operative, a researcher or hell, a stripper, I don’t care.”

  She’d gone from hopeless to ecstatic and now she was somewhere in limbo, being tortured by uncertainty. What was he trying to tell her?

  “What, Jake?”

  A faraway look came over his face. “When Teresa was killed, I spent a lot of time thinking about all the things I didn’t get to say to her, all the things I wished we had done together. All the time we wasted that we didn’t even realize was a waste.”

  Still not breathing, Angela waited.

  Blue eyes glinting with more emotion than she’d ever seen in them, Jake continued, “Bottom line—I don’t want to live without you. I’ve wasted enough time as it is. So if it’s only a day, a month, or a year that I can be with you, I don’t want to miss another minute of it.”

  She held on to the windowsill behind her to keep from running across the room, into his arms. “What happens when I’m on an op? How are you going to handle it?”

  “I won’t lie to you…I’ll worry. I hope to be with
you on most of them but if I can’t be, I trust you to know how to handle yourself.”

  Angela leaped toward him and Jake caught her, swinging her around in his arms. Then setting her feet on the floor, he cupped her face in his hands. “You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever known, Angela Delvecchio. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  She stood on her toes to kiss him and was surprised when he pulled away. “What’s wrong?”

  “I have something to show you.” He backed up and unbuttoned his shirt. So mesmerized by the beautiful muscled chest he was revealing, she missed his next words.

  “What?” she asked.

  “It’s a message for you.” Shrugging his shirt off, he dropped it to the floor and turned his back to her.

  Something was written on the back of his neck. She drew closer and her eyes filled with tears. In the exact place where she had her rose tattoo with the word ‘survivor’ in the middle, he’d had tattooed on his neck: I love a survivor.

  Swallowing a sob of joy, Angela leaped at him again. He turned at the last second, caught her in his arms and then fell onto the bed with her beside him. Covering her face with kisses, he licked at the salty tears streaming down her face.

  “I thought you hated needles,” she said breathlessly.

  “I do, but you, Angela Delvecchio, I adore.”

  “And I love and adore you, Jake Mallory.”

  “Partners at work and at home?”

  “Yes, partners,” she whispered.

  “Forever?”

  Her heart soaring, she spoke against his mouth, “Forever.”

  Epilogue

  Three Months Later

  The McCall’s house

  Paris

  “You think they’ll be surprised or upset?”

  Lifting a strand of Mara’s silky black hair, Noah pushed it aside to reveal a bare, elegant shoulder. Bending down, he pressed a kiss to her creamy skin, breathed in her subtle delicate perfume and wished they had time for more. With guests numbering close to a hundred arriving in a matter of minutes, he knew that wasn’t possible.