Heroes Duet

by Pinder, Victoria

  Sophie bit her lip like she was still a teenager herself as she nodded and said quietly, “Yeah. Once Abigail finishes high school, I won’t have anyone left to boss around.”

  This meant Emily would be an aunt. She could buy all the loud obnoxious presents. A giggle escaped her lips as she took her sister’s hand. “Soph, you never bossed me around.”

  Her sister then mirrored their mother’s disappointed with life look. “I will if you chase after Dane and you don’t love him.”

  Emily wished their mom was there in that moment. The ten years didn’t seem so long, but she swallowed and her shoulders slumped as she said, “Soph, I was tired and scared last night.”

  Her sister patted her on the back. “Agreed. You hurt Dane.”

  Ouch. She glanced up as she said, “I was trying to protect my heart.”

  Her sister didn’t move but asked, “So you broke his?”

  Emily’s heart plummeted and she now knew that being empty and wrong was worse than hungry and cold. “You think I did that?”

  Sophie sounded sad as she said, “I didn’t talk to Dane directly but I bet that’s why he left.”

  Wow, she’d been wrong. Beyond wrong. Emily picked up her ruined shoes from yesterday and threw them on her feet. Somehow she needed to get to Dane and apologize. “Sophie, I need to go now.”

  Her sister sighed and removed a key from her pocket, holding it out for her as she said, “I rented you a car. Clean up. If you do kiss and make up, you’ll want fresh breath and clean clothes.”

  Emily took the keys and then pulled her sister into a hug. “Sophie?”

  “Yeah?”

  Forgiveness was step one, or at least asking for it, and Emily twisted her hands in front of her and lowered her head. “Thank you for taking me in when our mom died. I don’t know what would have happened to me if you hadn’t.”

  Sophie smiled and massaged her shoulder as Emily looked up. “We’re sisters. Now go and find the man you love before it’s too late. And tell him you were stupid. Actually, if you can video record when you admit you were wrong, I’d like a copy.”

  Another laugh escaped her throat. Her sister believed in love. Emily had always known that about Sophie. But maybe her sister had been right all these years. Heat seemed to emanate from her cheeks, but Emily shook it off as she said, “Stop.”

  “It’s true,” Sophie said.

  Emily headed into the bathroom. “I’m not that bad.”

  Sophie laughed. “Yeah, and poison helps you lose weight.”

  “Hey!” Emily held her stomach and hoped the little tremors were just butterflies. She brushed her teeth..

  If she loved Dane, then she’d made a huge mistake. The thought made her slightly queasy. If love existed at all, then she’d really done a great job killing any possibility with the one guy who’d always made her happy.

  Perhaps in not telling Dane she’d pushed him away.

  And if she didn’t tell him now, then she’d never be able to face herself in the mirror.

  Sophie pointed toward the hairbrush and said, “Hurry, Em.”

  Right. Now she’d chase Dane and tell him. She finished brushing her teeth. Her sister headed to the door—Emily splashed her face with water and said, “I’m on it. I love you.”

  “Good, because I love you too, sis.” Sophie blew a kiss like they were still children on her way out the door.

  Not two minutes later, Emily was also out the door, grabbing a croissant for the road from the hotel lobby—she wouldn’t take the time to stop. Once she caught up with Dane, she’d tell him and never let him go again. What she felt inside her had to be love which meant she’d been wrong. She’d get to Dane and then figure the rest out.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Dane ended the call with the Paris police. He waited at the closed ticket stand of the Eiffel Tower as confused tourists were turned away. The police had kept their passports, so neither Dane nor Henry could go anywhere.

  An officer gave them a signal to head toward the elevators. Guess it was time to find out what was going on with Alexandre Mazet, and his jewels. He nodded at Henry that they were set.

  Early this morning, Dane had received a call that the authorities had tracked Alexandre to the Eiffel Tower after he’d left his hotel room. Dane would need to identify the thief, and the jewelry.

  Without Emily.

  Dane’s heart clenched in his chest when he thought of her, and how things had ended. At least she wasn’t here though. She was safe, with Michael, away from danger.

  After he returned her necklace, he would never see her again.

  She’d been clearer than a diamond last night. And he was ever the fool, falling in love with a woman who didn’t love him back or trust him.

  Henry walked beside him toward the ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower as the Paris police guided people away. Once the tourists were safe, he and Henry headed up.

  The air was fresh this morning. The ride tilted and followed the path of the tower.

  As a young boy, he’d hidden behind his mother, but the man he’d thought was his father pushed him toward the edge and told him that men looked.

  The memory faded as the doors opened.

  The cool morning air made him feel more alive, despite the lack of sleep from the night before. He and Henry walked around the deck until they found the man they sought. Henry stayed behind a pole and Dane took a step forward as he said, “Alexandre.”

  The man turned around, a cigarette puffing at the corner of his mouth. Dane’s nose itched from the smell as Alexandre said, “I hadn’t expected to see you again, Uriel Delligatti. You never chased after Ted like this.”

  There’d never been anything worth dying over before. Emily’s involvement had changed things. He faced Alexandre, hoping the bulletproof vest under his clothes didn’t make any strange sounds as he lifted his hand in greeting. “You have my property and I want it back.”

  Alexandre showed the Irish Crown Jewels in the palm of his hand and said, “Come get it.”

  Dane didn’t move. He noted the bulge in the man’s left pocket, which must be Emily’s jewelry.

  Alexandre dropped his cigarette and stepped on it to put it out. “We’ll be here all day if you don’t trust me.”

  Okay. Dane inched closer and reached for the jewels, wondering when to ask for the necklace, too, when Alexandre grabbed his arm and twisted him in a headlock as he said, “Did you think I would turn over so easily?”

  The bulletproof vest made him heavier. Dane remembered his wrestling days and used his legs to knock Alexandre over him and throw a punch to get him off. Dane pinned him and said, “Actually, yes. The police are at your apartment with your wife and child.”

  Alexandre stopped moving in surprise, then sat on the ground in defeat. “The police?”

  Dane stood and wiped the dirt off his jeans. “They intend to arrest you for Vet San’s murder.”

  Alexandre also got to his feet. Dane saw Henry behind the pillar, his gun drawn.

  Good. Dane held out his palms again to demonstrate he wasn’t a threat while Alexandre said, “He was going to kill your girlfriend. I protected her—it was defense.”

  Right.

  The undercover officer Dane noticed reached for the man’s pocket on his shirt to get Emily’s set and pulled out the necklace and earrings, though Alexandre backed up with all the jewels. Dane said, “Friends don’t steal jewelry. If you hand over the Irish Crown Jewels, though, Henry and I will testify for you. You did save Emily.”

  Dane, once he had his personal property back, would offer it to Emily as a goodbye gesture. Alexandre said, “Now, that is a problem.”

  “Why?” Dane motioned with his hand to return the jewels.

  Alexandre backed into another pole near him and realized he couldn’t back up any more. He bowed. “I cannot give you the badge and star. Would you work out a deal for just the necklace?”

  His necklace went to Emily and the English authorities wanted the st
olen Crown Jewels for their museum. Dane shook his head. “I can’t.”

  Alexandre crossed his arms. “The silly ornamental pieces are worth my life. If I don’t deliver, I’d only delay death.”

  At least the thug didn’t have a gun, or he hadn’t shown it. “Look, I’ve talked to the French and British authorities for hours to get you a deal. If you turn evidence against whoever your buyer is, not only will the murder charges be dropped, we can get you into a witness protection program.”

  The elevator dinged.

  The authorities must have thought time was up.

  Alexandre heard it too as he pulled out his own handgun and pointed it at Dane. “Not good enough.”

  A second later, Emily’s voice raised across the roof. “D… Uriel! There you are.”

  Every cell in his body pumped with alarm. What was she doing here? Her face glowed like a celestial angel, her blonde bob a halo on this still dark dawn. She was supposed to stay with her family. Her eyes widened. He turned as she ran right for him—and Alexandre. He jumped in front of her. “Emily, not now.”

  Emily pressed her hand on his hip and said, “Yes, now.”

  Alexandre pointed his gun toward Emily. “So glad you could join us, Miss Mira.”

  Dane inched in front of her. He had a vest—she was vulnerable. Emily sucked in her breath. “Alexandre. I had no idea you were here.”

  “Just stay back, Em.” Dane slightly pushed her toward Henry.

  Emily stepped back but kept her eyes on Dane, who stayed in any potential bullet’s path as she said, “D…Uriel. I’m sorry for everything I said.”

  Alexandre headed to the staircase, his gun out and aimed at Dane.

  Henry would have to leave his spot to get a shot now, but Dane refused to move. Not while Emily was a target. Alexandre took another step as he said, “She’s sorry. Now why don’t we all go our separate ways.”

  The police were downstairs. Hopefully this would be over. Dane held out his hand. “Alexandre, before you go I’d like my mother’s jewelry.”

  “Your father was Edmond Pearce?” Alexandre took another step.

  Technically no, but Edmond was the man that haunted his nightmares as his father. “Yeah, I thought he was my father.”

  Alexandre reached behind him for the door as he asked, “Did your father have relatives, Mr. Delligatti?”

  The Pearce family consisted of an uncle and a great aunt. Neither wanted anything to do with him, since they’d contested his father’s will but Dane still inherited Edmond’s wealth. During that brief year, he’d depended on Michael to pay for his boarding school. “Why does that matter?”

  Alexandre threw open the door behind him, making a huge bang sound as the metal hit metal. “You asked who the buyer is that wants these trinkets. If your father were alive, would he be a force to cross? Would you trust the police to protect you?”

  His fake father had his real father imprisoned and tortured for a crime he hadn’t committed. Dane winced and motioned with his hand for Alexandre to drop the gun. “You can trust me though. Edmond never broke my biological father—we can help you if you help us.”

  Alexandre ran into the elevator bank but as the door closed a bullet sound reverberated through the air.

  Dane said a silent prayer as he waited for impact.

  Nothing hit him though.

  The elevator closed as Emily screamed, “No!”

  Dane turned around. Emily slumped to the ground, A young under cover officer from earlier with a weapon was being reprimanded by his superiors that came to investigate the shotes. Henry spoke to someone on the phone in urgent tones about an accidental shot. Dane dropped to his knees, lifting up her head as he said, “Emily. What did you do?”

  She cupped his chin and patted his cheek as tears ran out of her eyes. “Dane, I love you. I was stupid and wrong last night. Forgive me.”

  Everything she’d wounded, everything he’d tried to bury inside his soul last night, all melted in his heart. He squeezed her hand. “Where are you hurt?”

  She tried to lift her leg opposite him but winced in pain. “My leg is numb.”

  He twisted around her and scanned her body for other injuries too. “Let me see.”

  The bullet meant for him had hit her. Henry called out, “An ambulance is coming. We should get her downstairs.”

  Dane reached under her and lifted her as Henry pressed the button for the elevator. Emily hugged his waist. “Why did you come here, Dane?”

  Hadn’t she seen?

  Dane leaned against the elevator wall as Henry pressed the button and let the wall hold some of Emily’s weight as he shifted and took out her necklace. He handed it to her as he said, “I got your necklace back because you wanted it. Sorry about ripping your pants.”

  “I think being shot was the biggest problem.” She said in her usual back hand voice, but then she clutched the necklace and cried into his shoulder. “I want you. I don’t care about the pants.”

  Her words made the walls around his heart fall. The doors opened and he said, “Then Emily Mira, for once, you’re going to have to trust me.”

  “Trust you?” Police sirens sounded all around them.

  Henry pointed toward Alexandre, who was in a stand-off against the police.

  Dane kept a brisk pace to get her toward the ambulance and said so only she could hear him, “Yeah. I’m not going to let you die.”

  “Good, because I don’t want to die.” She mustered a smile for him.

  Either she was numb to pain right now or she wasn’t hurt that bad.

  As they neared the ambulance, Dane motioned with his head toward his friend and said, “Henry, get the ambulance door.”

  Paramedics took over and led Emily to a stretcher, but she refused to let go of his hand and dragged him inside the ambulance with her. “How bad is my leg, Dane?”

  She tried to give the jewelry back but he pushed the necklace toward her. “Emily. Hold onto this necklace.”

  “You hold it for a while.” She leaned back on the stretcher as paramedics checked her out. Again she smiled at him though she clearly had pain as she said, “Dane, answer my question.”

  Henry waved at him as the paramedics closed the ambulance door and drove them to a hospital.

  Dane had no answer until he overheard the paramedic in the passenger seat speak to his colleague, the driver. Dane only understood, ‘balle rasée.’

  Good. His horrible French meant the bullet had grazed her skin.

  Emily would be fine. He kissed her hand and said, “You got lucky—the bullet missed out on all your bones and arteries. But a doctor is going to have to check for sure. We’ll find out more after you’re examined.”

  She nodded. More police sirens grew louder, but right now Dane didn’t care. He had Emily here and she was fine.

  He bowed his head.

  She broke the silence in the ambulance and asked, “Dane?”

  “One minute.” He scooted closer.

  She touched his tight jaw “I trust you because I love you. Please forgive me for last night. I was wrong and stupid and I never meant to hurt you like that. I’m so sorry.”

  Wow. He’d never heard her apologize for anything before. He shifted a blonde strand of hair from her cheek. “Don’t worry about anything, but next time when you’re overtired, just close your eyes.”

  He pressed his forehead to hers, their hands clasped. As the ambulance pulled into the hospital lot, she let him go. “Thank you for getting my necklace back. Keep it until we’re out of the hospital. I finally changed my bra.”

  He laughed. He hadn’t meant to, but Emily’s joke broke through the fog. The paramedics opened the ambulance and wheeled her out on the stretcher. He followed and walked beside her, holding her hand as he said, “When you’re better, you and I will talk to my father together about my uncle stealing my treasures.”

  “Is that who is behind it?” She tried to sit up but the paramedics were clear she needed to lay down. “I’ll be b
eside you for as long as you need me.”

  The automatic doors opened for them. He stayed next to her as they were wheeled inside. “Emily Mira, you drive me crazy. It’s part of why I’ve always loved you.”

  Her face drained of color but she held his hand tighter.

  As long as Emily made it through, nothing else mattered. He needed her in his life.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The four white walls of her private hospital room drove her crazy. She needed to move and see people, color, trees outside. Anything but the same walls and the unending white light from the beaming bulbs above her head that left no shadow anywhere. Emily squatted on her leg and tried to stand with one leg up on her other. Exercise was her only calm here, when she was alone.

  She was going to be just fine.

  The last thing anyone was going to do was hold her down ever again, though the bandages on her legs made her poses awkward.

  Dane just shook his head as he watched her from the corner armchair. At least he was awake now, so they could converse.

  Talking was perfect.

  Someone knocked on the door and he stood, tucking his phone in his back pocket.

  As the door opened, she smiled and waved as Dane came beside her and gently pushed on her knee so she’d put her leg down as he said, “Henry, Brady. Come in.”

  Brady had metal wraps around his fingers. She winced for him. But at least he took care of himself, which was better than Dane. Dane acted like he was never hurt.

  Emily hobbled onto her bed, grateful that the bullet hadn’t punctured her leg. It had grazed her skin, the melting metal hot and fast, but it could have been a whole lot worse.

  Henry closed the door and Brady took a seat on one of the visitor chairs against the wall of her hospital room as he asked, “Have either of you heard the news?”

  Emily scooted to the edge of the bed as they waited for discharge papers. Dane stayed next to her and asked, “No, what’s going on?”

  Henry guarded the closed door like a sentinel. “Alexandre’s been caught. The French police will be returning your property to you. The British royal family have extended you both an invitation to Buckingham Palace.”