He managed to ram his knee into Sam’s stomach, and the older man jerked backward, winded. Cal was up then, his fist connecting with Sam’s face. Sam staggered back, and Cal was on him.
‘You always had to have everything, didn’t you? Every single good thing. But not her…why should you have her and not me? My only regret is that I didn’t get to fuck her before I killed her.’
Sam roared, his rage all-consuming and then Cal could not match him. Sam slammed him back against the wall, Cal’s head perilously close to the marble fireplace. Cal gave him a bloody grin, his mouth cut open from the ferocity of Sam’s blows.
‘I don’t care what you do to me now, brother, I really don’t. Because I got to kill Isa, got to feel her blood on my hands.’
Sam suddenly stopped, his hands clutching Cal’s head, and his gaze bore down on his betrayer. ‘I am going to kill you, but there’s just one more thing, Cal, and I want you to die knowing it.’
Cal was smug. ‘And what’s that?’
Sam smiled then and bent his head, so his lips were at his brother’s ear. ‘Isa’s not dead.’
Cal’s eyes widened in stunned horror, but just for a millisecond before, with all his might, Sam slammed his head hard against the marble fireplace and cracked Cal’s skull wide open.
A few minutes later, Halsey arrived – alone. He took one look at Sam, sitting against the far wall away from his brother’s body. Halsey checked Cal’s pulse. Dead. Good riddance. He glanced at Sam.
‘Sam, go, get out of here. I’ll deal with this.’
Sam looked at him, confused. ‘John, I did this. I’ll come along with you; I won’t make a fuss.’
Halsey looked at him. ‘Sam, after everything you’ve been through…look, I should have…god; I don’t know but this I do. You’ve been through enough. Let me deal with this. Go see Isa. Tell her I hope she feels better soon.’
Sam scrambled to his feet and shook the other man’s hand. ‘Thank you, John, thank you. From the bottom of my heart.’
John Halsey nodded. ‘Get out of here.’
With a grateful smile, Sam shot one last look at his dead brother, and rushed out of the room. John Halsey looked down at Cal Levy’s body and shook his head.
‘Motherfucker,’ he said quietly and went to work.
Isa sat up in the hospital bed, feeling sore, wounded but relieved to be alive. It had been a close call, they had told her, but after being airlifted to the city, and taken straight into a seven-hour surgery, she’d pulled through.
When she woke two days later, she found Sam by her side and they stared at each other for the longest time before kissing.
‘What happened?’ She touched his bandaged shoulder. Sam shrugged.
‘He managed to get a shot off. It’s not bad. Nothing to what he did to you.’ He gave a strange, strangled laugh. ‘How the hell you’re still alive? Jesus. You’re made of strong stuff, baby.’
She laughed but then her face turned serious. She hesitated, looking away from him.
‘The body in the fire…’
Sam’s hand tightened on hers. ‘Honey. It was Karl. Cal murdered him weeks before, kept his body in a deep freeze.’
They looked at each other for a long moment. Isa swallowed the lump in her throat and asked the question she didn’t know if she wanted the answer to.
‘Is Cal in jail?’ Her voice was small.
Sam shook his head. ‘No, baby, he’s gone. Gone.’
‘Dead?’
‘Yes. Very, very dead. This time it really is all over, darling. All over.’
She let out a breath. ‘Good.’
He covered her mouth with his, feeling her respond and smiled. When they broke apart, he became serious.
‘Marry me.’
She stroked his cheek, chuckling. ’We’re already married.’
‘I mean, properly, in front of our friends, you in a big meringue dress, me in a morning suit, Zoe giving you away.’
Isa grinned, tears in her eyes. ‘You know what, just this once, yes. Okay. Let’s be ostentatious. I think we earned it.’
He kissed her. ‘God, Isa, I’m so sorry I didn’t stop him from hurting you. I just couldn’t believe he would do this.’
Isa shook her head, stroking his face. ‘None of us did, baby. At least no-one else died.’
Sam looked down and she frowned.
‘What?’
Sam was silent for a minute. ‘Casey’s dead too. Cal killed her. Halsey found her before he came for us. Cal shot her.’
Isa was shocked. ‘Oh, my God. I’m sorry.’
Sam’s hand tightened on hers. ‘I’m not.’
‘Sam!’
‘I’m sorry, Isa, but she got what she deserved. She was screwing him for years, even when I was married to her. She wanted you dead as much as he did. Together they planned your murder, Isa. They designed your murder.’
‘And paid with her own life.’
Sam nodded. ‘I guess she’d outlived her usefulness. After all, that was his endgame. Neither you nor I were meant to survive. I’m surprised he didn’t go after Zoe too.’ He sighed. ‘If Casey…. I want to blame her for everything. But I can’t. I blame myself.’
‘Don’t you dare do that, Sam Levy, just don’t. We all make mistakes and if you’re to blame then so am I. But the fact is Cal was psychotically jealous of everything you had. I was just an object for him to possess. And when I fell I love with you, the only way that his deranged mind could deal with that was to kill me.’
Sam flinched, and Isa reached for him, holding his face between her palms.
‘And he failed.’
‘He nearly succeeded. Look at you.’
Isa glanced down at the heavy bandaging around her abdomen. ‘I’m fine. How’s Louisa doing?’
‘Better. She’s already up and walking around.’
‘I’m so glad. God, when I think of what Cal did to her.’
‘I know. That’s how I felt when I saw you in that basement. I never want to see that again.’
‘You never will. It’s me and you now, for always.’
Sam stroked her face. ‘Do you want to go back to that house? I understand if you don’t.’
Isa’s face was fixed. ‘I do want to go back to our home. He doesn’t get to spoil that too. It’s perfect for us. Really, Sam, we need to remember – we survived him, so we get to win.’
‘Marry me.’ He said again, and she kissed him.
‘Yes, Samuel Levy, I will marry you.’
A while later, the nurse looked into the room and smiled. Both asleep, the young man was curved around the girl, holding her like he’d never let go. The nurse shut off the light and closed the door. She grinned at the other nurse at the station outside the room.
‘You ever see love like that?’
Her friend smiled back. ‘I wish.’
Epilogue
Three years later
‘Stop being a nag, I’ll do it,’ Isa grumbled, as Sam held her waist. She was standing on a chair trying to push the star on top of their Christmas tree.
‘You realize I can reach that without a chair?’
‘It’s my turn,’ Isa grumbled, ‘You did it last year.’
‘Yup, but I’m not the one who is eight months pregnant, am I?’
Isa placed the star and Sam lifted her from the chair and stood her on her feet. She grinned up at him.
‘Superhuman strength, Mr. Levy.’
They studied the tree. ‘It’s kind of lop-sided,’ Isa said, her head on one side.
‘Such problems,’ Sam muttered, and Isa poked him with her elbow, grinning.
‘Nice to have such problems,’ she said softly. Sam ran his hand down her silky hair.
‘You want me to go get another tree?’
‘Nah, I like it like that. Life is lop-sided. Ours, for sure. But at least we’re on the good side now. Oh...’ She put a hand on her belly. ‘He’s kicking again, the little slugger.’
Sam laughed, and she guided h
is hand to where his son was kicking him. Sam pulled her closer. ‘There was a time,’ he whispered, his face in her hair, ‘when I never thought we would get here.’
‘I know, me too,’ she said, ‘but we did, baby. We did.’
Later, Zoe and Louisa came over from the city. The two women had bonded during Louisa’s recovery, and Isa could see Zoe going into her ‘mom’ mode- just had she had for Isa all those years ago. Isa was delighted for them both – she adored Louisa, and they too had spent a long time together while they both recovered from Cal’s violence.
It was Christmas Eve and Sam and Isa were hosting a small party for their friends and neighbors. They had settled into the island community with ease – and even bought a rescue dog home with them, who was a much part of their family now as anyone. Bill and his wife Marilyn came over from the school; John Halsey came with his partner, Ryan. The detective had made Cal’s death look like a suicide - Sam would never know how he did it but he was eternally grateful.
Later, Zoe came to find Sam and led him outside onto the terrace to talk privately. She turned to him with concern in her eyes.
‘Sam, we need to talk. I know, this probably isn’t the right day, but in a way, it is. So near to the birth, and all I can think about is Isa and the baby and how wonderful this all is.’ She conceded when he grinned. ‘But I can’t stop thinking about Cal.’
Sam hugged her. ‘Zoe, he’s gone, he’s dead. He can’t hurt us anymore.’
‘Then why do I feel like this?’
Sam was silent for a moment.
‘Did you know that ghosts can't cross water? I didn’t. Isa told me that one night, another one of her useless factoids she’s gleaned from God knows where.’ He laughed, shook his head. ‘Ghosts can’t cross water.’ He looked inside to Isa, who was laughing with Bill and smiled at his sister. ‘Cal is dead, Zoe, and no-one will ever change that. He’s gone.’
‘And you killed him.’
‘Yes.’
‘And she doesn’t know.’
Sam shook his head. ‘No. There’s no reason to tell her.’
‘How can you live your life like that?’
‘I can live like that for her.’
‘But you’re starting your new life off with a lie.’
‘It’s a lie worth telling, don’t you think?’
Sam grinned at her, but Zoe was serious.
‘You can’t keep this from her, Sam. She trusts you completely. Again. At last. If she found out…’
‘She won’t.’
‘Isa’s smart.’
‘Yes.’
Zoe just shook her head at her brother. ‘I don’t even want to think about what would happen if she found out. What it would do to the both of you.’
‘She won’t. And is it worse than a life lived in fear?’
‘But you have to live like that.’ Zoe whispered to him, her eyes filled with worry. ‘Not knowing if they find Cal’s body if they’ll come for you.’
Sam smiled and shook his head. ‘No. I know what my life will be. That gorgeous girl over there, my darling love with my son growing in her belly. Building a life with her. A family. You. You and Louisa with any luck. This island. Cal doesn’t even figure into it. He’s a dead man. Ghosts can’t cross water. Now, let’s get to enjoying Christmas, Grandma.’
She swatted his butt. ‘Less of the Grandma – not yet I’m not.’
Isa and Louisa were waiting for them in the kitchen, and as Sam put his arm around his pregnant wife, he put his mouth to her ear. ‘I love you.’
Isa grinned up at him. ‘Right back at ya, big guy.’
‘Forever?’ He asked, and she chuckled and kissed him, wrapping her arms around him.
‘I promise,’ she said, ‘forever…’
The End.
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STORMFRONTS SERIES
By Michelle Love
When billionaire property mogul Theo Storm gives the Commencement address at her college, grad student Jess Wood initially dismisses him as a rich, bland businessman. When he notices her in the audience however, his blatant admiration for her attracts whispers amongst her friends and colleagues and an embarrassed Jess escapes from the throng, only to find herself unable to stop thinking about him.
Storm tracks her down to her tiny apartment and persuades her to have dinner with him. The incredible attraction between them becomes almost unbearable. Theo takes Jess back to his luxurious penthouse and going against all her self-made rules, Jess goes to bed with him. Instead of breaking the tension between them, their tempestuous, uninhabited sexual chemistry awakens something almost feral inside of her, leaving her craving more and more of this incredible man.
Chapter 1
Come With Me
It might have been the fourth glass of bourbon, or the fifth or the sixth. Theo Storm wasn’t sure. All he remembered was making a dumb bet with Max who, with mischief in his eyes, shook Theo’s hand, muttering ‘Good luck with that’ under his breath.
Theo opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling of the hotel room. God, why was it every time he went drinking with Max, he turned into a loud mouthed asshole who thought that he ruled the world? The trip to Vegas had been to celebrate the opening of their latest boutique apartment building – and to thank Max for working every hour of every day to get it done. Theo had promised himself that he wouldn’t get trashed. He never came out on top when drinking with Max. The guy had hollow legs, for Christ's sake.
‘Jesus.’ A headache shrieked around his skull and Theo groaned. He rolled out of bed onto the floor and briefly considered staying there for the rest of his life. Reluctantly he staggered to his feet and into the bathroom, stepping under a too-hot shower and sighing with relief as the water hit his tired body. After he’d dried himself, he wrapped a towel around his waist and stood at the small sink to brush his teeth, studying himself in the mirror. Almost forty years old and he still acted like a twenty-year-old college kid, partying nearly every night. He knew what his dad would say, with disappointment in his eyes. Settle down, son. Grow roots. Make a home, a family. Theo sighed. It wasn’t enough for his dad that he was the head of StormFronts, the company that Theo had built from literally nothing. That he’d been top of his class at MIT or that he’d designed, built and paid for his dad’s retirement home in the Florida Everglades (thankfully a continent away from his own Seattle penthouse).
Theo rinsed his mouth and then threw back a couple of glasses of tap water to combat his hangover. He'd been moaning about his Dad’s attitude last night at a staggeringly unsympathetic Max, who merely rolled his eyes and called him a poor little rich boy. Max was right, he knew. He just had to ignore the parental pressure but still… it was probably why he’d made that ridiculous bet with Max.
I will find the love of my life within three months.
Theo shook his head at the thought of it. Why the hell had he made that bet? Hubris and hyperbole. He shrugged – it wasn’t as if Max would hold him to it in the cold light of day.
‘I am absolutely going to hold you to it,’ Max told him on the plane back to Seattle. Theo groaned and slumped back in his seat. His hangover wasn’t abating at all and now he was on the way to give the Commencement speech at Seattle’s most prodigious college. Theo was used to public speaking in his job, not that it was his favourite thing to do, but he’d agreed to it back when he’d been dating a girl from Tacoma – whose name he couldn’t remember, he thought now with a jolt of shame – whose cousin was part of the graduating class. The speech was written, his custom-made Armani three piece pressed and waiting. He’d even managed to shave this morning. Outwardly, he’d look the part of the billionaire mogul but inside… he swallowed a wave of nausea. Idiot. Why get hammered the night before the speech?
Theo definitely wasn’t in the mood for another grilling from his best friend. Max fixed him with a serious gl
are.
‘You promised me you’d find the one. I want you to, at the very least; try to have a social life. You haven’t dated anyone since Lorelei.’
Theo grimaced and Max sniggered. Lorelei had been a sweet girl but her obsession with the healing power of crystals had doomed that relationship very, very quickly. Theo chuckled at the memory.
‘Yeah, see? ‘
Max rolled his eyes. ‘That’s not a reason to avoid the whole dating thing. You can’t write off the whole thing just because your last girlfriend thought she could talk to the spirit world. It’s an important part of life and besides, you’re not getting any younger.’
‘Thanks, dude.’
Max grinned at Theo’s sarcastic tone. ‘I’m serious. I want you to meet someone who’ll make you happy.’
Theo studied his friend. ‘You say that with all the smug complacency of the happily settled.’
Max flashed him his cheesiest grin. ‘What can I say? I got lucky with Joel. Now if only you’d embrace your inner gay guy, I’ve got a hundred friends panting to meet you.’
Theo grinned. ‘Ah, your ongoing campaign to turn me. Sorry, dude, I appreciate it but…’
‘You worship at the Alter of Vadge, I know.’
Theo sniggered. ‘Charmingly put.’
Max sighed dramatically. ‘Well, a guy can dream. How long has it been since you were serious about someone?’
Theo didn’t answer – mostly because he couldn’t remember ever being serious about anyone. ‘Can we drop this?’
‘Nope,’ Max was grinning wildly, ‘I tell you what, I’ll make this interesting. You get married before Christmas – I’ll work for you for a year for free.’
Theo’s eyebrows shot up. ‘You’re serious? Married? Not going to happen.’
Max nodded, leaning forward in his chair. ‘Dude… you’re my best friend and I just want you to slow down. You work, work, work, which is all good but you’re missing out on so much. Meet someone, fall in love, and get married. Hell, I’d be happy if you just dated someone. Come on, help an old romantic out. Besides…’ he sniffed huffily, ‘I really don’t want to find you dead of a stress-related heart attack at your desk. We’d never get the smell out of the carpet.’
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