“Dakota, baby, calm down,” Lis coaxed as she hopped off the counter and picked her panties up off the floor.
“Lis, I forgot to put on a damn condom,” he told her and she nodded her head.
“Yes, I know, but it’s okay. I’m due to start my period any day now and I think we will be fine. I do need to see my doctor though and get back on birth control,” she told him before she disappeared into the bathroom to clean herself up. When she came out a couple of minutes later he was sitting at the table with his head in his hands and she sighed.
“Dakota, look at me,” she told him and when he looked up she saw the concern written all over his face. “Would it be the end of the world if I did get pregnant?”
“Seeing you grow with my baby would make me the happiest man alive,” he told her and pulled her into his arms. “I just don’t want to take any chances with you and our child and as long as Morrison is alive we will be in constant danger.”
“I know, but once he’s gone what’s to stop a new threat from surfacing? Are we going to live our lives in constant fear of the unknown or are we going to live our lives like normal people and start the family we want?”
“I want to have a family with you, Elisabeth.”
“I want that too, Dakota.”
“Okay you two, break it up,” James said with a laugh as he entered the kitchen holding Rachel’s hand. “We have something to tell you.”
Dakota and Lis looked up and smiled just as a bullet came through the window and struck James in the chest. Before either could react the side of the house collapsed on them and the world went black.
Epilogue
Rachel awoke to a dark silence and had no idea where she was. The last thing she remembered was walking into the kitchen after she and James had made love. She remembered seeing Dakota and Lis’ happiness and was excited to share her own.
“Hello?” She called out to the room around her, but was greeted by silence. Closing her eyes, she tried to think back to what happened. She tried to remember how she got here. When she drew another blank she started to panic. Where was James? Where were Lis and Dakota?
As panic started to consume her, a door opened and light spilled into the room. “Well, it’s nice to see you’re awake.”
“Where the fuck am I and who the fuck are you?” Rachel asked as bile rose into her throat. She had a very good idea who she was dealing with and she knew it would take cunning and tenacity in order to make it out of this alive.
“Oh, my dear, I am hurt that you don’t recognize me by my voice. Here, let me shed some light on it.”
When he flicked on the overhead light, Rachel’s fears were confirmed. “Hello, Michael.”
“Rachel, how lovely of you to join me. I hope you’re doing well. I am sorry that I have to settle for you, but one Manning sister is as good as the next I suppose.”
“What have you done to my sister?” She asked, anger and fear rising into her voice.
“Oh, dear, I hate to be the one to tell you, but Elisabeth, Dakota, and James are all dead. You see, my father’s little bomb was a ploy used to throw you all into a false sense of security. It was a tactical maneuver to keep you all away from the mansion long enough for my sniper to position himself in the trees. He shot your boyfriend, by the way, and then my little explosion took care of your sister and her plaything. You were supposed to be the one who died and I was supposed to have Lis, but no matter. Like I said, one Manning sister is as good as the next.”
“What do you want, Morrison?” She asked. She already knew, but she was stalling for time. She had to do whatever it took to get out of here. She did not believe James, Lis, and Dakota were all dead, but she had to find out for herself.
“My dear, I want what I have always wanted. Total control of Manning Holdings.”
Rachel wasn’t surprised by his revelation and a plan started forming in her head. After a couple minutes passed she smiled and looked at him. “Okay, you can have Manning Holdings on one condition.”
“What’s that?” He asked, skeptical of her response.
“You have to marry me and keep me safe. My entire family is gone and without the business I will have nothing.”
Mike looked at her for a moment before a grin formed on his face. “Done,” he agreed and walked out of the room.
When the darkness surrounded her again she didn’t succumb to the tears that threatened to fall and she didn’t sink into the misery that was surrounding her. Instead she sat there and she planned.
By the time Mike returned she had a plan in place and she knew just what she had to do. One way or another Michael Morrison would pay for taking everything from her, even if it was the last thing she ever did.
To Be Continued…
About the Author
Christina is a mother of two beautiful daughters and has been an avid reader since she was four years old. She always had a habit of picking out the errors in whatever she read and in July of 2013 she took that habit and turned it into an editing career. She thought that was her niche in the literature world, but she was wrong.
In July of 2014 she was at work and was bombarded by an idea that she couldn't shake. She is very tenacious and once an idea plants itself in her mind she cannot stop until she has followed through with it, that's how the Second Chance Series was born.
The Second Chance series, which includes; A New Beginning, A New Hope, A New Journey, Diane’s Remembrance, and A New Perspective, is available on Amazon and are all Free on Kindle Unlimited. Starting Anew, the novella in a military contemporary romance series, is also available through Amazon and is free on Kindle Unlimited.
To find out more about Christina, her books, and what projects she may be working on, you can find her on Facebook and Amazon.
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Mafia Queen (The Manning Sisters #1) Page 16