by S. M. Butler
“Except a choice,” she whispered. “I don’t understand why.”
“I’m just a piece on a game board. You took me out, but more are out there.” He smiled like he had a secret to tell. “Want to know about it?”
He leaned in, looking left and then right. A conspiratorial smile lifted his lips. His eyes danced with amusement. He opened his mouth. “Fuck you.”
A few minutes later, Abigail stepped out of the prison. Months of deliberations and testimonies, of presenting evidence… It was all almost over. She should have been happy. Instead, the whole thing left her empty. She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to feel relieved it was almost over or sad that it ever happened.
The car pulled up. Her new security detail, one she hired for herself, stepped out of the car to open the door for her. His face was impassive, like stone as he stood, watching the world to see if someone wanted a piece of her.
She slid into the car, and as the door shut, her lips parted.
“Hey, princess.”
On the opposite side of the car, behind the driver sat the man she was never supposed to see again. Her heart squeezed itself as it began to beat again. Heat filled her chest, melting away the ice that had formed in the absence of her heart.
“What are you doing here, Chris?” She glanced out the window as the car started to move. “Someone will see you.”
“I don’t care,” he said. “I needed to see you.”
“My security knew you were in here?”
“They kind of work for Nathan,” he said, and bless his soul, he almost looked apologetic.
“What?” Her eyes widened. The security she’d hired… They were Nathan’s?
“I wanted to make sure you’d be safe. Without me.”
“Does Nathan know you’re here?” The last thing she wanted was for him to get in trouble with her again.
“He does,” he said. “It was his idea.”
She frowned. “I’m not following.”
“Trust me, I wasn’t either.” Chris cleared his throat and slid across the seat to her. His arms stretched across the back of the seat.
“Chris… I… you’re supposed to be dead.”
“Yeah, and I am dead. That’s the deal.”
“Then why are you here? Is something wrong?”
“No. Well, yes, actually. You’re not with me. And that’s absolutely wrong.” He brushed her cheek with his fingers, the reverence in every move he made. Abigail fought back the tears that forced their way to the surface.
“This hurts too much. I can’t touch you and let you go again,” she said, her voice breaking roughly. “Why are you here?”
“I’m here because you’re the only thing in my life that makes sense. I came out a broken man two years ago. I’ve been in pieces ever since. You’re the glue that put me back together. You make me whole.” He took her hand and brought it to his mouth, gently kissing her palm. “I love you. Always. And I’ll prove it to you, every day for the rest of our lives. I’ll show you how much you mean to me.”
She let out a broken sob as the tears started flowing. God, she’d cried too much these last few months. “How can we do that?”
“We’ll find a way. Just tell me you’re willing to fight for us. Tell me that you love me as much as I love you.”
“I do love you,” she said, through sobs and tears. “I’m afraid that I’ll lose you.”
“I’ll take my last breath with you if you’ll have me,” he whispered, kissing her forehead, then her mouth. He lingered there, stealing another small kiss before he pulled away to gauge her reaction.
She cupped his face, looking into those stormy gray eyes and smiled. “You’re worth fighting for.” She crashed her lips against his, pulling him against her body. His hands roamed over hers, cupping her breasts, then her ass as he lifted her to straddle him.
He lifted her dress up and slid his hands into her panties. They were thin lace, and she wasn’t even sure why she wore them today. But she forgot them as he fisted them and tore them apart.
She unbuckled his pants and pulled them down with his boxers, freeing his already hard cock. “I missed this, too.” She whispered the words against his mouth as she stroked him.
“Princess, you’re killing me.”
“Stop calling me that.”
“Never,” he said as he pressed her down onto him. They both let out a long sigh of relief as she sunk down onto him, letting him fill her tight body. Together they rode each other into ecstasy.
Epilogue
Nathan strode into the detention center as if he owned it. Well, he didn’t, not yet, but if all went to plan he would soon. Then he would make sure Daniel Lewis never saw the light of day again.
He sat down in front of the man, who was a mere shell of the powerhouse he’d been. He took satisfaction in that, in knowing that for all his posturing, a simple princess of his own making had been the downfall of his empire. Lewis looked haggard, older than he recalled, but he hadn’t seen the man in person in fifteen years. Gray salted his hair. Where it once had been blond and bright, it was dulled by age. Wrinkles crinkled at the corners of his eyes and a new fear lived in his eyes.
He had every right to be afraid. Nathan was dangerous.
“I didn’t think I’d see you here,” the man said. Even relegated to jail, Lewis let off arrogance. He still thought he was better. The last week had taught him nothing.
“I wanted to see that it was true,” Nathan replied. He knew it was true, but there was something comforting about confronting old adversaries. “The great and powerful have fallen.”
“It’s a temporary setback,” he replied. “I’ll be out before Christmas. Want an invite to the Christmas party?”
“Counting on friends?” Nathan asked. He already knew this was way beyond the senator. There was a worldwide epidemic coming. Hundreds of powerful men coming together to overthrow what was right in the world. He hadn’t informed the Reapers of it, but they didn’t need to know yet. It was better they had that eagle eye focus on each individual mission he sent them on.
Lewis laughed. “Always searching for answers, Nathan?” He shook his head, his dark eyes cold. “I have none for you.”
“You’d do well to answer my questions, Daniel. I can make your life much easier inside this prison.” Or he could end it. A call and Lewis would die. It would just be so easy.
Lewis smiled coldly. “You don’t scare me. Not like they do. I’ll take my chances.”
Nathan smiled, but it wasn’t one of happiness. It was of knowing exactly what his next step would be. He’d been working on this plan for fifteen years. Lewis was just a speck in the line of things. He nodded his head and rose to his feet. Lewis tracked his movements. “Very well. Then I suppose we have nothing further to discuss.”
He turned to leave and was almost to the door when Lewis’s voice cut through the room. “Do you know how easy it was for me to turn your guy?” Nathan was glad he’d arranged for the cameras to be turned off for this conversation because nothing would mask the anger he felt at Scott Muldoon’s betrayal. “I thought you understood about liabilities, Nathan. I thought that Hardy might do it since his heart was all wrapped up in my daughter. But Muldoon came through so much more easily.”
“I thought you were going to take your chances,” Nathan replied, keeping his voice even when all he wanted was to throttle the man in front of him.
“Yes, but I want you to know. I did it. I made him turn. You were so careful with your little misfit gang that you couldn’t even see the betrayal until he stuck that knife right into your ribs.” The man laughed, gleefully. “How’s that feel, asshole?”
Nathan jutted his chin out, feeling the familiar heat of fury within him. Scott Muldoon was his to deal with and currently lived in a cell deep in one of his facilities in South America. And he would deal with him, too, as soon as he was done here.
“A knife? Not a bad idea, Daniel,” Nathan replied. He turned and walked out.
&n
bsp; Former Senator Dies in Prison Riot
Former Senator Daniel Lewis was found dead earlier this morning from a puncture wound after police and guards quelled an eight-hour riot at Lincoln Penitentiary. More than twenty other prisoners were transported to a nearby hospital with various injuries.
Three prison officers were injured in the riot, but no deaths besides Lewis have been reported. Police continue to investigate in hopes of new evidence…
Author’s Afterword
Thank you so much for reading His Last Breath! I hope you enjoyed Chris and Abigail’s story! It’s a crazy thing, this book. It took me over two years, six false starts, and a lot of whining to Team Awesome to write this book. Nothing seemed to do their story justice. Finally, it came together and I’m excited that their story gets to be out there. It’s been a long time coming.
What’s next for the Reapers?
It’s all about love, of course. Beatrice gets her shot in Her Last Kill, slated for release in 2019. As always, you can sign up for my newsletter for updates and notices on the upcoming releases. While, you’re on the website, you can also subscribe to the blog and follow along with my writerly adventures there.
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About the Author
S.M. Butler is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of romantic suspense and military romance with a penchant for Dr. Pepper, cheesy Hallmark movies, and world domination, but not necessarily in that order. She lives in Texas under a not-so-secret identity with two monsters, writing books and planning the next step in her evil plans into the twilight hours of the night because that’s when it’s quiet in the house. She loves to hear from readers.
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HIS LAST BREATH, REAPERS STRIKE FORCE #1
A SOARING PHOENIX PRESS Publication, December 2018
SOARING PHOENIX PRESS
Fort Worth, TX 76137
E-ISBN: 978-1-938927-25-6
Print ISBN: 978-1-938927-26-3
HIS LAST BREATH © 2018 S.M. BUTLER
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. They are productions of the authors' imagination and used fictitiously.
All images included in the cover are used with permission from the creator.