Kiki leaned against the railing as the others made their way inside. She closed her eyes against the dropping sensation that filled her gut. Fatigue settled deep into her bones. She’d get used to the loneliness … eventually.
“Kiki?” Zeke’s voice pierced her gut with a sharp pain.
She braced herself for the recriminations sure to come.
“Thank you.” Zeke’s hand slid across Kiki’s shoulders.
Her eyes flew open and stared at him in shock. What did he mean “thank you?”
“I don’t … I don’t understand.”
“You brought my baby girl home.” Zeke looked out over the ocean, swallowing hard before turning his bright eyes back to Kiki. “She told me how you kept her safe and got her free.”
“It’s because of me they took her in the first place.” Kiki rolled her shoulder, needing to get some space from the guilt.
“It could’ve happened with any of us.” He squeezed her shoulder when she shook her head. “Yes. It could’ve. These terrorists knew how desperate your parents were to get Eva. If they wouldn’t have gotten you, they would’ve still found a way to get to Eva and leverage her against Kevin to do what they wanted. It was just a matter of time.”
“We should’ve never left the ranch with her.” She huffed. “I should’ve left the ranch long ago.”
“None of that kind of talk.” Zeke pulled her into a brotherly hug and led her inside. “Come on. The family’s waiting.”
He draped his arm across her shoulder and led her across the deck. His reaction both confused her and made her feel like she finally belonged to something bigger than herself. Too bad it couldn’t last.
Thirty
“Your mother has agreed to cooperate for our protection.” General Paxton leaned against the bar in the yacht’s living room, his tone making Derrick’s heart race. “Why don’t you tell us what happened here, Miss Payne?”
In the hour since Derrick climbed on to the deck, he’d cleaned up, ate, given Zeke a quick rundown, and observed as Paxton and his team arrived in a flurry of questions. What Derrick hadn’t done was get time to talk to Kiki, make sure she was okay. Now she stood, staring out at the ocean, telling everything that had gone down over the last three days, her tone only fluctuating when she talked of Eva. Her words left a chill to his skin. Why didn’t she sit next to him? He wanted her near him, but the space between them felt as wide as the ocean beyond the windows.
“So, your aunt kidnapped you?” Rafe whistled low from where he sat sprawled on a couch. “That’s messed up.”
Derrick shot Rafe a glare while Sosimo whacked Rafe on the head. He was glad the team had come to help. Seeing Rafe, Sosimo, Jake, and Zeke upon approach had eased every muscle in his body that had been strung tight since the abduction. He thought he’d get to rest. He thought wrong.
“Yeah.” Kiki rubbed her arm like she was cold though the room opened to the humid, tropical heat. “She ordered my brother’s death.” She laughed a humorless laugh. “Not really the nurturing type.”
The general cleared his throat. “Marco called in. Jackie hadn’t told the higher ups that Sergeant Nicholson and Eva had been brought to the complex. Said she wanted to see how she could use the information to her advantage. So Eva should be safe now that the family is gone.”
“Thank God.” Kiki turned to Zeke, her eyes bright with tears. “I’m so sorry.”
“Kiki, we already talked about this.” Zeke crossed to her from the bar and put his arm over her shoulder. It was such a big brother move, one that eased some of Derrick’s worry. “None of this is your fault. You have a new life, a new family. We’re just glad you all got back to us safe.”
“And that you kicked terrorist butt.” Rafe smiled. “Man, I wish I could’ve seen you take out that Edgar dope.”
Her mouth tweaked into an almost smile. “That was pretty satisfying.”
“D, man, you got to blow up a yacht.” Rafe shook his head. “I miss all the fun.”
“Yeah, well, that was an accident.” Derrick forced the words out of a tight throat. “I meant to disable them so the cavalry could swoop in.”
“So, what now?” Jake leaned forward on the other end of the couch, his forearms resting on his legs.
“Well … ” General Paxton took a deep breath and held Kiki’s gaze. “With Kiki Payne dead, we’ll have to find her a new life. Young lady, we leave in ten.”
The walls of the yacht’s living room closed in around Derrick even though windows covered the surface. Just what was the general playing at? Derrick’s mind raced, but no words would form.
“Ay, caray.” Sosimo paced behind Rafe’s couch.
“We can keep her safe at the ranch. Give her new docs. No one will know it’s her.” Rafe scooted to the edge of the couch.
“Guys, guys.” Kiki stepped away from Zeke, her hands held in front of her like she was calming a wild horse.
A stampede had just trampled Derrick. Left him bloodied and immobile.
“I can’t put you all at risk. I—” Her voice cracked, and she glanced at her feet. Taking a deep breath, she peered at all of them. “I can’t put Eva in danger. Thank you for showing me what a real family is.”
Her gaze lingered on Derrick’s, ripping his heart out of his chest. He shook his head, his movement to stand and grab her and never let go working in slow motion. Her face contorted in the misery he felt, spearing through him before she schooled it.
“General, I’m going to go say goodbye to Eva, then I’ll be ready to go.” She rushed from the room.
The space filled with silence, like the moment a bomb goes off at your feet. Nothing existed but the sense of emptiness and the screaming agony of his heart. He couldn’t lose her. Couldn’t handle never seeing her again.
He clenched his jaw, his eyes connecting with Zeke’s. With a sad smile and a nod toward Kiki, Zeke turned to the general. Derrick shot to his feet and raced from the room.
As he hotfooted it, Zeke’s words pushed Derrick on. “General, I have an idea.”
Derrick dashed down the stairs, taking them by threes. Rounding the corner, Kiki leaned against the wall, stopping him short. Her hands covered her face and shoulders shook in silent sobs.
“Kiki.”
She jerked her head up, quickly wiping her face. She shook her head and stepped down the hall.
“Derrick, please. I need to see Eva.”
He sprinted down the hall, grabbed her elbow, and pulled her to a stop. Relief coursed through him when she didn’t struggle. Then despair flooded the relief away as she peered up at him with determination blazing in her beautiful, clear blue eyes.
“I’m not letting you go.” Derrick took her other arm.
She lifted her hands and gripped his biceps. “You have to. I can’t stay, Derrick. I … I won’t put the others at risk like that.” Her hold on him tightened. “Please, please understand. Y’all are the only family I’ve ever really had. I love you.” She shook her head, her actions contradicting her declaration. “I love all of you. The organization knows I lived there. If it surfaces that my mother survived somehow during the investigation or case, the organization will assume I lived too. Even if we change my name, they know what I look like. They’ll come looking at the ranch.”
No, he wouldn’t accept that. He closed his eyes, frustration welling up inside him. She was right. She’d analyzed all the data and picked the only option that would pay out. He wrapped his arms around her.
“I can’t lose you.” His words tumbled through the sharp shards closing his throat.
She leaned her forehead on his chest, her fingers tangling in his shirt. “I … I can’t stay.”
“Then I’m coming with you.” Purpose burned hot in his gut.
“No.” She pushed off of him, but he held tight. “No, Derrick. You’ll lose everything. Not just Stryker, but your family. I can’t let you do that.”
“Honey, I only lose everything if I lose you.”
Hope flashed
in her eyes before distress chased it away. “With Kiki Payne dead, I won’t have anything. We won’t have anything. And you’d never be able to contact your friends, your parents.” She pushed harder as her voice rose and tears streamed down her face. “I’m not worth you giving all that up.”
“Shh, honey, listen.” He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly on the lips. “I don’t care if they put us in a one-room cabin in the Alaskan wilderness. I love you. My family will understand.”
He touched his lips to hers. They tasted of salty tears, of the future. She sobbed, throwing her arms around him and kissing him hard in return. Was she agreeing or saying goodbye? It didn’t matter. He’d follow her to the ends of the world until she understood he wasn’t giving up on them. She pulled away, her chin trembling as she stared into his eyes.
“I’m coming.” He rubbed his thumb over her cheek to brush away the tears.
She held his gaze, her chest rising and falling in an exaggerated breath. “Okay.”
Joy exploded into his chest and made his knees loose. Life shifted back into place. The details of that life didn’t matter as long as she remained in his arms.
“I have a better idea than you two disappearing off the face of the planet.” Zeke’s amused voice punctured the bubble where only Kiki existed.
Derrick tucked her under his arm, as close to his body as he could. “Yeah? What’s that?”
“I’ve been wanting to set up safe houses, like the island, but manned, hiding as businesses of their own.” Zeke sauntered down the hall like he had all the time in the world. Could he just get to the point? A conspiring smile turned his lips up. “How does a ranch in Montana sound?”
Derrick’s forehead crinkled, then smoothed as what Zeke implied took root. Could they make it work, keeping Kiki safely hidden? Derrick trusted his team could do whatever was needed. How could he be getting everything he’d dreamed of and not lose a thing?
Zeke clapped Derrick on the shoulder. “We’ll get busy making you two disappear.”
“What … what just happened?” Kiki leaned her head back to look up at him.
“I believe we have a way to stay underground but not lose it all.” He pulled her into a full embrace. “This means we’ll have to marry, get new names, and move to Montana, but we should still be able to see the others for visits.”
Kiki stifled a smile. “Is that your way of proposing?”
He slid his hands up her back and threaded his fingers through her hair. Her sassy attitude and the hope of what their life would be filled him until he thought he’d float away. His heart beat so hard in his chest he was sure she could feel it.
“Kiki, I love you. I know all of this is happening fast and that your life will change forever.” He kissed her once on her soft lips. “But I’d like that change to be with me firmly by your side.”
“I love you too.” Emotion choked her whisper, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and crashed her mouth to his.
As he dived into her, everything else disappeared. The future may be a little fuzzy. So many details needed hammering out. Life could be in utter chaos, but as long as that life was with her, it didn’t matter.
Epilogue
Kiki leaned against the rough fence and scanned the open meadow where horses chomped the sweet Montana grass. While the towering mountain view, the scent of pine and wildflowers, and the cool breeze resembled the Stryker ranch back in Colorado, her life was anything but the same. The last month had settled from the buzz of frantic actions needed to scrub a life clean and start over. New home, new job, and a new name in the span of a handful of days.
Well, the last she didn’t mind at all. Her lips tweaked up as warmth filled her core. Being Kirsten Hunter, wife to David Hunter, wasn’t so bad. In fact, she had never felt more herself than she did in her new life. When Derrick had said he wanted to take the last name Hunter after the special ops friend that had disappeared while camping, Kiki’s heart had melted just a bit. Picking David, because they could conquer giants together, liquified it to a puddle of mush. How her life had turned from ash to blessed still overwhelmed her.
Heat enveloped her as Derrick’s arms boxed her in. She leaned back against him, letting the sense of safety and love fill her. He traced kisses along her shoulder to that sensitive spot behind her ear, fanning the embers that always smoldered just beneath the surface. A horse whinnied and dashed to the fence. Kiki’s heart skipped as Derrick groaned into her neck.
“I think she’s jealous.” Kiki snickered, elbowing him lightly in the gut.
“Yeah, I think you’re right.” He pulled her closer, leaning his chin on her head as the brown mare rushed to greet her favorite person.
Derrick had worried that moving the two mares so soon after rescuing them would make them jumpier, but since arriving at their new place, the brown mare had blossomed. The palomino had relaxed as well, coming to Kiki occasionally for a treat.
“Hey, Reeses.” Derrick chuckled as the mare pushed her head over the fence and up against Derrick’s. “Missed me, did ya?”
Kiki still chuckled at the names Eva had chosen for the two horses. Reeses and Payday, after two of her favorite candies. Though all candy seemed to be Eva’s favorite.
“Okay, enough.” Derrick patted the mare on the neck and threaded his fingers through Kiki’s, leading her back to the large ranch house. “Well, wife, it looks like everything worked out just like we planned. The Redemption Ranch is all set up as a horse rescue and rehabilitation center. Rafe’s buried us so deep, no one will ever connect our ranch here to Stryker Security.”
“And we’re all set as a safe house if they need it for clients?” Kiki wrapped her arm around Derrick’s waist, hooking her fingers in his belt loop.
“Yeah.” He sighed. “There are still additions we’ll want to make so the ranch is even safer, but it’ll work exactly how Zeke envisioned.”
She loved being close beside him. Loved how he always found a reason to touch her. Cherished how they’d found peace and comfort so different from the busyness they’d left in Colorado. She had worried he’d regret leaving the excitement and camaraderie Stryker provided, but each day he seemed to lose himself more and more in life on their ranch. A weight he’d hidden so well had lifted from his shoulders, leaving a man quick to laugh and shrug off the many changes in plans necessary to pull off setting up their life.
“When is your video chat with the ladies?” Derrick’s voice rumbled huskily.
“In two hours. They’re going to call at the wedding dress shop so I can help pick out Chloe’s gown.” If there was anything she missed, it was having the girls around, but being able to talk was a blessing she hadn’t imagined she’d have. “Even Lena is going to be there.”
“Hmm. That’s gonna be rough on her. Ever since Ethan died, she’s avoided anything wedding related like the plague.” Derrick’s thoughtfulness always hit Kiki hard. Maybe because it was such a contrast to Kiki’s own family.
“So … ” Not wanting to slide down the slope thoughts of her family brought, she squeezed him closer. “What’s on the agenda today?”
“Well, we’ve got the house to ourselves.” He stopped and pulled her flush against him.
“We always have the house to ourselves.” She chuckled.
“I think we can find a way to occupy the next two hours. Maybe some slow dancing.” He wagged his eyebrows up and down.
Kiki’s head fell back as a joyful laugh pushed forth. In a swift move, he swept her up into his arms and rushed up the porch stairs. Life had turned out far from what she ever imagined, but Derrick’s love convinced her it was more than worth it.
Sneak Peek-Honoring Lena
Lena Rebel’s skin itched as another round of giggles erupted between her friends. She glanced at her watch and inwardly groaned. They’d been at the dress shop for only thirty minutes, which meant Lena had at least two hours of torture left.
Not that she didn’t want to be with Chloe, Piper, Sam,
and June. Even Cookie had made it via video, blushing every time someone mentioned Derrick. Being on this extended assignment, pretending to be nanny to ex-Congressman Marshall Rand’s son, had shown her how thankful Lena was for the Stryker team and being brought into that odd family. She could’ve gone home to Alaska, but the dreams she and Ethan had built, dreams of running a guiding business side-by-side, haunted her with heart-wrenching sorrow every time she went home.
She knew it wasn’t good to still mourn so deeply over losing her chance at being Mrs. Ethan Stryker. Yet the anger surrounding his death kept the hurt boiling, scorching her with every thought of him. It was fine, really. She’d rather live with the pain than risk her heart again.
Besides, she wasn’t the only one that held onto mourning, refusing to let it slip through their fingers. Marshall Rand’s dark blue eyes that reminded Lena of a troubled sea flashed in her mind. Losing his wife still burdened him, though he seemed better equipped to hide it than Lena. Strange how the death of his wife encouraged him to vote for the bill that caused Ethan’s demise.
Lena wanted to hate Marshall. Yet the longer she protected his son, the more her thoughts inched toward respect. The increase of her pulse flushed her skin with anger. It didn’t matter what the man did now. Him flipping his support of the bill two years before killed Ethan—her fiancé. The only one who’d seen through the tough, awkward girl to the woman within.
Sam glanced at Lena from where the ladies aahed over Chloe’s latest gown, a look of concern on her face. Lena forced a smile and stomped to the buffet of finger foods set out. She’d protect Mr. Rand’s son with her life if she had to. However, she wouldn’t … couldn’t allow anything but disdain to surface for the man who had destroyed her dreams.
Convincing Derrick Page 14