Colt, Billionaire Reunion: Sweet, Clean Christian Romance with Suspense (Billionaire Protectors Book 2)

by Alexa Verde

  Apprehension twisted his gut. What could be worse than what she’d already said?

  As she spoke, she unwound the huge gauzy scarf around her neck and pulled down her shirt collar, revealing not the smooth and perfect neck and shoulders she’d once had, but shiny pink puckered scars.

  Tears stung his eyes.

  Oh God, no. My poor beautiful Mirabella. She’s endured so much. Help her, please, Lord. Help me to help her.

  “This.” She touched her throat and then down to her hips. “Most of… most of my body is now like this. My face is still scarred, too, despite the surgeries, which is why I wear so much makeup now. I’m not the woman you married.”

  He needed to choose his words so carefully, be sure to say the right thing. “I’m so sorry you’ve had to live with all this. But… you thought it would make a difference? I’m not that sort of man.”

  “It—when we were married, the physical side of things was so important. You told me you loved my long hair and my smooth skin.” Her shoulders raised in a small shrug, and her eyes held a painful fear of rejection. “I don’t have either, now.”

  And, at that moment, he knew he loved this woman.

  Not only the fiery, tall, redheaded beauty he’d met when he’d visited his brother at work five years ago, the most magnificent woman he’d ever seen. But also this fragile woman with an independent streak a mile wide and a bleeding hurting heart that could still love the children of the man who’d humiliated her as if they were her own. Even if, every time she saw them, they must remind her that she’d never be able to have kids of her own. A woman who lived with scars that must cause her physical and emotional pain every day.

  And then he knew what he needed to do. Love her with her scars, both the ones that showed and the ones that didn’t. Not despite her scars, with them.

  Lowering his head, he pressed his lips to the scarred skin she’d revealed on her shoulder, and she quivered. He drew her into his arms, half-expecting her to withdraw. Instead, she nestled against him, warm, vital, trusting. Gazing at him, wonder lighting her eyes, her lips parted in what he hoped was an invitation.

  His heartbeat went into overdrive. Did that mean…? The anticipation of the kiss made his blood surge faster.

  As if to erase his doubts, she whispered, “Kiss me.”

  He chuckled. “Looks like our communication is improving already.”

  Then he claimed her lips with his, and his heart sang with delight. A delicious wave rippled through his body, and the world around them stopped existing. All that mattered was this God-given moment, the sweetness of her lips, the way she melted into him, the sense of oneness. A hint of what a one-flesh marriage could be, something he’d never experienced in their life together. Something far transcending mere physical desire. Instead, he knew a heart-deep, soul-deep connection.

  He didn’t know who pulled away first, but he knew his life from now on would be different. Better.

  He still needed to learn a lot of things about Mirabella, and he was looking forward to discovering each one. Apparently, he had to learn a lot of things about himself, too. Suppressing emotions had led them nowhere. It only made them blow up worse, like the day Mirabella told him she had to leave for some time.

  He’d need to put God in the center of his marriage, too. Something he’d done only half-heartedly before.

  Marriage?

  Whoa.

  Was he considering marrying Mirabella again?

  Oh yes, he was.

  “When this investigation about the Daisy Killer is over, would you like to start over?” He brushed her bangs away from her beautiful eyes.

  Her lips tugged up slightly. “Aren’t we doing it already?”

  “I guess we are.” He couldn’t stop grinning.

  Of course, before things could happen between them again, he’d need to help her stay alive. With them getting shot at, it wasn’t going to be easy.

  Lord, please help us.

  Back at the log cabin, Mirabella made a quick sweep of the perimeter and then checked the camera recordings. Paying attention to her surroundings was harder work than usual. Not easy when all she wanted to look at was Colt.

  Nothing suspicious. She breathed a little easier. And Moirah and Jackson reported no worrying incidents at the ranch house. She and Colt had discussed whether returning home would be safe, and they’d both decided the cabin was probably the wiser option, at least for tonight.

  Wiser for safety to be here, but maybe not so wise for their hearts. Alone together in the isolated cabin, they’d need to remember when to rein in their feelings if they kissed again. Best not to kiss at all, much as she longed to.

  Back there in the parking lot, he’d turned her expectations upside down. And those changes demanded a lot from her. She’d need to forgive herself for leaving. She’d need to believe she could live her life without secrets, unlike her mother. Telling Colt about the explosion at the lab in Spain was the first step.

  A very important step.

  Letting him see one of her scars had been a second important step.

  As if he knew what she was thinking, he spoke. “Thank you for trusting me with your secrets.” His eyes settled for a brief moment on her lips before moving to her eyes, reminding her of their kiss.

  A warm wave rose inside her.

  “Would you like me to cook something for dinner?” A great cook she was not, but she could surely put something together.

  He winced. Obviously, he remembered her cooking. “I just talked to Fred. He confirmed Jade’s story and apologized for being untruthful to me. He offered to join us here, but I told him he’s suspended from duty for the time being. I’ll have to decide what to do about him lying. I need to be able to trust the people who are near to me.”

  Trust. The same issue Colt had with her.

  A frisson of guilt shook Mirabella. Guilt for the lies she’d told, the lies that turned her father against her and made her unworthy of his love. Guilt for not being more open with Colt in their marriage. At least she’d never lied to him.

  Not told him the whole truth, sure. But actual lies, no.

  Suddenly, she realized something. Something so obvious, she could almost smack herself up the side of her head.

  God didn’t want her to feel guilty. Jesus didn’t die for us so we could feel guilty. He died to take away our guilt. She’d messed up, sure. Messed up badly. But He wanted her to hand the lies and the guilt over to Him, so He could forgive her. Her human father might never forgive her, but her heavenly Father would. And then, she could forgive herself.

  Closing her eyes for a moment, she prayed.

  Father, please forgive me for the lies I told. Help me to always be truthful from now on. And help me to forgive myself for lying. Help me to believe I’m worthy of love, despite my past mistakes. Your love and, maybe, Colt’s? Thank You, dear Lord. Thank You that I can ask this of You in Jesus’ name, amen.

  Everything didn’t instantly change, but forgiveness and love felt a lot more possible. Opening her eyes, she looked straight into Colt’s smiling blue gaze. Had he guessed what she’d prayed about?

  “Dinner?” she asked.

  He glanced away. “Umm… let’s cook together. There should be plenty of great meat cuts here. Vegetables, too.”

  She planted her palms on her hips and eyed him. “You don’t trust my cooking, do you?”

  “I just love to cook. You know how I am with the barbecue.” True, but his voice rang a little too cheerful.

  Uh-oh. “During our marriage, was it that bad?” She wasn’t really the domesticated type, and it showed.

  Colt lifted his hands in surrender. “Please don’t hate me, but a guy can suffer indigestion and, um, other digestive issues, only so many times.”

  “I’m sorry. I could’ve taken cooking classes. Or asked Moirah for lessons.” Maybe, for Colt, she could learn to be domesticated. At least a bit.

  “Or I can teach you. There are more important things to a marriage than
cooking.” He swept her into his embrace, and her heart beat faster. “We should’ve started communicating like this a long time ago. My stomach would’ve been thankful.” He grinned and flickered a wink, then dipped his head a little.

  Was he going to kiss her? Anticipation made her deliciously dizzy. And yes, those rarely felt butterflies returned, fluttering soft wings in her belly as she and Colt gazed into each other’s eyes, savoring the inevitability of a sweet kiss.

  Before his lips met hers, his cell phone rang. Looking into her eyes, he ignored it.

  “It might be important,” she forced herself to say. “The kids.”

  “It’s past their bedtime. And that’s not David’s ringtone. But I suppose I’d better pick up.” With visible reluctance, he answered the phone. Then his eyebrows twitched together as he listened to something.

  Please, Lord, not the twins?

  “I can’t be at the lab right now, sorry. You’ll have to take care of it yourself.” He disconnected.

  She studied him. “Something at the lab is demanding your presence?”

  A muscle moved in his jaw. “Yes, but you’re far more important to me. There’s been a small incident at the lab, but my staff should be able to deal with it. The guys have gotten too used to having me on tap. I need to get them to start problem-solving on their own.”

  All those times she’d made a face during their marriage when he’d had to leave for his lab. Never mind all the times she’d left in the middle of the night if a case warranted it. She’d hated it being the other way around. A perfect opportunity to show him she’d changed.

  Her memories of the lab explosion weren’t quite so painful now, and Colt was something of a scientific genius. She should admire that about him, instead of resenting his work for taking him away from her. Accepting Colt the way he was meant accepting his lab work and making it clear to him she accepted it. Just as she wanted him to accept her work.

  Communication was the key.

  She wasn’t good at communicating. But she could learn, with God’s help. For Colt and the children, she’d learn.

  Chapter Twenty

  As Mirabella leaned toward Colt, she touched his hand. Time to start communicating honestly. “Please go. What’s important to you is important to me, and that includes your work. I admire everything you accomplished.”

  “You’ve never told me this.” His eyes lit up. Then they dimmed a little. “But I don’t want to leave you alone here.”

  “Come on.” She blew her bangs away from her eyes. “This house has a state-of-the-art security system. I’m sure I’m safe here.”

  “Still, I don’t want to leave you.” He shook his head.

  “I need to do some research anyway. Really, it’s fine.” She grinned. “And hey, you get to escape my cooking.”

  “For you, I’d even eat your cooking. Thanks for letting me go. It’s a new guy in my lab, and he seems unsure of the correct procedure. I’ll be back soon.” He planted a kiss on her cheek. Enough to start those corny little butterflies fluttering their wings far faster. “I’ll leave the car with you and take a motorbike. You’ve got me wanting to ride again.”

  “Ride carefully.” She brushed his lips with hers, then stepped back fast, knowing if they lip-locked in a proper kiss, she wouldn’t want to let him go.

  She realized something else now, too. All those nights she’d vanished when work called. No surprise Colt thought she had a lover. It still hurt that he’d think that of her, but with God’s help, she could forgive him for wondering. Just as she could forgive herself for all those secrets and lies.

  Once she secured the door behind him and did another round of camera views, she settled on the couch to check her emails. Then she closed her eyes and did her best to place the facts about this case in order.

  A copycat murder. A bouquet of daisies used to cover up something else. A murder for profit.

  Life insurance. Karli had a substantial life insurance.

  Weaker stabs in the last murder and a different MO. Were they done by a woman—Jade or Scarlett? Or was this simply to make it appear as if someone else had done it?

  A suspicion struck her.

  Now it all made sense. Terrible, horrible sense. She just needed to discover the proof.

  Mirabella’s eyelids jerked open. She pulled up the files and studied them again. Then she emailed one of her associates to do some background work for her. Her network had come through earlier, and this time she knew enough to ask the right questions.

  She’d had that gut feeling from the start that Karli’s murder was different from the rest, and she was right. Cantorini had probably been furious when somebody copied his signature. No wonder he’d increased his kill rate.

  She’d even come close to the culprit then. Why hadn’t she dug deeper? Why? Her stomach twisted.

  Of course, now that she was back in business, he was afraid she’d be digging again. Which, of course, she had. An unsolved case nagged at her, demanded she finish what she’d started.

  He’d needed to distract her, make it look like the Daisy Killer was back. Or at the very least, there was a copycat. The guilt punching her in the gut nearly left her breathless. She knew she had to hand it over to God, but she couldn’t.

  That poor girl’s death was her fault. Because she hadn’t figured out sooner who the real killer was and why they’d killed. A murderer who simply wanted to cover his tracks. Someone who’d killed once for personal gain wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. And again.

  Her ringtone echoed in the silent cabin, startling her. As she picked up the cell phone and glanced at the screen, her stomach chilled, and her fingers tightened on the phone.

  Was what she suspected might happen already happening?

  “I may have made a big mistake.” Mr. McCoy’s rapid words held a panicked edge. “I confronted Ross on the phone, and he admitted to killing Karli. He threatened me and said he’d make me sorry. He’s clearly been drinking, and I’m worried about what he might do. Of course, he knows where I live.”

  So, it was happening already. Her mind whirled. Guessing what would be next, she snatched up her purse. She’d need her gun, for sure. “Oh no. This is dreadful.”

  “He told me he murdered that other girl last night to make it look like the Daisy Killer did it, so he could get away with Karli’s murder.” The older man’s voice shook. “I need to leave here. Maybe even leave the country. I’m afraid Ross will come after me. I just wanted to let you know.”

  “I understand. Thank you for telling me. Maybe… I can drive you somewhere?” Still speaking into her phone, she grabbed the car keys from the counter and rushed out the door.

  “You’re a true friend, and I thank you for that. You were a true friend to Karli, too. But it’s okay. I have the doors and windows locked. I’m making arrangements to leave. I just wanted to let you know. In case… in case anything happens.”

  Mirabella knew exactly what he meant, knew for sure that something would happen. As she ended the call, adrenaline surged through her veins.

  She jumped into the car and turned the key in the ignition, instinct warning her she’d hear from him again before she got there. Tires squealed as she took off. Thankfully, the McCoys’ house was this side of Austin, and she could get there fast, avoiding main roads and, therefore, major traffic. She’d visited Karli often enough to know the fastest routes there. It wouldn’t take longer to get there from the cabin than from Colt’s ranch house.

  Oh how much she needed Colt right now, his quiet strength and confidence. She’d finally learned that accepting his help didn’t make her weak. Accepting God’s help didn’t make her weak, either. Love made her vulnerable, but that wasn’t the same as weak. Maybe, eventually, she could be with Colt. If he could learn to trust her enough.

  As she expected, her cell phone rang again when she’d almost reached the mansion, and she answered on the hands-free. No one spoke, but she heard a thump as if something dropped on the floor.

&nbs
p; Mr. McCoy’s scream in the background froze her blood, and she pressed harder on the accelerator. “Ross, how did you get in here? The door was locked! Put down the gun!”

  Then another sound. As if the phone had been crushed.

  Silence after that. Only her car tires squealing as she took a corner at high speed.

  Lord, help me! What should I do?

  Get there as fast as possible, obviously. But what else?

  Call the police? No. At the sirens, the murderer would pull the trigger. And she couldn’t let another innocent person die.

  Call Colt? Yes. She’d left before without telling him what was going on, and the consequences weren’t good.

  She called his phone number on the hands-free as she passed a slower car and listened to long beeps. She should’ve taken a motorcycle. It would’ve been faster. Too late now. Too late for so many things.

  Like hugging her children as if it were the last time—because it might be. Or telling Colt how she felt about him. The call went to his voice mail. Fast as she could, she explained where she was going, who the killer was, and why he’d killed. She paused a moment before she said, “I love you. Always have. Always will. I’ll do my best to survive. But if not, please take care of Corbin and Kitty for me.”

  Impossible to say anything else. Emotion closed her throat. So she simply disconnected. At least she’d said the words. Told him she loved him.

  Honking, she passed another car. She entered the familiar neighborhood, close to the McCoy mansion. What she needed to do was dangerous. She’d have to be smart about it.

  But no ideas appeared in her mind.

  History was repeating herself. She was putting her life on the line and possibly leaving Colt and the twins behind. But how could she let an innocent man suffer just because she’d realized the truth too late?

  No more time left to come up with a strategy. Would she even make it in time? And what would she do when she got there? She’d have to find the right words to convince the killer to give up his weapon. And talking wasn’t her strong suit.

  For a moment, uncertainty took over. She couldn’t lose her children again, couldn’t lose Colt. She might not even be able to do anything, and as a result, there’d be two murders tonight instead of one.