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Authors: Liliana Hart

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BOOK: Sins and Scarlet Lace
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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

 

 

The waiting seemed endless.

Sophia remembered what it was like to sit in a waiting room full of MacKenzies. The way they leaned on each other and told stories of the past to fill the time. They included her just as they had the last time, but this time she had Declan sitting healthy in the seat next to her, so the time didn’t go by in an invisible blur as it had once before.

“He’ll be just fine,” Declan’s mother said for what was probably the thousandth time. “My boys have too much fight in them and are too stubborn to do anything but kick death in the teeth.” Her voice wavered and her husband pulled her in close for a hug.

Mary MacKenzie didn’t shed tears easily, but Sophia could tell she was close to the breaking point. She’d been holding on by a thread for almost twenty-four hours. Thomas came out occasionally with updates, but all he could say was they were doing their best to stabilize him. The last update had been six hours ago.

“She said the same thing when it was you,” Sophia told Dec quietly. “She’s a remarkable woman. I can see why her sons are as just as amazing.”

She and Declan occupied a corner bench, sitting slightly away from the rest of the family. Thomas had insisted she be checked out as well, so her head was bandaged and all of her cuts bandaged. Her head still throbbed, but they’d given her something for the pain so it was bearable, and Thomas had loaned her a pair of blue surgical scrubs since her clothes had been ruined.

“This hell is what you went through when it was me in the operating room,” Dec said. “I knew you were waiting for me. I could hear you in my mind telling me it would all be okay. And I believed you because you never lied to me.” He rubbed his hands over his face and through his hair. “I love you, Sophia. I’m not sure I can ever tell you enough.”

He took her hand and squeezed it once.

“I love you, too. I’m glad we got a second chance to do it right this time.”

The waiting room door opened and Thomas stepped inside. He wasn’t the surgeon who’d worked on Shane, but they’d let him stay and observe. The look on his face had Declan rising to his feet and pulling Sophia up with him. The waiting room went quiet as they waited to hear what he had to say.

“The good news is he’s finally stable and they’ve replaced the blood loss. He’s in critical condition, but the doctor thinks he’s going to be okay. And if he doesn’t have any problems through the night he can downgrade it to serious.”

“Oh, thank God,” Mary said, throwing her arms around her husband and squeezing him tight. Declan’s dad had silver hair, but Sophia could see where Declan had gotten his looks from. James MacKenzie was a strong man, as tall and broad-shouldered as his sons, but you could see the weight of relief being lifted as he enfolded his wife in a hug and let her cry against his chest.

“What’s the bad news?” Cade asked. He stood next to his parents and had his arm around his wife, Bayleigh.

Thomas sighed and looked straight at Declan. “They weren’t able to save one of his legs. They had to take it or he wouldn’t have made it.”

Mary’s sob was muffled against her husband’s chest, and Sophia felt her own tears escape. Declan squeezed her hand so hard it hurt, but she couldn’t let go, not when his pain slammed against her like a tidal wave. Declan had worried over the leg, and he understood his brother’s request to not let them take it because he would have felt the same way. There was no way Shane would ever command his team again or go into the field, and to a man like Shane that might as well be a death sentence.

Mary pulled from her husband’s grasp and wiped her eyes with the tissue Bayleigh had handed her. “Well, now,” she said stiffening her shoulders. “What’s done is done. He’s alive and that’s all that matters, and we’ll help him deal with the rest as a family. When can we see him?”

“It’s probably going to be several more hours until they have him set up in a room.”

“Then I want everyone to go home and get some sleep,” she said, taking charge and shooing her sons and nephews toward the door.

Sophia put her arms around Declan’s waist and lay her head on his chest, taking comfort in the way he held her back.

“He’s going to have a hard time,” he whispered against her ear. “He’s the most stubborn of all of us and the most hard-headed. Accepting isn’t going to be easy for him.”

“No, he just sounds like another MacKenzie I know. But maybe it’ll help him work through it to know that you have a place for him in your company. Something that doesn’t require sitting behind a desk.”

She felt his smile against her temple and breathed in the solidness of the man she’d love for eternity. “You must be a mind reader. I was just thinking that exactly. You told me before that you needed to think about making your home here with me. Have you come to any conclusions?”

Sophia pulled back in his arms so she could look in his eyes. “I have, yes. I’ve decided home is wherever you are.”

“Thank you,” he said simply. “I’ve waited a lot of years for you to become a MacKenzie.”

“It’s a good name, and I’ve waited a long time to share it with you. Let’s go home.”

He took her hand and winked at his mother on the way out the door. “It’s about damned time, Declan MacKenzie,” she called out after them. “Now go get some sleep, the both of you. We’re all going to need our strength in the upcoming weeks. And a lot of prayers,” she whispered, taking her husband’s hand. She knew the battle was still ahead of them with Shane, but at least she no longer had to worry about Declan. He’d finally found his happiness, and as a mother, she couldn’t ask for anything more than that.

“Let’s go home, love,” Jim said, pulling her toward the exit. “It’s time to practice what you preach.”

“What are we going to do? I don’t even know where to begin to help him ease the pain.”

“Sometimes you can’t ease the pain, love. But we’re going to help him by loving him and kicking him in the ass when he needs it. It’s what we’ve always done. MacKenzies aren’t quitters, and Shane is no different.”

They leaned into each other as they left the hospital—a lifetime of love and laughter, children and grandchildren shared between them—knowing the hardest road was the one just in front of them.

 

EPILOGUE

 

 

Three Years Later…

 

Sophia lay down by the lake, the blanket beneath her cushioned by the thick grass, and her hand resting gently on the growing mound of her stomach.

So much had changed in the time she’d been married to Declan. She’d once given up hope that she’d ever have a home or a family. Or children. But Declan had given her all of those things and her heart was almost bursting with the gifts she’d been given—and the second chances. God knows they both deserved them after everything they’d been through.

The baby kicked beneath her hand and she smiled, soothing him with a slow rub as the breeze ruffled the limbs above her.

“You’ll always have a family, little one. No matter what happens in your life your family will always be here for you and love you.”

And that was what it was all about, really. The MacKenzies were a family like none she’d ever seen before, but she couldn’t imagine ever belonging anywhere else. Families weathered storms and heartbreak—thoughts of Shane and what he was going through still filled her with sorrow—but families were also there through the good times and the births and weddings and Sunday dinners. It was the love that made a family work. And trusting that love would never falter.

She heard the squeal of giggles and her heart jumped in her chest at the overwhelming happiness that one sound could bring. Her head turned and she smiled as Declan walked down from the house, their little girl, Grace, up on his shoulders, her blond curls bouncing with every step he took.

She couldn’t imagine having the capability to hold more love inside of her, and from the way Declan looked at her she knew he felt exactly the same way. Dec stopped beside her and plucked Grace off his shoulders and put her on the blanket.

“Hi, mama,” Grace said, her smile showing two shiny teeth. Her eyes drooped despite the attempt to fight sleep.

“Hi, baby.” She touched her soft curls and held out her arm so Grace could snuggle up beside her. She was out like a light as soon as she lay down.

“Hi, mama,” Declan said, leaning over to kiss her softly on the lips. His hand rested next to hers on her belly and she felt his smile in his kiss as the baby kicked again. “I hope you don’t mind me saying that I’ve been thinking we should have another picnic soon.”

“The last time we had a picnic you gave me the baby who is now kicking against my ribs.”

“Mmm,” he agreed. “It’s a good spot for a picnic. Good memories.” He kissed her again, this time a little deeper, a little longer, and her heart thumped in her chest and her blood pounded by the time he pulled away. “I don’t think I’ve told you how much I love you in the last couple of days.”

“Maybe not, but you show me over and over again. So thank you for loving me.”

He grinned and lifted Grace in his arms, careful not to wake her. “Why don’t we go put her in her bed for a nap and you can show me just how grateful you are. I’ll even make sure you have a bed this time.”

She took his hand and let him help pull her to her feet. “It’s hard to pass up an offer like that.”

“I’ve told you, babe. MacKenzies know how to treat a woman right.”

They were both laughing as they walked hand in hand back up the hill. Back home.

 

 

 

A LETTER TO MY READERS

 

 

The MacKenzies are a family near and dear to my heart. Their unwavering loyalty and dedication to one another amazes me every time I sit down to write a book. Thanks to each of you for taking the journey with me and exploring and celebrating the love of this special family, and I know each of you grieve with me whenever there is heartbreak. Every letter and email you send means the world to me because I know this family touches you the same way it does me.

 

The MacKenzie Family novels are obviously far from over, as there are some loose ends to tie up. But don’t worry, you’ll get to see Shane and the rest of the MacKenzie secondary characters get their happily-ever-afters. You can also expect to get to know Declan’s however many times great-grandfather who was one of the first U.S. Marshals. Believe me, the first three MacKenzie brothers to settle in Surrender, Montana are just as wild and adventurous, inside and outside the bedroom, as our modern day MacKenzies.

 

If you find you’re already missing your MacKenzie fix after reading SINS AND SCARLET LACE, make sure you check out Gabe Brennan’s novel,
KILL SHOT
. And you can always come visit over at
The MacKenzie Family Website
.

 

I can’t possibly express my gratitude enough for supporting me and this series. Thank you for reading!

 

Liliana

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

 

Liliana Hart is an award winning author of more than a dozen books. She lives in Texas in a big rambling house with her laptop and cats, and she spends way too much time on Twitter. She loves hearing from her readers.

 

Connect with me online:

http://twitter.com/Liliana_Hart

http://facebook.com/LilianaHart

My Website:
http://www.lilianahart.com

 

If you enjoyed reading
Sins and Scarlet Lace
, I would appreciate it if you would help others enjoy this book, too.

 

Recommend it
. Please help other readers find this book by recommending it to friends, readers’ groups and discussion boards.

 

Review it
. Please tell other readers why you liked this book by reviewing it at Kobo or Goodreads. If you do write a review, please send me an email at
[email protected]
so I can thank you with a personal email. Or visit me at
http://www.lilianahart.com
.

 

JOIN THE LILIANA HART NEWSLETTER!
WIN $100!

 

Beginning in April, I'll be giving away a $100 gift card* on the 15th of the month, and every month after, to one newsletter subscriber. The winner will be announced inside the newsletter, so you'll have to actually open it to see who won:-) So if you're not a newsletter subscriber, go do it. This will also be open to international readers.

*Must be deliverable online

 

LINKS TO MY OTHER BOOKS:

 

Dane

Thomas

Riley

Cooper

A MacKenzie Christmas

MacKenzie Box Set
(includes the 5 books listed above)

Cade

Shadows and Silk

Secrets and Satin

Whiskey Rebellion

Whiskey Sour

Dirty Little Secrets

A Dirty Shame

All About Eve

Paradise Disguised

Catch Me If You Can

Who’s Riding Red?

Goldilocks and the Three Behrs

Naughty or Nice

 

To Die For –

 

A Compilation of 8 Full Length Novels from:

 

Jana DeLeon

Tina Folsom

Colleen Gleason

Denise Grover Swank

Liliana Hart

Debra Holland

Theresa Ragan

Jasinda Wilder

 

Remember Gabe Brennan in
SINS AND SCARLET LACE
? Make sure you mark your calendars for
KILL SHOT
,
available for pre-order now!
. Gabe heats up the pages with his very own story and the start of a new romantic thriller series that will blow your mind!

 

 

Excerpt from
KILL SHOT
:

 

By her calculations, Grace Meredith had exactly five and a half seconds to take out six targets before an alarm sounded. She had a round in the chamber and five in the magazine of her M40A5. Piece of cake.

She ignored the mosquitoes the size of hummingbirds searching for exposed flesh, and she ignored the sweat that dripped steadily down her spine as she looked through the scope of her rifle. The temperature was in the mid-nineties, but the canopy of trees that blanketed the area held the heat in like an oven and slowly baked anyone who didn’t have shelter. Her body and mind were disciplined, so the discomforts didn’t register.

Colombia wasn’t known for its gentle climate. Or gentle anything for that matter. Gemino Vasquez was Colombia’s baddest arms dealer, and lately his biggest client had been North Korea. But Vasquez had something Grace wanted very badly. Something that would bring in a big, fat paycheck from the South Korean government.

She shifted slightly, and the bark of the large tree branch she’d laid on for the last four hours ground against her stomach. But her focus was absolute. Not even the hundred and fifty foot drop to the ground could distract her.

The orange sun blazed just over the tops of the trees, but it would disappear completely in another twenty minutes. By the time it was gone, she’d have the flash drive in hand and already be across the border to Venezuela.

Grace did one final check of all her equipment and took a deep, steadying breath, slowing her heartbeat so her pulse would be in time with each shot. She’d hit the sentry at the top of the Vasquez compound first and then take the rest in order from left to right. She pushed her feet against the tree for balance. The clock ticked in the background of her mind as she put the slightest amount of pressure on the trigger.

“One,” she whispered. She didn’t wait to watch him fall, but moved to the next target. Five seconds until the report from her rifle reached their ears. Five seconds for five more kills.

Two…

Three…

Four…

Five…

Six…

Grace didn’t stop to check the accuracy of her shots. She never missed. She hung her rifle on a tree branch, already missing the feel of it in her hands. Time was of the essence now, and she couldn’t afford to be burdened with too much equipment. The new guards would be driving up soon for the shift change, and she had to be long gone by then.

She took the crossbow she’d hung on another branch, lined it up with the tree that hovered over the roof of the compound, and fired. The bolt buried itself deep in the tree, and she held tight to the crossbow as the cable attached to the bolt threatened to jerk out of her hands. She pulled until the cable was taut and secured the crossbow in the crook of two sturdy branches, tying it down with rope from her bag just to be safe. Falling to her death wouldn’t bring her the money she needed.

Fifteen minutes until all hell broke loose.

Grace slipped on her harness and clipped herself to the cable. She pushed off from the sturdy branch that had been her refuge that afternoon and soared through the treetops like a phantom. And when her momentum died, she put hand over hand on the cable and pulled herself with pure strength to the compound roof.

The body of the first sentry she’d shot lay face down in the greenish-blue water of the swimming pool. A hazy cloud of blood ballooned from under him, and his arms and legs floated like waving ribbons.

Her eyes and ears were alert, but all that greeted her was growing darkness and silence. Even the animals and birds in the jungle knew bad shit was about to go down.

Grace unhooked the harness and pulled her Sig from a thigh holster. She stood silently next to the gray door that led from the roof down a set of stairs to the main floors of the house. Two heartbeats passed before she opened the door and slipped inside. It was quiet, but that wasn’t unusual at this time of the day according to her intel—six sentries on duty surrounding the compound, only two guarding Vasquez’s private suite of rooms.

Vasquez’s stupidity only made her job easier.

Grace walked silently down the thickly carpeted hallway as if she weren’t about to steal the schematics for a new super weapon—a weapon that used state of the art laser technology—and sell it to another country. But the closer she got to Vasquez, the more her spine tingled in awareness that something was wrong. That tingle had saved her life more than once, and she never ignored it. The hallway opened up into a landing just as she reached Vasquez’s private rooms. Weak light filtered through the windows and cast rainbows as it pierced the glass chandelier that hung overhead.

She saw firsthand exactly why her spine was tingling.

Both sentries were slumped against each other—a dead man’s embrace—one with a broken neck and the other with a hunting knife in his carotid. Efficient work considering the size of the sentries.

She pushed the bodies out of her way with her foot and eased the door open, her finger on the trigger of her Sig. All that mattered was the flash drive. If she didn’t produce it then she didn’t get paid.

The smells of new death were thick and cloying in the heat, and she could taste the fresh blood in the back of her throat with every breath she took. Dust mites danced in the air and long shadows were cast in the fading sunlight.

Grace waited for her eyes to adjust and listened for sounds of footsteps, but all she heard was the gentle whir of the wicker fans that rotated slowly on the ceiling. She moved silently, staying close to the wall as she checked each room.

Vasquez’s bedroom was bigger than her whole apartment—the furniture oversized and ornate—the colors garishly red. He was set up for sex. The interesting kind of sex by the looks of it. Restraints and various whips and other tools lined one whole wall, and torn condom packages littered the floor. It looked like Vasquez had had a busy morning. Too bad his afternoon hadn’t turned out so hot.

Gemino Vasquez’s body laid spread eagle on his bed. He was naked, and his eyes were open and unseeing. A single gunshot wound to the heart bled sluggishly. He hadn’t been dead long. She couldn’t stop the bitter disappointment when she saw the flash drive was gone from the chain on his right wrist.

“Dammit,” she whispered and moved to check the covers of his bed just to make sure it hadn’t come off in the struggle. But she knew in her heart it was long gone. She knew the signs of a professional hit, and this job reeked of it. What pissed her off even more was that whoever did it managed to sneak in right under her nose. He had to have known she was watching and snuck in through the one blind spot she had at the back of the compound.

The stir of air behind her was the only warning she had as an arm locked around her throat.

“Looking for this?” a deep voice whispered in her ear, holding the flash drive in front of her face.

He pressed close against her back and squeezed his arm tighter around her throat so she had to breathe shallowly through her nose. Grace winced as he pressed his fingers against the pressure points of her wrist and her pistol fell uselessly to the floor with a dull thunk.

Fear never had a chance to take hold. It was anger that drove Grace. Anger that had kept her alive the last couple of years. And she knew how to wield it. She threw her head back and aimed her heel at his knee simultaneously. He dodged her blows as if he’d been expecting them, but the distraction was enough for him to loosen his grip. She swept her leg and brought him to his knees, reaching down for the knife in her boot. The knife gleamed once in the fading sunlight just before it was knocked out of her hand and across the room.

He outweighed her by close to eighty pounds, and he had a good eight inches on her in height. They grappled and rolled, each one blocking the other’s strikes with only seconds to spare. It was a well choreographed dance.

A familiar dance.

The surprise of recognition took her off guard, and she looked up into laughing blue eyes framed by thick, dark lashes she’d always been jealous of. She had time to register that he’d let his hair grow—a shaggy mane of ink black that curled just over his ears and collar, and a face that was covered in a short, stubbled beard—just before her legs went out from under her. She hit the carpet with a thud. A hard body pressed her into the floor, and he held her wrists captive above her head.

“Hello, Grace.” His breath whispered against her skin, and she couldn’t stop her traitorous body from reacting to his familiar scent. Her nipples hardened and she arched against him. “You’ve been practicing. Who’s your new sparring partner?”

“What do you want, Gabe?” She tried to act as if his growing erection against her thigh wasn’t having any effect, but she could tell by the way he shifted against her that her attempt failed. She bit her lip to stifle a moan as he pressed against the very heat of her. He knew exactly how to weaken her resolve. They’d always been able to read each other much too well.

“I want you, of course.” His lips glanced across her cheek to the corner of her mouth, and she sucked in a breath that brought her body even closer to his. After everything he’d done, he was still the only man who could make her feel less than whole when their bodies weren’t fused together. She hated him for it. She hated herself for it.

“Go to hell.” She struggled against him, but he just shifted his weight to hold her down.

“I’ve been there, thanks. Christ you feel good. Stop wiggling and we’ll talk. Don’t you want to at least hear my offer?”

She stilled her body and relaxed, hoping he’d get distracted long enough for her to make a move. “I don’t want anything you have to offer. Just give me the flash drive.”

“I figure we have exactly four minutes to get out of this place before the new guards show up for the shift change and Armageddon begins. All I’m asking is that you come back with me and listen to my offer. If you hear me out and still turn me down, then I’ll give you the flash drive with no hard feelings, and you can claim your bounty.”

Grace stared at him and tried to decide if he was bluffing. “I don’t trust you.”

“You never have. But what I’m offering will pay you more than double any of the jobs you’ve recently taken. Just hear me out.”

“Fine. Just move your hard-on and let’s get the hell out of here.”

“Darlin’, I have scars on my back from the last time you asked me to move my hard-on. Be careful what you wish for.”

“You son of a bitch.”

“So you’ve told me before. Let’s go before Vasquez’s men get here. I’ve got a pick up scheduled in twenty on the other side of the border.”

Grace had no choice but to follow him out of one hell and into another.

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