Guns 'N' Tulips (5 page)

“Well, well. If it isn’t Connor ‘Conman’
Kavanagh,” Paul said, contempt coating each word. Connor grunted
when a well-placed knee sank into the middle of his back. Paul
grabbed one of his arms, angling it sharply behind him and snapped
a cuff around his wrist so tightly it dug into his skin. Okay, Paul
was pissed. He got it. His former partner made short work of
cuffing Connor’s other wrist, then dragged him to his knees using
only the cuff chain. It was a wonder his arms weren’t pulled out of
their sockets.

“Take it easy, Paul. I’m not going
anywhere.”

“News flash, asshole. You’re going to prison.
No getting off on a technicality this time.”

Everyone laughed and jeered. Connor didn’t
recognize all of them, but it was obvious from the angry faces of
his old unit that none of them knew about his mission. He had to
keep it cool if he didn’t want his teeth kicked in. Or his head
blown off.

Tugging on Connor’s elbows, Paul pulled him
to his feet. “You know what they do to cops in prison?” Paul asked,
his mouth pressed to Connor’s ear. “Remember Benny? He’s waiting
for you. Needs a new bitch.”

Shit
. Just the
thought of Benny Pumoni, the mobster henchman Connor had collared
last year, touching him anywhere below the belt made Connor want to
puke. But he wouldn’t give Paul the satisfaction of seeing the
horror he felt. Instead, he asked the question he most wanted
answered. “Where’s Lily? Is she okay?”

Paul jerked him around, anger contorting his
face. “Like you care? If you wanted to protect her, why did you
bring your new friends to rob her bank? She’s the fucking loan
manager. Did you want her dead?”

“Of course not, I had no idea she’d be here.”
The thought of what could have happened to Lily left him cold. He
needed to see her, needed to know she was all right. Oh God, the
baby. What if all this stress hurt the baby?

The crowd
of officers surrounding them parted like the Red Sea, revealing not
Moses, but Captain Morris.
Hallelujah
. After a moment, Morris nodded to Paul. “Uncuff him,
Officer Thorten.”

“But, sir, he’s one of the Bandits.”

“Now.”

Paul undid the cuffs and shoved him forward.
Captain Morris shot Paul a narrowed glare, then turned to include
the rest of the officers. That’s when Connor realized many of them
still had their guns trained on him. He looked around, studying the
faces of his closest friends—masks of disgust and disapproval.
Everyone seemed to be waiting for him to make a wrong move.

“Put away your weapons,” Captain Morris
barked, reaching into his pocket. When he pulled his hand out,
something glinted in his palm. It was the right size and shape.
Every molecule of air in Connor’s lungs seized. Was that his badge?
His heart pounded and his vision tunneled as he eyed the shiny
metal. It seemed like a lifetime ago that he’d handed his badge
over to the captain as part of the cloud of lies and innuendo that
made up his cover. His gaze rose to Morris’s face, almost not
daring to hope.

Morris held out his hand. “Kavanagh—”

Before the man could say another word, Lily
launched herself at Connor. He barely had time to catch her. But
when he felt her soft body against his chest, her legs circling his
waist, his arms closed around her protectively. More precious to
him than any badge, Lily was everything, and he never wanted to let
her go again. He just hoped it wasn’t too late for them.

“I was so scared. I thought they were going
to kill you before you could get everything straightened out.”
Ignoring the presence of Captain Morris and everyone else around
them, Lily clasped his cheeks and sealed her lips to his. If he
died right now, he’d die happy. Her hands slipped from his cheeks
to his back, her fingers touching and probing as if to be sure he
was okay. Laughter bubbled in his chest. She’d always been a good
multitasker. When she unlocked her ankles and slid down his body,
he didn’t know whether to shout with pleasure or cry with
regret.

She stopped her exploration and looked up at
him, a grin on her face. “What’s this?”

“What?” he asked, loving the glow brightening
her cheeks.

“Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you
just happy to see me?” she asked with a saucy sway of her hips.

Uh-oh.
Instantly, every officer around them drew their weapons.
Connor pulled Lily behind him and glared at his former colleagues.
“Don’t fucking point your guns at my fiancée.”

“Ex-fiancée,” Paul called out helpfully.

Oh yeah, dickhead?
He’d take care of that right now. He turned to Captain
Morris. “May I?”

Eyes alight with secrets, his boss smiled and
waved for him to go ahead. Connor pulled out the box containing
Lily’s engagement ring. She’d mailed it to the precinct after he’d
been arrested four long months ago. He’d kept it in his pocket
since the day Morris had returned it to him, hoping he’d someday
put it back on her finger. Where it belonged. Was that day today?
He prayed to Saint Patrick that it was.

Turning to Lily, he dropped to one knee and
opened the box.

Her hands shot to her face. “Oh, Connor.”

“This is so not the way I imagined this scene
ever going down, but I guess when it’s the right time, it’s the
right time.” But was it, or was he making a huge mistake? Shit. He
should have waited until they were alone. One of his friends had
proposed in a restaurant, and he remembered telling Lily he’d never
do that to her, that only an insecure twit would impose the
pressure of a public proposal on the woman he loved. The corners of
her pretty pink lips tipped up as though she knew what he was
thinking.

He took a deep breath and brought her fingers
to his mouth, kissing them. “Lily Stephens. Will you do me the
great honor of becoming my wife?”

Her brown eyes filled with tears, and his
heart seized. He knew it. What an idiot he was. Lily was probably
still pissed at him for the way he’d left without telling her
anything. What had he expected? That she’d forgive him and fall
into his arms, just because he’d told her he loved her? Those were
just words. She deserved so much more from him. He started to get
up. “I’m so—”

“Of course. Yes! Yes, I’ll be your wife,” she
shouted, brushing at her wet cheeks.

“Are you sure?”

She stroked his chin and smiled. “You’re a
good man, Connor.”

“
Thank
you, Saint Patrick,” he said, pressing a kiss to her belly. That
was his child growing in there.
Their
child.

He stood up and hugged her. “I’ll make
everything up to you, Lily. I promise from now on, no more
secrets.”

A hand clapped him on the shoulder. “I guess
congratulations are in order, Detective Kavanagh.”

Connor glanced at Lily, whose mystified
expression reflected his own confusion. He turned to Captain
Morris. “I think there’s been a mistake, sir.”

“No mistake, son. You completed the mission
and earned yourself a promotion. Good job, Kavanagh. I hope I’ll be
invited to the wedding.”

“Of course, sir,” Connor said, shaking the
man’s hand.

One by one, his former unit members stepped
forward, offering their best wishes. Several still seemed
uncertain, but by returning his badge and giving him a public
promotion, Captain Morris had absolved him of guilt. What better
engagement present could he have asked for?

As he hugged Lily, he let the thrill and
excitement sink in. All his dreams were coming true: he’d stopped
the Bank Bandits, he had his badge back, he had Lily in his arms
again, and they had a baby on the way.

Lily’s laughter jerked Connor from his
reverie. Paul stood in front of them, a broad grin on his face. He
held out a bunch of tulips, hastily cut. A couple even still had
the bulbs attached. Paul handed Lily the tulips and pulled Connor
into a man-hug. “You’re one hell of an actor.”

He chuckled. “I doubt I’ll be getting an
Oscar.”

“I should have known better. I should have
trusted you.”

Lily wrapped her arm around Connor’s waist.
“We both should have had more faith in you.”

Connor looked at his fiancée and his best
friend and knew that things were going to be okay.

The clouds parted and the sun warmed his
face.

Spring had finally arrived and Connor had his
life back. A new beginning. A second chance to do things right.

The End

Book One of the Deadly Vices romantic
suspense series

When an Oscar-winning movie star meets a
department-store photographer…

Movie star Nic Lamoureux appears to have a
playboy’s perfect life. But it’s a part he plays, an act designed
to conceal a dark secret he carries on his shoulders. His empty
days and nights are a meaningless blur until he meets the woman who
fulfills all his dreams. She and her son are the family he’s always
wanted—if she can forgive a horrible mistake from his past.

A Hollywood dream…

Lauren James, a widowed single mother, earns
barely enough money to support herself and her son. When she wins a
photography contest and meets Nic, the man who stars in all her
fantasies, her dreams, both professional and personal, are on the
verge of becoming real. The attraction between Lauren and Nic is
instant—and mutual. Their chemistry burns out of control during a
photo shoot that could put Lauren on the fast track to a lucrative
career.

Becomes a Hollywood nightmare

But an ill-advised kiss makes front-page
news, and the lurid headlines threaten everything Nic and Lauren
have hoped for. Before they know what’s happening, their
relationship is further rocked by an obsessed and cunning stalker
who’ll stop at nothing—not even murder—to have Nic to herself. When
Nic falls for Lauren, the stalker zeroes in on her as the
competition.

And the competition must be eliminated.

Continue Reading for an Excerpt from
Deadly Obsession

Don’t forget Nic—you belong to me. If you
stray, she’ll pay.

The
darkened theater closed around Nic Lamoureux like a cave, filled
with unknown, unseen dangers. How had the stalker gotten his
private number? Clenching the cell phone in his fist, he glanced at
his
Bad
Days
co-star, Jane
Carver, sitting on his right, then at his agent, Vivian Carmichael,
on his left. Which woman was the message targeting? With a flick of
his thumb, he brought up the text again. Sweat beaded on his back,
making his silk shirt cling to his skin.

Jane leaned in close and smiled, oblivious.
“You were great in this scene. Oscar-worthy.” He studied her face.
Why would anyone want to hurt her? Jane was beautiful, intelligent,
and absolutely unavailable. During one of their late nights working
on the next day’s scenes, he’d discovered her secret engagement to
the film’s director. If anything happened to Jane because of one of
his crazy fans, her fiancé would have his balls.

As Jane settled back in her seat, a woman in
the next row turned around to face him. Light from the screen
reflected off something in her hand. On instinct, he twisted
sideways to protect Jane. Blood pounded in his ears, drowning out
the sound of gunfire blasting from speakers all around the theater.
After snapping a photo with her camera phone, the woman gave him a
thumbs-up and returned to watch the movie.

Vivian patted his arm as he sat back and shot
him a questioning look. After flashing her what he hoped was an
easy smile, he caught his bodyguard’s eye. Kaden leaned across
Vivian’s seat. “Everything okay, sir?”

Tucking the phone in his hand, he reached
over, resting his arm on Vivian’s shoulders, and slipped Kaden the
phone. His bodyguard barely glanced at the message before standing
up, his mouth a thin line. “Sir, we need to leave.” Nic started to
tell him to sit down, that the movie was almost over, but the words
died on his lips. Kaden’s hand hovered above his gun as his eyes
raked the crowd. “You’re too exposed.” He signaled to Jane’s
bodyguard. “Get her out of here.”

Kaden was right. The sender could be any one
of the hundreds of people crowding the screening room. Nic grabbed
Vivian’s hand. “Let’s go.”

“But—”

“Now.” Nic jerked his head in Kaden’s
direction. She nodded, eyes wide. Kaden rushed them outside,
calling out to the festival security guards to back him up as they
ran to their limo. Nic glanced behind to make sure Jane was taken
care of. Seeing her bodyguard secure her in a limo, he relaxed. A
bit. He still had Vivian to worry about.

When they reached their limo, he opened the
door and pushed Vivian inside as Kaden climbed into the driver’s
seat and started the engine. They slammed the doors shut and took
off, tires squealing.

“Darling,” Vivian said after fastening her
seatbelt and straightening her skirt. “What the hell was that
about? Taking off in the middle of your own premiere? How do you
expect me to spin this with the press?”

He shot her a flirty grin. “Tell them I had a
hot date.”

“A booty call? That’s your excuse?” Vivian
sighed and brushed a loose strand of auburn hair from her cheek.
“Tell me the truth. What’s going on?”

Trying not to scare her, he shrugged. “I was
being watched.”

Vivian stared at him for a moment, then
dropped her head against the seat and laughed. “Of course you were.
Do you think people came to the premiere tonight to see your movie?
No, they came to see Nic The Lover.”