Last Chance (19 page)

107

Christy Reece

She snuggled in his arms and Lucas felt his heart pound faster. Of all

the women in the world he had known, and there had been many, why did

this one small woman create such a mass of unrivaled feelings within him?

He wasn't an emotional person. It had just never been in his makeup. His

father had been the fiery, emotional one in the family. Lucas was known

more for his cold, objective reasoning.

Growing up with a man like Phillip Kane, Lucas had sometimes felt

more the parent than the child. He'd loved his father, but seeing him look for

something all his life and never find it, Lucas had determined early on that to

have those kinds of wants and needs only led to heartache.

And he was more than aware that the woman lying in his arms had

broken through those barriers.

Common sense told him to get his head together. From the moment he

met McKenna, he'd felt this odd connection with her. While he willingly

admitted that, it didn't mean that he had to behave like a complete idiot. A

man could have affection for a woman without going completely crazy over

her. McKenna was a special woman and he would do everything in his

power to make sure not only that she stayed safe but that she knew he cared

deeply for her. That sure as hell didn't mean he had lost his mind over her.

He was a grown man, not a pubescent teenager. One who had control of his

body, his mind, and his heart.

She stirred suddenly. Sleepy eyes blinked open and were unfocused

for an instant. Then, as if she realized where she was and who held her, she

smiled. His chest tightened almost painfully, and Lucas gritted his teeth,

reminding himself of his self-lecture barely five seconds before.

"I'm so glad you're here with me," she whispered.

Holding her closer, Lucas looked out at the green and brown

landscape speeding by as the vehicle headed to his estate. Perhaps he was

more like his father than he thought.

Palm Beach

Damon stood over the body of Carlos Ortez, his former, and now very

dead, investigator. It had taken days to hunt down the bastard. He'd

apparently heard about his enormous mistake and had gone into hiding.

While Damon waited for him to be found, his fury had built to monstrous

proportions. When Carlos had stumbled from the van that carried him inside

the compound, Damon had detonated.

His favorite knife, the one he always carried clipped at his waist, had

been in his hand and then deep inside Carlos's gut before the man knew what

was coming. It had been years since he had enjoyed a killing as much as this

one. Carlos was soaked with blood. Damon didn't have a speck on him.

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Christy Reece

Years ago, he had killed in violence, without regard to either the

consequences or the mess. Now, not only was he more controlled in his kills,

they were some of the cleanest. It was a challenge he liked to give himself.

The bloodiest of killings without a spot on him. He was a perfectionist, and

looking down at his pristine white shirt and pants, he realized he had reached

perfection. What made it even more amazing was he'd never killed anyone

when his mind had been fueled by so much fury. Not even McKenna's

parents had caused such anger.

The man had died in excruciating agony. Damon only wished he

could do it all again but make it even more painful. The idiot had kidnapped

the wrong fucking woman. Not only had Damon treated the bitch with

kindness and hospitality, he'd been ready to marry her. Carlos had received

his just deserts. And so had the woman.

He hadn't killed her, as he'd wanted. Though he'd been about to wring

her scrawny neck, she had whispered an apology for her deceit. That had

saved her life. Besides, killing her would have been too easy, so he had sold

her to one of his clients. Since she had been a bit hideous-looking when he

had finished with her, she hadn't brought the price he would have gotten

otherwise. But money hadn't been important. It was her punishment he

wanted, not a profit. Just because he'd spared her life didn't mean she didn't

deserve great punishment.

He hadn't bothered asking her why she hadn't told him at the

beginning. What good would that have done? What was done was done. She

might have apologized, but her apologies hadn't made his pain disappear. He

made sure she sincerely regretted her deception.

The woman would eventually heal and the man she belonged to would

get good use of her. Or she would be sold to someone else. It didn't matter.

She didn't matter.

McKenna
. She was what mattered. He had thought he had her back

with him. But she still eluded him. His heart cried out for her. His body

ached to feel her warm, soft body beneath him. Now he had to hire a new

team of investigators and they had to start all over again.

Fury refueled and washed over him; he kicked viciously at the

bloodied, lifeless body. Pulling his foot back, Damon cursed violently. He'd

gotten blood on his shoe after all.

London

McKenna blinked sleep away. Sitting up, she leaned against the

headboard, pleased to realize that for the first time in days, she was

clearheaded and felt halfway human. She was still weak, but a few good

meals should take care of that.

109

Christy Reece

Decisions had to be made soon. Lucas had been so wonderful to her,

and she had taken advantage of him. She couldn't do that much longer. The

longer she stayed, the more she wanted to stay forever. Forever with Lucas

was an impossibility, and the time had come to accept that. She'd been living

in a dream for almost two weeks. In a few days she would be well enough to

leave. And leave she must. That was the only forever in her future. Leave

Lucas forever.

Oh God, it hurt to admit that. Lucas was everything she'd dreamed of

when she was a teenager. A knight in shining armor, gallant, kind, and

devastatingly handsome. Every young girl's dream. And then had come

Damon and all of her fantasies disappeared. Damon had replaced them with

horror, death, and destruction. Abuse. Everything hell consisted of was

inside Damon. He had destroyed those girlhood dreams. She had never

thought to have anything like those feelings back inside her. Lucas had

returned them to her, and she would be forever grateful to him. There were

true white knights in this world.

But she was no damsel in distress and she was most certainly not a

princess. She had a role and a purpose. She rescued people and she saved

lives. Her purpose and life were important. Even if she didn't have a

maniacal murderer hunting for her, Lucas's world and hers could never be

the same.

"You appear to be feeling much better."

She smiled as Lucas came into the room. "Almost one hundred

percent, thanks to you."

He sat on the edge of the bed. "Feel like getting up and having

breakfast with me?"

"Absolutely. For the first time in days, I'm ravenous."

"Good. I told the cook you were feeling better, so I think you'll be

pleased with her offering."

A knock on the door had Lucas stalking toward it. She heard his deep

voice thank Conrad for the delivery, and then Lucas rolled in a loaded cart

filled with enough food to feed a family of six.

Her stomach growled in approval. "It smells wonderful."

"Come eat."

McKenna got to her feet. She knew Lucas watched her to make sure

she was steady, but she appreciated that he allowed her to stand on her own

without trying to hold her up. She needed to regain her strength as soon as

possible. The reason behind that need dampened her spirits, but McKenna

refused to acknowledge it. For the here and now, she was with Lucas. She

would face what she had to do later.

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Christy Reece

The nightgown was a bit skimpier than she would have liked, and she

was thankful for the robe lying at the end of the bed. She knew Lucas had

undressed her...knew he had seen the scars. It was time to answer those

questions gleaming in his eyes.

First breakfast, then the truth. Lucas needed to know everything. Who

she was and what she had done. And then he would understand why, very

soon, she would have to leave him forever.

111

Christy Reece

Twelve

Lucas had concurrent feelings running through him as he watched

McKenna slowly make her way across the room. On one hand, he was

enormously relieved to see the color in her cheeks and the sparkle in her

eyes. She was beginning to look like the old McKenna. On the other hand,

dread and sadness swept over him. McKenna was gearing herself up to

leave.

She didn't know that every expression on her face had been open for

him to read from the moment he met her. If he told her, she'd try to mask her

thoughts. It was hard enough that McKenna had secrets; damned if he'd give

her another way to hide from him.

Filling a plate with some of her favorites, Lucas handed it to her and

then sat down, ready to be exquisitely tortured. Watching McKenna was

incredibly sexy. The way she ate, the sounds she made, everything about her

consumption of food turned him on. It was the oddest thing, but no way in

hell did he plan to deprive himself of those moments, no matter how

torturous they were.

She took one bite of toast and then dropped it back on her plate.

He frowned at her bent head. "Something wrong?"

"My full name is McKenna Sloan and my entire family was murdered

because of me."

He didn't say anything. Whatever he said wouldn't be appropriate, so

he waited.

When she lifted her face to look at him, Lucas's chest went so tight it

hurt--a reflection of the pain brimming in her eyes.

"We lived in Nebraska, in a little town outside of Omaha. My mom,

dad, my little sister, Amy, and me. Amy was two years younger." A small

smile. "She followed me around everywhere...drove me crazy. She's the one

who told them about Damon."

"Damon?"

The pain in her eyes became even starker. Lucas saw hell--pure,

unadulterated, life-destroying. "I met him at the movies. He seemed so

grown-up, so much cooler than the other boys. He was already out of school.

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Christy Reece

I was sixteen, almost seventeen. Damon told me he was nineteen. Turns out

he was really twenty-three. I didn't know his real age until much later.

"I told my parents about him, but they told me he was too old for me.

That I couldn't date him." Her gaze went unfocused. "We met each other

secretly for a few weeks." She shook her head slowly. "I hated the sneaking

around. Had decided to go to my parents and confess everything. Before I

could work up the courage to talk to them, Amy spilled the beans.

"My mom and dad were loving and incredibly supportive but also

strict. I hoped, once they got to know Damon, they'd see him the way I did.

They were furious, of course, but they finally agreed to meet him. Meeting

him didn't change their minds. They were so much wiser...saw through his

facade. He was an older man trying to take advantage of their teenage

daughter. Our age difference seemed insignificant to me, but to them he was

a child predator. They told me I couldn't see him again."

She wrapped her arms around her body and began rocking. He

recognized the signs of grieving, the need for comfort. And that was why he

was here. Standing, Lucas pulled her into his arms; carrying her to an

overstuffed chair beside the fireplace, he sat down.

As usual, when she sat in his lap, she snuggled her head against his

chest. He waited. This was her story, her hell. He could do nothing but let

her expose it the way she needed to.

"I once again disobeyed them...for several months. Snuck out when

they were in bed. Said I was going to a friend's house but instead went out

with him. Then it got to be too much. I despised lying to them. We were

always so close, but I felt this gap between us and it was eating at me. Even

though I still didn't agree with them about Damon, they raised me to be

honest.

"So I decided to tell Damon we needed to stop seeing each other. I

didn't plan for it to be permanent. Once I turned eighteen, which was just a

few months away, I planned to start seeing him again. It would have hurt my

parents, but at least I wouldn't have been sneaking around. I thought if I was

a legal age, it would somehow be different."

She paused and took a long trembling breath. "He took the news better

than I thought he would. He said he didn't like the fact that I was lying to my

parents, either. That I should do what was right. He kissed me, told me

everything would be all right."

She stopped again. Lucas held his breath, waiting for what had to be

the most horrific event a young girl, or anyone, could experience.

Closing her eyes, McKenna saw it all as if it happened yesterday.

113

Christy Reece

Eight years earlier

Traylor City, Nebraska

A soft sound woke her from a deep sleep. Drowsy, she rolled over in