Last Chance (4 page)

McKenna wants to do anything about Kane continuing his pursuit."

McKenna hung up the phone. Refusing to acknowledge the racing of

her heart at the knowledge that Lucas Kane was in Paris searching for her,

she went to her closet. Pulling her duffel bag from the top shelf, she

immediately began to pack.

His hunt for her had gone further than she'd anticipated. She'd become

aware of questions being asked about her in Brazil. Based upon the physical

description the people searching for her had given, she had known they were

Kane's people. She hadn't expected him to expand beyond Brazil, nor had

she expected him to go to LCR. That was a little too close to home.

Why did he continue? Did he believe she was involved in his

abduction? Was that the reason, or was there more? Noah had indicated that

Kane wanted to thank her. Perhaps that was all. She hoped so. Silly, really,

but she hated for Lucas Kane to think badly of her by believing she'd

actually been in cahoots with Victor.

She'd had plenty of time to relive those moments from his rescue.
His

rescue?
How laughable. Other than taking out Victor, she'd done very little.

Pretty damn bad when the victim becomes the rescuer. Of all the times to

pass out. Any other time she'd been forced to kill someone, she would

become nauseous. Not pleasant, but at least she was usually able to function

to finish the rescue. Passing out was not only embarrassing, it was damn

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dangerous. They both could've been killed.

When she woke, one man had been dead. Thankfully, she'd managed

to distract the other one, but Lucas Kane had still been able to take care of

him, even with a bullet hole in his shoulder.

After the excitement had passed and she'd been far enough away from

Kane to think straight, she acknowledged that if she had never shown up,

Lucas Kane would have gotten out of the situation all by himself. Which

made her fascination for him even larger. Something she definitely hadn't

needed.

McKenna rushed around her little apartment, collecting the few things

she wouldn't leave without. She'd stayed here longer than she did most

places; it was past time to leave, anyway. No use looking around and

bemoaning the frilly little curtains she'd hand-stitched herself or the painting

she had found at a flea market that reminded her of home. She'd hung it over

the television and found herself looking at it more than at what was on TV.

She would leave those things, of course. Taking the minimal

belongings was the only way she traveled and the only way she'd survived

this long.

Being hunted wasn't a new thing for her; she just had a new predator.

No, she could never call Lucas Kane a predator. Noah's words continued to

whirl around in her head. "He wants to thank you...wants you to know if you

ever need anything, you only have to ask."

McKenna snorted as she grabbed a handful of underwear. Maybe she

should just go to Kane, tell him that for years she'd been hunted by a crazed

maniac, and would he mind hiring an army to kill him? She could just see

his handsome face as she gave him her request. He probably wanted to give

her a box of chocolates or a basket full of bath salts as a thank-you, not a

paid assassin.

No, she would never ask someone to do something she would one day

have to do herself. There would be a final confrontation. And she would be

the one who would end his sorry life. If she had to lose hers in the process,

that was only fair. At some point she would stop being such a chickenshit

and do the deed.

Standing on her rickety kitchen chair, she opened the cabinet above

the refrigerator. Moving aside the bargain-sized jar of peanut butter, she

pulled at the loose board behind it and opened the small area she'd created

only hours after moving in. She took the nylon pouch, unzipped it, and

checked its contents, though she knew nothing had been moved. Six

passports, five driver's licenses, twenty-eight thousand dollars, and a small

black wallet with three photographs. She no longer looked at the pictures-24

Christy Reece

they were carved into her mind, seared into her soul--but she would never go

anywhere without them.

She stepped down and returned the chair under the table. Zipping the

pouch, she dumped it in with her clothes and toiletries. Placing her notebook

computer on top of everything, McKenna closed the bag and straightened.

With a long, silent sigh, she took one last glance at the landscape above the

television, grabbed the duffel bag, and walked out the door.

Lucas Kane needed to stop looking for her. There was only one way

to ensure that he did.

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Two

"We believe we've found her."

The Paris traffic was almost deafening in its exuberance; Lucas held

the phone closer to his ear. "Say again."

"We've found her."

Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, he ignored the creative curse

of a bicyclist who almost rammed him. "How? Where?"

"We spotted a woman matching her description two days ago. We

followed her but lost her in the crowd. Then we spotted her again this

morning, hailing a taxi."

"Where?"

"Paris."

His heart thudded and that strange shiver he'd felt the first time she

was near swept through him. "Does she know you're following her?"

"No. Her ride is about three cars ahead of us...wait, she's stopping."

"What street?"

"Rue de Morat."

Lucas looked up at the street sign above him: Rue de Morat.

"She's getting out."

An odd, surreal feeling washed over him as Lucas slowly turned.

There, not ten feet away from him, stood his angel, his rescuer...his ghost.

The cacophony of an overcrowded city became silent; the busy Paris

sidewalk disappeared. Lucas had only one focal point as he began a slow

walk toward her. If he moved too quickly, would she disappear like the

ghost she claimed to be? He didn't want to take the chance.

She looked the same, yet different. Her hair was still short and

bleached a platinum blond. Faded, ragged jeans covered her slender legs; the

olive green T-shirt and black leather jacket she wore were probably

supposed to make her look tough and boyish. Instead he thought they made

her look sexy as hell.

The real difference from the last time he saw her was her face. Her

skin wasn't coated with inches of heavy makeup, and her expression was a

mixture of vulnerability, determination, and defiance.

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Christy Reece

She didn't move, just watched him with those lovely but oh so wary

eyes. He knew people were passing by him, and if his former commander

could see him now, he'd have blasted Lucas for having no concept of his

surroundings. He didn't care. This woman had haunted his dreams nightly.

Damned if he'd let anything get in the way of seeing her, including watching

his back.

Within a foot of her he stopped and murmured, "And the ghost

reappears."

A small, enigmatic smile tilted her lips. "I think we need to talk."

Lucas held out his hand. She stared at it for the longest time. Just

when he was about to drop his hand, she brought hers up in an awkward, shy

way and her fingertips touched his. At that touch, his heartbeat skyrocketed.

"I'm staying here." He shot a glance over his shoulder at the hotel

behind him.

"Yes. Room 2304."

He didn't bother to question how she knew where he was staying or

his room number. It didn't matter. Pulling her with him, he turned and

walked the few yards to the hotel entrance. She didn't say a word, just went

along with him, that mysterious smile still in place.

Still holding hands, they went through the lobby and stepped into the

elevator without talking. He felt her give him several glances out of the

corner of her eye, but she didn't speak. More surprising than anything, she

didn't let go of his hand.

Since he was in the penthouse, he used a special key to take them to

the top. He knew her eyes watched him; heard her swallow hard a couple of

times. He felt the tension in her body, the coldness of her hand...but still she

didn't let go of him. Something about the trust in that one small gesture did

strange things to his heart.

The elevator opened and they walked out together. Standing in front

of the penthouse door, she pulled her hand from his and said, "Before we go

in, I'd like to ask you something."

"What?"

"Why am I here?"

"You mean, am I going to expect something from you by coming into

my hotel room?"

Wariness. Vulnerability. Curiosity. They were all there in her

expression. But her answer was one small nod.

"I don't expect anything from you," he said.

Her eyes searched his; she was looking for a trick, a lie. Lucas held

his breath, feeling as though this was one of the most important moments of

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Christy Reece

his life. Somehow he felt that if she gave him her trust, she would be giving

him a gift of major proportions. He waited for her verdict. If she turned

around and walked away, he wouldn't try to stop her, but he knew there

would always be an ache inside him that he could never fill.

Finally she said, "Okay."

He opened the door before she could change her mind. She walked

through; he followed behind her.

As the door closed them into the luxurious penthouse, McKenna told

herself this was probably the third dumbest decision she'd made in her life.

The first one had gotten her entire family killed; the second one had landed

her in jail. Both times it had been because she'd trusted the wrong people.

Somehow, even knowing how stupid this was, she refused to regret it.

Lucas Kane had been on her mind well before she met him. She'd seen him

on a television interview once and hadn't been able to resist Googling his

name. And had become an instant admirer. Several of the causes he donated

his wealth to were her favorite charities. Ones she supported as much as

possible.

Since meeting Lucas, the fascination had only grown. During his

rescue he had handled himself like a pro. Lucas Kane was more than just a

wealthy businessman from England.

She couldn't deny that another reason for her fascination was the

incredibly odd connection she'd felt the instant their eyes met. As if he'd not

only seen straight into her soul but had liked and approved of what he saw.

She had to see where this would lead. Nothing permanent, of course.

Permanency no longer existed for her. But she had to see what happened.

"Would you like something to drink or eat?"

She shook her head. Odd, since she was known to have a healthy

appetite and had never turned down a meal. Nerves weren't usually an issue

for her, but if she put anything into her mouth right now, chances were it'd

come right back up. Her stomach was filled with giant butterflies.

"Have a seat."

Instead of sitting on the elegant sofa he indicated, she went to the

giant floor-to-ceiling window and stared out at the sprawling city below.

What was she doing here? She shouldn't have come. In a city this size, there

was no reason she couldn't have disappeared, and he would never find her.

In her heart she had known that. Telling herself she had come to him before

he found her was a lie. And McKenna had long since stopped lying to

herself. She had come to Lucas Kane because he intrigued her on so many

levels. For one brief moment in time, she wanted to indulge that fascination.

And then she would leave and never see him again.

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"I've been looking for you for so long, I hardly know what to say to

you."

She turned to him and once more tried to pinpoint her fascination.

Tall, maybe around six-two; muscular, but not overly so; thick, golden blond

hair that held just a hint of a wave; clear silver-gray eyes; stubborn chin.

Elegant with an underlying ruggedness. A ruggedness that caused all sorts of

interesting shivers throughout her body.

His khaki pants and navy shirt should have looked ordinary, even

bland. Lucas's physique and air of confidence made them appear stylish and

classic.

Was Lucas Kane a handsome man? Absolutely. Best-looking man

she'd ever met? No. That title belonged to a monster. But this man had

something that drew her to him. Moth to a flame. Magnet to steel. Every

cliche ever created to describe an indescribable attraction.

Direct as ever, she asked, "Why have you been looking for me?"

"I wanted to thank you for saving my life."

She couldn't prevent the smile. "Is that what I did?"

"Yes." He lifted a brow. "Why would you ask that?"

"Because you're more than capable of taking care of yourself. I may

have taken out Victor, but the other two men were all your doing."

Lucas shrugged. "I was angry enough and they were a bit out of

shape."

That was true. Victor's MO had always been to hire his people locally,

and he'd never worried whether they were trained. As long as they could