Love Inspired Suspense December 2015, Box Set 2 of 2 (32 page)

She whirled around in relief. “Lucas! I'm over here.”

The sound of Lucas's voice startled Tony, and he paused as if unsure what to do. He glanced at Mia and the dog standing beside her and then to the gym bag he'd dropped. Then he scooped up the bag and ran in the direction of his car. Mia caught a glimpse of Lucas as he charged by her in pursuit of Tony, who had just discovered that a six-foot chain-link fence separated the house with the dog from its next-door neighbor.

When he was about two or three feet away, Tony threw the bag over the fence and took a flying leap toward it. His fingers latched on to the wire, and he stuck his foot about halfway up in one of the links. Then, grabbing the top of the fence with one hand, he pulled himself into a half squat on the bar at the top and prepared to jump.

“Stop, Chapman!” Lucas yelled. “You can't get away. The police are all over the neighborhood.”

Tony hesitated only for a moment before he glanced over his shoulder, raised his gun and pointed it at Lucas. Mia screamed as a gunshot echoed in the night air, and she watched in horror as Tony Chapman's hands slipped from the top of the fence and he fell to the ground.

Two policemen ran by her toward Lucas, and the three of them walked over to Tony. Mia sank down on the ground, and the German shepherd lay down beside her, his head resting on his paws. She reached over and patted him.

Finally Lucas turned and walked toward her. She stood and waited for him to approach, unsure of what she should do. “Is Tony dead?” she asked.

He stopped and stared at her. “No. The officers have called for an ambulance.”

She didn't know whether to walk toward him or wait for him to come to her. At the same time they both took a step, and he wrapped her in his arms and crushed her to him as if he never wanted to let her go.

She buried her face in his chest, and after a moment he placed his fingertip underneath her chin and tilted it up. “Did he hurt you?” The hoarse words sounded as if they'd been ripped from his throat.

“No,” she murmured and cupped his jaw in her palm. “Are you all right?”

“I was so scared. First my mother with a gun pointed at her, and then you. I felt like I'd been stabbed through the heart,” he whispered as he turned his mouth to her palm and brushed his lips across it.

She smiled. “But you came for me anyway. That's just one more reason why you are the best man I've ever known.”

Then his gaze raked her face as if trying to convince himself she was really unhurt, and he groaned before he pressed his lips to hers in a kiss that seemed an attempt to purge all the regret, hurt and anger of the years they'd been separated.

When they finally pulled apart, she stared up at him. “How's your mother?”

He shook his head. “I don't know. Dad is with her. Let's go see.”

Beside them, the dog whined, and Lucas reached down to pat him. “Good boy, Brutus. The neighborhood always feels safer when you're on duty.”

The back door of the house where Brutus had run from opened, and a woman hurried onto the back porch. She pulled the sash of the robe she wore tighter and stopped in shock at the sight of the police in her backyard. Her frightened gaze landed on Lucas. “Lucas, what's going on out here?”

“It's okay, Mary,” he called out to her. “Brutus just helped stop a murder in your backyard.”

Brutus licked Lucas's hand and then ran toward the woman on the back porch. She knelt when he bounded up the steps and wrapped her arms around the dog. “Sounds like you're a hero,” she said.

Lucas smiled and nodded in agreement, then put his arm around Mia's waist and held her close as they turned and hurried back to his parents' house. The first thing Mia saw when they walked in the back door was Lucas's sister, Jessica, standing in the middle of the kitchen. Ryan was holding her in his arms while tears streamed down her face. When she saw Lucas, she pulled away from her husband and, with a squeal of relief, launched herself at her brother.

Lucas released Mia and grabbed Jessica as the two wrapped their arms around each other and rocked back and forth in a tight embrace. After a moment Lucas looked down at her. His gaze raked the kitchen. “Where's Mom?”

“They just left with her.”

He swallowed, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. “How is she?”

Jessica's eyes filled with tears. “I don't think it's good, Lucas. Dad went in the ambulance with her. Ryan and I arrived right after Dad, and he told us you had just run out the back door after Tony Chapman. One of the officers came by a few minutes ago and told us what happened. I was so worried about you.”

He smiled down at her. “Well, I'm okay. Where are Adam and Claire?”

“They're meeting us at the hospital. Ryan and I were waiting for you to come back.”

He glanced at Mia and held out his hand. “Then we need to get going.” Mia stepped up beside him, and he wrapped her hand in his.

Jessica glanced down at their clasped hands, wiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks and smiled. “Mia, you've been through a bad time these past few days. I'm glad it's over for you.”

Mia shook her head and blinked back tears. “It won't be over until I know your mother is going to be all right.”

Lucas's hand tightened on hers, and she felt a tremor run through his fingers. He inhaled a deep breath and glanced at the two EMTs who were tucking a blanket around Donnie Miller, who lay on a gurney.

“How is he?” Lucas asked.

“He's stable, so we're taking him to the hospital.”

Lucas started to say something, but the back door opened, and two policemen walked inside. One of them held the gym bag. “Chapman's on his way to the hospital, and we've recovered the evidence you told us about. Looks like these guys are going to have a long string of charges against them.”

Lucas turned to Mia and smiled. “Did you hear that? You're finally out of danger.” He pulled her toward the door. “Now let's get to the hospital and check on my mom.”

Mia nodded and let herself be guided outside to the car. All the way to the hospital neither she nor Lucas spoke, and she wondered what he was thinking. She thought about his words, that she was out of danger, but she realized that she was now in danger more than ever. In danger of ruining Lucas's life by giving in to the feelings he stirred in her.

Since the day she'd met him, she had brought nothing but heartache to him. First in college, and then when she'd shown up on his doorstep again. There were other bounty hunters she could have gone to, but she'd chosen to seek out the one person she should have kept her distance from, and it might cost him his mother.

And if it did, could he ever forgive her? Even if his mother lived, every time he looked at her, Mia would be afraid he was remembering the night his mother had almost died because of her.

Lucas had had a good life before she came back into it, a life unlike anything she'd ever known. He had parents and a brother and sister who loved him. And most of all, he had a mother who had tried to sacrifice her own life so that he might live. Mia had never had anyone in her life who could teach her how to love like that, and she didn't think she could ever measure up to the standards of the Knight family.

Thoughts like this still filled her mind four hours later as she sat next to Lucas in the hospital waiting room. Police officers, all friends of the family, plus neighbors and church members had drifted in and out all night as they came to offer their sympathy and promises of prayer. Mia had sat in silence most of the time and responded occasionally when Lucas introduced her to someone.

It warmed her heart that Lucas and his family had so many people who cared enough about them. But to her it confirmed her belief that she was the outsider here. And with that thought came the awful truth she had wanted so desperately to push from her mind. Lucas deserved someone who fit in with his friends, who understood what being a part of a family meant.

Someone much better for him than she could ever be.

As if he could read her thoughts, Lucas smiled and tightened his grip on her hand that he hadn't released since arriving. She wanted to remember how he looked at this moment, and she let her gaze drift over his face to memorize every minute detail.

He opened his mouth to say something but jerked his head around when the doctor walked into the room. The entire family jumped to their feet and surrounded the doctor the minute he stopped.

Mr. Knight was the first to speak. “How is she, doctor?”

The man raked his hand through his hair and smiled. “It was tough going there for a while, but she came through the surgery fine. Thankfully, the bullet missed any vital organs before exiting through her back. We were able to get the internal bleeding stopped, and barring any complications, she should have a relatively easy recovery. We've placed her in the Critical Care Unit for the night, but if things go well, she should be in a room by tomorrow afternoon and can maybe go home in time for Christmas.”

The family breathed a collective sigh of relief, and Mr. Knight held out his hand. “Thank you, Doctor, for taking care of her.” His voice quivered, and Adam reached up and squeezed his father's shoulder. Mr. Knight's eyes filled with tears as he glanced around at his family. “She's the backbone of our family. I don't know what we'd do without her.”

The doctor nodded. “I understand. Now, if you'll go through the door to the unit, the nurses will let you in to see her when they get her settled. But just two at time. Okay?”

“Okay,” Adam answered.

As they started to follow the doctor from the waiting room, Lucas pulled Mia forward, but she tugged her hand from his and took a step back. A frown wrinkled his forehead as he turned to her. “What's the matter?”

“The doctor said you could go in two at a time. Adam has Claire, and Jessica has Ryan. You need to go in with your father.”

“But I want you to go with me,” he said.

She smiled, even though she felt as if she would burst into tears any minute, and shook her head. “No, it will be better if you go with your dad.” She glanced down the hall in the direction his family was walking and gave him a gentle shove. “Now, catch up with them and help your dad through this.”

He cast a glance at his father's back and nodded. Then he leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thank you for being here with me. I love you, Mia.”

Her vision blurred from the tears filling her eyes. “You'll never know what those words mean to me, Lucas.”

He smiled down at her once more and then turned and hurried after his family. She stood in the hallway and watched until they turned a corner and disappeared from sight. She didn't move for a minute, and then, taking a deep breath, she strode past the nurses' station and didn't stop until she stood in the hospital parking lot. She spotted her car, which she and Lucas had ridden there in, and rushed to it.

Once inside where no one could see, she folded her arms on the steering wheel and surrendered to the grief pouring through her. Her life would never be the same again because Lucas wouldn't be in it.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

M
ia propped her hands on her hips and let her gaze drift over the kitchen. Even though Clyde Harper had destroyed nearly everything in the room, she was about to bring a semblance of order back to it.

In the week since she'd rushed from the hospital and returned to her house, she'd made a lot of progress in getting the mess cleaned up. Of course it had helped that four workers had shown up the day after she returned and said they'd been hired by the Knight Agency to help. She'd forced the thought of Lucas from her mind and welcomed their assistance, although she instructed them that the bill for their labor should be sent to her, not the agency.

She'd wanted to call and thank the Knights, but she didn't want to chance speaking with Lucas. He'd called and texted repeatedly since she'd left the hospital, but she'd ignored all of them. A few days ago she'd even turned off her phone to keep from seeing the missed calls and texts he'd been sending. It wouldn't take him long to move on, and there was no need to delay that happening.

With a sigh, she sat down at the kitchen table and opened the notebook that lay there. A smile pulled at her lips as she skimmed the list she'd made soon after coming home. Her to-do list, she'd called it. All the things she had to do before she could start to rebuild her life.

She smiled at the first one on the list:
Get a dog.

At that moment Caesar ran into the room, took a leap and landed in her lap. The German shepherd puppy licked at her face as she hugged him close and remembered how she'd fallen in love with him at the shelter the moment she saw him. After a minute she set him down on the floor where he settled at her feet with a contented look on his face, and she directed her attention back to the list.

Number two on the list:
Contact a real estate agent about selling the house.

As soon as she'd gotten the call from her lawyer that she had regained control of her father's money, she'd crossed that one off. The agent was eager to put a sign in the yard, and Mia had promised her it would be ready to show by next week.

That brought her to number three:
Find a building suitable for housing a dance studio.

The real estate agent had helped with that, too. Mia hoped to be take possession after the first of the year of a building in midtown. It was already set up as a dance studio—the previous owner had moved out of town earlier in the year.

The fourth one on the list had been harder to do, but she had persevered:
Reconnect with ballet friends from the past.

For starters, she had found her old dance teacher, who was now retired. She had introduced Mia to the artistic director of one of the leading ballet companies in the city. When Mia had revealed her desire to put some of her father's and Kyle's money to work by supporting the organization, she had become the latest philanthropist to come on board.

Number five on her list had yet to be tackled, and she planned to do that after the first of the year:
Find a new place to live.

This house held too many bad memories, and she couldn't wait to get out of it. All she wanted was a small home with a fenced-in backyard where Caesar could run and play and where she could sit on warm summer nights without the fear that she would be in the hospital before morning.

Since returning home, she'd been to two more meetings of the abuse survivors support group at the church, and she had begun to see more and more how she'd been a victim. With the group not meeting again for a few weeks because of the holidays, she felt at loose ends and wished she could hurry up and get started on the renovation of her new dance studio.

She pushed up from the table and walked to the counter where the coffeepot sat. After pouring herself a cup of coffee, she switched on the little radio she'd bought a few days ago. As she walked back to the table, the radio came to life, and the announcer's voice filled the room.

“Merry Christmas, all you listeners out there. I hope you're enjoying this beautiful Christmas Eve in Memphis. As we continue our broadcast of favorite Christmas music, here's a familiar one. The ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy' from
The Nutcracker
.”

Mia's hand shook as the tinkling sound of the music filled the air. She closed her eyes and thought back to what Lucas had said about how beautiful she was the night she'd been the Sugar Plum Fairy. Her heart squeezed in her chest. What must he think of her now, after the way she had deserted him? If only he knew it was done out of her love for him.

Suddenly Caesar jumped to his feet and barked loudly as he ran to the front door. He arrived even before the doorbell sounded, and Mia smiled. He was going to be a good guard dog after all, if he could sense that someone had stepped on the porch before they even made their presence known.

She reached down and scooped the excited dog up in her arms, expecting to see the workers who'd said they might drop by today to pick up a ladder they'd left in her garage. When she swung the door open, the smile on her face changed to an expression of astonishment. She gasped and tightened her hold on Caesar as she stumbled backward.

Her mouth gaped open at the sight of the entire Knight family standing on her front porch. Lucas faced her, the expression on his face unreadable. His mother was in a wheelchair at his side. His father, Adam and Claire, and Ryan and Jessica surrounded them from behind. But even more surprising than realizing that they were all at her house was the fact that all of them—with the notable exception of Lucas—were smiling at her. She blinked and shook her head in an effort to make sense of what they were doing here.

They waited patiently for her to speak first. She tried, but it felt as if her breath had left her body. Finally she summoned enough strength to force her voice from somewhere deep inside of her. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

At her words Lucas's face dissolved into a huge grin. “It's Christmas Eve. I told you if you didn't show up at my parents' house, I was coming for you.” Without taking his eyes off her, he nodded in his family's direction. “I brought reinforcements with me in case I couldn't convince you to come home with me for Christmas.”

“B-b-but...” she stammered and wanted to kick herself for sounding like a motorboat.

“Mia,” his mother spoke up, “this bunch has just checked me out of the hospital, and we're on our way home. But we wanted to come tell you that we're so glad you came back into our lives. Every one of us, especially Lucas, is thankful that God has given us a second chance to be a family. And if you'll have us, we'd welcome you with open arms. On Christmas Eve we all spend the night at our house so we can be together on Christmas morning. Tonight we're having a small dinner, but tomorrow we'll celebrate all our family traditions. We want you to be a part of it.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and she stared at his mother. “But why would you want me there? If I hadn't been at your house, Tony Chapman would never have come there. I'm the reason you were almost killed.”

Mrs. Knight frowned and shook her head. “You can't take the blame for what that man did. But you can take the
credit
for something else you did.”

Mia's eyes grew wide. “What?”

Mrs. Knight reached out and grasped Lucas's hand. “For making my son happier than he's been in years. He loves you, Mia, and I believe you love him. So that means that we love you, too. Now, how about it? Are you coming home with us for Christmas?”

Mia's lips trembled, and she glanced at each of the Knights with her gaze coming to rest on Lucas. “Do you really want me to come?” she asked.

He nodded. “We all do, Mia. Please give us a chance.”

Her face crumpled, and she began to cry. “Give you a chance? I'm the one who's not worthy of all of you.”

He tilted his head to one side and grinned at her. “All I'm asking is a chance to convince you differently. Will you let me do that?”

She couldn't speak, so she only nodded.

He took a deep breath and glanced over his shoulder. “Okay, I'll take it from here. Thanks for helping me out. Take Mom on home, and we'll be there in a little while.”

“See you later” rang out from the others as Adam and his father lifted the wheelchair down the steps, and they all headed to the cars.

Lucas waited until they'd driven away before he turned back to face her. “Are you going to invite me in?”

For the first time, she realized she had kept them standing on the front porch. Her face grew warm, and she stepped back for him to enter. When she closed the door, she turned to face him, still unable to believe he was actually in her house. His gaze dropped to the dog she still held.

“I see you got a dog.”

She nodded. “Yes. His name is Caesar.”

His eyebrow cocked, and he laughed. “Did you name him as a tribute to Brutus?”

“Yes.”

He glanced at the dog again. “Are you going to put him down so I can kiss you?”

Unsure of her answer, she bent over and deposited Caesar on the floor, then did the only thing she wanted to do. She launched herself into his arms.

* * *

With Christmas dinner over, Lucas sat sprawled on the sofa with Caesar at his feet when Mia walked into the den. He didn't take his eyes off her as she sat down next to him and sighed. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. This was the perfect ending to a perfect day. He'd never felt so contented in his life, and it was all because of this woman who snuggled near him. He could feel the rhythm of her breathing, and he sighed with pleasure as he stared at the flames blazing in the fireplace.

“I just talked to Janet Williams's husband,” he said. “Janet regained consciousness yesterday, and the doctors say she's going to make a complete recovery.”

Mia didn't move, just stared at the fire. “I'm glad. Have you gotten an update on Tony and Donnie?”

“Ryan told me they're both recovering and should be transferred to jail soon. So you don't have anything to worry about from them. You're safe now.”

She reached up and covered his hand with hers. “Thanks to you.”

They both sighed and settled back into a comfortable silence, content to be together on this peaceful night. After a few minutes he turned to face her and smiled. “What are you thinking?” he asked.

She pulled her feet underneath her and snuggled closer. “I'm thinking how happy I am. I never knew Christmas could be like this. I couldn't believe it when your dad ran down the hall knocking on everybody's door this morning yelling merry Christmas.”

Lucas chuckled. “Yeah. He's done that all my life.” He tightened his arm around her shoulders, and his hand traced little patterns on her neck. “What else did you like?”

“Having breakfast with all of you, sitting around the Christmas tree and reading the Christmas story from the Bible, and singing carols.”

He grinned. “How about your presents? Did you like them?'

She laughed and punched him on the arm. “Of course I liked the presents, but I still can't believe everyone in your family gave me something. They didn't have to do that. But my most favorite things about today were how all of you laughed together, how you showed your love for each other and how much fun you had together eating that delicious Christmas dinner Claire and Jessica cooked.” She swallowed and tilted her head to stare up at him. “I've never had anything like that. I feel like this is really my first Christmas.”

Lucas leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Don't worry. My family will see to it that it's not your last.” He glanced over his shoulder and frowned. “Speaking of my family, where did they all go?”

“Your dad took your mom upstairs to rest. Adam and Claire went over to the next-door neighbor's house, and Jessica and Ryan are in the kitchen.”

He chuckled. “I guess they wanted to give us some time alone.”

Mia's eyebrow arched. “And why did they think we needed some time alone?”

He reached for her hand, and he wondered if she could tell how just her touch thrilled him. He'd thought her lost to him forever. Now they had a second chance. But he had to convince her of it.

“Mia, a lot has happened to us since we were in college. When I was a SEAL, I experienced things...things I can never tell you about. But I can't erase them from my memory. I probably never will—just as you will never be able to forget what Kyle did to you. We both have lots of baggage, but I think we can deal with it all if we do it together.”

Tears glistened in her eyes. “And how do we do that?”

“The only way we can. By loving each other, and helping each other every day to remember that God is with us. I believe He has a plan for us. Maybe He had one years ago, and we messed up. But I think He's giving us a second chance to do it right this time. We need to let faith guide us, and I know He'll bless us.” He ran his fingers over her knuckles. “I've always loved you, Mia. And this time I don't want to lose you. Please, tell me you're willing to give us a chance.”

A tear rolled down her cheek, and he rubbed it away with his thumb. “I do love you, Lucas,” she said. “I just didn't feel I was worthy of you. I wanted something better for you.”

He shook his head. “You're all I want. You're all I need. Please, please, don't leave me again.”

She reached up and cupped her hand around his jaw. He closed his eyes at the gentle touch of her fingers. “I do love you, Lucas. More than I can ever tell you.”

“Then marry me,” he murmured. “Marry me and make my lonely life finally have some meaning.”

He opened his eyes, and she was smiling. “I'll marry you, Lucas. There's no one I'd rather spend the rest of my life with than you. But what about your family? Do you think they'll accept me?”

“They will. All they want is my happiness, and they know you're the one who can complete me.”