A Shot of Red (24 page)

Mia leaned down, took his face in her hands, and kissed him—a tender touch of her lips, then more intensely, with building passion. He traced his fingers over the velvety curves of her hips, meeting every sweep of her tongue, longing to take her and make her his again.

Without her lips leaving his, she climbed onto the bed and straddled him, then pulled away and straightened her back. Her blue eyes sparkled. Long blond hair wisped sexily around her face. Her full lips glistened from their kiss. Gio’s gaze shifted lower to her perfect breasts and pink nipples, down past her slender waist, her legs parted wide.

Holy hell…

The thrill of seeing her bared to him shot straight to his cock.

He reached out and ran his fingers down a silky strand of her hair, ending at her nipple and circling it with his thumb. It tightened instantly beneath his touch.

I’ll never get enough of this woman.

Emotion built along with his desire. “I’m so damn in love with you,” he said.

Her tender smile made his heart surge. She leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips, on the cheek, near his ear, where she whispered with a warm breath, “I’m so damn in love with you.” He closed his eyes and let her words settle, all the way into his bones. “And I’m going to show you how much.”

Gio leaned his head back, eyes closed.
Yes…

Mia kissed a path along his neck, over his pecs, and straight down to his cock. His heart hammered as she gripped his shaft and stroked him with a taunting twist of her wrist. He pressed his hips upward, eager for more. A low moan rose in his throat. His breath caught as she took him in her mouth, warm and slick, deep then shallow, driving him to near madness with her velvety tongue. He dug his fingers into her hair, the sweet scent of orange blossoms turning him on even more.

Dangerously close to losing it, Gio opened the drawer of the nightstand, grabbed a foil packet, and ripped it open. He clutched her shoulders and tugged her upward, gazing at her with undeniable need. “Come here,” he said huskily. She slid forward and poised herself over his erection. He handed her the packet and she put the condom on him as he softly kneaded her breasts, teasing her taut nipples.

Arching, she sighed and tipped her head back, her hair cascading behind her. Her warmth enveloped him as she eased down onto his cock, taking it slow and deep, closing her eyes and going still when it filled her. “So good,” she said breathlessly.

So damn good.

He pressed even deeper, eager for friction against her silky tightness. She braced her hands on the headboard behind him and swiveled her hips, taunting him with a slow, sensuous rhythm.

Gio brought his hand to his mouth and licked the tip of his thumb. He caught her gaze and held it, her eyes glimmering with anticipation. Reaching between her legs, he parted her soft, satiny folds and massaged her clit with light pressure.

She bucked with the pleasure of it. “God, Gio. Don’t stop. Please.”

Rigid inside her, Gio gave her what she asked for—feathery flicks of his thumb, until she began to quiver. He loved pleasing her, and her satisfied whimpers assured him that she was nearing the edge. Suddenly, Mia took him with abandon—deeper, harder, pulling away, then pounding against him again and again—blond hair wild.

He’d never seen anything sexier.

Gio sat up straight, eager to feel her breasts against his pecs as she rode him. He thrust into her, clutching her to him, his breath ragged. Mia cried out, grasping a handful of his hair at the nape of his neck and stiffening her body. She shuddered, pulsing tightly around him. He pressed her close and buried his cock even deeper, exploding into a million pieces inside the woman he loved.

“Well, that was porn quality.”

Gio froze at the sound of the voice, and Mia flinched in his arms. The overhead light came on and Brent English stood in the bedroom doorway, a gun glinting in his hand. He was thinner than he used to be, more disheveled, and crazy-eyed.

Mia screamed. She scrambled off of Gio and yanked a blanket around her. Gio’s heart whiplashed against his ribs, fight-or-flight kicking in. He swung his legs off the bed, aiming to get between Mia and Brent.

Brent pointed the gun at him. “Don’t get up.”

Gio’s head spun with the realization that Brent was alive—and in Gio’s house, with a gun. Gio glanced at Mia who trembled, staring wide-eyed at Brent as if she were looking at a ghost.

“You never fucked me like that,” Brent said to Mia, his face twisted with a snarl.

“Brent, I—”

“Don’t even try to bullshit me. I know he’s why you left me.”

Mia was stunned silent for a moment. “That’s not true,” she said gently.

“‘God, Gio. Don’t stop. Please.’” Brent mocked Mia’s voice, sneering. “Did you think I didn’t know? Did you think I couldn’t
smell
him on you?” He narrowed his eyes at Gio. “But she left you, too, didn’t she? And weren’t you pathetic without her? Sitting in meetings with me and pretending you hadn’t fucked
both of us.” He shook his head with quick, jerky movements. “We had a life before you came along and stuck your dick in it.” Brent aimed the gun at Gio’s crotch.

Gio’s stomach pitched. It took all his discipline not to react.

“No!” Mia shrieked. “Stop it, Brent. Think about what you’re doing.”

“I’ve thought about it for months. Ever since you left. And when I found out about the poison vaccines, I knew I could make you pay.”

“What do you mean?” she asked in an even tone. “Tell me.”

Brent seemed appeased by her attention. “I knew you’d come to Switzerland after you saw my video. You’d do anything to protect your family’s company.” He waved the gun from side to side. “Don’t pretend it had anything to do with me.”

“Of course it did,” she said. “I was heartbroken over your death…”

“Just like I’ve been since you—” Brent jerked his head toward Gio. “Since
he
took you away from me.”

“I’m so sorry,” Mia said to Brent. “But you have to understand that it was over between us before Gio and I…”

Brent frowned tightly. “We could’ve worked things out if it wasn’t for him.”

Mia clutched the blanket around her and gazed at the floor. “Were you still in Switzerland when I was there?”

“When both of you were there.” Brent shifted the gun from Gio to Mia and back.

“You tried to kill us?”

His lips turned up with a sinister quirk.

Mia grimaced and a tear trickled down her face.

Gio raced to make sense of everything Brent had said, everything he’d done. Brent had been the one creating all the mayhem while they were in Lucerne, guiding them with the scrap of the letter he’d left for Mia.

“You’re a hero, Brent,” she said. “Think of all the people you saved by figuring out the vaccine was tainted.”

The vaccine that killed his own mother.
He might’ve been a hero if he’d blown the whistle earlier instead of launching a personal vendetta.

“I won’t be a hero until I save you from
him
.” He glared at Gio. “Or help you save yourself.”

So he’d decided to let Mia live?

Brent leveled his steely gaze on Mia. “Come here, baby.”

The term of endearment crawled up Gio’s spine. He would kill Brent with his bare hands if he hurt her.

She slid to the edge of the bed and stood with a blanket gathered around her.

“No blanket,” Brent said.

Mia glanced back at Gio, apology mixed with the fear in her eyes, and dropped the blanket. She stood naked between him and Brent. Gio wanted to pummel the lustful look off of Brent’s face, but the aim of his gun held Gio in place.

“Come
here
.” Brent pointed to the floor in front of him, the gun still trained on Gio.

Mia stepped over slowly to the spot where he had pointed. He took his sweet time running his lecherous gaze over her body, and Gio tensed with rage.

“Turn around,” Brent said.

Mia’s slender shoulders lifted as she took a deep breath then turned to face Gio, her beautiful body stiff. Brent wrapped his arm around the front of her, flattened his hand over one of her breasts and kneaded it roughly.

Gio sprang from the bed.

“Uh, uh, uh,” Brent said, straightening his elbow and taking sharp aim. “You relax over there. It’s my turn.”

Mia squeezed her eyes closed.

Gio balled his fists, imagining what more Brent planned to do to her. His stomach roiled.

“She was mine first,” Brent said, “and I’m taking her back.” He nuzzled her neck, inhaled deeply, then pulled away with a sour look on his face. “You still smell like him. But you never will again.” He flattened his hand across Mia’s stomach, inching it lower as he spoke. “And maybe I can stand it.” He combed his fingers through her hair. “For the sweet satisfaction of taking you right here in his bed…while he watches.”

Mia blinked several times, the panic in her eyes ripping through Gio.

“No, Brent,” she whispered. “Please.”

“No?” Brent asked angrily. “You’re turning me down again?” He drew in a ragged deep breath. “We’ll see what you say after he’s dead.”

Mia trembled. “I changed my mind.” She looked imploringly at Gio, who tried to appear calm despite his helplessness and rage.

“Shh,” Brent said to Mia, pressing her against him. “This is what happens when you turn me down. You put your hand over mine on the gun, and your finger on the trigger.”

Mia didn’t move.

“Do it!”

She shuddered and did as she was told.

Gio’s pulse rapid-fired at the nightmarish sight of Mia and Brent aiming a gun at him.

“We’re going to aim at his heart,” Brent said to Mia, pointing the barrel at Gio’s chest, “and we’re going to pull the trigger.” He nuzzled her neck again. “Then you’ll do me like you did him. Right, baby?”

Mia remained silent.

Brent squeezed her breast and yelled, “Right?”

Mia pinched her eyes closed and whispered, “Yes.” But when she opened them and met Gio’s gaze, he saw nothing but horror in them and a heartbreaking plea for forgiveness.

Gio measured the pressure of Brent’s finger over Mia’s, figuring he had a split second to make his move. He ducked and rolled off the bed toward them.

The gun blasted and a bullet tore into the wall, sending a spray of plaster flying.

Gio caught the flash of Mia’s elbow connecting with Brent’s ribs just as he barreled into her knees, fiercely knocking her and Brent backward. Brent’s head smashed against the doorframe with a thud and a crack, and they all landed in a tangle on the floor. Gio scrambled for the gun, but got no fight from Brent, who lay there limply, eyes wide, blood pooling on the floor behind his head.

Mia followed Gio’s gaze, covering her mouth with her hand and sobbing as she fell into his arms.

Epilogue

Tabarre, Haiti

One month later

Mia clutched Gio’s hand as she led him toward the white-and-pink stucco compound—the Maison des Anges orphanage. They carried bags of toys for the children, having shipped more basic supplies ahead of them. The danger of Haiti’s flu epidemic had lessened—just as it had in the States—and Mia had arranged for a humanitarian health care team to check in on the children and caregivers at the orphanage.

“Looks like they have a nice setup,” Gio said. He looked relaxed in his cargo shorts and T-shirt, sandals and sunglasses. His dark hair blew in the steady breeze. “For an orphanage, I mean.”

Mia understood. “They do. The children might not have families, and that’s really heart-wrenching, but at least they have a nice place to live and learn.”

They had only been on the island for several hours, and Mia already felt a welcome peace—especially with Gio at her side. He’d been the only thing missing when she’d been here before, and now he was here with her.

Things had settled down in the States, but there was still confusion to sift through. The trauma of Brent’s actual death had left her and Gio stunned and numb. From what they’d been able to learn, Brent had faked his death by pushing a drug addict who resembled him off the side of Mount Pilatus. He’d switched identifications with the man beforehand, and showed up at the hospital afterward as next of kin. A sob story and a lot of cash had kept the authorities from asking too many questions.

Mia and Gio were still working through their emotions over how things had unfolded with Brent, regretful that their feelings for each other had caused so much pain. They’d found love, but at quite a cost.

Mia clutched his hand as they headed up the sidewalk to the orphanage, hoping someday they’d find closure. But the government investigation into the tainted vaccine might take years. Mia’s mother, Richard, and Matthew were accused of a litany of crimes. Mia would have to live with the fact that Catherine Moncure was one of the most despised people in the United States, only second behind Richard. But the tainted vaccine scheme had reached much deeper. With rising health care costs and dwindling funding sources, the government couldn’t afford to keep paying expensive Medicare and Medicaid benefits for seniors, who cost the system much more than they’d invested in it. So someone had devised a plan to cut costs by killing off a percentage of seniors every year with a poison flu vaccine. Fingers were still pointing at likely sources of the scheme—people way more powerful than Mia’s mother or Richard—and new conspiracy theories were concocted every day.

Always eager for political advancement and short on conscience, Mia’s mother and Richard had been ripe candidates to implement the scheme, especially with her ties to Moncure Therapeutics. Matthew’s power position at the company, and his mother’s sway over him, created the perfect setup for facilitating their plan. Media outlets still played a steady stream of sound bites with Mia’s mother and Richard separately saying that the government couldn’t afford to pay Medicare and Medicaid benefits for seniors.

Mia was uncertain what would become of Thomas Sorensen and Katia Glasser, since international lawyers were wrangling on their behalf.

Lila continued working with the board to keep Moncure Therapeutics accountable and afloat, and Claude was making sure she didn’t overdo it.

Mia and Gio reached the entrance to the orphanage, the sound of children’s voices and laughter wafting on the breeze. Smiling, she inhaled deeply, trying to keep her nerves at bay. Was it too much to hope that Pearl would recognize her?

One of the caregivers greeted them—the same woman Mia had met the day she’d stumbled over Pearl. Mia had since found out her name was Johanne. “Hello, Miss Mia.”

“Johanne, hi.” Mia gave her an awkward hug, bags of toys getting in the way. “This is Gio.” She tipped her head toward him and grinned.

Johanne raised her eyebrows. “My, my! Welcome.”

Mia glanced at him and winked, pretty sure that he was blushing.

“It’s nice to be here,” he said.

Mia lifted the bags in her hands. “These are for the children. We can’t wait to give them out, but can we see Pearl first?”

Johanne helped take the bags to a small anteroom off the entrance and set them on a countertop. “Of course.” She led them to a private area, set up like a family room—a
family
room—and they sat on a couch and waited.

Mia opened the box that held the gift they’d brought—a doll that looked like Pearl with pale brown skin, green eyes, and dark hair.

“I hope she’ll like it.” Mia straightened the doll’s dress, put the lid back on the box, and arranged the bow just right.

Gio wrapped his arm around her, pulled her close, and kissed her forehead. “You nervous?”

Mia nodded. She’d told him how she met Pearl, how the little girl had tugged at her emotions, how often she’d thought of her after she returned to the States, and how—when she’d thought she was dying—she regretted that she’d never see Pearl again.

Gio smoothed his hand up and down her back. “It’s going to go great. I promise.”

Johanne returned with Pearl at her side, clinging to her hand. Mia’s eyes welled at the sight of her—petite as a bird, with big, watchful eyes. She wore a yellow seersucker sundress that looked much newer than the one she’d worn the day they’d met, and Mia wondered if it had been given to her especially for this occasion. Her little brown feet peeked between the straps of shiny white sandals.

Mia glanced at Gio, whose gaze was riveted on the little girl.

Johanne bent down to Pearl’s level. “Do you remember Miss Mia?”

Pearl cocked her head, her lips pursed in a bow. She looked up at Johanne as if asking for permission, and Johanne nodded. With the lightest of steps, Pearl came toward Mia and Gio, her gaze moving from one of them to the other and finally resting on Mia. She raised her hand and pointed a tiny finger at Mia’s hair. “
Jòn
,” she said in a small voice.

Mia’s heart soared. She wasn’t sure if that meant Pearl remembered her, but she’d said the same thing about Mia’s hair the day they met. “Yellow,” she whispered to Gio. She smiled, leaned toward Pearl, and tugged at the hem of her sundress. “
Jòn.
”

Pearl’s lips curved up at the corners as if she liked the game. She pointed at Gio’s blue T-shirt. “
Ble
.”

“
Ble
?” he asked, playing along.

She nodded shyly.

Mia pulled the gift box from behind her on the couch and handed it to Gio. She held out her shaky hands to Pearl, and Pearl came to her without hesitation. Mia lifted the little girl onto her lap.

“
Pou ou
,” Gio said, and handed Pearl the box.

For you
. Mia stared at him, wide-eyed.

“I’ve been practicing.” He smiled and stole Mia’s heart yet again. He’d given up a lot to come here. His reputation on Capitol Hill had gotten him multiple job offers, yet he’d turned down all of them to come to Haiti for six months with Mia. They would do humanitarian work, and get to know each other away from the stresses in the States—and they’d get to know Pearl. Hopefully become a family.

Hope.
Something Mia had lost, but now it bloomed in her like a spring garden. She leaned over and kissed Gio.

“
Bo
,” Pearl said.

Kiss.

Mia kissed her on the cheek. “
Bo
.”

Pearl flashed a little-girl smile that warmed Mia’s soul. Johanne stood in the doorway, happily watching the scene unfold.

“
Louvri li
.” Mia pointed to the box.

“Open it,” Gio said.

Pearl lifted the lid, her face brightening with glee when she saw the doll. “Me?”

Mia looked curiously at Johanne, who said, “She’s been practicing, too.”

Nodding, Mia lifted the doll from its bed of tissue paper and handed it to Pearl. Pearl stared at it for a long moment, then drew it to her chest and hugged it tightly. “Love,” she said softly.

Mia thought her heart might burst as she shifted her gaze from Pearl to Gio, who looked at the little girl as if his heart had simply melted.

He took Mia’s hand and squeezed it. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

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