Beautiful Storm (Lightning Strikes Book 1) (35 page)

"I told you to run."

"I couldn't leave you. I didn't want to live, if you weren't going to live, too."

"Well, we both made it."

"So what happens next?"

"I'm thinking you get under the covers with me," he said. "And I'll show you exactly how I feel about you."

"With a concussion? No way. I will sleep with you, but that's it."

"I'm fine, Alicia."

"I intend to make sure of that." She stripped down to her underwear and got into bed with him, resting her head on his shoulder as he put his arm around her and pulled her close.

"We can take things slow," she told him. "We can get to know each other better. I won't hold you to anything if you change your mind."

He laughed. "I won't change my mind, and I'm very clear on how I feel about you, but slow is good. I want to get to know you when we're not trying to track down a killer, when our life is normal and maybe even a little boring."

"True."

"But knowing your penchant for chasing lightning, I have a feeling life is always going to be exciting where you're concerned," he said.

"I don't think I'll be chasing the lightning anymore."

"Why not?"

She lifted her head so she could look into his eyes. "Because I know now why I ran toward it. I was looking for you. I found you, and you're all I need. The lightning didn't call me to see that tag in the dirt; it called me to you."

He smiled at her. "I actually believe that, too."

"And just so you know, I don't have to stay in Miami, Michael. I can go wherever I need to go, wherever you need to be."

"I'm open to the possibilities. I talked to my father earlier. We called a truce. I wouldn’t mind being closer to him, to my sisters and Veronica. I don't know if I want to live next door, but I definitely want to spend more time here."

"Liliana's disappearance brought us both closer to our families. I'd really like you to come to Texas with me next month for my sister's party. My mother will be thrilled to see you."

"I like your mother and your brother, too. I'm interested to meet your sister as well, so I'd love to go. Family is important, but what's most important is that I love you and you love me. We'll figure out our future together."

"I like the sound of that."

"And I like the sound of your voice, the sweet curve of these lips." He touched her lips with his finger. "The silky feel of your hair, your beautiful brown eyes, always filled with curiosity and fearlessness, and then there's your body."

"Michael," she said, a little breathlessly as his body began to harden against hers. "You need to rest."

"Later," he said, moving so suddenly she was on her back before she knew it. "But right now, I'm going to love you."

"And I'm going to love you back."

EPILOGUE

Two weeks later

Liliana's memorial service was held at St. Peter's Church with the burial of her ashes in a beautiful cemetery overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. A reception at Paladar for family and friends followed the service.

Alicia held Michael's hand throughout the emotional day. While there were sad moments, there were also happy memories shared. By the time they settled in at a table in the restaurant for a late lunch, the pain was gone from his eyes. He was free now—from fear, suspicion and guilt.

"That wasn't as bad as I expected," Michael said. "It felt like we were celebrating her life, instead of mourning her death."

"It was really well done. I know her family will grieve for a long time, but I hope they can start to move past the worst of the pain."

"It helps for them to know that Liliana was trying to stop a killer. She was a hero. And her death wasn't in vain. It's not much compensation, but it's something." Michael paused as Detective Kellerman and Diego walked into the room. "I can't believe Kellerman is here."

"Maybe he finally wants to apologize to you." Despite all the meetings they'd had with the police since Jerry's death, Detective Ron Kellerman had never admitted he'd been wrong about Michael.

"I doubt it," Michael said.

While Diego stopped to chat with Theresa Valdez, Kellerman saw them and walked over to their table. "Mr. Cordero, Miss Monroe."

"You surely can't have more questions for me," Michael said.

Kellerman sat down in the chair next to Michael. "No. I wanted to tell you that I was wrong about you."

Michael looked stunned by his words. "Seriously? You're finally going to admit that?"

Kellerman nodded. "I should have done a better job looking into the criminal case in Texas, but the police in Corpus Christi assured me that the right person was in jail for the double homicide. Obviously, they were wrong. I was, too. I didn't think people could change. It certainly hasn't been my experience, but you did change. You're not the punk I remembered."

"No, I'm not," Michael said, not letting Kellerman off the hook.

Alicia couldn't blame him. The detective had put Michael through hell the past two months. "Has Mrs. Bryer been released from prison?" she asked.

"Yesterday," Kellerman answered. "It took a few days to work through the system. The Corpus Christi district attorney is now satisfied that Jerry Caldwell killed Thomas Bryer and Connie Randolph, thanks to your statement, Miss Monroe, as well as the pictures found in Lieutenant Valdez's coat and a statement from Paul Sandbury."

"What's going to happen to him?" Michael asked.

"I'm not sure yet. The extent of his involvement with both classified information and obstructing justice is still under review. However, he's being quite cooperative now that Jerry Caldwell is dead."

"Was there anyone else at MDT involved?" Alicia asked.

"According to Sandbury, no. He said Connie and Jerry were working together. Bryer found out what she was doing. Then Sandbury got suspicious and started following Connie around. He was thinking of blowing the whistle on her or blackmailing her for a cut of the action. He was desperate for money. His wife needed some experimental medical treatments not covered by insurance."

"So he does a bad thing for a good reason," Michael said. "Doesn't excuse what he did."

"He'll pay," Kellerman said. "But I have to warn you that he'll probably plead out, because corporate theft of classified information that could affect national security probably won't go to trial. At any rate, it's over now. It wasn't the outcome any of us wanted, but I always think knowing the truth is better than living with uncertainty." Kellerman tipped his head, got up and left the table.

"At least he apologized," Alicia said.

Michael shrugged. "His apology means nothing to me." He turned in his chair to face her. "I think we should get out of here."

"Really? We just got here."

"We've talked to everyone. We've paid our respects. It's time to move on."

She liked that idea a lot. "All right," she said, getting to her feet. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

"You're being mysterious."

He gave her a wicked smile. "I know how you love a mystery, and I like to keep you on your toes."

"Yes, you do," she said, grinning back at him. "Let's go."

They managed to slip out of the restaurant without having to say too many goodbyes. They got into Michael's car, and he lowered the convertible top for the first time, which gave her another reason to smile.

She really liked the carefree side of Michael, and she intended to see more of it in the days, weeks and years to come.

They drove for a good twenty minutes before turning down a long driveway. At the end of the road was a very old, run-down two-story house. The land was beautiful and the view of the bay in the back of the house was even more amazing, but the structure itself was practically falling down.

"What's this?" she asked.

"A steal," he said, as they got out of the car. "The house was recently vacated by its elderly owner. As you can see, it's a tear-down, but look at the land it's on."

"It is beautiful."

"Let's walk around the back. As you can see, it also needs an upgrade."

She had to agree. The grass was dead and overgrown with weeds. The swimming pool had been emptied, probably years ago, and the tiles were cracked. An old gazebo was barely standing in the far corner of the grass.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"Well, it has possibilities, but it looks like it needs a lot of work."

"Definitely, but it could be something spectacular, wouldn't you agree?"

She could see by the gleam in his eyes that he really wanted her to agree. "Did you buy this house, Michael?"

"I've put in an offer," he admitted.

"Really?" She was stunned. They'd started to talk about the future and going to New York had definitely been part of the discussion.

"It's a great location. You'll be able to see the lightning storms coming off the coast, and you won't have to drive to a park to get your pictures."

"That's true." She was touched by how much he'd thought about her needs.

"And the house itself will be amazing." He pulled a piece of folded paper out of his pocket. As he unfolded it, she could see a drawing. "It's not a blueprint, but it's my design, one I've been working on for a while."

She was impressed by the beauty and detail of his sketch. "When did you have time to do this?"

"I've actually been drawing this house for years. I just didn't know when or if I'd ever build it, and if I did, who would live in it with me. Now I do."

"It's a beautiful home, Michael. You're so talented."

"I'm glad you like it, because I want you to live in it with me. I want to marry you, Alicia."

"I thought we were going to date for a while, go slow."

"We can date as long as you like, but I want you to know this is where I'd like to end up, if that's what you want, too."

Images of a future with Michael filled her head: the beautiful new house, the swimming pool brimming with water, the gazebo refurbished and romantic, kids playing around the pool, a boy with Michael's blue eyes, and a girl with her unruly brown hair, maybe another baby girl sleeping in a playpen.

"Alicia, what do you think?" he asked, a worried note in his voice.

"It's perfect. I want to marry you, too, Michael. I want to have kids and live here and be really, really happy."

His smile was bigger than she'd ever seen it. "Kids, too?"

"You want children, don't you?"

"Sure. I would love a little crew of lightning chasers."

She laughed. "I don't need to chase the lightning anymore. I told you that. I've seen what I need to see—you. I only chased the light because there was a hole in my heart. It's not there anymore."

"I'm glad." He lowered his head and gave her a long, loving kiss. "But I would never try to stop you from being yourself, Alicia. That's all you ever need to be with me."

Tears pricked her eyes at the statement of unconditional love. "I feel the same way about you, Michael. I know you've felt torn between cultures and cities and families, but your home is with me, whether it's here or anywhere else."

"So here is good, don't you think?"

"Yes, here is wonderfully good."

Michael put his arms around her and they stared out at the view. She sighed with contentment. "I don't think I've ever been this happy."

"It's only going to get better."

"I don't know how it could."

"When do you want to tell your family about us?"

"When we go back to Texas for Danielle's party," she said. "But be prepared. My mother will start planning the wedding as soon as we say we're getting married."

"I'm ready. I'm going to give you a ring, too, Alicia. But I want you to pick it out with me. I want it to be everything you've ever wanted."

She turned in his arms to face him. "You're everything I ever wanted, Michael. Thank God for the lightning. It brought me the perfect man."

He smiled. "I wouldn't say perfect, but I also am thankful for the lightning because it brought me my own very beautiful storm."

THE END

Dear Reader:

I hope you enjoyed reading
BEAUTIFUL STORM
, the first book in my new Lightning Strikes Trilogy. If you'd like to share your thoughts with other readers, I hope you'll leave a review
here
!

While Michael and Alicia solved the mystery of Liliana's disappearance in BEAUTIFUL STORM, that's just the first part of a bigger mystery that will continue to unravel in LIGHTNING LINGERS (#2) and SUMMER RAIN (#3). LIGHTNING LINGERS features Alicia's brother Jake with her sister Danielle taking center stage in SUMMER RAIN.

Along with this new trilogy, I'm continuing to write the NYT Bestselling Series: The Callaways. The most recent book,
IF I DIDN’T KNOW BETTER
is now available with more books coming next year. If you'd like to be alerted to new book releases, please sign up for my newsletter!

Following this letter is an excerpt from one of my standalone bestselling romantic suspense titles,
DON'T SAY A WORD
.

Until next time, happy reading!

Barbara

Excerpt from DON’T SAY A WORD

By Barbara Freethy

© Copyright 2011 Barbara Freethy

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED (V3)

Prologue

25 years earlier

She took her bow with the other dancers, tears pressing against her lids, but she couldn't let those tears slip down her cheeks. No one could know that this night was different from any other. Too many people were watching her.

As the curtain came down one last time, she ran off the stage into the arms of her husband, her lover, the man with whom she would take the greatest risk of her life.

He met the question in her eyes with a reassuring smile.

She wanted to ask if it was all arranged, if the plan was in motion, but she knew it would be unwise to speak. She would end this evening as she had ended all those before it. She went into her dressing room and changed out of her costume. When she was dressed, she said good night to some of the other dancers as she walked toward the exit, careful to keep her voice casual, as if she had not a care in the world. When she and her husband got into their automobile, they remained silent, knowing that the car might be bugged.