Double Vision (Unknown Identities #2) (10 page)

"Meaning my name will be cleared as well as my record?"

"With a little time, yes. If that is what you want."

She stared
up at Adam, understanding the significance of this moment. He could reclaim the name of the person he'd been, the identity Galloway destroyed.

"Actually, I think I'll stick with who I am now."

"Understood." The man in the suit dipped his chin to Selena. "Happy Holidays Miss Vaccaro, Mr. Maxwell." Then he turned and left through the front door, the bell ringing in his wake.

"What just happened?"
she asked.

"I believe Christmas came early for all of us," he said.

"Except Galloway."

Adam s
hrugged. "He got what he wanted. Not our fault his celebration was cut short."

"Speaking of celebrations,
" Brevo said, pushing back from the counter. "We'd best get cleaned up. Uncle Torry will put coal in our stockings if we miss Mass."

She hurried around the counter to kiss Brevo. "
We'll be there," she promised as he walked away.

"You
know, you can join us," she said quietly to Adam when they were alone.

"That's not an invitation you'll regret?"

She shook her head, not quite meeting his gaze. Why could she do what was necessary when a gun was pointed at her, but she lost her courage now that they were safe?

He tipped her chin up to receive his kiss. "It would be an honor to join you."

Christmas Day 6:25p.m.

The room, filled to bursting with chattering people of all ages
, fell silent. Selena's uncle stepped forward, looking Adam up and down, his bushy eyebrows drawn tight in an assessing scowl. Then his gaze shifted to Selena and something silent and full of meaning passed between them.

Adam hoped it was something positive. Only his years in the field kept him from breaking out in a cold sweat. It felt as if everyone was holding their collective breath, waiting for Torry's decision.

There were really only two logical outcomes: they'd let him stay or they'd make him leave. Without Selena. But Adam couldn't make an accurate assessment because his hopes were riding on the option he preferred. The one, crystal clear outcome in his very muddled life.

The
option he could no longer deny how much she mattered to him.

Suddenly he was pulled into a rib-crushing bear hug. Hadn't seen that one coming, he thought with a smile, appreciating the surprise of it as much as the acceptance.

Selena's relatives surged forward and Adam shook hands and exchanged holiday greetings with what felt like the entire population of Little Italy.

When she was called to the dining room, she took his hand and pulled him right along with her. "I have to fold napkins," she said when the door closed behind her.

"Sure." He didn't know what else to say. Was there a special Vaccaro family ritual for this too?

"The aunts are grumbling about Renata not calling
today."

"She'll be fine," Adam assured her, though he too wondered what was taking
Messenger so long to recover Selena's cousin.

"They have
old-fashioned standards. Renata will have a lifetime of explaining to do if she doesn't get to call today."

Selena's gaze locked with his and
the hope he saw there tore him apart. If Messenger dropped the ball on Renata's rescue, Adam would personally get the full explanation for the Vaccaro family.

The intensity of his attachment scared him a little, but not nearly as much as the idea of
being apart from this woman.

"You could help
me with this," she said, peering at him from under her bangs.

He stared at the
stacks of fabric squares for a moment, baffled by the request. When he lifted his eyes to hers, he caught the mischief dancing there. "All right. Show me."

She started the pattern, and her smile brightened as they finished at the same time.

"It really doesn't bug you? The things that are weird about me, I mean."

"Maybe you should explain
all
the details," she teased. "So I can make an informed decision."

"That would be best for when we're alone."

They were both quiet for a moment, listening to the various sounds of her relatives filtering in from the other side of the door.

"You have a big family," he said at last.

"Are you implying that's a deal breaker?"

"I don't think it should be." He smiled, reassuring her, and knew from the grin on her face that his dimple
was in fine form. "But I don't come from that same kind of background. One more big difference between us."

"They'll forgive you," she said with a wink.
"Regardless, you make up for the weird stuff and lack of family in other ways." Her grin turned into a sexy invitation. "It's part of what makes you the man I want to love."

"Really?"
He went around to her side of the table and pulled her close, brushing her lips with a teasing kiss. "Any other parts of me you want to love?"

She trailed a fingertip across his
lower lip and he caught it lightly with his teeth. They both trembled with anticipation.

She licked her lips.
"A full explanation of
that
should wait until we're alone."

"Promise?"

She nodded, making an X over her heart with her free hand. "On the family honor."

When his laughter filled the room, she knew this would be the first Christmas of the rest of their lives.

Together.

Amelia set aside her laptop and rolled her shoulders. The tension she'd felt traveling to and from Selena's showroom was fading with every hour that passed without Messenger or his assassin breaking down the hotel room door. "Any word from Ben?"

"Not so far
," John replied, giving her a ghost of a smile. "He said something about getting a program, whatever that means. For all I know he's been sneaking into Broadway shows."

She chuckled. It would take them all some time to adjust to working together, but she knew
John wanted to make this new team approach work for all of them. And for the Unknown Identities operatives still stuck in Messenger's system.

After saving Adam and Selena by interfering with End Game's
usually foolproof, deadly aim in that alley, Ben had slipped away from the conflict unnoticed. He hadn't reappeared since confirming Messenger had dispatched an operative to track down Galloway's hostage.

She wondered how long it would take for leads to turn up.
"Do you think you can trust Gabriel to keep his word and actually rescue Selena's cousin?" Amelia chewed on her lower lip.

"Did you take a dose of naïve
when I wasn't looking?" John gave her a look of exaggerated concern.

She might have laughed if the consequences for the missing woman weren
't so dangerous. The information she was digging up made Amelia nervous. "Her ties to the embassy and the doctor who leaked that medical research on the nano-technology make her a high-value target."

"Listen to you usi
ng the jargon," he grinned down at her.

"You know I'm a quick learner."
Linking her hand with John's, she gave it a squeeze as she gazed out at the sparkling city lights. "Do you think Adam or Selena will call?"

It had been a calculated risk going into the showroom to return Selena's purse, but she'd wanted to be out there taking the risks like John and Ben. She wanted to be a valuable part of the field team in addition to her
role gathering intel. With John's expert coaching in all things covert, she managed to prove once again John's adage about people seeing what they expect to see. Still, she would be happy to leave New York behind.

"
Maybe." His shoulders hitched up and down. "If Gabriel fails to deliver Renata. Are you worried about them?"

"Let's assume I'm ov
erwhelmed with Christmas spirit and I want everyone to be happy."

"Happy is important."
He pulled her close to his warm, solid body for a long kiss that was a gift in itself. "Tis the season," he murmured against her lips.

"So what
next?" She swayed a little in the strong circle of his embrace.

"
I don't want to leave town without Ben, although I'm sure he'd find us anywhere. But tonight," he turned them away from the window, "I can only think of one thing that matters. Merry Christmas, Amelia."

"Oh." She slipped away from
his embrace. "I have something for you." She handed him the tie from Selena's showroom. "Merry Christmas, my love."

"You bought me a present?"

"Tis the season," she teased. She knew it had been far too long since he'd enjoyed anything as frivolous as a gift. The wonder on his face was the best reaction she could have wished for.

He admired the tie, then looped it over her neck and brought her close once more.
"Thank you." He kissed her slowly, thoroughly, until she was hot and melting.

Amelia sighed happily. They might be officially dead and on the run, but she'd never felt more alive than she did here and now with John
Noble.

Dear Reader
,

Thank you so much for reading
Double Vision
, the second adventure in the Unknown Identities series of romantic suspense adventures. 

Again,
Debra Webb’s wonderful editorial guidance helped me craft this tale and I appreciate her expertise and inspiration more than words can say. Playing Adam's special vision and solitary perspective of the world off of Selena's family values and her eye for color and artistry offered loads of possibilities as their story unfolded on the page.

If you enjoyed this story, please be sure to let other readers know by leaving a review where you purchased the book, or at
Goodreads, on a blog, Facebook, twitter, or wherever you like to share books with friends and fellow readers.

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Thanks again for your support!

~
Regan

Regan Black, a USA
Today bestselling author, writes award-winning, action-packed romantic suspense, paranormal and urban fantasy novels featuring kick-butt heroines and the sexy heroes who fall in love with them.

Raised in the Midwest and California, she currently makes her home with her family, two retired greyhounds, two arrogant cats, and two quirky finches in the South Carolina
Lowcountry where the rich blend of legend, romance, and history fuels her imagination.

You can visit her online anytime at
www.ReganBlack.com

Unknown Identities (dark, edgy romantic suspense)
:

(Coming October 2013)

Bulletproof #1

Double Vision
#2

Sandman #3

The Shadows of Justice Series (dark, urban fantasy romance):

Justice Incarnate, Book 1

Invasion of Justice, Book 2

Veil of Justice, Book 3

Tracking Shadows, Book 4

Shadows to Light, Book 5

In the Interest of Security, novella

The Matchmaker Series (the lighter side of Regan Black):

The Matchmaker’s Mark

The Matchmaker
’s Curse

The Bodyguard
’s Vow

The
Hobbitville Saga (a fantasy series of short stories for younger readers):

The Pixie Chicks

Hot Spots

Breaking New Ground

The Shadow Stone

Snow Covered Resolutions

Non-fiction:

Adopt
A Greyhound Guide

Goal Setting For Writers: Making Revisions Work in Life and Art

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