Last Chance (15 page)

she was afraid of, but to remove the threat from her.

He hadn't asked her because not only wouldn't she have told him, she

would have been on the run again. Lucas wouldn't stop her from running,

but he could damn well find out what or whom she was running from. Did

she fear the law? Something told him she did, but not because she'd done

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anything illegal. He sensed a lack of trust more than anything else. Besides,

Noah McCall might bend the rules frequently, but LCR didn't get involved

in illegal activities. And McCall wouldn't be associated with someone who

did.

The day had been full of delightful surprises and a frustrating lack of

information. For every step he had taken to get to know her, she'd retreated

two steps back. In anyone else, he might have suspected coyness, but

McKenna was totally lacking in that area. She was straightforward, direct,

and as evasive as hell.

Hearing a noise, Lucas turned. Conrad stood at the door. Standing

beside him was Myron Phelps, the Kane family private investigator. The

man had gotten here faster than Lucas had expected.

Getting to his feet, he held out his hand in welcome to Myron and

then turned to Conrad. "Go on to bed. I'll see our guest out when he leaves."

His face stoic as ever, Conrad nodded and turned away. But before he

did, Lucas saw something in his eyes he'd never seen before: disapproval.

Conrad knew why Myron was here and he didn't like it. Lucas felt a twinge

but ignored it. He was doing this for McKenna, not for himself. Conrad

didn't understand that yet. When this was over, he'd explain it to him. And to

McKenna. Somehow he got the feeling that Conrad would be much more

understanding.

Determined to go forward, no matter what, he turned to Myron and

began explaining exactly what he wanted him to do.

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Nine

Palm Beach

Damon unlocked the bedroom door and eased it open. The enticing

scene of his woman lying on the bed he'd bought for her, sleeping in the

nightgown he'd chosen for her, brought fresh tears to his eyes. How long had

he dreamed of this day?

Treading softly, he went to the bed and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Wake up, my love. It's time to start our new life together."

She blinked sleepily and then her eyes opened wide. Making an odd

little sound in her throat, she shrank away from him as if terrified.

"Dammit, McKenna. I thought we were over that." A healthy fear was

good, it would keep her in line, but she acted as if he was going to kill her or

something.

Damon took a breath to control the mass of conflicting emotions

McKenna always created in him. All he had ever wanted to do was love her,

and when she didn't appreciate what he had done for her, hurt and anger

blended into a mass of volcanic emotions he had difficulty controlling.

Drawing a breath, he reminded himself that she had been here just one

day. He had rushed her before, gone a bit overboard in his discipline. It

would take her some time to adjust. There was romance to be had, and they

had all the time in the world.

He stepped back several feet. "I want you to join me for breakfast.

There's a blue and white dress in the closet...it has little flowers on it. Put it

on and come down."

Would she remember it was identical to the dress she'd been wearing

when they first met? Would she appreciate the time and effort it had taken to

replicate every single thing, down to the very clothes she wore? He had recreated it all just the way it was before their difficulties had begun. And he'd

done it all just for her.

When she merely looked at him with those accusing eyes again,

Damon huffed a frustrated sigh and walked out the door. Impatience,

especially with McKenna, had always been his downfall. That's what

happened when you loved someone more than they loved you. Expecting her

to fall in with his plans was unrealistic. In time, McKenna would see what

he had done for her, what he would do for her. And then all would be well.

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Margret stood in the hallway, waiting for him. "Louise Stenzel, the

wedding planner, is here, sir."

A burst of optimism shot through him. Soon McKenna would be

wholly and legally his. Then she could never leave him, never deny him.

"Have her meet me in my office. I want to go over a few details with

her before McKenna comes down. Have breakfast ready for us at the pool in

half an hour. Give McKenna ten minutes to dress and then bring her down to

me."

Margret nodded, her face expressionless as always. When they'd first

met, he had wondered if Margret had any emotions in her at all. But the

longer they were associated, the more he realized that he and Margret had

much in common. They loved fiercely. He loved McKenna and would do

anything to have her. Margret loved Damon. And because of that love, she

would do anything to see that he was happy. He had never asked her to kill

for him, but he knew that she would.

Funny, he was almost tempted to ask her to kill someone, just to see

her reaction. It would be an interesting experiment to see how she would

carry out the deed. Shrugging off the odd but intriguing idea, he headed

downstairs to see the wedding planner. He couldn't wait to get started.

Damon entered his office and sat down at his desk. When the door

opened, he stood and waited for the woman to come to him. She needed to

be alerted to certain facts before his bride-to-be arrived. He'd been assured

the woman was discreet and would look the other way as long as she was

handsomely compensated. He intended to make sure of that before he

allowed her to meet McKenna.

"Thank you for coming, Louise. You come highly recommended."

She seated herself in a chair in front of his desk. "And it's a pleasure

to make your acquaintance, Mr. Hughes. You come highly recommended as

well."

"As you know, I'm an eager bridegroom, so by necessity, the wedding

will need to take place quickly. That doesn't mean, however, that I want to

skimp on the wedding itself. It must be as spectacular as my bride."

"I have ten individuals who at a moment's notice can create a

masterpiece." She pressed several buttons on her BlackBerry, apparently

looking at her calendar. "What month and day do you have in mind?"

"This weekend." His expression one of utmost seriousness, he waited

to see if she would pass the first test. Though her head popped up and her

eyes widened briefly, she nodded as if it was a reasonable request, then

looked down at her calendar again.

Damon knew his request wasn't reasonable. Putting together a fairy88

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tale wedding in three days would take a miracle. Since he had the money and

power to order a miracle, he fully expected her to do what was necessary to

make sure he got what he wanted. If she didn't, she would pay a hefty price.

He handed her a detailed plan. It included everything, from the

specific flowers he wanted to use to the design of the wedding cake. After

years of imagining this in his mind, it had taken barely an hour to put

everything down on paper. "This is what I want, down to the smallest detail.

See that I get it and your commission will be beyond your wildest dreams.

Fail me and you will regret it."

Her throat worked as she swallowed, but she nodded again. The

woman had dealt with some of his associates, so she knew exactly what he

meant.

"Another issue. My fiancee has only recently returned to me and we

still have a few issues to iron out. She may seem a bit reluctant. I want your

assurance that this will not concern you."

A slight smile. "And you have my assurance. You and your fiancee's

relationship problems are none of my business and will be of no concern for

me. My only goal is to give you both the wedding of your dreams."

"Excellent." Damon stood at the knock on the door. "That should be

her right now. I will warn you that she has a bit of laryngitis, so she won't be

able to interject anything into the conversation. However, I did want to

introduce you so you can understand why I want this day to be so special."

His love entered the room and his heart almost stopped beating. The

simple little summer dress she wore brought back so many wonderful

memories. Though she had filled out a bit more and her facial features had

changed a little with age, she still looked so much like the girl he'd fallen in

love with.

Turning to the wedding planner, he said, "Leave us. I will be in

touch."

He had no idea, and didn't care, what she might have seen in his face

or heard in his voice. Apparently it was enough to have her stand up and

walk out the door without a word.

His legs shakier than he could ever remember them, he held out his

hand and said softly, "Come."

Though she still looked terrified and defiant, he was beginning to see

a gradual softening of her features. He'd known it would take some time for

her to accept being here with him, and he was glad to see it was happening

even faster than he'd hoped.

Unable to wait any longer to taste her, he pulled her into his arms and

kissed her. He heard a gasp and plunged his tongue into her mouth. Yes, this

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was what he had missed. This connection. All the women he'd had since the

last time he'd been with McKenna disappeared into oblivion. They had been

nothing but a way to satisfy a hunger. Holding McKenna in his arms was

nothing like touching those other women. This was all about love; the others

had been lust.

She stood stiffly in his arms. Tension raced through her body, but she

didn't fight him. Didn't respond, either. That would come eventually. Just the

taste of her in his mouth gave him a certain amount of peace. Their wedding

would be this weekend. And then their honeymoon would commence. He

had been waiting this long...he could wait a little longer.

Paris

McKenna stifled a yawn, surprised at the effort it took to put her hand

over her mouth. She couldn't remember ever being so tired. Since officially

joining LCR, Noah had insisted she receive more specialized training. He

and two other operatives had been coaching her in everything from selfdefense to shooting a long-range rifle while running at maximum speed. She

was by no means an expert at anything, but Noah had told her more than

once that her skills were good and her instincts were excellent. Despite the

weariness that tugged at every muscle and sinew, the praise gave her a lift.

In between the trainings, she'd worked two separate rescues.

Previously she had rarely worked more than one a month. Not only did a

rescue take enormous energy, but in her case, undercover was often

involved. Building trust with people who trusted no one took time and

finesse. The two jobs she'd worked hadn't required undercover; they'd been

straight-up rescues. However, between the training and the rescues,

exhaustion had crept into her bones, and now just climbing the stairs to her

apartment seemed like a major feat.

And she was lonely. There, she'd admitted it--not that the truth would

do any good. Before she met Lucas, she had been alone and hadn't really

given it a lot of thought. It was what it was. But now, after being with him,

talking with him, and getting to know him, she wanted to be with him again.

It was crazy insane. She needed to get over the need. This want and ache

would lead nowhere, and even allowing herself the fantasy was so damned

dangerous it scared her.

Finally reaching her apartment, McKenna unlocked and opened the

door, forcing her mind back to the present. Staying aware kept her alive and

out of Damon's clutches. Gun at the ready, she eased her head in. Heard and

saw nothing wrong. Taking no chances, McKenna closed the door behind

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her and went from room to room, checking every place a person could hide.

She released a tired sigh. All clear.

Placing her gun and keys on the coffee table, she collapsed onto the

sofa. She should eat--she needed to eat--but she wasn't hungry. She was tired

and she was lonely and that was that.

Maybe she should just get it over with and confront Damon. Even as

exhausted as she was, a surge of adrenaline-drenched fear shot through her

at the thought. Stupid? Absolutely. She who had confronted kidnappers,

rapists, and every other kind of conscienceless person in the universe was

scared to death of this one man.

Was he the most evil man in the universe? Probably not. She knew her

fear came from something else, somewhere else. Memories of what he had

done. What he was capable of and what he would do if he had the chance.

No, he wasn't the most dangerous person to others, but to McKenna, who

had seen him screw with her mind until she barely knew her name, he was

evil personified.

Curling up on the sofa, she wrapped her arms around a soft throw

pillow for comfort and closed her eyes. A nap...she just needed a nap. Then