Last Chance (16 page)

she would feel better. Her eyes closed.

"You look pretty. Where are you going tonight?"

McKenna whirled around from the mirror. She'd been so into her

thoughts, she hadn't heard her mother come up behind her. Taking a breath,

she said, "Tina is babysitting her sister. Since we both have history finals on

Monday, we're going to have an all-night study fest."

Something flickered in her mom's face and McKenna waited for her to

call her on her lie. Though it wasn't technically a lie. She
was
going over to

Tina's house. Tina
was
babysitting her sister. And they
did
plan to study. Of

course, the studying would come after McKenna got home from her date

with Damon
.

"Are Tina's parents out of town?"

"No, they're going to some kind of concert."

"And this is really studying? No boys?"

Ignoring that ever-increasing bite of conscience, McKenna huffed a

sigh. "Mama, I wish you would start trusting me."

Tears filled her mother's eyes, and McKenna felt lower than a slug
.

"Honey, I want to. Your dad and I both want to. But you betrayed our

trust before. Saw that Damon character when we told you not to. How do we

know you're not going to do it again?"

Tears filled her own eyes. "I'm seventeen, Mama. Almost an adult.

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You have to trust me sometime."

Her mom's raised eyebrows told her the tears were useless. Jane

Sloan was no fool. Tears had always been one of McKenna's tools to get her

way, but they rarely worked anymore. Which was stupid, because this time

they were real. Her mother and father were finally getting their way.

Tonight she would tell Damon she couldn't see him again. And it was

breaking her heart
.

McKenna whirled back around and faced the mirror. What did she

care that her mother didn't believe her? She was breaking up with the man

who was the love of her life all because her parents thought he was too old

for her. After months of sneaking around and pretending, it had become too

much
.

They thought Damon was bad for her. She didn't agree, but the

constant lying was getting to her. Despite the way she had treated them

lately, she truly loved her parents and hated having this rift between them.

They used to be so close. Since she'd met Damon, that closeness had

disappeared. More than once, McKenna had screamed at them for their lack

of understanding, for their backward thinking. And now they were finally

getting what they wanted
.

Damon would be hurt, but she had an answer for that, too. She would

be eighteen in a few months, a full-fledgedadult. Then she could see Damon

and her parents would just have to accept him. It wouldn't be pleasant, but

they'd come around eventually. They just hadn't given Damon a chance.

Thanks to Amy, who'd ratted on her before she could tell them about him,

they already disapproved. And the minute she told them that he was

nineteen, they'd immediately demanded she stop seeing him. But they didn't

know him like she did. He'd had terrible parents, and because of that he'd

been in trouble with the law. Damon just needed someone to love him and

take care of him. Once they saw that beneath his tough-guy image a really

sweet boy existed, they'd come around
.

But that would have to wait until she turned eighteen. Then she'd

show them. Once they got to know the Damon that she knew, they would

love him, too
.

With a jerk, McKenna woke. What had woken her? Sobbing noises

came from her throat. That wasn't unusual. She was used to waking up

crying, with tears on her face. After eight years of nightmares, this one was

no different.

No. Wait
. Was that a noise outside her door? Grabbing her gun, she

crept to the door and looked out. She did indeed have a visitor. Dylan.

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"McKenna, you there?"

Lifting the hem of her T-shirt, McKenna scrubbed her face clean of

tears. Taking a breath to compose herself, she opened the door and Dylan

meandered in. And
meandered
was the correct term. For a man who could

move faster than just about any person she'd ever seen, Dylan Savage didn't

look as though he'd move quicker if his clothes were on fire. There was laidback and there was very laid-back. Dylan was very, very laid-back.

McKenna had often wondered if he saved all his energy for rescuing.

There was no one she'd rather be on an operation with because the man

could move like lightning when it was necessary. Any other time, he was

like a sloth. A big, masculine, and very handsome sloth.

But just because she liked working with him didn't mean she wanted

him here in her apartment. "What are you doing here, Dylan?"

His broad shoulders moved in a lazy shrug. "You left the job even

quicker than usual. Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine. Just tired." She wrapped her arms around herself. Dylan

didn't really make her uncomfortable, but having him in her apartment and

being this near to him made her nervous. Lucas was the only man she felt

comfortable being close with. At that thought, a sigh burst from her before

she could stop it.

She detected a flash of compassion in his expression before it went

blank again. Sympathy was the last thing she wanted from anyone. "You

need to go."

Instead of leaving, he walked deeper into her apartment, then turned

to face her. This time she recognized the look in his face; he didn't try to

hide it. Anger. "You live in a shithole, McKenna."

Her lips twitched. "Tell me what you really think."

He ignored her amusement, his eyes glittering with anger. "Why? I

know you've got your damage. Hell, we all do. But why the fuck do you live

like this? LCR pays you well."

"What I do with my money is my business."

"You're right, it is. I just hate seeing you live like this."

Oh hell, there it was. She knew he'd been overly protective of her

lately and now she knew why. What was it about her that everybody wanted

to be her big brother? Even Noah, in his gruff, bossy way, was protective of

her.

"I live the way I choose to live, Dylan. Just like you do."

"At least I enjoy what I've earned." He gestured around at the bare

walls and shabby furnishings. "No one in their right mind would enjoy living

like this."

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Christy Reece

"Never said I was in my right mind."

"Why do you punish yourself? We've all screwed up, McKenna. You

couldn't have fucked things up any worse than I have."

She knew nothing of Dylan's background. Knowing him better would

put their relationship on a whole new level. One she couldn't afford. Having

any kind of relationship, friendship or otherwise, was out of the question. So

she didn't ask him to tell her more. She hated that because Dylan would be a

good friend to have. Not only was he an excellent operative, he was also the

kind of person who would be easy to be with. No expectations of anything

happening between them. Friendship. How she would love to take up the

offer that was so obvious on his face. She couldn't.

Seeing no reason to prolong the pain, she made it quick. "How I live

my life and what I've done to fuck it up is none of your damn business."

Instead of snarling at her that she was a bitch, he gave her a quick

grin. "You're right, squirt. It's not." He headed toward the door, stopping on

the way to give her an affectionate pat on the head. "I'll be around if you

need to talk."

The door closed behind him, and McKenna fought the need to call

him back. She did so much better when people weren't nice to her.

Knowing Dylan better would be dangerous. If she knew more, she

might feel as though she should reciprocate. Telling her story to Noah and

Samara had been one thing. Noah was her employer and deserved to know

the truth. Actually sharing it as part of a budding friendship was altogether

different. Sharing was an intimacy she could give to no one. If she were to

share her past with anyone, she wanted it to be with Lucas. But she couldn't.

Because if she did, he'd know the real McKenna. The selfish, egotistical, and

stupid bitch who'd gotten her entire family killed.

Returning to the couch, McKenna curled up and forced herself back to

sleep. This time, pray God, she could escape the nightmares.

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Christy Reece

Ten

Palm Beach

Damon frowned at the almost full plate across the table from him.

"Are you not hungry, my love?"

Staring down at her plate, she said, "No."

He sighed. "McKenna, look at me when I speak to you." He waited

until she lifted her head. "You used to have such a healthy appetite. Was it

not to your liking?"

Though her expression was stiff, her words were polite. "It was

delicious. I...I just don't have as much of an appetite as I used to."

While that could be true, something odd flickered in her face. A look

he'd seen before, as if she were keeping something from him. He knew it

would take some time for her to trust him again, but he didn't like that she

had secrets. It had been eight years since they'd been together. She had eight

years of secrets to share with him. He wanted to know them all.

Earlier today, her voice had returned. Damon had used the drug on a

few women before, just as an experiment to see how effectively it worked.

He knew it was best that she rest her vocal cords as much as possible. This

evening he'd allowed her to speak for the first time. Not that she'd had much

to say.

"You managed to elude me for two years. Where did you live during

this time?"

Again that look of secrecy, then she shrugged. "All over the country."

He frowned again. Something in her voice wasn't right. "You have a

southern accent. Why?"

Her eyes lowered to her plate again. "I've lived in a lot of southern

states. It's an easy accent to pick up."

"You've moved around so much...I still can't believe I finally found

you after all this time."

She looked up at him then. "How did you find me?"

Delight filled him. It was the first question she had asked of him.

They were finally sharing. "I have an entire investigative agency totally

devoted to finding you. I've had men scouring the country for years. Cities

everywhere are installing surveillance cameras these days. With the right

kind of skills, you'd be surprised at how easy it is to hack into them. My

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people are excellent at getting into some of the most sophisticated systems in

the world. I knew it was only a matter of time before you were spotted."

"What do you plan to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"There must be a reason you brought me here."

Genuine shock held him speechless for several seconds. "What a

ridiculously odd thing to say. Why would you ask such a question? I've

already admitted to my past mistake. It's time that you do also." Feeling

unusually tentative, he touched her soft hand, caressing it gently. "I want us

to start all over again. Forget about the past. There's nothing and no one

standing in our way now. What's done is done. I'm willing to forgive you for

your betrayals and for running from me. Can't we get past what happened

and look to the future?"

She was silent for the longest time. Damon was beginning to think

he'd have to shake a response from her. Finally she nodded and gave him a

trembling smile. Damon felt all his anxiety melt away.

"Good. Now, I know that you haven't had a chance to look around

since you returned. I'd like to show you your new home." He stood and held

out his hand. "I remember how you loved warm weather--that's the reason I

moved here to south Florida. You'll be able to enjoy summer year round."

As she stood beside him, he felt another odd sense that something was

wrong. He'd held her in his arms earlier but desire had blurred his thoughts.

Now, standing so close to her without touching, he felt that something was

off. What? She seemed like the old McKenna, yet not. He reminded himself

that after eight years, it was only normal that people change. Nothing more

than that.

Shrugging off the feeling, he led her out the door to the patio. He had

focused so much effort on finding her, his brain was having to readjust. Soon

they would settle into their lives and everything would be as it should be.

She still seemed so uneasy around him, but that would change soon. She had

another couple of days to get used to him again and then she would be his

forever. Of course, she would have to endure the punishment he planned

because of her betrayal and abandonment, but that would take place after

they returned from their honeymoon.