Last Chance (25 page)

sweet. Arousal built like a campfire, small, unassuming, until soon a cinder

would catch and a blaze would burst forth, out of control. Lucas surged and

retreated, thrust deep, slowly withdrew, again and then again. Heat

bloomed...building...building...building. The blaze flared, turned into an

inferno. He could wait no longer; turning McKenna onto her stomach, he

simply, passionately, and lovingly mated with her.

Paris

Noah stared at the computer screen, an ominous feeling spreading

through him. Though he wasn't much of a cursing man, every curse word he

knew came to mind as he studied the photo of the missing woman. Jamie

Kendrick had been missing for weeks, maybe more, and it was just now

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being reported. How the hell did this happen in today's society, when a

fucking celebrity can kiss someone in public and in seconds it's spread like a

wildfire on the Internet?

"What's wrong?" The concern on Samara's face told him she'd sensed

his rage.

"Take a look at this picture." He turned the screen so she could get a

good look.

"Oh, Noah," Samara breathed. "It's McKenna."

"No...just looks an awful damn lot like McKenna." Using the eraser

end of a pencil, he pointed out the differences. "See, the nose is tilted up a

little more than McKenna's. Her eyes are more rounded, less oval. And her

chin is squarer."

She peered closer. "You're right, but the resemblance is uncanny." She

looked at him then, concluding what he had only moments ago. "You think

Damon Hughes took her, don't you?"

"It's a damn good possibility. What fries my ass is that no one

reported her missing. Apparently she'd just moved to Little Rock, Arkansas,

a few months ago and hadn't made any friends. The part-time jobs she had

were low-level positions and the people assumed she had just decided not to

work there anymore."

"How did they finally decide she was missing?"

"She missed a court date in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Seems her

husband, now ex-husband, had abused her and was in jail, awaiting trial. The

woman had moved away but with the obvious intent of going back to testify.

She never showed up."

"But couldn't it have been her ex-husband who arranged her

disappearance?"

Noah nodded. "That's what the authorities are going on. He's made

several threats against her. They've not named him as a suspect since he was

in jail at the time of her disappearance; however, they're speculating that he

hired someone."

"That's a reasonable assumption."

"Yes, and I'd be the first one to agree with them if she didn't look

almost identical to McKenna."

Samara sat on the edge of his desk, pressed her fingertips to Noah's

temples, and rubbed. From experience, Mara knew that if there was any

tension in his body at all, it resulted in a slight ache in his temple. And

dammit, yes, he had tension.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"What I don't want to do, but there's no choice. If Hughes has this

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woman, McKenna needs to know."

"She's been with Lucas for almost a month."

Noah blew out a sigh. Standing, he took his wife in his arms, drawing

comfort from her warm, enticing body. Holding Samara always helped.

"Have you talked with her since she's been there?" Noah asked.

Samara nodded against his chest. "Only once. She sounded..."

She trailed off, and Noah knew why. She didn't want to say the words

because it would reemphasize what he knew and would only make calling

her doubly hard. McKenna had sounded happy. For the first time in her

young life, she was feeling safe and secure. And without a doubt, she was

falling in love with Lucas Kane. Dammit all to hell, he didn't want to have to

do it, but he didn't have a choice.

McKenna gripped her cellphone in her hand, afraid if she let go of it,

she would throw it across the room. Refusing to flinch from what she knew

she had to do, McKenna stalked jerkily to her laptop. She hadn't had it on in

days. Just how freaking irresponsible could she be?

She went to the website Noah had set up for LCR, typed in her code

word, and hit enter. And there she was. A face that wasn't hers, but looked

too much like hers not to mean something.

Jamie Kendrick looked like McKenna, yet she didn't. This woman still

had a wholesome, innocent quality about her. McKenna could no longer

claim either. And if Damon had taken her, she wouldn't be wholesome or

innocent for long.

If?
She snorted under breath. Of course he had taken her. She wasn't

into lying to herself. The woman's ex-husband might be the only suspect, but

McKenna knew in her gut he had nothing to do with her disappearance.

Damon had somehow found the woman and had taken her. What had he

done when he realized she wasn't McKenna?

Physically, she had changed many things about herself. However, she

still had one identifying emblem that was almost impossible to demolish.

Long ago she had tried to have the brand on her bottom removed. The
D
had

been burned into her skin so deeply and was so large that it would take

several skin grafts to repair the damaged area. And even if she had the brand

removed, the doctors told her, she'd still have scarring. Either way, if this

woman didn't have scars or a giant letter on her bottom, Damon would

know.

Would he kill her? Years ago, Damon hadn't minded killing. He'd

done it as easily as some people swatted at an insect. If someone irritated

him, he killed them. Was she now responsible for one more death?

"What are you doing?"

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McKenna closed her laptop and looked over her shoulder at Lucas,

who stood at the door of her bedroom. A bedroom she hadn't used since

they'd become lovers. "Checking my messages."

Standing, she went toward him, willing herself the courage to do what

she had to do.

"Something wrong?"

"No." She grimaced. "Well, other than I have to leave earlier than I

planned."

"Leave?"

She sighed. "Yes, I had hoped to stay a couple more days, but Noah

McCall just called. He needs my help with a job...sounds really intriguing."

"Just like that, huh?"

"Just like what?"

"You can leave with no regrets?"

"I didn't say I wanted to leave, Lucas. But you knew I would have to

eventually. We've talked about it."

"We talked about it before we became lovers."

"Nothing's changed. I can't stay permanently."

He turned and walked away. "You're right."

Well, what the hell did that mean?
She followed him as he headed

down the landing toward his bedroom. "Where are you going?"

He turned and gave her a mild look. "Taking a shower. Want to join

me?"

Jerking to a stop, she could only stare at him. Though she hadn't

wanted him to be angry or upset when she left, she had expected a different

kind of reaction. McKenna didn't know if she should celebrate, cry, or stomp

her feet with frustration. Had she misread him? Did he not care as much as

she thought?

"That's it?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop

them.

"What exactly do you want me to say, McKenna? Please stay? Of

course I want you to stay, but I've known from the beginning you were here

only temporarily. Why should I waste time on an argument when I know it

will do no good?"

Hell, he was right. She should be glad there were no harsh words said

between them. Their time together had been so special and he had been so

wonderfully good to her. She forced a smile to her frozen mouth. "You're

right. And I wouldn't want to spoil anything by arguing."

She looked down at her hands, surprised and disturbed to see them

clenched. Acting indifferent came with her tough-girl persona. She damn

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well needed to get it back before she confronted Damon. Taking a breath to

center herself, she said, "I need to leave within the hour. Would you mind

asking Conrad to call a taxi for me? I need to go to a car rental place."

"Take one of my cars. I have several I never use."

"Thanks, but then I'd have to arrange to have it returned. I'll just rent

one that I can return to a rental agency in Paris."

She sensed he was about to argue, but all he said was "Fine" and

continued walking.

"Lucas!"

He turned once more to look at her. McKenna swallowed past a

mountainous lump of emotions in her throat. "For what it's worth, thank you

for giving me the best days of my life."

He stared at her for the longest time. She didn't know what she wanted

him to say. Whatever he said wouldn't change what she had to do. Finally he

said solemnly, "Thank you, McKenna, for sharing them with me." He then

continued toward his bedroom.

As she watched him disappear from view, she told herself it was

better this way. No anger, no recriminations, no tears. Wiping at her damp

face, she shrugged. Oh well, two out of three wasn't bad.

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Fifteen

Duffel bag in hand, McKenna stood in the foyer. She'd left the clothes

Lucas had bought her in the closet. Though she would need stylish clothes

for her new assignment, she couldn't make herself wear the things Lucas had

given her when she faced Damon. She refused to taint them with the stench

of that bastard. She would buy clothes before she contacted him.

"I see that you're ready to go."

Whirling around, she faced Lucas. He was several feet away, in the

shadows, so she couldn't see him as clearly as she wanted...as clearly as she

needed. Why couldn't he be in the bright light so her last glimpse of him

could be something to remember?

She wanted to go to him, see him, touch him, taste him one last time.

Her toes curled into her shoes and she forced her entire body to freeze. If she

went to him, touched him again, she wouldn't leave. She might be tempted to

tell him things. Things that could get him killed. She'd die before she let

anything happen to Lucas. She'd lost too much already.

"Will you be back?"

"No."

"So this is goodbye forever."

Gripping the handle of her bag so tight she almost drew blood, she

whispered, "Yes."

He continued to just look at her, not saying anything, just looking.

Why didn't he move closer? Even as she wanted him closer, she needed him

to stay at a distance. She wanted to remember him as she'd seen him this

morning, when he'd woken her with a soft kiss and made slow, delicious

love to her.

Since she was the one leaving, it only made sense that she head

toward the door. Legs stiff with the desire to walk in the opposite direction,

she turned and made herself move forward.

"McKenna."

She stopped. If she turned...no, she couldn't. Facing the door, she

asked huskily, "Yes?"

"I know you think you have to leave. I'm not sure why now, and I

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won't ask. But no matter what happens in the future, you'll always be

welcome here."

Tears came before she could stop them. Leaning her forehead against

the door, she drew in a breath and said, "You're the finest man I've ever

known, Lucas Kane." Before she could say anything more, she opened the

door and ran.

"Damn, that was intense."

His chest so tight he could barely breathe, he turned to Jared, who

stood at the entrance of the library. He raised a brow at the man's rudeness.

"I believe I asked for privacy."

Jared grinned. "See, that's where you made the mistake." When Lucas

didn't respond, Jared sighed. "Why the hell did you let her leave?"

"Because she thinks she has no choice. I intend to see that she has

choices. What do you have?"

"Come into the library. I have it all laid out. With what Phelps has

uncovered for you also, I think we're going to be able to pinpoint the bastard

rather easily."

Lucas forced himself to follow Jared, though every part of his gut was

telling him to go after McKenna and tell her he'd slay every dragon and

demon that even looked at her cross-eyed. She wouldn't let him. Her

independence was one of the things he admired most about her. It was also

one of the things that infuriated him the most. Dammit, he had the

wherewithal to take out the bastard.

Again he questioned whether he should have told her about his past.

Would that have made a difference? His gut told him no. McKenna was bent

on protecting those she cared for. She wouldn't want him going after Damon,

whether she knew about his background or not. Therefore, he had no choice

but to remove Damon and then tell her. He refused to consider the betrayal

she might feel. Better she feel betrayed than someday end up in the bastard's

clutches again.

Lucas dropped into a chair and faced his friend. "Tell me."

Deadly serious now, Jared sat across from him and told him what he

knew about Damon Hughes. "He's about as bad as they come. Drugs and

gambling are his mainstay."