Last Chance (40 page)

"I knew some. Not all. And I didn't know that Hughes was still alive.

The reports said he died in a fire caused by a riot at the prison."

A breath shuddered through her. "It hurts, Lucas."

"I know, love. I'm sorry. I wish I had told you before. I just wanted to

get him out of your life."

"Thank you for telling me now."

His arms tightened around her. Silence followed. Wondering if she

was gearing up the anger, he shifted so he could look down at her. Her eyes

were closed and the shallow, even breaths told him she was deeply asleep.

Lucas dropped his head back onto the pillow and gathered her close

again. Had it hit her yet that she no longer had to be afraid, no longer had to

hide? For years she had been on the run. Had shut herself off from a real life

and any kind of relationship. Now that she didn't have to run, would she be

content to stay still?

She woke the next morning to an empty bed. Rolling over, McKenna

squinted at the clock, surprised to see it was almost seven. Noah and his

team would be here at ten. She needed to get some clothes before then.

Going to an LCR meeting in a robe didn't exactly inspire confidence. And

nothing in the world could make her retrieve that hideous wedding gown

from the trash.

Wondering where Lucas had gone, she sat up and looked around.

There was no sign of him. If she didn't have the delicious aches on her body

and the heady fragrance of uninhibited sex on the sheets and her skin, she

could almost believe he hadn't been here.

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"Lucas?"

Since she had been furious with him when they'd checked in, she'd

demanded a suite with two bedrooms. He'd apparently gone back to his

room to shower. Grabbing the robe from the floor, McKenna shoved her

arms into it and opened the door to the other room. Empty. A sinking feeling

of dread filled her as she went to the bathroom across the room. He had been

here not too long ago. Steam still lingered and the shower door was wet.

Turning back to her room, she worked hard not to be hurt. He had

never made her any promises. He had achieved his goal of taking Damon

out. Maybe he felt that since he'd done that there was no reason to linger.

No
. He'd said he loved her. And you don't just make love to someone

like he did to her and then walk away. You just don't. There had to be

another explanation. Trust came hard for her; she'd learned some painful

lessons. But she trusted Lucas. After the things he'd revealed last night, her

trust had been shaken, but it was still there. Lucas would not abandon her.

She headed to the bathroom. After showering, she would work on

getting some clothes delivered. She needed to be dressed for her meeting

with Noah. She had a rescue mission to complete. No matter what she and

Lucas faced, her job was priority one right now.

Still, the doubts lingered. Cursing her lack of faith, she turned the

water to full blast and stood under the hot, hard spray. He wouldn't just

leave...
he wouldn't
.

Lucas eased the door open, hoping he'd made it back before McKenna

woke. The sound of the shower told him he hadn't. Hell, he should've gone

out earlier, but with McKenna finally in his arms again, he had slept so

damn deeply, he'd had a hard time waking.

Placing the packages on the table, he picked up the phone. Neither of

them had eaten last night. If they were going to meet with Noah McCall

about rescuing this young woman Hughes had kidnapped, they'd need all the

strength they could get.

After ordering a meal big enough for a large family, Lucas turned

around. McKenna stood at the door of the bathroom, once more wrapped in

the hotel robe. The expression on her face caught his attention. She looked

stunned. Even though she tried to cover it up with a small smile, he'd seen

the vulnerability. Hell, had she thought he had just up and left her?

His heart ached because he knew that was exactly what she'd thought.

McKenna had been hurt and betrayed by so many. She was probably much

more surprised when people actually treated her with kindness and kept their

promises.

Figuring she was too proud to admit her fears, Lucas chose to pretend

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he hadn't read her thoughts. At some point she would learn that not all

people were snakes. He squashed the voice that reminded him she already

felt he had betrayed her. Just because he'd opened up last night didn't mean

all was well between them.

"I ordered breakfast. You've got to be starving." He picked up the

bags holding the clothes he'd purchased. "The shops downstairs were good

enough to open early. I think these will fit."

When she didn't move, he took her hands and dropped the clothing

bags into them. Seeing that she had a hold on them, he stepped back and

said, "I watched the local news while I was waiting for the salesclerk to ring

these up. Looks like the authorities got to Hughes's estate about half an hour

after we left. The minister is telling quite the tale of how a beautiful blonde

and her handsome companion kicked some bad guy's ass."

He meant for her to at least smile. Instead, she said softly, "I thought

you had left."

"I know you did. I'm not like that, McKenna. I don't leave."

She shuddered out a breath and then gave him what had to be the most

beautiful smile he'd ever seen. "I'll get dressed."

Turning away from him, she dropped her robe to the floor. Lucas

groaned and turned away himself. They didn't have time for what his body

wanted. It was going to be hard enough watching her eat without jumping

her bones. Damned if he needed the extra enticement.

Thankfully, the food arrived before he could change his mind. As he

set things out for them, she came back into the room, wearing the clothes

he'd purchased. The slacks, blouse, and thin sweater appeared to be a perfect

fit.

She gave him a small smile. "You're very good at picking out

women's clothes."

"Part of my Englishman's training."

"Really?"

He chuckled. "No. I'm embarrassed to tell you, but my third--no, she

was my fourth--stepmother used to take me shopping with her. I was her

clothes caddy."

"That must have been boring."

Grinning, he shook his head. "Actually, no. I sat and watched

beautiful women walk out of dressing rooms and preen in front of mirrors.

Several of them would ask my advice. I even got a couple of dates."

Her eyes twinkling with amusement, she sat down at the table. He

watched as she loaded her plate and was relieved to see that her appetite had

apparently returned.

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"This looks delicious." She took a large bite of her omelet and sighed.

"Heaven."

Lucas swallowed a groan and filled his own plate. Dammed difficult

eating with a hard-on, but he had no choice. McKenna plus food equaled

extreme sexual arousal. They ate in relative silence for several minutes.

Since they were both ravenous, the meal disappeared quickly, for which

Lucas was thankful. Any longer and he'd be throwing McKenna back on the

bed.

"Noah should be here soon." She eyed him speculatively. "Are you

interested in helping out?"

"If that's not against protocol, I'd like to."

"I assisted in two rescues before LCR even knew who I was." With a

small, impish smile, she added, "I'll get you in."

Unable to hold back any longer, Lucas stood and pulled her into his

arms. Covering her mouth with his, he relished the taste of McKenna's lips,

flavored with strawberry jam and coffee. Weaving her fingers in his hair,

McKenna moved in closer, rubbing her soft mound against his erection. He

grabbed her hips and fitted her at the exact spot they both needed him to be.

They moaned in unison.

A knock on the door had both of them moaning again, but for a new

reason. Two seconds more and he would have been inside her.

Breathing out a sigh, he whispered against her mouth, "Later."

"Definitely," she softly promised.

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Twenty-five

Noah's first glimpse of a seemingly healthy McKenna gave him

enormous relief. Every LCR operative who knew McKenna and had heard

about her abduction had been almost as concerned as he had been. Though

he never rejoiced at someone's death, there were few who deserved death

more than Damon Hughes. And if the intel he'd received was correct, the

horror of Hughes's existence continued. Jamie Kendrick was in the midst of

hell.

Though the emotional undercurrents coming from McKenna and

Lucas were thick and volatile, they did their best to hide it. Not that it did

much good. Even the most clueless person could see there was something

going on between the two. He hoped that once Jamie was safe and secure,

McKenna got a chance at the happiness she deserved. And from the glances

Lucas Kane was throwing her way, the man intended to be personally

involved in seeing that take place.

Noah wished them both well, but first there had to be a rescue.

After introducing Dylan and Aidan to Kane, Noah sat on the sofa.

"Dylan and Aidan were on assignment yesterday. While I waited for them to

return, I was able to gather even more intel on Hughes." He leaned forward

as he revealed his findings. "The bastard was into almost every vile and

illegal activity known to man. Though human trafficking wasn't one of them,

he was known to be generous with his male employees or business

acquaintances if they pleased him. Or, if he tired of a woman, he might sell

her at what he considered a bargain price."

McKenna nodded. "I was only able to open one file on his laptop

when I was snooping. I found a list of women's names and dollar amounts.

I'm assuming he sold them."

Didn't surprise Noah one bit. "When this is over and Jamie's safe, I'll

make sure the authorities go through his records. There may be many more

women like Jamie."

"How did you get your information on Hughes?" Lucas asked. "My

investigators came up with a multitude of his illegal activities but discovered

almost nothing about the man's personal dealings."

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Instead of answering, Noah looked at McKenna. "At the failed

exchange, the young girl posing as Jamie...did you get a look at her?"

McKenna shook her head. "I saw the black hair under her wig and

knew it wasn't Jamie. But everything happened so fast, I barely got a

glimpse of her face."

Having seen more than his share of brutality and the aftermath, Noah

nevertheless felt his gut clench as he said, "Her name is Lilly. She'd been

Hughes's prisoner for almost two years. Having been with him that long, she

picked up an enormous amount of information about the man." He shrugged.

"Either Hughes wasn't aware she was around most of the time or didn't think

she was a threat to him, because the information she gave us was incredibly

detailed."

"Where is Lilly now?" McKenna asked.

"Still in the hospital." Noah ground his teeth as he explained, "When

Jamie arrived at Hughes's estate, Damon believed it was you. As a reward to

the man who kidnapped Jamie, he gave him Lilly for the night."

McKenna's expression was one of sad acceptance. "How is she?"

"Let's just say it was sheer desperation and guts that she was able to

walk those few steps off the boat. As soon as the helicopter picked you up,

she collapsed on the pier."

"Will she recover?" Lucas asked.

Noah lifted a shoulder. "Physically, yes. She should be released from

the hospital within the next few days."

There was no need to explain anything more. Physical injuries could

be determined and dealt with so much more easily than emotional ones.

After the hell she'd been through, God only knew if that kind of mental

torment could be overcome. Noah had seen it happen in others, but each

person had their own strengths and breaking points.

"So what was she able to tell you?" McKenna asked.

"Damon had no real friends but did have several close business

associates. One in particular seemed to get the most favors from him. Man

named Stanford Reddington. Lilly told us she'd seen Reddington at Hughes's

estate half a dozen times. At least three times that she knew of, Damon gave

him a woman as a parting gift."

"Any idea if Reddington kept them for himself or sold them?"

McKenna asked.

"Lilly isn't sure. The man's in his late forties and has one son who

travels with him. Lilly wasn't able to shed any light on him other than that."

Noah pulled a folder from his briefcase. "A couple of days ago, I sent out

notices to several contacts to see if I could pick up anything on Reddington.

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Yesterday I received some interesting faxes from a source in Madrid.

Apparently Reddington is a well-known and well-respected businessman

there. Few know about his association with Hughes."

"How does your source know about the association?" Kane asked.

Noah shrugged. Usually averse to giving details on how and where he