Last Chance (43 page)

here. The moment I step outside and tell him you're awake, I won't be able to

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hold him back."

McKenna hurriedly unzipped the bag, making use of the toothbrush

and toothpaste. That one thing made her feel a thousand percent better. She

brushed her hair quickly. Knowing no amount of brushing would get rid of

bedhead, she dared a glance in the handheld mirror and decided she didn't

look as bad as she could have. Maybe two days of sleep had been good for

her. Though her skin was still pale, the dark shadows beneath her eyes had

disappeared. She shrugged and put the mirror aside. This was the best she

could do until she could take a shower.

Lifting the covers, she grimaced. A catheter tube lay against her leg.

After she saw Lucas, she'd get that taken out and then she'd take a long, hot

shower.

Too impatient and anxious to even consider waiting any longer, she

looked up at Samara. "Tell him."

Laughing softly, Samara went to the door.

Her heart pounding with excitement, McKenna kept her anxious eyes

on the entrance. She didn't have to wait long. The door swung open, but it

wasn't Lucas who came through the door. A gray-haired nurse entered,

followed by a dark-haired, smallish man in a white coat and a bright smile.

The doctor said, "Finally, our star patient is awake."

"Star patient?"

"Since Mr. Kane has created such a stir, you've become quite the talk

of the hospital."

Having hidden a good part of her life, she wasn't comfortable with the

thought of being the topic of conversation. Frowning, she looked at the

closed door behind him. "Where's Lucas?"

"He'll be here in just a few moments. I wanted to make sure you're as

well as you claim."

Though she didn't want to wait to see Lucas, McKenna was relieved

to have the catheter removed. Then, as she suffered through having her vital

signs checked, her impatience increased. The doctor looked at her wound

while asking seemingly endless questions. Her eyes remained on the door.

Was Lucas really waiting outside? Or was she just being told that? Had

something happened to him and they weren't telling her? Was that why the

doctor was asking all these questions? To see if she could handle the shock?

Throwing the covers back, McKenna swung her legs over the bed.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I need to see Lucas."

"He'll be here in just a few--"

"Look, I'm fine, but if Lucas doesn't get in here right now, I'm going

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after him."

Huffing out an exasperated breath, the doctor backed away. "You and

Mr. Kane have much in common. Get back in bed and I'll get him."

McKenna willed the door to open. Yes, she knew she was being

irrational, but she couldn't help herself. Until she saw Lucas and knew that

he was truly okay, she could not relax.

The door swung open and there he stood. It took every bit of her

willpower not to jump out of bed. Knowing it would hurt like hell was the

only thing that stopped her.

He looked exhausted. There were dark shadows under his bloodshot

eyes and his golden hair looked as though he'd run his fingers through it a

thousand times. To McKenna, he looked beautiful.

Sitting in a chair beside the bed, he took her hand in both of his and

pressed a kiss to her palm. Oddly enough, he didn't speak. She didn't know

what she expected him to say, but she hadn't expected him to just stare.

"Lucas?"

Finally he released an explosive sigh. "I've gone through this scenario

in my head a million times. What I would say to you when you finally woke.

Now that you have, I find myself speechless."

"Why?"

"Because I want to hold you and kiss you. At the same time, I want to

shout at you and threaten severe punishment if you ever put your life in

jeopardy like that again."

Not the least bit intimidated, she grinned. "What kind of severe

punishment are we talking about?"

A small smile shifted the grim line at his mouth. "Limiting your

dessert intake, or only allowing you one serving of your favorite meal."

"Wow, that's a pretty stiff penalty."

Pressing her hand to his mouth, he whispered against her skin, "Don't

ever do that to me again."

She raised a brow. "And didn't you do the same thing?"

He snorted. "I thought I was protecting you and got you shot instead."

"You didn't get me shot. The idiot was intent on shooting someone. I

just happened to be the unlucky recipient."

"How are you feeling?"

"Not bad, actually. A little stiff and sore, but I feel amazingly

energized."

"I'm glad." He paused for a second, then said, "I asked the doctor to

examine you before I saw you."

"Why?"

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"There are some things we need to discuss. I wanted to make sure he

felt you were healthy enough to hear them."

Her heart dropped. "What things?"

"There's something I need to tell you, sweetheart."

Dread returned. His face held a look she'd never seen before; one she

couldn't read. "What's wrong?"

"Actually, I think things are finally turning out right for you."

"What do you mean?"

"There's something you need to know about Jamie Kendrick."

"Dammit, what?"

"When she was fifteen years old, she lost her immediate family. An

older relative took her in and raised her. She changed her name when she

moved away."

McKenna nodded. She wasn't sure where Lucas was going with this,

but it must be damned important for him to worry about her reaction.

"Her name was changed to Jamie Kendrick." He paused for a second,

then asked, "Don't you want to know what Jamie's real name is?"

Still having no clue what he was trying to tell her, she shook her head

in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Sweetheart, Jamie's real name is Amy Sloan. Your sister is still

alive."

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Twenty-seven

If she were standing, McKenna knew she would have fallen to the

floor. Her entire world had just tilted sideways; she struggled to absorb

Lucas's words. "What?"

"Amy is alive."

She shook her head. "But that's not possible. She died. They reported

it on the news. I went to her gravesite, put flowers on it. She's buried

between my mom and dad."

"She was badly injured and in the hospital for a long time. For her

protection, it was reported that she died. At that time, you and Damon were

both still considered criminals. They didn't know how determined Damon

was to kill everyone in your family. They wanted to make sure she stayed

safe. After she was released from the hospital, your Aunt Mavis, your

father's sister, took her back to Louisiana to live with her."

"But her name...?"

"Your aunt changed her name, even went so far as to put up a fake

headstone. It was supposedly all done in an effort to protect Amy."

McKenna couldn't stop shaking her head. That wasn't possible...it just

wasn't possible. She still had a sister? Amy was alive? And no one had told

her?

"But when I came back...why didn't anyone tell me? I saw my aunt at

the jail...when I was returned back to Nebraska. Why didn't she tell me?"

The sadness in Lucas's eyes gave her the answer. No one told her

because they considered her a bad seed. Even though the charges had been

dropped against her, so many people still believed she was guilty. Not

deserving to know that her own sister was alive. She remembered the hatred

burning in her aunt's eyes when McKenna had seen her. The one and only

comment she'd given her niece had been pure condemnation. "I hope they

give you the death penalty."

"Your aunt died a while back, but your sister has been looking for you

for years. You had disappeared so completely, she couldn't find you, but she

never stopped looking."

McKenna tried to get her head wrapped around what Lucas was

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telling her. "But Damon was charged with her murder, too...wasn't he?"

"No, I had my investigator go back and look at Damon's charges. He

was prosecuted for your parents' death, but there was a glaring omission

surrounding your sister."

"I never asked to see anything...just took everyone at their word."

"Your aunt apparently had money and influence, along with an iron

will. Perhaps because Amy was a minor, they left all the information out to

protect her. I don't know. Amy isn't sure, either."

"But how did Damon know...?"

"He didn't. She looked so much like you that when his men saw her

they assumed it was you. He never figured out she was Amy."

"My God." McKenna gazed around the hospital room. In the span of

seconds, her entire life, her whole outlook, had changed. A million emotions

flooded her at once. She didn't know what to feel first. Taking a breath, she

pushed aside anger and hurt at her aunt's cruelty to focus on the most

important thing of all. Her sister was alive!

"McKenna?"

Hearing the concern in his voice, she turned back to Lucas. "She must

hate me."

His eyes blazed. "Hell no, she doesn't hate you. She's able to see

things much more clearly than you. She knows exactly who's responsible.

Damon Hughes was the monster."

McKenna closed her eyes against the threatening tears. She knew she

needed to concentrate on the miracle of Amy being alive, not the evil deeds

of a madman. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I want to see her."

"I'll go get her. She's just a few doors down." He turned to leave.

"Lucas?"

He glanced over his shoulder. "Yes?"

She swallowed hard and whispered, "You're sure she doesn't hate

me?"

He came back to her. Instead of answering with words, he cupped her

face in his hands and put his mouth on hers. The kiss started softly and

tenderly but as each of them breathed into each other, renewing their bond,

passion ignited. McKenna moaned under his mouth, Lucas licked at her lips.

She opened her mouth and took him deep, savoring his taste, loving his

passion.

Lucas pulled away, his breathing slightly elevated. "I promise, no one

hates you, sweetheart, especially your sister. Now let me go and get her

before I forget where we are and that you're still recovering."

"I love you, Lucas."

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Pressing a soft kiss against her forehead, he whispered, "I'm going to

hold you to that." He turned and walked out before she could ask what he

meant.

McKenna took a breath, preparing herself for something she never

thought she'd ever be able to have. Another chance with her sister. She

actually still had family. A multitude of questions sprang to her mind, but

one was at the very top and wouldn't go away. How could Amy not blame

her for what Damon had done to her and their parents?

Several minutes later, the door opened and a young woman walked

into the room. McKenna felt as though she was looking into a mirror from

eight years before. No wonder her sister had been mistaken for her. Other

than some slight differences in facial features, she was the spitting image of

the young McKenna Sloan. How could she not have recognized her when

she saw the missing person's report?

"Amy?" Her voice was so thick with emotion, she wasn't sure her

sister heard her.

McKenna's worry that her sister blamed her was immediately

answered when Amy ran across the room and threw herself into her arms.

Holding her tight, McKenna barely felt the stitch in her side. Nothing could

spoil the joy of being able to hold her little sister in her arms.

After several minutes of shared sobbing, Amy pulled away and

whispered, "I'd given up on ever seeing you again."

"And I never thought I'd get the chance. I thought you were dead."

"I almost was. I was in and out of consciousness for several days.

Then they put me in a drug-induced coma. Those first few weeks are a blur.

I don't remember much of what happened."

Moving over a little so her sister could sit on the bed with her, her

eyes roamed over Amy's face. She was just so lovely.

McKenna cleared her throat. Things needed to be said before they

went any further. "I'm so sorry for everything that's happened."

Amy snorted. "Lucas told me you'd apologize and that's ridiculous.

The dead bastard Damon Hughes is responsible, McKenna. I never blamed

you for anything." She grimaced. "I know you were treated horribly when

Damon brought you back. And I think Aunt Mavis had a lot to do with it."

"What do you mean?"

"I was unconscious for several days after it happened. When I woke

up, Aunt Mavis had taken charge. My memory was so spotty...I tried to

remember everything, but I think I ended up sounding like an idiot. When

they asked me if you'd been involved in it, I denied it. I might not have

remembered all the facts, but I knew you had nothing to do with it.

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Somehow, I think Aunt Mavis convinced them otherwise."

"But why?"

"Because I believe Aunt Mavis
did
blame you. And she wanted to