His mother turned to Margaret and smiled reassuringly. “I’m Willa Williams, Finn’s mother. I promise I raised him with better manners than to forget to introduce us.”
Allegra squeezed his hand, and he felt her laughing quietly from her wheelchair.
“Oh, I’m so pleased to meet you. Your son is like my own. I’m sure we’ll be fast friends,” Margaret said as she smiled brightly.
“I feel the same way about your sweet daughter. God only blessed me with one child, but now I feel as if I have two. See, Finn’s father passed when he was just an infant,” his mother said sadly.
Finn knew it hurt her to talk about his father. He had been a firefighter and had died during a building collapse. His mother had never loved another.
“I understand completely. My dear husband left us nine years ago.” Margaret took Willa's hand in hers, and they bonded instantly.
“I must say, I was surprised when Terrell told me Finn was in the ER with Allegra. I didn’t think they allowed anyone but family back there.” Both he and Allegra groaned, but that didn’t stop his mother from continuing. “It would be different if they were engaged . . .”
Margaret clucked her tongue and shook her head. “I know. I was surprised, too. Allegra knew the doctor so he let Finn in. I swear, young people these days don’t know a good thing when he’s holding onto her hand.”
Both mothers turned and stared at Finn and Allegra’s clasped hands.
“I couldn’t agree more. Why waste time when you know you’re meant to be together?” Willa asked.
Elle, Drake, Bree, Logan, and Reid stood next to Terrell, looking as if they were about to burst with laughter.
“I know I met
the
one,” Terrell said with pleasure lacing his rough voice. “A blond angel with a streak of the devil in her.”
Finn saw Reid stop laughing and straighten up.
“Is that so?” Willa asked, taking her attention away from Finn and Allegra. “Is it that nice woman who helped our dear Allegra?”
“Mallory Westin,” Terrell said a little dreamily. “When I saw her slide that knife into her boot, I fell in love.”
“Don’t talk about her like that,” Reid snapped.
Finn and everyone else looked surprised by his outburst. Only Elle looked curiously between Terrell and Reid as if she were figuring something out for the first time.
Margaret tilted her head, and Finn saw her eyes narrow at her son. “And why not, dear? Mallory’s single, after all. And she does handle a knife very well. You should have seen her carve the Thanksgiving turkey the other year—the year you were in Europe and couldn’t make it home.”
Reid froze for a minute, and Finn saw his mask fall back into place. Finn looked down at Allegra whose eyes had similarly narrowed at her brother. They were like sharks smelling blood in the water.
Reid rolled his eyes nonchalantly. “She’s more than a knife. You can’t forget she’s a Westin,” he said in a stuffy accent.
Terrell shrugged. “So? I’m not going to discriminate because she’s rich.”
“It’s not you that you have to worry about. No matter how much Mallory likes to play on the wrong side of the tracks, deep down she’s stuck in her debutante world.”
“I’m not afraid of a challenge. And man, did you see how she handled her car? It makes you wonder how she’d handle her man.”
Finn saw it coming, but Terrell didn’t. Reid’s fist connected with Terrell’s jaw, and he went down hard. Finn, Drake, Logan, and Bree jumped into the fray, but it was Finn’s mother who got to them first.
“Now, boys. Mallory is a person, not some toy to fight over.” Willa held her hands between them as they stared each other down. “Now, Terrell, I’ve taught you better than that. Let’s go home. I have some gutters that need to be cleaned. It will give you some time to think about what you said.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Margaret put her hands on her hips and came to stand next to Willa in between the two towering men. “And Reid Simpson, you never hit a man like that just because he said something you don’t like. Now, shake hands and go home. You can help me get Shirley upstairs.”
“I’m always up for a handsome young man carrying me,” Shirley chimed in to break the tension.
Terrell and Reid reluctantly shook hands and followed Margaret and Willa out the door. Allegra snickered first, and then the rest of them joined in.
“What was that about?” Bree asked as they walked out into the parking lot.
“I don’t know,” Allegra answered as they watched Margaret lecture Reid by his sports car.
“But it was interesting, that’s for sure,” Elle said with a look that told Finn she had an idea but wasn’t ready to share. “Now, Leggy, how about you? Do you need anything?”
Allegra continued to watch Reid. She’d known something was going on; she just wondered what.
“Leggy?” Bree asked, and Allegra snapped back to her group.
“Sorry, what?”
Elle smiled gently. “Do you need anything?”
Allegra nodded. “Sleep. Lots and lots of sleep. I don’t think I’ve really slept since this started. And food. I’m starving.”
“We can help with that.” Elle patted her shoulder and then took charge. “Finn, you take her to your home and put her to bed. Mallory and Agent Hectoria are sweeping your place again and then heading over to Asher’s place to gather evidence to help find the other women he referred to. But, no worries, sis, you’re safe now. Bree, you and Logan get some wine and maybe something stronger. Drake and I will get food and lots of it. I know all your favorites. Now, the important question . . . should I invite Aiden and Barry?”
Bree snorted. Drake and Logan didn’t look happy as Allegra laughed. She laughed so hard tears started to come out of her one good eye. “Oh gosh, did you hear Shirley asking if he’d give her a pity strip?”
Soon the whole group was laughing, and Allegra felt the fear, depression, and anxiety lifting. It would be a long road to full recovery, but she was already well on her way.
* * *
Mallory stood next to Agent Hectoria and pointed to the vent. “There.” She looked at Asher’s computer screen and the images of Allegra and Finn. “And in the vent in the living room.”
The FBI agents stood on ladders and pulled the small cameras from the vents. They had found the laptop in Asher’s car. As soon as they broke the password, they had found the images from Allegra’s old house, new house, and her condo in New York. The FBI office in New York City was currently taking those down as the Atlanta team worked.
“Okay, I think we got them all,” an agent said as he put the cameras in evidence bags.
“There are just a few more things.” Mallory went into Allegra’s closet and found the gifts Asher had sent. They were all put into evidence bags and taken away.
“Thank you, Mallory. Do you need to talk to someone after the shooting?” Agent Hectoria asked.
“No. I’m okay.”
Agent Hectoria looked at her, and Mallory could see the curiosity in her eyes. “You know, I pulled your file. Strange thing is, I didn’t have clearance to look at it. In fact, the only person at the FBI with the clearance to see it is the director.”
“Hmm, that is strange,” Mallory murmured nonchalantly. Agent Hectoria just smiled and suddenly her sharp face softened. She was a lot younger than Mallory had originally thought. “When you have time, can you go meet with Agent Damien Wallace of the Secret Service? I think he’d like to hear your take on the case.”
“Sure. The Woodcrofts are coming into the office. I need to meet with them first, and then I’ll go see him.”
Mallory watched her go and felt proud of her matchmaking efforts. Just because her heart was walled off didn’t mean she didn’t like to see others happily in love. Mallory turned and walked out the door. She needed a vacation—away from Atlanta and away from the man who had destroyed all hope of love for her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Allegra looked into the mirror with relief. It had taken weeks, but the bruises were gone, the stitches were out, and the nightmares were fading. The Woodcrofts had decided against suing Mallory or the FBI. Deep down they had known something was not right with their son. With broken hearts, they escaped to Europe for the winter.
Seven more victims from all over the world had come forward with relief and told their stories of survival. There was a clear pattern. Asher would find a woman he was determined fate had placed in front of him. He would ask them out and sometimes they would say yes and sometimes not. If they said no, he stalked them and became obsessed with them.
Families of unsolved murders now had answers, and those victims who had survived now had closure. But it was not over; it never would be. It would get better, but Allegra would never forget the terror. Instead of succumbing to the fear, she spoke out about it. Her face, covered with bruises, graced the front of magazines all over the world showing that crime was universal. It didn’t matter if a person was rich or poor, man or woman—it mattered that there were people out there willing to do everything possible to help them.
Allegra wrapped a scarf around her neck. She closed the door to the house when she heard the car engine approaching. The “For Sale” sign was set in the yard, and she felt comfortable leaving everything from the past behind. After all, her future had just arrived.
Finn opened the car door and stood up. He was in fitted jeans that hugged his athletic legs. The collar of his button-up shirt stuck out under a dark gray V-neck sweater as he turned to open her door.
“You ready for a romantic night out?” Finn asked before leaning down to kiss her lips.
“More than anything. Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.” Finn shot her a grin that made her melt into the seat.
They drove through Atlanta and out into the suburbs. “This is the way to Reid’s newest hotel.”
Finn just winked, but didn’t answer her as he drove closer to Reid’s hotel. It was almost done now. The grand opening was set for March. There was a soft opening in February over Valentine’s Day weekend. Some of the most talked-about singers from Atlanta were scheduled to perform at both openings. Decorations were ordered and the chefs were planning mouth-watering meals to celebrate.
Finn turned into the entrance of the resort and drove down the tree-lined road toward the massive hotel that sat back behind the woods.
“Wow, the building looks amazing. This is the first time I’ve seen it without construction equipment everywhere.” Allegra looked up at the antebellum resort stretching out among the green rolling hills and woods.
Finn drove past the resort and down toward the barns housing the horses guests could use to go trail riding or play polo. The sun was a warm orange as it began to sink behind the lake.
“Are we going riding?” Allegra asked when Finn parked.
“Nope,” Finn grinned. He was clearly enjoying himself.
“Are you ever going to tell me?” she asked as he helped her from the car and walked to the trunk.
“Nope.” Finn leaned down and pressed his lips softly to hers to quiet her questions. He reached in the truck and pulled out a thick blanket and a large wooden picnic basket.
“Oh!” Allegra looked to the lake and laced her arm with Finn’s. “A sunset picnic. This is perfect.”
“You got it. I figured after such a crazy couple of weeks some peace, quiet, and alone time would be just the thing for us. It’s been too long since I had you all to myself.”
Allegra rested her head on his shoulder as they made their way to the white gazebo, lit by tiny white lights, sitting on the edge of the lake. Finn spread the blanket on the wooden floor and set down the basket. The gazebo was lined with two curved benches in between the two entrances, one on the lawn side and the other on the lake side. Lifting up one of the lids on the bench, he pulled out two large pillows and handed them to Allegra. Then with a twist of a knob, two small fire pits roared to life on each side of the gazebo.
“This is so nice. Who knew Reid would think of something like this?”
“I know. I’m starting to think there’s a lot to Reid we don’t know. But, enough about your brother.” Finn opened the picnic basket and brought out two mugs and a thermos. He opened it, and the smell of hot chocolate filled the air.
“Perfect for this crisp fall evening,” Allegra said as she held out her mug. Finn poured and then took a seat on the blanket next to her.
Allegra sighed with contentment as she leaned back against his chest. Finn rested his head against hers, and they watched the sun begin to sink into the water. Ducks floated by, crickets chirped, and Allegra felt complete happiness and peace at last. She’d learned a lot about herself over the past year, but one thing was unwavering—how much she loved Finn. She knew now it was okay for her to stand up for herself if being nice didn’t work. In fact, having confidence in herself was garnering her more respect, and certainly Finn enjoyed it when they were in bed together.
“It’s only perfect because you are here with me,” Finn said before tenderly placing a kiss on her temple.
“The only thing that would make this better is a slice of my mother’s pie,” Allegra teased.
Finn held up a finger to tell her to hold on and reached into the basket. He pulled out two pieces of pie and forks. “Your wish is my command.”
“You are amazing!” Allegra grabbed the pie and groaned as the apple and cinnamon met her tongue. “What else do you have in there?”
“You’ll just have to wait to find out.” Finn pulled her against him as they watched the sunset.
Soon the sun disappeared from view, and the last rays of light winked out. The lights from the gazebo bathed them in a soft glow. Finn set his mug down and ran his fingers down Allegra’s cheek. His heart beat strong and sure as he reached a hand into the picnic basket once more.
“With the sunset comes the end of a day, one that could have been bad, good, exhausting, or exhilarating. With sunset comes the feeling of home, being with the person you love, like we are doing tonight. A person who can share your day with you, a person to kiss away the bad days and celebrate the good. You’re my sunset, my home, my love.”
Finn pulled his hand from the picnic basket and held a pink diamond ring in his fingers. He heard Allegra gasp and saw the mug fall from her hands as he moved around to kneel in front of her. He held the ring forward and saw the tears streaming down her cheeks and over her smiling lips.
“It looks shiny and beautiful on the outside. Delicate, happy,
nice
.” He grinned. “But on the inside, a diamond is one of the toughest objects found in nature—just like you. You’re beautiful on the outside, but inside you’re an amazing combination of strength and love. And somehow I was lucky enough to earn your love. Allegra Simpson, will you marry me?”
Allegra threw her arms around his neck and hugged him with all her strength. “Yes!” she called out as she buried her face in his neck. She pulled back, and he saw his happiness reflected in her eyes.
He cupped her face in his hands and tilted her lips to his. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” The world disappeared as their lips met. They were home in each other’s arms.