Authors: Crista McHugh
“Smart girl. Now, turn your phone off and hand it to me.”
She did as she was told and waited for his next instructions. If she could just keep him talking until the FBI arrived, then maybe—just maybe—she would live to see the sunrise.
***
Frank stared out into nothing as the cold hum of a dial tone filled his ears. A second before, Kiana’s voice had filled the line. She was alive, but in danger. But that was nothing compared to the last three words he’d heard from her.
She loved him.
Something squeezed around his chest when he heard her tell him that. It pressed the air from his lungs and left his head swimming.
Kiana loved him, and he knew in that instant that he loved her back.
Only she’d robbed him of the chance of telling her so by hanging up.
He found Agent Phillips’s number and called him back. “Get up here now. Tre’s in her place, and he has a gun.”
“Got it,” Phillips replied without an ounce of urgency. “We’ll keep that in mind.”
The agent hung up, and Frank was left standing in front of the locked door that mocked him from the parking garage. There had to be another way to get into the building. Then he remembered the security guard in the lobby and ran for the front door.
As he made his way through the parking garage to the street, he replayed his conversation with Kiana. She’d been smart to talk in code, to answer his questions but make it sound like something else. It told her that Tre was in the same room with her and he was listening.
A new wave of fear washed over him and quickened his steps. He had to save her. He had to tell her how he felt about her, about Savannah, about everything. But if he waited for the FBI to arrive, it might be too late. And if Tre had been tipped off for any reason…
That thought slowed his steps as he approached the lobby of Kiana’s building. He forced himself to walk calmly into the building as he had over the weekend with Kiana and Savannah. He waved to the security guard.
Luckily, the same guard was on duty and waved back at him.
First hurdle cleared. Now to the next one.
He tried to remember the code Kiana had entered for the elevator and got it on the second try. The elevator inside didn’t have buttons. It automatically took the occupants to the floors that corresponded to the codes entered. When it stopped on her floor, Frank hesitated.
This wasn’t like the night in the club where he’d acted on instinct and swung blindly. This time, he knew the people inside. He cared about them. And he knew the stakes involved. One misstep, and someone could end up dead.
He considered waiting for the FBI to arrive, but as the doors started to close, he jutted his hand out to stop them.
Negotiation. That was what this called for. Not an ambush.
He stepped out of the elevator and wiped his hands on his jeans. What he wouldn’t give to have Ben or Dan by his side. His two older brothers had always been the peacekeepers among them. Ben was the brute, and Dan was the brains. Together, they could always break things up when things got heated or came to blows.
He pressed his ear against the cold steel of Kiana’s door and listened.
Muffled voices came from the other side. He couldn’t understand them, but it told him enough. Kiana was on the other side, and Tre likely was, too.
A split second later, he found himself hoping Savannah wasn’t in the room. He’d only just met Kiana’s little girl, and he was already worried about her like she was his own kid.
Shit, I’m in deep
.
But if he could get the two women he loved out of this, he wouldn’t waste any time letting them know how precious they were to him.
Tre’s voice grew louder, and Kiana yelped. It was all he needed to hear. She was in danger, and he needed to act now.
He entered her key code and rammed the door open.
Everything around him seemed to move in slow motion.
Tre stood a dozen feet away with a gun pointed at Kiana, who was standing in the kitchen.
He turned to face Frank.
Frank lowered his hand and rushed him.
A gunshot rang through the room, followed by the sound of shattering glass. A woman’s scream followed.
It was the club all over again.
Only this time, Kiana wasn’t there to deflect the shots.
Another shot rang out, and a line of fire tore across his upper arm.
It threw him just enough off balance so he didn’t hit Tre in the center of his gut like he’d been coached to do by countless linebacker coaches. Instead, he caught Tre’s arm. He twisted his weight and held on tight, bringing Tre down with him.
They rolled to the ground, but Frank used his size to his advantage and pinned Tre beneath him.
A faint ding from the elevator down the hall caught his attention, but he refused to let it distract him from the man in front of him.
A twinge of regret pierced his chest as he punched his friend’s face.
Next, he grabbed Tre’s gun arm and twisted.
A snap of bone vibrated through his hands.
The gun clattered to the floor.
Frank stared into the wide eyes of his friend and swung.
“Stop!”
At the sound of Kiana’s voice, he froze, his fist inches from Tre’s face.
Footsteps pounded behind him, but he only cared about one person in the room.
Kiana stood in the kitchen, tears streaming down her cheeks. She stretched her hands out in front of her. “Everyone, please, just stop.”
Frank relaxed and lowered his fists.
A pair of agents pried him off of Tre and swooped in to make an arrest, but he never took his eyes off of her.
She was alive, and that was all that mattered to him.
The FBI agents dragged Tre toward the door, clearing the space between Frank and Kiana.
He ran to her and pulled her into his arms. “Where’s Savannah?”
“In her room with Madison.”
“Thank God.” He hugged Kiana so tightly, he worried he might crush her. She was soft and warm and so very alive.
“Frank, you’re hurt.” She pushed him away and pointed to the growing red stain on the sleeve of his shirt. “We need to get you to the ER.”
“I’m fine.” He wiped away the tears on her cheek.
“No, you are getting checked out, and don’t you dare try to argue with me.” She lifted her chin in that stubborn little way of hers, and he couldn’t help but smile.
“Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
A hesitant smile formed on her lips. “You love me?”
“Would I risk my life to save you and your little girl if I didn’t?”
Her smile widened, and she made a sound that was a mixture of a laugh and a sob. “I don’t know, Romeo. I’ve heard about your reputation for starting fights,” she teased.
“Just shut up and kiss me before I throw you over my shoulder and take you to bed.”
She laughed even as the tears continued to roll down her cheeks. “Gladly.”
Their lips had barely met before Agent Phillips cleared his throat behind them. “I’m going to need statements from both of you, preferably before the medics get here.”
A warm trickle flowed down his arm, and his bicep started to throb as the adrenaline waned. He was about ready for those medics and their pain meds. “Sure thing, Agent Phillips.”
“Just let me check on my daughter.” Kiana dashed toward the back of the condo.
Agent Phillips trailed after her. “There were other hostages?”
Savannah’s prattle filtered in from down the hall, and his last fears ebbed. Both of his girls were safe.
And once this was all behind them, he was going to make sure they knew how much they meant to him.
Chapter Eighteen
Kiana smoothed the wrinkles out of her crisp cotton dress as Frank pulled into the winery in Woodinville, Washington. The July sun beat down on them through the car windows, so contrary to the rainy weather she’d always associated with Seattle. “Do I look okay?”
“Honey, you’re always lovely, no matter what you’re wearing.” Of course, the heat in his eyes told her he found her most lovely wearing nothing at all.
“But I want to make a good first impression.” They were here for the wedding of his older brother, Dan. She got out of the car and opened the back door to get Savannah, only to find Frank had beat her to it. “This is the first time I’m meeting your family, after all.”
“And I keep telling you, they’ll adore both my lovely ladies.” He tickled Savannah as he released her from the car seat. “Isn’t that right, Sugar Pie?”
Savannah wrinkled her nose with a grin at the sound of Frank’s nickname for her and reached for something inside his jacket. “Pretty.”
“Yes, you are.” He guided her hand away.
“No! Pretty!” Savannah pawed at his jacket again. “Now.”
Kiana rushed to them and took her daughter before the two-year-old burst into a full-out temper tantrum. “Any idea what she wants?”
Frank gave her a sheepish grin and scratched the back of his head. “Well, I was going to save this for after the wedding, but…”
“But what?”
“Pretty!” Savannah insisted and reached for his inside jacket pocket again.
Frank pulled out a small velvet-covered box and handed it to her. “Okay, I guess we can give it to your mama now.”
Savannah grinned and passed the box to Kiana.
“What is this?” she asked, not sure if she was ready for what could be inside.
“Something Savannah helped me pick out.” He crossed his arms and tried to look smug, but the pink tips of his ears revealed his uncertainty. “Open it.”
She set Savannah down, her gaze never leaving the small square box. Her hands shook as she opened it. Nestled inside was the most perfect diamond solitaire ring she’d ever seen. Her breath hitched. “Frank!”
When her gaze shifted from the ring to him, she found him kneeling on the ground, hugging Savannah. “I already have her permission. What do you say to having one of these wedding things for ourselves in a few months?”
Her eyes stung with unshed tears, and her voice choked on the flood of emotions rolling through her. “Are you asking me to marry you?”
“No, I’m asking you to plan a wedding for me,” he teased. “Of course, you’d have to be the bride, and I’ll be the groom, and Savannah can give you away.”
A twinge of regret coursed through her. Her father was gone. Tre was in jail for embezzling funds from the foundation, shooting Frank, and holding her hostage. But she already knew Denise adored Frank and would walk her down the aisle. “You’ve thought this all out, huh?”
He rose and pulled her into his arms. “I’ve been thinking about it for months. The hardest part was convincing your daughter that I’d be good to you.”
“You always have been.” She pressed her forehead against his. “And yes, I’ll marry you.”
“That makes me the luckiest guy in the world.”
His lips brushed against hers in a tender kiss that was interrupted by a pat on her leg and a small voice going, “Pretty.”
Kiana laughed and took the ring from the box. “I’d better put this on before Savannah tries to steal it for herself.”
“Like I said, she helped me pick it out.” Frank took the ring and slipped it on her left ring finger. “Beautiful, just like my two girls.”
Kiana looked into his eyes and knew she’d found the man she’d been waiting for. He loved her and her daughter. He made her feel safe. And he made her heart sing with every glance, every touch, every soft-spoken word. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He grinned and reached for Savannah. “And you too, Sugar Pie.”
Savannah giggled and ran out of his grasp, looking back over her shoulder the whole time. She never saw the stately woman with silver hair in front of her.
Kiana’s cheeks burned when her daughter collided with the woman, and she rushed forward to help Savannah up. “I’m so sorry about that,” she said to the woman.
“It’s quite all right,” she replied, picking Savannah up into her arms. The toddler grew quiet, studying the older woman with a serious expression. “And who is this lovely lady, Frank?”
“That is Savannah, Mom.”
A new wave of embarrassment washed over her. Savannah had practically knocked her future grandmother off her feet. “I can take her from you.”
“Nonsense.” Frank’s mom rubbed noses with Savannah. “I’ve heard so much about the both of you, and now that I have a little girl to spoil, I’m not going to let her go.”
Savannah grinned back at her like she understood exactly what lay in store for her.
Frank’s mom tore her attention away from Savannah. “I’m Maureen, Frank’s mother. It’s so nice to finally meet you, Kiana.”
“The same goes for me.”
“If you have Savannah, Mom, I’m going to escort Kiana to her seat.” Frank tucked her left hand into the crook of his arm, and the sunlight caught on the diamond.
Maureen’s eyes widened, as did her smile. “Is that what I think it is?”