Authors: Kaylin Bowen
Pedro had the smaller guy on his stomach with his hands behind his back. Alex kicked the tape to him. Pedro taped his hands and feet, stood and looked over at the dead guy. “I stand corrected.”
Mac, who had been sitting, stunned, next to the dead guy ran his hand over his rib cage where the guy’s gun had been finally stood shaking his head. Mac went to Alex while Pedro bound Jarred. Pedro was smiling. Jarred was cussing. Pedro taped his mouth shut, too.
Mac stood face to face with Alex. He ran his fingertips carefully over her bruise, then put his hands on her shoulders, pulled her to him and kissed her gently, not really sure of the extent of her injuries. “You said the
people
you love, Alex.”
Alex nodded, “I love Pedro.” She hesitated. “And I love you.”
Mac bent to grab her hands so he could remove the tape. Once it was gone, he brought her wrists to his mouth and kissed the reddened areas carefully. His eyes met hers and he said, “I love you. I’m so sorry. I know you’re mad at me. You have every right to be. Please forgive me.”
Alex was truly confused. “What are you talking about? Forgive you for what?”
“Alex, sweetheart, every emotion you have shows in those eyes of yours. I could see the anger when that guy grabbed you at Buddy’s place. I…” He stopped because Alex had her hand over his mouth.
“Mac, your eyes are pretty damn expressive too. I saw the fear just before you went all…” She waved her hand in the air looking for the right term. “…cop mode on him. I wasn’t mad at you, I was mad at him.”
Mac put his hands on her bottom and lifted her to him. She wrapped her legs around him and turned her face into his neck while he walked with her to the kitchen, leaving Pedro to handle the mess in the study. He could feel her body start shaking. Hell, he could feel his body shaking.
Alex was crying now. She couldn’t stop. Once he pulled her into his arms and she realized how close she had come to losing the only two people she loved, she lost a little bit of that control she tried so hard to maintain in the study. Mac pulled her back away from him to look at her. Her green eyes were filled with tears and pain. “I… I thought… I thought he was going to shoot you.”
Mac felt the lump in his throat again and sat her on the kitchen counter, by the sink. He grabbed a few paper towels from the roll and wet them. He started dabbing at the blood on her face. It was disturbing him more than anything else that had happened. He would rather be shot a thousand times than to see her bleed. “He would have. If you hadn’t fired when you did… Alex, sweetheart, please don’t cry. He’s not worth it. He would have shot me and probably you and Pedro, too.”
“It’s not that. I thought he was going to
kill
you. I thought I would have to live the rest of my life without
you.”
Alex could feel the tears on her cheeks. She knew her nose was running. She had killed a man. She had kicked a man. She had spent eight hours in a trunk. She really had to pee. She was hungry. She really needed a shower. She was pretty sure the cut above her eye needed stitches and she could tell her cheek and temple were swollen and probably a lovely shade of blue, not to mention that it hurt like hell. And she knew she was definitely one lucky lady.
Pedro walked into the kitchen. He had a large collection of guns in his arms. “I made a call to Christine. They’re on their way.” He walked over to Alex who was now standing by Mac and kissed her on the cheek that wasn’t bruised. “I love you, sweetheart, and I’m real proud of you. I really didn’t think you could ever pull that trigger. I have never been so glad to say I was wrong in my life.” Pedro turned his attention to Mac. “Thank you for everything, son.” Pedro handed Mac his keys. “Take her to the ER. Get her stitched up then take her back to my place. The guest room is ready. I’ll have Christine take your statements tomorrow.”
Alex started shaking her head, her tears finally slowing. “Wait a minute. I have questions. Where is Lucy, and what did Tom have on the Senator?”
Pedro looked to Mac and then to Alex. “I still don’t know where Lucy is. Her husband is tied up in my basement. I’ll go get him as soon as the police get here. I have his taped statement saying he killed Tom. He wanted you dead because he thinks you had something to do with Lucy leaving, but he killed Tom for Jarred. He swears he didn’t make Lucy disappear. Lucy is the Senator’s daughter from an affair he had twenty-five years ago. I don’t know how in the hell Jarred got mixed up in all this, but I think he’s as good as dead. Alex, I trust your instincts, I think Lucy is fine and she’ll turn up eventually. Now, get out of here before the police get here.” Pedro turned back toward the study, but stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Oh, Alex, one more thing. Where
is
Tom’s PDA?”
“It’s in my purse. You have my purse, right?”
Pedro was shaking his head, his lips turned up in a half smile and he walked back to her. “It’s been in my trunk since the night Tom died. I had forgotten all about it. Do you know Tom’s passwords?”
“No. He was always very careful with other people’s business.”
“I’m sure the police can figure it out. Get some rest, my dear.” Pedro kissed her on the cheek again, shook Mac’s hand and went to the front door to meet the police.
Mac and Alex finally pulled into Pedro’s driveway. Alex needed ten stitches over her right eye, but the doctor said there were no broken bones and everything else looked like it should heal just fine. The doctor had even put a little waterproof bandage over it so Alex could take a shower. Everyone had come in to check on her. Mac noticed that everyone seemed to truly care about Alex. He understood why. She was the most genuine person he had ever met. She was reasonable, loving, passionate, smart, strong and beautiful. Not to mention the fact that she had saved his life. Now he just had to convince her to marry him.
He unlocked Pedro’s door and let her inside. He was going over things in his head. He didn’t know exactly what to say to Alex. He had a feeling she was going to try to push him away, and there was no way he was going to allow it. He would have to make her understand that what they have is special. He wanted her forever. He wanted little green-eyed kids. He could finally quit his job and move to Mobile. Pedro told Mac he was ready to retire and would like for Mac to take over his private clients. He knew Pedro did well here, and he could too. But it all rested with Alex.
He stepped inside, locked the door and set the alarm. When he turned to face her, she had her arms crossed over her chest and a suspicious look in her eyes. “What?”
Alex started to smile. “You’re thinking about something and you think I’m going to get upset or something. What is it?”
Mac walked over to her and Alex opened her arms to him. He held her close and said, “How do you do that?” Then he shook his head. “Never mind. I really don’t want to know. I’m trying to figure out how to convince you to marry me.”
Alex was chuckling now. “And you thought that would make me mad?”
Mac was smiling, now, too. “No. I’m scared to death you might say no.”
“Hmmm. Do you love me?” She could already see the answer in his eyes. She had known it when the guy with the scar took her, and he had told her he did after she shot him, but she really wanted to hear it again.
Mac bent to kiss her. He brushed his lips over hers and pulled his head up to look her in the eye and said, “With all my heart.”
“I’m convinced. I love you, too.” Alex took his hand and turned to go in search of the guest bedroom then thought better of it. She really needed a shower and she was still haunted by visions of Mac in the shower the night before. There was no way she would make it through another one of his showers on the outside. She dragged him into the bathroom and turned on the water.
Mac was still trying to figure out what she was convinced of. That he loved her or that she would marry him. When she stopped moving he realized they were in the bathroom and she was leaning over the bathtub.
“Alex? Are you planning to hose me down?” She was laughing as she turned and saw his eyes. Her breath caught. He wanted her. Forever.
“No, I’m planning on taking a shower. I don’t know about you, but I spent most of my day in a trunk, and it wasn’t even the nice roomy kind.” She leaned up against him and dropped her voice to a seductive whisper. “I was hoping you would join me. All I kept thinking about was you in that damned shower…And that was one long trip.”
Mac started laughing, but sobered quickly. “Alex, sweetheart, I need you to clear something up for me first. Will you marry me?” His eyes never left hers.
Alex stripped her shirt off and watched Mac swallow. Hard. She grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up over his head and dropped it on the bathroom floor. She stepped into his arms again, loving him and loving the way his skin felt against hers. “Yes.”
He had them both undressed and in the shower in record time. She was laughing when he pushed her back under the water. It was the second time he had heard her laugh, and he knew he would never be able to get enough of that sound, enough of her. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on, even with the stitches and the shiner, and she had agreed to marry him. He felt like the luckiest man alive.
Two days later, Mac and Alex were still staying in Pedro’s house. Pedro decided to stay with Christine for a little while. Alex never realized Pedro was seeing anyone, but once she met Christine, she understood Pedro’s attraction. Christine was beautiful and she obviously loved Pedro.
Mac told Alex about Pedro retiring and asked Alex if Mobile was where she wanted to stay. She kissed him and told him again how much she loved him. She told him she loved her job and the area and that this was the place that felt most like home to her.
They were eating lunch when someone knocked on the door. Mac opened the door to a young red haired woman. Alex nearly knocked him down in her excitement. “Lucy!” Alex launched herself at the other woman who caught Alex in a hug.
“Hi, Alex, is Pedro home?” Lucy was smiling and looked happier than Alex had ever seen her.
“Nope. He’s helping out a friend, what’s up?”
“I saw on the news that Shawn was arrested along with several others. I need to know if there was a man with a scar.” Lucy was starting to look around. She looked from Alex’s face to Mac.
Alex realized she was looking at her now purple, green and yellow bruise. “Mac this is Lucy. Lucy this is Mac. My fiancé. The man with the scar did this.” Alex raised her hand to her face. Lucy looked ready to run again, and started to back out the door when Alex reached out, grabbing her arm and pulled her inside.
Mac realized he really liked the way Alex introduced him and that Lucy probably needed to talk to Alex alone so Mac backed up and let her inside. He motioned for both of them to sit and said he was going to get everyone some tea.
“The guy with the scar is dead. Why?” Alex asked. Lucy’s was back to smiling.
“He showed up at my sister’s house. He was looking for you, but said he would be back for me. He threatened to do terrible things to me and my sister. I’m so sorry, Alex, I should have come to see Pedro, but Shawn was watching his house. I panicked and ran. Once I saw Shawn had been arrested, I called my sister and she told me what happened.”
Alex explained everything as far as she knew to Lucy. Lucy would be able to get a divorce. Shawn would be in jail for life, thanks to his taped confession. Jarred was going to be there with him, but the Senator would take care of him. Alex asked Lucy if she knew she was Senator Lange’s daughter.
“No.” Lucy sat quiet for a few minutes obviously trying to absorb that information. “That’s what this was all about?” Lucy looked shocked and leaned back into the couch her and Alex were sitting on.
“As far as anyone can tell. I don’t know how safe you are. The Senator is not a nice guy.”
Mac walked back into the room, hanging up his cell phone. He had a smile on his face. “Alex, Lucy will be one hundred percent safe. I have a personal guarantee from the Senator himself.” Mac held up his phone.
Alex and Lucy were both looking at him like they didn’t believe him. Mac took Alex into his arms. “Do you remember me telling you that Buddy took a bullet for one of his witnesses?”
“Yes.”
Mac smiled. “That witness was Betsy Sharoni.”
“Bets?”
“Yep. You see, Betsy is the granddaughter of the late head of the Sharoni family. Her father took over on his father’s death. Buddy saved Betsy, so he was owed a few favors. The only people scarier than the Senator’s henchmen would be the mob. If anything happens to Ms. Portman there, well, let’s just say that the Senator will receive a fate worse than death for a man.”
“Lucy you are safe.” Alex said while still smiling at Mac.
Mac was still smiling, too. Alex looked like he had just given her something very special. And Lucy knew when to leave.
Lucy stood and hugged Alex and told her to keep in touch. Lucy hugged Mac also and told him thank you for everything, and to please tell his friends that she really appreciated their help.