Summer Kisses (211 page)

Oh, God, it was the nightmare. It was really happening. Had her dream been predicting her own death all these years? But she had a child to raise, another baby on the way. She had to live!

She ran faster . . . she had to outrun the danger.

Round after round, Sandro fired at the mobsters. It was hard to see in snow-darkened sky. Sometimes his shots hit, sometimes they missed. But slowly the good guys seemed as if they were gaining on the bad guys.

Then through his scope Sandro eyes caught Massimo armed with his own high-powered rifle. Massimo aimed at Nia. Sandro adjusted his aim, but Massimo squeezed off his round before Sandro.

He pulled the trigger a split second later and watched Massimo crumple.

Sandro’s gaze swung to his wife. In slow motion, he watched as she flew through the air then fell face down.

“No!” Sandro dropped his rifle, running to her. Blood seeped onto the ground, turning the white snow into a red slushy liquid. He knelt beside her, and Dave was there, too.

“We need a medic,” Dave yelled into his walkie-talkie. “Get me a goddamned medic now!” He probed Nia’s back. “I think it’s just a shoulder wound,” he said. “I saw her take the hit. I think it was in the shoulder.”

Sandro touched Nia, searching for the wound through the layers of clothes and blood. She moaned, and he felt her pain as his own.

Someone touched his arm. Tears blurring his gaze, he looked up.

“Carlo is getting away,” Marisa said. She held out his rifle. “Do you want this or do you want me–”

Sandro snatched the rifle from her.

“The car is not bullet proof,” she said.

“Sandro,” Dave warned, then frowned at Marisa.

“That man is responsible for this,” Sandro told Dave. “Killing him is justified.” He raised the rifle to his shoulder and took aim. Carlo was just making a u-turn. A minute longer and he would be out of range.

Sandro took a breath. Aimed. Squeezed off the shot. Carlo’s body jerked.

The car careened crazily out of control and smashed into a large tree. Sandro released his breath, shuddering.

It was over.

He handed the rifle to Marisa and went back to Nia. Two medics with a stretcher between them rushed up and jostled him out of the way.

Efficiently, they stripped off her jacket and shirt and checked the gunshot. They bound the wound and turned her carefully onto the stretcher, covering her with a thermal blanket.

Sandro hovered over them, his throat tight with emotion. Her face was swollen and bruised but the gunshot worried him more.“How bad is it?”

“It’s a shoulder wound. If we stop the blood loss, she should be fine. Is she a free bleeder?”

“No.”

“Any allergies to medicine we should know about?”

Nia moaned then.

Sandro moved to her side, trying not to gasp at her bruised and swollen face. A murderous rage filled him. He would kill Carlo and Massimo again if he could. “
Carissima
,” he said softly, belying his churning emotions.

She opened her eyes. “Sandro?”

“
Si, amore
. It is Sandro.” His heart swelled and warmed, thankful she was alive.

“What happened?”

“You were shot, ma’am.” A medic spoke up. “We’re taking you to the hospital.”

“Daniele?” she asked.

“He is safe,
amore
.”

She smiled.

“Ma’am are there any drug allergies we should know about?”

She frowned. “No, but–” she hesitated and looked at Sandro. He knew what she wanted to say.

“She is pregnant,” he said for her.

Surprise registered in her eyes. “You knew?”

“Carlo told me.”

That brought another frown. “Carlo? Where is he?”

“Dead.”

She nodded. “Massimo?”

“Dead, too.”

“Good.”

At her firm approval, Sandro realized Massimo had harmed her somehow. His wife was not a vindictive person. He was fiercely glad he had killed them for her. In some small way perhaps he had atoned for all he put her through.

“Sandro, what about . . . Angie?”

“I don’t know,
carissima
.”

Dave heard her. “I’ll check on him.” He walked off, and the medics continued to work on Nia.

Dave knelt by Angie, felt for a pulse, then stood and shook his head.

With sad eyes, Sandro looked to his wife. “I’m sorry.”

Silent tears rolled down her cheeks. “He was nice to me. He tried to take care of me and Daniele.”

“We’re going to take her to the ambulance now, sir,” a medic told Sandro, carrying her away.

“Momma, momma.”

Frankie carried Daniele toward them.

Sandro took his son from Frankie’s arms. “Momma’s got an owie. Like Frankie’s.” Sandro pointed to the man he considered a new friend.

Daniele touched Frankie’s arm. “Frankie’s hurt.”

“That’s right,” Sandro said. “And momma’s hurt, too. She has to go to the doctor and get it fixed. Let’s tell her goodbye.”

Sandro walked to the ambulance where they had transferred Nia to a raised gurney. They were preparing to lift her into the back of the ambulance.

“Momma, momma,” Daniele said again. “
Ti amo
, Momma.”

“I love you, too,” she said, “Both of you.” Then she turned her attention to Sandro. “Are you excited about the baby?”

He smiled in spite of the grim circumstances. “You know I am.” He gave her a kiss.

“I had a special meal planned to tell you, then you . . .” she frowned as her voice faded away.

“I’m sorry,
carissima
. I was trying to keep you safe. If I’d thought for a moment this would–”

“Shh,” she interrupted. “I understand what happened. You did what you had to.”

“But the pain I caused.”

“Not you. Them.”

“They hurt you.” He touched her bruised face.

“They’re dead now.”

“I would kill them again.”

“Yes, I know, Sandro. But now there’s no need. They’re dead and we’re free from them.”

“We need to get her to the hospital, sir.”

“
Si, si
. I know. We will be at the hospital,
amore
. I will see you soon.”

She smiled. “Yes, I expect you there.” The medics pressed the button on the lift and guided the gurney into the ambulance.

She watched him and saw his frown. “It’s over, Sandro. Don’t think about it anymore. It’s over.”

“Over, Poppa. It’s over,” Daniele repeated.

Yes, it was over. It wasn’t his way to reflect on the bad. Instead he chose to focus on the good. His enemies were dead, his son was safe, his wife would be fine and in a few months they would have a new baby to celebrate.

For Sandro and his family, it was over.

~~~

Dave looked around and blew out a breath. It was easy enough to tell what went wrong. He was just thankful none of his people had been killed. Two of the men with Luigi were injured but still alive. It was still uncertain if they’d survive though.

It could have been so much worse than a bullet wound to Nia’s shoulder. Massimo could have had a better aim. Dave shuddered.

Marisa stopped beside him.

Dave felt his heart soften and swell with relief. She hadn’t had to go back to her father, after all. He hoped now they could work on a future together. He turned and pulled her into a hug. Held on tight. He wanted to hold her forever. “How are you?”

“This is for the best, you know.” Her voice was heavy with tears.

Dave used his thumbs to wipe away the wetness on her cheeks, only able to guess at the pain and frustration she must be feeling. “I didn’t mean for anybody to die.”

“Even if you had arrested him, my father would have never stopped until Sandro was dead.”

Dave nodded, smoothed her hair back from her face. He wanted to go on touching her, feeling as if he could never touch her enough, happy there was no reason for him to stay away. “Maybe you’re right,” he agreed. “Are you going to be okay?”

She nodded. “I expected this outcome. Prepared myself. Perhaps not this way, and certainly not with Sandro’s wife hurt. But I expected my father to die today.” She breathed deep then pulled away. Her voice sounded stronger when she said, “You have a lot of work to do, I know.”

“I’ll have someone escort you to your apartment.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead, feeling more calm and hopeful than he had in a long time. “I’ll see you soon.” He knew whatever the future brought, he wanted her in it. He wanted to tell her, but not now. “We’ll talk.”

“Perhaps,” she said softly.

Dave felt his mood drop, but then excused her somber mood, knowing it had to be one of the worst days in her life. He’d never lost a family member, didn’t even want to imagine such a tragedy.

But she had him now. If she wanted him. He hoped she wanted him. He wanted to give her the world, since so much of her world had been stolen from her. She’d never had a childhood.

Dave could show her a much better place, a different kind of world than she’d grown up in. If she’d let him. And he had to believe she’d let him.

She reached into her jacket pocket. “As you move my father’s car, your men need to be aware of this.” She handed him a small black remote control device.

He stared at it; at first, not comprehending. A small black remote control was so far removed from the happy place he’d been imagining. As suspicion took over, his triumphant, hopeful mood tried to evaporate. He clung to the thoughts of happiness desperately, hoping his instincts were wrong.

He took a deep breath, released it, and asked her, “What’s this?”

Her face was sober, serious. “Insurance.”

“Insurance?” he questioned, hoping he misunderstood her meaning. Please let it not be what he thought.

“It’s under the back axle, by the gas tank,” she told him. “Cut the blue wire.”

With so few words she’d effectively burst the fantasy world he’d been creating. He felt the blood drain from his face. A sick feeling swirled in his stomach.

Dave’s gaze slammed into hers. “You wired his car?” His voice came out first as a whisper, then grew stronger. “You wired a fucking bomb to your father’s car?”

“I owed him. And my brother. I wanted justice.” She held his gaze, her chin tilted up, as if daring him to say something.

“You wanted vengeance,” he said, still working hard to process what she’d done. Find a reason to deny it. Or find a reason to justify it. Because God help him, he’d wanted her, wanted her in his life, wanted to believe they could overcome all the obstacles in their way. Had convinced himself it could happen.

And now.

She shrugged, her actions belying the emotion suddenly swimming in her eyes. “Do you respect me now?” She swallowed thickly, then whispered, “Do you want me now?”

She’d tried to warn him once. Dave remembered. She’d tried to tell him their worlds were too different. The cynical, jaded FBI man had dared to hope, to believe. . .

Without giving him a chance to answer, she turned and walked off, back straight, head high.

The remote was still in his hand. Dave looked at it, and then looked back at Marisa.

Dave watched her walk away.

To my six children: thanks for putting up with the craziness of a writer and all that entails (including, but not limited to, irregular mealtimes with a lot of frozen pizza).

Additional thanks to these wonderful, supportive people who helped make this book possible.

To Terry Zumwalt: Editor extraordinaire

To Shanel Anderson: Brilliant cover artist

To Detective Sergeant Hank Bailey: I would have been lost without the research help! (mistakes are all my own)

To Debbie Weierman, FBI Office of Public Affairs (again, mistakes are my own)

To Beverly, Barb and Karen, best friends a woman could have.

And last, but most important: thanks to you, dear reader, for taking the chance on my book. I sincerely hope you enjoyed it.

Don’t miss the next book in the Vista Security Series: TRUST NO ONE!

When reality is a web of lies and the truth endangers all you hold dear...Trust No One.

Drafted into the nebulous underworld of a secret agent right after college, MJ Thornberg survived betrayal and attempted murder at the hands of her trusted partner. Instead of returning to the deadly realm of espionage, she chose to retire to a small Texas town and work as a mechanic while raising her soon-to-be-adopted baby daughter.
Ben Walker is a man with his own secrets. An agent with MJ’s former employer, Vista Security, Ben is clawing his way out of a downward spiral from a job gone wrong when Vista sends him after MJ, with orders to use the threat of halting her baby’s adoption to ensure her cooperation.

Furious and trusting no one, MJ intends on working the job solo until a sniper’s bullet alters her plans. With no choice but to work with Ben, MJ must confront ghosts from her past, discover truths of her present, and trust that the future she deserves is in her hands to create.

For information about my latest releases please sign up for my newsletter at
www.dianalayne.com
. I love hearing from readers: [email protected].

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AUTUMN JORDON