“I never thought we’d be doing this together,” he admitted, chuckling.
“Let’s make it the last time,” she replied.
“Agreed.”
Only then did they notice a small pool of blood forming beneath Jane. Larry had shot her after all.
Victoria asked Tristan, “Are you okay?”
He nodded. “Just a little bruised. You?”
“Good.”
They looked over at Rick, who’d removed his helmet and Larry’s. He wore a sober expression as if in shock. Victoria went and knelt beside Larry, whose face was ashen, his eyes glazed. He stared through her as if not seeing her for a moment. Then his eyes focused and he smiled.
“Larry, sweetheart,” she began, one hand on his shoulder, “hang on. The ambulance will be here soon.”
“You’re safe,” he weakly replied. “All that matters.”
“You’ll be safe soon, too,” she replied, fairly certain that was a lie.
“Couldn’t let anything. Happen. To you.” His breath came raggedly.
“Is that why you came?” she asked, trying to keep him talking.
“Yeah. Tristan, too. Makes you happy.”
She forced a smile. “Well you know, I might be willing to do that trade-up you offered me.”
He closed his eyes, smiling slowly. “Awesome. Always loved you.” His head lolled to one side.
“Larry?” Victoria leaned over him, calling his name a few more times. She put two fingers against his throat, searching for a pulse she didn’t find. When she met Rick’s eyes, the muted shock in them made a shiver run through her. She leaned back and turned to Tristan, tears in her eyes.
Chapter 21 – Sacrifice
Victoria leaned against the open door of the ambulance where a paramedic tended to the cuts on Tristan’s face. He winced as another man poked at his ribs and stomach. She didn’t like seeing him in pain and wanted to wrap her arms around him, tend to his wounds, and surround him with love. Waiting this way hurt more than the small marks on her cheek and knuckles.
Riley stood next to her, offering his steely comfort. Even with all the police officers around—and there were a lot of them—she felt safer beside the Marine. He’d already been questioned. The men he’d shot had claimed that Riley fired first, but no one seemed to believe them. They’d already been identified as career criminals involved in a double murder plot, while Riley was a decorated Marine who’d been working with Officer Conway earlier in the day.
A dozen cop cars with lights still flashing filled the rear lot of the warehouse. Rick numbly sat, handcuffed, in one, his haunted gaze faraway. Derek had already been released by the paramedics and sat in another, bloody bandages on his face. Jane had been taken to the hospital for a bullet wound to her side, one arm handcuffed to the gurney. Riley had shot two of the three men, who’d both been carted away, and the third sat in yet another police car.
One final ambulance held Larry’s remains. The sight of a black body bag had made Victoria start crying. He’d always been nice to her, and that he’d come here to help save her—and succeeded—weighed heavily on her. Though Jane had fired the bullets, and Rick and Derek had caused the situation, her guilt remained. Riley saw her tearing up again as that ambulance left, so he wrapped an arm around her.
Hours later, Victoria and Tristan returned to Somerset Inn, where police had finished with the crime scene and questioning witnesses. One cop car would remain out front overnight and Riley got a room at a nearby inn. Other people on the mountain tour had heard what had happened at the warehouse, and were very supportive, one couple offering to switch rooms so Tristan and Victoria wouldn’t have to spend another minute in the room where they’d been kidnapped. With Rick in jail, everyone would find their own way home.
Now Tristan and Victoria sat nude in the room’s hot tub, the jets on a gentle cycle, the room’s ceiling fan whirring softly, and dim lamps filling the room with a soft glow. Everything felt so peaceful, especially after the long, awful day. Wine helped lull them into relaxation.
Sitting between his legs, Victoria had been leaning into the comforting embrace of Tristan’s arms, head against his shoulder. Now she lifted herself to his lap, feeling a soft cock against her pussy. Sex wasn’t really on her mind, or hadn’t been, but she couldn’t help sliding against him, the closeness of death inspiring a desire to reaffirm life. Her new position partially lifted her tits from the foaming water, attracting Tristan’s attention. One of his hands gently caressed her there, without his usual sexual touch, but her nipples hardened anyway. He brushed against a nipple and kissed the nape of her neck from behind. She responded by pushing against his penis, which had doubled in size.
“Tristan,” she whispered, “are you up for some gentle lovemaking?”
In response, he pulled her up so that her moist folds brushed his bulging cock’s head, which smoothly slipped inside, pleasantly filling her.
“I’ve never been so happy to be inside you again,” he murmured. “I love you more than anything.”
“If tonight has shown me anything,” she whispered, “it’s that life is too short. I love you, Tristan, and I’ll do anything to stay by your side.”
She squeezed his hand and took over, slowly sliding along him and trying not to slosh water over the tub’s edges. She needed calmness anyway. After a few minutes, the longing to see his eyes and feel his lips on hers inspired her to turn around. Their hands locked together, their tongues entwined, they stared deep into each other’s half-closed eyes. She rode him slowly and evenly, keeping the physical sensations low and simmering. They orgasmed softly and together, murmuring sweet somethings and snuggling.
* * *
Days later, the police raid on Clarksburg Motorsports made the news, as did the arrest of five employees found to be part of the operation. That wasn’t the only business searched, as Rick squealed like a pig to the feds, naming people and other businesses up and down the East Coast, and as far west as Texas, as part of a plea deal to save his ass. The size of the operation surprised Tristan when he heard these details from Ryan. Rick had just been a small part of it, but he’d been in contact with other business owners in the operation, sometimes making the connection while discreetly prying to learn the origins of stolen parts and bikes. Other times, such men contacted him. Some were eager participants, but others had been blackmailed like him. And now they were talking, too, their lives crashing and burning.
The authorities charged Rick with a litany of federal crimes that meant he was headed to jail for a long time. For that reason, he offered to testify against not only Derek, but those for whom Derek worked. The feds wanted much bigger criminals. Derek also turned informant; he’d killed dozens over the past decade and had only his freedom and life to lose. Turning on organized crime bosses had its pitfalls. Both men were headed for the federal witness protection program instead of jail thanks to their cooperation.
The FBI investigated Rick’s wife, Mindy, and discovered she’d known nothing about the operation. Or the affair with Jane. But Derek revealed to the feds that, as part of keeping leverage on Rick, they’d been spying on her, too, and she was also having an affair. Rick was only half-surprised. The problems in their marriage ran deep. Both affairs ended, and with Rick headed for a new life in the witness protection program, Mindy and the kids were, too, though they clearly had a tough road to save their marriage and family.
One consequence of Rick’s troubles and rapid disappearance into a new life was that he wanted to sell CMS and the restaurant quickly. Even the house was going up for auction. When Tristan learned of this from Ryan, he had an idea, which he talked over with family, who agreed to keep his surprise a secret for Victoria.
By the time he was ready to reveal it, Tristan’s one-month suspension from racing was ending. The fist fight causing it had damaged his reputation, but his kidnapping and subsequent role in breaking up a stolen bike ring had made headlines. It made his peers and sponsors forgive and
mostly
forget. Lucrative new deals were offered despite his announcement of retirement. His racing team hadn’t been happy, but they reached a deal that he’d finish out the season. One sports network even wanted him to become a racing commentator, though that meant travel and so he’d turned the offer down. That went a long way toward convincing Victoria that he was really staying, but he had something far better in the works.
The time had come to tell her his secret plans. He choose to do so at Sunrise Meadow, a field beneath the peak of Sugarloaf Mountain where the Kendall siblings had often played as kids, or made love to a boyfriend or girlfriend, or arranged a party or informal gathering. The clearing was a short horseback ride from Sugarloaf Stables. Riding horses his sister Kris had prepared, Tristan led Victoria here for a lunch he’d made himself in a show of being able to provide for her like a man ought to do. While the sandwich bread was a bit soggy because he hadn’t patted dry the sliced pickles in them, and he’d over-toasted the buns, the gesture wasn’t lost upon her. After eating, kissing, and snuggling for a while, Tristan took her for a short walk and then turned her to face him.
“I know we promised not to keep secrets anymore,” he began, “but I have a few surprises.”
She cuddled up. “If the surprises are good enough, maybe I’ll forgive you.”
He kissed her. “With the new sponsor deals and my earnings, I had enough to buy CMS. It’s already mine.”
Victoria stood speechless for a moment. “Wow, you do know how to keep a secret. Maybe I should be worried. What else are you hiding?”
“I’m an open book to you, honey.”
A slow smile lit her eyes. “I guess you really are staying.”
He smiled. “Of course. You didn’t believe me?”
“No. I mean, I did. I just…” Suddenly she threw her arms around his neck and laughed. “This is great! That was worth it!”
“I’m majority owner,” he added, “but wanted my whole family in it, since we own everything jointly already. It’s one of our properties now. I’m renaming it Kendall Motorsports. Since Rick wanted to unload it fast, I got an unbelievable deal I couldn’t pass up. Riley’s going to come work for me, selling Harleys and doing some bike tours. I’ll probably lead some tours, too.”
“That sounds like a great idea. Maybe I can come on some of them.”
“Of course. But I have bigger plans for you. I was also hoping you’ll help me run KMS.”
She gasped. “What? Wow. Yeah, of course! What would I do?”
“Whatever you want.”
“Did you buy the restaurant, too?”
“Of course.”
“My God, Tristan! This is wonderful! I’m so excited. What are you going to do at KMS? Do you have any idea how to run a business like that?”
“Sort of. My sister Kris has an MBA so she knows a ton about running businesses. She got that to help with all of our properties. Riley knows someone who used to manage a bike shop, and we have a few employees to replace anyway, so things are moving along.”
“This is so awesome!”
“There’s more.”
She laughed. “Not sure I can handle more.”
“I’m pretty sure we can handle anything, after all we’ve been through.”
That was something he’d been thinking about since the kidnapping. He’d always admired Quinn and Riley in particular for their strength in so many situations, but he’d never felt like that. Never felt like a real man, whatever that meant. But the kidnapping had changed him. For the better. Instead of it causing a demon of apprehension about danger lurking around every corner, he felt stronger and more comfortable in his own skin. He’d come out on top, and while he had help, he’d handled himself pretty well, and he longer thought that needing the help of his family meant he was weak. Needing help only made him strong. He loved them. He loved Victoria. And he now knew more than ever exactly what he wanted.
With a calm smile, he revealed more of the new life he envisioned. “I bought Rick’s house at auction. It has a pool, hot tub, four-car garage, five acres, and is over four thousand square feet. It’s very modern, too. I finalized that deal yesterday.”
After gaping like a landed fish for a moment, Victoria said half-seriously, “Really, I’m getting concerned about your ability to keep huge secrets from me.”
He laughed. “That’s the last one.”
“It had better be!” She laughed and then added with a pout, “You’re not going to live with me? That’s an awfully big house for just one guy.”
“I was actually hoping you would come live with me there. You know, as my wife.”
Victoria’s mouth popped open and before she managed to shut it, Tristan got down on one knee and produced a diamond engagement ring from nowhere. He slid it onto her finger.
“Will you marry me, Victoria?”
Unable to speak through her tears, Victoria nodded and collapsed into his arms, where she kissed him longer and more deeply than she ever had.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Gwen Ellery for her invaluable support.
Edited by Josephine Henke
Cover design by Robin Ludwig Design Inc.,
http://www.gobookcoverdesign.com/
About The Author
Randi Everheart is an avid author of romance, due in no small part to being a diehard romantic. After all, Randi once wrote a song for the object of a crush and penned a fifty page love letter for another! The same spirit now flows into these stories—hopefully to win
your
heart!
Randi has a Bachelors of Music in classical guitar but has always been more of a rocker, having released several albums under another name. Tendonitis in both arms ended career plans in music, leading to a new career as a software developer. Today Randi co-owns a software consulting firm and lives in the Maryland suburbs north of D.C., is married, and loves spending time with son Ryan when not writing, playing guitar or golf, or writing smut.
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