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Kent’s hot breath grazed her face. Adrenaline gave her the strength to break free, powered her back away from Kent and in the direction she’d been trying to lead him earlier. She struggled to orient herself, keep from placing her own foot in a spiked trap. She stumbled, fell to the ground, pine straw offering little cushion.
Panting, she crawled, a gnarled root jamming her knee, her ears filled with harsh curses from Ammar and Danny. Thuds, grunts as fists met flesh.
She grappled for her gun. Kent advanced, foot landing hard. Slamming through the earth and into the bucket. His scream of agony halted her. He fell to his knees, one leg trapped.
No time to waste. Mary Elise searched the ground when more than anything she wanted to look at Daniel and reassure herself he was all right. Rustling through the pine needles, her hand grasped, found, closed around her gun.
She rolled to her back just as Kent whipped his hand from behind him. Gun drawn. Death winked in the steady steel barrel.
Heels pushing against dirt, she backed away, her arms outstretched in front of her, 9 mm aimed. “You might as well give up, Kent.”
“Already have you running again, don’t I? Never could stick with anything. Not even a marriage. Now you’ve ruined my plans. Bet you don’t even have the guts to shoot me.”
She wouldn’t let him rile her. She kept her eyes trained on him, peripheral vision assuring her Daniel was still on his feet. She couldn’t risk shots distracting him.
Let Kent talk. Ignore his words. Daniel would finish Ammar off in seconds. Kent would not win.
Dirt streaked his face, his perfectly groomed facade wiped away, revealing the monster she knew him to be. “You believe I don’t know what you’re thinking, Mary Elise, but I do. I know I’m not going to make it. Ammar is no match for your lover there. And if I shoot you, no doubt Baker will kill me. Oddly enough, you inspire that kind of fanaticism in a man. I should know.”
His twisted logic for love crawled over her like a lethal rash when she wanted more than ever to live. For Daniel. For the boys. For herself. She wanted life with a ferocity she hadn’t expected after so long of simply existing. Daniel had brought her back to life.
Kent adjusted his knee, winced at the shift of his foot against the spikes. “Your leaving hurt me. Did you know that? I loved you and you threw away our life together. If only you’d been more patient, I wouldn’t have had to hurt you, too.”
The will to live flamed hotter. “Kent, you don’t have to do this.”
“Oh, but I do.” Resolution froze his eyes to an icy blue full of certainty. “And I know the best way to hurt you back.” Foot anchored in the bucket, he pivoted. Toward Daniel.
“No!” The scream echoed in her heart, powering resolve.
She fired.
Kent bucked. Blood bloomed across his chest. Eyes widening with surprise, he fell over backward. His gun skittered from his lifeless hand as he lay, unmoving.
Mary Elise rushed to her feet, ran, toward Daniel, his hands twisted in Ammar’s shirt. Daniel hauled back his fist and landed a final, knockout punch.
The boys’ uncle crumpled to the ground. Panting, Daniel barked, “Rope, from the porch.”
Blood poured from the jagged tear on his flight suit sleeve, but she couldn’t waste time thinking about that now. Mary Elise snagged the coil and pitched it to Daniel, her feet suddenly unsteady.
By the time she worked her way back, he’d finished tying Ammar. Swaying, Daniel flattened a palm to the ground. Extended the other arm to her. Without hesitation or question, she fell forward, into his embrace.Home.
* * *
Five hours later Daniel hefted his green duffle bag into the back of the SUV. His arm hurt like crazy from thirty-six stitches, but he’d turned down painkillers. He wanted a clear head to savor every minute of knowing Mary Elise lived. She had her life back, and somehow he was alive, too.
The cops had already cleared the area, taken statements, hauled Ammar to a holding cell. International laws and extradition would make for a lengthy legal process. If Ammar ever saw the light of day again, at least Daniel would have time to formulate a plan for keeping the boys safe—with Mary Elise’s help.
Yeah, he needed a clear head so he didn’t screw up this second-chance gift with her. Whatever pace she wanted to set, he could handle, because at least they would be together. He was through running.
After all, she’d given him a gift he’d never received, not even from his father. Total acceptance. Mary Elise didn’t want to change him or fix him. The woman was even okay with his job, a rare find. All she asked was that he give her the same consideration in return.
However she wanted to take this, he would follow and hang in for the long haul. She’d said she loved him. He could hold on to that—especially if she let him keep slathering strawberry preserves and anything else he could scavenge out of the cabinets all over her delicious body. And he was a mighty good scavenger.
Daniel closed the hatch, his gaze skating over the top of the SUV out to the shoreline where Mary Elise stood. God, she was a trooper. McRae’s parting “gift” to Mary Elise in the form of that funeral mass card would have leveled just about anyone. No question, if anyone deserved to die, McRae fit the bill, but still, taking a life left an irreparable bruise on a person’s soul.
But Mary Elise was stronger than she’d known. His pigtailed buddy who’d needed a defender against playground bullies could bloody noses all on her own now. She would make an incredible life partner.
Partner.A word he was only just beginning to understand, and he lookedforward to a lifetime of learning more with Mary Elise’s help.
