[English] HOT SECRETS (Bí Mật nóng bỏng)

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“I put a man on him after you visited him,” Luke said. ”We have nothing to say he’s the one. Nothing.”

“It’s him,” Royce said. “And he knows he’s being watched. You can count on it.” He glanced at Luke. “Did we get his military record?”

“I’ve tried,” he said. “It’s being guarded tightly which tells me he’s a very bad dude, or he’s so damn good that he’s involved with some deep government ****.”

“Or both,” Royce said.

Luke’s cell phone rang and he answered it, then snapped it shut. “Lauren’s building is being evacuated. People are pouring out of it.”

“Lauren?”

“The crush of people is too intense,” Luke said. “Our guys are working with the building security and the police to locate her.”

Royce was pushing open the glass door before Luke ever finished the sentence, not about to risk New York traffic delays to get to Lauren. He dialed her phone, cursing himself for trusting someone else to protect her.

“I’m coming with you,” Blake said following on his heels. “If it’s a bomb again, I want to be there.”

Royce cursed and shoved his phone back to his belt. “Her phone went straight to voice mail.” He cut to the left and down the subway stairs.

“We have three men there,” Blake told him, keeping pace. “She’s okay.”

“I should never have left her with someone else,” he said, piling into the crush of people inside a car.

The next six minutes in the tunnel were hell for Royce. The car stopped and he burst out of the door and jumped the exit gates, Blake by his side. It was a block to the building and the instant Royce brought the fire trucks and police cars into view, he cursed and picked up speed, heading for the yellow tape and the gaggle of officials.

“I’m going in in case she’s still up there,” Royce shouted, his gut telling him she was in there, that she needed him.

“I’ll deal with the Robocops,” Blake called, “and I’ll call you if I find her down here.”

Royce targeted an entry point without officials and ducked the tape, wondering where the hell his other three men were. Someone shouted at him, but he didn’t stop. He climbed the stairs to the building, burst through the glass doors, and instantly spotted Kyle.

Kyle, who knew how to work his connections, headed towards him immediately. “It was a bomb threat,” he said. “A special team is already working the building.”

“Where is she?”

“Daniel got positive confirmation from a cop that she was outside but when he got to the place he was told he could find her, she wasn’t there. He can’t find anyone who even saw her. Daniel and Rick are searching the crowd. I was about to hit the stairs to go up to look for her. The elevators are shut down.”

Royce started to walk backwards, towards the stairwell. “Call Blake. He’s outside. Tell him what’s going on.” He turned and started running, yanking open the heavy steel door and charging upward. Every step was torture, another obstacle to getting to Lauren.

Ten floors later, he pulled the Glock from his ankle holster and eased the door open. Nothing. No one in sight and there was complete silence. His cell phone vibrated and he looked at the caller ID and answered. “Tell me you found her, Blake.”

“No, get in and get her out. This guy has proven he knows explosive devices. Don’t f**k around, Royce.”

Royce hung up and shouted, “Lauren!” To hell with caution. Blake was right. If there really was a bomb, time was everything. He was halfway to her office when he paused, hearing a muffled pounding noise.

“Lauren!”

More pounding. He ran towards the noise, and then, thank God, he was at the bathroom door and heard the sweet sound of her voice. “Royce! I’m in here! Help. Please, help me.”

“I’m here, baby. I’m here.”

“Oh God, thank you. The door is stuck and my phone won’t work and”

“But you’re okay?” he asked, his gaze catching on the wooden doorstop jammed in the door.

“Yes. Yes. Now that you’re here.”

He yanked out the wedge and tossed it, pulling open the door. Lauren fell into his arms and clung to him as if he was her lifeline. Wrapping his arms around her, he hugged her, saying a silent thank you and kissing her. “Let’s get out of here.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her with him, his gun still at his side.

“What’s happening?” she asked from behind him. “What’s going on?”

“Bomb threat,” he said, pulling open the door again and inspecting the path before pushing her in ahead of him. “In other words, run, don’t walk down.” He followed her, ready for a strike from behind.

***

Luke was standing inside the yellow line, talking to an official when he saw Julie shoving through the crowd, desperately trying to get to him. “Luke! Luke!”

“I’ll be back,” he said to the cop, heading to the tape to meet her, the pale pink of her fall jacket flaring behind her.

“Tell me she’s okay,” she pleaded, grabbing his arm. The touch sent that familiar punch to his gut that he’d always felt when she touched him, magnified by about ten because he knew Lauren was all she had, because he knew how scared she was.

“Royce went in after her,” he said. “She’ll be okay.”

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“Oh, God. So she really is still inside? They said there might be a bomb. Please tell me she isn’t in there with a bomb.”

“They just located it on the roof,” he said. “A team’s already tearing it down.”

“But it’s still live and she’s still in there?” Her hand tightened on his arm. “Please tell me they already disarmed it.”

“She’ll be fine,” he said, praying that was true, on edge himself about Royce getting the hell out himself. “He’ll get her out, if she’s even in there. If you want to help, search the crowd.”

“I have,” she said, swiping at a long lock of blond hair covering her face, her hand shaking. “I tried. I’ve looked. No one has seen her.” She inhaled and let it out. “I don’t... I can’t lose her.”

The vulnerability in her gave him another kick to the gut. He knew better than anyone, besides maybe Lauren, that Julie hid everything behind ***, sin, and a façade of cool, all of which were gone now.

“Hey,” he said, bending under the tape to stand closer to her. “You won’t.” He reached up and slid the wayward hair in her eyes behind her ear. “You won’t lose her.”

They stared at each other, the past between them, the passion, the connection, and yes, even the bad goodbye, sizzling into awareness.

Her perfect pink lips parted, then, “Luke, I... we...”

A loud commotion erupted and they both turned to the building to find Royce and Lauren running towards them. Julie took a step towards the tape, but then stopped and blinked up at Luke. Then, to his surprise, she pushed to her toes, and pressed her lips to his. “Thank you,” she whispered and then ducked under the tape to run towards Lauren.

Luke watched her embrace Lauren, savoring her taste on his lips, her scent on his skin while he did. And he knew right then that the wall he’d just seen come down had to fall again, and this time for good... and for him.

***

Hours later, when the bomb was disabled and she’d answered a million and one questions from law enforcement, Lauren walked into Royce’s apartment, exhausted as the rush of adrenaline slid away. Royce tossed his keys on a small table by the door and Lauren kicked off her heels, heading for the couch where she collapsed, thankful that her offices were closed the next day. Thankful that the trial would finally be ramping up for jury selection soon, and she could get this behind her.

Royce shoved the coffee table away and went down on his knees in front of her. “We have to talk, Lauren.”

“Not the talk thing again,” she said, sitting up to rest her hands on his chest. “It’s never good and I can’t deal with any more bad right now.”

“Plead the case.”

“What?” she asked, trying to scoot away from him. “No. You said you supported what I do and why I do it.” She tried to scoot away from him.

He closed his hands on her h*ps and held her. “I do, but there is a time when everyone in law enforcement makes a decision, for the safety of everyone involved. This is one of those times.”

“This is going to go public,” she said. “Too many people know what is going on after today. That means the public will know a plea is caving to intimidation. What message does that send about our system? And it invites copycats. I’ll be a target and make other people targets.”

“You already are a target and other people are targets as well. Plea, Lauren. Put her away for life and make the concessions to do it. Then let’s go away for a vacation. Rome, England, anywhere you want to go, and let Luke and Blake catch this guy.”

“I can’t believe you’re asking me to do this. I thought”

He kissed her, his fingers resting on her cheek. “I love you, Lauren. I’m just trying to protect you and everyone around you.”

She softened instantly at the sincerity, the torment, in his voice and pressed her lips to his. “I love you, too.”

He pulled back to search her face. “Then do this for me. I support you, baby. I believe in what you do, I do. But this is about safety.”

“What if it isn’t even about this case? We have clippings from other cases and the links to Sheridan.”

“Then it’s not this case and we’ve ruled it out. We have nothing at this point but a gamble, but we have to take it, Lauren.”

“I need to think, Royce. I need to”

He kissed her. “Think. That’s better than ‘no’.” He slid his fingers under her hair to her neck. “Tell me you love me again.”

She softened, smiled. “I love you.”

He covered her mouth with his, as if he was trying to absorb the words, as if he cherished them. Lauren relaxed into the kiss, lost in him, letting herself forget everything but him undressing her, touching her, kissing her. When she finally straddled him, when he was buried deep inside her, and their eyes connected, she realized that her big, grizzly alpha had a soft side he saved just for her. And somehow, for just this little bleep of time, it made everything okay, and no man had ever done that for her before now, before Royce.

***

The next morning, Lauren woke in Royce’s arms, to her cell phone ringing on the bedside table. He grabbed it and handed it to her.

She frowned at Caller ID. “It’s the DA. This can’t be good.” She answered, to hear her boss, Milton Waters demand, “Where are you? I’m at your apartment and you aren’t here.”

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“You're at my... why?”

“I received a delivery for you this morning,” he said. “Where are you?”

Royce rolled out of bed when she gave him the address. “Any clue what’s going on?”

She headed to the closet. “He’s going to tell me to plea.”

“Did he say that?”

She yanked a pink t-shirt from a hanger in his closet, that was beginning to feel like hers, clinging to that little piece of goodness in the midst of a whole lot of hell.

By the time Lauren had dressed in jeans and pulled on boots, Royce was leading Milton to his living room. The District Attorney, forty-something, good looking, and dressed in his standard black suit and red tie, was crackling with anger. “I’m having the trial date postponed a week. Plead the case.”

She crossed her arms in front of her. “Milton…”

“The Mayor wants the case done. I want this case done. I only let you ride this out because the victim’s family took it to the news.”

“Not because the woman murdered her husband,” Lauren said. “Of course not.”

“The public, and the jury, will be sympathetic to her,” he said. “They won’t be when we get a building full of people killed and I did nothing to stop it.”

Lauren took that like a punch in the gut. “If we plead it out now, you’ll look weak and we’ll invite other attacks. You’ll risk your office falling apart, and on an election year to boot.”

He considered her a long moment. “You tell the opposing council to give us something to work with, a piece of this puzzle that justifies the deal we swore wasn’t happening. Then you plead the damn thing and do it by Monday.” He headed for the door and stopped and turned. “And I’m going to let the media know that there is new evidence, and plead talks are in the works. So you damn sure better come up with a good follow up story to justify this. I’m in this because of you.”

Lauren stood there, staring after him, unmoving even when the door slammed shut. Royce pulled her into his arms. “Baby”

She pushed away from him. “No. Don’t. You want this too. Everyone wants this. I don’t know why I fight like this. I don’t know why I think that what is right matters when no one else does. I need to go call Mark.”

He looked like he might argue, but then nodded, stepping back. “Just remember his reasons aren’t mine.”

She scraped her teeth over her lip, chest tight. “I know. I do. I don’t mean to lash out at you. I’m just upset and confused and I just don’t know what I’m doing anymore. But I know I can’t keep this up. I can’t leave Julie in a hotel. I can’t put other people at risk. It just feels like this was all for nothing.”

“I’m here when you need me.”

Her lashes lowered and lifted. “I know and it matters.” She headed to the kitchen, taking her phone and some paperwork with her, before sitting down at the table.

A few minutes later, she was deep in conversation with Mark. “I’ll get you what you need,” he said, pausing a moment. “Look. I’m happy to get my deal, but let’s put that aside. You’ll never get to fight for what you believe in in the public sector. Lindsey and I have been talking about you. We want you to come work for us. Or go out on your own, Lauren, or with Julie. Just get the hell out from under that ass**le Milton.”

She sank back into the chair. “Until this week, I think I would have said ‘no.’ I would have thought I was caving to the pressure and giving up on my beliefs.”

“Is that a ‘yes’?”

“It’s an ‘I’ll think about it.’ Seriously. I’ll think about it seriously.”

“I’ll take that,” he said. “Are you going to the annual Children’s Charity event at the museum? Lindsey and I will be there and we can talk.”

Oh, God. Julie coordinated the event every year and not without pain, and this time, while stuck in a hotel. “Yes. Probably.” If she could go without putting everyone at risk.

“Great. I’ll look for you. And how about I get you this plea information today, and we just get it behind us?”

“Email it,” she said. “And yes. Now that I’ve decided to do this, let’s be done with it.” She ended the call and noted the missed call from her father.

Lauren sighed and called him back, listening to half an hour of him telling her all the reasons she should quit her job. He almost talked her into keeping her job, when he said, “You can be my legal counsel for the Presidential campaign.”

“I’m sure Brad and Roger have that handled,” she said.

“We need you too, Lauren,” he said. “Running for the nomination is going to be a family affair. We might as well stand united.”

She could almost hear her stepmother in his words. “I support you, Father, but in the background.”

When they finally hung up, she sat there, staring into space, replaying the conversation, and telling herself not to let it impact her decision.

“You okay?”

Her gaze went to the doorway, to where Royce sauntered towards her, too graceful for such a large man, his long hair loose around his shoulders.

She pushed to her feet and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Mark wants to hire me and my father wants me to quit my job and join his campaign. Oh, and Julie has a huge charity event at the museum Saturday night that I am now afraid to go to for fear I will turn it into ‘Nightmare in the Museum.’”

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“Let’s see how the next few days go, and decide about the event. As for the jobs,” his strong arm circled her waist, “what do you want?”

She didn’t know anymore. “You,” she said. “I want you to help me forget all of this.”

He scooped her up and headed for the bedroom, where she planned to stay as long as she could possibly keep him there.

Chapter Twenty

Her dress was ***y as sin, a long, cream colored number that Julie had brought her, that hugged every sleek line of her body. Just another reason Royce wanted to turn away from the museum before he pulled the truck into the valet parking. He didn’t care that Saturday night had come with no more threats, that the plea had seemed to end the hell. The bastard was still out there, still a ghost they couldn’t find, and he wasn’t going to rest until they found him. This had ended too easily, and too easy, he’d learned, was never easy at all. It was the calm before an explosion, but he wasn’t going to put Lauren on edge again. He damn sure didn’t tell her that he was so antsy about this event that he had Blake and Luke in a surveillance van a block away. When tonight was over, he was going to present her tickets to Rome, and they were getting the heck out of Dodge until he knew this was really over.

“You sure you don’t want to just skip this?” he asked her for the third time since he’d shackled himself into a monkey suit, otherwise known as a tuxedo.

“No, Royce,” she said. “You know I have to be there for Julie. I put her through living in a hotel for days. I have to show my support. She’s family. And she bought me this dress.”

He sighed and turned into the drive. “I do owe her for that one. I like it.”

She laughed. “So you keep telling me. I’m sure Sharon will call it inappropriate, when her own dress will be far more so.” She shrugged out of her coat and the valet opened her door.

Royce quickly exited and handed off the keys before stepping to her side, wrapping his arm around her as she shivered. “I’m going to have to give up this tux jacket. You’re going to be cold inside.”

“You just want an excuse to give it up,” she said. “And you have to wear it.”

They waited by the door, as several other people entered before them. Suddenly, cameras started to flash around them and a reporter stepped close to them. “Is it true your father is running for the Republican nomination, Ms. Reynolds?”

“That’s a question for him,” she said quickly.

“Is that why you ****d to a plea deal for the husband killer?”

She stopped walking, the color draining out of her face.

Royce pulled her to the other side of him and forward, inside the building. The minute they were inside and signed the register, he pulled her aside. “Blow that off, baby. It means nothing. If that’s the worst thing that happens tonight, we’re good.” His hand brushed her bare shoulder. “The best thing, at least for me, is going to be peeling this dress off of you.” He motioned to the room. “Let's go mingle so I can get to do it sooner rather than later.”

She laughed, a soft, ***y sound that he’d never get tired of hearing, and wrapped her arm around him. They entered an oval room with doorways leading to art displays, towering ceilings and several winding stairwells that lead to the balcony areas above. Displays of food and drink framed tables and chairs with white tablecloths

Julie rushed towards them, dressed in a long light blue silk dress that accented her voluptuous curves that he was pretty sure Luke would approve of, even if his brother wouldn’t admit it.

“Hey, sweetie,” Julie said, hugging Lauren. “How are you?” She looked at Lauren’s arm where the burn mark was covered by a bandage. “Stylish and ***y. Does it hurt?”

“No, not anymore,” Lauren said, and then added, “And it’s not like I could hide it in this particular dress.”

“Which I should thank you for buying,” Royce quickly added.

Julie winked. “My pleasure and yours too, I hope.” Then to Lauren, “I have to mingle. Mark and Lindsey are looking for you. They are at a center table. Mommy Dearest is shopping the art, and your father is on his way. Brother Brad is also present.” She glanced up. “Judge Moore and his wife are here. Talk about awkward.” She lowered her voice, “I’m serving her divorce papers Monday.”

Lauren gaped. “And he’s with her tonight?”

“Yeah. He’s a cold-hearted bastard, that one.” She plastered on a fake smile. “Off to act friendly.”

Someone cleared their throat from behind them and Royce turned with Lauren’s hand tucked under his elbow. Her stepbrother, whom Royce had met on several occasions, stood there, and Royce felt Lauren tense and melt closer to his side.

“Lauren,” Brad said tightly, his gaze hitting Royce with a hostile blow. “I see you haven’t disposed of your bodyguard.”

A muscle in Royce’s jaw jumped, but he kept his tone cool. “Seems there are all kinds of unsavory characters around her I need to protect her from.”

Brad’s eyes narrowed, sliding from Royce to Lauren and back. “She’s making some statement to her father. Once she’s done making it, you’ll be done.”

“What?” Lauren demanded. “I... I don’t even know what to say to you.”

“You say ‘where’s the bar?’ and walk away,” Royce offered, turning her away and urging her forward, before leaning in close. “And I’ll be your statement any day of the week, as long as its forever.”

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She stopped and looked up at him. “What?”

“I got you now,” he said. “I’m not letting you go. But we’ll talk later.”

The tension slid away from her. “Talk. You want to talk?” She rose up on her toes, and whispered in his ear, “Either you want me forever or you don’t.”

He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her, not giving a damn about the properness. “I want you. Forever.” He trailed his fingers down her arm. “Let’s find Mark before I forget why it matters and drag you out of here.”

She laughed and they quickly found Mark and his wife Lindsey, a dy***ite blonde who was as gorgeous as she was friendly, and joined them at their table.

“So I hear Mark proposed a new career option for you,” Lindsey said, getting right to the point.

“He said something about it, yes.”

“So what do I have to do to talk you into it? I need some women power at the firm. I’m the only one there.”

From there, Royce was pleased to see Lauren relax, and get lost in conversation with Lindsey. Royce and Mark were both pleased to see the magic unfold, as Lindsey convinced Lauren that she had to join their firm.

A good hour passed before Lauren pushed to her feet and Royce followed her. “Bathroom,” she said. “You talk your football. I want to find Julie, too, so I might be a few.” She took off through the crowd.

He hesitated, fighting the urge to follow her, telling himself he was being paranoid. But whoever had been terrorizing her was still out there somewhere.

***

Lauren walked down the hallway into the ladies, feeling more relaxed than she had in a very long time, a smile touching her lips. She was in love and she was no longer being stalked. And, damn it, she was going to quit her job and join Mark and Lindsey, and if she could talk Julie into leaving the firm she was with, she’d get her on the boat, too.

She turned a corner to enter the bathroom when Sharon stepped in front of her, her black dress twinkling in the overhead lights. “Let's step to the courtyard and talk.”

“It’s cold, Sharon, and I have to get back to my table.”

“I received an interesting delivery today,” she said. “You're going to want to know what’s inside and not where others can see it.”

Lauren’s lips parted in shock. This couldn’t be happening. There couldn’t be yet another threat. “Okay. Let’s go.”

“I thought so,” Sharon said smugly and turned and headed down the hall, away from the main room.

Lauren balled her fists at her sides and followed, telling herself not to overreact. Sharon was notorious for her ridiculous reactions to things. She opened the door, the cool fall night chilling her skin.

Greenery and trees lined a red brick path that allowed guests to go forward, left or right.

“We’ll want to walk further into the courtyard,” Sharon said, flicking her a hard look. “We don’t need an audience.”

Lauren hesitated a second, before following again, not comfortable with the secluded location, which was ridiculous. Sharon was a bit off her rocker, but she wasn’t dangerous. A few people milled around at the concrete seats along the way, and while that should have eased Lauren’s unease, it didn’t.

Sharon walked up the steps of the gazebo, a slim heater hanging from the ceiling and down to almost the floor, sending Lauren in pursuit a bit more eagerly. Lauren rushed to the glowing device and held her hands above it. A second later, someone grabbed her from behind and she blacked out.

***

Twenty minutes after Lauren left the table Royce was talking football with Mark when he saw Julie nearby and stopped mid-sentence. Lauren wasn’t with her.

“Give me a minute, Mark,” he said, pushing to his feet and going to Julie’s side. “Where’s Lauren?”

“I don’t know. I thought she was with you. Is something wrong?”

“She went to the bathroom and was supposed to be finding you. I need you to”

“I’m going,” she said, heading for the bathroom without another word. Royce fell into step with her, his adrenaline pumping, telling himself to stay calm. She was okay.

“Has her father arrived?”

“If he has I haven’t seen him,” she said, as they rounded the corner to the bathroom. “But maybe that’s because they are off talking. She’d been avoiding him.” She pushed the bathroom door open and went inside.

Royce’s cell phone rang and he yanked it off his belt to see Blake in the Caller ID. He answered and Blake immediately said, ”Is Lauren with you?”

“No, I can’t find her.”

“Front door,” Blake said. “Now.”

“She’s not here,” Julie said, rushing out of the bathroom.

Royce turned away from her, charging for the door, and barely keeping himself from running. He was in front of the building in a minute flat and the van was waiting.

The side door opened. “Get in,” Blake said and Royce didn’t ask questions.

Royce was inside and the van moving before the door was even shut, Luke taking off like a bat out of hell. He rotated on his heels to find the computer panel on the wall lit up with a tracking program, a dot beeping.

“That’s Lauren,” Blake said. “That chip you put in her watch wasn’t working. I found the problem. Now it’s working. Luke has the feed up front, too.”

Royce inhaled a calming breath, and letting it out. “What else do we know?”

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“Not a damn thing.”

“Exiting towards the Bronx,” Luke shouted.

Royce headed to the front with Luke, willing the van to move quicker, and cursing the traffic that had them at a dead stop... afraid Lauren would be dead before he got to her.

Chapter Twenty-One

Lauren woke to a throbbing in her head and neck, lost in a fog she couldn’t seem to escape.

“I don’t understand why I’m here,” a female said. “I’m not supposed to be involved. You said I wouldn’t have to be involved. And what’s the camera for?

“Better to see with, sweetheart.”

The voices played in her head, her mind starting to process. Sharon. The female was Sharon. She tried to move and couldn’t, panic overtaking her. Lauren jerked her head up and tugged on her arms to find her hands tied behind her back, behind the rails of a wooden chair.

Her gaze traveled frantically over a warehouse of some sort, and landed on the two people talking, their backs to her. Sharon and... Oh God. Wilkins, dressed in army fatigues with at least one gun and one knife attached to his hip. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be happening.

“Well, look who’s awake,” he said, turning to face her. “This would be no fun if you weren’t fully present.”

“I don’t need to see this,” Sharon said. “I don’t. I need to get out of here. Take me out of here before you do it.”

“It?” Lauren said. “What is it?”

“You’re a smart person,” he said, walking to her and squatting down beside her. “I’m pretty sure you can figure it out.” He brushed his gloved fingers over her cheek and Lauren tried to pull away, pretty sure the gloves were a bad sign for her future. He laughed, as if her resistance amused him. “Pretty little thing, you are. I think Mama here hates you for that as much as she does anything else. We bonded over hating you that day I paid your father a visit. A romp in the sack later, a few bucks in my bank, and I got paid into scaring you into that plea. She’s hot in the sack, a f**king wildcat your old fogie father can’t keep up with.”

“Shut up, Jonathan,” she growled behind him. “Just shut up.”

He flicked a look over his shoulder. “Who’s she going to tell?” His eyes fixed on Lauren. “She’s a wicked witch. I knew you wouldn’t leave the DA, and you sure as hell wouldn’t marry your stepbrother. That’s some twisted ****.” He pulled his gun and slid it to her chin.

“Please, don’t do this,” Lauren said, her voice shaking, her entire body shaking. “Please.”

“We were always going to end up right here, with you and me,” he said. “I knew that the day I visited your office.” He pushed to his feet, walked to a video camera and adjusted it.

“Do you really think my father will run for office after I’m murdered?” Lauren demanded.

“I’ll convince him he has to make the world a better place, in your honor, you little bitch,” she snapped. “And he’ll win with the sympathy vote. You will give me the White House from the grave. I’ll finally get something for putting up with you all these years.”

Jonathan walked to Sharon and came up behind her. “What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Getting you ready for you big day,” he said, pressing the gun into her hand. ”You’re going to shoot her yourself.”

“No. No, I can’t do it.”

“You will,” he said, stepping back from her and pointing another gun at her head. “You’ll shoot her or I’ll shoot you both.”

“What?” Sharon screeched. “What are you doing?”

“Insurance, sweetheart,” he said. “When you get to the White House you’re going to get my sister pardoned or the world will know you murdered your stepdaughter.”

He stepped backwards to the camera and she turned to him. “Turn around!” he shouted, ****ing his gun. She started to shake and cry.

All Lauren could think of was how much she wished she’d told Royce how much she loved him, how alone Julie would be. How alone her father would be. “Don’t do this, Sharon,” Lauren said. “You have a gun just like him. Shoot him. Shoot him and I won’t say a word about this.”

Sharon whirled on Lauren, holding up the gun. “Shut up! Shut up! You are always talking.” She ****ed the gun.

Lauren squeezed her eyes shut and started to pray. Royce was going to blame himself, he was going to let it eat him alive. She didn’t want that. She didn’t... The sound of bullets rang out and she braced herself for impact, but nothing happened. Suddenly, Sharon was on the ground and so was Wilkins, and Royce was kneeling in front of her, his hands on her face.

“You’re okay. You’re okay, baby.”

“Is she?”

“Dead,” he said. “Yes.”

Lauren burst into tears, shaking worse now than ever. Royce untied her and picked her up and she curled into him, not wanting to see Sharon’s body. The sound of sirens erupted outside the building, as they exited what seemed to be a warehouse.

She had no concept of time, of when the chaos calmed and the EMS crew, reluctantly released her. She knew though, that they had tried to convince her to go to the hospital to be treated for shock.

They walked to the van and paused by the passenger door. “I have to tell my father,” she said.

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“We’ll do it together.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

“You don’t ever have to do anything alone again,” he promised. “I’m here and I swear to you, Lauren, I will never again let you down like I did tonight.”

She flung her arms around him. “You didn’t let me down. You saved my life. I love you. I don’t know if I’ve really truly told you how much. I didn’t tell my mother enough. I was a teenager, and it wasn’t cool and then she was just gone. Tonight I almost died and my last thought was how much I wished I had told you how much you’ve changed my life, how much you mean to me.”

“I love you, too, baby, more than you know. If you’d have died in there, I would have died with you.” He ran his hand down her hair. “Let’s go talk to your father. We’ll get through the bad, and we’ll make the good together.”

Epilogue

A month after Lauren had sat in that wooden chair, certain she was going to die, she stood in a pink silk robe on a Paris balcony looking out over the city, appreciating life more than ever. The moon was full, the stars twinkling in a fairy tale vision of perfection.

She had two weeks of heaven here with Royce, and then she’d start her new job with Mark and Lindsey. Her father was retiring from government to run his own firm, and had fired Brad, though Roger was still around. Apparently, her father had been being blackmailed, though she’d never found out about what. Just that he now knew that Sharon had been involved, and perhaps, though she wasn’t certain, Brad as well.

Royce walked up behind her and slid his arms around her. “It’s beautiful,” he said, staring out at it with her.

“Yes,” she sighed. “I’m so glad we did this.”

“Me too, baby,” he said, and turned her to face him. “And I can’t think of a better time or place to have a talk.”

She laughed and turned in his arms. “Not the talk again.”

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “The talk.” His expression turned serious, and he added, “I can’t go on like this, Lauren.”

There was something so intense about him that her heart skipped a beat. “What does that mean?”

“It means I want things to change between us.” He bent down on his knee and took her hand, before presenting a black velvet box and flipping the lid open. “Forever, baby. Either you want me forever or you don’t.”

A gorgeous white diamond twinkled as brightly as the stars and her lips lifted in a smile. “On one con***ion. You still have to work on the bossy thing.”

“You like the bossy thing.”

“Sometimes,” she admitted, and then bent down and kissed him. “Forever.” He scooped her up in his true alpha glory, and took her to bed, where he excelled at being deliciously bossy.

THE END