Taking Chances (5 page)

Keith held something in his hand.

“You planted a microchip in me?” Nora gasped. “When?”

“Thailand. Just before I faked my death.”

“You waited fourteen months to come get it? Why? Why did you do it?”

“Come on, Nora, you know why. We worked for peanuts for the
Agency
. We did the dirty work while they took the credit. We were stars on the wall. No one was gonna miss me anyway, so why not get paid for what I’m good at? The information on this chip will set me up for life. ”

Mind reeling, Lucas watched Nora go pale. A CIA agent. Didn’t see that one coming.

“You used me to get the chip out of the country.”

“Yes.”

“Did you really love me, Keith? Or was that faked too?”

Good damn question. He watched Keith walk over to Nora and cup her cheek.

“I still love you. That part was real. What we had was good. You know it wasn’t faked.” He leaned in close. “Come with me. Let’s run off to some private island in Fuji like we always planned. Just the two of us.”

Lucas looked at Nora, chest tight. This wasn’t a lover’s tryst. Nora couldn’t be compared to Corinne, and this situation was nothing like the last. She hadn’t played him for a fool. And the woman he’d fallen for had just been given a proposal by the man she’d once loved.

God help him, he didn’t want to lose her.

****

Nora studied the first man she’d ever allowed herself to love. But, as she looked at him now, she saw nothing but a criminal. A user. A man who would say or do anything to get what he wanted. He was a trained liar. Why had she not seen this before?

She’d fallen for his lies, wanted so badly for someone to love, to love her, that she’d believed everything he told her. Looking back, she saw it so clearly now. Had seen him turn assets using the same tactics many times.

God, she’d fallen victim to her own game.

She and Keith had been partners in the CIA for ten years. They knew each other better than they knew themselves. And he’d used that knowledge against her in his criminal activities. He’d faked his own death, put her through hell, so he could live a life of crime, free of the
Agency
.

All this time she’d been mourning the loss, believing she deserved to be alone, and over something that wasn’t real. She looked at Lucas. Handsome, charming, honest. Real. Like her love for him. Understanding shown in his emerald eyes. This man would never hide from her, or lie to her, or hurt her. He was a retired Navy pilot turned rancher from
Dayton
, Colorado. No secrets. And she wanted to spend the rest of her life getting to know the rest of him.

“What about him?” she asked, turning her gaze back to Keith.

Keith smiled. “I knew you’d come around. We belong together, kitten. He’s a witness. No loose ends.” He pulled the gun out of his waistband.

Nora took it from him.
The weight familiar in her hands.
“I’ll do it.”

“That’s my girl. I’ve missed you.”

She rose to her feet, walked over to Lucas, and raised the gun. “I’m sorry,” she said, then swung around and pulled the trigger.

The shot echoed through the cabin. Keith stumbled backward. Blood bloomed on his chest. “Nora?” he murmured, looking down, then up at her.

“We’re over, Keith.”

He slumped to the floor and she grabbed the knife off the counter where Keith had left it. She used it to cut the ties off Lucas’s ankles and wrists.

He lunged toward Keith, but she blocked him.

“Lucas, no. He’s not dead. I only wounded him.”

“I want the bastard dead for hurting you.”

Her heart swelled. She cupped his cheek. “Help me tie him up. When the storm clears, we’ll take him to the authorities. Rotting in jail will be Keith’s worst nightmare, trust me.”

His thumb circled lightly over her cheek where Keith had hit her. All her fears evaporated. “All that was true? You were CIA?”

She nodded.

“Any interest in going back?”

“No.” Never. Her days with the Agency were over.

He leaned in close so their lips were inches apart. “Can I interest you in a new start?”

Her breath hitched. “What did you have in mind?”

“A two-thousand acre ranch, rancher included, a warm bed, and a promise.”

Nora smiled as tears swam in her eyes. “What’s the promise?”

His lips hovered over hers. “I promise to love, honor and protect you for the rest of our days if you agree to be my wife.”

“Yes,” she whispered, jumping in with both feet and taking the chance that would last a lifetime.

The End