Destined for Power (23 page)

EPILOGUE

Stromia, three months later . . .

“I don’t give a shit if you want a lawyer. Do I look like a police officer?” Mallory asked as she slammed her fist onto the metal table in the dark room of the basement. The table reverberated, and the man in the chair jumped.

The room was purposely hot. The one light was dim and cast shadows menacingly about. It smelled of fear, and Mallory loved it.

The twenty-something man sitting in the chair on the other side of the table audibly gulped. He looked down at her evening gown and shook his head.

“You will tell me everything I need to know, and you will tell me right now,” Mallory said coldly as she tossed a pad and pen on the table.

“Yes, ma’am.” The man trembled under her glare.

The door opened and Mallory strode out of the room. Reid pushed away from the cement wall and grinned at his beautiful wife. “You are so sexy when you interrogate people trying to steal from my casinos.”

Reid pulled his wife into his arms and kissed her hard. Like always, she matched him stroke for stroke and kiss for kiss. She was perfect for him.

“Why, thank you, husband,” Mallory murmured against his lips before kissing him again. “Here’s his signed confession. He named the mastermind and even told us about another group of card counters he ran across in college. Shoot, once he started talking, I couldn’t shut him up. Do you want me to go after the rest of them?”

“Would that make my new head of security happy?”

Mallory looked down at him in his tuxedo. They had been about to leave for the coronation party for the new King of Stromia. She let out a sigh. “I guess I have to let Luke have some fun. He sure was sweet, letting me do the interrogation.”

“I think it’s because he gets a kick out of watching you work. All the guys rush over to the monitor to watch the helpless bastards tremble in their seats.”

Reid held out his arm for her and escorted Mallory from the basement to their limousine. He opened the door and watched as Mallory’s leg flashed when she sat down.

“That slit is giving me very naughty ideas,” he whispered as he pressed the button to close the privacy divider.

“I sure hope so. It’s the whole reason I wore it,” Mallory challenged.

Reid was never one to back down from a challenge. He ran his hand up her leg and pushed aside the material to expose her bare center. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

“No panties?”

“I like to keep things interesting,” Mallory said seductively.

Reid pulled her onto his lap and walked his fingers up her thigh. “We have a lifetime of interesting ahead of us.”

Mallory leaned forward and kissed his lips. Her hand wrapped around the nape of his neck as they lost themselves in the kiss. Without saying a word, he could read her. The love, the passion, the future . . . she said it all with her kiss.

“I love you,” Reid whispered into her neck.

“I love you, too,” Mallory whispered, sliding off him and straightening her dress a second before the door opened.

Mallory smiled widely for the cameras as Reid escorted her up the red carpet in front of the palace. The four-hundred-year-old palace gleamed with gold details, rich reds, and shining crystal chandeliers. She was blind to all of it, save for her husband.

They made their way up the stairs and through the entranceway before Reid bent down to whisper in her ear, “See that alcove over there? We’ll have to visit that later.”

“Stop,” Mallory giggled. “We are respectable members of society. I am the daughter of the President of the United States after all. We don’t go around having sex in every nook and cranny of a palace.”

Reid brushed his arm casually against her breast. “You know you want to,” he taunted as they stopped at the entrance of the ballroom.

Reid handed his card to the uniformed man and gave Mallory a wink.

“Mr. Reid Simpson and his wife, Mrs. Mallory Simpson,” the man announced.

Mallory smiled as they walked down the small flight of stairs into the ballroom.

“Champagne?” Reid asked, steering them through the crowd.

“That would be lovely,” Mallory said as she glanced around the crowded ballroom. The new King of Stromia would be making his appearance soon. Reid stopped a waiter and handed a glass to her.

“Mallory,” a deep voice said from behind them.

Mallory turned around and smiled widely. “Ahmed!”

She leaned forward, and her old friend kissed both of her cheeks before introducing his wife, Bridget.

“And this is my husband, Reid Simpson.”

“We’re so sorry we couldn’t make it to the wedding,” Bridget told her. “We were occupied with that lead you gave us. There were some underworld negotiations we had to clear up.”

“Well, since King Dirar just arrived with Prince Mohtadi, I assume you took care of it.”

Ahmed simply raised an eyebrow in silent answer as the king and prince made their way over to them. “Your Highnesses, King Dirar Ali Rahman and his wife, the Queen, along with his brother, Prince Mohtadi Ali Rahman and his wife, Danielle,” Ahmed presented, turning to the royal family. “And this is Mallory Simpson and her husband, Reid. They were instrumental in gathering the intelligence to stop a most unfortunate incident.”

King Dirar leaned forward and placed a kiss on each of her cheeks before shaking hands with Reid. “We are most grateful for your assistance,” the king said, smiling. “You are welcome in Rahmi as our guest at any time.”

“Thank you,” Mallory said as she smiled at them.

The king and queen left to make the rounds. Reid was trying to pry information about Mallory from Ahmed while Bridget laughed at them. The prince and his wife smiled at her and stepped closer.

“And I hear I have you to thank for saving my husband,” his wife said kindly.

“Your Highness . . .”

“Dani, please. And my husband prefers Mo.”

“All right, Dani. It was my pleasure. Ahmed has told me how happy you have made your husband. I’m just glad you got your happily ever after.”

Dani looked back and forth at her and Reid. “It looks like you did, too. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

“Anytime you need my plane, it’s yours,” Mo said before sending her a wink. He held out his arm, and his wife slid her hand into it as Reid came to put his arm around Mallory’s waist.

“They were nice,” Reid said as they watched the royal family of Rahmi walk away.

“Yes, they are. I can’t believe tonight is our last night here.”

“I can’t believe my mom is getting married next week,” Reid said in mock dismay as he swept Mallory onto the dance floor.

“Troy is wonderful. They are so cute together. At least this wedding will be better than the last one we went to,” Mallory shook her head remembering the nightmare.

“I still have nightmares of Aunt Flory wailing as Cousin Mary walked up the aisle. Not to mention the number of times she kissed Phillip. That man is a saint. However, have you noticed they’ve been hanging out at Mom’s house more?”

“Thank goodness. It’s good for them all. Mary has blossomed. I’m happy for her and Phillip.”

“You know who I’m happy for?” Reid asked with a sly smile.

“Who?”

“Us. Now about that alcove . . .”

Mallory laughed as Reid grabbed her hand and hurried her from the room. She didn’t need to meet any more royalty when she had her own prince ready to love her a little more every day.

THE END

Thanks for reading. Be sure to get the next great book from Kathleen Brooks as soon as it goes live by signing up on her notification list below:

www.kathleen-brooks.com/new-release-notifications/

If you are new to the writings of Kathleen Brooks, then you will definitely want to try her Bluegrass Series books set in the wonderful fictitious town of Keeneston, KY. Here is a list of all of Kathleen's books in order:

Bluegrass Series

Bluegrass State of Mind

Risky Shot

Dead Heat

Bluegrass Brothers Series

Bluegrass Undercover

Rising Storm

Secret Santa: A Bluegrass Series Novella

Acquiring Trouble

Relentless Pursuit

Secrets Collide

Final Vow

Bluegrass Singles

All Hung Up

Bluegrass Dawn

**
The Perfect Gift
- Pre-order now for June 2nd, 2015 release (Nabi's story)**

Rose Sister novella collection due out mid-to-late 2015

* * *

Women of Power Series

Chosen for Power

Built for Power

Fashioned for Power

Destined for Power

Bluegrass Legacy Series

The next generation Bluegrass Series will begin in late 2015. No books have a title at this time.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen Brooks is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author.  Kathleen’s stories are romantic suspense featuring strong female heroines, humor, and happily-ever-afters.  Her Bluegrass Series and follow-up Bluegrass Brothers Series feature small town charm with quirky characters that have captured the hearts of readers around the world.

Kathleen is an animal lover who supports rescue organizations and other non-profit organizations such as Friends and Vets Helping Pets whose goals are to protect and save our four-legged family members.

Email Notice of New Releases:
www.kathleen-brooks.com/new-release-notifications/
Kathleen’s Website:
www.kathleen-brooks.com
Facebook Page:
www.facebook.com/KathleenBrooksAuthor
Twitter: 
www.twitter.com/BluegrassBrooks
Goodreads: 
www.goodreads.com/author/show/5101707.Kathleen_Brooks