Last Chance (36 page)

few secrets Damon would gladly expose. After the wedding festivities had

passed, they would visit and he would learn what would happen if he ever

revealed what he saw today.

Sad, really, that there were no guests to witness the grand event, but

he hadn't wanted to risk his friends and business acquaintances seeing

McKenna's reluctance. Talk of her defiance would spread and he would

become a laughingstock. Other than four of his most loyal men, he had sent

everyone away for the day, including his dear Margret. The poor woman

was heartbroken that he was getting married, so it was a kindness that she

was missing the ceremony.

Additionally, the special event he planned for after the ceremony

needed to be witnessed by as few people as possible. Not because he feared

retribution, but because this was an intimate gift, straight from his heart.

How much more intimate could it be than to present your wife's former lover

to her and then disembowel him in front of her?

Once McKenna was fully in line and tamed to his satisfaction, he'd

throw a party so all his business acquaintances could meet his sweet and

very obedient wife. He smiled in anticipation of how he would soon begin

those lessons in obedience.

Standing at the side of the closed door, Lucas waited. It was midmorning. He'd been in the damned room for well over twelve hours. Was it

Hughes's plan to leave him here to die of dehydration and starvation? That

didn't seem in keeping with the bastard's psychotic tendencies.

No. Damon Hughes would want to use Lucas as a focal point for

something. His best guess was that he intended to do away with Lucas in

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front of McKenna. Not only would it amuse the creep, but if he had gauged

Hughes correctly, it would feed his ego to have killed one of the wealthiest

men in the world. These two things were mere by-products of the real reason

he'd been abducted and brought here: Hughes wanted to hurt McKenna as

much as he could. By killing Lucas, Hughes would be delivering one more

lesson.

For the first time since he'd come up with this idea, Lucas doubted

himself. It had seemed so damn simple when he'd been at home planning the

bastard's downfall. But that was when he had thought it would be a

somewhat simple kill. Having McKenna anywhere close when he took the

man out wasn't something he felt comfortable with. Not only because she

still didn't know Lucas had the skills to do the job, but because McKenna

had been exposed to too much violence already. He had wanted to get this

over with and then present her with some sort of evidence that Damon

Hughes could no longer hurt her.

The click of the door unlocking alerted him. Whether he was

comfortable or not, it was time to do what he'd come here to do. Adrenaline

surging, Lucas moved several feet away from the door, prepared to strike the

moment it opened. Seconds later, Simon's large bald head peeked inside.

Lucas sprang.

Simon turned just in time. He swung his big fist, catching Lucas's jaw

with a glancing blow. Determination fueling him, Lucas took the punch.

Whirling his body, he kicked Simon in the gut, followed immediately by a

kick to the man's chin. Another whirl and kick had Simon down on the floor.

Lucas leaped on top of him and pressed his forearm against the man's neck.

"What does Hughes have planned?"

His eyes saucer wide, Simon looked too stunned to speak. Lucas

pressed harder till the man gurgled. Lucas eased the pressure and snarled,

"Talk."

"He...he's having a wedding in the courtyard. I'm supposed to bring

you to him."

Shit!

No time for finesse. Lucas punched Simon's jaw hard once, twice, till

he lost consciousness. Grabbing plastic ties from the man's pocket, he ran

out the door, slamming it behind him. Racing toward the front of the

mansion, he had only one thing on his mind: Damon Hughes would die

before he had the chance to become a bridegroom.

Her mouth clenched in fury, McKenna's eyes roamed the elaborate

setup as Damon led her down the aisle. The creep had spared no expense.

The overdone courtyard looked as though an entire florist shop had vomited.

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As far as the eye could see, there were flowers. The overwhelming fragrance

created a sickening, cloying scent that made her want to gag.

After the humiliation of being bathed and dressed by a grim-faced

Margret, she had to sit still as a woman and her two teenage daughters

giggled and chatted excitedly while they styled her hair and applied makeup.

How she wanted to scream at them to get out as fast as they could. Instead

she had smiled and done her best to appear happy. Getting them away from

Damon without any suspicions had been her priority.

There were no guests to witness the spectacle, which was a small

blessing. Other than Elliott, she saw only two other men. With a weapon,

she could take them out fairly easy. Since her clothes had been missing

when she woke this morning, the letter opener she'd stolen was no more.

Without a weapon, taking all the men out would be much harder. She

assured herself it was possible.

A dark-suited older man holding a Bible and wearing a benign smile

waited for them under the flowered arbor. There was no indication the

minister knew that anything was amiss. His life was important to her. No

innocent person would die today, but the others wouldn't be so lucky. She

still wasn't sure of her strategy. Since Damon had to stay alive, she'd have to

find a way to incapacitate him and then get rid of the others. How, she didn't

know, but she was good at improvising.

First she'd disable Damon, then Elliott, who stood a few feet to her

left. He was rather large and she might have some difficulty, but he was the

closest to them and should have a gun; she'd steal it and disarm Damon's

other men. Then she and Damon would have a very serious talk.

Her adrenaline surging, McKenna tensed, gearing herself up to attack.

Damon came to a sudden halt and hit his palm against his forehead.

"How could I have forgotten our most honored guest?" His facetious grin

told her it was all an act. "Must be wedding jitters."

Before she could react, she heard what sounded like feet shuffling

toward them.

"Ah, here he comes...our one and only guest. My wedding gift to you,

my love."

McKenna looked over her shoulder. Her heart stopped in her chest,

then dropped like a ton of cement to the ground.

A tall, blond man shuffled toward them, a fierce expression on his

bruised face, his hands and feet bound. Not just any man, but the man who

held her heart.
Lucas!

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Twenty-two

Maintaining an expression of cold impassivity, Lucas took in the

scene. McKenna stood in the middle of an aisle in a wedding dress.

Somehow Damon had gotten her this far. Why the hell had she gone along

with this? He'd seen her in action. The woman could kick ass with the best

of them. What the hell was she waiting for?

Frowning, Damon's eyes searched behind Lucas. "Where's Simon?"

Lucas shrugged.

Indecision and arrogance were strong enemies. Arrogance won.

Apparently not suspecting that Simon had been incapacitated, Damon jerked

his head over at another big lug standing close. "Elliott, why don't you go

stand by Mr. Kane?"

The man marched toward him and took his place directly behind

Lucas.

As he looked around the elaborate wedding setup, Lucas had some

decisions to make. Damon's expression was once again stamped with

arrogance. McKenna's face had gone from pale to sheet white, her

expression horrified. Apparently this was her first knowledge that he was

here.

"Looks like I'm a bit underdressed for the occasion," Lucas said.

Damon grinned. "Nonsense. We're just thrilled you could join us."

The look he shot McKenna was one of sly superiority. "Aren't we, my love?"

Oddly enough, McKenna didn't speak. She gave a frantic shake of her

head, her expression panicked. Even though Lucas had set this scenario up,

guilt seared him. McKenna was reliving her worst nightmare: having

someone she cared for die at Damon's hands. That wouldn't happen, but she

didn't know that.

But why the hell didn't she say something?

Damon gripped McKenna's arm and whispered something to her. Her

eyes grew even wider; she jerked away and took a step toward Lucas.

Damon grabbed her again.

Lucas growled, "Let her go, Hughes."

"Let her go? She's mine. Has been from the moment I met her."

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Turning around, he pulled her with him to the arbor, where a man holding a

Bible waited. "I think we can get started now."

The bewildered minister seemed stunned to see a tied-up man

attending the wedding. His worried gaze moved from Damon to Lucas.

Apparently he wasn't in on this. If not, Lucas wouldn't touch him. Everyone

else, though, other than McKenna, was fair game.

"Did you hear me?" Hughes snapped. "Let's get started."

The man's eyes were round with fear. "But...I..."

"You what?" Damon asked. "You're hundreds of thousands of dollars

in debt, you've fathered two children by two different women in your

congregation, and you're addicted to three types of prescription drugs. That

information can stay with just the few of us here or it'll be in tomorrow's

newspapers. Your choice."

The minister's audible swallow was loud in the tooquiet courtyard. His

hands shook so hard, the Bible he held looked as though it would jump out

of his grasp. In a high and squeaky voice, he began, "Dearly beloved, we are

gathered..."

Lucas stopped listening. It was time to act. Damon's arm was around

McKenna's shoulders. He was apparently coercing her with something, the

way he had with the minister. Damned if the man would get a chance to

finish the ceremony.

Since Lucas had been standing here like a whipped puppy, Elliott had

backed away slightly. He had secured his own hands and ankles, so the

bonds would break with one good jerk. Bending quickly, Lucas pulled the

knife he'd stuck in his sock earlier.

Hearing the words "Do you take this man..." Lucas sprang into action.

He turned and with a flick of his wrist sliced Elliott's throat. He caught the

giant before he could fall, preventing a thunderous crash.

Turning back to the display in front of him, he noted two other men.

Both had their eyes focused on McKenna and Hughes. Lucas crept closer,

preparing to spring into action.

McKenna's heart pounded so loudly, she could barely think. Not since

her parents were killed had she felt such fear. Damon had whispered an

ultimatum: marry him or Lucas would die. How had he even known about

Lucas? She'd never gone out in public with him. Had made sure she was

never followed when she went to his home. How had this happened?

And now what could she do? If she didn't marry Damon, Lucas would

die. She wasn't stupid enough to believe that Damon would let Lucas go if

she complied. No, once they were married, he would kill Lucas anyway.

Somehow Damon had discovered her feelings for Lucas and this was a

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lesson. And once again, someone she loved would die because of her.

It was too much. She couldn't let it happen again; she couldn't. Even if

she had to die, no one else would suffer because of her mistakes.

Twisting slightly, arm up, McKenna slammed her elbow into Damon's

face. Screaming, he fell to the ground, clutching his busted nose. McKenna

turned to go free Lucas. Only Lucas was no longer tied, no longer being held

hostage. And he definitely didn't need her help. Elliott lay on the ground.

And a grim-faced Lucas was headed determinedly toward Damon.

One of Damon's men leaped toward Lucas. She barely had time to

comprehend the swiftness of Lucas's movements as he whirled and kicked,

knocking the man backward and then leaping on top of him.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw another one of Damon's men pull

his gun. McKenna pirouetted and kicked, knocking the gun from the man's

hand. He swung a fist at her; she ducked, turned, and side-kicked him in the

chest. He stumbled slightly and came at her again. She waited until the last

second, made a half twist with her body, raised her arm, and elbowed him in

the throat, following it with a hard kick to his groin. Screaming in pain, the

man fell backward; she heard a satisfying crack. Hopefully that would keep

him out for a while.

Seeing that the minister was cowering in a corner, she nodded at him

and held her hand up as a signal that he needed to stay put.

She turned, looking around for Damon. Where was he? Where the

hell-The blast of a gun had her whirling around. Lucas had a gun and was

shooting at someone. She saw a dark head peeking from around a statue.

Damon! Lucas was shooting at Damon.

Oh God, Damon couldn't die yet. She made a mad dash toward Lucas,

stumbling in her shoes. Dammit, she couldn't even scream at him. Stopping