Saved By The Enemy (Hacienda Heights Book 3) Page 12

  It was my turn to smile. “Oh, you mean this bomb?” I opened my phone, flashing her the photo Gideon’s contact had taken of the bomb squad deactivating the device.

  The grin dropped off Isadora’s face and she blanched. “How did you…?”

  “Know?” I finished. “Lucky guess. Call it intuition. If I were a soulless son of a bitch who wanted to completely ruin someone, I’d make sure they had nothing and no one to return to. It followed that you’d try to harm Mina’s girls as well. And thank you for confessing to that. It will make things a lot easier for a judge when you face charges.”

  The closet on the far side of the office, which had stood ajar the whole time, swung fully open to reveal Mina, holding a camera with a small mounted boom mic. In the other hand, she held a cell phone.

  “Did you get all that, babe?” I asked, casually slinging an arm around the chair to get a good look at her.

  She nodded, grim determination written all over her face. “Every damn word.” She gave Isadora a frosty smile. “And the police are on their way.”

  Isadora, her face a mask of shock, bolted upright and ran for the door.

  Gideon shot an arm out, clotheslining her as she streaked past him. The air left her lungs and she wheezed as Gideon pushed her down into his abandoned chair and held a hand out for the pair of cuffs I’d tucked in my pocket. I handed them to him and fixed one cuff onto her wrist, attaching the other to the chair arm. Gideon kept his gaze firmly fixed on her until the police came thundering down the hall and into the room.

  I didn’t relax until she’d been escorted out of the office, onto the elevator. Mina sagged into my side, setting the camera on the desk so she could wrap her arms around my waist. I kissed her hair, savoring the sweet smell of her.

  “Is it over?” she whispered. “Is it really over, Logan?”

  “It’s over, baby. I promise. No one will ever hurt you again. I’ll make sure of it.”

  She pressed her face into my chest, shaking as pent-up emotion released with small sobs. I rubbed soothing circles into her back, murmuring nonsense in her ear until she got ahold of herself.

  “I love you so damn much, Logan,” she whispered.

  “And I love you, Mina. Now let’s go home.”

  “Yes, let’s. I believe you said you’d keep me there for a year, right?”

  I chuckled. “So I did. And I plan to christen every surface in the place. Starting with that front hall. What do you say?”

  “The hall will have to wait, I’m afraid. I’m throwing a party, remember? A send-off for the Hustler girls.” Mina chewed on her lower lip. “Do you mind?”

  “Do I get you all to myself this evening?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then it’s fine with me, Mrs. Farraday.” I winked at her. “One more thing.”

  She raised an eyebrow at me.

  “I wondered…that is, I wanted to know…” Damnation, Mina could turn me into a blabbering mess. “Was it true, what was said at the auction?”

  Her brow furrowed as she stared back at me, then cleared when she remembered. “Yes, Logan, it’s true. You’ve always been the only one.”

  Emotion so powerful hit me, I nearly staggered. I loved this woman so much. I only prayed that the ordeal we’d experienced was truly ending with Isadora’s arrest.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Mina

  Hustler headquarters felt empty without all of my girls in residence. But I’d be joining them at Logan’s place shortly, after I had one last meeting in my office. I needed to do this now, before I chickened out and reneged on the deal I’d made.

  I settled myself on the couch behind the coffee table that represented what I’d built here, and waited. It didn’t take long for my only client of the day to arrive.

  Heather poked her head into the office and smiled when she found me there. “So you’re finally back, huh? We were all really worried about you. Carla wanted all of us to ship out and rescue you ourselves, 007 style.”

  I grinned, trying to picture my girls decked out in spy gear, crossing international borders with all their finely honed skills, to rescue their fearless leader. It would make an entertaining action movie, if nothing else. My grin faded a little when I remembered just what I was here to do. This wasn’t the triumphant return of Mina Blakely. I’d made a promise and I had to stick to it.

  Heather sat down across from me in an armchair and I fixed her with a level look. “Actually, I’m not coming back.”

  Heather blinked at me. “What?”

  It was hard to meet her eyes. After all we’d been through together, this felt like abandonment. How could I leave my girls after what they’d just experienced? It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. But I’d promised. And now that I was pregnant, I couldn’t afford to put myself or the baby in danger, no matter how remote the chances were. And I wanted to do something for Heather.

  I examined my entwined fingers. “I’ve received an offer from Sebastian Beaulieu to star in one of his new films. It’s an indie production, so it isn’t large, but it’s work.”

  “You’re...leaving us?” Heather asked, disbelief coloring her tone.

  “Heather, I have to. I can’t be a part of the Hustlers anymore. I have my family to think about.” I let my hand drop purposely to my stomach. The doctor had said the baby was a tiny glob of tissue, barely bigger than a sweet pea. But now that I’d heard its heartbeat on an ultrasound, it had become my entire world. My little Sweet Pea. I couldn’t risk my and Logan’s baby.

  Heather’s eyes flew wide and she let out a little shriek. “You’re pregnant! Oh my God! Is it Logan’s?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Of course, it’s Logan’s. Who else?”

  Heather ignored my sarcastic reply and performed a happy wiggle in her chair. “Oh my God! I’m going to be a godmother!”

  I smiled, allowing her the little celebration before dropping the other piece of news on her.

  “Not only that. I want you to take over for me, Heather. I want you to run the Hustlers in my stead. There’s no one I trust more than you. I’m giving it to you.”

  “What?” Heather’s mouth dropped open and she burst into tears.

  I chuckled and reached for the tissue box. I’d anticipated something of this nature occurring.

  “Mina it’s...it’s just too much. I can’t guide all of the girls. You can’t give me what you’ve worked so hard for.”

  “Why not? You did it in my stead while I was gone. You’re strong, you are capable, and you know these girls and the business better than anyone. You’re the perfect one to lead. Quit your crummy day job and become a full-time Hustler.”

  I pulled the papers out of my bag and offered them to her. “They’re all filled out. You just have to sign. I’m signing the company, the property, and all of its assets over to you, Heather. You’ve worked just as hard as I have all these years, sometimes harder. You deserve it.”

  She glanced up at me, and gave a huge sniffle as her lower lip trembled. Her expression was both tragic and disbelieving, a hint of excitement trying to break through. We’d been like sisters all these years, and she’d been my right arm at times. My throat closed off in response to her grief. I was going to miss her too.

  “Are you sure about this, Mina?” she asked. “You can still stay. Everyone would like that.”

  “I can’t. If you don’t want it, I’ll select another of the girls. But I think you’re the best fit.”

  Heather’s hand hovered over the page for a few seconds before she signed her name on the dotted line. Though tears leaked from her eyes, her hand didn’t shake. When she was through, she rounded the coffee table and threw her arms around me in a tight embrace, holding me as close as possible.

  “I’m so happy for you, Mina,” she whispered. “You’ve got the life I always hoped you’d have. I’m just being selfish. Of course you need to go live it.”

  “Don’t wish me well just yet,” I said with a chuckle. “I still haven’t told Logan.
I’m pretty sure he’ll throttle me for not telling him I was pregnant during the sting operation and our confrontation with Isadora.”

  Heather hooked an arm through mine and walked in step with me to the door. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you and the little bean,” she said with a laugh.

  I spared the office one last look. It honestly didn’t feel like home anymore. My home was across town, in a sprawling mansion and the arms of my beloved husband. I bid the house a silent farewell even as the door shut behind me. It may not have been home any longer, but it had been my safe harbor for years.

  I hoped it would provide the same for women like me for years to come.

  My farewell party for the girls was in full swing by the time Heather and I arrived.

  People were packed into Logan’s dining room, munching on the hastily made party food, sipping from champagne flutes as they mingled in the spacious living room. The Hustlers were all here, even Kathleen, who had joined up almost the minute we’d been stateside. So many well-dressed men and women milled about, it reminded me briefly of the disastrous party at the Ritz-Carlton that had started this whole thing off. The difference in my mood now was night and day, however. I felt only a small trickle of trepidation as I stepped up to Logan and took his arm. Even if he didn’t throw a hissy fit, I felt bad for holding back the news for so long.

  It was a bittersweet moment to watch my mother and stepfather do a lively dance in the middle of the makeshift dance floor. I’d hoped to tell my mother first. But, it wasn’t to be. It felt strange to have them back in my life, but good, just as it was about to take a momentous shift. I still didn’t trust Walter not to cut me out again, but the prospect didn’t bother me as much as it had before. I was a married woman and though its stock had taken a hit, Logan’s business was still kicking. He had plans to sell the company to Gideon, who had taken over as CEO in Isadora’s place. The merger would make him the owner of the largest tech company in the world, and I knew that Logan looked forward to the time we’d be spending in France.

  “Champagne?” Logan murmured, offering me a flute.

  I shook my head slowly. “I’m afraid not.”

  “Why not? You’re not pregnant, are you?” Logan grinned at his joke.

  I pulled my lower lip between my teeth and glanced guiltily up at him from beneath my lashes.

  Logan blinked at me, the grin slowly fading and his face going curiously blank as the truth hit him. “You’re...pregnant? How? When?”

  “About six weeks ago. So probably during the trip to Morocco.”

  His brow furrowed in a frown. “Then, you’ve known. The hospital…”

  I shifted from foot to foot, surprised at the anxiety blooming in my belly. “Yes. Since the hospital in France.” Suddenly, I couldn’t suck air into my lungs.

  Logan’s face split into a wide grin and he dropped to his knees in front of me, pressing his face into my stomach, as if he could see the baby inside. “You’re carrying my baby,” he said in an awed whisper that still somehow managed to carry over the general din.

  “I am,” I said with a smile. “I thought you might be angry with me.”

  “I’m furious,” he said, though the grin softened the delivery of that statement. “I’m absolutely pissed at you, Mina. You shouldn’t have put yourself in danger.”

  I threaded my hands through his hair, stooping so I would be closer to his eye level. “Are we going to be okay? Do you want this baby? Because I don’t think I can do this alone.”

  Logan’s arms tightened around me and he pressed his face once more into my waist. His eyes burned with sincerity as he stared up at me. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted, Mina. You, our home, our family, and our baby. All of us together.”

  Tears stung my eyes when I realized that it was all I ever wanted too. My family, together at last. My stubborn, infuriating, and too-handsome husband. All my girls around me. And of course, our Sweet Pea, growing inside me.

  Somehow, Isadora had managed to hand me everything I could have ever wanted by putting me through one of the worst circumstances of my life.

  I chuckled. Isadora would be pissed when she received my thank you card in the state pen.

  “What’s so funny?” Logan asked, a silly grin on his face.

  “I can’t believe I’m saying it, but I’m glad I got blackmailed. It brought me straight to you.”

  He nodded and picked up his champagne flute. “To our blackmailers. Long may they stew.”

  I snatched my water glass from the table and clinked it against his. “I’ll toast to that.”

  Epilogue

  Eight Months Later

  Logan

  “Aaaand cut!” Sebastian Beaulieu shouted at the assembled crowd of actors. “That’s a wrap!”

  An alarm sounded and the group of actors gratefully dispersed, each of them heading toward a different personal assistant bearing refreshments.

  Mina made a beeline for me. I’d grudgingly been allowed on set after waiting an hour in the cold to meet with my wife.

  She spotted the decaf latte in my hand and gave me a soppy smile. “Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?”

  I grinned back at her. “I think it was mentioned somewhere between the complaints about your feet and your unholy desire for caffeine.”

  She took the latte from my hand and sipped it, groaning. “When this little one is through kicking the life out of me, I am going to drink a trough of very caffeinated coffee and blissful white wine.”

  “Together? That’s a pregnancy combo I haven’t heard of.”

  She scrunched up her nose at me, but her wide smile told me she was enjoying carrying our baby as much as I was enjoying watching her do so.

  “How was your day?” I asked.

  The last day of the shoot was sure to be tense and I’d figured she’d need the coffee. I rubbed her shoulders as we made our way toward the edge of the set.

  “Long and awkward. It was a pain trying to shoot around Sweet Pea.” She rubbed her belly fondly. She’d insisted on the nickname for our child since the beginning and nothing I’d said had made any difference. Julienne’s nickname was even worse. Mon lapinou, which roughly translated into “my bunny.”

  “Are you sure that you and Heather will be okay alone?” I eyed her stomach. According to the doctor, she still had roughly a week left to go before the baby reached full-term. She looked ready to burst at any moment.

  She waved away my concern with a light laugh. “We’ll be fine. We’re just going out for dinner. I wanted to take her to that café not far from the house. It’s her first time in France and I’d like to show her some French atmosphere.”

  We’d been living in France for roughly six months now. After the merger had gone through, Gideon’s new company had become one of the most successful tech companies overnight. I had to hand it to Gideon. He’d taken the PR nightmare I’d handed him and spun it into pure gold. He’d painted the image of a self-made man and climbed to the top of the corporate ladder to command a vast empire. Alden Farraday’s empire still stood, commanded not by the son he’d wanted, but the one he’d rejected. It seemed like poetic justice to me.

  “How is your case going?” Mina asked as I opened the cab door for her. She slid inside with some difficulty, arranging the seatbelt carefully around her large bump.

  I’d acquired my P.I. license about a month ago and opened my own firm. I specialized in kidnapping victims, especially those who were in high-risk situations for trafficking. Tucker was a remote consultant and Brigadier Kolby had allowed me to put him on speed dial, in case I had any leads that could help him crack a ring wide-open.

  I’d had Iris Bellec’s case for almost a week now and had made major headway, though it was early days yet. It appeared her father might have sold her to a trafficking ring in order to settle his debts. I had a good idea of her location, but rather than go myself, I had tipped off Brigadier Kolby. With Mina due to pop at any moment, I was loathe to leave the country to find Iris
. Mina knew I would need to leave if it came to that, but I was hoping that I could delay long enough to be at the birth.

  “It’s going well,” I said. “Kolby is on the trail, shouldn’t be long before we have my first case back at home and safe.”

  Mina wrapped her hand around the back of my neck and pulled me down for a quick kiss. “I love you. Don’t forget to do what I asked tonight, okay?”

  “I won’t.”

  I closed the door for her and watched as the cab trundled off into the Paris traffic, smiling wistfully. She’d be back tonight, but I’d miss her in the meantime. It had been a blissful eight months of marriage. Mina, busy with her new acting career. Me, preoccupied with the preparation it took to become a private investigator in a new country. And all the while there were doctor’s visits and baby proofing the little flat we’d rented.

  I glanced at my car and the supplies piled high in the back seat. Paint buckets and stickers abounded.

  “Your mission, should you choose to accept it,” I said to myself with a small smirk. “Construct a nursery.”

  Mina

  “It seems fundamentally unfair, that’s all I’m saying,” I muttered, staring with envy at the blue cheese crumble on Heather’s salad. “I’m in France for God’s sake. And I have to avoid all this cheese?”

  “Only the unpasteurized stuff.” Heather gleefully speared a clump of blue cheese with a fork.

  “Again, France. How are the girls doing?”

  “Everyone’s great. Carla’s dating someone outside the organization and seems happy. Bella is making a killing, and guess who just joined up?”

  “Who?” I leaned forward, intrigued. I was starved for information about my girls. The twice-weekly calls I made to Heather simply weren’t enough. I wanted to see them. Embrace them. Let them know I still cared, even though I was halfway across the world.