No Chance

by Christy Reece

  There were no shadows, no subterfuge, no doubts. He was telling the truth. He would actually live in what he considered hell just to be with her. The fact that he loved her that much amazed and humbled her.

  “What if I want to live in Florida?” Skylar asked.

  “Where in Florida?”

  “Where do you live now?”

  He grimaced. “Sweetheart, I live on a very small island. Alone. No restaurants, theaters, or shopping. Only the occasional gator and a few snakes for company.”

  Skylar swallowed hard. She could live without the restaurants, theaters, and shopping. The gators and snakes she wasn’t so sure of.

  “How many gators?”

  His eyes narrowed. “How many would it take to scare you off?”

  The truthful answer was one, but she smiled bravely and said, “I could live with two or three.”

  His chest rumbled beneath her as he laughed. “Baby, you don’t live with gators. They have a tendency to want to eat you.”

  “Well, then—”

  “How about a compromise? Noah called me yesterday. He wants to open an LCR branch in East Tennessee. Asked if I’d be interested in co-running it with a couple of other operatives.”

  Her eyes searched his. Was he curtailing his LCR activities for her? “How do you feel about that?”

  “Good, actually. The other two operatives are Ethan and Shea Bishop. They’re good friends of mine and already live in East Tennessee. I think you’ll like them.”

  “And you promise you’re not doing this just for me?”

  “Doing what?”

  “Taking a desk job?”

  “I won’t deny that coming home to you every night would be a huge incentive. But it’s not as much of a desk job as you might think. I’ll still be working ops. Maybe not as many, but I’ll still be out there. How do you feel about that?”

  “I can’t say I won’t be worried, because I’d be lying. But I truly believe in what you do. I wouldn’t want you to be anything other than who you are.”

  “And what about who you are, Skye? You’re one of the most famous women in the world. How will you feel about leaving all of that behind?”

  “Famous I can do without. I would like to maintain a residence here so we can have a place to stay when we visit. I’m not giving up on Kendra.”

  Gabe cupped her face in his hands and brought her down for a soft kiss. “She’ll come around, sweetheart. She just needs some time.”

  “I know. I just want to make sure she doesn’t think I’ve abandoned her. I’ll stay in touch with her counselors, and the instant they think she’s ready, I want to be here for her.”

  “What about your mentoring and charity work?”

  “I’ve enjoyed that and would like to continue it in some form, if possible.”

  “LCR has a lot of different opportunities … if you’re interested.”

  Pressing a soft kiss to his scruffy chin, she whispered, “I’ll think about it. But for right now, I think I’d like to seduce my husband.”

  Gabe rolled her over onto her back. The chain holding their wedding rings lay between her breasts. His midnight blue eyes as serious and solemn as she’d ever seen them, he unclasped the chain at her neck and pulled the rings off. After sliding his ring onto his left hand, he took her left hand in his and whispered, “With this ring, I thee wed. I love you, Skye. This time past forever. I promise,” and slid the ring on her finger.

  With a small sob of happiness, Skylar threw her arms around her husband and allowed him to seduce her instead.

  acknowledgments

  Sincere and heartfelt thanks to the following:

  My husband, Jim, who amazes me with his love and support, makes me laugh with his dry wit, and generally makes my life so much happier simply by being in this world. And to the two precious creatures that sleep at my feet, keep me company, and bark excitedly when I share my lunch with them.

  My mom and sisters, who are my biggest cheerleaders.

  Romance Writers of America, especially the wonderfully talented writers and friends in my home chapter, Southern Magic.

  Special thanks to Callie James and Carla Swafford for brainstorming this book with me on the way home from the Heart of Dixie Readers Luncheon. You both helped tremendously.

  Danny Agan, for technical assistance and advice.

  Gill, for his help with things that have engines that I know absolutely nothing about, and his wife, Tammie, who sends me lovely notes of encouragement when I need them most.

  The awesome neighbors on my street, especially Laurie, Kent, Susie, and Steve, who threw me such a fabulous book-signing party.

  My wonderfully talented editor, Kate Collins, whose vision and enthusiasm for this book made it so much better, and all the amazing people at Ballantine who have been so incredibly helpful and kind.

  My agent, Kim Whalen, whose support, encouragement, and professionalism keep me focused and sane.

  And to the readers of the Last Chance Rescue books: your support, kindness, and encouragement have meant the world to me.

  Read on for an excerpt from

  SECOND CHANCE

  by Christy Reece

  Published by Ballantine Books

  A female shriek, loaded with drunken laughter, ripped through the air. Oh yeah. The Saturday night crowd at Bug-n-Booze was alive and kicking. The aroma of the roasted peanuts covering the floor blended with the lusty smells of women who only wanted two things—to get drunk and to get laid.

  Wesley’s Tuttle’s mouth slid up in an easy smile … his favorite kind of woman.

  “Are you listening to me?”

  With deliberate slowness, Wes turned back to his companion. She’d asked to meet him hundreds of miles from Fairview; least she could do was let him enjoy himself for a little while. This was his first time here and Wes already knew it wouldn’t be his last.

  Wes eyed the woman sitting at the table with him. With her upper-crust, snooty attitude and expensive clothes, she looked as out of place here as a possum would at a pie-throwing contest. It was all for show; everything about her was fake. He knew more than most anybody about this particular rich bitch. Those clothes might make her look high class, but when she had a little liquor inside her or needed a favor, she could make a Saturday night slut look like a nun.

  He gave her the smile he reserved especially for her, knowing it’d piss her off. “I want the woman, too.”

  Shock reflected on her face for barely a second, then a skinny, manicured hand waved dismissively. “Don’t be ridiculous. If you make this more complicated, it will never work. You’ll get more than enough for the kids.”

  He stared hard. This point was non-negotiable. If she wanted him to do the job, she’d come around.

  Her eyes skittered away from his face. Good. She might be his employer for this particular gig, but she was scared of him. Just the way he liked it.

  She chewed at her lower lip, smearing scarlet lipstick over her teeth. “What do you want her for? Ransom?”

  A grin tugged on his mouth. “You know money ain’t the reason I want her.”

  Jealousy dripping from every word, she said, “What is it with you men? Her ass is the size of a double-wide and those boobs are freakishly large.”

  It was all he could do not to laugh in her face. “If double-wide trailers were shaped like her ass, I wouldn’t mind living in one the rest of my life.”

  The woman continued her rant. Wes ignored her, as he did most of the time. When she said something he wanted to hear, he’d tune in again.

  She was pissed he wasn’t still trying to get into her panties. He’d been there and done that more times than he liked to count. Every time he made the return trip, he always swore he’d never go back again, but when he was horny, sometimes he needed the itch scratched without preliminaries. Given the proper incentive, this bitch was always willing.

  “Are you listening to me?”

  “I will when you say something worth hearing.”
>
  Eyes flashed with a haughty fury; she reared back as only her kind could.

  Wes snorted, not one bit impressed with her highbrow attitude. “Listen, we may be in business together, but I ain’t taking no shit off you. You tell me where I can nab the brats and the woman. I’ll take care of the rest. That sure as hell don’t mean we gotta be bosom buddies.” Wes swallowed another snort. Like she had any kind of bosom he could buddy up to. Hell, she barely had anything up top at all. Another reason she was so jealous of the woman. The difference between them was like an ocean to a mud puddle.

  The anger in her eyes seemed to dim for the moment. Talking business was one way to keep that jealousy under control. “They’ll be hard to get to; she barely lets them out of her sight. And it’ll have to be done somewhere out of the house. It’d take a tank to get inside that estate.”

  Wes shrugged. “So? Find a way to get all of them out in the open. I can get rid of anybody who sees me.”

  “No, I don’t want anyone killed. That would attract too much attention.”

  He cackled. The bitch was dumber than he thought. “Hell, you don’t think kidnapping two little girls with that last name in this state ain’t going to cause an uproar? Especially after what happened to their daddy? FBI’s gonna be on it like flies on chicken shit.”

  A small bit of fear flashed in her eyes and then she shrugged. “You do what I tell you to do and no one will ever find them … it doesn’t matter who’s looking for them.”

  Man, she sure hated the woman. Wes wasn’t one to question other people’s motives. Most times he didn’t care. If he got money for it, there wasn’t a lot he wouldn’t do. He’d always prided himself on having no limits. Took balls of steel and major smarts to do what he’d done most of his life and not get caught. He eyed the woman again. Hell, might as well make the offer. It’d be some extra dough and no skin off his nose. “If you hate her that much, I can off her once I’m finished with her.”

  Her eyes widened with what looked like genuine shock. “I don’t want her dead, you idiot. I don’t want anyone killed.” She leaned forward, her eyes darkening to an ugly mud brown. “Understood?”

  Fine with him. He sure as hell wasn’t going to do extra stuff he wouldn’t get paid for. “Fine. I’ll wear a mask or something. Don’t know why you’re so against killing all of a sudden. You sure didn’t seem to have a problem with it when you got rid of her husband.”

  Her face went still for an instant and then her mouth tilted in a smirk. “Now, what makes you think I had anything to do with that?”

  “’cause I saw you right after they got married. Never seen you so pissed before. Besides, it sounds like something you’d do.”

  She pressed a hand against her heart in fake outrage. “I can’t believe you think I’d be so vindictive.” The slight humor he’d seen in her eyes disappeared and the ice-bitch look returned. “Despite all the evidence that pointed to her, she was barely even considered a suspect.”

  “Well, least you got the money for it.”

  She waved a negligent hand. “Money is inconsequential.”

  Spoken like a woman who had it to spare. To Wes, money would never be inconsequential. “What’d you have him kidnapped for then?”

  A skinny, haughty brow lifted. “I never said I did.”

  Wes swallowed a guffaw. Wasn’t no use denying it. He knew what the bitch was capable of. “Bet the outcome really honked you off, too. She got the money, the mansion, and got rid of a cheating husband to boot. I’d say you got screwed.”

  “The only reason they believed her is because of her looks. Idiot men take one look at her and start thinking with their dicks. It’s disgusting.”

  Unable to resist needling her, Wesley quipped, “Thought you said she wasn’t good-looking.”

  Her mouth tightened at the reminder, but she stayed focused on business. “One hundred thousand to snatch both of them, plus the money you get from each buyer.” She slid a piece of paper toward him. “Here are the names, phone numbers, and addresses.” A blood-red nail tapped on the paper. “The dark-haired one goes to these people in Florida; the blonde to this couple in Pennsylvania. As soon as you make the delivery, they’ll give you the money. It’s all yours.”

  Like he needed her telling him how to conduct business. What ever she said didn’t mean squat. He’d do it his way. He already had a buyer set up for the blond one and would be getting a whole hell of a lot more than the twenty-five thousand the people in Pennsylvania were willing to cough up. The dark-haired one might have to go to the Florida people, though. The blond one would be easier to pass off as his till he could drop her off; the dark-haired one looked too different to be his.

  She continued with her instructions. “You’ll need to get out of town immediately after you take them.”

  He knew how to take care of his business. Just ’cause she’d started the process didn’t mean she was going to run the show.

  Once he got rid of the kids, he’d keep the woman for as long as he wanted, then drop her somewhere when he was through. Using her brats as leverage would ensure she’d do everything he told her to do. Wes squirmed in his chair as he thought about all the things that plump pink mouth would do to him.

  Putting those needs on the back burner, he leaned forward, eager to get things into motion. The sooner he got the plans in place, the sooner he’d be getting what he’d been wanting for years. “Here’s what you’re going to do.”

  Her face lit up and became more animated than he’d ever seen it.

  Man, if she really hated Keeley Fairchild that much, why the hell didn’t she want her dead?

  Two weeks later

  Fairview, South Carolina

  A gurgling giggle caused Keeley to smile. Even without looking, she knew the giggle belonged to Hailey. It had a tinkling, musical quality to it. Her sister Hannah’s giggle was softer and sounded more like a wind chime.

  “Mommy, look at me!”

  She turned and grabbed Hailey’s waist just in time to pull her down from the monkey bars she was trying to climb. The little knot on her head from last week’s adventure was barely gone. “Hailey, I told you not to go up there.”

  She sat her daughter down on the ground and tried for a hard look. When her angel just looked at her with an innocent, adorable grin, Keeley figured she’d failed the stern-mother-glare test. With her light blue eyes and fair complexion, Hailey looked so much like her father that Keeley felt that familiar painful twist to her heart.

  Going to her knees, Keeley brushed a blond curl from her daughter’s forehead and gave her button nose a gentle tap. “No climbing … promise Mommy.”

  Another gap-toothed grin was her response. Keeley held back a sigh. How on earth had she managed to create a daredevil daughter? Hailey wasn’t happy unless she was doing something she knew her mother would definitely not want.

  “Mommy, can I have some juice?”

  She pressed a kiss to Hailey’s forehead and twisted around to Hannah, Hailey’s sister. Though the girls were twins, they were as unalike as if they came from different parents. Hannah was a miniature version of Keeley—light olive skin, ebony hair, and black eyes. Her personality was easygoing and pleasant. She could be entertained with a book for hours; her sister might hold out for five minutes.

  Sometimes it amazed her how these two precious little girls had come from something so disastrous as her marriage to Stephen. Not that she’d known how bad it was until just before he died. But the gifts of her daughters more than made up for the other things. No doubt about it, they were heaven-sent.

  Pulling out a large thermos, she poured a small amount of apple juice into a plastic cup. She dropped a kiss onto Hannah’s silky head and then handed her the juice. “Here you go, sweet-pea.”

  Smiling her thanks, Hannah headed toward her sister, her tiny hands wrapped tight around her cup as she sipped her juice. Little Miss Careful never wanted to spill a drop.

  Keeley turned to grab another cup from her bag
, knowing once Hailey saw her sister with juice, she’d want some, too. She was pouring the juice when she heard the first scream.

  “Mommy!”

  Keeley whirled around. In an instant, she dropped the cup and ran. A man in a black ski mask had both her babies in his arms and was running down the sidewalk toward the parking lot.

  Her heart was pounding as her feet flew toward the monster. “What are you doing? Stop!”

  Her eyes focused on her children, Keeley barely noticed when another masked man ran up beside her. He threw his arm around her waist, picked her up and started carrying her. Her only instinct to get to her babies, Keeley kicked and beat at him until he dropped her to the ground.

  Terror exploding inside her, Keeley was back on her feet in an instant and running. Her babies were screaming for her; the man carrying them never looked back.

  A hard arm grabbed her from behind. “Come on, bitch.” The voice sounded breathless and angry.

  Barely pausing, Keeley slugged the man in the face and kept on running. She screamed, “Don’t you take my babies!”

  “Bitch!” The second masked man was beside her again. He made another grab for her and missed.

  Keeley didn’t spare him a glance. Their faces red and puckered with fear, her babies screamed, shouting for her. With a gasping sob, Keeley stretched her hand out and managed to claw at their abductor’s sleeve.

  He glanced back, wrenched his arm away and sped up.

  Oh God, don’t let him get away. “No!” Keeley screamed.

  He reached the parking lot and ran toward the opened side door of a white van. Keeley took a leap and sprang toward him, her arms outstretched. Once again she felt the brush of his jacket on her fingertips. He pulled away sharply and Keeley felt herself falling. Pain slammed into her as she smacked face-first onto the concrete pavement. On the edge of consciousness, the last sound Keeley heard was the cry of her babies screaming “Mama!”

  Wes glanced in his rearview mirror at the two sleeping kids. Seeing them with their arms wrapped around each other for comfort and warmth kind of tugged at his heart. They’d been so upset he’d given them orange juice laced with Valium to calm them down. They’d fallen asleep almost immediately. Had he given them too much? Maybe he should check and make sure they were still breathing.