Lucas nodded. “We’ll be back.”
He reached out to grab Mia’s arm and guide her through the door, but she pulled her arm loose and took a step backward. He glanced around at her, and her face had turned pale. “The whole family?” she rasped. “I shouldn’t be here for that.”
Before Lucas could speak, his mother walked over to Mia and put her arm around her shoulders. “Of course you should be here. Your being here for the past few days has reminded me of why we were so fond of you when you and Lucas were dating. This is just dinner. No big deal. Now go search that locker and come back. Claire and Jessica have been working on the nursery for the new baby all afternoon, and I may need your help getting dinner on the table.”
Mia’s chin quivered, and Lucas spotted a tear roll slowly out the corner of her eye. She wiped it away before she reached out and hugged his mother. Lucas felt as if he’d been hit in the chest with a sledgehammer at the sight, and he inhaled a deep breath.
Taking Mia by the arm again, he pulled her toward the door. “We’ll be back for dinner, Mom.”
“See you then,” she called out as they headed toward the front door.
Neither of them spoke until they were in the car. Lucas had his hand on the ignition to turn it when Mia spoke up. “Your mother has been so nice to me, Lucas. I thought she would hate me.”
He turned to look at her, a puzzled expression on his face. “Why did you think that?”
“Because of the way I hurt you.”
He sighed and rested his elbows on the steering wheel as he stared straight ahead. Then he took a deep breath and rubbed his hands across his eyes. “Mia, why won’t you believe me when I tell you that nobody hates you? All my family has ever wanted is for me to be happy, and they want the same for you.”
Her lips trembled, and he could see the struggle in her face as she tried to control them. “I want that for you, too.” She smiled and covered his hand with hers. “Now let’s go see what’s in that locker.”
His skin burned where her fingers brushed his, and he huffed out a quick breath as he started the car. “You’ll have to give me directions.”
She laughed, and his heart skipped a beat. He glanced at her, and she looked excited, almost happy. He memorized the way she appeared at that moment and wished he could see her that way more often. With a smile, he pressed down on the accelerator and headed to the gym.
Twenty minutes later they pulled to a stop in front of a huge complex with a sign proclaiming twenty-four-hour health and fitness activities available. The parking lot appeared packed with a late afternoon crowd of customers.
Mia took a deep breath and grabbed the door handle. “Ready to go?” she asked.
“Lead the way,” he said with a smile.
Together they walked into a spacious reception area that contained comfortable-looking leather couches and chairs. Pictures of men and women with perfectly toned bodies lined the walls, and Lucas couldn’t help but suck in his stomach a bit as his gaze drifted around the room.
A young woman in tight-fitting spandex workout pants and top stood in back of a tall counter. A matching sweatband circled her head and looped underneath a long pony tail. She glanced up and smiled with the look of a hungry lion focused on its next meal when they approached.
“Good afternoon,” she gushed as they stopped in front of her desk. “I don’t think I’ve seen you here before. Have you come to sign up for some of our classes or just enroll in our general workout program?”
Mia smiled and shook her head. “Neither. My deceased husband, Kyle Lockhart, was a member, and I’ve come to clean out his locker.”
The girl’s eyes darkened at the mention of Kyle. “Oh, yes, I was so sorry to hear about Mr. Lockhart. He was a favorite of the staff around here. Always joking and talking with us. He had such a great personality. He must have been a wonderful husband.”
Mia stiffened, and Lucas reached out and grabbed her hand. “Mrs. Lockhart has been through a terrible time, and she’s trying to get all of her husband’s affairs in order. So if you could just tell us where his locker is located, we’ll go clean out any of his personal effects that may be in it.”
The girl nodded and glanced at Mia before she directed her gaze to the computer in front of her. She clicked a few keys and looked up with a smile on her face. “His locker is number 124. It’s in our VIP locker room. I’ll get one of the trainers to take you down there.” She picked up the phone and spoke into it. “Kane, come to the reception desk, please.”
She’d barely finished speaking before the double doors to the side of her desk opened, and a guy who looked like a model for a Mr. Universe poster walked out. Lucas didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone with biceps like this man had.
Kane came over to the desk. “You called for me, Nikki?”
She nodded as she pointed to Mia. “This is Mrs. Lockhart. She’s here to clean out her husband’s locker. It’s number 124 in the VIP lounge. Can you show them the way and make sure there aren’t any other clients in there right now?”
“Sure,” he said. Kane grinned and motioned for them to follow him.
He led them through the gym and down a hallway with doors on either side. Stopping outside one, he turned to them. “Let me check inside before you enter.”
Lucas nodded. “Thanks.”
Mia fidgeted as they waited in the hall and glanced up at him from time to time. Within minutes Kane reappeared and smiled. “It’s empty. Come on in.”
They walked into a room lined with lockers. Off to the side Lucas could see a door with the word Sauna printed on it. Another said Weight Room. Another said VIP Indoor Track.
Lucas rolled his eyes and wondered how much a VIP membership in this club cost before he followed Kane to locker number 124. When they stopped in front of it, he glanced at Mia. “I didn’t ask if you need a key.”
She smiled and held up the key. “No, thanks. I have my husband’s.”
Her hand shook as she reached up to insert the key in the lock, and Lucas covered her hand with his. “Let me do it.”
She nodded and handed him the key. He inserted it into the lock, turned it and pulled the door open. Lucas didn’t know what he expected. An earthen pot with jewelry and coins piled to the rim? A leather pouch, its sides distended from the treasure enclosed within? The only thing that sat inside the locker was a nondescript gym bag. A small twinge of disappointment rippled through his body.
Mia nudged him out of the way to reach inside and pull the bag out. Then she turned to Kane, who still stood beside them, and gave him her most dazzling smile. “This is my husband’s bag. I had wondered where it was. Thank you so much for helping us today.”
Kane smiled, and his cheeks flushed a bit. “No problem, Mrs. Lockhart. If there’s anything else you need, let me know.”
“I will. Now I think we need to get going.” She turned to Lucas. “Are you ready to leave? We don’t want to be late for dinner.”
Lucas let his gaze drop to Mia’s hand that grasped the handle of the bag before he looked up into her eyes. There was an urgency in her expression that told him they needed to go. He put his hand on the small of her back and turned her toward the door. “You’re right. Let’s go.”
They exited the lounge and walked with Kane back to the main gym, thanking him once again before they walked out to the reception area and stopped at Nikki’s desk. Mia smiled again. “Thank you for being so helpful today, Nikki. Maybe after the first of the year, I’ll buy my own membership in the gym. It might do me good to work out a few times a week.”
Nikki didn’t miss a beat as she slid a pamphlet across the desk. “Here’s some information on our prices and the different programs we have. If you have any questions, just call and ask for me. I’ll be glad to help you.”
Mia took the pamphlet and let her gaze drift over it before she looked back up at Nikki. “I’ll do that. And thank you again.”
“You’re welcome, and have a merry Christmas,” she called out
as they walked through the door to the parking lot.
Once outside they increased their gait until they arrived back at Lucas’s car. Then they climbed inside, and Mia positioned the bag on her lap. Lucas’s heart pounded. “Well, I guess we should check and see if we were right.”
Mia nodded, slowly unzipped the bag and pulled it open. She reached inside and drew out a pair of shorts and a T-shirt that lay on top and then peered down to see what was left. A soft gasp escaped her lips. “Oh, my.”
Lucas leaned closer, and she pushed the bag toward him until he could see what lay on the bottom. A smile curled the corner of his mouth and slowly spread across his face. Then he threw his head back against the headrest as laughter rolled from his throat. “I don’t believe it,” he gasped as he stared down at the gold jewelry and coins. “We’ve found the stolen Roman artifacts.”
Mia pulled out matching gold earrings and held them up to her ears. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and her cheeks were flushed. He didn’t think she had ever been more beautiful. “How do I look?” she asked.
His gaze drifted over her face. “Like a Roman goddess,” he said. Then he placed his hands on either side of her face and pulled her to him until their lips touched.
He heard the earrings drop back into the bag, but he couldn’t pull away from her. Then her arms looped around his neck and her fingers locked into his hair as she pulled him closer.
*
Mia couldn’t believe this was happening. She and Lucas were sitting in the parking lot of the fitness center kissing, and she realized they were pouring all the hurt, the loneliness and the anger of the past seven years into this moment. The thought was sobering, and she pulled away.
She sank back in her seat, and Lucas crossed his arms on the steering wheel and buried his face in them. After a moment he straightened and took a deep breath. He turned to face her, and Mia almost cringed at the sadness in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Mia,” he finally said. “But I can’t go on pretending that your presence these past few days hasn’t affected me. It has. A lot. I convinced myself years ago that I was better off without you, but I can’t lie to myself anymore. There’s never been anyone in my life who starts to compare with you, and I have to tell you that I’ve always loved you. I’m sorry if that upsets you, but I wanted you to know.”
He reached for the ignition, but she put her hand on his to stop him. “Lucas, I’m not upset. I’m happy. In fact those are the sweetest words I’ve heard in years. And deep down I’ve always known I still loved you, but I wouldn’t let myself even think that there would ever be a chance for us to work things out.”
He turned to face her, and the hope that blazed in his eyes pierced her heart. “What about now?” he asked. “Do you think we could?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. The years have damaged me, and I’m afraid I can’t ever be the woman you deserve. I want something better for you.”
He reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and touched her cheek in a soft caress. “There’s no one better than you. We deserve some happiness. Don’t we?”
She closed her eyes and nodded. “We do, but I’m not sure I can ever make you happy. I’m afraid I would only prove a disappointment to you.”
He closed his fingers around hers and brought her hand to his mouth. She tingled all over when he pressed his lips to her palm. “You could never disappoint me. Just promise me one thing.”
“What?”
“Promise me that you won’t close the door on us. Think about it, and when this hunt for Tony Chapman is over, we can talk about how we go about working out our problems. Can you do that?”
She wanted to refuse, but the pleading look he directed at her wouldn’t let her. After a moment she nodded. “I can do that. We’ll talk later.”
Lucas smiled and started the car. “Good. That’s all I’m asking right now.”
Mia pulled her seat belt tight and settled back in her seat as Lucas maneuvered out of the parking lot. When he didn’t turn in the direction that led downtown, she swiveled to face him. “I thought we were going to police headquarters to turn this evidence in.”
“We are, but I need to make a short detour first.”
“Where are we going?”
He glanced at her, and a shy smile tugged at his mouth. “Tomorrow is the day the sanitation workers pick up the trash on my street. I always put Mrs. Peterson’s garbage can out for her and bring it back in at the end of the day. I try to get there before dinner, so she won’t worry about it. So we’ll just go by and get that done, and I can put mine out, too, while I’m there.”
A heaviness filled her chest at his words. How like Lucas to remember that he had a responsibility to an elderly neighbor even when it wasn’t a convenient time for him. He truly was the best man she had ever known. She turned to stare out the window and placed her hand over her chest as if to keep her heart from breaking at the regret for past choices.
Neither of them spoke until Lucas pulled to a stop in his driveway. “I’ll only be a few minutes,” he said as he climbed out of the car.
Mia nodded and watched him roll his garbage can to the end of his driveway and then run across the street to Mrs. Peterson’s house. The elderly woman came to the front door and waved when he’d pushed her can down.
“Thanks, Lucas,” she yelled.
He glanced at Mia waiting in the car and walked back to where Mrs. Peterson stood. They talked for a few minutes, and then he was back in the car. He smiled at her as he started the car and was about to back out of the driveway when his cell phone chimed that a text message had just arrived. He pulled his phone out and grinned when he saw the message.
“Mom wants to know if we found what we were looking for at the gym.”
“Text her back and tell her we’re just leaving to go to the police.”
Lucas nodded, and his fingers tapped out the quick message. He was about to put the phone back in his pocket when it chimed again. He grimaced as he read the message, and then looked up at Mia.
“She needs me to come by the house for a minute before we go downtown.”
Mia frowned and leaned over to try to get a better view of the message. “Did she say what she wanted?”
Lucas shook his head. “No, but she doesn’t text often. So when she does, I know it’s important.” He glanced at his watch. “I’d better go see what she wants.”
“I think I’ll stay with her to help with dinner while you take the jewelry to the police. That is, if it’s okay with you.”
He smiled, and her heart pounded. “I think that’s great. I want you and my mother to get to know each other better.”
She wanted that, too. While she’d waited for Lucas to go to Mrs. Peterson’s house, she’d thought about their conversation earlier in the gym parking lot. She still wasn’t sure they could ever have a relationship, but the first glimmer of hope had begun to cast a glow in her soul.
She settled back in the seat and smiled all the way to the Knights’ house. When they pulled into the driveway, Lucas glanced around and frowned. “Dad’s not home yet. He was going to do some work at the agency this afternoon but said he’d be home way before dinner.”
Lucas jumped from the car and appeared at her door before she had time to grab the handle. He pulled the door open, and she handed him the gym bag. “We don’t need to leave this in the car,” she said. Taking the bag from her, he smiled and reached for her hand. She stared up into his eyes for a moment before she placed her hand in his. With a smile on his lips, he laced their fingers together and led her toward the house.
The Christmas lights on the front porch had already been turned on, and Mia glanced up at Lucas as they stopped in front of the door. “Your mother invited me for Christmas. Do you want me to come?”
He squeezed her fingers tighter and smiled. “If you’re not here, I’ll come looking for you.”
They laughed and walked inside. The smell of baking bread drifted through the a
ir, and Mia’s stomach growled. Lucas bumped her shoulder with his and grinned. “Hungry?”
“Starved,” she said.
He leaned over and touched his lips to her forehead. “I love a woman with a healthy appetite,” he whispered as he pulled back. Then he glanced toward the kitchen. “Mom, where are you?”
His mother’s soft voice answered. “I-I’m in here, Lucas.”
Mia’s stomach clenched at the frightened tone of Mrs. Knight’s voice, and Lucas dropped her hand as he stormed toward the kitchen. At the door he stopped suddenly, and Mia plowed into his back.
A chuckle reached her ears, and the breath left her body. She’d heard that voice before. She peeked around Lucas and struggled to keep her knees from collapsing. Mrs. Knight sat in one of the kitchen chairs.
Tony Chapman stood behind her with a gun pointed to her head.
Mia gasped and took a step back but turned when something nudged her in the back. She glanced over her shoulder and grasped Lucas’s arm when Donnie Miller raised his hand and pointed a gun at her head.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Lucas’s knees trembled so hard he felt they might collapse at any moment, and he grabbed at the doorjamb to keep from falling. His gaze locked onto the gun in Chapman’s hand, and he stared at it, almost unable to believe what he was seeing. A small cry escaped his mother’s throat, and he blinked.
“I’m so sorry, Lucas,” she said as a tear ran down her cheek. “They used my phone to text you that message. I would never have called you back here to see this.”
He tried to shake the image of his mother’s face from his mind, but he couldn’t. He put his arm behind him to shield Mia against his back, but she leaned against him. “Lucas,” she whispered. “Look over your shoulder.”
Reluctantly he pulled his gaze away from his mother’s face and peered back at her. His heart plummeted to the pit of his stomach when he saw Donnie Miller with a gun pointed to Mia’s head. Struggling to control the rage that had begun to flow through his body, he turned forward again. “What do you want, Chapman?”
Love Inspired Suspense December 2015, Box Set 2 of 2 Page 32
