Truth or Consequences

by Sharon C. Cooper

  The anger Natasha harbored toward Ray was even harder to deal with. He was charged for murdering Halsey, Tessa and the social worker. It wasn’t until he was sentenced to life in prison that she could release some of the hurt and pain. It also helped that with the assistance of Malik and Wiz, her hospital had located all of the babies that had been taken. There was still an ongoing investigation to find the others, taken from hospitals in other parts of the country.

  Natasha knew she still had some healing to do, but her faith, therapy, and the love of her man helped her survive the most traumatic season of her life.

  “Hey, baby. You okay?” She nodded, and Malik cupped her face between his large hands and kissed her. The firmness of his lips against hers was like medicine for her soul. She felt so much peace whenever he touched her. Held her. Loved her.

  Whenever Malik held Natasha in his arms, all was well in the world. The past few months had him on a serious emotional rollercoaster. He had almost lost one of his best friends, Stan, and Natasha, who he couldn’t imagine living without. As a soldier, he was prepared to give his life for this nation. A couple of months ago, he was prepared to give his life to save Natasha.

  He kissed her with every emotion inside him. He was never going to take for granted that she’d always be there. If the situation with Ray Newton and Alonso Black taught him anything, it was that life was precious and not to be taken for granted.

  “Mmm, you taste good.” Malik lowered his hands to Natasha’s waist and pulled her closer. Their kiss was like heat from a soldering iron, joining metals together, hot, and binding. He didn’t think he’d ever get enough of her. He could kiss her sweet lips all day, but since they were in public, he figured he’d better stop while he could. “Dance with me,” he mumbled against her mouth before he lifted his head.

  Natasha flashed a smile that lit up her whole face. Weeks ago, he didn’t think he would ever see that electrifying smile again—Ray had broken her spirit—but now his baby was back. Almost. She still had the occasional nightmare and didn’t like going some places alone, but her sweet, gentle spirit had returned.

  Malik led her to the middle of the dance floor and pulled her into his arms, holding her close as they swayed to the song “Reunited” by Peaches and Herb. Each time he stared into her beautiful brown eyes, his heart beat double time at the realization she was his.

  He would never forget the moment he knew without a doubt Natasha was the one. It was the day he received the paternity test results regarding Susan’s baby. He had always insisted the child wasn’t his, even when the baby boy was found. Before he opened the letter containing the results of the test, he wasn’t so sure. Natasha had sat on his lap, put her arms around his neck, and told him it didn’t matter. She wasn’t going anywhere. It was then that he knew she was the one for him. When he finally read the report, and saw that there was zero possibility of him being the father he had made a decision. He wanted to be a father, but only if Natasha was the mother. For the first time in his life, he wanted to be a father, and a husband.

  Screw this.

  “I know you don’t like me cursing,” he stopped dancing and reached for Natasha’s hand, “but I love you so damn much sometimes I feel as if my fuckin’ heart is going to explode. I know we agreed to live together and let our love blossom naturally. Your words, not mine, but baby I need more.”

  He released her hand and pulled the small velvet box from the pocket inside of his jacket. If anyone had told him a few months ago he would be proposing marriage to the woman of his dreams, he would’ve laughed them out of the room. Yet, here he was, about to do the one thing he vowed he’d never do.

  Right there in the middle of the dance floor, he dropped down on one knee.

  Natasha’s hands hovered near her mouth, and tears pooled inside her eyes. “Oh my God, Malik,” she whispered. “What are you doing?” The dance floor parted like the red sea. Malik owned center stage.

  “I could give you this long drawn out speech, but I’d probably end up tossing some curse words into the mix and I know you don’t like me cursing.” The crowd laughed and Malik heard Wiz say, ‘It’s about damn time’ which caused another round of laughter.

  “Tasha, I hadn’t planned on doing this here, or this way, but I can’t go another minute of my life without knowing if you’d be my wife. And no, I wasn’t trying to rhyme.” He paused and rubbed his forehead, trying to rein in the emotion clogging his throat. “I just love you so fu— much. Ah, hell … will you marry me?”

  She laughed through her tears and lunged into his arms. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  The End

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  About the Author

  Bestselling author, Sharon C. Cooper, spent 10 years as a sheet metal worker. And while enjoying that unique line of work, she attended college in the evening and obtained her B.A. from Concordia University in Business Management with an emphasis in Communication. Sharon is a romance-a-holic - loving anything that involves romance with a happily-ever-after, whether in books, movies or real life. She writes contemporary romance, as well as romantic suspense and enjoys rainy days, carpet picnics, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When Sharon is not writing or working, she’s hanging out with her amazing husband, doing volunteer work or reading a good book (a romance of course). To read more about Sharon and her novels, visit www.sharoncooper.net

  Other Titles by Sharon C. Cooper:

  Something New (“Edgy” Sweet Romance)

  Best Woman for the Job (Short Story - Contemporary Romance)

  Blue Roses (Romantic Suspense)

  Secret Rendezvous (Prequel to Rendezvous with Danger – Romantic Suspense)

  Rendezvous with Danger (Romantic Suspense)

  Still the Best Woman for the Job (Contemporary Romance)

  Truth or Consequences (Romantic Suspense)

  Legal Seduction (Harlequin Kimani - Contemporary)

  ****

  Coming Summer 2014

  All You’ll Ever Need – book 2 of the Jenkins Family Series

  ****

  Connect with Sharon Online:

  Website: http://sharoncooper.net

  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorSharonCCooper21?ref=hl

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Sharon_Cooper1

  Subscribe to her blog: http://sharonccooper.wordpress.com/

  Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5823574.Sharon_C_Cooper

  **

  Book Excerpt:

  From Rendezvous with Danger, book 2 of the Reunited Series

  Description

  Alandra Pargas, ex-CIA counter-intelligence officer, plans to wreak vengeance on the people who tried to kill her. A little rendezvous with danger is not what scares her, though. It’s seeing the tall, dark, and dangerously sexy man she vowed to love forever that has her running for cover.

  Former U.S. Special Operative, Quinn Hamilton, left the world of covert operations after the love of his life died in his arms during a black op. Three years later, he still loses sleep wondering if maybe he could have done something more to save her – until Alandra shows up on his doorstep. With her lies and betrayal, he wants nothing to do with her, yet, his heart won’t cooperate. It’s not until unknown enemies come after her that he must decide if he can leave the past behind and protect the woman he’ll always love. Will they survive this last mission and rekindle the love and passion they once shared?

  *

  “You better hope we’re not rattling any cages while we dig for answers. Whoever sealed Alandra Pargas’s records, meant for them to stay sealed.”

  Quinn Hamilton looked over his friend’s shoulder. If anyone could find answers, it was former Navy SEAL and computer genius, Cameron Miller, better known as Wiz. He could get through any firewall and pilfer information, including top-secret info meant
to stay a secret. Closer than most brothers, Quinn learned of Wiz’s computer skills after they endured SEAL training and participated in numerous black ops together.

  He squinted at the monitor as Wiz’s fingers flew across the computer keys, typing in code after code in an effort to hack into the CIA mainframe. Closed up in Quinn’s home office for an hour, they’d hoped to find evidence to support Quinn’s hunch – that Alandra might be alive.

  “Man, I appreciate you doing this.”

  “Enough to come see me behind bars when they haul my ass off to prison?”

  Quinn grunted and folded his arms across his chest. “They’ll never catch you.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right.” Wiz stopped typing and glanced over his shoulder. “I’m surprised you didn’t look into this sooner. Why now, considering you thought you spotted her months ago?”

  Quinn blew out a frustrated sigh and backed away from the desk. He moved to the large bank of windows that overlooked his backyard, ten acres of partially wooded land with a wide creek running along the north side of the house. He leaned against the windowsill, his gaze taking in the moonlight bouncing off the water.

  Why hadn’t he looked into Alandra’s possible resurgence sooner? “When they rushed my business partner, Tyler, to the emergency room after he was shot, and I saw the nurse who looked like Alandra, I thought I had seen a ghost. The days that followed, I honestly thought I had lost it, that I had somehow conjured up her spirit in my mind, and couldn’t let it go. I would see her face whenever I closed my eyes. There were times I thought I saw her in the grocery store, in the fitness gym’s parking lot, and once even driving down the street, but I knew it was impossible. Alandra was dead.”

  Quinn grunted and shook his head. He thought he would have to start seeing a therapist again the way he had after Alandra’s death. He turned to Wiz.

  “I decided to dig around a little because the woman at the hospital looked so much like her. There were subtle differences. She wore a lot of makeup and had long straight hair, where Alandra never wore makeup and had a mass of brown curls. The nurse’s eyes were green and Alandra’s were light brown, almost hazel.”

  “Did this lady act as if she recognized you?”

  “At first she looked startled. We stared at each other for a moment and then she ran off to tend to Tyler. Wiz, man,” Quinn glanced away, fighting the emotions he had tried to keep buried since spotting the woman, “Alandra and I had a magnetic connection, one I have never felt with any other woman. And that night, I felt it. My gut tells me it was her.”

  “Well, your gut has never steered us wrong, but I hope you’re prepared for whatever we find.”

  “Me too.” Quinn retraced his path from the window to the desk. His size thirteen’s sunk into the plush carpet with each heavy step. What he wouldn’t give to hold the only woman he’d ever loved in his arms again and talk well into the night about everything, from sports to politics. Or make love to her, until she screamed his name over and over again. He shook his head. It had been three long years. If she were still alive, she would have found some way to contact him. Wouldn't she?

  He plopped down in one of the striped upholstered chairs that faced his large mahogany desk and leaned forward. “When you finish this, Wiz, I need you to do something else.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I want an extensive background check on Velvet Aguilar, everything from who her momma is to whether or not she has any parking tickets. Everything.”

  Wiz stopped typing and looked up. “Who the hell is she?”

  Quinn reclined in his seat. He ran a hand over his head and down his dreadlocks, frustrated by their lack of progress. “When I returned to the hospital, I found out the nurse’s name is Velvet Aguilar. I know from experience that Alandra is a master at disguises and lying.”

  “I’m sure she had to be to survive as a counter-intelligence agent for the CIA.” Wiz rolled the office chair away from the desk and reared back in it. “I still can’t believe you had an affair with this woman, and I never met her.”

  Quinn had good reason to keep this relationship private. Considering the terrorists, drug lords, and common criminals he’d encountered during his operative days, anyone of them could have used her to get to him. It was safer for Alandra if no one connected them, not even his closest friends. After Alandra died, he didn’t talk about her, keeping the memory of their love close to his heart.

  “You might not have known her directly, but you helped me out a time or two in regards to her: A phone number here, a trace there, and I can go on.”

  Wiz shook his head and chuckled. “From now on, I’m asking more questions when you call me for a favor.”

  “In the meantime keep digging.” Quinn massaged the back of his neck. The long days and nights of thinking of her were taking their toll. “I should’ve done this right after she was killed.”

  Wiz removed his glasses, his greenish-gray eyes looking at Quinn as if he’d lost his mind. “Are you kidding me? Have you forgotten? You were shot in the back and left for dead during that mission. I’m just glad Malik and your team found the Tangos who ambushed you.”

  Quinn would never forget that day, the mission from hell. Everything about the op was questionable, from the logistical issues to the problems with their equipment and then Alandra showing up. He had lost total focus once he spotted her, making mistakes that could have cost him his life. In all his years in the military and working as a special operative for the government, he had never incurred injuries so emotionally and physically damaging as he had that night. It had taken months of rehab and therapy to get back to a somewhat normal life, and had it not been for Malik Lewis, another former Navy SEAL and a good friend, Quinn would be dead.

  “I can’t imagine what you went through. To lose a fellow SEAL during a mission is bad enough, but to lose your woman…” Wiz shook his head and turned back to his computer.

  According to Malik, Quinn had been in and out of consciousness at a hospital in Germany for three weeks after that mission in Tzbekystan. When he finally woke up, and asked about Alandra, Malik said he hadn’t seen an American woman near the site where he’d found Quinn. It didn’t make sense. The last thing Quinn remembered was Alandra in his arms, blood spilling from her chest from a gunshot wound. A jolt of rage that always accompanied the memory shot up his spine. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and his face in his hands. This research into Alandra’s death brought up memories he wanted to keep buried.

  When the doorbell rang, Quinn welcomed the intrusion. He released a weighted breath and shook off the thoughts of that horrific night.

  “Be right back,” he told Wiz. “That’s probably Malik here to check out my security system.”

  Quinn took a few deep breaths as he strolled down the hall to the front of the house. He’d moved into his four bedroom, four bathroom mini-mansion over a year ago appreciating the peace he usually felt the moment he stepped across the threshold. He glanced at the alarm’s keypad to the left of the door just before letting Malik in.

  “What’s up my brother?” Quinn said when he swung the door open. “I thought you were going to be here hours ago.”

  “Man, this has been a crazy-ass day. Nothing has gone as planned. You’re lucky I made it.” Malik shrugged out of his jacket and left his tools near the front door.

  “Well, I’m glad you did.” Quinn pointed to the keypad. “When I first asked you to check the system, it was because something tripped the house alarm last week and it took almost fifteen minutes to reset it. Now, I just noticed that one of the sensor lights is blinking.”

  “Hmm, that’s weird.” Malik followed Quinn to the back of the house. “Let me get my computer out and I’ll figure out what’s going on.”

  “What’s up, Wiz?” Malik asked when he walked into the office, placing his laptop on the table in front of the love seat.

  “Not much, dude. I see Q is still pulling rank and has us out in the middle of the night d
oing his dirty work.”

  Quinn hunched his shoulders. “You guys could’ve said no. Malik, you want a beer?”

  He shook his head. “Maybe once I finish.”

  The tallest of the three, Malik, also known as Tree, stood at six-foot-seven and was as solid as an oak tree. His bulk alone intimidated the most dangerous adversary and as a securities specialist, clients felt they got their money’s worth.

  “Well, there’s beer in the fridge and chips on the counter. Help yourself.”

  Malik powered up his laptop. “I hope you plan to feed a brotha more than just beer and chips.”

  “Once you check out my alarm system, then I’ll feed you. Until then, that’s it.”

  “So, have you guys found anything?” Malik asked.

  “Not much,” Quinn said and sat across from him. “We followed a trail from when she left Virginia five days before I saw her in Tzbekystan. She flew from Virginia to Miami, stayed in a hotel for a night, but that’s where the trail goes cold. Now, Wiz is trying to get into the CIA mainframe to see what he can find.”

  Quinn wanted them to find something – anything that could give him peace of mind. If there was a chance Alandra was alive, he wanted to know.

  “I’m sure you guys will figure it out. And while you’re doing that, I’ll get the alarm system working.” Malik typed something into his computer but stopped when it beeped several times. “Q, it looks like the sensor on the right side of your house is out as well as one of the cameras, which is odd.” He stood and grabbed his keys. Let me go check the keypad and then look around outside.”