Make a plan. Get your passport and cash ready. Kill her and flee the country. It wasn’t as if you don’t have enough money to disappear forever. But not without seeing Cosima die. She had to die; it wasn’t acceptable that she live…
The doctor removed the breathing tube the fourth day after the shooting. ‘Now, this doesn’t mean you can get up and start partying. Take it very, very slowly. But, good work, Cosima. You have a lion heart.’
She smiled at him. ‘Thank you, doctor.’ Her voice was croaky, dry and Arlo held a cup of water to her lips.
‘Drink. Baby.’
After a moment, after the doctor had gone, Arlo sat down next to her, kissing her lips gently. ‘I love you. Thank you for fighting.’
She smiled, stroked the hair over his ears. ‘I had a lot to fight for, the best reason to stay alive. I love you so much, Arlo, you didn’t think a little thing like a bullet was going to keep me from you, did you?
He chuckled, but his eyes were sorrowful. ‘No way. There’s way too much sex still to be had.’
She laughed, wincing slightly as the motion pulled on her tender muscles. ‘Of course.’ She sighed and pulled his lips down to hers.
After a while, after they’d stared at each other, not quite believing they’d made it through another crisis then Arlo, his eye serious, spoke softly.
‘Sweetheart…do you remember anything about the shooting at all?’
Cosima’s face hardened ‘Oh Arlo…I remember everything. Everything.’
Jack’s chance came sooner than expected. He’d had the idea as he spent the previous evening, drinking beer in his hotel room. He’d laughed out loud. Of course. So simple. A hypodermic syringe full of nothing but air. Stick it into one of Cosima’s veins, cause an air embolism to her heart. Boom. Dead. Less bloody than he would have liked but he’d already had that pleasure.
He could be in South America before they discovered what killed her.
When he arrived at the hospital, he went straight to her room. Arlo was there, but the others were M.I.A.
‘Where is everyone?’ Jack looked at Arlo, who looked worn out.
‘Gone home for now. They’re exhausted.’
‘You look all done in, too. Look, man, I can sit with her for a couple of hours. Go grab some sleep.’
Arlo nodded slowly. ‘That would be great.’ He got up and smiled at the other man, but Jack noticed something in his eyes – wariness, doubt.
‘Everything okay?’
Arlo nodded. ‘Everything is fine. I’ll be back before six.’ He leaned over the sleeping Cosima and kissed her lips. ‘I love you, chicken.’
Chicken? Jack worked to hide the sneer; could this dude be more of a sap? When Arlo had left, he went to work. Pulling the syringe from his pocket, he drew the plunger back, filling it with air.
He reached for her arm – and Cosima moved, quickly, her left arm coming up and he felt a sharp pain across his arm. Blood welled, and with a yelp, he dropped the syringe, realized she was holding a scalpel.
‘You son of a bitch,’ she hissed at him, ‘did you think I wouldn’t remember?’
Jack lunged for her – then felt something pressing against the back of his head, heard the click of a safety catch being flicked off.
‘Don’t even think about moving, motherfucker.’ Arlo’s voice was granite hard. ‘Give me one reason to pull this trigger and I will.’
Jack, trained in combat, swerved around to try and knock the gun from Arlo’s hand but the bigger man was ready. He brought his fist up under Jack’s chin as Jack managed to knock the gun from his hand, and Jack screamed as he bit through his own tongue. The others were there then, Harpa darting in front of Cosima to protect her sister; Naveen, sleek and dangerous, his own gun back in his hand. Jack skittered to the far side of the room as Naveen took a shot, the bullet wide, smashing the large window behind him. Jack flinched down, outnumbered.
Arlo sneered at him. ‘Did you think we would find out about the contractor? The one you bribed to shot at us? Believe it or not, it was Sabine who saw you talking to him at the opening.'
Jack sneered at him and his gaze switched to Cosima, shielded by Harpa and Mikah. ‘I loved you, Cosima, for years. I worshiped you. When I fired that bullet into your belly, you were finally mine, do you understand? I would do it again and again…’
Arlo, enraged, struck him savagely across the jaw with the butt of his gun. ‘Shut your damn mouth, motherfucker.’
Jack laughed, spitting teeth and blood. ‘Fuck you, Forrester, she was mine, and you took her away from me.’
Arlo roared at him. ‘Cosima is not a possession for you to lay claim to, you asshole.’ He stepped forward and pressed the muzzle of the gun against Jack’s forehead.
‘Stop!’ Cosima screamed, and they all froze. Both Naveen and Arlo kept their guns trained on the cowering man. ‘Look at him,’ Cosima said, ‘look at him cower. Harpa, help me up.’
Harpa looked concerned but then as Cosima began to get up, Arlo rushed to help her too.
On unsteady legs, Cosima walked to Jack and looked down at him. ‘You bastard,’ she began quietly. ‘You filthy, despicable coward. Did you think you had any right to decide who I loved? It would have made any difference. Even if I didn’t love Arlo as much as I do, I could never love a coward like you. You’re pathetic.’
Jack, smirking, got to his feet. ‘I should have cut your throat the day I fucked you, little girl.’
Arlo growled, but Cosima stopped him. ‘You’re mistaken, Jack. Fucking is a wonderful, magical, thing between two people who love each other. You raped me, Jack. Rape. After you drugged me because that would mean I couldn’t fight you off. You were scared I would fight you because that’s the filthy coward you are.’
He lunged for her again but this time, Arlo was ready. With an almighty shove, he knocked Jack backward, jabbing him again and again, hard until Jack was backed against the open window.
With just one mighty push, Arlo could end this now…forever. He stepped towards Jack, who gave him a bloody grin.
‘Do it, Forrester. Kill me. Because if you don’t, I’ll keep coming back and I swear, she will die.’
Arlo lunged but Naveen pulled him back.
‘Arlo,’ said Naveen, ‘Let the police have him. He does not deserve a quick punishment. Let him rot in jail.’
Arlo, quivering with rage, didn’t move, staring Jack down. It wasn’t until he heard the police behind them, moving into the room, and felt Cosima’s hand on his arm.
‘Arlo, come to me. Leave this scum to get what he deserves.’
He turned and saw she was struggling to stand up; all the adrenaline had left her body. In one swift movement, he swept her into his arms and carried her out of the room and took her to the new room they’d arranged for her.
They had all set it up, of course. After Naveen and Mikah had talked to Arlo, he hadn’t needed much persuasion to believe that Jack was Cosima’s shooter. When she woke, after the tube was taken out, she’d confirmed it, telling him exactly what had happened. The horrific truth shocked him with its cruelty.
So cold blooded, so merciless. But Arlo finally felt there was something he could do – he’d arranged the police guard but used his influence to delay their arrival until they had dealt with Jack themselves. He wanted to kill Jack, rip him limb from limb but knew they would never allow that.
But now, as they saw Jack being dragged past her room by the police, Arlo knew Cosima had been right to stop him pushing Jack out that window.
‘You’re not a killer,’ she said, as if she could read his mind, ‘There was no need to change who we are to beat him. It’s over, Arlo.’
She winced as she shifted on the bed, and now the horror and trauma were over, she looked exhausted. Arlo sat on the side of the bed and touched her cheek.
‘The minute,’ he smiled at her, ‘the minute you get out of here, we’re getting married.’
Cosima smiled. ‘That sounds good to me.’
He
leaned in to kiss her, brushing his lips against hers ‘Now I can believe you’re safe at last.’
She wound her arms around his neck. ‘You and me, Arlo Forrester, that’s the only thing that matters. You, me, and our children…Turner and Hooch.’
Arlo burst out laughing and gathered her to him. ‘To our family,’ he said, kissing her passionately.
‘To us, forever,’ she whispered back and they kissed until they could no longer breathe…
Epilogue
The Maldives, Indian Ocean
Two years later…
He watched as the waiter led the woman to her table, saw her thank him. A beautiful smile. He couldn’t take his eyes from her; the luscious curves of her, her dark skin glowing against the dark gold of her sun dress. Her dark waves fell past her shoulder, and he watched as she pulled her hair over one shoulder. She glanced up and smiled at him.
He got up and walked towards her. She sat up when he approached. The night was sultry, sensual and her skin had a faint sheen of dewy moisture.
‘Excuse me, ma’am, I’m going to the bar,’ he said, ‘If you’d like to join me, I’d be pleased to buy you whatever is your poison.’
She smiled that radiant smile. ‘I’m sorry; I’m waiting for my husband.’ She ran a hand over her belly, swollen and blooming with pregnancy. ‘As you can see, I’m not alone.’
Arlo grinned down at Cosima, his gorgeous, healthy, wife and she laughed back at him.
‘Well, now, he’s one lucky son-of-a-gun.’
He leaned down and kissed her thoroughly to the amusement of the other diners.
‘Yes,’ she said breathlessly as they broke apart, ‘yes, he is.’
He held out his hand to her. ‘Screw the drinks?’
Cosima laughed, got to her feet and took his hand, gazing up at her beloved husband.
‘Screw the drinks.’
And they walked back to their villa on the water, knowing that they were walking into forever…
The End.
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About the author
Michelle Love writes about smart, sexy women and the hot alpha billionaires who love them. She has found her own happily ever after with her dream husband and adorable 2 year old.
Currently, Michelle is hard at work on the next book in the series, and trying to stay off the Internet.
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©Copyright 2018 by Michelle Love - All rights
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