by Mia Dymond
And then there was Dimitri. Her smile turned upside down. What was he up to? And why did he refuse to find another property for the condominiums. Something didn’t add up, but what?
The sound of the bell over the front door made her stop in mid-twirl, a little suspicious of who might have entered since her calendar was empty for the day. Granted, tourists had been known to pop in unannounced, but only on a rare occasion.
“Just a moment please.”
She stepped out of her office, shocked when she saw Dimitri standing in the reception area. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here.”
“Alexa, I don’t understand your hostility.”
“You broke in here after I specifically told you I wouldn’t sell the property.”
“I did not break in. Why won’t you believe me?”
“You’re the only other person on the deed. It makes perfect sense.”
“No, what makes perfect sense is selling the lot.”
She sighed. “Dimitri, I already told you I’m not willing to do that. You can’t change my mind.”
“Oh, I think I can.” She watched in horror as he pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed the barrel right at her chest. “Let’s go.”
She swallowed hard, forcing a scream back into the depths of her throat. Perhaps she could reason with him long enough for someone to come by. Or better yet, call for help. She moved a hand into her pocket and pressed what she hoped was a number programmed into a speed dial button.
“Look, Dimitri. We can discuss this. You don’t need a gun.”
“We’re going to talk, Alexa, but not here. We’re going somewhere we won’t be interrupted.”
She strained to hear if the call had connected, disappointed when she didn’t hear a voice. “Where?”
“You’ll find out when we get there.” He waved the gun at her. “Let’s go. Now. And leave your cell phone here.”
Stunned, Lexi followed his directions. What other choice did she have? The sight of Dimitri with a gun still shocked her. And, her phone now lay on the table in her front office. Nobody knew she was in trouble.
Maverick’s phone rang as he pulled into a parking space across the street from Lexi’s office and he grinned as he glanced down at the caller ID. Someone was just as anxious to see him as he was her.
“Hey, Lexi.”
He frowned when she didn’t answer. “Lexi?”
Still nothing.
He pulled the phone away from his ear and checked the caller ID again. Alexa Sharpe.
“Lexi, can you hear me?”
He was about to cut the engine when he spotted Lexi and Santos walking to the dark sedan he’d brought to the car wash. He pulled his hand back from the key, way too suspicious about the situation. Not only was he surprised to see them together, Santos walked entirely too close to Lexi’s backside. What the hell? Then the sunlight glinted off an object Santos held in his hand as he opened the passenger door, pushed her inside, and then entered the driver’s seat. It was then Maverick noticed that Santos had an accomplice.
He lowered his phone and quickly disconnected Lexi’s call. Within seconds he dialed Casey.
“Hey, Mav. What’s up?”
“Santos just took Lexi at gunpoint from her office. I’m going to follow.”
“You’re sure he has a gun?”
“Absolutely.”
“Put out an APB on Dimitri Santos,” he heard Casey tell the dispatcher. “Maverick, can you read the tag?”
He spouted the number.
“Great.” Casey relayed the information to the dispatcher and then returned to the line. “I’m en route. Where are you?”
“Heading west on I-17 toward the cliffs. There’s another man in the car.”
“Is he armed?”
“I have no idea. He was in the car before Santos grabbed Lexi.”
“I’m headed that way. Let me know if they change directions.”
“You got it. Haul ass, Casey.”
“I am. And, Mav?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m getting married in two days. Don’t do something stupid. Stay in your truck until I get there. If something happens to you, the twins will kick my ass.”
Lexi tossed her head back against the seat and desperately tried to figure out a way to let someone know she was in trouble. She briefly entertained the thought of writing an SOS on the window with her lipstick but since Dimitri had a gun, and an accomplice, that might be a risky maneuver. And then realization thumped her on top of the head. She hadn’t stopped to get her purse. No lipstick, no cell phone, no ID. It wouldn’t be hard for them to keep her hidden from the world.
Desperate, she tried to reason once again.
“Dimitri, there’s no need to take such drastic measures. I’ll take another look at the contract. Maybe there’s something I missed.”
The man in the passenger seat turned to face her. “Your attempts at negotiation are fruitless. You had a chance to comply and you chose not to. Now you must pay the price.”
His response confused her even further. Why was this plot of land so important? Was there gold buried beneath the earth? She knew enough about property value to know that although the ball field was prime, there were certainly other locations that would be worth as much, if not more.
“Why is this property so valuable to you? Surely you’ve checked out others.”
“That we have,” Dimitri’s partner answered. “There is much more to this purchase than you are aware.”
“It’s too late,” Dimitri told her. “You should’ve cooperated when you had the chance.”
She turned her head to look out the window and her heart sank when she realized he drove toward the cliffs. One good push was all it would take to finalize the sale.
Maverick squeezed the steering wheel almost in two as he followed the sedan a discreet couple of car lengths back, hoping to remain undetected. The car hadn’t slowed since it left town and made no effort to do so now. Santos was obviously bound and determined to disappear with Lexi. He checked his rearview mirror. Where the hell was Casey?
He followed them a couple more miles down the road until they turned and parked in the lot that led to the walking path near the cliffs. He held back, out of sight until the two men exited the vehicle with Lexi in tow. Once they were halfway up the path, he pulled in slowly, then exited his vehicle. He rubbed his chest as if he could ease the pain. If they hurt Lexi, he may very well go to prison for murder. He followed at a short distance, trying to stay hidden in the bushes along the way.
Once he had them in sight, his heart plummeted. Lexi stood too close to the edge of the highest level, hands on her hips, facing Santos and the other man. He only hoped she could distract them long enough for him to get closer.
“I can’t believe you have a gun, Dimitri. Do you even know how to use it?”
“I hoped I wouldn’t have to. Sign over the deed, Alexa, and this will all be over.”
“And how exactly will that work? Here we are, on the edge of a cliff and you want me to sign a deed? Really, Dimitri?”
“Santos, you’re an idiot,” the other man growled. “Get rid of her. I’m tired of the nonsense.”
“This is your last chance, Alexa.”
“No. I told you I’m not signing. You’ll have to find another property for your buyer.”
He waved the gun in her face. “Then you’re going to jump. The land will go to me. Done deal.”
Lexi looked over the edge. “No way am I jumping. You’ll have to push me over.”
“That can be arranged,” the stranger growled.
He started toward her and Maverick made his move. He charged both Santos and his partner with a linebacker block, knocking both men to the ground. A shot rang out as they all went down. Maverick’s side caught fire but he continued to struggle for the gun as he watched Lexi crawl to safety.
Maverick, Dimitri, and the other man rolled back and forth, close to the edge, then the other way and back, punching and kicking.
Finally, Maverick grabbed the man’s wrist and twisted. He heard the snap and the man screamed and dropped the gun. One good punch to the jaw and Dimitri was out cold. A second punch and the second man was out too.
Maverick rolled to one side. “Lexi, get the gun.”
She hurried over and picked it up, holding it with two fingers far away from her body, and then knelt beside him.
“Are you hurt?”
“I’ll live. Are you okay?”
“I’m good.” She gasped. “You’re bleeding!”
She pulled his t-shirt over his head, wadded it up, and pressed it onto the wound in his side.
“Ow! Easy, babe.”
“I’m so sorry. But aren’t we supposed to put pressure on it?”
“Yeah. It helps to stop the bleeding. Are they still out?”
She leaned way over toward them and then moved her attention back to him. “Yes.”
The sirens in the distance told him help was on the way. Good thing, because he was doing to his best to stay conscious.
“Keep an eye on them,” he told Lexi, “and don’t let them get the gun back.”
He reached for her hand and braided their fingers just as the cavalry arrived. Casey handcuffed both men while Travis examined Maverick.
“The bullet went straight through. I don’t think it hit anything inside but we’re taking you to the Emergency Room so Verity can take a look and stitch you up.”
“Can I ride along, Travis?”
“Sure.”
“What about my truck?”
Casey put a hand on his shoulder. “One of my deputies can drive my car back to the station. I’ll drive your truck to the hospital.”
“Thanks, Casey. For everything.”
“Don’t thank me yet. The twins haven’t seen you.”
Lexi began to relax when she saw that Vanessa, Dane, and Annessa waited at the Emergency Room entrance when they arrived. While Maverick was whisked off to a cubicle, Casey and the twins took her to the waiting room. She sat down and put her head in her hands, ignoring the blood on them.
“I can’t believe Dimitri had a gun. He was going to let that man kill me!”
Casey sat down across from her. “Who was the other man?”
“I have no idea. I’ve never seen him before.”
“My men are questioning them both right now. As soon as they find out something, they’ll let me know.”
Annessa sat down beside her and gave her a hug. “We all know Dimitri’s an ass. At least now he’ll go to prison and you and Maverick will never have to see him again.”
“Maverick was shot because of me.” Tears dampened her eyelashes as she spoke.
“No.” Casey frowned. “Maverick was shot because he didn’t wait for me, even though I told him to.”
Annessa handed her a tissue. “In his defense, he waited until the last minute. That guy was about to push me off the cliff.”
Vanessa gasped. “Seriously? Are you okay, Lexi? Did Travis check you out?”
Travis shook his head. “She didn’t give me a chance. As soon as we got Maverick loaded up, she climbed in and held on to him.”
“I’m fine. Really. I just want to see Maverick.”
Casey’s phone rang and he stepped away to talk in private. Dane brought everyone a cup of coffee.
“Any word yet?”
“No,” Vanessa answered. “Verity is still with him.”
“Casey’s lucky,” Annessa mumbled.
Dane frowned. “Huh?”
“We’re getting married in two days. I told him to keep the peace until then.”
“He did exactly what you told him to, Ness.” Verity entered the waiting area. “He’s all stitched up. I just want to keep him here for a few hours so I can keep an eye on him. He’s a little loopy from the pain meds but you guys can come on back.”
Once they were back in the exam area, Verity opened the curtain to the adjoining cubicle and pushed the gurney against the wall to make room for all of them.
“Hey, guys. I gots shot.”
Lexi ignored Maverick’s slurred speech. “Don’t brag about it, cowboy.”
“C’mere, Slexy Lexi.”
She welcomed the warmth of his arms and she hugged him. “Does it hurt?”
“Not right now. I feels really good. Tomorrow will probably be a bitch.”
Dane elbowed Travis. “His man-card is fading fast.”
“Yeah but we should probably cut him some slack. He won’t remember any of this. Hey, maybe I should record it on my phone.”
“That’s just wrong.” Casey said as he entered. “I’ve got an update. Anybody interested?”
“Yes.” Lexi kept Maverick’s hand squeezed in hers while he began to hum off-key.
“Oh, man,” Travis mumbled.
“Santos is talking,” Casey told them. “It seems several months ago he needed some quick cash for an investment and he chose to get it from the wrong people. They used his debt as collateral and made him launder their drug money through his investments. He didn’t mind too much because he was raking it in himself.
When he decided to end their association, they told him if he could get this one last property, they’d let him off the hook. When he couldn’t get Lexi to sell, they leaned on him. Wanted him to kill her. He says he refused, so they sent a man to make sure he followed through.”
“So they were going to kill me and the land would belong to Dimitri.”
“Yes. And he was going to sell it to them for a hefty profit.”
Vanessa shook her head. “Money is evil.”
“Nah.” Maverick’s head wobbled. “Lettuce is evil.”
Casey’s brow furrowed. “What the hell is he talking about?”
“He has no idea.” Lexi giggled. “Anyone want to bet me I can get him to sing?”
EPILOGUE
THREE MONTHS LATER
Lexi sat next to Annessa on the dugout bench, her gaze directed at the pitcher’s mound and the incredibly sexy man who stood there. His t-shirt shifted over his muscles as he tossed the ball from hand to glove while he waited for the girl at home plate to get into position.
“Geez, take a picture already!” Annessa drawled.
Not ashamed at being caught gawking at the chiseled Adonis on the mound, Lexi smirked but didn’t bother to move her eyes. “Can’t help it. He’s nice to look at.”
“Choke up on the bat, Emma.”
The sound of Maverick’s deep, calm directive sent chills up her spine and tightened several distinct parts of her anatomy.
“Ready?”
The little girl nodded.
He turned to face the outfield and the other three men there, strategically placed to field balls. “Are you guys ready?”
“We’re ready,” Casey told him.
Maverick turned back toward home plate, lifted his glove and the ball, and then delivered a pitch to Emma. Emma swung and the hollow ping broke the sunny afternoon’s silence as the ball flew over Maverick’s head, past Casey in centerfield, and finally bounced off the fence behind.
“Nice hit!” Dane shouted as he scrambled from left field.
“Good job!” Maverick jogged from the mound and grasped Emma’s shoulder as they walked to the dugout.
“That was great, Emma!” Lexi stood and took her bat. “Who’s up next, Coach?”
“You.”
“Me? I’m the bat girl, remember?”
“No, you’re part of the team.”
“Yeah, Lexi,” Emma prompted. “Everybody bats at practice.”
A little nervous that her beginner’s luck would not follow her to the field a second time, Lexi still squared her shoulders and shrugged. “Okay, I’ll give it a whirl.”
She followed Maverick out of the dugout, surprised when he stopped at home plate.
“Aren’t you going to pitch to me?”
“I am.” He tossed his glove to the dirt and bent on one knee in front of her. “In a minute.”
Her heart pound
ed as he reached into his front pocket and then held out a square box. “Sexy Lexi, I love you. Will you marry me?”
Although sheer, unadulterated love demanded she say yes, and she fully intended to do so, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
“Marry you, huh?”
He nodded.
“Let’s bet on it. If I hit it over your head, I will.”
Annessa giggled from the dugout.
“Aw hell,” Travis mumbled from third base.
Maverick cocked his head to the side. “What if you don’t?”
I will anyway. She bit her lip and gave him a wink. “Don’t you worry about that.”
He stood, returned the box to his pocket, and then brushed the dust from his jeans. “Okay, you’re on. How many pitches do you want?”
“One.”
He grabbed his glove. “One?”
She nodded. He shook his head and headed for the mound.
Lexi’s hands slid down the grip of the bat as she stood and waited for Maverick to throw the ball. All she had to do was hit this grapefruit-sized ball over his head and they’d live happily ever after. No pressure.
“Ready?”
“Yes.”
The ball flew out of Maverick’s hand and sailed right at her, perfectly positioned so that her bat had no chance but to connect. She swung hard, oh so relieved when the bat sent the ball back toward Maverick and as she hoped, over the top of his head. Dane caught the pitch at second base.
She saw Maverick’s smug grin from the mound. She tossed the bat to the dirt and met him halfway to home plate.
He handed her the box again. “Does that mean you’ll marry me?”
“Yes,” she told him as she popped it open. Sunlight bounced off the platinum and diamonds inside. “Of course I will.”
He took the ring from the velvet and slipped it on her finger. “I think we’ve both hit a home run today, Sexy Lexi.”
Other books by Mia Dymond:
Leather, Lace and Rock-N-Roll
(SEALs, Inc., Book 1)
www.smashwords.com/books/view/87362
