Head stitched from temple to ear, Dana closed her eyes, wiped away her tears, and looked at her brother. “So Mitch Anderson found out that Sam and Dylan had faked the environmentals on the property they intended to sell for a county school?”
“Yes. The mayor also had a conflict of interest in trying to sell property to the county. When Mitch tried to blackmail them, the argument turned heated. Sam and the mayor killed him. To hide what they’d done, they dumped the body in the bay,” Zack filled in the details. “Sam and the mayor are both in jail, where they’ll spend the rest of their lives—if the judge doesn’t sentence them to death.”
Mandy’s heart broke for her friend. She couldn’t imagine what she was going through. Her husband had conspired with the mayor to sell polluted land where a school would have been built. When Mitch had been ready to blackmail them or reveal the truth, Sam and the mayor had killed him.
Dana raised her hand to her bandaged head, her pain-filled eyes staring out the window. When a sob escaped Dana’s lips, Mandy tugged on Zack’s hand. “Perhaps we should discuss this later.”
“No.” Dana lifted her chin, her tone strong. “I want to hear it all. Tell me.”
Zack nodded. “When you overheard Sam talking to the mayor about the Bay Star, he knew that you’d eventually learn about Mitch’s death and figure out that Sam had something to do with it.”
“So he decided to get rid of me before I could cause a fuss?”
“I’m afraid so. We found evidence in his office accounts that Sam hired Moose. Moose admitted he hired Vizzi,” Zack explained.
“And Sam had them go after the other women at the firm to cover his tracks and make it look like a serial killer?” Dana surmised.
“Exactly.” Zack’s tone was gentle.
Dana frowned. “So the killings had nothing to do with the lottery ticket?”
“Apparently not,” Mandy spoke softly, aching when Dana closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
“Poor Lisa . . .”
Mandy grabbed Dana’s hand and squeezed tight. The bed sank as Zack moved to wrap a strong arm around his sister. She rested her head on his shoulder, but didn’t open her eyes when he said, “None of this is your fault, you know.”
Mandy hoped Dana would be able to make peace with her feelings about the man who was supposed to have loved her.
Dana opened her eyes and turned to Mandy. “Sam just used the lottery ticket to confuse everyone. I’m sorry,” Dana’s voice weakened, her face almost as pale as the bandage around her head. At least the scar would be hidden by her hair.
Mandy knew Dana didn’t want pity and tried to sound upbeat. “Hey, what matters now is that you, Maria, and Ray can get well.”
Dana closed her eyes. “I think I’d like to be alone now.”
Mandy looked at Zack, worried about leaving Dana. She’d been through so much, but Zack seemed to read Mandy’s thoughts. Zack took her arm and led her from the hospital room. “Dana’s strong. With time, she’ll be fine, and she’ll have both of us to help her.”
“Both of us?”
Mandy stopped in the hallway and blinked. She couldn’t have heard right. “Zack, what did you say?”
“Marry me.”
Stunned, Mandy eyed him, wondering if she’d wake up tomorrow and find she had dreamed the entire conversation. “But the DEA. Your work?”
“I went into the DEA because I thought I could prevent what happened to Kevin from happening to others. But that was only part of the reason. Another part was for revenge against the drug dealers. I wanted to pay the dealers back. Now I’m done with revenge—Kevin wouldn’t have wanted that. He was a family guy. He would have wanted me to be with you and Gabby.”
“What about what you want?”
“I’ve been thinking about opening a private investigation firm in Tampa. Mom can throw enough business my way to keep me busy. And I bet if I ask Ben, he’ll help out.”
“Won’t you miss the DEA?” Although all her dreams seemed to be coming true, she had to be certain that Zack knew his own mind.
“Other agents can step up to take my place. No one else can be a father to Gabby as well as I can. You’re both more important to me than a job. I think I’ve always known I loved you, I just couldn’t admit it—not to you, not even to myself.”
Happiness and contentment suffused her. Zack was the only man she’d ever loved. And now they were going to be together. Always. “Yes, Zack. I’ll marry you.”
Chapter Fifty-Two
One week later
“GO. GO. GO.” Gabby toddled across the foyer to Mandy, then clung to her leg, demanding that she be allowed to accompany her mother.
Zack leaned down, scooped up their daughter, tossed her into the air, and caught her. Gabby screamed in delight. Mandy’s heart swelled with joy. She’d never dared to hope that she could have both Zack and Gabby full-time.
Even her mother was smiling. “Zack, you’ll spoil her rotten.”
Zack wore a broad smile. “A little attention—”
“A little?” Mandy arched a brow but couldn’t keep from grinning. Zack had enough energy to wear out an eleven-month-old. He was willing to play with Gabby whenever she climbed into his lap, or smiled across the room at him, or brought him a book. Oh, yeah, Zack was a soft touch where his daughter was concerned.
He tossed her again. “Gabby’s such a good girl—”
“Good girl,” Gabby repeated with a giggle.
Mandy took Gabby from Zack and finished his sentence with a bribe. “Such a good girl that she’s going to have strawberries with peanut butter.”
“Eat.” Gabby reached for her grandmother, who carried her to the kitchen.
“We could have brought her with us,” Zack complained, looking over his shoulder as if he couldn’t bear to be separated from his child.
One of them had to be reasonable. “I’d rather not take Gabby into the rain.” Mandy reached for her umbrella. “You ready?”
They were meeting Dana and Catherine for lunch, then picking out wedding invitations and hiring a photographer. If they had time, they’d even shop for rings, but she didn’t care about jewelry. Zack was finally hers. She only had to look at the love in his eyes to feel deliciously happy.
Zack opened the front door for her, and Mandy stepped onto the covered stoop. Thunderclouds blackened the sky. Wind from Tampa Bay slanted the rain sideways. Zack swept her into his arms and brought his mouth down on hers.
Mandy leaned into the kiss. Between visits to the hospital and playing with Gabby, she and Zack hadn’t had much time alone. The surging rush in her heart matched the wild elements around them. Zack’s kisses never failed to accelerate her pulse.
When he finally pulled back, his eyes dancing with heat, she grinned, enjoying him and the knowledge that they were so good together.
A wind gust sprayed them, and Mandy popped open her travel umbrella. A piece of paper floated out. A rectangular piece of paper spun into the air, floated down, and settled briefly on the stoop.
“Zack, look,” Mandy pointed, tossed aside the umbrella and stomped on the paper, then bent to pick it up. “It’s the lottery ticket!”
“Huh?” Raindrops trickled over Zack’s face, angled over his cheekbones. His eyelashes collected water droplets.
“It’s the winning ticket.” She waved it in his face. “The ticket was inside my umbrella all this time.” Mandy threw her arms around Zack’s neck. She recalled the night of the attack at the airport, flinging her purse upside down and papers going everywhere. The ticket must have flown into her partially open umbrella and she hadn’t used it since.
Moose hadn’t stolen the ticket. She’d had it all along.
Oh, my God. They still had plenty of time to cash it in. It looked as if all their luck was changing. She couldn’t
wait to tell Maria—she’d been through so much. Sylvia could retire. Lisa’s foster parents would get their daughter’s share.
Mandy could buy her mother her own place, send Gabby to the best schools, help Zack open his business. None of them would ever have to worry about money again. Catherine and Dana would be thrilled.
She grinned at Zack. “We’re rich.”
With a chuckle, Zack clasped his hands around her back and spun her on the stoop. “I was already rich. I have you.”
(Continue reading for more information)
Coming in 2013 - Susan Kearney’s Dancing with Fire
Bell Bridge books
About Susan Kearney
Susan Kearney used to set herself on fire four times a day, now a USA TODAY BESTSELLING author, she does something really hot—she writes romantic suspense and futuristic romance. She can apply the old rule of “write what you know” and never run out of ideas for characters and plots. An All-American and professional diver, expert in martial arts, sailor, real estate broker and owner of a barter business as well as women’s fitness and three hair salons, she has enough material for a lifetime.
Kearney has written historical, contemporary and futuristic romance as well as romantic suspense and science fiction for publishers such as Harlequin, Tor, Grand Central Publishing, Simon and Schuster, Berkley and BelleBooks. Kearney has won career achievement awards for paranormal and romantic suspense, as well as Telly awards for her videos. She given workshops at national conferences on the business of writing as well as on plotting, characterization, and world building.
A native of New Jersey, Kearney writes full time. She resides in a suburb of Tampa—with her husband and Boston Terrier. Currently she’s plotting her way through her 54th work of fiction. You can reach her through this web site. www.susankearney.com
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