His To Keep

by Stephanie Julian

  Carlson grunted, the gun went off and Annie screamed.

  Sheer panic hit him in the gut. He wanted to make sure she hadn’t been hit but he couldn’t release Carlson. The guy fought like someone who’d had a lot of training.

  But so had Nic. He propelled Carlson backward, away from Annie. Carlson’s head hit the cabinets and Nic smashed the guy’s hand against the edge of the counter until he dropped the gun and it clattered to the floor.

  Kicking it out of the way, he made the mistake of looking to see if Annie was okay. Carlson landed a fist to his face that rocked his head back and Nic stumbled to the side. Carlson lunged forward and Nic couldn’t get to him fast enough.

  But amazingly, Carlson stopped.

  “Move another inch and I will shoot you, Jason, somewhere that will hurt much more than your heart.”

  Annie’s voice was steady and Nic turned to see her holding the gun exactly like she was supposed to. Only she didn’t have it pointed at Carlson’s chest. No, she had it pointed exactly where she wanted the bullet to go.

  Nic straightened, grabbing Carlson’s hands and pulling them behind his back. “Annie, honey, get me something to tie his hands.”

  “No, I think I’ll just stand here with this gun trained on him while you do.”

  The tone of her voice told him he’d better agree but his still-racing heart wanted her out of the way.

  He took a deep breath, attempting to control the urge to order her out of the room. Before he released Carlson, he leaned in to growl in the guy’s ear. “If you so much as blink, she will shoot you. And when she’s done with you, I’ll start. You better hope the police get here soon. I’m not sure she won’t just shoot you because you deserve it.”

  *

  Luckily for Carlson, the police arrived only seconds before Mal, who’d called them on his way.

  Carlson had forced Annie to enter her code into the security system to deactivate the alarm after he’d broken in.

  Nic wanted to grab Annie and take her away from the cops who suddenly filled her home. Apparently Caz had called for reinforcements when he’d found out who was involved.

  The police had separated them for questioning, probably because Nic still looked like he felt. Like he wanted to kill Carlson.

  He understood the cops’ reasoning but it still made his jaw clench tight. He gave his statement in record time then waited impatiently for Annie to finish hers.

  Though they wouldn’t allow him into the room with her, he could see her. She looked pale but calm. And she hadn’t said a word to him since the cops had arrived.

  She had every right to be pissed off at him.

  He’d screwed up. And Annie had almost paid the price.

  At least fifteen minutes later, Annie smiled and nodded at the detective taking her statement then rose and led him to the door, as if he’d been a dinner guest to whom she was saying good night. The cop, a grizzled twenty-year veteran with a crew cut and a reputation for being a hard ass, smiled back and squeezed her shoulder before he left.

  Seems she’d worked her magic again.

  Closing the door, she turned to face him. He couldn’t read anything from her expression. Couldn’t tell if she was angry or frightened or relieved.

  He wanted to put his arms around her but he didn’t want to have her push him away. So he waited for her.

  Instead, she leaned back against the door. “I’ve been trying to figure something out.”

  Nic crossed his arms over his chest. “What’s that?”

  “Why would Jason Carlson call you? I was the one he hated me. Why would he even think to terrorize you?”

  He’d wondered when she’d come around that question. He just hadn’t expected her to ask it in such a calm tone of voice. He’d figured she’d be freezing him out right about now.

  “Janey told me what happened, what Carlson had done.” His hands clenched into fists until his knuckles ached with the strain. “I know Dad took care of the guy with the firm, but I couldn’t let it go, Annie, not when he started going to the papers. He hurt you and I wanted him to know he’d have to deal with me if he ever tried it again. I’m sorry. This was my fault. I shouldn’t have—”

  “Dominic, stop.” She closed the distance between them, stopping only when there was less than an inch of space. Lifting her hand, she placed it over his fast-beating heart. “This is not your fault. Carlson is crazy. He’s a selfish, sadistic bully who thinks anything he wants should belong to him.”

  “But if I hadn’t goaded him—”

  “You didn’t goad him.” She poked him with her index finger and his pulse rate kicked up as well. “Carlson is the one at fault, not you.”

  He studied her expression and realized she truly believed what she was saying. The guilt hanging over his head lightened a little.

  He released the pent-up breath in his lungs. “Annie…”

  The doorbell rang but neither of them moved.

  Until Nic heard Annie’s mom through the comm system.

  “Andrea. Are you okay? Grace and Frank are here, as well. I need to see you, sweetheart, just to make sure you’re okay.”

  Her eyebrows lifted and that slim finger poked him again. “We’re not done with this.”

  He let his lips curve in a smile as she turned to open the door.

  There was the Annie he knew. The one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

  He just had to find the right words to make her believe he meant them.

  Then she opened the door and their parents descended.

  Annie’s mom wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tight while his mom hovered over them.

  Grace sent him a look that promised she’d get to him.

  But first he’d have to deal with his dad.

  “Are you okay, Nic?” His dad spoke low enough that the others couldn’t hear him.

  “Yeah, we’re both fine.”

  “And you made sure you gave the cops enough to send Carlson away?”

  “Yes, Dad.”

  The corners of his dad’s mouth turned up. “You know your mom’s gonna rip you on this one.”

  “Yes, Dad.”

  Now his dad’s smile was full-blown. “That’s exactly right, son. Just keep nodding and smiling and maybe she’ll let you off with nothing more than a—”

  “Dominic.”

  His dad lost the grin but his eyes shone as Grace put her arms around Nic’s waist and gave him a hard hug. When she pulled back, she gave him a pointed look and headed for the kitchen.

  His dad gave him a shit-eating grin before Nic turned to face the music.

  He found Grace in the kitchen, out of sight from the living room, where Annie and Beatrice and Frank had gone.

  Arms crossed over her chest, she waited with an expectant expression on her face. He resisted the urge to sigh or hunch his shoulders. His mom would see that as a sign of weakness. And she already had enough ammunition.

  “What’s up, Mom?”

  Grace let him stew as he walked toward her. Even though he towered over her, he still felt like a sixteen-year-old caught out after curfew.

  “Are you really okay?”

  He gave in to the urge to sigh and watched his mother’s left eyebrow rise, expressing so much with so little movement. Nic had never quite learned how to do that. Only Jimmy had inherited that special skill.

  “I’m fine, Mom. We’re both fine.”

  “Then you’re in big trouble. I could have helped you with this. Why didn’t you come to me?”

  He kept his mouth shut. He didn’t want to hurt his mom’s feelings.

  But of course, she already knew if the look on her face was anything to go by.

  “Mom—”

  She held up her index fingers, cutting him off. “No. No, I don’t want to hear it. You and your brother and sister have to get over this fear you have that your dad and I are fragile.”

  “No, Mom, that’s not—”

  “So are you going to ask her to ma
rry you?”

  Nic blinked and his mind went blank for five full seconds. It was so not what he’d thought she’d say that his brain couldn’t process the words fast enough.

  His mouth dropped open and he almost stammered out something that would have sounded asinine. When he finally regained control, he crossed his arms, mirroring her stance. “Do you think maybe I should talk to Annie about it first?”

  His mother did smile now. “I don’t believe you need to think about it anymore, sweetheart. Seven years is long enough.”

  He shook his head. “Mom, it’s just not…” He sighed, wanting to pull out his hair.

  Her lips tilted up at the corners. “Dominic, do you love her?”

  He didn’t have to think about this answer. “Yes.”

  Grace shrugged. “Then there’s nothing to discuss. You know, your father wasn’t sure he wanted to ask me to marry him. He was worried about our lives being too dangerous to commit to one another, to bring children into our union. I convinced him that if you let fear rule your decisions, you’ll live your life without making any. And miss out on the best parts. Don’t let fear paralyze you. You deserve as much happiness as you can find.”

  When his mom smiled like that, he couldn’t help but return it.

  And suddenly, happily ever after didn’t seem impossible.

  “Can you give me a minute, Mom? I need to give Jimmy a call.”

  *

  It took a few hours for everything to settle down.

  Janey showed up, after taking Toni home, so Annie had to go through the entire event again while Nic talked to Jimmy, who’d arrived just after Janey.

  Jimmy wore a huge grin as he slipped Nic the package he’d asked Jimmy to get from his apartment.

  Annie’s mom had been reluctant to leave, but finally Frank and Grace convinced her that Annie would be fine now that Jason Carlson had been arrested. There was no way the man would be out of jail, not even on bail at least until Monday.

  And even then, he’d have a tough time getting bail because he was a flight risk. Apparently being a disgraced lawyer with a vacation home in Mexico and another in Switzerland worked against you.

  Annie could live with that.

  What she couldn’t live without was Nic. And he hadn’t spent more than two seconds alone with her since the moment their parents had shown up.

  But now that he stood at the front door, closing it behind Janey and Mal, the last to leave, she had a moment to panic.

  Would he leave too? Now that this situation was over, would they revert to their corners and come out fighting again Monday morning?

  That’s not what she wanted.

  She wanted Nic forever and she was sick of waiting.

  She didn’t want to think about what had happened the last time she’d gotten sick of waiting for Nic. When she’d kissed him and he’d rejected her.

  “Annie.”

  She turned from the refrigerator, where she stood with the door open. Why was she in here? Damn, she was losing her mind.

  Then she looked into those beautiful blue eyes and knew her heart was already gone so she might as well lose it all.

  She sighed at him and smiled, causing his eyes to widen as he leaned against the wall. Then he grinned back at her and she swore her knees went weak.

  She wanted to walk over, wind her arms around his waist and never let go. But she held her ground. She wanted him to make the first move.

  So when he crooked his finger at her, she didn’t hesitate to the close the distance between them.

  His arm snaked around her waist as soon as she was close enough and he drew her against him. She settled her head against his chest and felt him trail a finger across her lips, making her shiver.

  “How’re you holding up?”

  “I’m fine.” She took a deep breath and decided to go for it. “Nic—”

  “I love you.”

  She stilled, unsure of what she’d heard. Hoping like hell that it was exactly what she’d thought. “Nic…”

  Putting his hands on either side of her face, he tilted her head back so he could look into her eyes.

  “I’ve loved you for years. But you were so much younger. And I was an idiot to waste so much time thinking it mattered as much as I thought it did.”

  Biting her lip so she didn’t make any embarrassing whimpers, she let herself take him in. His expression totally blew her away. He looked unsure yet determined. As if he thought she’d reject him.

  “I’ve only ever wanted you, Nic. You have to know that.”

  His doubt wiped away, leaving only sharp relief. “Then I want you to marry me. Annie, will you please marry me?”

  She opened her mouth but he placed finger over her lips before she could answer. “I know I’m not the easiest guy to get along with and I know I haven’t treated you as well as I should have. But I figure if I tell you I love you enough, that’ll make up for the rest of the conversations we won’t have. And after all this time, you should be able to read me pretty well. You…” Now he smiled, a full-out devastating grin that nearly knocked the air from her lungs. “I’m constantly amazed by you. I don’t think there will ever be a time that I’m not in awe of you.”

  Then he did something that made her heart stop. He dropped to one knee and pulled something out of his pocket, something shiny and sparkly that she couldn’t see very well because her eyes flooded with tears.

  “My grandmother left this ring to me but she made me promise to give it to the only girl I’ll ever love. That’s you, Annie. Please marry me and put me out of my misery.”

  “Dominic.” His name was her answer as she extended her left hand, felt him slide the square-cut emerald solitaire on her finger. “Oh, Nic. I love you. I always have. I always will.”

  She thought she felt his fingers shake as he grasped her hand to bring it to his lips and kiss it, and his eyelids closed briefly before he stood and pulled her into his arms and made everything fall into place in her world.

  THE END

  HIS TO KEEP

  Book 2 in the DeMarco Investigations series

  SEX, LIES & SURVEILLANCE

  Book 1 in the DeMarco Investigations series

  Available from Carina Press

  http://www.amazon.com/Sex-Lies-and-Surveillance-ebook/dp/B00699MAH2/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_4