She brushed her damp hair into its usual bob, but because she’d showered and washed her hair often in the past two days, the black color was starting to fade, revealing more of the natural strawberry blonde she thought was boring.

  She didn’t have mascara or lip gloss with her either, so Nikolai would just have to take her as she was. That man could be more observant and outspoken than was comfortable.

  Except when she entered the sitting room, there were three men there, not two. The third man was standing in front of the window. He wore sunglasses, his back to the room as he looked out at the brightness of the day. Mia didn’t recognize him as being one of the Kingston brothers.

  “Nikolai,” she greeted the Russian, but her wary gaze remained on the third man as he slowly turned to face her.

  “Oh my God…!” His face paled as he took an involuntary step back to lean against the window.

  Mia looked questioningly at Darius, but his shrug said he had no idea what was happening either. They both turned to look at Nikolai.

  He grimaced. “Let me first say that the situation with Anthony Bart has been settled satisfactorily for everyone concerned.”

  “Is he still alive?” Darius prompted dryly.

  “Very much so, unfortunately.” Nikolai grimaced. “But with his money returned to him, he has agreed to take no further interest in the Fletcher situation.”

  “Good,” Mia accepted distractedly, still very much aware of the man standing near the windows staring at her.

  “As for the rest…” Nikolai snorted. “For once in my life, I admit to having no idea where to start.”

  “With what?” Darius demanded even as he moved protectively to Mia’s side.

  The Russian turned to the third man. “Did you bring the photograph with you as I asked?”

  The other man seemed incapable of speech and unable to stop staring at Mia as he reached into the breast pocket of his jacket to remove a photograph. His hand shook as he gave it to Nikolai.

  “As I thought.” Nikolai glanced down at it before giving a nod of satisfaction. “Not that the photograph is necessary, but I thought Mia might need to see something more…tangible.”

  “Mia has absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” she assured him irritably, feeling really uncomfortable under the intense scrutiny of the third man.

  “Look at this.” Nikolai handed her the photograph at the same time that he reached into his breast pocket and took out a slip of paper. “The photograph is visual evidence, but this is official confirmation.” He placed the slip of paper in her other hand.

  Mia looked down at the colored photograph. The man was obviously a much younger version of the one standing near the windows, his dark hair showing none of the gray it had now. The woman at his side was slender, with strawberry-blonde hair, her face dominated by bright blue eyes. In her arms, she held a sleeping baby, possibly about three months old.

  Mia turned from the photograph to read the slip of paper in her other hand.

  Then she read it again.

  And again.

  The words remained the same, no matter how many times she read it. Each time, it still said that the DNA sample for Rufus Wynter was a 99% paternal match to that of Mia Smith.

  She glanced at Nikolai. “How…?”

  “You might recall I removed a strand of your hair from your shoulder three days ago,” he reminded. “I kept it. Without his knowledge, I did the same to Rufus the following day.”

  Mia looked across at the man standing in front of the window. “You’re Rufus Wynter?”

  “Yes.”

  “The same Rufus Wynter who compiled a file on me and gave it to Darius?”

  “Yes.”

  She held up the slip of paper. “Have you seen this?”

  “No.”

  “Would you like to?” she invited huskily.

  “I don’t need to.” A choked sob seemed to catch in his throat, deep grooves etched into his cheeks. “There were no clear photographs of you available when I gathered the security information on you. If there had been, maybe I would have realized sooner… You look so much like Beth that I… You’re my daughter.” His voice quivered with emotion. “You’re my Emily. I have no idea how you’re here, alive and so, so beautiful, but I know without a doubt that you’re my daughter.”

  Her real name was Emily? Emily Wynter?

  It didn’t seem possible.

  It felt unreal.

  Surreal.

  Even though she was holding the DNA evidence in her hand.

  Mia turned to Darius. “Did you know about any of this?”

  “Absolutely not.” His arm tightened about her shoulders. “I would never have let you walk into an ambush.” He glared his displeasure at Nikolai.

  Who looked totally unperturbed by both the verbal and visual admonishment. “Once I had my suspicions and the evidence confirmed them, I thought the best way to deal with this was to—how do they phrase it?—tear off the Band-Aid as quickly as possible. From the moment I met Mia, I knew she looked familiar to me, and yet I had never met her before. It’s the unusual color of her eyes, of course…”

  “What about them?” Mia raised a self-conscious hand to place her fingers above her cheekbones.

  He turned to Rufus Wynter. “Could you step forward and remove your sunglasses, please?”

  The man did so, placing them in the breast pocket of his jacket, the paleness of his gaze remaining fixed on Mia as he slowly approached her. As if he was afraid she might disappear if he moved too quickly.

  Mia’s breath became lodged in her throat once he was close enough for her to be able to see his eyes clearly. They were an exact match for her own: that same unusual green with a turquoise ring about the iris.

  Because Rufus Wynter was her father?

  The piece of paper in her hand said that he was, yes.

  She leaned heavily against Darius before lifting her chin. “If all of this is true, why did you abandon me when I was six months old?”

  “I didn’t!” Rufus choked, tears starting to fall silently down his cheeks. “I would never have done that. Never! Nor would your mother. We both loved you very much.”

  “Then where is she?”

  His throat moved as he swallowed. “She died twenty years ago. In a car accident. You were in the car with her. I thought—we all thought you had died too.”

  “You thought I was dead?” she accused incredulously. “Shouldn’t my body have been in the car if that was the case?”

  “Mia,” Nikolai admonished gently, waiting until she had turned a glare on him before continuing. “Elizabeth Wynter’s car was involved in a multiple-vehicle crash on a motorway. The car in front of her crashed into an oil tanker that had skidded across all the carriageways. Three more cars were involved before the traffic managed to stop. One of the cars must have pierced the barrel of the tanker, because when one of the vehicles caught fire, it blew up the oil tanker too, engulfing all the vehicles in white-hot flames. None of the fire engines could get close enough to do anything but contain the fire and wait for it to burn itself out. Afterward, they discovered the body of the tanker driver and those traveling inside the immediate cars had been more or less vaporized by the intensity of the heat. You set out in the car with your mother that day, and so it was presumed by the police and Rufus that you had died too.”

  “For twenty years, I’ve believed that’s what happened,” Rufus groaned achingly.

  Mia gave a puzzled shake of her head. “But how did I survive?”

  “I have no idea how you’re now standing in front of me, alive and so like your beautiful mother. My Beth.” His voice broke. “Right now, I don’t care how it happened,” he added strongly. “All I know is you’re here, you’re alive and safe, and that’s all that matters.”

  Mia stared at him, unable to believe… Unable to comprehend…

  Darius swung Mia up into his arms as she swayed. “I hope you’re satisfied, you fucking drama queen,” he told Nikolai accusingly as he carried Mia across the room to sit on the sofa with her seated on his thighs. “You couldn’t call and give me a heads-up, could you. Oh no, that’s beneath the arrogant Nikolai Volkov. Instead, you decided to just stride in here and shock the shite out of everyone, Mia especially.” He looked up at Rufus. “If all of this is true…?”

  “It’s true,” Nikolai confirmed quietly.

  Darius nodded. “Then Rufus needs to know, no matter what happens after this, that I’ve asked Mia to marry me, and she’s accepted.”

  The older man smiled. “She couldn’t have chosen a better man.” He chuckled softly when Darius blinked his surprise. “I sincerely hope that my daughter and you will allow me to be a part of her life going forward.” He gave a dazed shake of his head. “I have no idea how any of this is possible, but I have absolutely no doubts, even without the DNA test, that Mia is my daughter. She has my eyes, and she looks so much like Beth,” he said achingly.

  “Then I’m happy for you,” Darius told him gruffly. “For both of you.” His arm tightened about Mia’s waist.

  “And I promise you, no matter how long it takes, I will get to the bottom of this,” Rufus added grimly. “I know from her file that my Emily was forced to spend almost eighteen years of her life in an orphanage, and two more years living hand-to-mouth as a student.” A dark thundercloud now creased his brow. “Someone is responsible for that, and once I discover who, I intend to make them suffer for it.”

  Darius couldn’t fault the other man for feeling that way. He was feeling pretty fucking vengeful himself against whoever could have done this to Mia.

  In the meantime, once Mia felt up to it, they had a wedding to plan.

  Her thoughts were obviously running along the same lines as she looked shyly at the man she has just discovered was her father. “Will you give me away at our wedding?”

  The tears fell heavier and faster down the hard grooves in Rufus’s cheeks. “It would be my greatest honor.”

  Darius removed his arm from about Mia’s waist as she stood.

  She seemed unsure once she’d done so what to do next.

  Rufus seemed just as uncertain. “May I hug you?”

  “Please,” she invited softly.

  The were both crying before their arms even went about each other, and the tears streamed down both their faces once they were hugging tightly.

  The first hug father and daughter had shared for almost twenty years.

  Darius couldn’t even imagine how heartbreaking—

  “Until now, I had thought I might be given the privilege of walking Mia down the aisle.” Nikolai gave an exaggerated sigh. “Perhaps I could ‘disappear’ Rufus before the wedding day…” he mused speculatively.

  “Shut up, Nikolai,” the three of them said together before looking at each other and bursting out laughing.

  Seconds later, the much-feared and respected Russian Wolf joined in their laughter.

  Two years later, Mia and Darius’s daughter, Elizabeth Anoushah Kingston, was born. She was welcomed and instantly loved by both of her parents, her doting grandfather, Rufus, another set of grandparents, and all her uncles and aunts.

  Mia’s childhood might have been barren of love, but her father and Darius had more than made up for it in the years since. Nor could she have asked for a more loving and close-knit family than the Kingstons.

  By the time Mia and Darius’s son, Leo Rufus Kingston, was born, a year after his sister, Mia was running a successful and well-established animal shelter. Its guests were often welcomed by a joyful Honey, although she was more often than not to be found standing guard somewhere over Beth and Leo.

  Darius was, as Mia had known he would be, the most passionately loving and caring husband in the world. As well as being a perfect and affectionate daddy to their two children.

  Mia had no doubts that, if they had more children, Darius would love them with that same intensity.

  The same intensity with which Mia loved him and he loved her.

  Forever.

  Rufus Wynter’s story and the mystery of Mia’s disappearance will be part of the first book in my new contemporary series, Wynter Hearts. Coming soon!

  But before that, there’s still Felix’s and Casper’s stories to come in the Kingston Security series.

  Kingston’s Obsession (Kingston Security 6), Felix’s story, will be next, and as he’s still something of a mystery, even to me, it looks like being a thrilling ride.

  If you would like to read Nikolai Volkov’s story it’s the sixth book in my Alpha series, Warrior Alpha (Alpha 6).

  NEWSLETTER AND SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

  For news on upcoming releases in the Ruthless Regency Dukes, Kingston Security, Regency Scandal, Russian Dragon Heat, Regency Club Venus, Regency Men in Love, Regency Lovers, Steele Protectors, Regency Sinners, Dragon Hearts, Regency Unlaced, Knight Security, and Alpha Series please sign up to my mailing list/newsletter: http://www.eepurl.com/2rfzz

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  Or email me at: contact@carolemortimer.co.uk

  If you have enjoyed reading this book, please consider leaving a review of this book with your ebook retailer. Your reviews matter so much! Thank you.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Carole Mortimer is a USA Today Bestselling Author and recipient of the RWA Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award 2015, RT Career Achievement Award 2017, RT Pioneer for Romance Award 2014. She was also recognized by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012 for her ‘outstanding service to literature’. Carole has written over 280 contemporary, Regency and paranormal romance novels.

  She is happily married to Peter. They have 6 sons, and live on the beautiful Isle of Man. She also loves to hear from Readers!

  OTHER BOOKS BY CAROLE MORTIMER

  NEW Regency Series

  The Wager (Ruthless Regency Dukes 1)

  The Mistress (Ruthless Regency Dukes 2)

  The Widow (Ruthless Regency Dukes 3)

  The Guardian (Ruthless Regency Dukes 4)

  The Hero (Ruthless Regency Dukes 5)

  Kingston Security:

  Kingston’s Ransom (Kingston Security 1)

  Kingston’s Captive (Kingston Security 2)

  Kingston’s Redemption (Kingston Security 3) my 275th Book

  Kingston’s Enigma (Kingston Security 4)

  Kingston’s Salvation (Kingston Security 5)

  Kingston’s Obsession (Kingston Security 6)

  Regency Scandal:

  WANTON (Regency Scandal 1)

  WILD (Regency Scandal 2)

  WAYWARD (Regency Scandal 3)

  SINFUL (Regency Scandal 4)

  Series in now complete

  Russian Dragon Heat:

  VLADIMIR (Russian Dragon Heat 1)

  VAUGHN (Russian Dragon Heat 2)

  VIKTOR (Russian Dragon Heat 3)

  More books to come in this series.

  Regency Club Venus:

  Bastian’s Surrender (Regency Club Venus 1)

  Gabriel’s Torment (Regency Club Venus 2)

  Benedict’s Challenge (Regency Club Venus 3)

  Julius’s Passion (Regency Club Venus 4)

  James’s Lady (Regency Club Venus 5)

  Series now complete.

  Dance with the Devil Series:

  MATTEO (Dance with the Devil 1)

  LEON (Dance with the Devil 2)

  KILLIAN (Dance with the Devil 3)

  JERICHO (Dance with the Devil 4)

  KIERAN (Dance with the Devil 5)

  Series now complete

  Regency Men in Love M/M (Written as C A Mortimer)

  Hidden Lover (Regency Men in Love 1)

  Hidden Desire (Regency Men in Love 2)

  More books to come in this series.

  Regency Lovers Series:

  INDECENT (Regency Lovers 1)

  OBSESSION (Regency Lovers 2)

  CRAVING (Regency Lovers 3)

  FORBIDDEN (Regency Lovers 4)

  SURRENDER (Regency Lovers 5)

  SCANDAL (Regency Lovers 6)

  Series complete

  Steele Protectors Series:

  LOGAN (Steele Protectors 1)

  ATTICUS (Steele Protectors 2)

  BRYCE (Steele Protectors 3)

  ROURKE (Steele Protectors 4)

  HAYDN (Steele Protectors 5) Author’s 250th book

  LUCAN (Steele Protectors 6)

  Series Complete

  Dragon Hearts – Contemporary paranormal

  Nathaniel (Dragon Hearts 1)

  Deryk (Dragon Hearts 2)

  Bryn (Dragon Hearts 3)

  Dylan (Dragon Hearts 4)

  Grigor (Dragon Hearts 5)

  Garrett (Dragon Hearts 6)

  Aeran & Rhys (Dragon Hearts 7)

  Dragon Reunion (Dragon Hearts 8)

  Series Complete

  Regency Sinners Series:

  Wicked Torment (Regency Sinners 1)

  Wicked Surrender (Regency Sinners 2)

  Wicked Scandal (Regency Sinners 3)

  Wicked Deception Regency Sinners 4)

  Wicked Captive (Regency Sinners 5)

  Wicked Temptation (Regency Sinners 6)

  Wicked Sinner (Regency Sinners 7)

  Wicked Christmas (Regency Sinners 8)

  Series now complete.

  Regency Unlaced Series:

  The Duke’s Mistress (Book 1)

  Claimed by the Marquis (Book 2)

  Taken by the Earl (Book 3)

  Pursued by the Viscount (Book 4)