Nicole felt Payson’s grip on her relax slightly as he focused on Michael’s convoluted explanation. She thought about Grant, how she’d felt when he’d been taken. His tear-stained face as he told her that he wasn’t scared. She thought of going to Michael’s office, just a few weeks ago, and telling him that she wasn’t going to let her son lose another mother. Mustering every mama-bear ounce of strength in her, she took a deep breath and centered herself. Now or never. She grabbed Payson’s bandaged arm and dug her fingers in deep, dropping her weight as she did so, just as Michael had taught her. Payson cried out, but Nicole was already twisting out of his grasp, fear and anger singing through her—certain that at any moment she’d hear the gunshot meant for her—and used her momentum to ram an elbow into his side as hard as she could. Heard something crack. Payson wheezed—and then Michael shouted, “Nicole! Move!” and she threw herself out of the way. Almost immediately, there were two shots, and she heard a heavy thud as Payson fell to the ground. Nicole scrambled to her feet, not sure if she wanted to run or fight, and saw Payson tumbled backwards on the floor, clutching his leg. Blood rushed between his fingers. He saw her, went for the gun that had fallen from his hand to the floor beside him—but the next second Michael was there, slamming his fist into Payson’s face. The hitman fell backward, unconscious, his head bouncing on the floor.

  “Nicole!” Michael strode over to her and jerked her into his arms, so tight it hurt. Nicole didn’t care. “Are you all right? Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?”

  “I’m fine. I’m okay.” She was shaking a little, now that it was over, adrenaline coursing through her. “I’m okay.”

  “He didn’t hurt you?” Michael’s voice was a desperate rasp. Her heart wrenched as she saw the fear in his eyes.

  “I’m not hurt.” And then, because she needed it, Nicole pulled his head down and kissed him. It was a deep, searching kiss, and she put her whole heart into it. She felt Michael’s fingers digging into her arms, pulling her closer, as if he needed to reassure himself that she was there.

  When she pulled back, they were both breathless. “Never again,” Michael told her. “You are never putting yourself in harm’s way like that again. You understand me?” He sounded shaken. “I have never been so terrified.” He kissed her again, hard.

  Michael’s phone chimed as they were tying Payson up; it was a text from Jed. Got the kid back to the cabin. Safe and sound. Dog’s going nuts. He’d attached a picture that showed Grant and Destroyer so tangled up around each other that it was hard to tell where boy ended and dog began.

  She sagged against Michael, relief making her dizzy, as he texted Jed back. And then dialed the police. It took a few tense minutes as Michael explained the situation—including why the local police station needed to send someone out here right now, and also contact Detective Kayode in New York City, as she was likely going to want to send someone out to take custody of Payson. “Tell her that I’ve got something for her.”

  21

  It was past midnight when they finally made it back to the cabin. It had taken some time for the police to get there, formally arrest Payson and take their statements. The local cops had jurisdiction for now since the kidnapping had occurred on their turf, but Detective Kayode had called Michael and assured him that she was on her way up to help with the interrogation and ensure that Payson remained safely in custody.

  “I’ve heard of Payson,” Kayode had informed him after Michael filled her in. “He has quite the reputation.”

  “The mob?” Not that he really needed to ask. He recognized the type.

  “Up to his ears,” Kayode said. “Not officially in the club, from what we gathered, but definitely one of their favorite contractors. We’ve been wanting to get our hands on him for a while now. I owe you a bottle of scotch for gift-wrapping this one.”

  “Forget the scotch,” Michael told her. “I want to know who sent him.”

  “We’ll find out.” The detective had sounded confident. Michael wasn’t so certain. A businessman like Payson probably wouldn’t have any deep loyalties to whoever hired him, but on the other hand he was probably experienced enough that he knew better than to cross the mob by agreeing to testify against them. As far as he was concerned, Payson’s mob connections only confirmed his worst fears.

  As they drove down the dark highway to the cabin, Michael glanced over at Nicole. She’d been silent ever since they left the police station. He recognized the small tension line between her eyebrows. “You’re still worried.”

  Nicole let out a long breath. “Yes.”

  “You’re safe,” he assured her. “Grant’s safe. We beat the bad guy.”

  She was silent for a long moment. “It wasn’t him. Payson isn’t the one who killed Zak. Which means that whoever did it is still out there. And now they know about the cabin, so it’s not safe to stay there anymore.” Nicole looked at him. “What are we going to do?”

  “Detective Kayode confirmed Payson’s mob affiliations. Which means he’s not going to be the only one coming after you and your friends.”

  Nicole nodded. “What’s the other thing? The other thing that’s worrying you,” she added when Michael glanced at him.

  “I heard what he was saying, when he was leading you to the back door. Payson wanted Holly’s location. Only Holly’s location,” Michael pointed out.

  Nicole leaned back against the seat. “Which means they probably know where Charlotte and Easton are already.”

  “Exactly.” Michael turned down the drive towards the cabin. In spite of the hour, he wasn’t surprised to see that every light was still blazing as they pulled up. “But since Easton and Charlotte have gone dark, there’s no way to warn them—except going down there and finding them ourselves, and hoping like hell we get there first.” Michael put the car in park and ran a hand through his hair. “So that’s what we’re going to do—we’re going to go down to Florida, we’re going to find them, and then my team and I are going to find out who’s behind this and we’re not going to stop until we take the bastards down. And I promise,” Michael said, “whatever happens, I’m going to keep you and Grant safe. Whatever happens, no one is going to hurt you while I’m still breathing.”

  It wasn’t what he wanted to say. What he wanted to say was simpler and had just three words. But it came out as, “You know that, don’t you?”

  Nicole nodded. “I do.” And the way she was looking at him made Michael want to grab her and kiss her. To find a way to say everything he hadn’t.

  But before he could say anything else, the front door of the cabin flung open and Grant was rushing out, Destroyer hard on his heels. Grant threw himself at his mother the second she got out of the car.

  “I’m here, I’m okay,” Nicole murmured, stroking her son’s hair as he held on tight. She met Michael’s eyes as she held her son, and the look she sent him was like a punch to the gut. Steady and sure. “Michael kept me safe.”

  Jed followed Grant out of the cabin, pausing just beyond the door, keeping enough distance so Nicole and Grant could have some privacy. Michael tore his eyes away from Nicole and Grant, refocusing on the mission. As much as he wished this could all be over, Michael knew better.

  Jed shifted slightly to attention as Michael crossed over to him. “Well?”

  Briefly, Michael ran through the developments—of Payson’s arrest and mob affiliations, and the likelihood that Easton and Charlotte’s location had been compromised. “We’re going to need to head out there as soon as possible and try to find them. I could use some help,” he added.

  “I’m in,” Jed said. “Anything you need. I can fly out right away. Start looking for the two of them. If you need to settle up anything here, that is,” he added, with a nod to Nicole and Grant.

  And that’s why Ken and Easton pushed so hard to hire Maloney, Michael knew. He thought about the scene at the convenience store. It could’ve gone a lot worse if Jed hadn’t been there to make sure Grant got away safely. If Michael had been stubborn enough to stick to his no second chances rule, who knows what could have happened.

  Before Michael could respond, Grant had squirmed out of his mother’s arm and raced over to Michael. Michael braced himself just in time as Grant flung his arms around him. “You saved us,” Grant whispered. “I knew you would. I wasn’t scared.”

  “I was.” Michael felt something inside him crack and break open. He hugged Grant back, shaken soul-deep. “I promise, I will never let anything like that happen to you again. I’m always going to be there to protect you. Always.”

  “You mean that?” Grant asked hesitantly.

  “I really do.” He meant it with everything he was. Michael wasn’t sure how it happened, but in just a few short weeks, making sure that this small boy was safe and happy had become the most important thing in the world to him.

  He heard a soft sound, quickly choked off, and saw Nicole watching them. Her expression was hesitant and hopeful, almost as if she was scared to believe what she’d heard.

  And then Destroyer was there, trying to wriggle his way between Michael and Grant, jumping up and licking their faces. Grant started giggling, and wriggled out of Michael’s arms to start petting him.

  Michael stood, his eyes still on Nicole. She looked exhausted, with shadows under her eyes, her hair falling in a messy tangle around her shoulders, and Payson’s blood on her shirt. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

  “Do you mean that?” she asked.

  He had to stop himself from going over to her. It had to be her choice. “I do,” Michael said. “I’m asking you for a second chance. I love you, and I want to be with you and Grant, for as long as you’ll have me.”

  “You better be sure about that,” Nicole told him, as he saw tears welling in her beautiful eyes. “Because—I’m warning you right now—I’m not always going to be easy to love. I’ll push back when I think you’re wrong. I’m going to make you take breaks for things like birthday parties, or when you’re pushing yourself too hard. You’re going to have to tell me what you're feeling, and I’m going to do the same, and neither of us are very good at that, so it’s probably going to be tough for us to figure out. But I’m going to need you to be there for me. When things are hard and I can’t handle them on my own. So you better be damn sure,” Nicole told him, and she was smiling through the tears now, and Michael felt his heart surge. “Because I love you, too. And if you are sure that I’m what you want, then I’m never letting go of you again.”

  “I’m sure,” Michael said. He swept her into a kiss, kissing her with his heart and soul. It was more than a kiss. It was a promise.

  Jed politely stepped away, but Michael heard Grant making dramatic gagging noises.

  Nicole was grinning when she pulled away to shoot her son a look. “Shut it, you.”

  But Grant was beaming. “Hey, does this mean I get a dog and a dad?”

  Epilogue

  “So your birthday’s going to be a little different this year,” Nicole told Grant as they pulled up to the beach resort. Outside, palm trees waved in the breeze, as vacationers strolled by in bathing suits and bright tropical shirts. A lot of couples and families, she noted. Good. Maybe that meant they wouldn't stand out. She wondered what their cover was going to be. Michael mentioned they might need one, just as Charlotte and Easton were pretending to be a newlywed couple. She wondered how that was working out for them. “We’re not going to be able to have a party like we planned with Grandma and Grandpa. And I don’t think Aunt Holly is going to be able to make it either.” At least, she hoped not. Grant’s birthday was only days away—they’d probably still be in Florida when it happened, and Holly needed to stay safely tucked away in Manhattan.

  She wasn’t sure if Grant was listening. He’d been practically bouncing with excitement at the prospect of going on a secret mission with Michael. She hadn’t been thrilled about the idea of bringing Grant along to find Charlotte and Easton, but Michael was right. As long as they didn’t know who, or what, was out there, they were safer together. She’d already contacted her parents and convinced them to follow their Italy trip with a visit to her mother’s sister, out in Chicago. Hopefully, with them not in town, and with none of the targets anywhere near them, the mob wouldn’t feel that tracking them down was worth the trouble.

  At the moment, Grant had his nose pressed up against the car window, peering out at the rush of people. “But we can still have cake, right?”

  Nicole grinned. “I’m sure we can manage something. And Aunt Charlie will still be there, and her friend.” Once they found them. “And Jed.”

  “And Destroyer.” The dog was sprawled out on the backseat with Grant, sleeping soundly and drooling slightly on Grant’s leg. Grant turned away from the window for a moment, his expression intent. “And you’re going to be there, too. Right?” he asked Michael.

  Nicole exchanged a look with Michael, who was doing his best not to smile. She’d noticed that was a little harder for him recently. “Yeah,” Michael said. “I’ll be there.” Grant grinned, and Nicole couldn’t help the joy that soared through her.

  Grant leaned on the back of their seats. “So what was it you wanted to talk to my mom about?’ he asked Michael.

  Michael cleared his throat. Nicole saw him glance at her out of the corner of his eyes. “Just something.”

  “Are you sure?” Grant teased. And that made Nicole sit up. She knew that look. That was how her son acted when he wanted you to know that he knew something you didn’t. “I thought it was important.” Then, in a blink, he was back at the window, before Michael could answer. “Hey, look, there’s a pool! With a waterslide!”

  Michael put the car into park right in front of the hotel. Nicole saw the quick, tactical glance he gave the front of the hotel, where people poured in and out a set of gleaming glass doors and lingered under brightly colored umbrellas at a cafe. Nicole watched the sarongs and sundresses, and glanced down at her faded gray leggings.

  Michael nodded towards the cafe. “There’s Jed.”

  “Where?” Nicole peered at the crowd, confused, following Michael’s gaze. Even then, it took her a moment. He was lingering at a cafe table, in a garish tropical shirt that should’ve stood out. Somehow it blended in with the rest of the tourists. Jed had gone on ahead to set up rooms for them, and make sure they had everything they needed to start searching for Easton and Charlotte.

  “Awesome! Let’s go say hi, boy!” Grant was immediately climbing out of the car, Destroyer shaking himself awake to follow on her son’s heels.

  Nicole caught Michael’s arm when he went to open the car door. “What is it? What did you want to talk to me about?”

  Michael took a deep breath, then dug into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. He opened it. For a moment, all she saw was the sparkle and fire. “That’s not costume jewelry.”

  “No,” he said.

  “That’s real,” she breathed. Everything inside her melted and shone.

  “It could be,” he said quietly. “It can be part of our cover, if that’s what you want. Or…” Michael was watching her, his gaze steady and sure. And hopeful. “I want you to know that whatever you choose, I’ll always be there for you. I can wait as long as you need, I can prove myself to you as many times as you need—”

  Nicole cut him off, taking his face in her hands and kissing him firmly, without hesitation or reservation. “Or,” she told him, leaving him in no doubt of her choice. She wanted it to be for real. And forever.

  Michael grinned and slipped the ring on her finger, the diamonds sparkling as it slid home. Nicole felt something inside her click into place.

  Then he took her hand as they climbed out of the car and headed onto the next adventure. Together.

  End of Protecting the Single Mother

  Aegis Security Book One

  Protecting the Single Mother, April 22nd, 2021

  Protecting His Fake Wife, April 29th, 2021

  Protecting His Pregnant Partner, May 6th, 2021

  Do you like sexy military men? Then keep reading for exclusive extracts from Protecting His Fake Wife and Guarding the Single Mother.

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  About Leslie

  Leslie North is the USA Today Bestselling pen name for a critically-acclaimed author of women's contemporary romance and fiction. The anonymity gives her the perfect opportunity to paint with her full artistic palette, especially in the romance and erotic fantasy genres.