People were screaming.

  Running.

  Sirens roared above the chaos.

  Traffic didn’t slow, zooming by.

  All I could think about was getting inside the van. Steam rose from the crumpled front. Panting, I wiped blood from my brow and rushed toward the side door just as it was thrown open.

  With his arm around Christine’s neck, Fassi yanked her toward the edge of the van.

  I straightened to my full height, staring at the worthless son of a bitch we’d been hunting. He wasn’t the massive figure he made himself out to be, barely five foot eight. It didn’t matter. He had a weapon pointed at her head.

  I kept my hands wrapped around the weapon, doing my best to keep my cool.

  Her face was ashen, the gag in her mouth enough to piss me off. Seeing movement, I reacted instantly, firing off a shot to the enemy soldier also in the cargo hold.

  There was no time for conversation. I could tell by the look in Fassi’s eyes he had no intention of allowing my beautiful wife to live.

  When I cocked my head and locked eyes with the woman I’d accidentally fallen in love with, it was as if she’d read my mind.

  Her sharp elbow jab into his stomach was enough to break his hold. Christine lunged forward, but not before kicking him in the groin. Just as she went down, both Fassi and I reacted at the same time.

  Only instead of turning his weapon on me, he pointed the barrel of the gun toward my wife.

  And the fucker laughed.

  Pop! Pop! Pop!

  The force of the gunshots drove him backward. He stumbled, twisting in a macabre dance before spiraling directly into traffic.

  A hard thud was followed by a screech of tires, another thump a split second later.

  I rushed forward, dropping to the sidewalk and gathering Christine into my arms.

  “Baby. Oh, fuck, baby.” I jerked at the gag, hissing when I couldn’t get it off right away.

  Her eyes peered up at me, a single tear slipping down the side of her face.

  As soon as the gag was off, she gasped for air and gripped my hand.

  “Oh, baby. I love you,” I told her.

  “You love me?” she repeated, a wicked look in her eyes.

  “Yeah, I guess I do. Until fucking death do us part.”

  I shifted my gaze back and forth before crushing my mouth over hers.

  And from somewhere behind us I heard several pairs of hands clapping.

  Six weeks later…

  The South of France

  Christine

  The sun was magnificent, not a cloud in the sky.

  While the umbrella shaded a good portion of the two of us, Maverick was intent on building sandcastles a few feet away.

  “Just a little while longer, little man. I don’t want you to get burned.”

  Kruz looked over at me, lifting his sunglasses. “Do you want me to put more lotion on him?”

  “You’d do that?” I asked, already reaching into the canvas bag holding everything from snacks to three different SPF protection levels of sunscreen.

  When I plopped a bottle into his hand, he laughed. “I guess I will.” As he pulled himself to a standing position, I lifted my shades to gather a long look at his muscular torso. Breathing in, I was content with just looking at him, basking in the moment of peace and quiet.

  We’d had almost none up until now.

  The flurry of activity after the horrible incident in New York had taken a toll on everyone, but not our growing diamond business. Elegant Embellishments had already made a name in the industry. With the shipments of pink diamonds, our client base was growing daily. We had yet to be able to keep up with demand.

  I should be content, although my father’s arrest had put a damper on the excitement. While I wasn’t upset and certainly didn’t feel guilty, my mother was having a difficult time coming to terms with the fact I’d been a part of indicting him.

  At least I’d learned the jewelry stores and both Skyler and my father had been under investigation for some time. The information I’d provided had merely tipped the wheels of justice in their direction. Still, my mother blamed me. Maybe one day she’d come around.

  At least she was out of the abusive situation.

  “Ew. Do I have to, Mommy?” Maverick asked in his sweet voice.

  “Yes, you do. You don’t want to ruin getting ice cream later. Do you?” I laughed when he scrunched up his face. Maybe I was laughing at the look Kruz gave him. To think of him as a doting father seemed odd, but that’s what he’d turned into.

  He’d even learned to play catch. Maybe Kruz would be able to relax and be a kid for a change.

  Hmmm… What was I suggesting? I didn’t need two children in the house, let alone…

  Sighing, I sat back doing nothing more than enjoying watching the two. With the chore of lathering Maverick’s sandy body complete, I kept from laughing. The kid needed a bath.

  We all did.

  My toes were covered in sand, but it was one of the best feelings in the world.

  After all, this was my honeymoon.

  I closed my eyes and it must have been for longer than I’d thought. When I opened them again, Maverick was trying and almost accomplishing burying Kruz in the sand.

  Something prompted me to be mischievous. I crawled off the lounge chair, remaining on my hands and knees as I moved toward them.

  Kruz evidently had his eyes closed as well since he didn’t react.

  I placed my finger over my lips to keep Maverick from giving me away. After filling a bucket full of sand, I took aim at Kruz’s face, dumping the contents all over.

  Kruz jerked up, uttering several loud growls as he struggled to wipe sand from his eyes.

  Maverick was hysterical, laughing himself silly.

  My laugh was also instantaneous. When Kruz jumped up, I crawled backward, finally struggling to my feet and running toward the shore.

  I was no match for Kruz. He jerked me into his arms three seconds later, spinning me around before heading to the water.

  “You should think twice about sneaking up on a really bad man,” he said in his husky voice.

  “Who was sneaking?”

  “You were. My mischievous wife.” He took several long strides into the water, holding me up as if ready to toss me into the waves.

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “Oh, yes, I would.”

  As usual, the man underestimated me. Before he tossed me out by several feet, I grabbed his arm. We both went down, spinning around in the water as the waves crashed over us.

  Sputtering, I lunged up from the water, laughing so hard I almost sucked down the salty liquid. Kruz splashed his way through, immediately shaking his head. When he caught sight of me, he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around me.

  “You are a very bad girl. Perhaps I should toss you over my knee.”

  “You can’t. Not with an audience.”

  We both heard giggles coming from the shore. Maverick stood pointing at us, laughing up a storm.

  “There’s always later,” he growled and fisted the back of my hair.

  “Promises. Promises.”

  “I think you know me better than that by now. I always come through.”

  “Hmm…” I tried to push off from him, but he refused, capturing my mouth instead. The kiss was the same as always, utterly incredible. As he swept his tongue inside, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

  With everything we’d gone through, I was floored by how intense our relationship had become. There was a strange connection that only grew stronger, a need unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

  “Ew. Mommy.”

  My little man’s chastisement finally broke the moment. We both looked at him.

  “You know what I was thinking,” Kruz said in his deep voice, the one that always sent a wave of heat into every muscle.

  “Should I be afraid to ask?”

  He forced my legs around his, pulling me even tighter. “Always, my wife. But I think it’s time you made good on the remainder of your contract.”

  “Now what would that mean?”

  “You know, the part where you’re required to give me an heir.”

  “You mean Maverick isn’t too much for you?” I pulled back, studying his face, barely able to keep from smiling.

  “I have him wrapped around my little finger.”

  I glanced over at Maverick, biting back laughter.

  “What? You don’t think so?”

  “Nope. Just the other way around. Weren’t you the one who insisted on buying him more toys last night when he has a room full of them?” I asked, lifting an eyebrow.

  “Kids can never have too many toys.”

  “Right. How about the promise to take him for ice cream? Again?”

  “So what? Kids deserve treats.” Kruz was grinning from ear to ear.

  “I think he has you wrapped around his little finger.”

  “Not a man like me. So, are you going to honor your contract or do I need to get an attorney involved?”

  “Well, I think the contract needs to be dissolved,” I told him with an evil grin.

  “And why is that?”

  Sighing, I allowed him to think about it. “Because all terms have been fulfilled. Okay, with the exception of the two years.”

  He laughed. “Nice try. Not going to…” His head shot up. “Wait a minute. Are you…”

  “It would seem you know a thing or two about the birds and bees.”

  When he absorbed my answer, he threw his head back and bellowed. “My wife is pregnant!”

  Once upon a time a bad man entered my apartment. He had a gun in his hand, a scowl on his face. There had been no doubt there was evil intent on his mind.

  But something changed, the dangerous moment turning into something special.

  I’d fallen in love with someone I knew would love and protect me and my beautiful children for the rest of my life. No matter what was necessary and what dangers he faced.

  Would everything in our lives be perfect? Well, of course not. I was marrying a powerful man, a soldier called the dictator.

  However, who said that good things couldn’t come from bad or that the boogeyman couldn’t be reformed?

  Let all the naysayers envy my life.

  Let them see that true love could exist even in the strangest of circumstances.

  The End

  AFTERWORD

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