Blood Blade Sisters Series (40 page)

Epilogue

“Pardon me, Mrs. Oliver, but I found this in Miss Lucy’s room,” Mary said, holding out a folded note to Brynne.

“Thank you, Mary.”

Brynne took the note and sat down, closing her eyes against a sudden wave of nausea. The bouts of illness with this baby were much worse than she’d had with Coraline and Brynne prayed it would abate soon. Hopefully, this little one wouldn’t make as early an appearance as Coraline had or eyebrows would be set to waggling yet again. They’d only just found out for sure, but she’d had a good suspicion that she’d been expecting when she and Richard had said their vows a few weeks back.

Brynne read the paper she held in suddenly shaking hands. The blood rushed from her head so quickly she felt faint.

Richard caught sight of her from across the room and hurried to her side.

“What is it? What’s wrong? Is it the child?”

Brynne’s hand strayed to her belly, caressed the small bump that hadn’t yet begun to show. “No, I’m fine. The baby is fine. It’s…it’s Lucy.”

She handed him the letter. His frown deepened as he read. Cilla joined them.

“What’s wrong?”

Brynne slumped into the nearest chair. “Lucy is gone.”

“What?”

“She’s gone. She’s gone off to find that betraying son of a bi—”

“I thought she’d gotten over all that nonsense,” Cilla said, taking the letter from Richard.

“Apparently not,” Brynne said.

“Well.” Cilla turned to Leo who’d come up behind her to read the letter over her shoulder. “Looks like our visit has been extended.”

Brynne’s eyebrows shot up, but she nodded, grim determination filling her. “The children can stay with Cora. She’ll be thrilled to get more time with her grandson and she’s always asking for more time with Coraline.”

Cilla shook her head. “Brynne, Leo and I can handle this. You shouldn’t be traveling in your condition.”

Brynne’s eyes narrowed and Leo chuckled. Richard looked at him, his own eyebrow raised in question.

“A bit familiar is all. Better stand back and let them work it out.”

Brynne ignored them, though she took a second to shoot them both a glare before she turned her attention back to her sister. “We are not going through this again, Cilla. I am perfectly capable of searching for Lucy and am doubly responsible for finding her. It’s my fault. I’m the one that brought that man into our lives. If anyone is going to find them and put a stop to his meddling with our family, it’s going to be me.”

“You have to consider your child…”

“I did much more than travel when I was much farther along with Coraline and we were both perfectly fine.”

“You were not, you almost died!”

“That wasn’t because of my activities, and you know it. Besides, this is different. The conditions won’t be nearly so bad—”

“You can’t know that. They might be worse!”

Brynne headed for the door, Cilla following along behind.

“You always look for the worst in every situation,” Brynne said, her voice getting farther away as she started up the stairs.

“I do not. I’m realistic enough to….” Their voices faded away.

Richard looked at Leo. “Should I be concerned?”

Leo laughed, not trying to hide his amusement now that the women were no longer within ear shot. “No. They’ll get it sorted out. They always do.”

“Well then. Seems like I have a few arrangements to make.”

Leo nodded and clapped him on the shoulder. “Looks like the Blood Blade Sisters are riding again.”

Acknowledgments

My deepest thanks to all those who have helped get this book out in the world. It truly takes a village and I have been blessed with an amazing support system.

To my husband and kids—Tom, Connor, Ryanna, Kyelie, and Matt—I love you all more than anything in the world. Your love and support mean more than I can say. To my family, the best cheerleading team in the world—Mike and Laurie Marquis, Ryan, Jeanette, Shaun, and Brandon Marquis, and to Mindy, Gail, and Michelle—my forever love. Thank you so much for everything.

To my amazing editors, Erin Molta and Gwen Hayes— thank you so much for all you do. You take so much of the stress out of this process. Thank you for pushing me to dig deeper and write better. It’s so easy to get caught up in the deadlines and forget the craft, so thank you for keeping me on course and helping me write the best story I can. My books and I are in excellent hands! To my awesome publicist Renee Rosen, and to the rest of the incredible Entangled team—thank you! I so appreciate all the hard work you do.

To my writer buds—Toni Kerr, Kristal Shaff, Lisa Amowitz, Cole Gibsen, Christine Fonseca, Bethany Wiggins, Bonny Anderson, Robyn DeHart—for your support, friendship, and encouragement. Surviving without you would be near impossible. Thank you a million times over.

She fights for what she wants, and she wants Finn.

Not your typical Southern belle...

Lucy Richardson’s bandit sisters may have taught her to sling a gun and pick a stubborn lock, but nothing prepared her for the agony of her first heartbreak. Her sisters taught her to fight like hell for what she wants... and she wants Finn.

Not your proper Southern gentleman...

Finn Taggart is bad news. His dark and tortured past always catches up to him, and Lucy deserves better than to be tainted by his touch. He couldn’t have her years ago, and he can’t have her now, no matter how enticing she is. If only he can convince her of that before the danger that follows him brings them both down.

Not your classic love story...

Danger doesn’t exactly scare a girl like Lucy, and she knows how to use all kinds of weapons... including her feminine wiles. Finn doesn’t stand a chance. And if they need backup... the Blood Blade Sisters are never far away...

A Bandit’s Betrayed Heart

a Blood Blade Sisters Novel

Michelle McLean

To TCR - thank you for putting the smiles on my face. Love you always.

Chapter One

Seven years earlier

Lucy Richardson crept down the hallway, pausing every few feet to make sure the house remained still and quiet. If she were caught, there’d be hell to pay. She came to a stop in front of Finn’s door, took one last look over her shoulder, and turned the knob. She held her breath until the door clicked open. He hadn’t locked it. Lucy smiled and eased into his room.

She couldn’t see anything except the faint glow of moonlight filtering in through a crack in the curtains. But it was enough to see Finn’s form in the bed. She couldn’t hear him breathing though and couldn’t tell if he was asleep or awake.

“What are you doing, Lucy?”

Awake. She reached behind her and locked the door.

“Lucy,” he said, his voice low, warning. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“I know,” she whispered.

There were a million reasons she shouldn’t be there. She and Finn weren’t married and were not even courting. They couldn’t get married, not without the biggest brouhaha Boston society had seen in a decade. Finn was not only her sister’s butler, he had a murky past and a face covered in Mohave tribal tattoos. Lucy, on the other hand, was now one of the richest women in Boston thanks to a little gold mine on her family’s ranch in California. For Finn and Lucy to marry would go against everything society dictated, but for them to be together without marriage was unthinkable.

But Lucy didn’t care. She loved Finn. The very thought of him made her heart flutter and her breath catch. A brush of his hand made her skin tingle. And his kisses…well, his kisses obviously had the power to make her go stark, raving mad since she was creeping into the servants’ quarters in the middle of the night for just one more taste of him.

“This is a bad idea, Lucy.”

“I don’t care,” she said, climbing on the bed.

Despite his words, he wasn’t making any move to evict her from his room. She reached out a tentative hand and found him. Her fingers tightened in the nightshirt straining over his chest. She pulled herself closer to him, let her hand trail up his chest to where the shirt opened. When her fingers brushed across his bare skin, he sucked in a breath.

She inched closer still, drew her hand up his neck to slip into his hair. With a groan, he wrapped her in his arms, crushing her to him as his lips descended. Lucy plastered herself to him, reveling in the hard planes of his body pressing against her soft curves. They’d stolen many a kiss in darkened corners, but this was the first time there had been so little clothing between them. The thin material of her nightdress and his shirt felt like nothing at all, but it was still too much. She longed for the heat of his bare skin against hers.

She reached down to grasp his hip, disappointed to find that he still wore his breeches. He lifted his head when she paused, and she could see the white flash of his teeth in the moonlight.

“I thought you might wander into my room tonight.”

“Well, don’t you think you are a little overdressed for the occasion?”

He leaned down and kissed her again, letting his lips trail across her cheek to the sensitive skin under her ear.

“No. I think it’s going to be the only hope I’ve got to keep from ravishing you.”

“If I didn’t want to be ravished, I wouldn’t have come.”

Finn chuckled. “Ah, darlin’. I’d love to oblige you.”

Lucy made a little purring noise in the back of her throat that surprised even her and arched into him. Finn hissed and rolled her beneath him, his lips and hands creating a torrent of sensation that was almost too intense to bear.

“Finn,” she whimpered, her hand straying down to the waistband of his pants.

“No,” he said, catching her hand and entwining his fingers with hers.

“Why?” she whispered.

Finn dragged in a ragged breath and leaned his forehead against hers. With his body still pressed to hers, she could tell he was as affected as she was. So why was he hesitating?

“Lucy, you know things in my life are…complicated right now. There are things in my past that need to be dealt with before I can have any kind of a future with you.”

“I know that, but…”

“No,” he said again, leaning down to kiss her. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”

Lucy grinned shyly. He’d told her he loved her, on more than one occasion, but her heart soared every time she heard those words on his lips.

“Finn…”

He brought their entwined hands up to his lips and kissed each of her fingers. “I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life showing you exactly how much I love you. But until I get out of this mess that I’m in, I’m not free to build a life with you. I just need a little time.”

“And if your grand plan to put your past to rights doesn’t work out, what then?”

Finn sighed. “That’s exactly the reason I’m not going to take advantage of you now.”

“You aren’t taking advantage of me, Finn.”

Finn just shook his head. “I don’t want to do something we can’t undo. I won’t risk leaving you alone with the consequences of our actions. I love you too much to drag you into my world. Someday, hopefully soon, I’ll be free to live with you in peace. When that day comes, it will be the happiest I’ve ever known. But until then, we need to be careful.”

Lucy ducked her head against his chest, shifting restlessly against him. “I know you think you’re protecting me. But I don’t care. I want you. So much it hurts to breathe.”

“I know, love,” he said, kissing her gently. “I know.”

Lucy thought he’d pull back but to her delight, he didn’t. His mouth explored hers until her head swam. His hand slipped inside her nightgown and Lucy froze.

“I thought you said…”

“I did. And I meant it. But that doesn’t mean we can’t do other things.”

Before Lucy could ask what other things he meant, Finn set about showing her.

…

Finn kissed Lucy good-bye, letting his lips linger against hers. Sending her away was a near physical pain, but she couldn’t be found in his room. From the moment he’d set eyes on her, all he’d wanted to do was protect her, from everything and everyone. Even himself, if necessary. Lucy was everything that was sweet and good in his life, though she had a backbone of steel and enough gumption to rule the world if she wished. She already ruled him. But she also had an unhealthy appetite for danger and a penchant for finding it.

Finn smiled and shook his head. When he’d come to Boston, he’d never expected anything like her. Never thought a woman could affect him so. Never thought he could love anyone so deeply.

He shied away from the thought. Finn had only ever loved one woman in his life before meeting Lucy. Rachel. And because of him…no, he refused to think of it. He didn’t deserve happiness. Didn’t deserve to love someone like Lucy, let alone have her love him in return.

But if the fates were merciful, perhaps he could prove himself worthy one day.

He watched her until she disappeared around the corner, the faint light from the early morning sun striking her hair and making the copper-colored tresses shimmer like a new penny. Finn closed his door and sank down on the edge of his bed, rubbing his burning eyes. The night he’d just spent loving Lucy had been the best night of his life. One he’d treasure always. No matter what happened. But it was going to make getting through the coming day extremely hard. For a variety of reasons. Finn shifted uncomfortably on the bed and finally flopped back onto his pillows.

What he wouldn’t give to be able to march up to Lucy’s sister and declare his love. Brynne wasn’t Boston born and bred. She’d started life a poor rancher’s daughter. He didn’t think she’d be prejudiced against them.

But Brynne was the least of his worries. His employer—his other employer—could never find out about Lucy. If he knew Finn loved her, she’d just become collateral that could be used against him. Finn wouldn’t put her in danger that way. He had to protect her at all costs. She couldn’t end up like…like…Rachel.

The image of the last time he’d seen his first love flashed in his mind. Her broken and bloodied body tangled at his feet.

His heart clenched, and he sucked in a deep breath, trying to breathe through the pain that always struck him at Rachel’s memory. The thought of anything happening to Lucy was unbearable. He’d sacrifice everything to keep her safe. Which meant, for the moment, that he needed to stay away from her. He didn’t like the plan that was brewing between his partners, and until he found a way to get out from under his boss’s thumb, Lucy’s association with him put her in danger.

Finn was determined to find a way. A way to get free. And then he and Lucy could be together.

If he couldn’t… Finn swallowed, the thought of leaving and never seeing Lucy’s smiling face or looking into her deep brown eyes again striking him like a knife to the heart. There was no help for it though. If he couldn’t escape the servitude he was under, he’d have to disappear. There was no other way to ensure Lucy’s safety. His boss wouldn’t hesitate to hurt her in order to get what he wanted from Finn. And Finn would die before he’d let that happen.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that. Because leaving her would be a fate worse than death.