Love Inspired Suspense September 2015 #2 (54 page)

Checking his watch, he paced nervously outside the room hoping Sydney had no permanent damage to her throat. Her voice had sounded so raspy after what Rick had done.

The exam-room door finally opened and the doctor exited. She smiled at him. “You must be Max. I'm Dr. Stofer. Sydney's asking for you.”

“How is she?” He gripped his hands together waiting for her to answer.

“Badly bruised, but I don't think there is any long-term damage. She'll need rest, though, and plenty of fluids. I've also asked her not to overuse her vocal cords for a few days.”

“I'll make sure she doesn't.” He smiled.

“You can go in now.”

“Thank you.” He walked away from the doctor and into the room. Sydney sat up on the edge of the hospital bed.

“Hey,” she said quietly. “I'm ready to get out of here.”

“I talked to the doctor. I need to figure out a way to keep you quiet and resting.”

She smiled. “She's getting my discharge papers ready. Then can we go see Brian on the way out.”

“Of course.” He grabbed her hand. “Just let me do most of the talking.”

It wasn't long before a nurse came back with her discharge papers. Max walked Sydney out and they went up three floors to Brian's room.

Sydney sucked in a breath when they walked in. Max realized the shock she must be feeling, since this was the first time she had seen Brian since he was abducted and beaten. And while he looked a lot better than he had, his face and arms were still badly bruised.

“Hey, you two.” Brian smiled. “I am so glad to see you.”

She walked to the bed and took his hand. “Thank you,” she said softly. Max watched as tears formed in her eyes and then streamed down her face.

“I'm just glad I remembered in time, Sydney. I'm sorry I didn't remember all of it earlier.”

“How are you feeling?” Max asked.

“Much better. They're talking about releasing me tomorrow.” He paused. “Also, I talked to the police and two agents from the internal affairs division at the FBI.”

“Did you remember anything else?” Max asked.

“Yeah. Quite a bit. I think Tom is the one who killed Davies.”

“Really?” Max asked.

“Yeah. Davies was trying to blackmail him, and Tom wasn't having it. Davies was expendable from East River's point of view.”

Max ran a hand through his hair. “If you'd asked me who in the FBI could've been involved with East River, one of the last names I would've told you was Tom's.”

Brian nodded. “I'm right there with you. If I hadn't heard it with my own ears, I wouldn't believe it. Although, I think Tom was the person responsible for dumping me out beside the interstate. By doing that he saved my life.”

“I knew Tom struggled after his wife left him a few years ago,” Max said. “I just talked to some people at the FBI. They discovered that he had a gambling habit. A severe one. That's how he got mixed up with East River in the first place.”

Brian shook his head. “Makes me wonder what all I missed while we were working together. How many roadblocks he put up in our investigations.”

“Yeah,” Max said. “And don't forget, he encouraged me to leave the FBI and go to the Marshals.”

“Speaking of that...are you coming back?”

“To the FBI?” At Brian's nod, Max continued. “I've got a lot to think about.”

Brian looked over at Sydney. “How are you holding up?”

“Much better now. I'm ready to move on with my life.” She sighed. “I'm hoping East River won't have any reason to bother me with Rick gone.”

“I think you'll be fine,” Brian said. “And if we catch a break, we may be able to bring down Lucas Jones in all of this, too. I'm guessing Tom will try to cut a deal in exchange for his testimony against Lucas.”

“You're right. My FBI contact says he's already talking,” Max said. “And it looks like that in exchange for a deal, Tom will testify and turn over evidence tying Jones to Kevin Diaz. Tom has already confirmed that Diaz has been funding Jones and East River for years. In return, East River would take care of Diaz's dirty work. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. And it had a solid cover because of the supposed falling-out that the cousins had years ago. This would be a huge takedown for the FBI.”

“So if all goes according to plan, Kevin Diaz won't be a free man much longer,” Brian said.

“That's good news,” Sydney said.

Knowing he needed to allow his friend and Sydney time to rest, Max prepared to leave. “If you need a ride home from the hospital tomorrow just call me,” he offered.

“Thanks, man. I'm so glad you're both okay.”

Max nodded. “Me, too.”

After they walked out of Brian's hospital room, Max turned to her. “You ready to get out of here?”

“Yes, Max. I'm ready to put this behind us.”

He led her down a corridor toward the end of the hall where they could have a minute of privacy. He couldn't wait any longer to open up to her. He turned to her and grabbed her hands. “Syd, I was afraid out there in those woods. I had so many regrets that I hadn't come out and told you exactly how I feel about you.” He paused. “I thought about losing you and how that would impact my life. Because somewhere along the way, you became much more than just a trusted friend to me. You've become a part of my life. Taking up a huge place in my heart. I can't stand the thought of going back to who I was before we met.”

She nodded. “Max, I was afraid, too. I knew that I might not make it out of there alive. And when I thought I was going to die, one of my only regrets was that I wouldn't have a chance to see you again. To actually explore my feelings for you. To live my life to the fullest with you in it.” She took a breath. “I am so thankful that you came for me.”

“I'll always be there for you. And that's why I wanted to tell you now and not wait a minute longer.”

“Tell me what?”

“Sydney Berry, I love you. I love you with all that I am. You make me want to be a better man. You've given me a precious gift by guiding me back to my faith when I was so hard hearted. My heart is no longer hard. It's filled with love for you. Only you. I don't ever want to let you go.” He let go of her hands and cradled her face in his hands. He felt the warm tears stream down her cheeks.

She smiled through the tears. “These are tears of joy. Pure joy because of what I've found in you. After Rick, I told myself I could never trust a man again. That I would never find real love. That I would never find someone who understood me and wanted to be with me. And then God sent you into my life. I care enough about you to get past my fears. There's a hope for a normal life that I never thought would be possible. I love you, Max.”

He pressed his lips to hers in a warm kiss. “I love you, too, Syd. I'm not going to say that life with me will be easy and without challenge, but I know we can get through anything as long as we're facing it together.”

EPILOGUE

T
he past six months had passed by in a blur. But throughout it all, one thing was perfectly clear to Sydney. She was in love with Max Preston. Totally and completely.

They'd taken things slowly since he'd rescued her from Rick, but their relationship was growing stronger by the day.

Max said he had a surprise for her today, so she arrived at his house wondering what he had planned.

He opened the door smiling and looking incredibly handsome.

“Come on in.”

“So what's going on?” She stepped into the living room and faced him.

“Syd, I know how much you loved your cat, Bach.” He led her to the couch where they sat down. “First, I wanted to let you know that I did some investigating and found out that Bach got adopted after he recovered and is doing really well in his new home.”

“Max, that is so thoughtful.”

“But that's not the only reason I asked you to come over.”

She smiled at him. “You're really building up the anticipation here.”

He stood up. “Close your eyes for a minute. I promise I'll be right back.”

Her heartbeat sped up as she wondered what the surprise was, but she did as he asked and closed her eyes.

“No peeking.” He laughed.

Just a few moments later she could hear footsteps coming back into the living room.

“Okay, Syd, open your eyes.”

Standing in front of her was Max holding a small furry black kitten. She felt tears instantly fill her eyes. “Oh, Max.”

“I thought you were ready for a new addition. I wanted you to name him, but I adopted him from the animal shelter.”

“He's mine?” She took a step closer.

“I hope he's ours.”

And that's when she saw it. Hanging from the tiny blue collar around the kitten's neck was something sparkly, and it wasn't a nametag. No, it was a ring.

Max handed her the kitten who meowed loudly. Then he dropped to one knee.

“Sydney Berry, I love you more than I ever thought would be possible. I want to make a life with you. A family, starting with this precious kitten and then our children. You're the only woman for me. Will you make me the happiest man on this earth and marry me?”

As she looked down into his eyes, she knew there was only one answer. “Yes, Max. I will.”

“No looking back.”

The kitten purred loudly in her arms as Max stood and removed the ring from his collar. He slid the diamond onto her finger. Then he sealed the proposal with a kiss.

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from
THE PROTECTOR'S MISSION
by Margaret Daley

Dear Reader,

Thanks for reading!
Expert Witness
is my second Love Inspired Suspense, and I enjoyed writing these characters and watching their story come to life. Sydney was an amazing character to write. Even after living through a violent past, she persevered. While most women will not face down their abusers in a physical way like Sydney did, I think her story is powerful. Her physical abilities weren't nearly as important as her inner strength—a strength that grew out of faith. It wasn't easy and took time, but she was able to move on with her life in a meaningful way. Her past may have shaped her, but it didn't trap her.

I hope that you found this story to be filled with faith, hope and love. Again, thank you for reading
Expert Witness
. I would love to hear from you! You can visit my website at
www.racheldylan.com
, or email me at
[email protected]
.

Rachel Dylan

http://www.harlequin.com/harlequinexperience

We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.

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Love Inspired Suspense
stories feature strong heroes and heroines whose faith is central in solving mysteries and saving lives.

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