Pierce had arrived at Sasha’s house two hours after the incident with Calandra to find Sasha’s house inundated with police cars and chaos. Frightened out of his mind and fearing the worst, he’d tried to rush past the police blockade outside. He was arguing with an officer that was detaining him when Ben followed by a woman came into view.
Vouching that Pierce wasn’t a threat, Ben introduced him to Agent Summers, and the two of them brought him up to speed on what had occurred with Calandra. The two agents remained outside with the police while Pierce rushed in to get to Sasha.
He found her upstairs calmly sitting on the edge of her bed. He took one look at her and knew she was barely keeping it together. Rushing to her side, he enveloped her in a crushing hug.
“Ouch,” she murmured into his chest.
He released her immediately. “Sorry, sweetheart.”
Sasha raised a shaky hand to his cheek. “What are you doing here?”
“You’re here. Where else would I be?”
He sat next to her, suddenly feeling as exhausted as she looked. They both lapsed into silence. Finally, he spoke up.
“I have to admit I didn’t see this coming.”
“And I did?” Sasha said tiredly before turning to him. “I’m glad to see you.”
He looked relieved. “I wasn’t sure you would be under the circumstances.”
“Pierce—”
“Sash—” he held up a hand to stop her—“I couldn’t let things simmer between us, not without me apologizing. I’m sorry about everything I said on that phone call after hello.”
Sasha relaxed enough to hug him. “Apology accepted.” She closed her eyes. “Milo’s daughter…she was behind the threats, the torment…all of it.”
“Yeah, Ben brought me up to speed. Plus, Ben said Colonel Mangum’s other employee, Agent Summers arrived before the police. She knew Lana was the culprit, and had plenty of proof.”
Sasha nodded. “Apparently, she emailed me her report, but Lana must’ve deleted the message because I never got it.”
“Yep,” he said. “You can imagine how she feels about not getting here sooner, but she was held up.”
“I wish I’d have seen that message beforehand, but Calandra admitted everything to me,” Sasha said tiredly. “Except the guy at the bookstore in Raleigh wasn’t her doing. Turns out he was an actual fan.”
Overcome with shock and exhaustion, Sasha curled up against Pierce. He eased her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her.
“It’s pointless.”
Pierce sat beside her. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t you see? There’s nothing that ties her to the other stuff. With just my confession, it’ll be a case of she said, she said.”
“Not exactly,” he replied. “Seems that Agent Summers found the guy responsible for shoving you at the other book signing. When faced with assault and harassment charges, he was very willing to provide details to her on who hired him to spook you. Apparently, Calandra thought she’d paid him enough to keep silent, so she didn’t worry about disguising herself from him. She underestimated his low tolerance for jail—and pain,” Pierce replied. “By the time Agent Summers was done convincing him to reconsider, he’d told her everything he knew.”
“What happens next?”
“We go to the police station and bring her up on charges—if you want to.”
“If?” She turned in his arms. “Obviously I’m going to press charges. She could’ve seriously injured me, some innocent bystander or one of you,” Sasha retorted before rising to her feet. “There’s no way she’s getting off scot-free.”
“You know I’ll support you no matter what you do, Sash.”
She nodded and held out her hand. Pierce clasped her fingers and laced them through his.
“Thank you for coming to my rescue.”
“I was a little late,” he pointed out.
She leaned up and kissed him. “You were right on time. You always end up showing up when I need you most,” she said tearfully.
Pierce held the back of her head to keep her close. He kissed her back with reverence. “I always will, sweetheart.”
Sasha lost track of how long they stayed on the edge of the bed with her in Pierce’s arms, but eventually he sat up and brought her with him.
“Are you hungry?”
She shook her head. “Just tired.”
“How about a hot bath?”
A glimmer of eagerness lit in her eyes, but then dissipated. “I don’t have the energy,” she admitted.
He kissed her forehead. “You don’t have to.”
Pierce ran a hot bath for Sasha and filled it with an essential oil blend she’d made that soothed and relieved tired muscles. He doused the overhead lights and lit lots of candles instead. By the time he ushered Sasha into the bathroom, it was a warm, steamy oasis.
“This is amazing,” she murmured as he helped her out of her clothes.
“Thank you, madame.” Holding out of hand, Pierce helped her step into the tub.
Sasha eased herself into a little at a time. Eventually, she was able to submerge herself up to the neck in the aromatic water.
“Pierce, thank you. This is just what I needed.”
He handed her a bath sponge before kneeling beside the tub. “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
With a contented sigh, Sasha closed her eyes and concentrated on trying to relax. Her mind was going a mile a minute about the events of the day. After a few minutes, her eyes popped open. She bolted upright so fast water sluiced over the side of the rim. She gazed at Pierce with concern.
“I should call my parents—Sienna and Vaughn, too. Everyone is probably worried sick about what’s going on. I still can’t believe it all myself. I’m so thankful for Colonel Mangum’s team. If it wasn’t for Ben and Agent Summers, this whole thing could’ve turned out so differently. Not that you wouldn’t have come to my rescue if you could’ve,” she added quickly. “You know, I wonder—”
“Hey,” he interrupted her gently. “Baby, all that can wait for a little while, okay? Right now, it’s just you and me—and this bathtub,” he added with a grin. “You’ve had a terrible shock. You need to decompress. I’ll call them later and fill them in.”
Nodding, she leaned back until she was reclining again.
After a few minutes, Pierce thought she’d fallen asleep. Quietly, he stood and headed out of the bathroom to call their family.
“Pierce?” she murmured sleepily.
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
“I love you.”
He smiled. “I love you, too.”
The next morning, Pierce was slathering a cranberry scone with lemon curd. He passed it to Sasha.
“You know Milo and his wife have probably heard what happened by now.”
“If they hadn’t known about it already,” she remarked. “I wouldn’t put it past either one of them.”
“So what do you think they’ll say?”
Sasha shrugged before taking a bite of her food. “I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.”
“We will cross that bridge,” Pierce corrected.
Less than an hour later, Sasha crossed that bridge and watched it crumble behind them. In fact, she couldn’t have anticipated the disorderly scene she’d be thrust into when she and Pierce arrived at the police station.
When Milo and Andromeda saw her, they rushed over to intercept Sasha. Pierce immediately blocked their path.
“Sasha,” Milo called out trying to step around Pierce, “I’d like to speak with you.”
“We have nothing to say,” Sasha said stiffly.
She heard her name called, so she stepped around Pierce and walked past Milo. He reached out and touched her arm.
“Sasha, wait.”
She yanked away from him. “Don’t touch me.”
“If you could just…please, Sasha. I just need a minute. I promise you I’ll be brief.”
It was the desperation in his voice that halted her steps. When she turned around, Andromeda was at his side. She looked just as desperate as her husband.
“You don’t have to do this,” Pierce whispered beside her, his hand placed protectively at the small of her back.
“I know,” she murmured, “but I need to.”
Pierce nodded and let his hand drop. Sasha grabbed it and gave him a reassuring squeeze.
Without glancing back, Sasha turned and walked up to the front desk. She leaned over and spoke with the woman sitting there. The woman pointed to the left of Sasha before returning her attention to her computer screen.
Sasha strode back over to Milo. “You have two minutes,” she said flatly.
He nodded and watched as Sasha strode into an empty office. He followed, closing the door softly behind him. Sasha turned around, her cold gaze scanning over the man she’d once thought she’d spend the rest of her life with.
“What do you want, Milo?”
“Don’t do it, Sasha,” he spoke, his voice hoarse with emotion. “Please don’t press charges against my little girl.”
“That little girl,” Sasha snapped, “knew exactly what she was doing. Do you have any idea what she did to me? She tried to rattle me at every turn. She played games with my life, Milo. She damaged my property, did me bodily harm, threatened me and pulled a knife on me, and you’ve got the gall to stand here pleading her case?”
“Yes,” he yelled, then caught himself. “Yes, I do. She’s my daughter, Sasha. My…only daughter.” Milo ran a hand through hair, which was already standing on end. “Don’t do this—I’m begging you. Let her go. Andromeda and I will pay restitution for any damages Calandra caused. For your time, your personal property, pain and suffering…whatever you want. Just don’t file charges. I’m begging you, Sasha.”
“You don’t get it, do you? She befriended me, pretended to be someone she wasn’t, made up an elaborate ruse, paid someone to throw a smoke bomb through my front window, stalked me, frightened me, made me think I was going to lose my mind,” she cried. “She even paid someone to drug me.”
Milo paled at that. “I know.”
“To drug me,” Sasha repeated. “And for what? Because she blames me for everything wrong that’s happened in her life? I’m to blame for every twisted, sordid little game you and your wife play with each other?”
“Sasha, I’m sorry. I—”
“It’s not enough,” she raged. “It will never be enough. You lied to me, Milo. I fell in love with you, believed we’d have a happily ever after, and all the while you knew the deal. You and your deceitful wife were the only ones in on the game. Well, congratulations. It appears your daughter has learned from the best.”
Milo staggered backwards. “Don’t say that.”
“Why? It’s true. She’s as manipulative, calculating and deceitful as her parents. She also treats people like playthings—pawns to move across a chess board. To her, everyone else is for sale. Even your wife thinks everyone has a price point. She threw money at me when I refused to come back to you, and your daughter used your massive fortune to get people to do her bidding against me .”
“Sasha—”
“Don’t you dare. Contrary to both of their beliefs I didn’t want you for your money. I fell for you, Milo. I fell for every one of your promises, which turned out to be nothing but lies. You are a lie. And part of me is sorry for Calandra…for my part in the pain she felt that pushed her to hate me so much that she’d move heaven and earth to get back at me, but I’m not about to let this slide. I don’t care how much you beg and plead for me to let it go. I’m filing charges, Milo. What she did was wrong, it was criminal, and she’s not the least bit remorseful for the hell she put me through.”
“That’s not true, Sasha. Calla knows what she did was wrong. Andromeda and I would never have condoned this if we knew about it. You’ve got to believe that. I would never have hurt you like this.”
“I don’t believe you, and I don’t trust you. And there will never be another moment in this lifetime when I will.”
Sasha turned to walk away from him.
“If you ever loved me, Sasha, you’ll let my daughter go.”
Reeling around to face him, Sasha let out a harsh laugh. “The fact that you’d try to use how I felt about you as a bargaining chip lets me know that it’s you that never loved me. You didn’t care about humiliating me, breaking my heart or any of the damage you’ve done not just to me, but who knows how many other women? It’s time you reap what you sow, Milo.”
Sasha looked at him a final time, then turned away in disgust. Milo grabbed her arm.
“Wait a minute.”
“Get your hands off me,” Sasha warned, standing her ground. “I’m not under your spell anymore, Milo. You touch me again, and I promise you Calandra won’t be the only Georgopoulos facing charges today.”
Instantly, he released her. Sasha stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut. She almost ran straight into Pierce. In fact, he had to grasp her by the shoulders to keep them from colliding.
He glanced at her face. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Are you ready?”
Andromeda caught Sasha’s eye. It was obvious she’d been crying, but Sasha also saw the barely controlled hatred simmering behind her worried expression. Their gazes locked for a moment before Sasha turned back to give Pierce her full attention. She smiled up at him, then nodded.
“I am.”
***
Three months later…
Pierce wrapped his arms tighter around Sasha and nuzzled her neck. She ran her hand up and down his arm.
“You realize this is the longest amount of time we’ve gone where nothing unusual, dangerous, or bizarre has happened, right?”
Sasha could laugh about it now, but it hadn’t always been the case. On occasion, she still had nightmares. “That’s true.”
“Gotta be honest, I’m liking our new normal.”
“So am I. Not being the object of some sick girl’s revenge is definitely a good thing.” She turned in his arms and yelped when she almost fell out of the hammock they were in.
They both laughed, but were careful not to make any sudden movements. Cautiously, they repositioned themselves. Pierce covered them both back up with the blanket she’d dislodged, then kissed the bridge of her nose. He turned his attention back to the blazing fire roaring in the fire pit on her patio, while stroking her back absentmindedly.
“I love you, Sash,” he said some time later.
Sasha’s face lit up, though it was hard to see in the setting sun.
“I love you, too.”
Pierce cupped the side of her face. “Enough to spend the rest of your life with me?”
Sasha was speechless. Her eyes widened in surprise, and her eyebrows shot upward.
Awkwardly, she balanced herself well enough to get out of the hammock. Pierce immediately followed. They stood there staring at each other.
“Is that a no?” he asked cautiously.
“What? Oh, no, that’s not a no,” she quickly responded. “That’s definitely not a no. Why’d you think it was a no?”
“It wasn’t a yes, either,” he pointed out, “which is making me a little nervous, especially since your parents, Sienna and Vaughn will be arriving tomorrow to celebrate our engagement.”
Her mouth dropped open.
Pierce grinned. “Surprise.”
Sasha burst out laughing and jumped into his arms. He held her steady.
“At some point and time, I really need an answer, sweetheart.”
“Oh. Yes,” she said tearfully. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Pierce.”
Overcome with emotion, he buried his face in her neck and squeezed her tightly. When he finished, he kissed her soundly before releasing his grasp. He was still holding one of Sasha’s hands while he dug into his pocket and retrieved her engagement ring.
Though it was almost dark, there was enough light left to illuminate the large diamond ring. Sasha was crying in earnest as Pierce sank down on one knee and slid the ring on the third finger of her left hand. When he was done, he bent over and kissed her hand.
“Perfect fit,” he exclaimed, standing.
“We are, aren’t we?”
“Absolutely. Though it was touch-and-go for a while.”
“That’s because you were conceited, arrogant and went around trying to dazzle everyone breathing,” she accused.
“That was then,” he corrected before leaning down and kissing her again. “Now, you’re the only woman I want to dazzle.”
Sasha hugged Pierce tightly. “I can’t believe everyone’s coming to visit tomorrow. Thank you.” She sniffed.
“Anything for my bride-to-be.”
“I like the sound of that.”
Arm and arm, they walked back into Sasha’s cottage.
“Oh, I got you something else,” Pierce said quickly. “Be right back.”
He hurried off before Sasha could even reply. He returned to find her standing in the same spot he’d left her in. He handed her a square gift box.
She eyed it. “What’s this?”
“Something you should open,” he replied with a grin.
“I hope it’s better than the last gift box I received,” she joked.
“Won’t know until you open it,” he said patiently.
Ripping the decorative paper asunder, Sasha opened the box and pulled out what was inside. She stared at the beautiful glass perfume bottle for a few seconds, and then turned her attention to Pierce.
“Treasured?”
“Yes,” he replied. “It’s my new fragrance—it’s your fragrance.”
Sasha took the jeweled top off the small bottle. She sprayed the scent into the air and inhaled deeply. A huge smile crept across her face.
“Pierce, I love it,” she said tearfully. “It’s perfect. Just what I’d wear for myself.”
“I hope so,” he said with relief. “I’d have looked really crazy having my company design a fragrance for my fiancé that she hated.”
She sat the bottle and package on the table and threw herself into his arms.
“I love it,” she gushed. “It’s perfect. Thank you, Pierce. I’ll treasure it always.”
He smiled. “I’ll treasure you, always.”
“Well you are my knight in shining armor,” she said seriously. “And there’s no on I’d trust with my life more.”
Pierce scooper her up in his arms for a slow, thorough kiss. By the time they ended it, both were breathing heavily. He set her back on her feet, but didn’t let her go.
“We’d better get dinner going, before I forget good intentions and carry you upstairs.”
“I’d be up for that if I could take a snack up there with us,” she teased.
Pierce pulled her behind him to the kitchen. “Come one, before I forget all about good intentions.”
They were both in the kitchen making dinner and enjoying each other’s company when Sasha’s cell phone rang. She ran to get it.
“I bet that’s Sienna calling to ask how things went…and if I said yes.”
“Why wouldn’t you?” Pierce joked. “I’m one of the most eligible bachelors in Raleigh.”
“So I’ve heard,” Sasha called over her shoulder.
She was shaking her head with mirth when she picked up her phone from off the coffee table. When she saw a local number, she called over her shoulder, “It’s not her.”
“Give her time,” Pierce yelled back.
“Hello?”
“Are you happy now?”
The smile fizzled from Sasha’s face. If she’d have recognized the number, there’s no way she would’ve picked up.
“What do you want, Andromeda?”
“I hope you’re happy. You think you’ve won, but my family is still intact. We’re stronger than ever,” Andromeda boasted.
“I really don’t care,” Sasha replied. “Maybe your money will keep Calandra from doing any jail time, but that remains to be seen. For right now, you should be happy she’s getting a psychological evaluation instead of rotting in a cold jail cell. I’d think you’d be off celebrating somewhere instead of wasting your time and energy calling me.”
“I’m not my husband, Sasha. I don’t forgive and forget. You’ve caused my family nothing but grief, and you never know when I’ll return the favor in kind.”
“You don’t scare me, Andromeda. I’m not going to run and hide…and I don’t forgive and forget, either. You come after me, I’ll come after you,” Sasha warned. “And trust me, I’ve got a few resources of my own now thanks to your daughter—ones you really don’t want to tangle with.”
“Are you threatening me?” Andromeda asked incredulously. “My, my…it looks like Miss Predictable has grown a backbone after all. Funny what we’ll do for those we love, isn’t it?”
“For once we agree,” Sasha replied before hanging up.
When she walked back into the kitchen, Pierce was stirring batter in a glass bowl. She smiled. “Cupcakes?”
He grinned. “I thought we’d celebrate the occasion with our old favorite.”
“Are you going to try and kiss me again?” she teased.
“Absolutely. And I can think of a few places I’d love to cover in frosting.”
Sasha strode up to him and kissed him passionately. Pierce responded immediately.
“What was that for?”
“Just a thank-you…for making me so incredibly happy.”
“You’re welcome.” He leaned down and grazed her bottom lip with his thumb.
Sasha sidled up beside him to help with the cupcakes. She was retrieving the baking tray when Pierce asked, “So if that wasn’t Sienna, who was it?”
She didn’t look up. “Andromeda.”
Pierce stopped beating the batter and turned to face Sasha. “What did she want?”
“She wanted to clear the air—to wish us well.”
His expression turned skeptical. “Uh-huh.”
“We both realized there isn’t anything she won’t do for her family, and there’s nothing I won’t do for mine.”
“And that’s the way you left it?”
“Yep.” She dipped her finger in the batter and slowly licked it off her finger. “So, about that frosting you were talking about.”
Pierce cocked his head to the side. “You do realize I know a diversion when I see one?”
Sasha nodded before leaning over to give him a heated kiss. “I’m counting on it, Mr. Deveraux.”