The Last White Knight (24 page)

This was what she wanted in her heart of hearts, she thought as she watched the activity going on in the park. She wanted to be a part of a family, not
apart from
one. Even if things didn’t work out between her and Erik, she still had a family back in Indiana, and it was time for her to try to mend the rift with them. She would never have the chance to be a mother to Justin. Rebecca was the only mother he had known. But she could be a good aunt, and she could be a good sister, and she could be a daughter.
Cutting herself off from them had been a kind of punishment, but she was all through with that. She had made mistakes in her life, but Erik was right—she didn’t have to pay for them
with
her life.

Erik. She closed her eyes and conjured his image in the private theater of her imagination—not Erik the Good, the button-down senator with a milliondollar smile and the golden aura of charisma, but Erik the man, standing at his bedroom door in rumpled jeans, his hair mussed, his beard shadowing the strong planes of his face. And her heart ached with a longing to see him in the flesh, to have him hold her, to have him love her. She hoped with every ounce of longing in her that she hadn’t missed her chance.

“Wishing on the first star?”

She started at the sound of his voice, her eyes snapping open. She was almost afraid to look over her shoulder for fear she had just imagined that warm, husky baritone. But there he was, big as life, sitting astride a white bicycle that was two inches too small for him, his feet planted firmly on the ground. He was in faded jeans and battered sneakers and a polo shirt that matched the incredible blue of his eyes, and Lynn thought she’d never been so happy to see anyone in her entire life.

“Aren’t you supposed to be riding a horse?” she asked, standing up and dusting herself off.

He shrugged as he tilted his head to one side and looked her up and down as if he were memorizing everything about her. “They’re hard to scare up on short notice. Besides, it’s too hot to wear armor.”

“That’s okay. You look just fine to me.”

“Do I?” he asked, his smile fading. “I took a look in the mirror before I left home and I saw a man who’s been lying awake nights wondering if he’d ever see you again.”

Lynn curled her hand over his on the handlebar of the bike, her gaze intent on the contrast between them in size and strength and skin tone. “I guess we’re a matched pair, then,” she said softly.

“Are we? I always thought pairs belonged together.”

“They do.”

Erik studied her profile. His heart was in his throat. His mouth was dry. Suddenly nothing that had happened in his adult life compared to the enormity of this moment. This was the moment of truth. This was the moment he would win Lynn’s heart or be sent away for good. He realized with no small amount of embarrassment that he was actually shaking.

“Does that mean you’ll marry me?” he asked, afraid to hear her answer. He knew she loved him.
That had never been an issue. The question was whether she would accept their love or sacrifice it at the altar of her past.

She raised eyes that were leaf green and wide with uncertainty and met his gaze. “I may not be the best choice for you.”

Erik turned his hand over on the handlebar and laced his fingers through Lynn’s. With his other hand he reached across and touched her cheek, so creamy and silky soft. “I told you before I wasn’t looking for any vestal virgins. I want a woman. I want you.”

She smiled that wry smile that had haunted his memory these last few weeks, the right corner of her pretty mouth lifting up. “Yeah, well, just remember the vows say ‘for better or worse.’ ”

“There couldn’t be anything worse than living without you.”

He swung his left leg over the bike and let it fall as he pulled Lynn into his embrace. His lips found hers and he kissed her hungrily, all the need and loneliness he’d lived with rushing to the surface.

Lynn kissed him back. She wound her arms around his neck and hugged him for all she was worth, trembling with the relief of feeling him next to her again, shaking with the belated fear of what it would have been like to never have him hold her again. Whatever else might happen in their future,
this was right. She’d never felt so complete, so safe, so loved as she did with Erik’s arms around her.

“Let’s go home,” he murmured as he raised his head, a warm, intimate heat glowing in his eyes.

“Yeah,” she whispered. “I need to make a phone call to someone in Indiana.”

He smiled that warm, wise, wonderful smile that made her heart bloom like a rose in her chest. They would make it. She could feel it like a promise in her soul.

“Come on, Sir Galahad,” she said, sliding a pointed gaze toward the abandoned bicycle. “Let’s go call a cab.”

THE ALIBI MAN

“Captivating thriller … [Elena] is a heroine readers will want to see more of.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Hard to put down.”
—Washington Post

“A superbly taut thriller. Written in a staccato style that will have readers racing through the pages … Will leave readers breathless and satisfied.”
—Booklist

“A suspenseful tale with a surprising ending; the author once again has constructed a hard-hitting story with interesting characters and a thrilling plot.”
—Midwest Book Review

“Elena Estes [is] one of Hoag’s most complicated, difficult and intriguing characters.… Hoag enhances a tight mystery plot with an over-the-shoulder view of the Palm Beach polo scene, giving her readers an up-close-and-personal look at the rich and famous.…
The Alibi Man
is her best work to date.” —
BookReporter.com

“An engrossing story and a cast of well-drawn characters.”
—Minneapolis Star Tribune

“[Hoag] gets better with every book. One of the tautest thrillers I have read for a long while.”
—Bookseller (UK)

“Hoag certainly knows how to build a plot and her skill has deservedly landed her on bestseller lists numerous times.”
—South Florida Sun-Sentinel

“Hoag has a winner in this novel where she brings back Elena Estes.… Hoag is the consummate storyteller and creator of suspense.”
—Mystery News

“Tami Hoag weaves an intricate tale of murder and deception.… A very well-written and thought-out murder mystery. Hoag is able to keep you guessing and you’ll be left breathless until all the threads are unwoven and the killer is revealed.” —
FreshFiction.com

PRIOR BAD ACTS

“A snappy, scary thriller.”
—Entertainment Weekly

“Stunning … Here [Hoag] stands above the competition, creating complex characters who evolve more than those in most thrillers. The breathtaking plot twists are perfectly paced in this compulsive page-turner.”
—Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

“A chilling thriller with a romantic chaser.”
—New York Daily News

“A first-rate thriller with an ending that will knock your socks off.”
—Booklist

“An engrossing thriller with plenty of plot twists and a surprise ending.” —
OK!
magazine

“A chilling tale of murder and mayhem.”
—BookPage

“The in-depth characterization and the unrelenting suspense are what makes Prior
Bad Acts
an outstanding read. Gritty and brutal at times,
Prior Bad Acts
delivers a stunning novel of murder, vengeance and retribution.… Riveting and chilling suspense.”
—Romance Reviews Today

KILL THE MESSENGER

“Excellent pacing and an energetic plot heighten the suspense.… Enjoyable.” —
Chicago Tribune

“Everything rings true, from the zippy cop-shop banter, to the rebellious bike messenger subculture, to the ultimate, heady collision of Hollywood money, politics, and power.”
—Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Hoag’s usual crisp, uncluttered storytelling and her ability to make us care about her characters triumph in
Kill the Messenger.”
—Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

“A perfect book. It is well written, and it has everything a reader could hope for.… It cannot be put down.… Please don’t miss this one.”
—Kingston (MA) Observer

“[A] brisk read … it demonstrates once again why [Hoag’s] so good at what she does.”
—San Francisco Chronicle

“Action-filled ride … a colorful, fast-paced novel that will keep you guessing.”
—Commercial Appeal

“High-octane suspense … Nonstop action moves the story forward at a breath-stealing pace, and the tension remains high from beginning to end.… Suspense at its very best.”
—Romance Reviews Today

“Hoag’s loyal readers and fans of police procedural suspense novels will definitely love it.”
—Booklist

“
Kill the Messenger
will add to [Hoag’s] list of winners.… This is a fast-moving thriller with a great plot and wonderful characters. The identity of the killer is a real surprise.”
—Somerset (PA) Daily American

“Engaging … the triumph of substance over style … character-driven, solidly constructed thriller.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Hoag upholds her reputation as one of the hottest writers in the suspense genre with this book, which not only has a highly complex mystery, multilayered suspense and serpentine plot, but also great characterizations … an entertaining and expertly crafted novel not to be missed.” —
CurledUp.com

DARK HORSE

“A thriller as tightly wound as its heroine … Hoag has created a winning central figure in Elena.… Bottom line: Great ride.” —
People

“This is her best to date.… [A] tautly told thriller.”
—Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Hoag proves once again, why she is considered a queen of the crime thriller.”
—Charleston (SC) Post & Courier

“A tangled web of deceit and double-dealing makes for a fascinating look into the wealthy world of horses juxtaposed with the realistic introspection of one very troubled ex-cop. A definite winner.”
—Booklist

“Anyone who reads suspense novels regularly is acquainted with Hoag’s work—or certainly should be. She’s one of the most consistently superior suspense and romantic suspense writers on today’s bestseller lists. A word of warning to readers: don’t think you know whodunit ‘til the very end.”
—Clute (TX) Facts

“Suspense, shocking violence, and a rip-roaring conclusion—this novel has all the pulse-racing touches that put Tami Hoag books on bestseller lists and crime fans’ reading lists.”
—Baton Rouge (LA) Advocate
magazine

“Full of intrigue, glitter, and skullduggery … [Hoag] is a master of suspense.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Her best to date, an enjoyable read, and a portent of even better things to come.”
—Grand Rapids Press

“A complex cerebral puzzle that will keep readers on the edge until all the answers are revealed.”
—Midwest Book Review