Page 51 of Tough Luck

“Your father…” Leonard muttered, his brow furrowing as his grip relaxed a fraction of an inch. “Your father was a real businessman. He wouldn’t have let a woman ruin a corporate alliance.”

“My father would tell you that a man who blames his failures on others is no man at all,” I said, my tone hardening just enough to keep his attention hyper-focused on me.

“Bullshit,” Leonard hissed, his eyes flaring with renewed rage as he lifted the gun.

Before he could take another step toward me, Marcus lunged out of the darkness behind him. With a brutal, defensive swing born of pure survival, Marcus brought the heavy wooden slat down hard across Leonard’s shoulder and upper back. If he had been on the golf course with my dad, the move would have impressed my old man.

Leonard let out a sharp, choked yelp, staggering forward as the gun flew from his grip, clattering loudly across the concrete floor. He crashed to his knees, groaning in pain, completely disoriented.

In the exact same second, the distant, muffled echo of sirens began to wail through the blizzard outside, growing louder as flashing red and blue lights cut through the frosted glass windows of the old bottling warehouse.

I ran straight past him, grabbing Marcus by the arm to stabilize him as he swayed on his feet, before turning my eyes toward the corridor that led to the speakeasy door.

We stood watch over Leonard until several uniformed police officers arrived. They had flash lights and were pointing weapons at us until Marcus explained who he was and what had happened.

Then, as we were being led out of the maze of darkness, Sofia rushed in and wrapped her arms around me tightly.

The impact of her slamming into my chest nearly knocked the remaining breath right out of my lungs, but I didn’t care. I completely forgot about the police, about Marcus, about the freezing warehouse air, and wrapped my arms around her. I buried my face in her hair, holding her so fiercely against me that there wasn’t a single inch of space left between us.

She was shaking violently, her fingers digging desperately into the fabric of my coat as she wept into my neck.

“I’ve got you,” I choked out, my voice raw and breaking as the terrifying weight of the last hour finally crashed down on me. “I’ve got you. You’re safe. I’m so sorry. I’m so damn sorry.”

“I thought I was going to lose you,” she sobbed, her words muffled against my skin. “When he hit Marcus… I thought he was going to get to you too. I was so scared.”

“Shh, I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere,” I whispered, tightening my grip, rocking her slightly right there in the middle of the corridor while flashing blue and red emergency lights strobed against the concrete walls.

One of the officers guided us out of the old building and back into the warm, brightly lit main taproom of the brewery. Paramedics immediately swarmed Marcus, guiding him to a chair to tend to the gash on his head. I led Sofia over to a chair in the corner, completely ignoring the questions from the officer who was trying to get my statement. Right now, the only thing that mattered was the woman I loved.

I took off my heavy winter coat and wrapped it securely around her coat on her shoulders, then took both of her hands in mine, rubbing them to bring the heat back into her skin. Her hazel eyes were red-rimmed and swimming with tears, but as she looked up at me, the lingering terror in them began to give way to something fierce and resolute.

“Rick,” she said, her voice trembling but clear. “The board, the lawyers, the company… I don’t care about any of it. When I was hiding in that room, thinking that crazy man could take everything away, all I could think about was that I hadn’t told you.”

I froze, my heart stopping in my chest as I stared at her.

“I love you,” she whispered, a tear spilling over her cheek. “I don’t care if you’re my boss. I’m not letting you pull away from me again. I’ll quit before I let you do that again.”

A profound, overwhelming wave of relief and clarity washed over me, melting away a solid month of suffocating corporate doubt. I reached up, cupping her face in both of my hands, my thumbs wiping away her tears.

“You knocked me over again and beat me to it. I love you, Sofia,” I said, my voice thick with emotion, staring straight into her eyes so she could see every ounce of the truth. “And to hell with the lawyers. I’m done letting a boardroom dictate my life. We’re going to figure this out. Together.”

I leaned in and kissed her, a deep, desperate kiss that tasted like salt and survival, sealing a promise that, no matter what corporate storms hit us next, I was never letting her go again.

* * *

Later, when we got back to my place, the blizzard still howled outside, throwing sheets of heavy white snow against the windows, but the world had shrunk down to the two of us.

We showered, letting the hot water wash all the dirt and worries away as we held onto one another. Then I built a roaring fire in the stone hearth. We watched the orange flames dancing shadows across the vaulted ceiling. I had dragged the thick plush rug even closer to the grate, piling it high with every oversized pillow and heavy wool blanket I could find in the house.

We lay there tangled together on the floor, wrapped in a massive down comforter like it was a cocoon. Her back was pressed against my chest, and my arms were locked tightly around her waist, pulling her close, assuring her I never wanted to let go.

I could feel the steady, reassuring flutter of her heartbeat against my shoulder blades.

I let out a long, shuddering breath as she buried her face into my shoulder. The smell of cedar, woodsmoke, and her soft familiar scent completely replaced the lingering, dusty scent of the warehouse.

Neither of us were able to get warm enough, so we decided to sleep in front of the fireplace. Even when we made love, slowly heating our bodies, I could still feel the chill on her skin.

“You still shivering?” I murmured, pressing a soft kiss to the side of her neck.