Dante slid behind the wheel of the Lexus and stared into space.

"What's wrong?" Bea asked. "You should be happy. If all goes well, your brother will be home soon."

"I'm relieved, but did you see how awful he looks? He's thin, pallid, and looks like he's aged ten years." Dante shook his head. He couldn't imagine what Owen had been through. His eyes held so much sadness—defeat, yet he'd had the presence of mind to send a clue which meant his captors hadn't broken him. At least not completely. Seeing him like that confirmed Dante had made the right decision to marry Bea.

At least Owen had a thriving business waiting. One less worry. Putting this behind him would prove hard enough.

Dante took Bea's hand and kissed it. "I'll never be able to repay you for this."

"From what the Colonel said, the Army would've been on top of it without my help."

"Not just talking about the rescue. Your generosity with the real estate firm will make a world of difference for Owen. I would've driven the business in the ground if you hadn't saved it."

"You may think this is silly, but doing things for you gives me more joy than you can imagine." She squeezed his fingers. "Now, let's get to your place. I need to rest awhile."

"Sure you want to go to my house instead of the hotel?"

"Yes." She rested her head against the seat. "It's closer, and I'm ready to lay down."

Dante didn't like the sound of that. Maybe he was paranoid, but each day when she napped, he wondered how long she'd really last. Not that he was in a hurry for her to die. Quite the contrary. He liked being with her. And, witnessing her finesse in the business world fascinated him. Rubbing elbows with such influence made him feel powerful. He'd never known a woman like her. He'd wasted years on women  his own age who didn't have a clue about what they wanted.

No fault of the women—his. Bad choices. Wrong reasons. Bea's observation hit the nail on the head. He'd been more interested in getting a woman into bed than getting to know her. Time to grow up. And he was. Every day with her opened doors and presented challenges. Her faith in his ability to meet them gave him a new perspective.

His house came into view, and a flash of red caught his eye. Someone was parked in his drive. He gave Bea a gentle nudge. "You expecting someone?"

She opened her eyes and shook her head. "No. That's your car. I bought it for you."

"Holy shit!" Wheeling in behind the Corvette convertible, he slammed on the brakes and vaulted from the Lexus. He inspected the beauty from bumper to bumper. Ran his fingers over the smooth body. Opened the door and slipped inside.

Bea stood next to him, waved to a car across the street, and it pulled away.

"Who's that?"

"Delivery guy. Keys are in the glove box if you want to take it for a spin."

He eased out and gathered her into his arms. "You're too good to me. You shouldn't have done this—but, I love it. Thank you."

She laid her head on his chest. "I give away a ton of money to complete strangers. I like seeing the face of the recipient. Before you try it out, would you mind coming in and helping me get out of this dress? I'm having trouble with buttons and zippers."

His stomach roiled. Lack of dexterity must be a symptom of her brain tumor. He'd wanted to ask what stages she'd experience, but the less he talked about her illness, the better. He followed her into the house.

Once she was settled, he walked to the doorway, then turned and strolled back to the bed and sat beside her. "Sure you'll be okay alone?"

"I'm dying. But, not today. I'll be fine. Just be here in time for us to return to the hotel and change before the reception tonight."

"I wish we could skip it."

"I know. But, Harold is an old friend and sits with me on the board at Paragon Bank Corp. And, since he's having this shindig at Bennett Hotel's penthouse suite, I have no choice. Besides, it'll give you a chance to meet more of my colleagues." She placed her hand on Dante's leg. "Which can be beneficial for your future."

"You're right—as always." He winked at her and brushed her cheek with a quick kiss. "I think I will take my new ride for a run."

"Boys and their toys," she said and closed her eyes.

As much as Dante wanted to go full throttle, he knew better. The first fifteen hundred miles 'break-in period' would be no fun. Nothing greater than 80 MPH, or 4000 RPM. But after that, he planned to open this baby up as hard as she'd go.

Even though the weather was brisk, he lowered the top. Feeling the cold air whip around him made the slower speed more exciting and eased the anxiety of seeing Owen—and dealing with Bea's imminent death. In only a few weeks, he'd fought depression. An unexpected emotion.

Headed nowhere in particular, he wove in and out of traffic. After thirty minutes, he found himself at the real estate office. His subconscious had a destination. Even though Bea purchased new space in a posh neighborhood, he'd decided to keep this branch office. He parked and strolled inside.

His receptionist looked up with an expression that said she was tired of the remodel. "Oh, hi, Dante."

"Hey, Mandy." He eyed the plastic sheeting hanging from the ceiling. Power tools hummed nearby. "Noise driving you crazy?"

"Kind of." She picked up a big mag light and waved it. "I flash this when a customer comes in, and they stop. Thankfully, my headset drowns out the sound when I take a call. What brings you to the office?"

"Just wanted to check on things. How're the new agents working out?"

"Really well. We've had several sales this week, and twelve new listings. Two of them high-dollar. I'm talking over a million each."

Dante's heart thumped at the thought of Owen returning to the improvements. "Fantastic." He checked his watch. "Whoa, I lost track of time. I gotta hit the trail. I'll be in town at least one more day, call if you need me for anything."

Two blocks from home, Dante's phone chimed. He recognized the number. "Hello, Colonel. I didn't expect to hear from you this soon."

"We'll be wheels up in an hour. Mission will commence Sunday morning."

Dante's heart kicked up a notch. "I didn't ask before, but how dangerous is this for Owen?"

"According to our intel, he's being held by non-hostiles. Our plan is to get in and out with no casualties. We really don't want anyone to know a rescue has been performed. If we stir up a hornet's nest, there might be retaliation against the US."

"I don't understand. How can they not be hostile? They've been holding my brother for months."

"His captors have no military connection. Just a bunch of local villagers trying to make a buck. Their government, from what we've learned, has no knowledge of the situation. Most of the men in the village leave each day to work at a neighboring city. We'll strike while they're gone. Shouldn't meet any resistance. Create a smoke screen. Locate the hostages. Be in and out within minutes."

"You make it sound easy."

The Colonel laughed. "Believe me, Mr. Filgard, compared to most rescues, this will be a piece of cake."

By the time Dante got home and picked up Bea, they barely made it to the hotel to shower and dress before the reception. Luckily, the event was taking place in the penthouse suite next door.

Bea emerged from the bathroom and ushered her makeup artist to the elevator. "Thank you, Audra."

"You're welcome. See you tomorrow."

Bea faced Dante. "Unless you're willing to learn makeup application, I'm afraid I may need Audra to travel with us. I've lost the ability to apply eyeliner."

"Okay." What else could he have said? First the buttons, now eyeliner. Things were worsening.

"And, there's one more problem."

"What?"

"I noticed earlier today I can't grip a pen anymore. I'm going to have my doctor provide a fake cast to keep me from having to answer questions. In the morning, I'm meeting with my lawyer to give you power of attorney. No one will question the reason since I'll be unable to use my hand."

"You sure?"

"I can be a pretty good actress when I need to be." She smiled. "I have no reason not to trust you, so yes, I'm sure."

Bea didn't like the way Harold's young wife, Gillian, had looked at Dante all night—like he was on the menu. Jealousy was such a wasted emotion, but she couldn't help herself. Given Dante's reputation with women, she wasn't sure how he'd react if tempted. And, if he did stray, she'd have no choice but to end the marriage, no matter how much she needed him.

He'd paid no more attention to his admirer than anyone else in the room. Really no reason to doubt him, but still...

He appeared at her side and slipped his arm around her waist. "You making it all right? Need to sit down for a while?"

"I'm fine." How silly of her to doubt his loyalty. He'd never fall in love with her—or she with him, but fidelity was non-negotiable. She'd witnessed his concern. His eyes held an expression of real compassion whenever he asked about her well-being.

The fact he'd not used a penny of the credit line she'd arranged in Vegas, told her a lot about his character. Even more proof when he'd produced a ring on their wedding day. She avoided embarrassment by giving the minister the evil eye. Thankfully, he got the message to leave the one she'd bought in his pocket.

No. Regardless of Dante's past with the ladies, he wouldn't break his promises. Not just for the money, but because he was a good man. Forget what anyone said, he'd proved it over and over in the weeks they'd been together.

He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I gotta hit the head. Be back in a few."

His exit didn't go unnoticed by his admirer. She spoke to Harold, then excused herself, headed in the same direction as Dante.

A bolt of suspicion zapped through Bea, and before she scolded herself for being petty, she was half-way across the room in pursuit of the petite, buxom beauty. When she turned into the hallway, she halted and peeked around the corner to see where the brunette went.

At the beginning of the evening, Bea announced the ladies' powder room was down the hall to the right. Gillian went left. Bea waited for her to go in before she rushed to the door and flattened herself against the wall. The faith she'd had in Dante just moments before wavered. Gillian was young. Desirable. And like Bea's momma always said, if a woman makes up her mind to take your man, she will do nothing but try. Because there's nothing as sorry as a sorry woman.

Water ran for a moment, then Dante spoke.

"Hey, ladies' room is the other way."

"I know. I wanted a private moment with you."

"Oh, yeah? There a problem?"

"No. Harold will be in a meeting all day tomorrow. Thought, perhaps, you and I could meet for lunch."

Dante didn't speak for a long moment. Bea drew a deep breath and held it.

"Why would I do that?" Dante asked.

"Because you and I are married to old people, and we deserve to fuck someone young occasionally."

"Gillian, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, Gillian. I'm flattered—but not interested."

Air whooshed from Bea's lungs. Black dots swam before her eyes. She should go. But she couldn't budge.

"How can you not be? Bea's old enough to be your mother."

"But—she fucks me so fucking good, I have no desire to fuck anyone else. So, like I said, not interested. Now, you'd better get back before your husband comes looking for you and I have to tell him how you're cock shopping at his party."

"Well, you don't have to be so crude about it."

"I'm crude? You just asked a married man you don't know to fuck you."

"Bastard."

Bea slid down the wall into the shadows and hoped Gillian didn't turn around for one last plea. She came through the door almost in a sprint. The water came on again, and Bea rushed to the living room.

Two hours later, she slipped into bed next to him. "The party wasn't as bad as you thought, was it?" She should be ashamed for baiting him, but wanted to know if he'd mention Gillian."

"I enjoyed meeting more of your friends."

He could have boasted about the proposition to make Bea jealous. But he hadn't. She had to give him props for that. She trailed her hand south.

He chuckled. "Thought you were having trouble with your grip."

"Only with small things."

"Nice," he snorted, and kissed her.

His actions tonight proved she'd married a good man.

Tomorrow, when she met with her lawyer, she'd change her will.

Looks like Owen's going to be home soon, or will he? dundundun.

TEASER: Was he having a heart attack? His arms tingled, then throbbed. He clutched his chest.

Uh oh...