Amy Atwell - Lying Eyes

Mickey stole a quick glance at the guards. Their guns were trained on him, but neither looked eager to fire without specific orders. “How’d you know it was me?”

Donovan’s body remained rigidly behind Iris. “Did you think I wouldn’t know something was up the moment Betina told me Cosmo arrived with his son? How lame is that?”

Mickey looked to Cosmo.

“Sorry,” the magician said. “Frankly, I didn’t know he owned a gun.”

“Always study your adversary,” Donovan replied with a twisted grin. “Now, Kincaid, drop your weapon. You wouldn’t want to risk harming your little lady friend here.”

Mickey’s eyes sought Iris. Don’t give up on me yet, tiger.

Iris looked across at Mickey. Shoot him! Don’t worry about me-save Cosmo. Save yourself. Held in Donovan’s sweaty grip, she knew she would willingly forfeit her life if she could gain the freedom of these two men she loved.

But even as she willed him to shoot, Mickey’s gun clattered to the concrete. She looked from it back to his clear blue eyes. He gave her his swashbuckling grin, as if to promise her he would still save them all.

She was so going to kill Mickey Kincaid.

Assuming they both survived today.

Donovan kept a tight hold on her as he issued more orders. “Kick the gun toward me. Good. Now, go stand over there with Cosmo. You men, keep them covered.”

Iris twisted in his grasp, but only succeeded in having him tighten his grip and bring the muzzle of his gun to rest against her cheek where she could see it. Honest to God, she’d never seen a gun in her life before-why had she been staring down so many barrels in the past couple of days?

“So you want me to believe that now Kincaid has taken and hidden the real gems.” Donovan spoke as if he were in a business meeting, and Cosmo nothing more than a colleague. “Well, my jeweler tells me what I have are real alexandrite, but Iris tells me I should check the inclusions of the stones. What do you all know that I don’t?”

“We know you don’t have the Romanov alexandrite, that’s for sure,” Cosmo said.

Donovan’s hold on her tightened, as if she were personally responsible for him being ripped off at this last minute. “If these aren’t the Romanov gems, where are they?” he asked Mickey.

Mickey shrugged and looked to Cosmo.

Her father’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know where they are. You should have thought of that before you ordered Turner to kill George Halsted.”

Behind her, she felt the rush of breath as Donovan fumed in her ear. “I don’t believe you. These stones are too perfect. If they’re not the Romanov gems, where did you get them?”

Iris’s heart swelled as she watched Cosmo’s face light up at the question. “They’re lab-grown synthetics of the highest quality. I got them from my wife’s Russian relatives-the Gorseyev family. Cultural Minister Alexei Gorseyev is my cousin by marriage.”

“You lie!”

Cosmo looked heavenward while he stroked Edgar’s back. “You know, it really pays to study your adversary.”

Donovan growled in frustration. “That’s it. You’ve ruined my plans for the last time, Fortune!”

Iris watched in horror as Donovan’s arm straightened to aim his gun at her father, who was clutching Edgar to his chest. She had to do something. With one hefty tug, she pulled free from his hold and elbowed him in the ribs with all her might. From the corner of her eye, she saw a dark flash of movement as Mickey launched himself between Donovan and her father.

“No!” The gunshot reverberated in her ears, the acrid smell of powder filling her nostrils. She prayed she’d been able to spoil Donovan’s aim. He teetered with the impact from her elbow, and Iris broke free.

“Iris, get down!” she heard Mickey shout. Her body folded to the ground without conscious thought.

Another shot rang out, though the sound was muffled. Behind her, Donovan’s cry of pain bled into a loud splash. Water droplets spattered her.

She reopened her eyes, terrified of what she would see. Her father was still standing, Edgar burrowed into the crook of his elbow. Mickey lay stretched out on the ground, his gun now aimed at the two guards who both stood with their arms in the air. Glancing sideways, she realized Donovan had fallen into the pool.

“Mickey, it’s okay.” Cosmo set Edgar down on the concrete. “The boys here are Betina’s sons. They won’t hurt us. I’m their godfather.”

“They have guns,” Mickey said. Even so, his weapon slipped from his flexed fingers.

Gaining her feet, Iris hurried to him as he rolled over to reveal a red stain blooming on his shirt. Not again. “Lie still. You’re shot.” She kneeled down to lace her fingers with his.

Mickey tried to push up on an elbow. “No, I just pulled my stitches. I’ll be fine.” His blue eyes met hers and their gazes held.

Cosmo walked fearlessly to the two guards. “Hand them over, boys.”

Both men surrendered the weapons without question.

From the pool came splashes and sputtering. “Someone help me out of here. I’m bleeding.”

Cosmo hooked a thumb toward the pool. “Get a towel and get him out of the pool, and don’t let him bleed on the concrete. Your mother will have a fit.” He came back over to look at Mickey. “Hmm, you’ve already made a mess.”

“I had to do something. He was going to shoot you.”

“Mickey, my boy, why do you think I’m wearing this shapeless nurse’s outfit with a loose-fitting lab coat?” He pounded himself on the sternum twice. “Bulletproof vest. I think it’s the only thing holding my boobs in place. Honestly, I don’t know how women live with these things.” The sound of a door sliding made him turn.

“Someone call for the police?” Hunter stepped through the patio doors. To Iris’s surprise, Marko and Viktor Gorseyev followed him.

“Took you long enough,” Mickey said.

“Sorry. It’s been a busy morning. You weren’t in any danger here, were you?”

Mickey looked up at Iris. “No. Cosmo and Iris here were great backup.”

“Hey, I was great backup. Cosmo just stood there.” Iris smiled down at him. Happiness built within her until she feared she might burst with it.

“Do less, accomplish more,” her father said. “Besides, I had to give Donovan something to aim at. Hunter, your prisoner is this way.” He guided the detective over to handcuff a dripping Donovan, whose shoulder was bleeding. While they were there, Cosmo made introductions and had Hunter shaking hands with Betina’s boys.

Iris shook her head. “My father’s a madman.”

“You say it with pride,” Mickey said softly.

“Yeah.”

He tried to rise, but she pushed him back down. “Stay put. You’ve risked your neck enough for one day.”

He lapsed back onto the concrete. “Seems I wasn’t the only one risking my life. What you did was very brave.”

Iris warmed with his approval. “It doesn’t seem like that much.”

“That’s because you weren’t worrying about yourself, you were worrying about others.”

Edgar hobbled up to them, and she scratched his long ears as he snuffled along Mickey’s arms.

Mickey smiled at the rabbit. “I used to hate this rabbit.”

“He saved your neck once or twice.”

“So did you.” He pulled her hand forward and kissed it. “You did more than save me, Iris. You made me love you.”

Tears stung her eyes. Here was a final chance, if she were willing to risk it. “I wasn’t completely honest with you. I blamed you and your job for not wanting…” She swallowed. “It wasn’t all about my dad not being there. I worried that I wasn’t a good enough daughter to hold his attention. If I couldn’t hold him, how could I ever hope to hold onto a man like you?”