Liz sat in a plush, hard-backed chair in her very own bedroom. Her hands were bound behind her, and she was gagged with a cloth. Ally and River were tied up similarly next to her, but they’d taken extra precautions with River, doubling the bands on him and tying his legs to the chair as well.

The three of them had all awakened, bound and gagged, before sunrise this morning as the plane landed in a private airport. They’d been brought to the house and pretty much left alone. Steve, still showing the signs of the beating he’d taken from River, had come a few times to bring them food and take the women one by one to the loo. When it was River’s turn, he and his men had bound his legs together and carried him there and back.

The young traitor’s hands wandered whenever he helped Liz. She steeled her spine and ignored his murmured invitations and just prayed he wasn’t doing anything similar to Ally.

All three of them had struggled, but the bonds were thick plastic and double cuffed, like riot police would use. River had two sets binding his wrists, and one on each leg, holding it fast to the chair leg. He continued to work against them behind his back. Liz prayed that he could wear through them or escape somehow. His wrists had to be bleeding by this point. Liz’s were chafed, and she had been mostly sitting still. She truly loved her son-in-law and hated the thought of what James would do to him and Ally. Oh, Ally. Tears pricked at her eyes as she glanced at her beloved daughter.

Ally noticed her gaze and bobbed her head, her eyes full of concern.

Liz wished she could comfort her.

The door burst open, and James strode in. Liz’s heart raced with fear. She’d never expected to be here again. Still, she would never succumb to him again, planning to barter for River and Ally’s life with her fortune and if needs be, with her own life. Death was preferable to life with the duke.

Sutton’s words rang in her ears: he will never hurt you again. Oh, how she wanted those words to be true. To be free and loved by Sutton.

The duke sneered at the three of them as he strode in. “Well, well, well. Look at the happy little family.”

Liz inclined her chin and didn’t say a word. He marched up to her, ripped the gag off, and planted a wet kiss on her lips. Liz yanked her head to the side and spat. He grasped her chin and pulled her back to face him. “Did you miss me, love?”

She didn’t want to rise to his bait. “Let Ally and River go,” she said. “You have me.”

“No. I don’t have anything, thanks to you.” He pulled back and glowered down at her. “Your boyfriend had the Coastguard and Interpol seize my ships, and soon, I’ll be bankrupt. Then he ruined my reputation in front of the House of the Lords and the world, throwing your magically-signed divorce papers in my face to make my humiliation complete.”

Liz’s heart leapt. Sutton had accomplished his revenge. If only River and Ally hadn’t been caught in the cross-fire.

In a cold, acidic voice, he said, “So I’m going to kill you and River.”

She and Ally both gasped. River simply glared at him.

James smiled. “Then Ally and I are going to figure out how to live on her billions in some remote corner of the world. Don’t worry, pumpkin, I can easily upgrade your mum, and Steve has told me he’ll happily take over River’s spot.”

Ally snarled something at him through the gag.

“James, all you need is the money,” Liz tried to soothe him. “Ally and I can both transfer you billions of pounds. Then you can go anywhere you want. Kill me and let Ally and River go.”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do!” James roared. He took a long breath and smoothed his shirt. “I’m going to take great pleasure in killing you, but River needs to die also. He didn’t stay dead the last time.” His eyes flickered over River dismissively.

“If you kill us, Sutton will hunt you down.” The words burst from Liz, and she knew they were true. Sutton would never get over her death, but he would avenge it.

James laughed. “Your Sutton will be here soon. My security personnel will bring him up to join us presently. The only hard decision I have is who to kill first. Should I make Sutton watch you die a torturous death or make you watch him? Hmm. It’s hard to decide who I loathe the most.”

There was a ruckus downstairs. Liz strained against her bonds, fear for Sutton, River, and Ally flooding her. Everyone in the room paused and seemed to lean toward the sounds. Footsteps pounded up the stairs, and they heard a roar of “Gunthry!”

James went white.

“Sutton!” Liz screamed.

James whirled to her and ran across the room, squatting behind her chair and yanking a black pistol out. He pressed the gun to her temple and said, “Don’t move, love.”

Liz’s body recoiled from the pressure of cold steel. She’d thought so many times in her life that she’d rather be dead or that she was prepared to die, but being loved by Sutton the past few days had proven how weak that resolve was. She wanted to live and be free to love Sutton and be close to River and Ally. She wanted to watch their young love deepen and grow, to be there for their babies and their happy and sad times.

James’ soft stomach was pressed into her bound hands, pinching them against the back of the chair. He wrapped his free arm around her neck. She could still hear the sound of battle going on downstairs and wondered who was winning.

The door flung open, and Sutton leapt into the room. Dressed in a navy-blue suit, he looked impeccable and as debonair as ever until she focused on his eyes. His normally cool blue eyes were full of fear and rage.

“Liz.” His eyes focused on the gun next. “Gunthry, no.”

James snorted out a harsh laugh. “You were all composed and willing to destroy my life earlier today. Now you have an issue with me returning the favor?”

“My men are annihilating yours,” Sutton said, stepping into the room further. “You have nowhere to go. Release Liz and you have my word that you can walk out of here. Hurt her and I will kill you slowly and so painfully you’ll wish you could die sooner.”

Liz’s eyes widened at the coldness of the threat. Though Sutton appeared composed, his eyes were still wild and flashing. James’ grip on her tightened, and he shoved the gun tighter against her head. She could hear him breathing heavily. He had to be crouching behind her chair, not kneeling, and it was probably a tough position to maintain. He clung tighter to her.

Time seemed to stand still as Liz looked at Sutton. She loved him completely. She’d promised herself she would never be subject to James again, and now was finally the time to show it. All Sutton needed was a distraction, and he’d be all over James. Ally and River would make it out alive. Liz had known this moment was coming for a very long time.

Ally was trying to speak through the gag. Liz picked up a pleading tone.

She could feel James turn to look at Ally, and he relaxed his grip slightly. “I know, pumpkin. This is hard to watch, but your mum betrayed both of us with him years ago,” he said in his politician voice.

“I am done with your lies!” Liz yelled.

She dug into his soft abdomen with her fingernails and clenched as hard as she could. Her nails gripped his gut like iron claws. James screamed. Liz pushed off with her feet while thrusting her body weight back against the chair. She flew backward, and James toppled over in his awkward position. The chair and Liz, landed on top of him.

Ally shrieked. River gave out a muffled holler, and James was groaning and cursing underneath her. Liz had expected the gun to go off and end her life, but somehow, it hadn’t.

She was staring straight up at the ceiling, and suddenly, Sutton filled her vision. He gave her a flash of a smile before lifting her and the chair off of James and setting her upright. She noticed he was standing on James’ hand that still held the pistol. James released his grip and Sutton kicked the pistol away then dove on top of him.

James was screaming and crying pitifully as Sutton slammed his fists into his face over and over again.

Steve rushed into the room and Liz’s heart raced with terror. “Sutton!” she yelled.

Sutton turned, and his eyes narrowed. With a roar, he hefted James off the ground and threw him at Steve. He and Steve crashed to the ground. Sutton stormed after them. Steve disentangled himself and tried to fight, but Sutton was like a machine, pummeling Steve mercilessly. An elbow to the temple sent Steve down to the ground, too dazed to fight. Sutton turned his attention back to James, holding his neck with one hand while he walloped him with the other fist.

Two more men dressed in black rushed through the door, but Sutton had tunnel vision in his punishment of the duke. Liz struggled against her restraints. “Sutton, look out!” It was a replay of the scene from Vieques. The duke’s men would keep coming until they overpowered Sutton just like they had River. Despair rolled over her. She couldn’t bear to watch the love of her life be dismantled and beaten then killed.

“Sir.” It was one of Sutton’s men. The breath rushed out of her, and Liz almost cried with relief. “Sir, we can take it from here.”

Sutton turned his head to the newcomers, determination shining in his eyes, and Liz didn’t think a hundred men could bring him down. Steve was laying on the floor, starting to stir again, and Sutton held James’ head in his hands. Liz could tell he was about to do something drastic—snap his neck or bash it against the wood floor.

As much as she hated James, she didn’t want Sutton to kill him. They didn’t have to sink to his level or get blood on their hands to be happy together. She didn’t know if she could convince him of that or if Sutton would keep fighting until James was dead.

“You’re better than that, 008,” she said softly. If there was ever a time to be his strength instead of his weakness it was now.

Sutton’s eyes snapped from his man to her. “I’m right here, Sutton. We can finally have what we always wanted.” Realization dawned on his face, and she could see his muscles relax.

He let James’ head fall to the floor and said to him, “You’ll never hurt anyone again, you spineless prat.”

He took the hand offered by his man and said, “Thanks, Zane.”

The other SEAL who’d entered the room extended a rod and touched James on the ribcage. The buzz of electricity filled the room and every muscle in James’ body tensed. An agonized whine escaped his mouth.

“Really, Cannon?” asked Zane, rolling his eyes.

“You can’t be too careful,” Cannon said with a grin. He held the stun rod over Steve and looked at River. “What do you say, River? Him too?”

River nodded vigorously, his mouth still bound, and Cannon gave Steve a good long jolt. Then he bent to put handcuffs on his incapacitated victims.

Zane told Sutton, “The police are here, sir. It’s all over.”

Sutton slapped his back and nodded. In a voice dripping with emotion, he said, “Heart of a warrior.”

“Heart of a warrior,” Zane repeated, standing strong and confident, but his eyes a little misty as he met Sutton’s gaze.

Sutton straightened his suit, and his gaze focused back on Liz. Striding toward her, his blue eyes seemed to get calmer the closer he got.

Liz felt tears spill over as he reached her and knelt down in front of her. He rested his hands on her waist and buried his face in her abdomen. “Oh, Liz. Did he hurt you?”

Liz had never seen Sutton lose his composure. It both broke her heart and made her love him even more. She wanted her hands free. She wanted to cradle his head close, and then she wanted to bring his face up to hers and kiss him and kiss him. “No, Sutton. You told me he’d never hurt me again, and you were right.”

Half a dozen bobbies entered the room and hauled James and Steve to their feet.

“I am the Duke of Gunthry!” James roared. “Unhand me!” No one seemed to care.

“I’m a U.S. Citizen,” Steve said. “I demand you take me to my embassy.”

The bobbies started herding them unceremoniously to the door. James cried out, “Tell them, Liz! Tell them I’m innocent. It was Steve.”

Liz looked down at her hero. The duke was dead to her.

“Tell them, Duchess, tell them or else!” James’ voice retreated down the hallway. Liz truly believed it would be the last time she ever had to hear it, and she owed it all to this glorious man who was holding her so passionately.

The two SEALs came over and removed Ally and River’s gags then pulled out pocket knives. As they cut through the plastic cuffs, Zane told them everyone in Puerto Rico had survived. River complained that he wanted to be the one to pummel and Taser Steve. As soon as River and Ally were free, they came together like magnets that had been trying to get together for a long time.

Liz only noticed until her bands fell to the ground. The moment her hands were free, she buried them in Sutton’s hair and pulled him closer. He glanced up at her, and his blue eyes were brighter than she’d ever seen them. “Liz,” he murmured. “You’re so brave. How did you bring yourself to attack Gunthry like that? He could have killed you.”

Liz stared at him. She was brave? He’d just rescued all of them and pummeled two men in front of their eyes.

“I almost lost you again.” Sutton’s body shuddered. He stood suddenly and scooped her out of the chair and into his arms, cradling her like a child. He rested his forehead against hers and whispered, “I can’t ever be without you, Liz.”

She smiled. “I don’t plan on ever leaving you, 008.”

“I had plans to be strong and let you have a chance to be free and unencumbered, decide if I was really what you want.” He shook his head. “I can still do that if you need time.”

Liz put her finger on his lips. “Shh. That’s the dumbest idea you’ve ever come up with. For the first time in twenty-five years, I get to choose what I want, and all I want is you.”

His face finally broke into a smile. “Good, because those years have been torture. I plan on spending the next twenty-five holding you close.”

“You do that. But also, you need to kiss me good and long.”

Sutton’s smile grew. “Make up for lost time.”

“Ages and ages,” she replied, savoring the anticipation, but dying for him to kiss her already.

He lowered his head and captured her mouth with his. His lips were strong, warm, and heavenly. Liz wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer to him. Cheering broke out around them, but she ignored it. Sutton was all that mattered, and she finally had him right where she wanted him—holding her.