Running Scared Part 50

"It's Buckshot's papers. He's yours now," Daegan said, and Jon's eyes widened in surprise and delight. "You can sell him if you want and buy a cheap car with the cash-"

"No way!" Jon said, biting his lip and glancing from one parent to the other. "I-I can't believe it. This is great. Really great. Thanks!"

"And there's something else-but it's not from us," Kate said and handed him another envelope, this one perfumed and sealed with wax.

"Jennifer," he said, blus.h.i.+ng, his Adam's apple moving. "I'll read this later." He stuffed the letter into his back pocket.

"Okay, so let's get to it." Kate held her husband's hand and smiled at her boy. "Make a wis.h.!.+"

He hesitated, closed his eyes, then filled his lungs and blew out the candles in a rush of air that could have extinguished an inferno.

Kate handed him the knife.

"Aren't you gonna ask what I wished for?"

She laughed. "And ruin it so it won't come true?"

"Oh, it'll come true all right. I already saw it."

"'Saw' it?" she asked, her mouth going dry.

"Umhm." He took his mother's free hand and smiled. "You're pregnant, aren't you?"

She swallowed hard. "I, well, yes." She felt color wash up her neck and Daegan grinned widely as he squeezed her hand. Fortunately, he already knew that they were expecting a baby.

"It'll be born on September 10," Jon said, and when she was about to protest, he held both hands near his head as if in surrender. "I know, I know that's three weeks early, but that's the day it's gonna happen and you'll name him Jason."

"How do you know it'll be a boy?" she asked, but already guessed the truth.

Jon grinned widely. "I know, Mom, trust me. Hey, this cake is great!" He dug into the chocolate, gulped down his gla.s.s of milk, and ate a second piece. Then he scooted back his chair and announced that he was going out to check on his his colt, but Kate suspected that he really wanted to be alone to savor Jennifer's letter. They came regularly and Jon wasn't yet interested in any girls at his new school. colt, but Kate suspected that he really wanted to be alone to savor Jennifer's letter. They came regularly and Jon wasn't yet interested in any girls at his new school.

Daegan and Kate cleared the dishes, then Daegan drew her into the circle of his arms and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "You know, Mrs. O'Rourke, you've made me incredibly happy."

She angled her head up at him. "Are you going to show me how happy?"

"Mmm. Later. All night long if you want. But first you should know that Jon's wrong."

"Wrong? About what?"

He laid a hand over her abdomen and closed his eyes. "We're going to have twins, Kate, a boy and a girl, and we're going to name them Jason and Julianne."

She laughed and he opened one eye as if checking her reaction.

"Twins? I don't think so."

c.o.c.king a dark eyebrow, he said, "You doubt me? Doubt my gift?" His gray eye glinted suggestively.

"Me? Never," she said, then blew it by laughing again.

"Just wait and see, woman. You'll be in awe."

"I already am," she whispered and wound her arms around his neck, happier than she'd ever been in her life.

On September 10, Kate's water broke, and at ten minutes to midnight, Jason Patrick O'Rourke entered the world. Twenty-three minutes later on September 11, his sister, Julianne Orchid, joined the family.

An hour after she'd delivered her babies, Kate lay in her hospital bed, a swaddled and sleeping twin in each arm. The hospital was quiet, the lights dimmed, but Daegan, who had spent hours holding his new children, now stood near the bed, as if unable to tear himself away. Tears stood in his eyes and he brushed a kiss across her temple. "Thank you," he said and emotion clogged his throat.

"Geez, you guys aren't gonna get all mushy on me, are ya?" Jon said, but his own voice sounded deeper than usual, and even from his chair near the window, he couldn't take his curious eyes off his new brother and sister.

They, the five of them, were a family, never to be broken. Kate's throat clogged with emotion as she whispered back to her husband, "Thank you you."

"Really, I can't listen to this," Jon said, but his lips curved into a smile.

Kate laughed, Daegan cleared his throat, Jason gurgled, Julianne whimpered before going back to sleep, and Jon rolled his eyes. Sighing happily, Kate smiled as she realized that sometimes, no matter what the odds, wishes really do come true.

Dear Reader, Now that you've read RUNNING SCARED, and spent some time with Kate, Daegan, and Jon, I thought I'd let you know what else I've got up my writing sleeve!

WITHOUT MERCY is still on the stands, and if you like high-intensity twisted plots, you'll love the story surrounding Blue Rock Academy, an idyllic-appearing school for troubled teens. The academy, however, has a few dark secrets of its own: One girl has gone missing and a teacher has been dismissed under scandalous circ.u.mstances.

Things only get worse when Jules Farentino's younger sister, Shaylee Stillman is ordered to Blue Rock Academy rather than sent to juvenile detention for committing a crime with her loser boyfriend. Jules is worried, but can do nothing to help her wayward younger half-sister.

Upon her arrival at the school, Shaylee swears that nothing is as it appears! The veil of honesty and caring surrounding Blue Rock is all a diabolical, dangerous act. Jules starts to believe her sister just as students at the school begin to die under mysterious circ.u.mstances. Worse yet, when Jules arrives at the inst.i.tution she comes face to face with her own personal h.e.l.l: she's forced to deal with Cooper Trent, her ex-lover and now a teacher at the inst.i.tution. Trent, like so many of the instructors at the academy, has a checkered past and as students continue to die, under mysterious circ.u.m-stances, any one of the teachers and counselors could be the killer. Cut off from the rest of the world by the storm of the century, Jules has to fight her feelings for Trent as well as use her wits to try and flush out a killer.

Before she becomes his next victim!

WITHOUT MERCY is now available in hardcover and will be on the stands in paperback in March 2011, just before my next hardcover, the next installment of the Rick Bentz/Reuben Montoya series, will be in stores in April 2011. This all new Bentz/Montoya novel will be set in New Orleans and a lot of familiar faces will reappear, so check my Web site www.lisajackson.com www.lisajackson.com for updates! (By then, I might even have a t.i.tle for the book!) for updates! (By then, I might even have a t.i.tle for the book!) Also, don't forget to look for WICKED LIES, the next book in "The Colony" series co-written with my sister, fellow author Nancy Bush. If you've followed the series, you know that WICKED GAME was the first installment. The next two were UNSEEN and BLINDSPOT both already in stores and written by Nancy. WICKED LIES will be available in June 2011! To learn more about it, and all of The Colony Books, please go online to www.lisajackson.com www.lisajackson.com and and www.nancybush.net www.nancybush.net!

Again, I hope you enjoyed RUNNING SCARED!

Keep Reading!

Lisa Jackson

Books by Lisa Jackson

SEE HOW SHE DIES.

FINAL SCREAM.

RUNNING SCARED.

WHISPERS.

TWICE KISSED.

UNSPOKEN.

IF SHE ONLY KNEW.

HOT BLOODED.

COLD BLOODED.

THE NIGHT BEFORE.

THE MORNING AFTER.

DEEP FREEZE.

FATAL BURN.

s.h.i.+VER.

MOST LIKELY TO DIE.

ABSOLUTE FEAR.

ALMOST DEAD.

LOST SOULS.

LEFT TO DIE.

WICKED GAME.

MALICE.

CHOSEN TO DIE.

WITHOUT MERCY.