“Don’t even think about moving,” he growled in her ear, pressing the gun to her temple. “I will kill you here, if I have to.”
She wanted to ask what difference it made where she died, but his hand was so tight against her lips, she thought she’d have bruises. Not that it would matter if she was dead.
Grass rustled a few yards away. She wanted to turn her head, but it was pressed into the ground, her body held down by his heavy weight.
Whoever it was moved closer.
She could see a figure silhouetted against the sky, and she wanted to call out a warning.
Lucas raised the gun.
She couldn’t let this happen. Not again. She wouldn’t.
She bucked as hard as she could, throwing him sideways as the gun exploded. It flew from his hands, landing in thick grass. Her ears rang, but she was nearly free. She pushed him away, kicking and punching as she tried to break his hold.
He grabbed her neck, tossing her to the ground, strangling her, and she was helpless to stop him, her body flopping like a rag doll’s as she tried to knock him away.
He growled, slamming her deeper into the ground, his knee pressed into her abdomen to keep her still. And she was fading away, losing her grip on the world.
Then, she was breathing. Gasping. Coughing. Choking as air filled her lungs.
Someone was holding her shoulders.
Gently, though. Hands cupping her back as she tried to catch her breath. “Anna, are you okay?” Mac asked, smoothing hair from her face and looking into her eyes.
“Yes. Lucas...”
“Seamus has him. There are deputies on the way. He’s going to jail. And he’ll be there for a long time,” he said grimly.
“He said they were going to kill his wife. Someone needs to go make sure she’s okay.”
“Who is going to kill his wife?” Daniel asked, crouching next to her, his gaze filled with concern.
“He didn’t give me names. He just said he owed people money, and that they know Moreno. They want the money he’s offering for my...death.”
“And if Lucas killed you, it would pay off his debt?”
“I’m assuming so. He didn’t go into a lot of details, and I didn’t have a lot of time to ask questions. He did say that Moreno got information about me being near Abilene, Texas, from someone in the Justice Department.”
“I know,” Daniel said. “We’ve suspected a leak, and we’ve been tracking two people we thought might have been responsible. One of them was taken into custody earlier today. We have phone records linking him to one of Moreno’s associates.”
“That would have been good to know before Lucas tried to choke the life out of her,” Mac grumbled, taking off his jacket and wrapping her in it.
“I would have told you, but we were still sifting through information, trying to get a handle on who planted that bomb.”
“You’re not going to say you suspected me, I hope.” Mac stood and helped Anna to her feet.
“As you’ve said before, everyone is a suspect until he isn’t.”
“Everything okay over here?” Seamus asked, striding toward them through the long grass.
“Is it?” Mac asked Anna, touching her cheek, his fingers skimming the curve of her jaw and the column of her neck. “You’re going to have bruises.”
“You’re going to have a scar,” she replied, dizzy with relief, but sad for what Mac had lost. One of his closest and most trusted friends had betrayed him. That would hurt for a long time.
“There are worse things,” he said, leading her through the grass and onto the road. There were two marked police cars there. One inside the gate. One outside. She knew Lucas was in one car, cuffed and waiting to be driven away.
“I need to go to the house to unlock the gate,” Mac called to a uniformed deputy who stood near one of the cars.
“No problem. We’re in no hurry. We’ve got all night to book this guy.” He smiled. “We’ll need to get statements, too. Sheriff Williams said you can come in tomorrow to give them.”
“We will,” Mac said, his arm slipping around Anna’s waist. She leaned into his side, enjoying the warmth of his touch and the comfort it brought.
“I have a car, you know,” Daniel called.
“You want to ride?” Mac asked Anna.
“You know, I think I’d rather walk. It gives us more time to talk.”
“About?”
“Dinner in Boston.”
“And lunch?”
“That, too.”
“FaceTime calls?”
“And lots of visits,” she said, because it felt right. He felt right.
“Absolutely.” He stopped, turning so they were face-to-face. “I love you, Anna. I want to say that before you leave tomorrow. As a friend. As a buddy. As something more than both those things.”
“I love you, too. As a friend and a buddy and more,” she responded, looking into his eyes and knowing that she could look for the rest of her life and it would never be enough.
He smiled, kissing her gently, sweetly. All the moments they’d shared leading to this perfect one.
The police cruiser was behind them, Daniel and Seamus talking to the deputy. She was still in danger. Until the trial, she knew she would never be completely safe, but standing with Mac, moonlight streaming between gray clouds, she had the soul-deep feeling that everything was going to be okay.
“Ready?” he asked, pulling back and taking her hand again.
“To go to the house?”
“For whatever the future brings.”
“If I’m with you? Absolutely,” she responded.
“You know what? That’s exactly how I feel.” He kissed her knuckles, squeezed her hand, and they walked down the road together. Side by side. Friends. Buddies. More. Ready to face the future. Together.
EPILOGUE
The sun shone brightly on golden fields of corn as Annalise drove the last few miles to Sweet Valley Dude Ranch. Winter had given way to spring. Spring to summer. She had the windows open, balmy air blowing in as she sang along with her favorite worship music. The trial had ended four days ago, the long legal process pushing the date out so many times, she had begun to think it would never happen.
And then it had.
Mac had been there, holding her hand as she waited to testify, reassuring her that she was under close guard and that it would be over soon. He had stayed in an adjoining room in a hotel near the courthouse where Anna had been under constant guard for so many months, she had begun to feel like a prisoner.
Federal police had raided the office of the loan sharks who had threatened Lucas’s wife. They’d arrested the men who Lucas said had been with him when he had hunted her through the forest. They’d neutralized every threat they could, and they had believed she was safe, but they hadn’t been willing to take any chances. Reginald Boeing had given the police information that had led to Archie’s arrest, and federal and local police had done everything necessary to keep Annalise safe until the trial.
For Mac’s sake, she had agreed to their rules. She’d stayed close to her armed guards. She had done most of her work remotely. She had lived her life in a gilded cage, and now, she was finally free. Archie had been tried and convicted. He and Boeing would spend the rest of their lives in jail.
Annalise was safe, and she couldn’t stop smiling as she pulled up to the ranch gates.
Home, the wind seemed to whisper as they swung open.
Finally.
And if she had her way, forever.
She had put in for a transfer, asking to work in the Dallas field office. It was a three-hour drive, but much closer than Boston. If the FBI refused her request—and it didn’t look like that would happen—she already had offers from two law firms.
She could rent a small apartment in Dallas and buy a house in B
riarwood. She had grown to love the small town and the people in it. She never would have expected it, but God had known. He had been working His plan for her life during the hardest times.
And, now, He was bringing her home.
She parked in front of the house, knowing that Mac was probably out in the pasture. It was calving season, and things were hectic. He had hired a new foreman, and he had told her that things were going well, but she worried about him. About the heartache of losing someone he had been so close to.
She opened the front door, stepping into the great room and stopping short when she saw Mac standing near the fireplace.
“Mac! I thought you’d be out working.”
“And miss greeting you when you arrived? Not a chance.” He pulled her into his arms and into a kiss that made her toes curl in her stiletto heels.
“Wow,” she murmured against his lips.
“I was thinking the same,” he said, smiling into her eyes. “I’ve missed you.”
“You left Boston three days ago,” she reminded him.
“Like I said, I’ve missed you.”
She laughed, leaning back so she could study his face. “I love you. I’m thrilled to see you, but it’s calving season. You need to do your thing. I’ll do mine.”
“Which would be?”
“I’m going to help Stacey in the kitchen. I’ve missed her.”
“And she’s missed you, but before we both act responsibly, I have something for you.” He lifted a wrapped package from the mantel and handed it to her.
“What is it?” she asked, her hands shaking. It had been years since she had been given a present, and she felt teary-eyed from the sweetness of the surprise.
“You’ll know once you open it,” he responded, making her laugh as she carefully pulled back the paper and revealed a mahogany frame with a photo inside. At first, what she was seeing didn’t register. Two women smiling into each other’s eyes. One of them holding a bouquet of flowers.
Mother’s Day flowers.
Her mom. Annalise.
It was the photo she’d thought lost in the fire.
“Mac,” she said.
Nothing else, because she couldn’t get the words out past the lump in her throat.
“I searched through the rubble until I found the box. The photo was a little water-damaged, but I was able to have it restored.”
“I can’t believe you did this for me.” She threw her arms around him, hugging him tight, the framed photo between them. “Thank you.”
“I would do anything for you. I hope you know that.”
“And I would do anything for you,” she responded.
“Even put the photo here?” he asked, taking it from her hands and setting on the mantel next to photos of his grandparents, of him, of his parents and cousins and siblings.
“If that’s where you want it,” she responded.
“What I want is for your mother to be family. Not just yours. Mine, too. And I want us both to wake up every morning and see the picture of her mixed with pictures of all the other people we love and have loved.”
“That’s a sweet, thought, Mac, but it’s going to be hard to see the picture every day when I’m in Dallas.”
“You got the transfer?” he asked, his eyes bright with enthusiasm and joy.
“Not yet. But I think I will, and even if I don’t, I’m moving here to Texas. Being back in Boston convinced me that I’m not an indoor kind of gal.”
“What kind of gal are you, then?” he asked with smile.
“The kind that wants to be close to you,” she responded.
“I’m glad to hear that, because I love you, Anna. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He pulled a ring from the pocket of his jeans. No fancy jeweler’s box. No fanfare. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she said, her voice trembling, her heart full.
He slipped the ring on her finger, the old mine cut diamond sparkling as he lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I love you. For today. For tomorrow. For always.”
“I love you, too. For as many days as the sun shines and as many nights as the moon glows.” She stepped into his arms, kissing him with passion and joy and love. When they finally broke apart, she was breathless, frazzled and happier than she could ever remember being.
“Ready?” he said, taking her hand and leading her outside.
“For what?” she asked.
“To spend the rest of our lives together.”
“Absolutely,” she responded, walking with him toward the pastures, the sun bright overhead, the fields lush with life, her heart filled to overflowing.
With gratitude.
With thanksgiving.
With love.
* * *
If you enjoyed this story, be sure to pick up these other exciting books by Shirlee McCoy:
Night Stalker
Gone
Dangerous Sanctuary
Lone Witness
Falsely Accused
Available now from Love Inspired Suspense!
Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Alaskan Showdown by Sarah Varland.
Dear Reader,
Until recently, I hadn’t realized what a difficult taskmaster I was. Not toward others, but toward myself. How critical of my achievements and how disappointed in my failures I tended to be. As I have extended grace to those who have hurt me, friends have reminded me that I am worthy of grace too. We are all fallible, prone to mistakes, often dogmatic in our positions and thoughtless in our actions. But love erases that. His love. His grace. His mercy. He demands nothing of us except that we offer the same as we move through this world. Not just to others, but to ourselves. When you look in the mirror today, I pray that you will see yourself as He does: loved, forgiven and redeemed. Wherever you are in life, whatever your heartache and pain, please know that you matter to Him and to me.
I love to hear from readers. You can connect with me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Or drop me a line at [email protected].
Blessings, friend.
Shirlee McCoy
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Alaskan Showdown
by Sarah Varland
ONE
They’d been searching for the missing twenty-something hiker for days and Adriana Steele had thought this time all was going to turn out well, that maybe they’d have that happy ending that search-and-rescue teams dreamed of.
Then she had climbed into the boat with her dog, Blue, and Blue had come to alert in the middle of Haven Lake.
Not the alert she used for people who were still alive. Blue did search and rescue—that was why she’d brought her along—but she was also the best cadaver dog she’d had the privilege of working with. One of the only ones she knew of who was able to sniff out the decay of a body, even when it was underwater. She’d done it before.
And that was her signal. Someone was dead.
Adriana had radioed the discovery in to the dive team, who had been waiting, and navigated her search boat back to the lakeshore.
She had done her best to push past the clench of pain in her chest. She knew what the family was going to go through now from personal experience. Saving people made facing her own personal demons worth it, but she paid a heavy price every time there was someone she couldn’t rescue.
Blue whined. Adriana reached down and petted her behind the ears. Finding people took a toll on the dog, too.
She waited with her at their truck, sat right there on the tailgate and watched the activity. The team had recovered the
body from the lake, and law enforcement was over there with the search-and-rescue team members who had stayed in the immediate vicinity. The last thing Adriana had heard before she walked away, far enough away to give her some emotional distance, was that the body matched the description of Lara Jones, a hiker who had disappeared from nearby earlier in the week. A roommate had reported her missing, no foul play had been suspected before now and her car was parked at a trailhead not far from the lake.
It was tragic, but familiar. These cases happened too often, where hikers went missing and ended up dead, from some accident or another, enough times that Adriana knew how this worked. Someone was going to have to give a statement and since Adriana had found the body—well, her dog had—they’d want to talk to her specifically.
As long as it was a reasonable individual, she’d be fine. As long as it wasn’t... No, she pushed aside the thought.
It’s just there was one officer she’d rather not work with.
At this point, though, she’d talk to anyone if she could just get out of here. She could only hold it together for so many more minutes. She and Blue both needed to decompress. Maybe go for a run.
Adriana looked toward the group that had gathered around the body covered with a sheet.
She swallowed hard.
The landscape morphed. She no longer saw the fall leaves, changing on the trees from dull green to browns, golds and reds. Instead she saw winter in her mind. A lake like this, but frozen over. A recovered snow machine.
We’re sorry, but he went through the ice and didn’t make it...
Adriana stood so fast her head spun, dizziness making her weak.
She sat back down, reaching her hand out to steady herself.
“Whoa, are you okay?”
Levi Wicks grabbed her arm. He was the last person she wanted to see here. Well, maybe second to last. At least Levi gave some kind of credence to the idea of using dogs in search-and-rescue teams, even to assist law enforcement, whereas his brother thought they did no good at all. No, it wasn’t that part of Levi that bothered her. He was a laid-back “good old boy,” as they’d have called him where she was from, easygoing and unconcerned. Nothing flustered him. Nothing made him upset.
Hidden Witness Page 18