by Aimée Thurlo
McNeely howled in pain and, as he doubled over, Fox slipped out of his grip. In a lightning-fast move, Travis delivered a sharp blow to McNeely’s windpipe. McNeely crumpled to the ground, gasping for air. As he struggled to stand again, he slid on the loosened gravel and started to slip over the edge. But before he could lose his footing completely, he grabbed hold of a root that jutted out from the stone face. That one-handed grip was all that kept him from falling to his death.
Travis lunged forward and gripped his arm, steadying McNeely’s hold. “Stay still, or I can’t help you.”
“Why are you?” McNeely managed, his voice not more than a croak.
“Because I’m not you. Give me your other hand,” Travis said. When McNeely hesitated, Travis added, “Work with me and I’ll pull you up.”
Fox moved forward in a crouch. “Let me help, Travis.”
“No! Stay back,” he warned, but before he could finish, McNeely reached out and grabbed Fox’s wrist with his free hand. She struggled, but he held on, pulling her down to her knees and dangerously close to the edge. Travis locked his arm around Fox’s waist and held on to her.
“I’ll cut your arm off if I have to,” Travis said, his voice deadly. “Let her go.”
“Not until you pull me up. She’s my insurance.”
“Let her go now,” Travis ordered. He stared hard at McNeely. “I can’t pull you up with just one hand, and I won’t let go of Fox. It’s your call. Or I can just stay put and let the marshals shoot you. If you’re lucky, you’ll be dead before you hit the ground.”
The helicopter came up directly behind them. “Look down, McNeely. Can you see the red laser sight on your rib cage? All I have to do is nod to the sniper. He’ll take you out, and we’ll be rid of you forever. Decide now, before they do.”
McNeely released Fox, and Travis pushed her quickly out of McNeely’s reach.
Using both his hands, he pulled McNeely up slowly. The moment he was back on the ledge, McNeely threw a punch at Travis. Using his attacker’s momentum against him, Travis stepped aside, then hurled McNeely against the cliff, pinning him there face first.
“I can’t breathe,” McNeely gasped.
“Good. Choke,” Travis snapped.
Ashe arrived at their position just then, having come up from where the helicopter had landed below. He placed one careful hand on his brother’s shoulder. “It’s over now. I’ve got him.”
Travis didn’t move.
“Stand down, soldier,” Ashe said. “You did your job, now it’s my turn.”
Travis eased his hold, and his brother handcuffed the prisoner.
Travis watched in stony silence as Ashe prodded McNeely down the trail. Voices from below told them more help was coming.
“It’ll be okay. Your brother knows what he’s doing,” Fox said.
“I wanted to kill him for putting you in danger,” Travis said.
“But you didn’t. I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud to be—”
Travis looked down at Fox, then gathered her gently into his arms. “Finish what you were saying.”
She shook her head, leaning against him.
“Tell me,” he murmured in her ear.
“To have been yours,” she finished hesitantly.
“What we have shared is something that no one will ever be able to take away from us, Little Fox.” He brushed a kiss on her forehead, then took her mouth in a long, deep kiss.
Travis finally drew back and gazed down at her, wondering how he’d ever live without her. He couldn’t imagine never hearing the music of her voice again, or feeling the tenderness of her touch. He needed her softness, her gentleness. His world had so little of either. Fox had been his light, and without her, only an endless night stretched out before him.
BY THE TIME THEY arrived at the police station, Fox’s spirit felt heavy. She wanted to talk to Travis, to ask him when he planned to leave, and about his return. She couldn’t imagine him not wanting to come back now—not after all they’d shared. How could he walk away from something that was powerful enough to light up the night sky? But, for once, her courage utterly failed her. She remained quiet, hoping that her heart would speak to his in that silent language only he could hear.
They went inside the building a moment later. Casey met them as they were escorted into the squad room.
“I want you two to stick around while I question McNeely’s ally, Viktor Kiktev,” Casey told them. “We believe he’s the sniper who killed Prescott.”
Fox shuddered. “I have no desire to be within a million miles of either McNeely or his pal.”
“They can’t hurt you now,” Casey said. “And I do need you here, in case we have to verify something.”
Fox nodded once. “All right. If it’ll help to put an end to this.”
Fox sat in one corner of the large room while Casey, Ashe, and U.S. Marshal Gray took turns questioning the prisoner as he was being fingerprinted and booked. Deputy Marshal Andrews stood to one side, watching the proceedings but saying very little. In the midst of the questioning, an officer came into the squad room, took Casey aside, and handed her a computer printout.
Casey studied it for a moment, then set it down on the table. “I’ve just received some new evidence,” she said to their prisoner. “If you choose to identify the others you worked with, we may be able to make things easier on you. Cooperating right now is your only real option. If you wait much longer, you risk not having anything to bargain with at all.”
Casey pushed the printouts toward Kiktev. “We now have the list of account numbers you’ve been searching for all these years. They were hidden in Fox’s locket, though nobody knew that until yesterday. But curiously enough, those accounts are empty. It seems that millions of dollars were withdrawn and deposited in new accounts all over the world earlier today.”
Kiktev’s eyes narrowed and his expression became deadly as he studied what Casey had placed before him. Suddenly he looked up and his gaze locked with Carl’s. “Did you think you could have it all?”
“Wait a minute,” Carl Andrews said with a laugh. “You’re not actually going to believe anything this man—” He took one casual step toward Fox.
Travis moved between them, and faced Andrews with clenched fists. “Not one more step.”
Ashe came up to stand beside his brother, his hand on the butt of his holstered pistol. Casey moved in on Andrews, quickly disarming him.
“Hey, you’ve got the wrong man,” Andrews protested. “You’d take the word of a criminal over mine? I’m a Deputy U.S. Marshal. I’ve been set up.”
“Yes, but it was your own greed that sprung the trap,” Casey said. “You played dumb when we brought you the microdot and pretended not to know what was on it, but you got on the phone as soon as we left. The money you think you transferred came from phoney accounts we’d set up. The real microdot went elsewhere.” Casey looked at Kiktev. “And now we even have a corroborating witness for the prosecution.”
Gray studied Casey speculatively. “So I have the real microdot?”
Casey shook her head. “Yours was phoney, too, sir. We knew that the inside man had to be one of you, but we weren’t sure who it was. So we came up with a plan. Each microdot had different account numbers. The banks we’d listed all cooperated, and as soon as someone tried to move the money, we were contacted.”
Gray’s eyes flashed with anger. “How could you set this up without authorization from the Marshals Service?”
“I did have the Service’s cooperation. I just circumvented the chain of command and went directly to Washington with my request. You see, there was a problem with the radio beacon and, for a long time, that pointed to you,” Casey explained.
“I’m not a tech expert,” Gray said.
“We know that now, sir,” Casey added.
Gray’s face began to turn red, and Fox knew Casey would have a lot of explaining to do later.
Casey handcuffed Andrews, then turned him over to an officer.
As he was taken away, still protesting his innocence, Casey turned to Kiktev. “We have Yuri Lazarev in custody. He’s claiming he works for you, as did Prescott. Apparently we’ve caught everyone in the gang who was working in this area, or so he says.”
Kiktev said nothing.
Casey continued pressuring him. “We know that you are the regional leader of this operation. You’d better cut a deal now, before your lackeys bury you.”
Kiktev transfixed Fox with an icy glare. “It was your parents who began your nightmare when they stole my money. This was nothing personal.”
“You’ve tried to kill me, and you’ve murdered people I loved. It is personal. I hope you see my parents’ faces before you for the rest of your life and remember that it was their daughter who brought you down.”
While the law-enforcement team focused on the Russian prisoner again, Travis and Fox quietly walked out of the squad room together.
“It’s really over now,” Travis said. “You’ve got your life back.”
“And now I can finally go after anything I want, right?” She looked at him and smiled.
Travis stared hard at her, his heart beating double-time. “You don’t know what you’re asking for—”
“Life doesn’t come with guarantees. You just have to take things one day at a time. All I’m asking is to love the man I’ve chosen and to be loved by him in return.”
Before he could reply, several officers rushed past them, reporting for the new shift.
She looked around the lobby and grimaced. “Let’s go someplace else. I’ve had it with police departments.”
As they stepped out into the desert night, the full moon above them, a night bird screeched overhead. “The police are needed here,” Travis reminded her gently. “They’re not your enemies, Fox. The harmony that has been restored to you came through them.”
Fox gave him a surprised look. She hadn’t expected him to be defensive about her statement. “I’m grateful for what the police have done but, now, I need to look after my own life.”
“Tell me, how would you feel about being married to a cop?”
“I’m not in love with a cop,” she answered, puzzled.
“But you are in love,” Travis murmured, taking her into his arms. “Do you love me, Fox?” he asked, tilting her chin upwards.
“You know I do,” she said in a breathless whisper.
“I’m coming back to the Rez, Fox. At first I thought I’d join the Bureau of Indian Affairs, but that could take me away from the Dinétah, and I belong here. So I’m going to apply to the tribal PD.”
“A cop,” she whispered, her heart hammering. She held her breath, knowing what he’d say next and longing to hear the words.
“As a cop I won’t be able to give you a high degree of security. But I can give you a lifetime of love and my loyalty forever. Will you be my wife?”
A hot wind swept over the desert floor. “Earth and Wind... Together we’re bound to stir up a lot of dust storms,” she said with a smile. “Are you sure you’re up to it?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He lowered his mouth to hers, showing her with one kiss far more than words could ever have expressed.
Fox surrendered with a soft sigh. It was their time at last. Their destinies, written in the stars, had been fulfilled. “Forever” began one moment at a time, and a lifetime of love waited to be explored.
Epilogue
Six weeks later
Travis and Ashe parked their pickups a few miles from the hogan where their wedding ceremonies would be taking place shortly. The grooms weren’t supposed to arrive until the wedding began, so they’d decided to wait until all the guests had passed them by, before traveling the final distance. Balloons and ribbons tied to sagebrush and tumbleweeds marked the gravel road. One large cardboard sign with the word “WEDDINGS” printed in large block letters, and a directional arrow, stood by the highway.
Travis paced back and forth by the road, as restless as a caged tiger. He’d been away for six weeks, and it had seemed more like six months. He’d had to return to his Ranger unit immediately after the criminals had been arrested. His leave was all used up by then, so he hadn’t been able to come back to the Rez until now, to testify in court. His brother, Casey, and Fox had worked tirelessly to take advantage of the time and make the double wedding possible, since this would be his only time off until his discharge, months from now.
“I’m glad Casey and Fox decided to make it a double wedding,” Ashe said. “But I’m not sure about this blend of traditional and Anglo ceremonies that they worked out,” he added with a wry smile.
Travis said nothing as he walked back and forth.
Ashe glowered at him. “Will you stop pacing? It’s a wedding, not an execution.”
“I’m worried, brother. Something’s not right with Fox. I can sense it.”
“It’s the wedding. She had to plan a lot of the details by herself, since Casey had a lot to do before the trials. Fox is just tense. Give her a break.”
“It’s more than that. She’s different,” Travis insisted.
“Different how?”
“I don’t know—just different. I haven’t even had a chance to be alone with her since I got back yesterday. Today, in particular, has been impossible. I couldn’t even get hold of her on the telephone. I should have insisted we schedule the wedding for morning, before the first trial starts. Maybe it would have cut down on all the fuss.”
“It’s our custom to have wedding ceremonies at sundown to give people time to arrive,” Ashe reminded. “Distances are vast on the Rez. There’s a rightness about that time of day, too. After the guests leave, it’s said that the mantle of night covers the groom and bride and blesses them with harmony.” He paused. “But the truth is, Fox didn’t want to see you today any more than Casey wanted to see me. The grooms aren’t supposed to see the brides before the wedding. That’s part of our customs, and also a big part of the Anglo way, too. We’ve got to respect that.” He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “Things sure get more complicated when you blend two cultures.”
“The ceremony is certainly going to be one of a kind,” Travis said, exhaling softly. “A ceremony in a hogan with a preacher in attendance.”
“I’ll say.” Ashe looked off into the distance. The sun was sinking behind the mountains. “It’s time to go, things should be beginning about now.”
When they arrived at the newly-built hogan Ashe and his fellow officers had constructed for the occasion, the women were waiting. Casey looked beautiful in a white lace blouse and a white long skirt, blending the Navajo and Anglo style. Ashe’s face lit up as he saw her.
Travis searched the crowd for his bride, then saw Fox come out of the hogan. She was dressed in a flowing, white satin, floor-length dress. Just looking at her tore his breath away. With her long blond hair caressing her shoulders, she looked like a goddess come to life.
He gazed admiringly at his bride-to-be. There was a glow about Fox that seemed to go beyond the radiance of a bride. The power of her femininity tugged at him. Yet, another instinct rose inside him as well—the need to protect this woman he loved so dearly. His reaction puzzled him. She was in no danger here, and he didn’t think of himself as an overly protective man. But there was something different about her, something he was picking up on at a level that went beyond logic.
There was no time for him to think about it. A line of people formed by the women, and he and Ashe were led into the hogan. The brothers walked clockwise around the fire, then sat on the west side, facing east. The shawls draped on the walls and on the door told everyone the ceremony was about to begin.
Casey entered next, with the traditional basket of cornmeal in hand, and sat to Ashe’s right.
Then Fox entered, and holding another small basket, repeated the process. As she walked toward Travis, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. His heart was pounding when she poured water into the gourd and washed his hands, signifying a cleansi
ng of the past.
As he, in turn, gently washed her hands, their eyes met. The look she gave him reflected the love she felt for him...and something more. His bride, his woman, was keeping a secret from him. His muscles were tense as they concluded the Navajo ceremony, eating the commeal placed before them.
Travis then walked outside with Fox, followed by his brother and Casey. The guests were pressing in all about them. One more step to go before he’d be able to steal a chance to talk to her. He waited as the Anglo preacher began his part of today’s ceremony. First, Casey and Ashe exchanged traditional wedding vows, and then the rings. Tears shimmered in Casey’s eyes. When his brother, at long last, gently took his bride into his arms, a sigh rippled through the crowd.
Then it was his turn, and all eyes were on him and Fox. He’d memorized the vows Fox and he had written. They were a part of him now.
“You are mine from this day forward,” he said, his gaze on her alone. “I’ll be beside you in sickness and in health. One heart, one mind, one spirit. Now and forever.” His hand shook slightly as he slipped the ring on her finger.
His heart stood still as she repeated the words to him. His new wedding band shone brightly in the muted firelight.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the preacher said.
Travis gathered her into his arms. Her lips were sweet and, for those precious moments, he nearly forgot his other concerns.
Hearing the chuckles in the crowd, he reluctantly eased his hold. “Soon,” he whispered, and was rewarded when he felt her tremble in his arms.
As the guests began moving to the buffet tables that had been set up, Fox drew him into the shadows.
“You’re very tense. I can feel it,” she whispered, her hand on his forearm. “Is it that you didn’t expect this large a wedding?”
“The wedding—you—are beautiful,” Travis said, his voice reverberating with emotion. “I’m glad all our friends are here to celebrate with us.” He smiled slowly as he looked around. “But small and simple would have been okay, too.”