by Dana Mentink
“And I had him try to scare you two out of the opera house by sending the boxes down on you, but he was unable to complete the job as usual.”
“Why did you have him lock me up?” Barbara’s tone was incredulous.
“Because you’re bankrupting Derick trying to restore this dump.” She waved the flashlight around. “The poor man even thought of burning the place down rather than face disappointing you by revealing he’s going broke.”
“Broke? I had no idea.”
“Of course you didn’t,” Rosalind spat. “Because you don’t know him like I do. I’ve worked right alongside him since he was a nobody when he was struggling to get catalog shoots and he worked in my father’s pizza shop. We’ve shared everything.”
“Not everything,” Trey said. “He didn’t want to marry you, did he?”
Rosalind’s eyes flashed. “He’s always had his head turned by a pretty face and usually he winds up marrying them, or just making a fool of himself over the young ones, like he did with Antonia.”
Barbara gaped.
“Oh, don’t worry, honey, he never slept with her, just tried his macho caveman act, but she put him in his place.”
Anger rippled across Barbara’s face. “Don’t talk to me about my husband.”
“Not to worry, soon your name will be erased from our lives. I will make sure Derick knows you abandoned your twins and ran away with your secret lover. I am going to be an excellent mother to them. I’ve always known I would be the perfect woman to raise Derick’s children.”
Sage held the babies a little tighter. “That’s why you locked her up in the first place. You meant to murder her after the babies were born and take them.”
“Someone had to save Derick from being ruined by this woman.” Rosalind shrugged. “Good plan, except the earthquake was unexpected. Fred panicked and insisted on getting little Miss Barbara out of the basement.”
“So you killed him.”
“So I did.” She sniffed.
“And you set the fire, too?” Trey said.
“Enough talking.”
“Tell us,” Sage said, “or I’m not handing over these babies.”
“I think you will. I’ve worked too hard for them.” She coughed. “I’ve inhaled more toxic smoke than a person should.”
Sage felt sickened. “You set the gasoline cans on fire to kill us, and Barbara, too.”
“Seemed like as good a solution as any, but just in case, I came back to make sure all the loose ends were tied up. So good of you to deliver the kiddos. Are they both healthy? If not, I’ll be happy with one. Could be you decided to keep one when you ran away with Mr. Right.” She moved closer and Sage snatched the infants out of reach, backing toward Trey and Barbara.
“Stay away from my children,” Barbara hissed.
“They should be my children,” Rosalind said through gritted teeth. “They’re going to be my babies and he’s my man, and you three are going to die here, right now, and no one will be the wiser.” She flicked the gun at Sage. “Put them down and walk away.”
Sage forced out an answer. “I won’t do it.”
Rosalind’s lip curled. “Yes, you will.” She aimed the gun at Barbara. “I can kill her quickly or you can watch her suffer. Have you got the stomach for that?”
Sage’s gut twisted in horror. What could she do? She looked helplessly at Trey, noticing his slight movement. He was going to attack, to throw himself on Rosalind and give them a chance to escape.
No, she mouthed, agony lancing through her.
Trey’s eyes were calm. Yes, they seemed to say.
She spun to face Rosalind, her body in front of Trey. Please let me find a way out of this.
“Derick won’t believe Barbara just abandoned her children.”
“Hmm. He believed she’s been in Santa Fe all this time. The occasional text from Barbara’s phone was enough to convince him. Derick is many things, but he’s not whip-smart, I’m afraid. He won’t ask too many questions.”
“People will be looking for Barbara.”
“What people?” She wiggled the gun back and forth. “Her parents are dead and her devoted cousin?” Rosalind said and then laughed. “Must have died in the opera house fire or, if there’s enough of your body left to find the bullet hole, maybe she was killed by the same looters that shot Fred Tipley.”
“Rosalind, what happened to make you like this?” Barbara said.
Rosalind’s face pinched. “Just got tired of watching everyone else get what I should have had. Enough talk now,” she barked at Sage. “Put the babies down. Gently. I don’t want them damaged.”
“How are you going to hide them until you sell Derick on your story that Barbara abandoned them?”
She shrugged. “I’ll figure something out. Quit stalling.”
Sage knelt and eased the babies onto the ground. She fought hard not to cry, eyes scanning the ground for something, anything she could use as a weapon. She found nothing. Trey put a hand on her shoulder to keep her kneeling there.
No, no, her mind shouted in a silent entreaty. Don’t sacrifice yourself.
“Wait,” she yelled, whirling toward Rosalind. “I have to give them water.”
“Water? Babies drink milk.”
“Barbara is dehydrated. She doesn’t have enough. If I don’t get them some water, they might die before you get out of here with them.”
Rosalind shifted. “Fine. Give them water.”
“Okay.” With shaking hands, Sage rooted around in the pack, her back to Rosalind. Blocking Rosalind’s view with her body, she handed Trey the hammer. He took it and before she could rise, he hurled the hammer as hard as he could. It slammed into Rosalind’s shoulder and she staggered back. Trey leapt forward and Rosalind fired twice. The first bullet ricocheted off the stone walls. Barbara screamed and Sage caged her body over the babies to protect them.
The second bullet pinged off the stone and buried itself into the floor by Sage’s feet. She looked over her shoulder and saw Trey two feet from Rosalind, who had recovered enough to wield the gun at his chest.
“You’re not going to kill them,” he panted.
“I’ll shoot you down right now.”
“Then do it,” he commanded. “But you better get the shot perfect because I’m coming for you.”
Sage screamed when Rosalind’s finger tightened on the trigger just as a rock sailed through the air and smacked into the ceiling. Rosalind looked up and Trey took that split second to bring her to the floor, wrenching the gun away and turning her facedown, his knee between her shoulders.
Sage was too terrified to make sense of what had happened until Dallas ran in, breathing hard.
“Was that you that threw the rock?” Trey said.
“Yeah.” His eyes scanned the room. “Everyone okay?”
Trey nodded. “Would have been better if you’d hit her.”
Dallas grinned. “You always told me I couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn.”
Sage found herself laughing, though it sounded half-hysterical. “Why did you come back?”
“I found an old guy trying to get his cat out of a buried car so I stuck around to help him. Took all night to dig that tabby out and then one thing led to another,” he said. “As I was getting ready to split, I noticed this gal entering one of the drain pipes.” He gestured to Rosalind. “I figured it bore some checking out. Besides,” he said with a grin, “I forgot my hat.”
Sage th
rew Trey a short rope from the duffel bag and he secured Rosalind’s hands behind her back before he hauled her to her feet.
She aimed a poisonous look at Barbara. “I deserved him. You never did.”
Barbara lifted her chin. “I’ll make sure to tell him all about you, Rosalind. Believe me, you’re going to get exactly what you deserve.”
Trey handed her over to Dallas, who swept an arm gallantly toward the direction from which he had emerged. “Right this way,” he said.
Trey helped Sage to her feet and she wrapped her arms around him, unable to speak. Finally, when her breath returned enough, she whispered in his ear, “I was so scared.”
He stroked her back and she was comforted by the rapid thud of his heartbeat. “But you didn’t give up. You fought back, right up to the end and we won. Mission accomplished.”
One of the babies began to cry and Sage felt like doing the same, but she forced a smile. “Not mission accomplished until we get Barbara and her babies out of here.”
“Copy that,” he said. He put on his pack and walked to Barbara, and once again lifted her gingerly while Sage gathered up the babies, snuggling them close to try and warm them.
After one final glance around the decrepit underbelly of the Imperial, she headed out, her arms filled with two precious bundles.
* * *
The police arrived the next morning at the overburdened San Francisco Memorial Hospital. Trey had spent a few hours prowling the hallways, pacing until he heard the news that Barbara was okay, and wondering where Sage had gotten to.
Finally, he was allowed to go see Barbara. Her face had more color, but she was thin and wan, scratches etching her face and a dark bruise under one eye. After a battery of tests, the doctors determined she was suffering from an infection and a badly sprained ankle. Not surprising, Trey thought, considering. He stayed with her awhile, letting her talk, filling in the details when he could, but all the while wondering where Sage was.
“The babies are doing well,” Barbara said, as if reading his mind, “and Sage promised she would stick close by their bassinets in the nursery. She’s hardly left their sides, from what I’ve been told.”
“That sounds like her.”
Barbara raised an eyebrow. “She’s devoted to people she loves. I think you both share that trait.”
He wasn’t sure how to respond. Every time he thought about Sage something burned inside him, something warm and wonderful that made him start pacing again. He did so now, wandering around the small room, to the window, back to the door.
Barbara gave him a smile. “I can’t ever thank you both enough. You saved me and my babies.”
“It was Sage. To be honest, it seemed too far-fetched to believe you were really trapped down there. I was pretty sure you were in New Mexico.”
She laughed. “But you went in anyway, to save us.”
To save Sage. It was the truth, he couldn’t deny it even to himself.
She yawned widely. “Would it be all right if I took a little rest now? I’m sure Sage wouldn’t mind if you checked in on her.”
Feeling as if Barbara was not nearly as tired as she appeared, he headed to the nursery and peered through the glass windows. He watched Sage, wearing clean clothes borrowed from the hospital that dwarfed her small frame, rocking the babies one at a time.
She smiled occasionally at some small gesture or expression from the little ones and her face was so filled with peace, so unbelievably beautiful.
Derick joined him at the window, staring at his two children, incredulous.
“I just can’t believe it. Rosalind was going to kill Barbara and Sage and take the children.” His voice shook. “I was an idiot not to see through her, but it was always so much easier to let Rosalind handle everything rather than question it.” His head dropped. “I abdicated my role as husband. Barbara will never forgive me for planning to torch the Imperial or letting Rosalind take her, or for making a fool of myself with Antonia.” His lip trembled and he was no longer the youthful screen star, but a tired, washed-up actor, tortured by regret.
Trey felt a mixture of pity and disgust, but pity won out. He clapped a hand on Derick’s shoulder. “You’ve both got two really important reasons to get past this.”
Derick’s brow wrinkled and then he looked through the nursery glass. “Two important reasons,” he echoed.
“You bet. So why don’t you get started by seeing if there’s anything you can do for your wife? She’s been through a lot more than you have. Time to man up.”
Derick smiled and looked like he was going to lay a hug on Trey, so he stepped back a safe distance.
“Thanks.”
“Anytime,” Trey said.
Alone again in the hallway, he returned to watching Sage soothe the little girl whom he’d been told was to be called Elizabeth Sage. His heart seemed to swell inside him at the delicacy and strength that showed itself in her. Those graceful hands that now embraced the most fragile life had carried the infants through fire and bullets to safety.
She was not the same woman he had discovered in the theater before the big quake. And he was not the same man.
When she finally put the babies down and took off the nursery smock, he held the door for her as she stepped into the hallway.
“Morning,” he said.
“Good morning. You don’t have Wally with you. I’m surprised.”
“No canine visitors allowed. Emiliano is keeping him until I pick him up this afternoon.”
“Before you go.” She looked away. “I thought you would already be gone to that place you’re building in the mountains.”
“Not until I made sure everyone was properly accounted for.”
She smiled. “Completed your mission. Well, Captain Black, I can tell you that Sage Harrington has returned from the front.”
He caught something under her teasing tone. “Is that right?”
“Yes, that’s right.” She sighed. “I’ve been wandering around in guilt and fear, but I think I’m ready to get well now. Seeing those little babies come into the world kind of reminded me how much joy God has in store for me.”
His heart beat quicker. “That is excellent news.”
“And,” she said quietly, “I’m going to get help, if I need it, to get completely well again.”
“Sage, I’m proud of you.”
She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for helping me get to that place.”
His cheek warmed at her touch, painting trails of happiness through his body. “My pleasure,” he said, “but you got there mostly by yourself.”
She looked away again. “Anyway, I just wanted to make sure I said that, before you left.”
At that moment, something that had been shadowed shone clear as a diamond in his soul. Go ahead, Black. Without the slightest hesitation, he reached for her hand. “What if I didn’t?”
“Didn’t what?”
His nerves jangled and the words tumbled out, tangling up in each other. “What if I didn’t leave? What if I stayed here, or anywhere, where you are?” He was blabbering like a teenage boy.
“Why would you do that?” She fixed those sapphire eyes on him, the color so vibrant it almost hurt. Was there anything as beautiful as that gaze, which had so many dark moments and hard-won triumphs embedded deep down? Was there a woman as perfectly courageous and willing to fight her way, with God’s help, through unbelievable horrors to save her cousin and hersel
f? The answer was no, and Trey was not about to let Sage Harrington get away again.
He drew himself up to full height, back stiff, army-strong. “Let me just say this in the easiest way. Ma’am, I am one hundred percent nuts about you.”
She gasped, mouth falling open. “What?”
He forged ahead, in crisp commanding tones. “In spite of your flagrant disregard for proper military conduct, I am unable to imagine my life without you.”
Her expression was caught halfway between wonder and disbelief. “What are you saying?”
“Miss Sage Harrington, I believe it is my duty and pleasure to pursue you until you are convinced of the value of my mission.”
Her face split into a brilliant grin. “Did you bump your head back there in the tunnel?”
“Ma’am, no, ma’am. It’s all about the mission, as stated.”
“What exactly would that mission be?”
He stood ramrod-straight. “That you would consent to be my joint commander, wife and partner, ma’am.”
Now she was laughing, a rich, throaty laugh that thrilled him to the core. “Captain Black, are you sure you want to pursue this mission in light of the fact that your joint commander is prone to disobey orders and go AWOL?”
“Ma’am, yes, ma’am.” He reached for her now, joy shuddering through him as if the very ground beneath his feet was shaking. In a low throaty voice, he spoke into her ear, “I love you. All we’ve been through has shown both of us at our best and worst. I know exactly who you are and I want you by my side forever.” He did not let her wiggle out of his arms. “What say you, Sage Harrington? Will you join in my mission?”
She circled his neck with her arms and lifted her mouth to his. “I say that’s an affirmative, Captain Black.”
He allowed the shock wave to travel through his muscles and fibers. Sage Harrington was his, now and forever. Delight tightened his belly, the kiss shaking the truth into him. At long last, out of the darkest disaster and the horror of war, had come the sweet taste of rejoicing. They were both finally home.