Even though she wanted to hear more about Liam and his plans for the raid, Melina realized Anthony had changed the subject twice. She looked at Elizabeth. “What’s the problem with a cave?” she asked.
Elizabeth’s eyes widened. Her gaze was a more mellow green than Anthony’s, yet it was just as perceptive. “Good, heavens. You don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?”
“My big brother is seriously claustrophobic. He can’t stand enclosed spaces. He breaks out in a cold sweat if he has to get on an elevator.”
“It’s not that bad,” Anthony said.
“Are you kidding? Dani and I have been worried sick, especially when we saw this cavern. I’ve seen you pass out on a subway car. I’m surprised you got this far on your own.”
Melina moved her gaze to Anthony. She had seen that he was in distress but hadn’t realized why. She had thought there was another explanation for his pallor, his unsteadiness, his periods of difficulty breathing. But if he was claustrophobic…
She glanced at the rock around them. The flashlight that Danielle held gave far more light than the lantern had, but still, there was no mistaking where they were.
Little facts that she had wondered about fell into place: Anthony’s pallor when he’d mentioned the cave system behind the village, the look on his face when he glanced at the overhang the night of the storm, even the way he’d been unwilling to set foot in the tiny motel bathroom the night they had met.
“It’s because of the night our mother died,” Elizabeth told Melina. “Anthony got us to hide in a closet to keep us safe. We were only three. It…affected him.”
Anthony tipped his head close to Melina’s. “I didn’t want to worry you.”
Oh, she wanted to shake him silly again. Right after she kissed him into tomorrow. All this time, she’d been letting him comfort her, but he was living through fears she couldn’t even imagine. If only she had known how difficult this must have been for him…
Then again, if she had known, she wouldn’t have been able to stop Anthony from putting aside his own needs to see to hers. She sighed, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder. She had once wondered what it would be like to be loved by him. She was finding out.
Danielle clicked off the flashlight and ducked beneath a low archway. With surprise, Melina realized the passageway had flattened out. Daylight streamed across the rock floor. A few steps later, they emerged onto a small, sunlight-filled square between walls of red-gold brick.
After the confinement of the stronghold and the darkness of the cavern, the scene that opened up in front of them took Melina’s breath away. Against a backdrop of blue sky, the Anasazi cliff village spread across the ledge on either side of them like a collection of giant building blocks. Some of the mud and brick walls had crumbled, but others were still intact, soaring two stories high in places, reaching toward the lip of rock that curved protectively overhead. Wind sang through the empty windows and gaping doors, carrying with it the screech of eagles…and the pounding of heavy boots.
A dozen men carrying automatic weapons and wearing dark blue caps and bulletproof vests emblazoned with FBI squeezed past them, heading for the cavern. The rhythmic chug of helicopters echoed from the top of the cliff above them while the tinny noise of a loudspeaker rose from the valley floor. The raid Liam had organized was underway, and judging by the volume of noise, he had sent in everything he had, just as Melina had asked.
After the terror of the past day, it was hard to grasp that it was over. But it was. They were safe. She stepped into Anthony’s embrace once more, not for comfort but in celebration. “I love you, Anthony,” she said.
Danielle clipped the radio back on her belt. “I’m glad to hear that, Melina,” she said. “Because Dare already assures us that Anthony loves you.”
“Dare?” Anthony asked.
As more armed men hurried past, one man separated from the others and stopped in front of them. He wasn’t wearing a vest or carrying a gun, yet he moved with a fearless confidence. He had the build of an athlete, midnight-black hair and a green gaze as intense as that of Anthony and his sisters.
“Meet Darian Sabura,” Danielle said. “Our little brother.”
He wasn’t little, was the first thing Melina thought. He couldn’t be more than an inch shorter than Anthony. His skin was bronzed from the sun, and his face bore the lean, hard lines of an adventurer, yet there was a touching sensitivity in his expression. He put his hand on Anthony’s shoulder. He stared at him in silence for a moment. “And I’m glad you’re alive, too, Anthony. Welcome back.”
Elizabeth raised herself on her tiptoes to kiss her little brother’s cheek. “Dare’s an empath,” she explained. “He knows what you’re feeling.”
Anthony clasped his brother’s arm. “Was it you I felt?” he asked. “Did you lead me to the tunnel?”
“What?”
“I followed a feeling of safety. It helped give me strength. It made me feel as if I were coming home.”
Melina felt a lump in her throat as she looked from one man to the other. She didn’t need to be an empath to see that neither of these men was accustomed to sharing their emotions. Two tough-guy loners with hearts of gold. Did it run in the family?
“That wasn’t me, Anthony. That was all of us.”
“All?” Anthony looked at Melina and then at Danielle. Now that he was out in the open, his pallor had disappeared. So had the rest of the shadows. “You said you found them all.”
Danielle beamed. “I realize you only asked for Elizabeth and me, but we knew the rest would want to be in on this.”
“It was because of their help we were able to pinpoint your location,” Elizabeth said. “Once we did, we sent you our love along with our energy.” She wiggled her fingers. “That was some power we gathered, wasn’t it? Imagine what a good team the six of us would make.”
“Come on,” Danielle said, linking her elbow with Dare’s. “Cassie would know by now that we’re coming.”
Dare laughed. “You’re right. She told us about it five minutes ago.”
Danielle led the group around a heap of crumbled brick to where a chest-high wall ran along the edge of the cliff. A tall man and a petite, black-haired woman stood near the wall, watching the activity in the valley below. The woman was the first to turn toward them. The wind flattened her jacket over her stomach, revealing the gentle swell of early pregnancy. She tugged at the arm of the man beside her. “Hawk,” she said. “They’re here.”
He pivoted fast, his gaze zeroing in on Anthony. He had the rugged demeanor of a cowboy, from his wind-tossed dark hair to his chiseled jaw. Yet, like Darian, there was a sensitivity in his expression that transformed his face when he smiled. He held out his hand and stepped away from the wall. “Hawk Donovan,” he said. “And this is my sister, Cassandra.” His smile turned lopsided as the woman pushed him aside to give Anthony a smacking kiss on the cheek. “Our sister,” he corrected.
Melina slipped out of Anthony’s embrace to make room for Cassandra. In the past two days Melina had shed more tears than she had shed in years. She hadn’t thought she would have any left, but as she watched Anthony get reacquainted with the siblings he had lost, she realized her cheeks were going to stay wet for a long time.
But these were good tears. Healing tears.
“Are you all right, Melina?”
At the familiar voice, Melina turned to look to her right. A man was approaching them from a sloping pathway where the village melded into the overhanging cliff. “Liam!” she said, wiping her face. “Oh, it’s good to see you. I’m fine. I’m just…” She hiccuped. “This family reunion. It’s overwhelming.”
Liam Brooks was outfitted with an FBI vest, like his colleagues, but he held a radio instead of a gun. He said a few words into the mouthpiece, then did something she had never seen him do before. The by-the-book agent with the steady personality of a rock actually grinned.
And for the first time Melina realized with a start that
he was a very handsome man.
“Those six are going to take some getting used to,” he said.
“That’s for sure. They’re truly unique.”
He seemed about to comment on that, but before he could, a police helicopter swooped past the ledge, stirring up a cloud of dust. He waved the dust away. “Well, Melina, it looks as if you’ll get what you want, after all.”
At the thought, she had to wipe her eyes again. “Anthony and I haven’t had the chance to make plans, but—”
“I was talking about your exclusive.” He nodded his head toward the valley. “I’m coordinating the raid from here. You’ve got a front row seat to witness the end of the Titan Syndicate.”
He meant her story. She had forgotten all about it. She crossed her arms over her chest. “All I want is to see Benedict Payne stopped. He’s evil, Liam. He’s—”
“He’s finished,” Liam said. “My men have already breached the lower entrance of the stronghold. He won’t get away this time.”
“You’d better believe it.” Danielle came over to give Liam a kiss, then pressed close to his side as another helicopter buzzed past. She coughed and looked at Melina. “If we hadn’t needed to rescue you and Anthony, Elizabeth and I would have gone in after him ourselves. That monster has caused so much misery.”
“What you should have done is stay where it’s safe, the way Cole and I asked you to,” Liam said sternly. “There are already too many civilians here. Until the bastard’s in custody—”
“Agent Brooks! We have a problem.”
The shout had come from the direction of the sloping pathway that Liam had just used. He turned toward it and thrust Danielle behind his back. A second later, Anthony and his brothers had joined him, aligning themselves with Liam to shield Melina and their sisters.
Melina found herself between Cassandra and Elizabeth. She met Danielle’s gaze over the petite Cassie’s head. All three sisters had a flare of terror in their eyes. It was mixed with rage. The combination was familiar. It was shared by all of Benedict’s victims. Melina tried to tell herself she was safe—after all, she was surrounded by agents and sheltered by four very determined men. Yet the horror of Benedict’s plans for her and Anthony wasn’t far beneath the surface. Would it ever truly go away?
“I warn you again, young man, you are making a mistake.”
It was a woman’s voice, her words almost drowned out by the noise of the hovering helicopters, but Melina was certain she had heard that voice before. She pressed close to Anthony’s back and stretched to see past his shoulder.
Three of Liam’s men were struggling with a small, dark-haired woman. They had her by her arms, but their grip was slipping in the shawl she had wrapped around her shoulders and the gold bracelets that gleamed at her wrists. “We found her on the ramp from the top of the cliff, sir,” one of the men said. “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know how she got past the perimeter. She isn’t armed.”
“I have more right to be here than any of you,” the woman said. “Let me pass.”
Melina gasped as recognition dawned. She tapped Anthony’s arm. “That’s the woman from the bed-and-breakfast. Mrs. Rodriguez’s other guest. What on earth is she doing here?”
“Liam, that’s the fortune-teller we met at the carnival, last spring!” Danielle exclaimed. “Remember? She gave you that tarot card.”
“I’ve met her, too,” Cassie said. “She knew I was pregnant.”
“That’s the woman who tipped me off about my birth mother,” Hawk said.
It was Anthony who was the first to step forward. “Let her go,” he ordered. “This woman means no harm.”
“He’s right,” Dare said, moving with him. “I sense no threat in her.”
The FBI agents looked to Liam for instructions. He dismissed them with a nod, his expression confused. “Who are you?” he asked. “How did you get here?”
The woman straightened her shawl. Sunlight glinted from the silver in her hair. “I followed the children as I always do. They gathered here, so I came.” She looked at Anthony. “You were wise to take my advice,” she said. “Alone, you would have fallen, but there is no strength like that of a family united.”
He stared into her eyes. Her gaze was the same piercing green as his own. “How did you know what to tell me?”
“I saw the paths in front of you. That is my power.” She moved her gaze from Anthony to Hawk and then to Dare. “I am so proud of the men you have become. Your lives were filled with challenges, but you have made the right choices.” Her face creased into a smile as she looked at Danielle, Elizabeth and Cassie. “And you three make my heart exult. You have indeed inherited the good soul of your mother.”
“Our mother?” Elizabeth asked.
“All of you look so much like her, especially you, Cassandra.”
Cassie gave a sharp cry and pressed her knuckles to her mouth. “I saw myself standing with you. All seven of us were together. Right here in the village with the wind blowing around us.”
“If you have foreseen it, too, then the time must be right.” The woman’s smile broadened. “For twenty-eight years I have tried in my own way to watch over you and keep you away from the monster who stole Deanna’s life. I foresaw you would discover each other when you were ready. Now you have, and my wait is over.” She touched her fingers to her chest. “I am Magdalena Falaso, your mother’s sister.”
“Aunt Maggie?” Danielle said. “You’re Aunt Maggie?”
“Yes, my darling, I am your aunt. There are so many things I wish to tell you.” Magdalena’s chin trembled with emotion. Her smile faltered. “But forgive me, it has been so very long since I held you, I find I cannot wait another instant—” Her voice broke. She held out her hands.
Without another word spoken, all six of Deanna’s children converged on Magdalena at once.
Melina had to use her sleeve to blot her eyes. Had she thought this was done?
She glanced at Liam. His eyes were suspiciously moist. Before either of them could speak, his radio crackled. As he returned his attention to his job, Melina stepped back to better take in the scene, shutting out the sound of the choppers and the bustle of Liam’s men, holding to her heart the warmth that filled the air around her.
For the first time since that horrible night Fredo had died, she wished she had a camera. She wanted to capture this moment and preserve it, not for a story—this had gone far beyond a story—but for Anthony.
Like her, he’d found much more than he’d known he was seeking.
Two men in FBI vests jostled her shoulder as they brushed past her. She blotted her eyes again and backed out of the way, her mind still on the touching reunion. But as the men continued past Anthony and his family, one of them glanced back and Melina couldn’t help noticing that the skin around his jaw drooped like a hound’s, and one of his eyebrows was missing.
Melina felt a chill. She tried to ignore it. She couldn’t let the fear come back and spoil this reunion for Anthony. This place was secure. The FBI were all over the stronghold.
So what better disguise for someone who was bent on escape? Especially with everyone relaxing after the false alarm of Magdalena’s dramatic appearance.
“Liam!” she yelled, pointing at the two men. They were heading for the pathway that led to the top of the cliff. They must have come from the cavern entrance at the back of the village. “Stop those two. They’re—”
Before she could finish her warning, her elbow was caught in a crushing grip from behind. Something hard and metallic was jammed against her temple. It was a gun. She recognized the feel of it. She recognized the smell. And the terror it evoked. She twisted her head.
Like an image from a nightmare, Benedict Payne loomed behind her. He was dressed in the same dark blue uniform and vest as the rest of Liam’s people. He had shaved off his silver goatee and hidden his silver hair underneath a baseball cap with FBI on the front, but the shadow of the cap’s brim couldn’t conceal that flat, lifeless stare of a rept
ile.
Oh, God. No. Please. He didn’t belong here in this place of sunshine and happiness. He wanted to store Anthony like a trophy and keep their children in cages….
“Stay back!” Benedict shouted.
Melina whipped her gaze in front of her. While several of Liam’s FBI agents subdued the two men who had jostled her—Gus and Habib, from the look of them—the rest had halted where they were, their weapons drawn and pointed toward Benedict. She heard a series of metallic clicks from behind them and realized all the agents in the area must be doing the same.
“Let her go,” Anthony said, stepping forward. He had no weapon, but the look on his face was so deadly, he was undoubtedly the one Benedict had spoken to.
Benedict wrenched Melina’s arm behind her and jammed the gun harder to her temple. “Get out of my way,” he ordered. “Or I’ll shoot her.”
Anthony came to a halt ten feet away. He braced his legs apart and folded his arms over his chest, looking as immovable as the cliff. “It’s over, Benedict.”
“You fool. I’m not finished. I—”
“My brother is right,” Dare said, moving beside Anthony. “It is over. You are finished.”
Benedict raised his voice. “I want guaranteed safe passage to the airport. I want a jet fueled and ready.”
“It ends now,” Hawk said. He moved to stand with his brothers, his stance echoing theirs. “You’re not going to hurt anyone again.”
One by one, Danielle, Elizabeth and Cassandra joined them so that they formed a line, shoulder to shoulder, blocking the way.
“Agent Brooks, get me a helicopter,” Benedict shouted.
Liam took a pistol from one of his men, clasped it between both hands and straightened his arms, pointing it at Benedict. “There’s no way out this time, you bastard.”
Benedict moved his gun from Melina’s head and aimed it at Danielle. “Get on the radio and do it now, Brooks. It makes no difference to me which one I shoot.”
In Destiny’s Shadow Page 21