Although she focused on the two men, she did glance at Terrel every so often. His grin widened the more she talked. He didn’t suspect at all. If he did, he’d be wearing a scowl and have a gun to her head.
Ease seeped through her stiff body, relaxing her if only just a tiny bit.
* * * *
Joshua had never loved any woman more, or had been more proud. Kendra pulled off a fine acting job. In fact, if he hadn’t known who she was, he would have guessed her to be Tina.
What a special woman, and to think she was all his. He’d never dreamed this moment would happen. After five long years, his hopes faded. Kendra not only lifted his heart but made him believe in angels. She risked her life to save his. What better way to show her love? He would do all he could to make sure nothing happened to her. He intended to keep her by his side forever.
Holding onto a steel beam on the ceiling, he watched the woman he loved, and the man he loathed. Joshua’s future was within grasp, and he couldn’t let his stepbrother take it away from him again. Those five years were too long.
Across the room, he glimpsed an elbow of one of the agents. After surveying the floor more, he picked out a few more. Right now, swarms of more agents and police were surrounding the building. Terrel definitely wouldn’t get away this time.
So far, everything had gone according to plan. After Kendra explained about her evening gowns, the two dealers inspected the dress, especially the hem. Terrel stood back with his arms crossed, his focus on the gowns instead of Kendra. There were only a couple of times the man tried to stand by Kendra, but she discreetly moved away as she pretended to be into the discussion about Tina’s designs.
One of the men carrying a briefcase reached in his pocket, withdrew a small packet of white powder, and handed it to Kendra. She knelt in front of a gown, withdrew a small pointy object, and began to unpick the hem. Within seconds, she demonstrated how to hide the drugs in the dress.
Emotion grew inside Joshua’s chest. She gave him so much of herself, not only with her love, but with her actions. Never had a woman affected him this way. He swallowed the lump in his throat. God, he loved her so much. He couldn’t let anything happen to her.
The moment he waited for all evening finally arrived. The two men with briefcases stood and gave Kendra a nod, smiling from ear to ear. She led them to the table she’d already set up for their deal. Chilling in a bucket of ice was a bottle of champagne, and beside it sat four empty goblets. She motioned for Terrel to do the honors. He took the bottle, popped the cork while the men laid their briefcases on the table, and snapped them open displaying the bundles of money.
That was it. The signal.
Just like ants raiding a picnic, the agents ran out from their hiding spots, their guns raised and pointing at the dealers. “FBI—don’t move!”
Terrel grabbed Kendra around the neck, withdrawing his gun from his pocket at the same time.
Joshua’s heart froze, his breathing stilled. Sweat coated his forehead as the scene unfolded. The agents yelled at Terrel to drop the gun, but the crazy man screamed at them to back away. He pulled Kendra backward toward one of the exits. She gripped his arm and struggled, fighting his control.
Joshua needed to do something. Anything. And sitting upon a beam like a cuckoo-bird wasn’t his idea of a hero.
Terrel stepped closer his way. They were almost underneath him. Just as they neared, Kendra raised her gaze and met Joshua’s. She nodded before bringing her foot down upon Terrel’s instep. She lowered her elbow and plowed it into the other man’s groin.
Doubling over, Terrel lost his grip on Kendra and she backed away. Terrel raised the gun toward her.
Shouting Kendra’s name in panic, Joshua jumped from the rafters. Mere moments before he landed on Terrel, a gunshot rang through the air. Everything around Joshua turned black.
Chapter Thirteen
Kendra’s head hit the floor, ringing filling her ears. Shouts lifted all around her—the explosion of a gun being fired.
She rubbed her throbbing temple and glanced to where she’d pulled away from Terrel. Her ex-fiancé lay on the floor with Joshua on top of him. Both men were still as the scent of gunpowder hung thick through the air.
A spot of red caught her eye seeping from the back of Joshua’s shoulder. Her heart dropped, but she found the strength to scream. “Joshua!” She scrambled on her hands and knees to him. Three other agents rushed to his side and turned him over. He lay still. Blood oozed from a ripped hole in his shirt near the shoulder.
“No, no, no…” She sobbed, pushing people aside on her way to him.
Beside her, an agent touched her shoulder. “I don’t think the bullet hit any major arteries. I think he’ll be all right if we can stop the flow of blood. We’ve called for an ambulance.”
Kendra maneuvered her body beside his, gently laying his head on her lap, using the palms of her hands to put pressure on the wound. Her chest tightened and threatened to close. A large knot formed in her throat, and she couldn’t swallow. Tears blurred her vision and dripped down her cheeks. What have I done?
She traced the pallor of his lips, his skin color matching dangerously close. “Hold on, my love. You’ll be fine.” Her voice cracked.
Squeezing her eyes closed, she cursed her rotten timing. Why hadn’t he jumped later? Why had Terrel pulled the trigger at that exact moment? She bent her head over Joshua and pulled him close. A cry broke from her chest, followed by more.
“Hold on. Don’t leave me.”
Her body shook with sobs, an indescribable ache growing everywhere inside her. It hurt with every breath she took. Opening her eyes, she focused on him lying so still. So pale. She traced her finger along his cheek to his chin. A fresh dam of tears broke free. “I love you.”
From outside, sirens roared through the night. Help was on the way. Soon.
“I was framed!”
Terrel’s voice grated on her nerves, and she glanced over his shoulder. Two agents handcuffed him and read him his rights. Her ex-fiancé glared at her as he struggled.
“What are you doing looking like Tina? And why are you here with him?” He looked at the men beside him. “Joshua is the one you want.” Terrel motioned his head toward her. “He’s the one who killed Adam Montgomery. He’s the one who escaped a mental hospital.”
O’Donnell yanked Terrel to his feet. “Shut up. I’m getting sick of your lies.”
Kendra didn’t watch Terrel being dragged out to the police car; instead, she looked back at Joshua. She swallowed. “Hold on, my darling. You’re going to be all right.”
The crowd around them parted, and two paramedics hurried to Kendra’s side. It took every effort she had to pull away from him, but she allowed the paramedics to do their job. Before too long they had an IV in his arm and were strapping him to the gurney.
A warm hand curved around her elbow and she turned her head. Her father stood beside her, tears in his eyes. His smile wavered as he looked at Joshua. “He’ll be just fine.”
Kendra nodded. “I know. It’s just hard to see him like that. He’s waited so long to escape the mental ward and to have it end like this...” Her voice broke again.
Her father gathered her in his arms and she rested her head on his chest. “Come on. Let’s follow them to the hospital.”
* * * *
“You can thank the Montgomery’s housekeeper, you know.”
Kendra narrowed her eyes at her father as they stood in the waiting room of the hospital, hoping to hear from a doctor soon about Joshua’s condition. “Lucinda?” she asked.
“Yes. She saw Terrel forcefully taking you out to the car and so decided to follow. She got George to help her out, too.”
She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “I have done nothing but mess things up today. Because of my stubbornness, Joshua was shot.”
Her father grasped her shoulders and turned her to face him. “And because of you, Terrel and Lisa Montgomery are in jail, not to mention that hussy, Tin
a.”
“I know, but I still wish I could have done something to keep Terrel from shooting Joshua.” Tears filled her eyes.
He squeezed her shoulders. “Then you would have been shot instead. Joshua will be fine. I know it.”
The door to the waiting room opened and an older man in a doctor’s white jacket walked in. He smiled at Kendra. “Mr. Montgomery is awake. He’s asking for you.”
She held in a sob of joy as she rushed to his room. As she entered, she slowed her pace, but her heartbeat kept the quick rhythm. His eyes were closed when she stepped to the bed, but as soon as she touched his warm hand, he looked at her.
“Hello, handsome.”
He smiled. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” She squeezed his arm. “You were the only one to take a bullet.”
“Terrel?” His voice came out rusty and he cleared his throat.
“He’s in jail, along with his mother.”
“Tina, too?”
“Of course. Although, I think they’ll go a little easier on her because she cooperated.”
He rolled his head on the pillow and looked at her again. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you.”
A tear slid down her cheek. “Yes, you could have.”
“No. The reason I couldn’t accomplish anything these past five years is because you were not by my side.” He slid his hand over, linking his fingers with hers. “I love you more than you could ever know.”
The tightness in her heart made her breathless as love blossomed inside her. The anger she’d felt for his deception had disappeared when she thought she’d lost him. More tears streamed down her face and she leaned forward to briefly kiss his lips. “I love you, too.”
He smiled. “Promise?”
“Promise.” She hiccupped a laugh. “I still don’t understand it all. It’s crazy to think I could love you so quickly.”
He nodded. “Well, I’m definitely crazy for you. I fell hard and fast for you, too. I think it’s because we’ve wasted five years of being apart. Although I didn’t know you back then, I believe we would have met eventually.” He licked his dry lips. “Kendra, you’re my soul mate, and I don’t want to live my life without you.”
She shook her head. “You won’t.” She leaned up and kissed him again, this time it lasted longer. When she pulled away, she smiled.
“So tell me, how long should we date before I ask you to marry me?”
Happiness burst in her chest. “Well, it’s like you said, we wasted five long years, so really, I think we shouldn’t wait to get married.”
“Valentine’s Day is next week. Is that too soon?”
“That’s the perfect day, in fact. The sooner the better, in my opinion. I’m terribly crazy for you, and waiting would just be ridiculous.”
“Oh, good. I worried you would think differently.”
“No. We’re too much alike.”
“Not really.” She shook her head. “I’m too immaculate, and you’re too gruffy.”
He stroked her cheek. “I love your immaculate tastes.”
“And I love your gruffy tastes.”
He laughed softly. “Now that I’m president of Montgomery Aisle, I’ll be able to get you anything your heart desires.”
She sighed heavily, still grinning. “I already have everything my heart desires. You.”
~The End~
**READERS**
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this book, please consider posting a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or Barnes & Noble. The fate of indie books depends entirely on the reviews it gets.
Other stories from Marie Higgins
“Winning Mr. Wrong” – Romantic Comedy (LDS novel)
“Heart of a Hero” – Historical romance
“Hearts Through Time” – Time-travel / suspense romance
“Secrets After Dark” - Paranormal / suspense romance
“Dreaming of You” – Christmas Inspirational
“In The Arms Of Danger” – Romantic Suspsense
Christian Historical Series
“A Walk In Heaven” – (book 1)
“Touching Heaven” – (book 2)
“Reaching For Heaven” (book 3 not out yet)
Regency Romance Series
“The Sweetest Kiss” – Regency romance (book 1)
“The Sweetest Touch” – Regency romance (book 2)
“The Sweetest Love” – (book 3 not out yet)
“The Sweetest Secret” – (book 4 not out yet)
Victorian Romance Series
“Love Me Always” – (book 1)
“Charmed By Knight” – (book 2)
“True Love’s Deception” – (book 3)
“Belong To Me” – (book 4)
“Love Comes Blindly” – (book 5)
Colonial Romance Series
“Take My Heart” – (book 1)
“Falling In Love Again” – (book 2)
“Wonderland By Night” – (book 3)
Crazy For You Page 12