JoshuasMistake

by A. S. Fenichel

  Dimly lit, she fought a shadow he couldn’t see and even in spirit, she was magnificently strong and capable. Dressed in close-fitting shorts and a workout top, she was tall, lean and rippled with tight muscles. She punched and kicked at demons only she could see.

  “Tessa?”

  She turned away and the shadow subsided in the swirling gray. Tessa’s eyes narrowed and her fists came up as she crouched slightly as if ready to spring at him. For a moment she looked as if she might attack him. He thought Desire might have found a way to follow him, and then she relaxed. “Joshua, you don’t belong here.”

  Elation bubbled in his gut. She spoke. She had a mind and not just emotion and instinct. “I came to bring you back, Tessa.”

  She shook her head and looked cautiously over her shoulder. “I have to defeat him.”

  “Who are you fighting?”

  “Banta. This is his domain. He trapped me here. I have to defeat him.” She turned and stalked forward as if she were searching for the shadow.

  “He’s not here, Tessa. It’s true, he trapped you, but he’s still in the world of man. You can’t hurt him here. Come back with me and we will defeat him together.”

  She spun toward Joshua. He thought he saw a moment of confusion before her scowl returned. “You’re wrong, Joshua. He’s here, I nearly had him.”

  Maybe the truth would bring her around. He had no idea how long he’d been away from his body this time. He did know he had very little time. “Tessa, you have to come back with me. If we stay here much longer our bodies will die.”

  “You should go. I can weaken him here and then you can destroy him from above.”

  He heard a loud bang. It sounded like gunshots. He turned toward the noise but saw nothing. Adrenaline rushed through him. He wanted to grab her and run, but there was no place to go. He couldn’t force her out of the ether and into her body, the choice had to be made of her own free will. “Tessa, you have to come with me. I need you with me. We can defeat Banta but only together and not in this place. I can’t go back without you. Please.”

  Strength turned and walked toward him. “Why can’t you go?”

  “I can’t leave you behind. I came for you.” He could hear the panic in his voice.

  Her head cocked. “Why?”

  He took a moment as if he could draw breath in the spirit world. It was time to call on his own strength. “There is no point for me to go back without you. I have never given a damn whether I lived or died. The only person I’ve ever cared about is my brother and I have kept him at arm’s length. You are the only person I’ve ever wanted to let in, Tessa. If you will not come with me I will stay here with you and together we will fight your demons. I love you.”

  Her eyes widened and she took a step back.

  “You love me?” The voice did not come from Strength who still stared directly at him. It was still Tessa’s voice, but it had come from behind him.

  He turned. Tessa, dressed all in white and vibrating with the aura he’d grown to love in a very short time, stood watching him.

  “I love you with all my heart.”

  “I never imagined you could love me.”

  He moved forward until he was only inches from her. “I never dreamed I could love anyone until I met you. You are my only reason to go on, Tessa. I can’t go back without you.”

  Her eyes flicked toward where he had last seen Strength. “I’m afraid. You don’t know the pain Banta can cause. I would rather die than feel my soul ripping away again.”

  His heart contracted painfully. “I can’t promise he won’t try. All I can promise is I will be by your side and I will die to protect you. I’m sorry I failed in Florida, Tessa. I should have protected you.”

  “I was trying to save you,” she said.

  “I know and you did. But I’d rather die than live without you.”

  She threw her arms around him. “I love you, Joshua Lakeland.”

  In an instant Strength, Fear, Sorrow, Desire and Rage all came together in the Tessa who was Love. Light exploded in every direction.

  Chapter Eleven

  The hard ground beneath her was her first sign she had crossed back through the veil. Her body ached but other than some stiffness and an empty belly she was unharmed. Sweat dripped from every pore as the heat pressed down around her.

  “Am I in hell?” She tried to say the words out loud, but it sounded similar to a croak from her dry throat.

  Gunfire exploded outside. Tessa couldn’t see anything except the orange glow on a mud ceiling.

  A man who reminded her of Joshua bent over her and grinned. He lifted her to sitting and tipped some water into her mouth. “You’re in Nevada.”

  “Joshua.” She managed the one word a bit better after the water slid down her throat.

  The man who had to be Joshua’s brother said, “He’s okay. I’m Kane.”

  “Who’s shooting?”

  “I’m not sure, but my guess is Banta has found us.”

  Tessa stretched her long legs and leaned against the dirt wall. Her body was stiff and her stomach growled. She took the offered cup of liquid and wiped sweat from her face as she drank. “Why is it so damn hot?”

  Light streamed in through a doorway. She saw movement and turned to see Joshua crawling on his stomach across the ground toward her. “Because we’re in the sweat lodge, beautiful. It was the only way I could cross over and get to you.”

  Her entire body relaxed when she saw him. Her aches no longer mattered. The memory of the pain Banta had caused meant nothing. He was whole and that was all that mattered. “You’re alive. The bullet didn’t hit you?”

  “You saved me.” The gunfire continued outside, but Joshua pulled her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head.

  Nothing would ever compare to being safe in his embrace. Odd she should feel secure when it was obvious a battle raged outside. “I wasn’t sure and then you were in my nightmare telling me…you love me.”

  She’d said it out loud. It might have been her imagination, but that was what she remembered most clearly from the other world.

  He moved so she could see his face in the orange glow coming from the center of the round room. “I do love you.”

  Bliss. It was well over a hundred degrees in the room. Automatic weapons fire blasted outside and yet those words brought her pure bliss.

  “You brought me back.” Her lips found his, warm and needy. The gunfire became louder, breaking the kiss much too soon.

  He ignored the sound. “I will never leave you behind.”

  She turned to find an elderly Native American woman lying on her stomach nearby. She looked at them and nodded.

  Even though Tessa had never seen the woman before there was something familiar about her. Somehow she knew this woman was the reason Joshua had found her. Tessa asked, “When did the battle start?”

  The woman spoke. “It started about fifteen minutes ago.”

  Kane said, “We need to get out of here. I have no idea how it’s going.”

  “You should have left,” Joshua said.

  Kane shook his head. “I wasn’t sure you’d come back.”

  The emotions flowing between the brothers swelled and then retreated. Tessa’s connection to Joshua allowed her to feel their bond. Then both of them brushed it away as if swatting a fly.

  “There should be weapons just outside the entrance,” Joshua said.

  Joshua touched Tessa’s cheek and smiled. In spite of the hell breaking loose outside his happiness was obvious. It flowed over her as if it were a blanket. “Do you think you can move? We need to get out of the lodge.”

  She pushed to her knees, testing her muscles. “I can move, though I probably won’t be running just yet.”

  His smile was enough to make her jump for joy at least figuratively. Her memory was blurry after the bullet meant for Joshua left the weapon. She remembered slowing time. She’d pushed the bullet, but before she could find out if her effort had saved him, the pain of
Banta tearing her aura from her body erupted. The agony still lingered in her soul. How had she survived? She remembered the nightmare. Fear, sorrow, rage were all warring together and blocking her from moving forward. Then Joshua came for her, but it was all blurry and surreal. At least until the moment she’d heard him declare his love. Those words were a beacon. The barrier that had kept her away lifted and she’d been in front of him. It had been her and not her fear or her strength. She was more than just one emotion for the first time in what seemed like years. How long had it been?

  Joshua turned to the old woman. “You’ll have to make your way to the house. It’s too hot in here for you to stay. We’ll cover you, Adianca.”

  The woman didn’t argue. On her belly she crept to the right side of the entry and waited for the three of them to exit before her.

  Tessa’s body rejected the idea of getting to her feet, but she ignored the pain and took the automatic weapon Joshua handed her. The daylight blinded her momentarily, but soon she could see the battle raging in the desert.

  She assumed the handful of Native Americans pinned down behind an outcropping of rocks were on their side. Will and a young woman were defending the sweat lodge.

  Gunfire rained down on them from the ridge. Tessa, Joshua and Kane created a wall to cover Adianca and get her safely inside the log cabin. As soon as she was inside all three ran for the cover of a small outbuilding.

  A man dropped to the left of her. Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed his outstretched arm, yanking him to safety. The wound in his leg was bad but not fatal. Tessa quickly tore his jeans from where the bullet had left the cotton ragged. She made a tight tourniquet to stop the bleeding.

  “I’m glad to see you’re better,” the man said. His teeth gritted in pain.

  “Do you know me?”

  “I’m Jon. I was here when you were in the other place.”

  She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t even know how long she had been in Nevada. She muttered a thank you and Jon gave a quick nod. He turned, staying behind the outbuilding’s wall and continued to fire in spite of his wound.

  Tessa turned toward Joshua and Kane. “We are going to get these people killed. We need to lead Banta away from here.”

  Kane said, “We’re pinned down. This is no good.”

  Joshua said, “I’ll make my way around and try to get in behind them.”

  “You’ll never make it. It’s too open.” Tessa gripped his arm tightly for emphasis. She’d just gotten back to him. She’d be damned if she was going to let him commit suicide.

  The sound of helicopters filled the valley.

  “They’re bringing in more troops,” Kane said.

  Joshua looked her in the eyes. “I’m sorry, beautiful. I didn’t mean to bring you back only to get you killed.”

  “I’d rather die here with you than be left in that nightmare.” It surprised her, she really meant her words. Her only regret was if they died in the desert Banta would live.

  One helicopter landed far in the distance behind the enemy. Banta’s men turned and began to fire on the approaching assault copter.

  As soon as Joshua saw them turn on the incoming troops he moved forward with Kane and Tessa following close behind. If the enemy was shooting at the helicopter it meant whoever they were, they were allies.

  A second helicopter landed behind the log cabin and a minute later the psi contingent from Florida was rounding the house in full assault gear.

  Banta’s men became confused. Some of them threw down their weapons and put their arms in the air.

  Tessa saw Banta clearly at the center of the ridge. It might have been her imagination, but she thought she saw a moment of panic on his face. It was impossible she could have seen it at that distance. Still, he stood looking down at them for a long moment, ignoring the bullets peppering his general direction.

  Tessa fired toward him and still he didn’t flinch. Bullets bounced off his psi barrier as if they were pinballs in a machine.

  The assault team members on the ridge collected weapons from the surrendering troops. Even at a distance Tessa could see the FBI in white on the black BDUs.

  Banta ran for his helicopter with only a handful of his men and took off toward the north.

  Tessa fired pointlessly at the aircraft. The knot of rage in her chest tightened and she kept firing until her clip was empty. Even then she pointed her weapon at the ever-shrinking helicopter until Joshua gently pulled the gun from her grasp.

  “He’s getting away,” she said. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

  Joshua tossed the weapons aside and took her face in his hands. With his thumbs he wiped away her tears. Those stark blue eyes captured her full attention. “We will find him.”

  “We can’t let him get away, Joshua.”

  “We won’t.” He was completely sure of himself and something about it brought her peace.

  “Okay.”

  One side of his mouth tipped up in a half-smile. He leaned in for a quick kiss and then turned toward the men coming down the ridge into the valley.

  Joshua’s focus was on the short man in front of the rest. “Agent Blake, I would ask you how you found us, but to be honest I don’t care.”

  The two men shook hands.

  “I do have some resources at my disposal, Lakeland,” Blake said.

  “I supposed the FBI does have its uses after all.”

  Agent Blake stepped forward until he was face-to-face with Tessa. “Miss Clark, the United States government owes you an apology. I did some digging after the incident at the safe house in New Jersey. You could not have perpetrated any wrongdoing during your mission. I had every phone and wire record pulled confirming that. I also assume the official probe of Joshua Lakeland, a respected Psi Agent, will confirm this. When this mess is over with I’m sure your status will be reinstated if you still want to work for the Psi Agency.”

  She’d never heard of the government apologizing for anything. “I appreciate that, Blake. I’ll have to give it some thought. There may be some other opportunities opening up for me.”

  Tessa looked over Blake’s shoulder to where Joshua was listening to every word. He smiled, knowing she was thinking about the private agency he’d talked about opening.

  Blake cleared his throat. “I owe you a personal apology too. I should have done my digging before.”

  She shrugged. “You were following orders.”

  “I’m learning sometimes that’s not good enough. I suspect the person who gave those orders may have an agenda that is not in line with the overall desires of the United States government. I’m looking into it now.”

  Joshua said, “I’d be interested in what you find.”

  Blake nodded and walked away to oversee the securing of prisoners.

  “That guy always pisses me off,” Jess McMean said about the FBI agent before grabbing Tessa in a bear hug. “You okay?”

  “I need food and sleep, but otherwise I think I’m fine.”

  Jess let her go. “I thought we’d lost you for sure.”

  Joshua put a possessive hand on the small of her back. “Not a chance.”

  Tessa gave him a weak smile. She knew the assurance Joshua displayed was a lie. He’d been scared, afraid he would lose her. She couldn’t help that her lips tugged up. “He says that, but there was a pretty big chance. If Joshua hadn’t come after me I would never have found my way back.”

  “I don’t understand,” Jess said.

  “It’s a long story and one that can wait until Tessa has had some rest.”

  Jess didn’t argue. He accepted the off-putting statement with a nod. “Sorry it took so long for us to get here. The local police showed up at Will’s and we had a lot of explaining and covering up to do. Then Blake and his men descended on us and I had to decide whose side they were on.”

  Joshua listened to every word. “Understood. I’m just glad you arrived when you did. Another few minutes and we would have been finished. When this is all ov
er, McMean, I’d like to talk to you about a new business opportunity.”

  Jess raised his eyebrows. “You going private sector, Lakeland?”

  “I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. Now seems like a good time to give orders rather than follow them. Especially since the source of those orders has become too obscured in the last few months.”

  Jess reached his hand out and Joshua shook it. “I’ll sure be interested in listening to what you have in mind, Josh. First I think we have to get on Banta’s trail and settle this.”

  “Agreed.”

  “You two had better get some rest. Your brother and Will are looking pretty wrecked too. We’ll start tracking Banta. I expect he’ll lay low for a few hours and we’ll need to be ready when he surfaces. If he’s smart he’ll try to get out of the country as soon as possible.”

  She hated that more people were putting themselves in danger. “Be careful, Jess. You saw what he did to me. You don’t want to go there.”

  Jess smiled. “We’ll be careful.”

  Tessa looked around. There were several wounded and they were being taken care of by the very pretty woman who had been guarding the sweat lodge with Will. “Who is that woman?”

  “Rain. She lives here on the reservation.”

  “She’s got a lot of psi ability. I can feel it from here.”

  “I know. She and Lucy helped me get you to eat.” He pointed at a dark-skinned woman with short hair who was talking to Will and Kane.

  “I’ll have to thank them.” How many other people had been instrumental in saving her life? She was overwhelmed.

  “Come on. Don’t think about it now. We both need to sleep, find Banta and then finish this.”

  “Jess is right, he must be heading out of the country. He’d be a fool to stay with this many people after him.” She wanted it to be true, wanted to believe they could forget about Troth Banta for a long while.

  Joshua shook his head. “He won’t go. His goal is to get to me and he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. In most people determination is a virtue, but in Banta that’s his flaw.”