by Ana Leigh
He caught up with her and they dashed back toward the cabin. Precious moments were lost breaking the lock on the shed’s door because the key was in the cabin and he dare not take that risk. He recovered the spare key for the motorcycle that he kept hidden in the shed and quickly wheeled out the bike.
Ann climbed on behind him, and Mike revved up the bike. The sound was like a gun blast in the still night. The real thing joined it when Waterman came crashing out of the forest with a blazing weapon.
Bright sparks blinked like fireflies as the bullets bounced off the metal frame of the bike, but several of the cartridges found their mark in the rear wheel. The tire popped and the bike skidded several yards then crashed to the ground sending the two riders sprawling in the dirt.
The breath was knocked out of Mike, and the pain in his arm was excruciating. He crawled over to Ann, who lay motionless nearby. She was unconscious but breathing.
Waterman strolled up casually to them and looked down at the pair. Mike was bleeding from the forehead, and Ann was knocked out. He examined her, then his mouth curved into a smirk.
“For a moment there, Agent Bishop, I thought you saved me the trouble of disposing of our lovely Miss Hamilton.”
“In the name of God, Waterman, don’t kill her,” Mike pleaded. He tried to reach for his gun, but his arm was broken.
“Did she ever figure out who killed Burroughs?” Waterman asked.
“She never had a clue. Still doesn’t,” Mike said, in the hope Waterman would spare her.
“More’s the pity,” Waterman said. “It’s so painful to kill one so young and lovely.”
“What about Charles Breton? Is he dead?”
“Had to kill him. Burroughs made a phone call to him that same morning. I couldn’t take the chance he didn’t tell him who was behind the sabotage.”
“Was Burroughs involved with the sabotage?”
“Hell, no. I pposely asked him to investigate it knowing he was untrained and probably wouldn’t get too far in his investigation.”
“Obviously you were wrong.”
“Yes, but because of DeVilles. He’s the one who got careless.”
“So DeVilles was in it with you.”
“Unfortunately, I needed several accomplices. He was a close associate of Burroughs and was greedy enough to accept the offer. He was even the one who actually killed Burroughs. At my orders, of course.”
“Were you behind the explosion that almost killed Amy Heather, too?”
“Another foul up by that idiot DeVilles. Thought she had dark hair, not blond, and mistook the young woman for Miss Hamilton when he blew up the ship. The man couldn’t do anything right.”
“Is that why you killed DeVilles?”
“The lovesick fool lost his nerve and came here to warn our little Snow White. Can you believe it? He actually was willing to cross me to try to save her! Of course, I would have had to exterminate him eventually, anyway. One can’t leave loose ends lying around, can one, Bishop?”
For the first time Mike saw the glint of madness in Waterman’s eyes. Somewhere along the line the man had lost his sanity.
“I suppose you’re responsible for killing those two goons in Kourou,” Waterman said.
Mike nodded. “I don’t like being shot at.”
“Naughty boy. You forced me to personally take a hand in this. Now look what it’s come to. I have to tell you, you had me going in circles there for a couple days. I was afraid you were smart enough to eventually figure it all out. You’re very skilled at your job, Agent Bishop. You’ll be missed.”
“Then why did you even call in my team for the rescue?”
“Baker did it before I could stop him. I couldn’t very well change his orders when I found out.”
“So even those guys were working for you.”
“Not really. They’re infiltrators from the country that hired me to sabotage the satellite. Now, unfortunately, I have to kill you. It was never my intent. The same is true about Agent Sardino. I liked that boy.”
“You killed Tony?” Blind with anger, Mike tried to rise.
Waterman pressed his booted foot on his broken arm. Pain shot to his head and Mike fought to hold on to consciousness.
“Actually, it was quite painful for me, but I had to. The dear boy trusted me, so he never anticipated it. I can assure you he didn’t suffer.”
“But why, Waterman? Why Tony?”
“Unfortunately, he saw me in Beirut when I was negotiating the arrangements to sabotage the satellite. I knew he’d mention seeing me, and if word got back to Baker—who would know I had no reason to be there—I’d have some serious explaining to do. Our Mr. Baker has a suspicious mind,
Waterman sighed. “Now I’ll let you decide which one of you should go first.”
“Take me out first,” Mike said. “Just one more question, Waterman. Why did you do it? Are you a mole?”
“No. I’m not working for any other country. The only interests I’m looking after are my own. I’m up for retirement at the end of the year.” He snickered. “Live out the rest of my life on that measly Agency pension? I don’t think so. I deserve much more for the years I’ve served my country and yours. So when I got a good offer to sabotage the satellite launch, I took it.”
“What government paid you to do it?”
“I think I answered more than the one question you asked me to. Time to say goodbye, Agent Bishop.” He raised his rifle.
“Don’t even think it.”
Dave Cassidy pressed a gun to the back of Waterman’s head.
“Shoot the bastard, Dave,” Mike lashed out. “He’s the one who killed Tony.”
“Agent Cassidy! What a surprise,” Waterman said, keeping his weapon pointed at Mike.
“It shouldn’t be, sir. Did you forget we work as a team?”
“I might have known. Where’s the rest of the squad?”
“Right here, sir,” Bolen said as he and Fraser stepped out of the shadows.
Waterman laughed. “It would appear I’m outnumbered.” He raised his arms in surrender.
Bolen walked up and took the rifle out of Waterman’s hand as Don Fraser bent down to examine Ann.
“What in hell kept you guys?” Mike said. “I was running out of questions.”
“How badly are you hurt?” Cassidy asked.
“I think my arm’s broken.”
“You fooled me completely, Agent Bishop. I thought you were a rogue agent acting on your own,” Waterman said. “Remarkable job, men. I didn’t hear a sound when you moved in on me. The Agency can be proud of you. I shall recommend you all for meritorious commendations.”
Mike exchanged a pitying glance with Cassidy as Dave helped him to his feet. They recognized another casualty of war. A once-brave soldier had fought one too many battles and had crossed into another world.
In the next quarter hour the fire department and sheriff’s department arrived on the scene. Mike and Ann were whisked off in an ambulance to the hospital, but until the whole matter could be resolved, they would be kept in police custody.
The Agency was contacted, which in turn had to track down Jeff Baker in Disney World, where he had been vacationing with his grandchildren.
Chapter 2
By the following afternoon there was a festive attitude as Ann and her protectors congregated for lunch in the coffee shop of the motel where the squad had spent the night.
The CIA had confirmed Mike’s identity and clarified the involvement of him and the squad.
Both Mike and Ann had been released from the hospital—Ann with a mild concussion and Mike with a broken arm.
Avery Waterman had made a full confession and had been turned over to the federal authorities.
The local law enforcement agency was being praised by the citizens for their expedience in solving a murder in the community.
The surrounding press was out in mass, salivating over their headlines of intrigue and murder, and making obnoxious nuisances of themselv
es trying to interview the players and the local man on the street.
Barney Hailey had arrived on the scene beaming happily that his beloved photographer was no longer in danger.
The Dwarf Squad was relieved that all of them had weathered another mission with nothing worse than a broken arm among them.
But…Mike and Ann were miserable.
After the initial relief that Ann no longer was in danger, Mike’s thoughts had shifted to his personal problems.
His cabin was literally destroyed and would have to be razed and rebuilt. His cherished pickup—that once could do 110—had been reduced to a heap of charred metal. His Harley, which was his baby, would need a repainting and a rear wheel replacement.
Now that Mike had not been killed defending her, and her life was no longer threatened, Ann had been hit with the depression of how much she missed Brandon and the frustrating delay in obtaining custody of him. She had called him the first thing that morning only to be informed by a cold and officious voice that Brandon Burroughs was unavailable to take the call. She’d hung up the phone near tears. Now they were even keeping her from talking to him.
Ann sat in the large rounded booth surrounded by Barney and the Dwarf Squad. The men were all jovial as they ate except for Mike, who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Ann had no appetite and merely picked at her food. She finally put her fork aside and cradled her head in her hand.
“Do you think I can sue the British government?”
They all stopped what they were saying and looked at her.
“Annie, Waterman may be a Brit, but he was working for the American government. Although he wasn’t working in behalf of the CIA when he tried to kill you.”
“I’m not thinking about Waterman. I’m referring to Brandon. I have a codicil in my purse that clearly states I should receive legal custody of him. Not only have they kept us apart, but they’re even preventing us from talking to each other.”
Barney winked at Mike. “Annie girl, I’m sure quicker than you think, that will soon be a moot point.”
“Besides, Ann,” Mike said, “where are you going to put the kid when you do get him? You don’t even have a place to live.”
“How could I when you wouldn’t let me out of your sight and then hid me away up here? Not that I don’t appreciate how you saved my life.”
Cassidy chuckled. “Hear that, Mike? The little gal said she appreciates how you saved her life. Let’s drink to that.” The guys clinked their beer bottles together.
“Actually, it was a tough decision to make,” Mike said. “I had to choose between her or my pickup.”
“How long are you going to mourn the loss of that rattletrap?” Ann declared.
“Bite your tongue, lady. Push the pedal to the metal on that truck and it could do—”
“A hundred and ten,” the three-squad members shouted in unison. Which necessitated another clink of the bottles.
Despite her depression, Ann couldn’t help smiling as she listened to the men. They were a remarkable team with a bond between them that was irrevocable. As proficient at their labor as the most cunning lawyer or skilled surgeon. They had to be—they put their lives on the line every time they smeared that greasepaint on their faces and walked into darkness.
They worked as a team and played as a team—and lived by the tenets of honor, duty and loyalty. Whether it was to God and country, she couldn’t say, but for certain it was to each other.
And to meet and know them was worth the nightmare she’d gone through.
Her gaze shifted to Mike. She loved him so much. Was it possible for them to have a future together, or did his membership in this unique fraternity exclude such an outside commitment? She feared the latter.
Depression crept in and took over again. Ann propped her elbows on the table, and with a woeful sigh cupped her chin in her hands.
“It’s about time,” Cassidy said.
Ann looked up, thinking he was talking to her, and discovered all of the men were looking at the door. She turned her head and saw what held their attention. Pete Bledsoe and Rick Williams were standing side by side in the entrance of the restaurant. They waved and then stepped apart. With a wide grin, Brandon stepped out from behind them.
“Surprise!” he shouted.
With open arms he raced across the floor. Ann was out of the booth and down on her knees when he threw himself into her arms. They hugged and kissed, and then hugged and kissed again. Then she just held him, unable to believe he was really there in her arms.
Tears streaked her cheeks when he stepped back and looked at her. “Why are you crying, Ann? Aren’t you glad I’m here?”
“Oh, darling,” she said, pulling him back again into her arms. “They’re tears of joy, honey.”
His little face glowed with happiness. “Were you surprised? We wanted to surprise you.”
“You sure did, sweetheart.”
“Pete and Rick br
Ann sat down and lifted him onto her lap. “You mean all you guys knew about this?”
“I didn’t find out until I got out of the hospital this morning,” Mike said.
“Who arranged it?” she asked. “Don’t tell me Waterman did.”
“No,” Cassidy said. “Your boss did.” He gave Barney a high five.
“Thank you, Barney,” she said, deeply moved. “But how did you cut through the red tape?”
“I didn’t have to. A Mr. Leonard called me two days ago in an attempt to locate you. He said his office had just received a copy of the codicil Clayton Burroughs had signed making you the guardian of Brandon. Breton’s secretary told him they had failed to attach it to the will and found it among a pile of loose papers in the vault. He contacted the British State Department and since you had left a document authorizing them to release Brandon to the care of Bledsoe or Williams we made reservations and they flew in today. When you return to New York, the British Embassy wants you to contact them. There are some legal papers to sign.”
Ann set Brandon down beside her and then went over and hugged Barney. “Thank you, Barney. I’m so grateful to you.” She went over to Rick and Pete and did the same to each of them. “I just don’t know how to thank you guys enough for what you’ve done. I mean all of you. Dave, Kurt, Don, and you, Mike. I love all of you. I don’t know how I can ever, ever thank you.” Unable to control her tears, she broke down again.
Barney came over and patted her on the head. “Come on, Annie, you’re making us feel bad instead of good.”
She raised her head and saw Brandon watching her with sad eyes. His little chin quivering. “Please don’t be sad, Ann.”
She reached for him and hugged him again. “I’m fine now, sweetheart. I’m truly fine.” She laughed lightly and swiped away her tears. “I don’t know when I’ve ever felt so fine. But I have to say it one more time, then I won’t mention it again. I love all of you.” Then she grabbed Brandon and put him on her lap again. “And especially this little guy.”
Brandon giggled with pleasure.
As soon as they finished lunch, they all drove to Mike’s cabin.
“I’m so sorry, Mike,” Ann said as they viewed the destruction.
“Not your fault, Ann. It was my idea to bring you here.”
While Ann and Dave packed up to leave, the fellows hauled whatever articles of value hadn’t been shot up into the shed and locked it up. Then they boarded up the windows and doors and climbed into cars to head back to Milwaukee.
She and Brandon were in the back seat of Barney’s rental car, and Mike climbed into his Beamer with the other five squad members. Her heart seemed to twist in her breast. For the past two weeks Mike had barely left her side and was always the one in the seat next to her. Now he was looking at her through the window of another car.
Bney rolled down the window. “Hey, we’ve got a spare seat in here if one of you guys wants to ride with us.”
She looked hopefully at Mike, but his expression remained unchanged.
&nbs
p; “We’re cool, Barney,” Kurt said, from behind the wheel of the Beamer.
Barney waved. “Okay. Hope to see you at the airport.”
Ann’s gaze fell on Mike again. For almost twenty-four hours they had made the most incredible love she had ever known. Had shared the most terrifying hours she had ever experienced. Now he was looking at her as if they were casual strangers.
The trip back to Milwaukee seemed to go on for hours. Brandon fell asleep huddled against her, so she stretched him out with his head in her lap.
“Is the boy asleep?” Barney asked.
“Yes.”
“These past couple of weeks have been pretty hard on him, haven’t they?”
“Yes, but I’ll make it up to him,” she said. “Everything will be okay.”
“Will it be okay between you and Mike?”
“Mike? I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”
“Annie, I’ve got eyes. A lot more than baby-sitting went on between the two of you.”
“I never could fool you, could I, Barney?” she said.
“I’m sorry to hear you even think of trying. So how bad is it?”
“I’m in love with him, Mike.”
“Did you tell him so?”
“No. But he’s very perceptive.”
“So what does he have to say on the subject?”
“I can tell you the word love never entered the conversation.”
“The guy’s got to be a fool.”
“One of us is,” she said with a sad smile. She leaned back and was quiet for the rest of the trip.
After a short wait at the Mitchell Field International Airport, their flight was announced for boarding.
Barney had booked them on the flight to New York and as she moved to the gate, Mike showed up to say goodbye.
“So you’re heading back to New York?” he said.
She nodded. “Aren’t you?”
He shook his head. “Baker canceled our leave and ordered the squad back to D.C.”
“Oh, I see. Duty calls.”
She felt awkward, but without a sign from him, she was too proud to broach the subject that had been on her mind the whole trip back to Milwaukee.