His Mysterious Ways

by Amanda Stevens

  “He’s the one who treated your father. He was with Richard when he died. Wilder knew your father by another name, but on his deathbed, Richard confessed who he was. He said it was important for his real name to be used on the death certificate because someday, someone would come looking for him. And she would need to know what happened to him.”

  She. Melanie’s heart clutched at the thought of her father all alone in a strange land, unable to reach out to his wife and daughter even in his last hours.

  “If you knew he was dead, why come back to Santa Elena now? It’s been ten years.”

  “Because even after a decade, I still believed he was alive,” Bond said. “When your mother died, I realized that it was the perfect time to draw him out. He knew you were all alone in the world. He knew you’d had an unhappy life. How would a father be able to resist reaching out to a daughter who obviously needed him so badly?”

  “So you wrote that letter,” Melanie said. “You made me think it was from my father.”

  “I took pains to make it look as if your mother had received it before she died. I felt it would be less suspicious if it appeared you’d come across it by accident. I hired on with Kruger so that my continued presence in Santa Elena wouldn’t create suspicion. All I had to do then was wait.”

  “And in the meantime, you had me watched, I suppose.”

  “Yes. Your every movement since you left Montauk has been carefully monitored.”

  Melanie shuddered. “You had someone come into my room in Santa Elena and go through my things, didn’t you.”

  “I had to be certain you hadn’t somehow made contact with Richard without my knowing it. And now,” he said, reaching in his pocket to withdraw a needle, “I believe you know everything.”

  Melanie shrank away from him.

  Seeing the terror in her eyes, he said, “Given your history, I can understand why you’d be afraid of having drugs in your system. But this is just a mild sedative to help you sleep.” When she still resisted, he said, “Don’t fight it, Melanie. It will only make it more painful for you if you do. And for the child.”

  MELANIE AWOKE groggy and disoriented. She had no idea where she was at first, but then, as the haze began to clear, memories came rushing back to her. Which was a relief until she thought about Lassiter.

  No matter what Bond did to her, Melanie didn’t think she would ever be able to forget Lassiter’s face, the look in his eyes when he let go of the rope. He might not have loved her, but he’d willingly given his life for her.

  But Melanie couldn’t think about that now. There would be time enough later to grieve. A whole lifetime to wonder what might have been.

  Right now she had to figure out a way to free herself, and then she had to find Angel.

  She glanced around. She was lying on some sort of bed or examination table, but the room was so dark, she could tell very little about her surroundings. A red light blinked from a surveillance camera in one corner.

  Lifting herself on her elbows, she tried to swing her legs over the side of the table, but she couldn’t seem to make her limbs work. The drugs were still too strong in her system. A wave of dizziness swept over her, and she let her head fall back against the pillow. Gritting her teeth, she tried to summon her strength, tried to stave off the vertigo, but the pull was too great. Darkness descended again.

  WHEN SHE OPENED her eyes a second time, Melanie had no idea how much time had passed. It could have been a minute or a week.

  A figure stood over her, so dark she thought at first that it was nothing more than a shadow or a figment of her imagination. But then the shadow moved, like a panther.

  Melanie tried to scream, but a hand clamped firmly over her mouth. “It’s me,” a voice whispered.

  The drugs were still interfering with her reasoning. Melanie’s mind was playing tricks on her because for a second, she thought…

  “I’m going to take my hand away, okay? Don’t make a sound.”

  She nodded her acquiescence, and the moment he removed his hand, she grabbed his arm, certain that he would dissolve into the darkness at first contact.

  But beneath her hand was solid flesh. And then he bent over her and she could see his features.

  “Oh, my God!” She put her hands on either side of his face. “How can you be here? I saw you fall. I thought you were dead…”

  He put a fingertip to her lips to silence her. “I fell through a doorway,” he said. “I’ll tell you everything later, but right now we have to get out of here. We’re being watched. They’ll be here soon, and I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold them off.”

  She noticed then that he was dressed all in black and was heavily armed. There was no question that he’d come to get her out or die trying.

  “Lassiter, where are we?”

  “Montauk Air Force Station. The place is mostly deserted now, but Bond still has a facility six stories below ground.”

  “Six stories…” Melanie’s chest tightened with claustrophobia. With panic. With a million suppressed memories. “How did you find me?”

  He hesitated. “I convinced Blanca to cooperate.”

  Melanie shivered as she imagined just what it would have taken to gain the woman’s cooperation.

  “Can you walk?” he asked her.

  “I think so.” She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and he helped her off. She was shaky at first, but it only took her a moment to regain her equilibrium.

  When Lassiter started toward the door, she grabbed his arm. “Lassiter, Bond has Angel. We can’t leave without her.”

  “We’ll just have to find her, then,” he said grimly.

  He walked over to the door and tried the knob. “It’s locked. We’ll have to go through.”

  Reluctantly, she nodded.

  “It’s the only way, Melanie.”

  “I know. It’s okay.”

  “Are you sure?” Even in the dark, his eyes were so intense Melanie felt everything inside her quicken. She’d thought never to see those eyes again. She’d thought never to have him look at her again the way he was looking at her now.

  She wanted to throw herself into his arms, but there was no time for that. No time for anything but finding Angel and getting the hell out of there.

  “When we go through,” he said, “don’t come back out. Not until I say so. They could be waiting for us right outside this door.”

  Melanie’s heart started to pound at the implication. “But I have to come back out. I can’t stay on the other side. It’s too dangerous. Too unstable. The doorways will shift—”

  “Just follow me. You can do it, Melanie. Trust me. It’s the only way to get out of this place alive. Are you with me?”

  She drew a long breath and nodded. Closing her eyes, she readied herself mentally and physically for the transformation. When she opened them, Lassiter was already going through. Without hesitation, Melanie followed him.

  Immediately, she saw a doorway on the other side, and her first impulse was to use it. The urge was so strong, in fact, she actually started toward it. Then she paused.

  And glanced around. Everything was very still and cold. Frozen in place.

  She was strangely aware of the dimension she’d just left. She knew if she went through that doorway, she would find herself in the corridor just outside the room in which she’d awakened. And it was very possible that Bond would be waiting for her there just as Lassiter had said.

  But if she went any farther, she might not find another way out. The dimensions could shift until the doorways were no longer aligned. She could become trapped, lost…

  She couldn’t see Lassiter, but she knew he was somewhere in front of her. Was he waiting for her? Or had he given up on her, gone on without her?

  Suddenly, he appeared before her and held out his hand. Melanie closed her eyes and took it.

  Immediately, she experienced a powerful rush of energy, an explosion of light and color, and then everything that had been frozen befo
re now raced passed her in a blur. It was a sensation like nothing she’d ever felt before.

  She was still cognizant of the other dimension and had an awareness of traversing long corridors, passing through rooms, down steep flights of stairs as they went deeper and deeper into the maze of the underground bunkers.

  Melanie began to think that there really was no way out when a doorway glimmered just ahead, and somehow she knew that was where they needed to be.

  She squeezed Lassiter’s hand, and they stepped through into a large, dimly lit room with long rows of small enclosures fitted with metal bars.

  A feeling of oppression descended on Melanie, and suddenly the walls started closing in on her. She put a hand to her chest, unable to get enough air.

  “This is it,” she whispered raggedly. “This is where they kept us. In cages. Like animals.” She glanced up at Lassiter. “Do you remember being here?”

  “No.” His expression was dark and bleak as he gazed around the room. “But it doesn’t matter anymore, does it? We’re free now, and I intend to keep it that way. Let’s find Angel and get the hell out.”

  “I have a feeling she’s here.” Melanie’s hand was still at her throat. “This is where he would have brought her.”

  Halfway down the first row, Melanie paused again. She put out her hand to touch the metal bars on one of the cages, and a shock bolted through her body.

  She jerked her hand away. “It’s electric.”

  Lassiter touched a fingertip to the bar. “No, it’s not.”

  Melanie stared at him in surprise. “You didn’t feel anything when you touched that bar?”

  “Nothing.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “Are you okay?”

  She stared at the enclosure as memories began to stir deep, deep in her subconscious. “I think this must have been where they kept me. That’s why I had such a strong reaction to it.” She nodded to the one next to hers. “There was a boy in that one. He used to hold my hand when I cried.”

  Lassiter took her hand and held it warmly in his. “Like this?”

  And suddenly Melanie knew. Something awoke inside her, a light dawning in a sea of darkness, and she stared up at Lassiter in wonder. “It was you.”

  He shook his head. “What are you talking about?”

  “It was you, Lassiter. You were that boy. You took care of me. You held my hand while I slept. You tried to protect me…”

  A powerful emotion swept over Melanie as their gazes connected. And then came a profound understanding. You and Lassiter are connected. Use it.

  “We have to get going,” he urged softly. “If we split up, we can cover more ground.”

  She nodded, reluctant to leave his side, but she knew he was right.

  A few minutes later, Melanie located Angel. The little girl was curled in a ball on the floor, apparently sleeping. “Lassiter! Over here.”

  By the time he found her, Melanie had gone through the bars and was cradling the unconscious child in her arms. “She’s alive, Lassiter, but her pulse is weak. We have to get her out of here.”

  He tried the door.

  “It’s no use,” Melanie said. “It’s locked, and it can only be opened with a code.”

  “And you can’t come back through with her.” Lassiter studied the lock. “Move back as far as you can. I’ll have to blast it open.”

  Still cradling Angel in her arms, Melanie scrambled away from the door and covered the child’s ears with her hands. She tried to protect her own hearing by putting her head between her knees. But when the shot came, the noise was excruciating. Angel roused groggily and whimpered.

  “Es vale, el Angel,” Melanie murmured. “I’ve come to take you home.”

  Lassiter flung open the door and swept Angel up with one arm as he gripped his rifle in the other. The sight of him took Melanie’s breath away. But he no longer reminded her of el guerrero del demonio. He looked like a savior to her now.

  They hurried up the aisle toward an exit, but before they could reach it, another door opened to their right. Lassiter spun, child in one arm, gun in the other, fully prepared to do battle.

  When Hoyt Kruger stepped through, Melanie gasped in shock. She half expected Lassiter to open fire, but he stunned her by dropping his weapon to his side.

  Kruger was also armed and also dressed in black. He motioned with the barrel of his rifle. “Come on,” he said urgently. “I’ve found a way out of this place.”

  Melanie looked at Lassiter in utter confusion.

  “Go,” he said. And from his terse, one-word response, she concluded this was not the time to ask questions. Obviously, Kruger was there to help them.

  They headed for the door, but as Kruger swung it open, they could hear footsteps pounding down the corridor. He slammed the door shut and pointed across the room. “Over there! Hurry!”

  They raced toward the second exit, but Bond was suddenly standing in their way. Either he’d phased himself into the room, or he’d come in through another door that Melanie hadn’t noticed.

  He had a gun, but with Lassiter and Kruger flanking her, Melanie no longer feared him.

  “It’s too late,” he said. “This room is surrounded. There’s no way out.”

  “We’ll see about that.” Lassiter lifted his gun, but before he could pull the trigger, Kruger fired his own weapon.

  Bond staggered back, clutching his chest, and then as he crumpled to the floor, a small army of grim-faced soldiers rushed through the doorway behind them.

  Lassiter thrust Angel into Melanie’s arms and gave her a shove. “Run!”

  Kruger stepped over Bond’s body and took the lead. Melanie and Angel followed at his heels, and Lassiter brought up the rear, running backward as he fired, buying them as much time as he could. They raced through corridors and up dark stairwells until Melanie had lost all sense of direction. And as they continued to run, Lassiter fell farther and farther behind.

  Gunfire still ringing in her ears, Melanie followed Kruger up yet another set of stairs, and then, at the end of a long hallway, he burst through a door that led them out into a cool, moonless night. From the outside, the place looked like nothing more than what it was—a deserted airforce station. In the distance, Melanie could see the massive control towers silhouetted against a dark sky, and shivered, knowing she had seen them before. She had stood in this exact spot once before.

  Her arms tightened around Angel. The child whimpered and clung to her.

  A jeep came roaring up beside them. “It’s okay,” Kruger told her when she tried to back away. “He’s one of us.”

  Melanie recognized the driver then. He was Kruger’s partner, Martin Grace.

  Kruger took Angel while Melanie climbed into the back, and then gently he placed the child back in her arms.

  “We can’t leave yet!” Melanie shouted. “We have to wait for Lassiter.”

  “Don’t worry.” Kruger turned back to the door. “We never leave a man behind.”

  But before he made it to the exit, Lassiter emerged from a doorway not ten feet away and sprinted for the jeep. Kruger jumped into the front seat, and Lassiter vaulted over the side into the back.

  “Get us out of here, Marty,” Kruger yelled over the sound of the engine. “Drive like the devil himself is behind us. And there’s a good possibility he just might be.”

  Grace didn’t have to be told twice. He hauled ass for the nearest gate, and as Melanie clung for dear life to Angel, Lassiter wrapped his arms around both of them.

  Chapter Fifteen

  They all returned to Cartéga that night aboard Kruger’s private jet. But three days later, Melanie was back in New York.

  Once the dust had settled, she’d quickly realized that there was no valid reason for her to stay on in Santa Elena. Her father was dead. There was no need to go on searching for him, and besides, Bond had told her everything.

  There was no need, even, for her to remain for Angel’s sake. Dr. Wilder had located the child’s family in San Cristóbal
where they’d fled after rebel forces had burned down their village. During the ensuing chaos, Angel had been separated from them. Someone had found her wandering along a roadside and realizing how sick she was, had left her at the clinic. Her family had been frantically trying to find her ever since, and now they had all been reunited.

  Angel had been returned to her mother’s loving arms. She didn’t need Melanie. In fact, Dr. Wilder had tried to explain gently that her presence might even cause Angel greater confusion. So Melanie had bowed out of the child’s life even though it had caused her great pain to do so.

  And as for Lassiter…well, that was the hardest part of all. He’d been willing to give up his life for her—not once but twice. They’d been through hell together, but once they’d returned to Santa Elena that night, once she’d seen how quickly he reverted back to his demon warrior persona, she’d come to the painful conclusion that, in spite of everything that had happened, they were right back where they’d started.

  There was no place in Lassiter’s life for a relationship, and Melanie understood that. She’d known that all along. He was a mercenary, a soldier, el guerrero del demonio. And nothing in their past or their future would change that.

  Melanie knew that the sooner she ended things with Lassiter, the better off she’d be. To prolong the inevitable would be to invite an even deeper and perhaps more lasting pain. She would get over this, she told herself. She would cut her losses now and move on before desperation or self-pity drove her down the path to self-destruction. Alone or not, she wasn’t about to fall into that trap again.

  So having resolved herself to the inevitable, Melanie was surprised, shocked even, to receive word that Hoyt Kruger wanted to meet with her in Houston. He’d even arranged to have his jet fly her down, and once she landed at the airport, a driver had been on hand to take her directly to Kruger’s downtown office.

  As the car sped along the freeway, Melanie kept asking herself what she was doing there. She barely knew Kruger. She couldn’t, for the life of her, come up with any reasonable explanation for why he wanted to see her.