by Erin Wade
Later, Mecca snuggled into Jericho as she tried to catch her breath. “I guess I’d better get back to my room,” Jericho whispered.
“It’s just two o’clock,” Mecca said. “My parents won’t get up until six. Stay with me, please?”
Jericho wrapped her arms around Mecca and pulled her closer. “I wonder how Kadence and Faith are doing.”
“They’re fine. They’re refraining from any intimate relationship until Faith can remember who she is.”
“Ooh, that sucks.” Jericho chuckled.
“I noticed you drove right to my parents’ home,” Mecca whispered. “You’ve been here before.”
“Every time you visited, so did I.”
“Where did you stay?”
“I slept in my SUV. I thought I was going to die during the blizzard two years ago. It was miserably cold.”
Mecca giggled against Jericho’s breasts. “If I’d known you were out there, I would have let you in my window.”
“I must admit, your bed is the warmest place I’ve ever slept.”
Mecca sighed. “It’s only warm when you’re in it.”
“I better go,” Jericho said reluctantly.
“Just once more,” Mecca purred as she straddled her.
##
“Where are Mom and Dad?” Mecca asked as she joined Nikki and Teagan in the kitchen.
“They took Christmas presents to the church for the children’s party tonight,” Teagan said, pouring Mecca a cup of coffee. “Did you sleep well last night?”
“I did,” Mecca said, her eyes twinkling.
“Teagan, don’t bait her.” Nikki laughed. “Mecca, we know Jericho spent the night in your room.”
“How?” Mecca gasped.
“You aren’t exactly quiet in bed,” Teagan teased. “You really shouldn’t beg so loudly.”
Mecca blushed. “Do Mom and Dad know?”
“No, they weren’t trying to sleep in the room next to yours,” Nikki said. “What I want to know is how she got up those stairs without waking the entire household.”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know what, honey?” Jericho strode into the room and lightly kissed her fiancée.
“How you got up the stairs so quietly,” Teagan said, flashing Jericho a devilish grin.
“Oh.” She bowed her head and blushed as if the women had found a porn search on her computer.
They all stared at her expectantly. “Well?” Teagan said.
“I stood on the coffee table and hoisted myself onto the second floor landing,” she said with a shrug.
Before Jericho could respond to the stunned looks on their faces, her cell phone dinged. She excused herself and walked into the living room to watch her screen. The ding had alerted her that someone was in Mecca’s—now Faith’s—apartment in New York. Jericho watched the video the camera was transmitting to her phone.
She wasn’t surprised to see a man walking around the apartment, opening drawers and rummaging through closets. He appeared to be looking for something. Whoever he was, he wasn’t very smart; he wasn’t wearing gloves.
Jericho wondered if he was looking for information on Mecca or Faith. Her guess was Faith.
“Is everything okay?” Mecca asked as she joined her. Jericho held out the phone and let her watch the intruder.
“That’s my apartment!” Mecca gasped. “What is he doing?”
“Looking for something, but I don’t think he’s finding what he wants. He’s leaving some nice fingerprints.”
Jericho watched in amazement as the man took a cold drink can from the refrigerator, popped the top, and casually drank the soda as he continued to search the apartment. He picked up a stack of mail and shuffled through it. He finished the cold drink and tossed the empty can into a wastepaper basket beside Faith’s desk.
Teagan entered the room. She could tell by her sister’s face that something was wrong. “What’s up?”
“Nothing important,” Jericho said. “I just forgot my phone charger. We’re going to run into town and buy one.”
Driving into town, Jericho was silent as she thought about the intruder and Faith. She was certain about Faith’s identity.
“Why so quiet, darling?” Mecca placed her warm hand on Jericho’s leg, letting her fingertips fall onto the inside of her thigh. Her touch went through Jericho like the zap of a stun gun.
“I’m positive Faith Doe is Mariam Reynolds,” Jericho said.
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m not sure.”
##
Jericho parked her vehicle in front of the electronics store. “We have to purchase a charger,” she said, “but I want to call General Carson first.” She pushed the button on her steering wheel that dialed Carson’s office and put the call on speakerphone so Mecca could listen to the conversation.
Jericho gave her code number to the secretary and waited while she located General Carson.
“What’s up, Captain?” General Carson never wasted time with small talk.
“General, I’m going to shoot you some footage from a camera in Dr. Storm’s apartment. She’s visiting her family for Christmas. Someone was able to bypass the alarms and get into her apartment. He seemed to be searching for something.
“Please have your technical people run facial recognition and tell me who the man is.”
Jericho listened as the general asked questions.
“Yes, I’m guarding her in Albany. We’ll be returning the day after tomorrow unless the weather worsens.
“General, are you hearing any chatter about Mariam Reynolds and her children?”
“It has been over a year,” Carson said. “Most believe she and her children are dead. President Reynolds is seriously dating a wealthy socialite.”
“He didn’t cool his jets for very long,” Jericho huffed.
“Being president requires 24-7 dedication,” Carson said. “He needs someone to help him with dinners and receptions. You know, the things First Lady’s take care of.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Jericho mumbled.
Chapter 18
Mecca hugged herself tightly. The house was silent. The Christmas Eve dinner at the church had been fun and delicious. Now the house was filled with the fragrance of roasting turkey and pumpkin pie. In the morning, the Pride family would descend on the farmhouse, and it would once again fill with love and laughter.
She inhaled sharply as Jericho slipped into her room and locked the door behind her. She raised the covers for her to slide into her bed.
Mecca loved everything about Jericho: her strength, her intelligence, and her stunning good looks. She sighed as Jericho wrapped her lean, powerful body around hers. She was so warm and solid. She knew they needed to discuss Faith, but that could wait. Right now she just wanted to make love to the blonde.
Mecca lay on her stomach, and Jericho rubbed her back as they chatted later. “We know Mariam killed the brother of one of the Arabs holding her captive,” Jericho whispered. “We need to find out if he was arrested or is still out there seeking revenge for his brother’s death.”
“Mmm.” The feel of Jericho’s strong hands on her back made it difficult to concentrate.
Jericho leaned over and kissed her lips. “I am going to my room before your father shows up with a shotgun.”
“Love you,” Mecca said with a sigh.
##
Kadence took a lot of teasing from her brothers Caleb, Allen, and Josh. Her baby sister, Kaela, even joined in.
“I promise you, Kady, if you hadn’t already put your brand on her, I’d be after Faith,” Caleb teased as they sat down to Christmas dinner.
“Yeah, Caleb,” Allen chimed in. “You’d have to stand in line behind me.”
“I’ve always had my heart set on Mecca,” Josh said, smiling shyly. “Guess I missed that boat.”
“I’ve always fancied Mecca too.” Kaela laughed. “I can’t believe we let a digger take her away from us.”
Mecca shrugged as she looked at Jericho.
“Digger is Aussie for soldier,” she explained.
“At least Mecca’s marrying a Sheila who fits in with us,” Allen said.
“Where were all these declarations of love when I was footloose and fancy-free?” Mecca grinned.
Leah Pride shook her head as she scolded her offspring. “That’s enough, children. Captain Parker will think we’re all heathens.”
“It makes me feel right at home,” Jericho said with a chuckle as her phone dinged in a message from General Carson. “Please excuse me. I have to return this call.”
“Captain, the man rummaging around in Mecca’s apartment is Walid Farouk,” Carson said. “He’s the brother of the man Mariam Reynolds killed. There’s a warrant out for his arrest, but so far he’s been able to evade our finest.”
“Is there any news on Mariam?”
“Not a breath. She and her daughters have disappeared from the face of the earth. Jericho, if this Walid character is a threat to Mecca, you know what to do.”
“Yes, General. I’ll take care of Walid.”
##
The rest of the day was a typical family Christmas gathering. The siblings told embarrassing stories on one another, and Madison Storm encouraged everyone to eat dessert. Around nine, the Pride family departed, passing out warm hugs and season’s greetings.
Jericho discovered she liked being part of a family. She especially liked being the digger who had won the heart of Dr. Mecca Storm.
Faith enjoyed the day too. She loved Kadence’s family. Their antics made her laugh. Kadence’s mother was loving and kind. Like her daughter, she had taken Faith under her wing.
After Kadence spoke with her parents, there were no more probing questions from the Pride family. There was just easy acceptance.
Faith loved their Australian accents and that they called Kadence by her nickname. Kady. I’m going to call her that the first time she makes love to me, she thought.
She watched Kadence as she loaded their luggage into Jericho’s Escalade. She realized that her thoughts of making love to the beautiful doctor had increased daily.
She was troubled that she had no idea who she was. She was happy that her past became less important with each passing day, as Kadence Pride became her life.
Chapter 19
“Story time,” Stacy Crawford said as she gathered the three girls around her. She was proud of her girls. They were smart and hard workers. They loved the ranch and all the animals.
All four of them were snuggled together in Stacy’s king-size bed. They often slept together, especially when Kimi cried for her mother—something that was happening less and less.
The girls had been with her for over a year, and she’d loved every minute of it. She had lost her husband to the war in Afghanistan. It had been a lonely existence without him, but the girls were slowly healing the ache in her heart and bringing laughter back into her life. She loved them.
Their Christmas Day had been bittersweet. Celebrating Christ’s birthday and opening presents had been a happy occasion. Celebrating the children’s first Christmas without their mother had been heartbreaking.
The girls knew their father was now the President of the United States. Memories of their awful experience at the hands of their captors made them more than willing to remain anonymous.
Stacy had searched to find the best school for the girls. She had settled on Trinity Valley School in Ft. Worth. The girls had easily tested high enough to be accepted by the highly lauded private school. She had enrolled them under the last name of Crawford. She explained that they were her sister’s children, and their parents had died in an automobile accident. A substantial monetary donation to the school had guaranteed their acceptance with few questions.
The three of them excelled at everything they did: sports, academics, drama, and music. Mariam had done a wonderful job raising them. Stacy worked hard to continue in her friend’s footsteps.
She debated letting Daniel Devon know his granddaughters were alive, but Mariam’s last words still haunted her. “Don’t tell anyone where they are. Trust no one.”
Stacy looked at each precious face as the girls drifted off to sleep. Part of her—a very selfish part—hoped Mariam would never come for them.
##
“Alone at last,” Mecca said. She slid into Jericho’s arms and kissed her passionately.
“And to think I had nicknamed you the Ice Queen.” Jericho chuckled as she slid her hands beneath Mecca’s shirt.
“The Ice Queen?” Mecca pulled back in shock. “Why the Ice Queen?”
“You always seemed so detached and cold. Now I know that was just your defense mechanism.”
“Mm-hmm,” Mecca hummed against her lips, “or maybe you thawed the Ice Queen.”
##
Mecca showered as Jericho prepared dinner. Even though it was snowing, she grilled fish on the terrace. She couldn’t face another meal of rich, high-caloric food.
Mecca made coffee and a Mediterranean couscous salad. They sat at the breakfast bar to eat.
“The Arabs might think Mariam Reynolds is still alive. Maybe they’ve made the connection between her and Faith,” Jericho said. “Mmm. This salad is terrific.”
“So is the fish,” Mecca said. “Why do you think Walid was in my apartment? Do you think he was looking for Faith?”
“No, I think he was looking for anything that might lead him to Mariam Reynolds. Somehow, they’ve discovered that the president is one of your patients. You were at the hospital the day the hit man died.” Jericho frowned. “There may have been more than one of them. We should warn Kadence, Nikki, and Teagan.”
“It’s almost impossible to trace patients to me,” Mecca said. “Only you and General Carson know what I do.”
“Still, the hit man showed up the day after the hospital filed the Jane Doe patient report with the police department’s missing person’s bureau. So someone was watching the hospitals for a woman matching her description.”
Mecca frowned. “Maybe Reynolds confided in someone that he was seeing me. Is there any way we can definitively determine if Faith is Mariam?”
“Did the police ever visit the hospital to get her fingerprints or DNA?” Jericho asked.
“I don’t know. Let me check with Nikki. She was the lead doctor on this mess.”
A quick conversation with Nikki and Teagan revealed that no one had followed up on the identity of their Jane Doe.
“We need to talk to Kadence,” Mecca said. “It will kill her if Faith is actually married to the President of the United States. I’ve never seen anyone so in love with a woman.”
“Then you haven’t looked at me,” Jericho said, smiling.
“We’ll talk to Kadence tomorrow,” Mecca said sensuously. “Right now, I want to look at you.”
##
Faith looked out the window as the snow continued to fall. Tomorrow would bring a new world, covered in the purest white.
She was no stranger to snow. She could almost recall making a snowman and the sound of children’s laughter. She turned away from the window and settled on the hearth. The fire was warm and comforting, but she was still cold.
Kadence had called before leaving her own apartment ten minutes earlier. “I’ll call you when I reach the hospital,” she had promised.
Faith had fallen in love with Kadence Pride long before she’d performed her surgery. Kadence was the sweetest, gentlest human she had ever met.
Seeing her with her family had made Faith love her even more. Kady. She loved her nickname. “Yes, yes, Kady,” she whispered out loud as she imagined Kadence touching her.
She jumped when her cell phone rang..
“Kadence.” She breathed her name as if it were breath itself.
Kadence chuckled. “Hey, pretty lady. I have a bit of a problem.”
“As do I,” she murmured.
After a short silence, Kadence continued. “My car skidded off the street an
d is now buried in a huge snow bank. It won’t start.”
“Oh no! Where are you?” Faith asked.
“About two blocks from your apartment.”
“Can you walk here?”
“If that’s okay with you,” Kadence said softly.
“Yes! Yes, of course it’s okay with me. Kadence, please be careful.”
Faith was standing in her doorway when the elevator opened onto her floor. She smiled and beckoned Kadence to hurry. She closed and locked the door behind them.
“Oh, darling, look at you,” she said, fussing over Kadence as she helped her remove her cold, wet coat. “You’re chilled to the bone, and your clothes are soaked.”
Faith led her to the fireplace and helped her remove her damp sweater. She could barely breathe as she surveyed her naked chest and abdomen. Dear Lord, she’s perfect, she thought. She knew Kadence was well built but never imagined she would be so exquisite.
“Faith,” Kadence said softly.
Faith’s eyes traveled from her flat stomach, up past her beautiful breasts to her lips, and locked with her clear gray eyes. “Kadence, I—”
Faith threw herself into the blonde’s arms, and her lips found Kadence’s. Moans escaped from both as Faith pushed hard against her, pulling Kadence’s cold body into her arms.
“Come.” Faith led her into her bedroom and turned on the electric blanket. “Remove the rest of your clothes, and slide under the covers.”
Faith turned off the lights and slipped into bed with her. Faith’s lips found Kadence’s and began to move slowly and softly, pulling her into the undertow of her passion. “I wanted you to come here,” she whispered. “I wanted you to . . . I just want you.”
“Faith, are you sure?” Kadence said, her voice deep and gravelly. “What if tomorrow you find out—”
“What if tomorrow never comes?” she whispered as she undulated against her. “I don’t want to die without making love to you, Kadence.”
“Whatever tomorrow brings, we will face it together,” Kadence murmured as she nibbled Faith’s neck and slowly kissed her way to her breasts. “I love you, Faith.”
Faith’s only answer was a deep moan as she clutched Kadence’s hair, forcing her mouth harder against her breast. “Please, Kady. Oh, yes. Yes, Kady. Oh God, Kady!”
