by Edwina Fort
“Where you going? You can’t just leave me, we’re married now!” He called after me holding up his hand with his wedding band on it.
I stopped at the bottom of the stairs turning to look at him… “Watch me…”
Okay, so, I didn’t really leave him…I loved him, I don’t care how mad I get, I can’t walk away from him again. Plus, he followed me upstairs and tackled me to the bed, pleading for me to forgive him. I tried to stay mad and not laugh at him, but then he climbed on top of me burying his head in my neck tickling me with his beard, kissing me over and over again apologizing until I erupted in laughter.
And yeah, I forgave him, but I got a bad feeling in the pit of my belly and was ready to go home. I don’t know who was after Rome and Jo, but Judah said it was only a matter of time before whoever it was found them. I wasn’t lying to Saw Buck…I would kill whoever tries to destroy God’s beautiful creation.
Rome’s mind was worth killing to protect.
Being in a place like this was not safe, there were too many moving components to narrow down a target. Plus, I didn’t like the fact that Freedom and Luna were back at home unprotected.
"Tell me everything you know," I told Rome on the plane ride home.
And oh my goodness! What he told me blew my mind.
“I’ve found an archive with a bunch of Father’s notes…”
I held up my hand stopping him. “Father is?”
“The doctor that did this sick sh*t to them…”
I nodded… “Okay, got it.”
“I found you in his notes.”
I put my hand to my chest surprised. “Me?”
He nodded. “Remember I told you he was pairing Jo’s real father up with women who had a certain X chromosome?”
“Yeah…”
“Well, I don’t think it’s the X chromosomes anymore…There is something else in the DNA he was after. I’ve studied your DNA and Jo’s—”
“Wait, how and the hell did you get my DNA?”
He gave me the, really? look before he continued talking as if I’d never interrupted.
“It was not a coincidence that you and Jo ended up being recruited together at such a young age. They had hoped that you two would end up together and have a baby and then they were going to kidnap your child.”
“Nossa!” I sat back in my seat floored.
“There is something in your DNA that makes you, Jo, and even Judah the way that y’all are. I call it a super-human gene. But get this…”
He sat up in his seat…getting closer to me as if he feared being overheard on the empty plane.
“I found it in my DNA too. I think it’s what makes me smart like I am.” He whispered.
“What is it?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know, it’s the answer I’ve been searching for. At first, I thought that maybe it was in all black people’s DNA because it was in my mom’s and Journey’s and even Rob’s, but it’s not. I checked Hannibal’s and he doesn’t have it…However, it is in Hitta’s.” He paused for a minute lost in his head.
“Baby, it’s so well hidden, it almost seems like there is a force keeping it from coming to the surface.”
I stared at him as a chill raced down my back…He was really starting to freak me out. “When you say force…What exactly do you mean?”
He opened his mouth to tell me, but then thought better of it. Instead, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders pulling me back so that my head rested on his chest.
He gently kissed the top of my head. “Nothing yet, Minha Anjo. Nothing to worry about just yet.”
When we finally landed back on the island, I exhaled. Ribeirão da Ilha still sat quiet and untouched.
However, as I carried Giant off the plane, a loud BOOM shook the ground. Several seconds later, it was followed by another BOOM!
Both Rome and I stared as two giant fireballs lit up the night sky. Something had just gotten blown up.
“Come on, baby!” Rome said grabbing my hand as he and I ran to the truck. He floored it down the street heading towards the house.
I got a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach…
Dear God…Please don’t let that be—
Rome slammed his fist down on the dashboard. “Mutha f***a! It’s the barn!”
I closed my eyes for a split second as resolve washed over me. When I opened them again, the savage inside of me was back at the wheel.
Chapter 22
The Gathering…
Nakhti
I was out of the truck before Rome brought it to a complete stop. It wasn’t just the barn that was burning, but my avo’s house as well. A shattering cry ripped from my throat as I ran towards the burning barn.
“Nak, no!” Rome yelled from behind me before I felt his arm around my waist preventing me from going farther.
“Let me go—”
“Senhor! Senhorita!” Carlos cried running towards us, leading Luna by the reins. He was saying something while pointing towards the barn, but we couldn’t hear him over the roar of the fires.
I was so relieved to see that he and Luna were safe, but my heart dropped when I didn’t see Freedom.
“Where is Freedom?!”
Winded, Carlos shook his head. “I couldn’t get him out! The beam collapsed on top of him—” A hole appeared in the center of his forehead before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed at our feet.
Luna bolted out of the way as a barrage of bullets came at us. My body went into combat mode instantly as both Rome and I dove to the ground to avoid being hit. Rome came from behind his back with an M9 returning fire.
Sensing something like this was going to happen, I’d worn my Glock strapped to my thigh underneath my skirt. I grabbed it shooting toward the direction the bullets came from as I ran towards Luna. I grabbed her reins and quickly hauled myself onto her back.
The men who had killed Carlos were making their escape in two black SUVs.
"Hell no!" I yelled before I kneed Luna…she didn't need any more encouragement, as if she wanted them as much as I did, she took off across the plain.
Next to me, Rome revved the pick-up’s engine, giving chase while firing at them. But the vehicles must have been bullet-proof because neither of our bullets made an impact. When the trucks got to the bend, they split, one going toward town and another going into the forest area.
I made eye contact with Rome for only a second, he nodded and veered to the right, following the truck that headed towards town and I followed the other truck into the forest…
“Good Job, Luna!” I complimented the beauty because she was moving as if she wanted them dead just as much as I did.
Knowing I was running low on ammo, I lifted my Glock and carefully aimed at the tires because even though Luna was a stellar horse, she would not be able to hang with the engine of the SUV for long. So, I had to make my last few bullets count.
My first shot missed…I calmed my breathing and did my best to steady my arm despite the galloping and then fired again.
My second shot took out the back right tire…The truck swerved left and then right before it hit a tree. Three men dressed in black military gear spilled out of the vehicle firing at me, one of them limped. My last bullet pierced his forehead in the same way they had shot Carlos.
One down…two to go.
I tossed my empty pistol and veered to the right avoiding their shots, disappearing into the trees. I’d grown up here, I knew this forest like the back of my hand. I brought Luna to a stop and listened.
Whoever these men are, they are highly trained. They moved without making a sound. But it didn’t matter how good they were, the forest always protested the footprints of intruders. I quickly slid off Luna’s back as the tempo of the crickets’ song increased to my right.
After giving her a little pat on her butt that caused her to trot away, I quietly climbed the tree next to me. They were heading directly
for me. And just like I figured, they heard the horse and hurried after the sound.
One man ran past with his gun aimed, I took a deep breath and dropped from the tree like smoke onto the back of the last man, the sound of his neck breaking did not alert the first man. However, the sound of his big body hitting the ground did.
I quickly drew my bat and by that time, the man had turned around to investigate the sound, I’d silently covered the space in between us and swung with all my might. He turned into my blow and it was the last thing he saw.
Rome brought his truck to a skidding halt.
“Is he still alive?” He asked jumping out of his truck.
Although I already knew that answer, I leaned down and checked the pulse of the body lying at my feet.
"He's gone…What about the guys you were after?"
Rome shook his head. “It was two of us racing around the bend. Only one of us made it out the turn.” He pointed toward another blaze that lit the sky, opposite from my place before squatting down checking the pockets of the man whose neck I’d broken.
“Check his pockets for his cellphone or anything else that will tell us about him.”
I squatted down and grabbed the man’s phone at my feet and checked for a wallet. I was not surprised when I didn’t find one. It was never wise to take anything that can identify you out into the field. Just like I’d said earlier, these men were professionals.
Rome
These men were the f***ing CIA…
What the f***?!
I kept a concerned eye on Nak, who was gathering Luna as I quickly dislodged the GPS from their SUV. One thing about the government, they were tracking all of their vehicles. Hopefully, this little device will lead me back to whoever the f*** sent them.
“Nak, baby, wait for me before you head back," I called to her as I shut the hood and ran to my truck. I didn't want her to go back to the house without me. I didn’t think Freedom made it and I knew she was going to lose it when she found out.
I think there were only three fire stations on the entire island, and I doubted if any of them would make it here tonight, the fires will definitely have to burn themselves out. However, I was more than positive the local police were on their way and we needed to be gone before they got here.
Nak rode Luna back to the house and as soon as we reached the barn, she threw her leg over Luna’s back and jumped to the ground.
“Freedom!” She cried racing toward the burning building.
Leaving the truck running I threw it in park and jumped out to grab her. Now was not the place or the time for her to mourn her loss. She would have plenty of time for it during our journey to Canada. The sound of the police sirens was getting closer.
She went wild in my arms; I tightened my grip on her.
“No, Rome! Let me go! I have to help Freedom!” The way her voice shook let me know she knew that he was gone.
“Baby! Listen to me…” I shook her a little to get her attention. “We need to get out of here before the police get here. I need you to get back on Luna and follow me. Do you understand?”
She looked up at me with grieving eyes. Although she was in pain, she nodded that she understood.
But then her grip tightened on my arm as she looked around desperately. “Where is Giant?!”
“He’s in my truck waiting on us…Come on, baby we have to go.”
I jumped back in the truck and threw it in drive. I didn’t have to worry that she would not be behind me, she is a soldier, she was trained for this kind of sh*t.
By the time we made our way back to Carvalho’s, the local pilot I’d paid to always be on call for me just in case anything like this happens, Luna was tired and very thirsty, so Nak took care of her while I made plans with Carvalho to get us to Canada.
There were several problems…Not unsolvable problems, but problems.
First of all, if we took his plane there, we would have to stop to refuel four times, turning a usually ten and a half hours trip into sixteen hours. However, his brother in Rio had a bigger plane that could hold triple the amount of fuel than his and was willing to let us use it, which meant we would only have to stop once at his cousin’s place in Indiana to refuel.
Problem solved…
Now…and this was a big one. Carvalho’s plane was not big enough to transport Luna, which meant he was going to have to bring her at a later date. Nak had not left her side. Like a lost little girl that had not just single-handedly killed a car full of men, she stood hugging Giant in one arm with her other wrapped around Luna’s neck.
Although I thought it would, it didn’t take me long to assure her that Luna was going to be okay and that Carvalho will be coming right back to get her and bring her to us in Canada. I introduced her to Carvalho’s nephew, who was going to be taking care of her precious horse until Carvalho came back for her. And then promised the kid a small fortune in front of her if he could make sure not one hair on the horse’s head is disturbed.
Only then did she let me guide her and Giant unto the plane securing them in their seat.
Another problem solved…
And now for the final issue. It was time to kill Nak…
To accomplish this, I enlisted the help of Carvalho’s brother, the one that stayed here on the island with him and paid him to spread the word that Nak died in the fire, while I used my computer to do a little tweaking of the local morgue’s roster.
The report now read that the police officers pulled a woman’s body out of the fire, who was identified by her dental records as Nahkti Thomas. She had no living family and her remains will be cremated.
I closed my computer and boarded the plane. As soon as I sat, Nak climbed into my lap and wrapped her arms tightly around my neck, burying her face in my beard before she began to mourn her loss. I held her tight, letting her know that I was here for her.
I loved that about my fierce warrior, she was tough as nails, but wasn’t afraid to embrace her sensitive side and cry if she had to.
I would wait to tell her that she was officially dead. I figured that now was not the best time…Sometime after the plane lifted off the ground, she lifted her head and looked at me through the eyes of a savage.
“We are going to find who did this…and then we’re going to f*** them up…” she growled.
I nodded… “Yeah, baby…their days are numbered.”
Problem solved…
Nahkti
By the time our plane touched down in the Canadian Mountains, it was just after three in the morning. Rome had spent the last few hours of the flight telling me about my new home. So, when we stepped off the plane and saw Judah himself leaning against a black military issued Hummer waiting for us, I was surprised.
Rome said everybody had pretty much grown into one big family here, everybody except for Judah, who rarely communicated with anybody other than his team.
During Rome’s short stay here, he said he saw him only twice, once when he’d explained to them that they would have to be retrained to work with him and when he showed Rome his new computer lab that my husband was itching to get to…especially now that his loft in Chicago was destroyed.
"I'm glad you two made it in safe," Judah said as he and Rome clasped hands and did that one arm hug that men did in greeting. `
“Did you get a chance to go over the intel I sent you?”
Judah nodded. “I did, which is why I met you guys here. Jump in, I’ll give you a lift back to your place.” His cold gaze fell on me and I shivered.
He felt like the Politician, cold and unfeeling. Jo was able to turn his alter off at will. Rome said Judah and his alter was one, so he was always on.
“How was your journey?”
It didn’t feel like he really cared. It felt like he asked because it was something my future boss should do.
"A bit rough," I told him the truth.
He nodded. “I can imagine,” was about all I was going to g
et from him as far as sympathy went.
“The two of you need to get a few hours rest and then meet me at headquarters in zero six-hundred hours. I may know where to find the ones responsible for this, but we need to move before they know we’re coming. We have a small window, if we lose it, they’ll be in the wind and then we’ll be back at square one.”
Well, damn…I didn’t need his sympathy when he was presenting me with a chance to get revenge.
I’ll take revenge over sympathy any day.
“You keep saying they. Once again, I ask you, who the f*** is they? I’ll tell you who the they were back in Ribeirão da Ilha. They were the f***ing CIA!” Rome growled as he and Judah loaded our bags in his truck.
Judah exhaled before rubbing the bridge of his nose, for the first time showing a human emotion like tiredness.
“Get some rest, kid.” His deep voice did in fact sound tired. “By the end of the day tomorrow, you will have the answer to your question.”
And I guess that was the end of that topic because Rome let it drop. On the way to the house Judah talked to Rome about some of the intel he’d been sending him, and I wondered if that’s how he knew about me being in jail and what happened to me there.
Nossa!
Had Rome been sending him updates this whole time? What else did he know?
I exhaled, too tired and broken-hearted to try and think about it now. I’d not only lost Freedom in that fire, I’d also lost the painting Rob had done of Rome and me asleep in the bed. I bit my lip to keep from crying all over again.
And poor Carlos, we had to leave without making sure he was taken care of. He’d said he would protect the horses with his life and that’s exactly what he did.
Oh God help me! I was going to cry again.
I took deep calming breaths pushing my grief back down. Feeling Judah’s gaze on me in the rear-view mirror, I looked up and was not surprised to see him watching me with disgust on his face. If what Rome said about him was true and he was like the Politician, then he would respect no weakness.
