by Robin Perini
She struggled. She knew him. She had to. Someone out of place in high school. Someone the other kids didn’t like.
Lyssa stared at his glasses. Yes. She remembered. A boy she hardly knew. He sat behind her in almost every class. Next to her in every class where they were assigned seating in alphabetical order. Alessandra Cummings then...
“Todd? Todd Davidson?”
The smartest kid in school. And the most awkward.
“I tested you and tested you.” He sighed. “You figured out my puzzle. I thought we were meant to be together forever, that we’d have a life together. I guess I was wrong. Our lives will end together.”
He sprinkled the powder around her.
“Please, don’t do this. What did I ever do to you?”
“You made me believe people could be nice. Before you, I expected bullies to dump me into a garbage can. Before you, I expected teachers to ignore the bruises on my arms and legs and cheeks. Before you, I expected to disappear.
“You made me hope for more. You stood up for me.” His face twisted in fury. “You made me love you!”
“Would it help if I told you that you do matter? Those things shouldn’t have happened to you, Todd. They were wrong, but you don’t have to do this.” she said, desperation clawing at her. She had to get away. She shifted in her chair, tugging at the rope.
“You’re too late. You don’t know me!” he shouted. “You don’t care about me! You never did. I made myself important. I am Archimedes!”
Jocelyn sobbed, stretching her hands out at Lyssa.
There had to be a way.
She looked on in horror as he sprinkled the powder along the perimeter of the building. He rambled, clutching his head in his hands. She couldn’t make out what he was saying, but she could see what he was doing. She twisted her wrists, but the rope just cut into her more, tightening the grip on her legs.
He flicked his lighter and the powder exploded. A flame ripped up the wall of the gym. Todd smiled at the fire, staring into the heat.
“Our destiny, Alessandra. You and me. For infinity.”
Chapter Thirteen
Thick smoke smothered Noah. Faraway sirens sounded somewhere in the distance. He rolled over onto his back, groaning. He blinked and looked up at the sky. “Lyssa.” His charred voice cracked.
His head throbbed, and the memories flooded through him. The land mine. He’d seen it just in time. They’d jumped clear.
The SUV hadn’t been so lucky The acrid scent of burning rubber seized his lungs. Fire still consumed the truck. He squinted through the billowing black fog.
A wheeze sounded from a few feet away. Noah crawled over to Elijah. He was hurt. Bad. The right side of his body had taken the worst of it. Noah pulled his phone from his pocket.
“Where are you?” He coughed when Ransom answered.
“Just landing in D.C.”
“Archimedes caught us by surprise. Elijah’s hurt. Need an ambulance.” Noah gave Ransom the coordinates.
He struggled to his feet, sucking in deep breaths.
“Noah, are you there?” Ransom shouted.
Noah squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them, willing his vision to clear. He stumbled forward. In the distance, flames licked at the roof of a large building.
Lyssa!
“The gym is on fire, Ransom.” He searched around for his weapon then cursed. It was now a melted chunk of metal. “I’m going in. Lyssa’s alone.”
“We’re on our way.”
He ended the call and bent over Elijah. “Buddy, can you hear me?”
Elijah opened his eyes and winced in pain, but not a sound escaped. “Ransom’s on his way. I’ve got to go to her.”
“Kill the bastard,” Elijah hissed through clenched teeth. He closed his eyes and passed out.
Noah pressed his fingers against his carotid. Pulse barely there. He scrubbed his hands on his face. “Don’t you die on me, Elijah.”
He took off as fast as his burned leg would allow toward the gym, crossing a field. It took what seemed like forever to reach the main doors.
He yanked at them. They rattled, chained from the inside. There had to be another way.
He rounded the building. Two more sides, nothing but locked, barricaded doors. His head spun, but he shoved the weakness aside. Lyssa was depending on him.
Was she even inside?
He tugged his phone from his pocket and tapped an icon. About twenty feet away a small green dot blinked. Thank God for the coin he’d given her. At least he had a location.
Except, she wasn’t moving.
One side left. He turned the corner. Finally. A small window halfway up the side of the gym gave him hope. Flames snaked from the roof, crackling. White smoke poured from the flames. No time to be picky. He was alone, and Lyssa was trapped.
He wouldn’t allow himself to consider she was anything but alive.
Noah hauled himself by the small ledge. He smashed through the glass and heaved into the small space. His shoulders barely fit, but he shimmied through and dropped to the floor of a small closet.
His leg buckled, but he gritted through the pain.
Gaze half on the locator screen of his phone and half on his path, he opened the door to a hallway. He broke into a run to a set of large doors. That had to be the gym. Unnatural heat plowed into him with each step.
By the time he reached the doors, flames burst through the windows. He couldn’t get through.
A loud crash sounded.
“Lyssa!”
With a quick scan, he sprinted to an equipment room. His hands touched the entrance. Cool to the touch. He burst inside.
Another door led out. He peered through its window.
The entire perimeter of the gym had been engulfed in flames. The fire devoured the streamers and decorations. A bevy of balloons exploded, sounding like a flurry of machine gun fire.
Surrounded by the inferno, in the center of the gym a man stood in a tuxedo over a downed chair. Lyssa lay on the floor at his feet, the chair broken, ropes slipped off.
They had a chance if Lyssa was conscious.
A child screeched above the roar of the fire. A playpen twenty feet away holding the screaming toddler.
Noah didn’t waste any more time. He grabbed a uniform from the laundry basket and wrapped a shirt around his hand. He turned the knob. It gave way. Without a gun, he’d have to improvise. Basketballs, baseballs, footballs.
Too bad Chase wasn’t here. He’d been an ace pitcher.
Noah grabbed three baseballs and slammed through the door. Without hesitation, he hurled a ball at Archimedes. It hit him in the center of his back.
“What the hell?”
Archimedes spun around. Lyssa scrambled away from the broken chair toward her baby. Archimedes dived at her, grabbing her by the ankle.
Noah threw another ball. This time it was a direct hit in the head.
Archimedes slumped to the ground, groaning.
Lyssa crawled to the screaming baby.
The flames hit the center of the roof. Smoke thickened around them, metal creaked. A section of ceiling started to peel away. Noah launched himself toward Jocelyn, grabbing the toddler out of the Pack ’n Play. Shifting to his back, he slid across the floor, Lyssa’s daughter in his arms.
The ceiling crushed the playpen.
Noah held Jocelyn close.
“You’re alive.” Lyssa started toward him.
Archimedes rolled onto his back. “It’s not you. It can’t be you. You’re in Denver.” He stood, swaying, and clutched the remote to his chest. “You’ll pay!”
He flicked a switch and smiled. “Say goodbye to your sister.” He lifted a tablet computer showing a building collapsing.
Lyssa di
dn’t hesitate. “You bastard!” She ran at Todd, head-butting him with all her strength.
Archimedes skidded toward a wall. Noah handed a screaming Jocelyn to Lyssa. “Can you run?”
Above them beams split. Ashes rained over them.
“Duck!” Noah shouted.
She covered Jocelyn while Noah grabbed Archimedes by the collar.
The man laughed in his face. “She’s mine. I took her from her fiancé, I’ll take her from you. She’ll die by my side!”
He reached into his pocket, pulling out a knife. He swiped at Noah.
“Hell, no.”
In a practiced move, Noah twisted Archimedes’s arm behind his back. “You’ll pay for what you’ve done. I promise you that,” he hissed in his ear.
A beam crashed right beside them, sparks flying.
“Get out, Lyssa,” he shouted. “Now!”
She stumbled to her feet. “There’s no way out!”
“We’ll die together,” Archimedes chuckled. “All you had to do was love me.”
Just then an SUV rammed through the front of the gym. Ransom and two other men jumped out. “Go! The place is coming down.”
The car backed out, leaving a gaping hole. Lyssa clutched Jocelyn and ran through. Noah held Archimedes firm.
“Move it,” he said rushing Archimedes through the door. To Noah’s left side a wall crashed down, barely missing them. Shrapnel pummeled over them, fiery weapons. One grazed his arm, setting his jacket ablaze.
He shucked it to the ground, and Archimedes broke free. He raced back into the gym.
“Stop,” Noah shouted.
“You’ll never take me.”
A huge creaking noise erupted from the walls and ceiling. Archimedes turned and stared, his jaw open wide, stunned.
Half the wall fell on top of, burying him in flames.
He’d killed himself.
* * *
NOAH PEERED INTO the burning gym.
Archimedes was gone. Dead.
Fire truck sirens filled the air. Lyssa walked over to Noah, carrying Jocelyn.
“What are you doing out of the SUV?” He put his arm around her, propping her up as she cuddled the baby in her arms.
“Are you hurt?”
Smoke poured from what remained of the gym. She coughed and yanked the tiara off her head. “I’m fine.”
“What are you wearing?” Noah asked.
“It was my high school prom dress. I thought my mom gave it away. He stole it.”
“Who was he?”
“Todd Davidson, a kid from my class.”
“Why did he do this, Lyssa?”
She rocked Jocelyn, praying the little girl would fall asleep. “I don’t know,” she said, her voice lowered. “The thing is, I only talked to him once. Some jocks were bullying them. I told them to stop. That was it. He turned it into some twisted love affair.”
Jocelyn whimpered. Lyssa jostled the baby and told Noah everything Todd had said in the gym.
Noah touched the baby’s soft skin. She looked so much like Lyssa.
Ransom walked over to them. “The second ambulance is en route.” He held out his hand to Lyssa. “I’m Ransom Grainger. Good to meet you and I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Lyssa...” She hesitated and looked over at Noah.
“It’s over. Use whichever name you prefer.”
“Alessandra doesn’t exist anymore. I like Lyssa.”
Noah gave her a quick smile. “Lyssa suits you,” he said. “I’ve gotten used to it.” He turned to Ransom. “How’s Elijah?”
“Not great, but he’ll make it. By the way, Reid’s out of the coma. He’s asking for both of you.”
“Tell him Archimedes is dead. Tell him everything,” Noah said.
“Marmie?” Jocelyn stared at Ransom, then at Noah, then finally at Lyssa. Her lip trembled. “Marmie?”
“Do you have a phone?” Lyssa asked Noah.
He pulled it out of his pocket. Lyssa quickly went to a cloud account she’d purchased under Jack’s mother’s maiden name and prayed Mary hadn’t changed the password.
She clicked on the link.
A video started playing.
Jocelyn’s ears perked up. She clutched the phone and stared.
“Mama!” she said, smiling. The little girl hummed along to “Hush, Little Baby.”
Noah leaned over her shoulder. It was Lyssa singing to the baby. A slightly younger Lyssa, her face had been a bit fuller, but it was her.
“Mama!” The baby hugged the phone to her.
A tear slid down Lyssa’s cheek. “Mary showed her the video. I knew she would.”
Noah stood solidly behind her quietly while the baby watched.
“Marmie?” she questioned.
“She’s not here, baby.” Lyssa kissed the little girl’s cheek. “Mama’s here, though. I love you.”
Jocelyn’s chin quivered. She looked confused.
“It’ll take time,” Noah whispered.
“This wasn’t how it was supposed to be,” Lyssa said. “Mary wasn’t supposed to die. No one was.”
Ransom walked over, holding out a phone. “It’s Rafe,” he said.
Noah grabbed it. “Tell me you got her out!”
Lyssa leaned into the phone.
“Barely. Zane broke through the signal just in time. The damn building exploded as we were leaving, but I got her out.”
“Can I talk to her?”
“She’s in the E.R.,” Rafe said, his voice exhausted. “She won’t say what he did to her, but she’s a fighter.”
“Take care of her. I’ll be home as soon as I clear up a few details.” He listened. “Yeah, home to stay. I want to be part of the family again. No more secrets.”
Lyssa stilled. She was a detail to be cleared up, then he’d be leaving. She hadn’t considered... She should have realized...
She held Jocelyn closer. Lyssa’s life had to be about what was best for her daughter. She had Jocelyn; Noah had his family. They needed him.
“The ambulance is here,” Ransom said.
Noah wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Let’s get you and Jocelyn checked out.”
Lyssa fought against her own needs. She had to stay strong. “We can go ourselves. You should see to your family.” She blinked, forcing back the emotions threatening to overwhelm her.
Noah stilled. “Is that what you want?”
No. But she couldn’t say the words. “It’s best.” She’d caused him enough heartache. Why wouldn’t he want to leave?
She crawled into the back of the ambulance with Jocelyn. The paramedic placed oxygen masks on her and the baby.
The driver closed the door and they sped down the road.
Ransom walked over to Noah and slapped him upside the head. “What the hell are you doing?”
“She...she told me to go.”
“You might be the best agent I’ve got, Falcon. You might be able to read the enemy like a damn psychic, but you’re an idiot when it comes to women. That woman practically begged you to go with her.”
Noah shook his head. “You’re wrong. Now that it’s over...”
“Now that it’s over, nothing is stopping her from letting down her guard.”
He stared at the white van as it disappeared behind a small hill.
“Everything happened too fast. What feelings she has—if they’re still there—probably aren’t real. Not like...” his voice trailed off. He’d nearly said, “not like mine.”
“You ever felt this way before?” Ransom asked.
“I loved the idea of her the moment I met her,” Noah admitted, staring at the ground. “She’s more than I dreamed of. She smart, determined, fierce, brave—
”
“Then what are you doing standing here? Afraid?”
“Terrified. She might realize her feelings for me are only based on gratitude.”
“Been there, done that, Noah. Let me share something my wife taught me. Don’t assume anything about a woman’s feelings. Because more often than not, we don’t give them enough credit. Trying to protect her, I almost lost my wife. Don’t let Lyssa get away.” Ransom dropped a set of keys into Noah’s hand. “Go get her. If she turns you down, I’ll have a bottle of whiskey on the plane waiting for you.”
Noah clutched the keys. “If she turns me down, I’ll need it.”
It took twenty minutes to locate the hospital where they’d taken Lyssa. Noah strode into the E.R. “Lyssa Cafferty?” he asked.
“Family?” the nurse asked.
“I hope so,” he said quietly.
She sent him a harsh frown. “If you’re why that young lady is crying behind curtain three, you better get in there and beg for her forgiveness.” The woman crossed her arms over her ample bosom and glared at him.
He swallowed. “Yes, ma’am.”
If the men who’d placed the Falcon on the most wanted list in Afghanistan had seen Noah’s tentative tug of the curtain, they’d have laughed their asses off.
“Lyssa?”
He entered the small curtained-off room. She swiped her hand over her face, but her eyes were red, her cheeks tear-stained.
“Where’s Jocelyn?”
“They took her for an X-ray. They wouldn’t let me go.” She dug her fists into the blanket. “What are you doing here?”
He crossed the room and sat in the chair beside the bed. “Are you okay?”
“A few bruises from knocking the chair over and breaking it so I could hit the deck.” She held out her wrists. “The rope cut into my skin. Otherwise, I’m fine. What are you doing here? I thought you were going home.”
He stared up into her eyes, trying to read her emotions, trying to control the swirl of want inside of him. Should he tell her how he felt? He wanted to, but his entire body shook with apprehension. He’d faced death more times than he cared to admit, but he’d never been truly afraid until this moment.
She could destroy him.
He covered her hand with his. “I couldn’t leave. I had to be sure—”
