by Becki Willis
“He-He didn’t, though. I knew you wouldn’t let him.”
“If anything had happened to you…” Just the thought brought pure torture into his brown eyes.
“You saved me, Travis,” she whispered. She reached a hand up to his cheek, smearing it with the same blood and mud that streaked hers. “You saved me.”
“Oh, God.” A deep shudder wracked his body as he scooped her close. He held her for an eternity, so tightly it would have hurt had she been able to feel anything.
“Kenzie! Travis!” Makenna’s voice was frantic as it echoed through the woods. “Where are you?”
“Merka!” Hardin’s voice was stronger, less hysterical.
“Over here!”
They came crashing through the woods, halting suddenly when they saw the bloodied body of Bernard Franks. Kenzie pulled from Travis to hurl herself into her sister’s arms.
“Are you all right?” they screamed in unison.
“Yes!” in tandem.
“Oh my gosh, I was so scared! We heard the shots and- and-” Makenna could not finished the horrible thought of what might have happened.
“We’re okay,” Kenzie assured her quickly. “You?”
Makenna could only nod.
“The others?” Travis asked Hardin with a lift of a blond brow.
“Tied to a tree with their own belts.”
Travis looked down at the lifeless form of the Senator’s Press Secretary. “What a mess,” he sighed. He meant more than the grizzly scene. The media would be all over this story. Their plan of a quiet attack on Washington was ruined.
“Let’s get out of here,” Hardin said. As the sisters pulled reluctantly apart, he put his arm around Kenzie and squeezed. “You okay?”
“I-I think.”
But when she tried to walk, her leg gave way beneath her. Hardin grabbed for her, but Travis pushed him away. “Get on my back,” he said. “I’ll carry you.”
“But-But I’m filthy!” Kenzie said, looking down at her mud-soaked clothes. “I weigh a ton, even without all the mud. And I reek.” She turned her nose up at the dank smell of rotted leaves and slime-covered moss.
“Get on my back,” he demanded.
“No,” she said stubbornly.
“So help me, I’ll throw you over my shoulder and carry you out like big game,” he threatened. His dark eyes blazed with anger and something more. “You’re alive, and that’s the only thing that matters to me.”
As Kenzie crawled onto his proffered back, she grumbled darkly. “Cheater.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
While New Hampshire State Police and park rangers flooded the crime scene in the middle of Franconia Notch, an ambulance whisked Kenzie away to the nearby hospital. Makenna went with her twin, leaving the men to sort out the mass confusion. News crews were already pulling up when the ambulance left, reminding Kenzie to take her now-drained camera off record.
“I can’t believe it’s all over,” Makenna whispered, gently wiping Kenzie’s filthy cheek with a wet cloth. The medics tried to keep her from crawling in beside the woman on the stretcher, but were no match to the sisters’ dual stubbornness. Makenna curled her long legs up beneath her best she could, crammed into the tiny space with the two glowering medics.
“I’m not sure it is over.” Kenzie’s green eyes were worried.
“But Franks was behind it all.”
“He was behind Senator Lawrence’s part in all of this. There are still nine other people involved, including our father.”
Makenna nodded, a shiver passing through her shoulders. “We may still be in danger.”
“Yes.”
“Kenzie, maybe we should consider what Travis suggested.” She darted her eyes to the medics, not wanting to reveal too much.
“Absolutely not.”
“But Ken-”
“No. And if you keep badgering me, I’m going to tell them to pull over and make you ride in the front.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Makenna huffed.
“Just watch me.”
They glared at one another, in the midst of one of their very rare arguments. Finally, Makenna backed down, her green eyes snapping. “Travis is right. You are infuriating!”
“He said that about me? How dare him!” Transferring her anger to the tall Ranger without a bat of an eye, she fumed, “That sounds just like him. He is the most egotistical, maddening, argumentative, pig-headed –”
Makenna supplied a few other adjectives, spoken softly near her sister’s ear. “- sexiest, bravest, most courageous man who ever saved your life.”
Kenzie heaved a sigh. “You left out best kisser,” she said grudgingly. “And a down right cheat when it comes to arguments. Just when I get good and worked up, winning a perfectly good argument with a valid point, he pulls a fast one and says something all sweet and mushy.”
“Like he did about carrying you, saying he only cared that you were alive?” Makenna asked. She let her amused gaze rake over her sister, every inch of her twin covered in some sort of filth. Wrinkling her nose in distaste, Makenna said dryly, “Considering your current condition, not to mention your smell, and considering he was wearing a starched white shirt, it was a very generous thing for him to say. Score one for Travis.”
“I’m feeling a bit distressed,” Kenzie said, dramatically waving her hand in front of her face and drawing the attention of the medics. “Does it feel crowded in here?”
***
When the ambulance arrived at the hospital- Makenna still stubbornly wedged in the box beside her sister - the technicians rushed Kenzie into X-ray. Two hours later, doctors gave her the good news/bad news scenario. The good news was, she had not re-broken her leg; the bad news was, she had to wear an air cast again. Kenzie did not take the news well, venting her frustration and her sudden bout of shattered nerves on the poor nurse.
“Take it easy, Ken,” Makenna tried to soothe her sister. “I know it’s been a rough day, honey, but try to relax. Maybe the doctor can give you something.”
“Unless it’s six foot four, I don’t want it,” she wailed miserably. “Why hasn’t he called? Why isn’t he here?”
“I’ve only had one text from Hardin, you know. I’m sure they have their hands full, giving their statements and sorting out the details.”
“You don’t think Travis will be in any kind of trouble, do you?” She gripped her sister’s hand in fear. “He shot a man. K-Killed him. What if they try to turn things around, blame Travis for just trying to save me?”
“Whoa, whoa, where do you think you’re going? You get back in that bed!”
“I have to go to him. I have to tell them my side of the story, so they don’t arrest him.”
“Travis is a big boy, not to mention a law officer. He can take care of himself. Now just lie back and try to relax.”
When the nurses came through again to check on their patient, Makenna discreetly pulled one of the women aside while Kenzie complained to the other that the bandages on her hand were too tight. Besides having an injured leg, she was sporting numerous cuts and scrapes from her race through the forest, and some had become infected from the muddy conditions in the seep. Although Kenzie refused to take any pain medication, she never knew when a mild sedative was discreetly added to her I.V. drip.
By the time Travis pushed his way into the cubicle, she was finally relaxed and drifting off to sleep.
“You came,” she murmured, a goofy smile on her face.
“Of course I came,” he said gruffly. His dark eyes surveyed her entire body, noting each bandage and bruise.
“Mmm.” She curled her hand around his and purred with contentment, her eyes drifting closed.
The nurse at the foot of her bed smiled. “She’s quite different with her claws pulled in.”
“Tough patient?” Travis asked sympathetically, his eyes still on the woman in the bed.
“Not anymore,” the nurse laughed. “We’ll let her sleep for a bit before we release her. You
should be able to take her home in a couple of hours.”
After the nurse left, Kenzie stirred. “Travis?”
“What darlin’?”
“I was waiting on you,” she said groggily. “Can’t sleep without your arms around me.”
“I don’t think that bed’s big enough for both of us,” he said, but there was wistful yearning in his voice.
“Please?”
The one word was all it took for the big Ranger to crawl up in the hospital bed beside her, dirt and all. He had changed shirts, but his jeans and boots were still caked with mud. He lay on his side and hauled her gently into his arms. She snuggled beside him, putting her head on his arm and immediately falling asleep.
When the nurse returned thirty minutes later, she was prepared to throw the visitor out and demand an apology for making such a mess on the sheets. But one look at the man holding the dark haired hellcat so gently in his arms- his handsome face relaxed in slumber, yet still ferociously protective- and the nurse tiptoed out, leaving the couple to their slumber.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The next two days were a blur.
One interview morphed into the next. Every agency asked hundreds of questions, most more than once. The New Hampshire State Police interrogated each of them separately, just before the FBI arrived; then the process started all over again with federal agents.
Captain Ramirez flew in as soon as his Rangers called. Handing the evidence off to the only man they trusted at the moment, the group allowed the FBI to think Joseph Mandarino was still in possession of the files. Until they were certain of no conspiracy, no dirty agents, no possibility of evidence getting deliberately lost, they felt Ramirez was their only true ally.
The media - including local and national television crews, newspaper reporters from a dozen major cities, and reporters from various magazines, including Now Magazine - crowded into the tiny New Hampshire villages. Eager for any juicy tidbit, however small, they swarmed in like ants. Kenzie promised Kate the exclusive story when she was free to talk, never mentioning she had recorded half the ordeal on tape. That, too, remained secret for now.
Officially, Senator Lawrence sent his deepest apologies and regret over the tragic incident that inadvertently involved them all. Privately, he called Kenzie to express his sorrow and heartfelt concern for her well-being. She let the call go to voice mail, but she had no doubt of the sincerity behind his words.
Not up to talking with Craven yet, she also let his calls go to voice mail. When his messages grew more frantic with worry and his texts came every few minutes, begging to hear from her, Kenzie ignored Travis’s dark glare and finally sent the Chief of Staff a brief text message. She assured him she was fine and that she in no way blamed him for any of the mess his co-worker had created. On impulse, she promised to call him when she got home and things became more settled.
After a grueling day of questioning, the Ranger Captain convinced authorities to allow the foursome to return to Texas, where they faced questioning the next day by Texas Rangers, CIA, and more FBI.
By the time the sisters curled up on their couch at home, both were physically exhausted and emotionally spent. Once again, Kenzie’s leg rested on the coffee table to reduce swelling.
“This is like deja vu in the worse way,” Kenzie moaned. “Back from New Hampshire, another cast, more secrets from the past, more turmoil.”
“Do you think Joseph Mandarino, our-our father,” Makenna stumbled over the words, “will come out of hiding now?”
“Why would he? He’s still wanted for his part in the scam. He’s still a felon.”
“But he could turn state’s evidence and be offered clemency.”
“You sound almost hopeful,” Kenzie frowned.
She hedged the question with one of her own. “You don’t - don’t you want to see him again?”
Kenzie was slow in answering. “I don’t know. I’m not sure how I feel about seeing our parents again. Part of me never wants to see them again, ever. They’re from my past, something I’ve spent the last eight or nine years trying to forget. I’ve tried to put it behind me. But another part of me…. They are our parents,” she whispered brokenly.
Makenna tipped her coppery curls toward Kenzie’s raven ones and reached for her sister’s hand.
After a long moment of solitude, Makenna spoke. “I wonder what Bernard Franks meant about wondering if our father knew I was alive. I thought that was a rather odd statement.”
“I think I remember him saying that. He also said something about taking care of our mother a long time ago, but I have no idea what he was talking about.” Kenzie frowned, trying to recall his exact wording. “It didn’t make any sense.”
“The ramblings of a madman seldom do.”
“I can’t help but feel sorry for the Senator. Even though he was not directly involved, I hear he’s no longer in the running for the Candidacy.”
“There’s always another election, four years down the road.” Makenna looked at her sister curiously. “Did you have a change of heart about the Senator? I thought you weren’t a fan.”
“Not really a fan, but the man does intrigue me. He seems to have taken a personal interest in me.” At her twin’s sharp glance, she laughed, “No, not that kind of interest. More like… an uncle. He seems to be genuinely interested in my career, and in my well-being. You should have heard the message he left on my phone. I swear he was almost in tears, apologizing for everything I had to go through.”
“I’m sure he must be devastated. Franks was a trusted friend and colleague. To find out that he had so utterly betrayed him after all these years must be heart breaking.”
“Imagine how he’s going to feel when he learns that Franks was responsible for his only daughter’s death.”
“What are you talking about?”
Kenzie rubbed at her crinkled brow, trying to keep things straight in her head. “Didn’t I say that already? Franks apparently had the Senator’s daughter killed. He was bragging about all the power he would have and how he would keep the Senator in line once he became president. He said it would be a shame if another of his children died in an accident, but he hesitated over the word, meaning it was no accident at all.”
“Why on earth would he have her killed?”
“He said something about a loose end. Again, I have no idea what he was talking about.”
“Again, a madman.” Another long lapse before she asked softly, “You and Travis?”
“What about us?”
“I peeked in on you at the hospital. He had such a tender, protective look on his face as he held you. Both of you were sleeping so peacefully, cuddled up in bed together. He obviously cares about you a great deal, Kenzie.”
“I’m starting to let myself believe that,” Kenzie admitted slowly. “He told me he cared. But caring and loving are two different things. And sometimes, even love isn’t enough,” she said sadly.
“The two of you are so different, and yet so right for one another. I think it can definitely work.”
“I want it to.” Her whisper was fervent. Then doubt crept into her voice. “But I’m just not sure…”
“Has he heard any more about his promotion?”
“Not that I know of. Of course, he hasn’t bothered to call all day,” she sulked. “I haven’t talked to him since we left Ranger Headquarters. And if he gets this promotion, I have no idea what it will mean for us. I-I think if I asked him not to go, he wouldn’t, but I could never stand in the way of him and his career, not when it means so much to him.”
“Maybe you mean more to him.”
Kenzie shook her head. “I won’t ask him to choose.”
“Why would he have to choose? He won’t be all that far away. And if things really heat up between you two, you could always move there.” The thought made her sad, but she was trying to think of her sister’s happiness.
“No!” Kenzie’s voice held a note of panic. “I told you, I’m not moving again.”
“You honestly plan to live the rest of your life in this little apartment?”
“Okay, I might move to another house. Maybe even to another suburb. But I planted my roots here in Austin, and that’s where they’ll stay.”
“Kenzie, I admire your determination, but I must admit, you’re taking this a little too far. You can’t decide you’re never going to leave the city of Austin, just because this is where you landed. You have your whole life to live. You have no idea what opportunities might be out there, what adventures.”
“I’ve had my adventures, thank you very much. I’ve lived all over the country and I like Austin best. I’ve planted myself here, and I’m staying put.” She said the words defiantly, crossing her arms over her chest to indicate the subject closed.
“You’d think you were the one with red hair!” Makenna muttered. Hearing her phone ring, she took the opportunity to escape her sister’s wrath. “Left the phone in my bedroom,” she said, making a hasty retreat.
Kenzie rested her head against the back of the couch with a heavy sigh. She knew she was being irritable, but she couldn’t seem to help it. The changes of the last few weeks had her life spinning out of control again. The changes reminded her of the past, when the only constant in her world was the reality of more changes yet to come.
When the doorbell rang, she assumed Makenna would answer it. But as it rang a second time, she lumbered to her feet and hobbled to the door without her cast, calling for whoever was on the other side to hang on. She paused to get her balance, her eyes going to the mirror beside the door.
The girl on the other side stared back with large, solemn eyes. Her skin was pale, her face looked pinched, and dark circles smudged beneath her green eyes. “Mirror, mirror, on her wall, looks like she’s been in a barroom brawl!” she muttered.
