by Desiree Holt
Sarah raised an eyebrow as she settled Molly in her highchair. “You sure look like someone who won the lottery. What’s going on?”
“I called the real estate agent on that property and made an offer. He’s going to call me back at the office, but I think they’ll take it. It’s close enough to their asking price that I think they won’t bargain.”
“What happens then?”
“As soon as we close on it, we need to hire an architect, meet with him and get some plans drawn up.”
“Wow!” Sarah tucked her hair behind her ears and sat down to feed Molly. “Moving at the speed of light, are we?”
He reached across the table to touch her arm. “I can’t get out of this house fast enough if you want to know the truth.”
Sarah was silent for a moment, working to get more food in Molly’s mouth than on her chin. An idea suddenly took root in her brain. When Reno returned to the table, his coffee mug refilled and carrying one for her, she turned to look at him. “I have an idea in that direction.”
“Yeah?” Reno sipped the hot liquid in his mug. “Okay, let me have it.”
“We could move into my house. No one’s ever lived there but me,” she hurried to assure him. “You’ve had the landscape and cleaning services there once a week so it’s in good shape. I know it’s a lot smaller than this place, but it would do for the short term. We can sell it when the new house is ready.”
When he didn’t answer, she glanced at him nervously. He was staring at her.
“Bad idea?” she asked.
“No, it’s a great idea. Why didn’t we think of this before?”
“Because before,” she said very carefully, “it didn’t matter where we lived. Now it does.”
“You’d sell your house?”
She shrugged. “It’s only a building. No memories. Someone new will make their own. We’d have to put all this furniture in storage.”
“Get rid of it,” Reno bit off. “Sell it with the house. Burn it. I don’t care. How soon can we move?”
Sarah laughed. “As quickly as I can air out the place and call the movers. We need to take Molly’s stuff, our clothes, the things from your den…”
“Buy something new. Order it today and have them deliver it and set it up.”
He came to stand behind her and placed a kiss on the top of her head. “Do it. Call today. As soon as I get to the office, I’ll call a real estate agent we’ve done a lot of work with and get this place listed.” He drained the rest of the coffee and put his mug in the sink. “I’d better get going. This is shaping up to be a busy day ahead.”
****
Everything kicked into fast forward. In less than a week, they finalized a listing agreement, hired an architect, and moved forward with their plans. Sarah’s parents were delighted when she told them, although not too excited about having them living farther away.
“It won’t be that far, Mom,” Sarah assured her. “I still have to be close enough so Reno won’t have a long drive to the office. And we drove it yesterday. It’s only twenty-five minutes between our new place and yours.”
“Well, all things considered,” Ellen said, “I do think getting out of that house will be good for both of you. Forgive me for saying this, sweetheart, but being the second wife sometimes has its drawbacks. It never helps to cook in another woman’s kitchen.”
Sarah had never told the Madisons the Maggie story nor did she intend to. It was Reno’s secret to share, not hers. But Ellen, with her uncanny intuition, had sensed an air of imbalance in the house that she couldn’t quite define. Sarah could tell she was pleased that they were going to make a fresh start in a new place.
The following night Reno was home earlier than usual, looking very satisfied with himself. He dropped a large envelope on the counter.
“An early Christmas present, darlin’. They accepted our offer. We now own a big piece of land in the middle of somewhere.”
“Oh, Reno. Really and truly?” She leaped up and threw her arms around him. “But that’s wonderful.”
“All you have to do is sign these papers tonight, and I’ll have someone drive them to the agent’s office tomorrow. The seller has already signed.”
“I’ve been busy, too.” She grinned. “The nursery furniture will be delivered and set up tomorrow and the movers will be here Wednesday. They’ll pack up everything I tell them to, including our clothes, and we’ll just leave the rest.” She frowned at him. “Are you sure that’s what you really want to do?”
“You don’t know how much.” His face was suddenly grim. “I just want to walk out the door and never look back.” He glanced at Molly in her highchair.
“I’ll get her upstairs and bathed in just a minute,” she said hastily. “You came home a little early, is all, so I’m running just a bit behind.”
“No worries.” He patted her ass. “Now, why don’t you go do whatever it is you need to do, and I’ll get rid of this jacket and tie. I brought home some champagne so we could celebrate before dinner.”
****
The next morning, she drove Lindsey out to see their property.
“This is gorgeous.” Lindsey’s eyes sparkled. She turned to hug Sarah, somewhat of a problem with her now bulging stomach and Molly in Sarah’s arms, but they managed. “I’m so very happy for you. Both of you. Reno deserves every bit of happiness you bring him.”
“We still have some bumps in the road,” Sarah said, “but we’re getting there, one step at a time.”
As if Fate wanted to rain on their parade, Reno came home that night tense as a rubber band.
“What’s the matter?” she asked. “Oh, god, not trouble with the land.”
He shook his head. “Balenger called me today. It seems Marina Aguilar, Luis’s daughter, is on the warpath and she’s headed this way for revenge.”
For a moment, Sarah was afraid she’d pass out. “Will we never be done with them?”
“He’s got eyes on her and her entourage. They aren’t making any secret of this, apparently. When are the movers coming?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Good. They won’t find us here.” He brushed a kiss over her lips. “I’m not going to work until this is over. And Gary Stern will be hanging out with us. I’m not taking any chances.”
“God.” She raked her hands through her hair. “How long is this going to go on?”
“I’d say only a few more days. Balenger is putting some of his men on it, too.”
When Sarah crawled into bed that night, the excitement of the move had dimmed somewhat with this new threat. She said a silent prayer they’d all come through it safely.
The following morning, the movers showed up on schedule, and by five that afternoon, juggling a cranky Molly whose naps had been hit or miss, Sarah walked back into her house where the furniture fought for space with piles of cartons. Several of them were stacked in her garage and wouldn’t be opened until the new house was ready, and her house was half the size of Reno’s, which doubled the problem. Plus the fact that her rooms were a miniature of the ones Reno was used to and likely to give him a case of claustrophobia.
Well, no matter. We’ll be a little crammed, but we can make it work. We just need to get the plans finished, settle on a builder, and get him in high gear.
Reno, true to his word, stayed home. Gary Stern was already there waiting for them. With the two of them, moving stuff around turned out a lot easier. If only she wasn’t tied up in such a tense ball.
She unpacked some of their clothes and Molly’s things, fed and bathed the little girl, and put her down for the night. At last, she collapsed on the couch, catching her breath. At six, Reno ran out for pizza and sodas.
“My hero,” she told him. “Just what the doctor ordered.”
“You’re an amazing woman,” he said, looking around. “I can’t believe how much you’ve gotten done.” He leaned down and kissed her. “If you’re not too tired, maybe later, I can show you just how much I admire you.” He
winked and leered at her.
“Don’t forget we have a guest,” she reminded him.
“I’ll tell him to sleep on the car.”
“Reno!” She gave him a playful slap. “Be nice to him.”
After supper, Gary settled himself uncomplaining on her couch, and she and Reno retreated to the bedroom.
“You know,” he told her as they got into bed, “except for the cabin, tonight is the first time we’ve slept together that I didn’t feel a phantom hovering over my shoulder. This house is clean, Sarah. The only spirit in it is yours. And now ours.”
“I feel as if we’ve closed one door and walked through another.”
“That’s the plan, my love. That is, indeed, the plan.” He hugged her close to him, molding her against him, and they fell easily asleep.
Chapter Seventeen
They were all up early the next morning. It wasn’t just the need to tend to Molly. They were all on edge. Sarah had even taken to strapping her gun to her waist, putting it down only when she was holding Molly.
“You look like Annie Oakley,” Reno teased.
Gary just raised an eyebrow and gave her a tiny smile.
“I have a lot to get done,” she told Reno, “and I want to make something special for our first dinner here. So go to work and keep your magic fingers busy until tonight.”
Reno’s cell rang, making her jump. He answered, and when he hung up, he had a tight look on his face.
“What?” she asked.
“Balenger. Marina Aguilar is in San Antonio. She was spotted checking out the old house. The FBI had agents there, but she never got out of the car. When she spotted them, she took off and our guys lost her. I’m sure, with her network, they’ve managed to find where you are now. They’ve got eyes out there everywhere, but these people disappear like smoke. He’s pretty sure she’ll be showing up here any time. He’s on his way right now with some of his men.” He looked at her. “And you, Miss Deadeye, keep yourself scarce.”
She laid a hand on her gun. “I’ll just keep this close in case.”
“She’s not afraid to show her hand,” Balenger told them when he arrived. “Her father waited for the right moment. She’ll come in with guns blazing, then hightail it to their local contacts to hide.”
****
They were all tense, waiting for the shoe to drop. Reno, wearing a holster with his own personal gun and wondering when the hell Balenger was going to get there, insisted Sarah set up Molly’s playpen in her room and stay in there with her. He waited a few minutes, watching her reading to the little girl, before he turned to close the door. In the next moment, he heard the sound of breaking glass at the front of the house.
“Take Molly and go in the closet,” he ordered. “Just in case.”
Sarah clutched Molly to her, whispering to the little girl who didn’t seem too happy to be taken into a dark place. Reno closed both the closet and bedroom door and hustled out to the front of the house in time to see Marina Aguilar standing at his broken living room window. Two of her men flanked her.
“You killed my family,” she screamed, lifting a gun and pointing it at him. “Now I will kill yours.”
Reno ducked behind the couch as the first shots split the air. He didn’t want to get into a shooting war with these people, as outnumbered as he was. The best he could hope for was to get in a couple of strategic shots. He wished he had Nick or one of his top agents with him. Or that Balenger, damn him, would get here.
Another volley of shots flew through the window and embedded in the wall behind him.
“You can’t hide for long,” she shouted again. “My men will drag your wife out of wherever she is hiding and fuck her until she is dead. Right before your eyes. Then we will kill you, slowly and painfully.”
No, no, no, no.
All the spit in his mouth dried up, and panic raced through his system.
Hold it together. You’ve been in spots like this before. Just think. You can outflank them.
A car screech to a stop outside.
“Give it up, Marina.” Balanger’s voice rang out. “We’ve got you outflanked and outnumbered.”
“Over my dead body,” she shouted.
“As you wish,” Balanger called.
A loud volley of shots followed, some of them again hitting the living room wall.
Then silence.
“We’re good, Sullivan,” Balanger called. “Come on out.”
When Reno rose, he glanced around the room, cringing at the number of bullet holes in the wall. When he stepped outside, the two men with Marina lay on the ground, handcuffed. In front of the house, Marina lay on the grass, arms flung outward, the front of her blouse soaked in blood.
“She’s dead,” Balanger told him. “With vermin like her, the only good Aguilar is a dead one.”
“I can’t say I’m sorry.” Reno blew out a breath. “I was afraid you wouldn’t get here in time.”
“Traffic was so fucked up I nearly called for a helicopter. But I’m glad we made it when we did. Where did you hide Sarah and Molly?”
“Oh, Jesus. In the closet.”
He loped into the house, into the bedroom, and opened the closet door. Sarah was still huddled in there, clutching Molly.
She looked up at him, wide-eyed. “Is it over?”
“It is.” He reached out to help her up, then wrapped his arms around both of them. His heart still raced at the thought of what could have happened.
“So fast?”
“I told you. Marina Aguilar runs on emotion, not brains. She thought she could just come in here with guns blazing and take us out.”
He took Molly from her and hugged the little girl to his chest, kissing her curls. Then he reached for Sarah again, pulling her tight against him.
“Come on. Balenger wants to see us. Then we’re getting out of here.”
When Sarah saw that the picture windows in the living room and dining room had been shot out with glass scattered over everything, she nearly cried. Reno wasn’t looking forward to her seeing the walls of the house.
“At least we’re all alive,” she told him in a shaky voice.
Kip Balenger walked inside, two men behind him.
“Mrs. Sullivan, sorry your house is such a mess. I wish we’d had time to move you all out of here but…”
“But we were bait,” she guessed.
He didn’t answer, which was an answer in itself.
“Where are they now?”
“Marina’s dead. No loss there. My men are transporting the others to the federal detention center downtown. At least the nightmare is finally over.”
“Thank the lord for that.”
They shook hands all around before Balanger left with the rest of his men. Reno called someone to come and board up the windows. Tomorrow, he’d get a full crew in here to begin repairs. Then they packed up what they’d need for a few days and he would take them all to one of the corporate apartments Guardian kept.
“Tomorrow, I’ll get the crew in to put this place back in shape. Then maybe we can finally have some peace and quiet in our lives.”
After that, the days moved along quietly, all of them adapting to the house much better than she’d expected. Reno suffered from claustrophobia for the first week or two, but before long, he adjusted to the more confined situation. She gave him the tiny den to use, realizing he still needed a room to hide himself in now and then. That seemed to increase his comfort zone.
Molly was consumed with delight. She had new corners to poke into and new areas to explore. The problem was her inquisitive nature propelled her into all sorts of trouble. Sarah had Reno remove the inside door from the enclosed back porch and turned it into a playroom. It gave the little girl a place to expend her energy, and Sarah some peace of mind.
They managed, after a fashion, but she’d be glad when the new house was finally built.
Reno’s house had only been listed for a week when the real estate agent called to tell them they had
a buyer. The people had made an offer, asking if the furniture went with it. Sarah called Reno at the office, barely able to contain her excitement.
“The agent has a buyer.” She was almost dancing with glee. “The people from the Sunday showing. Almost the full price, too. And guess what? They also want all the furniture and stuff.”
“You’re kidding.” Reno laughed. “I think you’re right. This was meant to be.”
She cleared her throat. “It will be nice for you to spend Christmas someplace else.”
“You are so right,” he said after a moment of silence. “And it will be our first together.”
Our first Christmas. I have to make it special for him.
The day they closed on the sale of the house, they left Molly with her parents and went to dinner to celebrate. Reno took her to the Italian restaurant they’d eaten at before, and they took a long time over dinner.
“This is the beginning of everything new.” Sarah touched his hand gently, praying silently that she was right. “A new door is opening for us.”
“You’re good for me.” He rubbed his fingers across the back of her hand. “If I hadn’t been such a fool, we could have had this a long time ago.”
“Forget about that. We have it now. That’s all that matters.”
Smiling at each other, they toasted their new life.
****
The meetings with the architect went better than either of them had expected. Deciding not to build his own house and borrow trouble, Reno chose a homebuilder he had high regard for. They met with him to finalize arrangements, and everything was a go for the first of the year.
Determined to fall in with the holiday spirit, especially now that they were in new surroundings, Reno took two days off and went shopping with Sarah for a tree and ornaments.
“Not much,” she reminded him. “Next year, we’ll decorate in the new house. But I can’t let the season go by unnoticed. And it will be good for Molly.”
They hauled the tree to her house, and Reno helped her decorate.
“I haven’t had a tree since my folks died.” His eyes were suddenly sad.
