Turquoise Guardian

by Jenna Kernan

  “This is wrong.”

  “The FBI has this investigation. You’re a tribe member so...”

  Carter growled like an angry bear.

  Jack blew out a breath. “Mom is worried sick. Dad said his hair is falling out because of all this. How about you let them see you in one piece? Then we can figure out what to do.”

  Carter folded his arms over his chest, winced in pain and lowered his elbow to the armrest.

  “You don’t understand. I might never see her again.”

  “She’s safe, Carter, and she’s not your responsibility anymore.”

  But he wanted her to be. He wanted to love her and protect her and be there.

  “Listen, I know you like her, but she’s a federal witness in a case that seems as though it is going to be huge. They finally have one of the eco-extremists. They hope that’s just a start. You have to know that she’s marked for witness protection. You can’t go with her.”

  So why was he considering it?

  Jack looked at him and then back to the road and then back to him again.

  “Carter, you hear me? If you go with her, you will have to leave the tribe and your family. All of us. You won’t be able to see us again, ever.”

  Carter swallowed at the magnitude of the decision he faced.

  “Say something, brother.”

  He looked at Kurt. “I love her.”

  Jack swore.

  * * *

  CARTER’S MOTHER AND father met him at the door. All he saw of his mother was her arms outstretched as she threw herself at him. He hugged her and then hugged his father. His mother was not quite ready to let him go and maintained a firm grip on his hand as she drew him into his childhood home.

  His mother’s eyes were red, and his father’s rugged face seemed older than he remembered. Thomas, Kurt and Jack entered the living room a moment later, and each received a similar hug from their parents. Jack had to stoop slightly to permit his mother to get her arms around his neck.

  “So, our leadership worked it out,” said his father to Jack.

  “Yeah. We’ll need to keep an eye on him. Chief Tinnin is worried about reprisals from the Casey family.”

  “But the copper mine shooter is dead, and the other two are arrested or dead,” said his mother.

  “There is at least one guy still out there,” said Jack.

  “I spoke to Kenshaw Little Falcon,” said his father. “He feels that some are unhappy at recent events.”

  “Who?” asked Carter.

  His father gave no answer.

  “And the explosives are unaccounted for,” said Jack. “No question. Tinnin says the Feds are scrambling to find them and keep the disappearance secret.”

  His parents exchanged a long look.

  “He’s not safe here,” said his mother in a whisper.

  “We’ll keep him safe,” promised his father. It was a promise he might have a hard time keeping.

  “It’s happening again,” whispered his mother.

  Jack and Carter exchanged a confused look as their mother turned to her husband. “Was this a mistake? Taking him out of witness protection?”

  Kurt spoke now. “If he enters witness protection, he’s not coming back.”

  His mother rounded on him, her voice raised. “I know that! Don’t you think I know that?” She sagged against her husband. “Not again,” she whispered. “I can’t lose Carter, too.”

  Jack’s brow quirked. Carter shook his head at Jack’s silent question. He had no idea what their mom was talking about. Had she said again?

  When had this happened before? Carter was at a loss.

  All four of her sons stepped back. Carter had never seen his mother act this way. Their father pulled her in close.

  “It’s all right, Mother,” Carter said.

  “No. It’s not,” she pressed her face into their dad’s denim shirt, and it sounded like she said, “Not again.”

  Jack’s and Carter’s gazes met as if each wanted to know if the other had heard that.

  “She’ll be all right in a minute.” Their dad wrapped an arm around his wife and patted her back. He spoke to her in Apache, calming words, tender words.

  Carter was torn between the need to comfort and reassure his mother and the need to tell them all what he had decided. He appreciated his tribe’s intervention to get him released from federal protection, but he couldn’t stay here. Not when Amber was there.

  He cleared his throat, and all the males in the room looked to him.

  “You should have asked me before you pulled me out.”

  “We’ve got your back,” said Thomas. “I’m taking a leave to be with you.”

  He didn’t want that. He didn’t want his brothers to have to spend their lives guarding his.

  “No. You’re not. Because I’m not staying. I’m going back. It’s the only way I know to keep you all safe and...”

  His mother lifted her head and stared at him in absolute horror.

  He faltered and then had to look away before he could continue. “I love Amber Kitcheyan. I’m not willing to let her go.”

  His dad stepped toward him, but his mother held him back.

  “They’ll separate you,” said Jack.

  “Not if I marry her.”

  Carter clamped his teeth together as he looked from one anxious face to the next. His family whom he loved stared at him in silence.

  “You aren’t safe with me here,” he said, his voice taking on an unwelcome quaver. “And she needs me.”

  “You can’t jump in and out of protective custody,” said Jack. “We can’t just return you like a dog to the pound.”

  “Then you better figure it out before the US Marshals take her again.”

  “I don’t like it,” said Jack.

  “Neither do I. But it’s my only choice.”

  His mother extended a hand, grasping his. “You could stay.”

  “Mom.” He hugged her. “I can’t.”

  She squeezed him so tight his neck ached and his shoulder throbbed.

  Carter eased away, grateful to his dad for taking charge of his wife. Carter turned to Jack.

  “Make a call, Jack. Tell them whatever you have to. Tell them there’s been an attack, but get me back to her.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Two months later, Amber was preparing to testify. She should have been focusing on the upcoming trial and her small but vital part in the proceedings. Instead she was anticipating her meeting with Carter today.

  After she had rested and had time to think over all that had happened she had recalled the phone conversation she had heard outside Ibsen’s office the day before the shooting and given Forrest the name she had overheard—Theron Wrangler. Forrest had seemed stunned.

  “Who is he?” she asked Field Agent Forrest.

  “A documentary filmmaker, a political insider,” he had said. “Since you mentioned him, we’ve identified several contacts between him and Harvey Ibsen.”

  “Is he involved in all this?”

  Forrest’s expression had given away nothing. “Ongoing investigation,” was all he had said.

  She took that to mean that Theron Wrangler was their new prime suspect.

  She had asked Agent Forrest to allow her to see Carter Bear Den, and he had refused on every occasion. But with the trial approaching she had tried again and even refused to testify if she did not see Carter. Finally, Forrest agreed and arranged a meeting. Now here, she paced the inner chamber of the federal building like a caged lioness as she waited for Carter to appear.

  She knew she would have only a few minutes and wondered how much she should say? The door opened, and she tried to hide her disappointment when Agent Forrest peered inside.<
br />
  “Visitor for you,” he said.

  The next face she saw was the one she longed for. Carter stepped in, and the door closed behind him. She rushed three steps in his direction before regaining her composure. She walked the final few steps and clasped his hands.

  “I’m so glad to see you.”

  “I saw your sisters and mom before I came. They are all well and send their love.” He retrieved his hand, and she felt a tiny sting of sorrow.

  Then he reached in his coat and passed her an envelope. “Photos of everyone and a letter from Kay and one from Ellie.”

  “Dad?” she said.

  “He’s in tribal jail, Amber. Jack says he’s fine. Got a ninety-day sentence from the tribal courts.”

  She didn’t know why that made her so sad. Nothing had changed; perhaps that was it.

  “And you?”

  He rolled his shoulder. “All healed up.”

  She stared at his face, trying to memorized every small detail, already dreading the knock and their separation.

  “That’s good.”

  “I have something else.” He reached again and then presented her a legal-sized envelope which bore the great seal of the Turquoise Canyon Tribe.

  “What’s this?” she asked.

  “They reinstated your membership. You are one of the people again.”

  Amber’s lip and chin trembled, and the burning kept her from speech.

  “I’m so sorry, Amber. I should have known. Should have trusted you.”

  She nodded and accepted the document, pressing it to her heart.

  “They petitioned to have you returned, but the FBI and US Marshals made a strong case that you will be targeted by BEAR. They said you have information linking Harvey Ibsen to an important possible BEAR conspirator.”

  Theron Wrangler, she realized, though she would not utter his name for fear of endangering Carter. Instead she nodded. Carter did not press for answers, just cast her a sad smile.

  “The tribe is not going to fight for your release.”

  She lowered her head. “I understand.”

  “I don’t.” He sounded angry.

  She looked at him from beneath wet spiking lashes. Carter was glancing over his shoulder at the door.

  “They’ll be back any minute.”

  “Thank you for these,” she nodded at the envelopes she clutched. “And for coming to say goodbye.”

  “I’m not here to say goodbye.”

  “What?”

  He squeezed her hand. “I’m not leaving you again.”

  “Of course you are, Carter.”

  He gazed at her, and her heart thrummed in her chest. How many more seconds did they have?

  “I love you, Amber. Please, be my wife.”

  She shook her head and retreated a step. “No. Not like this.”

  He tugged her hand, bringing her back to within inches. “It’s the only way. Amber, be my wife.”

  “You’ll lose them all.”

  “For a time, maybe.”

  “And maybe forever.”

  He kissed her, and in that kiss was the promise of everything she ever wanted in this world. Her heart twisted, and she broke away, sobbing. He hugged her, drawing her up back up against him, his mouth beside her ear.

  “If you are my wife, they can’t separate us. They have to take me with you into witness protection.”

  He turned her easily in his arms and pressed his mouth to hers in a scorching hot kiss that curled her toes. When he finally broke away the tears still flowed down her cheeks and her heart still ached, but something had changed. She had to be with him. She knew it. The cost, it pained her.

  One look and she saw the love in his eyes. He could no more bear to be parted from her than she could stand to be without him. She saw the truth shining there in his eyes.

  “Don’t try to protect me from this, Amber, because the only thing harder than losing my family would be losing you.”

  “Oh, Carter!” She fell against him, clinging. “Are you sure?”

  He stroked her head. “So sure.”

  “What do we do?”

  “I have a marriage license. I have your uncle here. He’ll marry us right now.”

  He lifted the familiar diamond solitaire from his blazer pocket, and she held out her hand. A moment later he slipped the ring onto her finger.

  A knock sounded at the door. Agent Forrest appeared.

  “You all ready?” he asked Carter.

  “Not exactly.” Carter turned and drew Amber up close to his side. “You can be the first to congratulate us.”

  Forrest’s brows dipped, and he scowled at them. “Carter. What did you do?”

  Amber smiled and extended her hand.

  Forrest’s ears drew back as his eyes rounded.

  “My uncle is downstairs in the lobby. We want him to perform the ceremony right now,” said Amber.

  “And bring Jack, too. He’s there with Little Falcon.”

  “No way.”

  “I need a best man. You can be our witness.”

  “You both have to testify,” said Forrest.

  Carter looped an arm around Amber’s shoulder and dragged her beside him as they stared down the FBI field agent.

  Forrest looked to Carter. “You know what you’re doing, son?”

  “For the first time in so long, I do.”

  Forrest exhaled. “Anything else? Flowers? Cake?”

  “Yes,” said Carter. “One thing more.”

  * * *

  AMBER SAT FIDGETING beside Carter as they waited.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I’m afraid.”

  “You? I’ve seen you face armed gunmen and police lineups and all manner of chaos. What could frighten you now?”

  “What if, in time, you regret this? What if you grow to hate me because you had to give up your family to be with me?”

  Carter slipped to his knees before her and gathered up both her hands in his.

  “That will never happen. I love my family, Amber. I will miss them. But I can live without them. I can’t live without you. You are my family now.”

  Tears of joy mingled with the tears of sorrow.

  He brushed them away.

  “Don’t you dare feel sorry for me. This is a happy day, and I am the luckiest man alive.”

  Forrest returned with a brown paper bag, which he held out to Carter.

  “As you requested,” said the FBI agent.

  Behind him appeared Kenshaw Little Falcon, followed by Jack.

  Little Falcon was her mother’s older brother, and they shared a high wide forehead and beetle bright black eyes. He kissed his niece, congratulated Carter and brought them together for the joining ceremony.

  “One thing first,” said Carter, reaching into the bag.

  Jack did not look happy; in fact he looked fiercer than Amber had ever seen him, but when he saw what Carter held his eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. She’d never seen Jack Bear Den look so astonished.

  Carter held a blue box. She stepped closer to get a look at the packaging that had a distinctively medical look about it. The yellow box had DNA Harvesting Kit: Sibling Test written in bold black letters and beneath it: Safe, Accurate, Easy. At the top, in small blue letters, was written: Lab Processing Cost Included. She straightened and looked from one brother to the next.

  Carter opened the box and gave Jack a test tube, then recovered one of his own. Carter’s gaze lifted to his twin.

  “You sure?” asked Jack.

  “Once I’m in witness protection, you can’t see me. So it’s now or never, brother. Get your answers. It’s eating you up. I can see it. I hope this helps you find the truth.” He tur
ned to Agent Forrest. “You know how this works?”

  “Just swab the inside of your cheek. Give the tube back to Jack and he can mail it out for processing.”

  Carter used the swab inside his cheek and returned the sealed tube to his brother.

  Jack held the offering in one hand as if it were a bird’s egg. Then hugged Carter with the other arm.

  Little Falcon gathered them together. He spoke prayers in Tonto Apache and in English; the ceremony was short but rich in meaning.

  Beside Carter as witness stood Jack and Agent Forrest. Amber longed for her sisters, but photos were taken and Little Falcon promised to get them to her family.

  After the service, Carter and Amber signed the marriage license. Then the small gathering shared a toast with diet ginger ale served in paper cups.

  Amber looked at her husband in wonder.

  “I’m so lucky,” she said, her voice cracking.

  Carter kissed her again, there in a secure room in a secure facility, and she knew that she was strong enough to face what came next, because she would no longer be alone. She did not know how long they would be in protective custody. She did not know where or if they would be relocated in witness protection after the trial. But she did know that whatever came next, she and Carter would face it together.

  Carter believed in her and trusted her and loved her with his whole heart.

  * * * * *

  When ecoterrorists threaten their home, it’s up to Apache Protector, Ray Strong, to defend a young mother as they decipher the clues to their identity left by her dead father. She doesn’t trust a man

  with a history for recklessness and he doesn’t trust

  a woman with so many secrets, but until they

  discover the truth, he’s her Eagle Warrior.

  Jenna Kernan’s

  APACHE PROTECTOR: TRIBAL THUNDER

  miniseries continues in February 2017

  with EAGLE WARRIOR.

  Keep reading for an excerpt from BATTLE TESTED by Janie Crouch.

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