by Terri Reed
A fresh wave of fury infused her, heating her blood. “We need to untie these ropes.”
He shifted so he was semisideways. “Put your shoulder against mine so they can’t see what we’re up to.”
She maneuvered into position. Pressing close to him so he could work at the knot in the rope. She kept her gaze on the men, barely daring to take a breath, and sent up a prayer that none of the thugs would notice what they were doing. The seconds ticked by until she felt the rope loosen enough that she could slip a hand out.
“My turn,” she said beneath her breath and began working on the cord binding Chase’s wrists.
The small side door banged open, and one of Kosloff’s men rushed inside. “They’re here,” he announced before racing to the office with his proclamation.
Audrey’s stomach dropped. She plucked at the rope around Chase’s wrists with renewed vigor. They had to get their hands on some weapons.
Four men filed out of the upstairs office. Audrey recognized Luke and two of the thugs. They’d been on the boat with them. But the fourth man she’d only seen in photos. Kosloff. He wore an expensive-looking suit beneath a wool trench coat and sported a furry Ushanka hat, the traditional headwear of Russia.
“Bring me the woman.” Kosloff’s guttural voice carried across the warehouse.
Ack. She wasn’t done with Chase’s rope.
“Leave it,” Chase said. “Save yourself.”
She had every intention of saving them all.
Giving up on Chase’s cord, she pressed her back to the wall to hide the fact that her hands were free. A different thug hurried over, grabbed her by the biceps and forced her to her feet. He had the strap of a semiautomatic slung over his shoulder. The weapon bumped into her as he pushed her toward his boss.
“Kosloff, we have the place surrounded.” Blake’s deep voice sounded through the warehouse walls. “Come out with your hands up.”
Kosloff snickered. “Not likely.” He peered at Audrey. “Too bad you must die. I could use an amazon like you in my stable.”
Audrey’s lip curled in a sneer. Her hands fisted with the need to disabuse him of that thought. But she held herself still. The timing wasn’t right yet for her to make a move.
Noise on the roof sent her pulse careening. Her body tensed. The sound of glass breaking as men swung through the windows was the distraction she needed. She whirled on the goon holding her arm. Using the side of her hand, she chopped into his throat. He doubled over. She slipped the strap off his shoulder and gripped the semiautomatic in her hands. Two thugs stepped in front of Kosloff, blocking her aim.
A team of men dropped into the warehouse with weapons drawn. Kosloff’s men formed a circle with Audrey and Kosloff in the middle. They were at a standoff.
Luke held up his hands. “Whoa! Everyone take a breath. No one wants to die today.”
Nathanial separated from the others. He had Audrey’s Remington aimed at Luke’s chest. “Wellborn!” The hurt in his voice made Audrey wince. “You’re the traitor? Why?”
Luke shrugged. “I needed the money. Tell your men to lower their weapons or we all die.”
“I don’t think so.” Nathanial pushed his way through the men to Audrey’s side. “You’re surrounded. Outmanned and outgunned.”
Luke smirked. “You don’t think I know your moves?” He made a sweeping motion with his hand. “These are only the men you can see. There are many more waiting to mobilize.”
Audrey couldn’t discern if Luke was bluffing.
“Enough of this,” Kosloff said. “Kill them all and be done with it. I want to get home in time for Christmas Eve dinner.”
Tension rippled through Audrey as a barrage of gunfire erupted around her. Kosloff and Luke ran toward the exit, followed by the two protective goons. She fired, hitting one thug in the leg. He went down. The other thug pivoted and turned the barrel of his weapon toward her.
“Audrey, look out!” Nathanial cried. He shoved her hard as the goon pulled the trigger.
Nathanial jerked and fell unconscious at Audrey’s feet.
“No!” Audrey’s scream bounced off the concrete floor. She sank to her knees and cradled him in her arms. His head bled from the bullet. “No, please don’t leave me.”
The roller door opened, and a swarm of additional federal agents stormed in and quickly subdued the few remaining thugs. But all Audrey could concentrate on was the man in her arms. The man she loved with her whole being.
“Please, Lord, let him live.”
* * *
Nathanial awoke to the beeping of monitors and the white stucco ceiling of the Calico Bay hospital. A sense of déjà vu hit him with the force of a nor’easter. Only this time there was no void where his memories should have been. His memories were intact.
Including everything that had happened in the past week.
It all came rushing to the forefront of his mind. Being hit from behind while on overwatch. Being dragged onto a boat and seeing Luke Wellborn’s familiar face. The icy shock of the ocean water when Luke and another goon had dumped him overboard. Then the beautiful woman who’d rescued him on the beach.
Audrey!
He had to know she was safe. He grappled with the bed to find the nurse’s call button. Frantic with worry, he depressed the button repeatedly.
When Kosloff’s thug had put her in his sights, Nathanial had reacted. He’d pushed her aside, taking the hit himself. That he wasn’t dead was a blessing. He didn’t know why God had spared him, but he sent up a grateful prayer of praise.
The door opened. Dr. Martin hurried in. “Are you in pain?”
“No.” He gripped the bed railing. “Audrey? Is she okay?”
Dr. Martin’s expression softened as she took his vitals. “She’s outside with the others. I’ll let them know you’re awake.”
He lay back with relief and became aware of the throbbing in his head. Worse than it was before. “I was shot.”
She made a noise very reminiscent of one her daughter had made when he’d stated the obvious and she wrote on his chart. “The bullet grazed your forehead. You most likely have another concussion. I don’t recommend any more.”
“My memories came back,” he told her.
“That’s good news. It’s been known to happen after a head contusion.” She set the chart aside and pinned him with a sober look. “What are your intentions with my daughter?”
Taken aback by the blunt question, he blurted, “I’m afraid of love. Afraid of the hurt that can come with it.”
“So is she,” Dr. Martin said. “But the greatest blessings lie beyond your greatest fears.”
He absorbed her wise words, thinking that was something his own mother would say. He searched his heart. He loved Audrey, but was he willing to risk it all without knowing how she felt about him? Especially now that his life was no longer in danger and she was no longer obligated to protect him?
The past pain of losing his child and the sting of Laurie’s rejection lay on his heart. Though the wounds were not gone, they were healed. He’d always mourn the loss of the baby, but Laurie had been right not to marry him. He could see that now.
Their love had been young and flawed.
He thought of all the years he’d held on to his grief and pain as a shield from feeling anything like that again. But it took losing his memories and a beautiful deputy sheriff to make him see that the past shouldn’t dictate his future.
A future he wanted to share with Audrey, if she’d have him.
He met Dr. Martin’s gaze and spoke with earnestness. “I love your daughter and want to spend the rest of my life with her.”
The older woman’s eyes lit up. “I’m glad to hear it.” She turned and nearly danced from the room.
A few moments later, Audrey came in, followed by
Blake, Drew and Sami. Nathanial only had eyes for the uniformed deputy who stopped at the foot of the bed. Her gaze caressed him, and he wished they were alone so he could explore that look.
“Hey,” Blake said, drawing his attention. “You scared us a second time.”
Nathanial gave him a lopsided grin. “Well, apparently the second time is a charm, because my memories have returned. All of them.”
“That’s great,” Sami exclaimed.
Drew gave him the thumbs-up sign. “Most excellent.”
“I thought the saying was three times is a charm,” Blake retorted with a grin.
“Please, God, don’t let there be a third time,” Nathanial quipped.
“That’s great, Nathanial,” Audrey said softly.
Blake withdrew a box from inside his coat. “I thought you might want this back.”
Nathanial lifted his eyebrows. Blake opened the lid to reveal a lethal-looking steel knife. “My Becker Necker. Thanks, dude.”
Blake set it on the eating tray by the bed. “Your government wants you back ASAP. And the director wants to debrief us all as well. It doesn’t look good for one of our own to be an accomplice with Kosloff.”
“Right. How’s Chase?” Nathanial asked. His mind still reeled with the knowledge that Luke had betrayed them. For money. The root of all evil, or so they said.
“He’s fine. Livid, as we all are,” Drew said.
A moment of silence pervaded the room.
“We should let Audrey and Nathanial have a moment alone,” Sami said, her keen gaze bouncing between them.
“That’s subtle.” Her husband laughed. “We’ll check with Dr. Martin to see when she’ll release you.”
They filed out of the room. Audrey remained at the end of the bed. An awkward tension filled the space between them. He held out his hand.
She rounded the bed and twined her fingers through his. “I was so afraid I’d lost you.”
Though he didn’t like that she’d been scared, he couldn’t keep a dopey grin from forming. “Lose me? Never.”
“You remembered why you never allowed yourself to fall in love,” she said. “Is that still the case?”
“No. The past is over.”
Her big blue eyes were so full of love that he felt his own eyes welling up. Whoa. He wasn’t a crier. “I love you, Audrey.” He rushed the words out before he was too choked up to speak.
“When you said that before, I thought it was only because you thought you were going to die,” she stated in a soft, uncertain tone.
“I said it because it’s true.”
“I know.” She brought his hand to her mouth and kissed his knuckles. “I love you, too,” she murmured against his skin.
His heart skipped a beat. “Come again?”
She lowered his hand, squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. His warrior bracing for battle. “For too long I’ve let fear keep me from accepting that anyone could love me for me.”
He held up his other hand. “I do.”
She gave a small laugh. “I know.”
“A wise woman recently told me that our greatest blessings lie beyond our greatest fears.” He squeezed her hand. “I want to be your greatest blessing.”
She beamed at him. “I love you.”
His heart soared with joy. But then crashed to the ground. “I have to go back to Canada.”
“Not until after Christmas,” she stated. “Mom won’t sign off on letting you travel until next week.”
“I like the sound of that, but...” He didn’t want to think about leaving her.
“But we’ll tackle the future after Christmas. I’m in,” she said. “Whatever may come, wherever we end up, as long as we’re together, I’m good.”
Tears slipped down his cheeks. “Give me a kiss before I start blubbering like a baby.”
She leaned in to place her lips against his in a kiss that made the world fade away.
EPILOGUE
One year later
The Christmas tree twinkled in the window of the cottage by the sea. Audrey stepped back after putting on the last decoration. “It’s perfect.”
“Not quite,” her husband said as he slipped an arm around her waist and held out a box wrapped in red paper and gold ribbon.
“Nathanial, Christmas isn’t for a few more weeks,” she exclaimed but snatched the pretty box from his hands anyway.
He laughed and kissed the side of her neck. “I don’t want to wait.”
His impatience was one of his most endearing and annoying qualities. With a grin, she sank down on the plush rug covering the hardwood floor. He sat beside her. His eagerness for her to open the gift was so cute she sighed with contentment. She had everything in life she could want. A wonderful husband, a home and a community to protect.
After their summer wedding, her mother had gifted them with the cottage, saying a young couple needed space to grow. The obvious hint at providing grandchildren wasn’t lost on Audrey. Mom had moved into Audrey’s studio in town and was dating the bank manager.
Nathanial had convinced the powers that be of the need for an IBETs presence Down East. Being married to a US citizen allowed him to live in Calico Bay. And when he had to leave on a mission, Bangor airport was only a few hours away.
She slipped the knot out of the ribbon and laid the gold material to the side.
Nathanial groaned. “You’re torturing me on purpose.”
She giggled then ripped through the paper to reveal a white box. Jewelry? She glanced at the marquise-cut diamond on her finger. That was all the decoration she needed. She opened the box. Nestled against cotton batting was a beautiful, shiny ornament in the shape of a star.
With a gasp, she lifted it up to catch the light and turned stunned eyes to the man she loved. “It’s lovely.”
He grinned, his dark eyes shining bright. “You don’t remember, do you?”
Searching her brain and coming up empty, she said, “Can I claim amnesia?”
“Hey!” He laughed and shook his head. “What were the first words I said to you?”
She was mentally transported to that day on the beach when she’d found him lying on the sand. “‘Betrayed.’”
“No, not that. The other thing.”
She looked at him blankly.
“When I woke up in the hospital,” he prompted.
The heat of a blush swept up her cheeks. “You said I looked like a Christmas ornament. Shiny. Pretty.” Now the gift made sense. She hugged it to her chest.
He leaned in to kiss her. “Merry Christmas, my shiny, pretty wife.”
* * * * *
If you enjoyed IDENTITY UNKNOWN,
look for the other books in the
NORTHERN BORDER PATROL series:
DANGER AT THE BORDER
JOINT INVESTIGATION
MURDER UNDER THE MISTLETOE
RANSOM
Keep reading for an excerpt from HIGH-RISK REUNION by Margaret Daley
Get rewarded every time you buy a Harlequin ebook!
Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003
Dear Reader,
Thank you for joining me in the last installment of the Northern Border Patrol series. It was time to give Canadian officer Nathanial Longhorn his own book, and pairing him strong and independent Deputy Sheriff Audrey Martin seemed like the perfect match.
Giving Nathanial amnesia was such fun. It was a delight to have him learning about himself as he fell in love with Audrey. They both had painful issues from their past to overcome in order to have their happy ending. Audrey’s mother shared a piece of wisdom with Nathanial—our greatest blessings lie beyond our greatest fears
. Do you believe that?
I do. Sometimes in life we have to move past our fear in order to find the blessing. I pray you will find your blessing this holiday season.
Keep watch for a new K-9 continuity series in 2017. Check out my webpage at terrireed.com and sign up for my newsletter for updates on my new releases.
Merry Christmas and happy New Year!
Blessings,
Get rewarded every time you buy a Harlequin ebook!
Do you want to earn Free Books and More?
Join Harlequin My Rewards points program and earn points every time you shop.
You can redeem your points to get more of what you love:
Free books
Exclusive gifts and contests
Book recommendations tailored to your reading preferences
Earn 2000 points instantly when you join—getting you closer to redeeming your first free book.
Don’t miss out. Reward the book lover in you!
Click here to sign up
Or visit us online to sign up at
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010001
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.
You enjoy a dash of danger. Love Inspired Suspense stories feature strong heroes and heroines whose faith is central in solving mysteries and saving lives.
Enjoy six new stories from Love Inspired Suspense every month!
Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com
High-Risk Reunion
by Margaret Daley
ONE
District Attorney Tory Carson closed her eyes and drew in a deep, composing breath, but as she released it slowly, an image of the dark-haired, tattooed man intruded into her mind. After a long day at court in El Rio, Texas, a town not far from San Antonio, she’d pulled into her garage and sat behind the steering wheel for a few moments, trying to decompress after an intense afternoon selecting members for a jury in the Diego Mederos trial.
