by Pamela Fryer
A flash of green hospital scrubs appeared in the helicopter’s open belly. Lily. Miles pumped his arms as he sprinted across the roof.
Still a good hundred feet away, he could only watch in terror as the pregnant woman raised a revolver with both hands and started shooting.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The flash from the muzzle sparked against the gray sky. The report echoed like thunder.
“Stop! You’ll hit Lily!” The cottony thump of the helicopter’s blades drowned him out. The pregnant woman was totally unaware of him.
The first shot went wild and made her stagger backward. She braced her feet wide to steady herself as she fired three more times. Miles saw a spark ping off the copter’s tail rotor. A piece of metal flew off and disappeared into the dark forest below.
“You killed my daughter!” the woman shouted. “You bastard! You killed my daughter!”
Miles snatched the gun out of her hand. She let out a scream of surprise and stumbled away from him.
The damage was done. The helicopter’s tail rotor was breaking apart. The craft pitched downward and sideways as the pilot fought the controls.
Inside, Lily and Colton wrestled dangerously close to the open door. Like a waking nightmare, he saw Lily jerk away from Colton. Saw his hand snatch at hers and miss.
Lily tumbled backward out of the helicopter. Her slow-motion fall seemed to last a lifetime before she was swallowed by the trees.
Miles felt reality slipping away. “Jesus, no.” It couldn’t be real. He fought to change the memory as it repeated in his mind’s eye. The sights and sounds skipped like a record with a scratch. “Lily. Jesus.”
“Oh my God. Oh my God.” The pregnant woman collapsed to her knees, sobbing the words over and over.
An FBI agent appeared at Miles’ side. They watched in silence as the helicopter pitched and careened. Smoke burst from a spot near the main rotor. The chopper made its final nosedive and crashed into the trees with a hideous shriek of metal. In the next instant a fireball erupted, rolling into the sky to unfurl in an angry ball of orange, red and black.
Miles started for the curved rungs of an access ladder. The FBI agent placed a hand on his arm. The touch shocked him back into the here and now.
The agent shook his head. “She’s gone.”
Miles jerked out of his grip. “Back off.”
He found himself on the ground. The world around him flashed past, blurred and in shades of gray. In the next instant, he was climbing the chainlink fence. Too late, he remembered the electric current. Lucky for him it had been turned off.
He saw the forest around him like an out-of-focus backdrop, but his eyes were filled with Lily, alive and smiling. Her soft brown eyes. That gentle smile that had reached into his heart the very first time he saw it. The slow sweep of her eyelashes as she closed her eyes when she kissed him.
Suddenly, time caught up with him, and Miles felt the cold like a blast from a freezer. Patches of melting snow dotted the shadowy forest floor. A desolate wind blew sideways, sliding through his clothes to chill the sweat rolling down his back.
Ahead, in a matchstick grove of bare pine, a figure in green cotton scrubs lay sprawled in a circle of snow.
His step faltered. A part of him had hoped and prayed, but the sight of her lying motionless brought reality crashing over him. He dragged his feet through the final steps and dropped to his knees beside her.
“Lily, God, no.” He scooped her limp body into his arms and cradled her against him. “I’m so sorry. God, why didn’t I take the chance when I had it? How could I have left you? I’m a fool, and I’ve lost you.”
He rocked her gently as the tears in his eyes grew cold before they fell. “I love you, Lily. I’m sorry I pushed you away. Sweetheart, I love you.”
“Miles. You’re alive.”
He froze, certain he’d imagined her sweet voice.
“I love you too.”
He looked down. Her eyes were open. She smiled. “But I already told you that.”
“My God.” He leaned back and shouted over his shoulder. “I need help here! Somebody get a stretcher!”
Her warm hand touched his cheek. “I’m all right.”
He stared down, unable to believe this was real. He didn’t deserve this second chance.
“It was Annie, it had to have been. She saved me. She stopped me before I hit the ground. I just had the wind knocked out of me.”
Miles sobbed with relief as he pulled her back into his arms. She circled his neck and held on tightly. It was the greatest feeling he’d ever known.
“I’m so sorry I left you. I was a fool and a coward. Can you ever forgive me?”
Lily cupped his cheek and urged his lips to hers. “Nothing to forgive.” She peppered him with kisses, and Miles laughed through his tears. Lily brushed one away with her thumb. He caught her hand in his and kissed her palm.
Two of the FBI’s trucks angled through the trees. One stopped to allow two agents out. Miles recognized Bower from the security control room.
He stood and helped Lily to her feet. He squeezed her against him, unwilling to let go, but certain the man was here to arrest him.
“I guess miracles really do happen. The way my agent tells it, you fell out of the sky.”
Lily slipped her arm around his waist. “He must have been exaggerating.” Her voice rang with the sweet kindness that was so Lily. Miles tucked her closer and breathed in the light scent of her hair. It might be his last chance to do it.
The FBI leader wiped his smile away and eyed Miles. “I’m a married man myself and I’d move heaven and earth to protect my wife, so I’m going to pretend none of that ever happened. But so help me, if you ever interfere in an FBI operation again, I’ll throw you so far behind bars you never see sunlight again.” His brows twitched upward. “Do we understand each other?”
“One hundred percent.”
The agent’s radio squawked. He lingered over a threatening glare before turning away to answer it.
“What was that about?” Lily asked Miles.
He could only grin. “Feds and police are always butting heads.”
“Any survivors?” the agent said. He turned back to them and his expression was grim.
The answer crackled through the radio. “That’s a negative.”
“I need to see for myself,” Lily whispered.
Miles kept her under his arm as they followed Brower into the trees. They arrived at the crash scene to see one of the agents drape a blanket over Colton Reilly’s lifeless body.
The tension left Lily’s shoulders and she sighed. The trauma of the week’s events showed in her eyes, but as she looked up at him her smile was full of love and joy.
“Let’s go get Annie.”
Lily was grateful for the private escort the FBI leader had assigned, but she wished the agent would walk a little faster. She felt as though she was gliding on air as they entered the building and headed for the main lab. The obstacles were finally out of their way and she would have Annie—her daughter—back for good.
She squeezed Miles’ hand. She still wasn’t over the shock of believing him dead. His words too were unbelievable. I love you. I wish I hadn’t thrown away my chance with you.
She was afraid to ask him if she’d heard right.
She couldn’t have anyway; the sight before them as they entered the building rendered her speechless. Frightened children with haunted eyes were being helped out of isolation chambers by agents and plain-clothed women she assumed to be their mothers. Many of the scientists had already passed them on their way out of the compound in handcuffs. The building swarmed with ferocious-looking agents in black assault gear and stoic-faced officials in blue parkas with FBI emblazoned in yellow letters. It was a commanding sight, even for an adult. The children were wet and trembling, and most of them crying.
“Over here,” Lily told their escort. She tugged on Miles’ hand. Two agents stood beside Dr. Shapiro, seated in the chair
at his lab station with his hands behind his back. Lily hoped it was because he was handcuffed.
“I need him to open this chamber,” she told a severely professional-looking woman with blond hair. The woman checked her clipboard.
“Are you Lily Brent?”
“Yes. This child is my daughter. Please, get this chamber open.”
Lily looked at Miles. There was so much to tell him. But Miles was nodding, not appearing confused at all.
“I was in the command center with the agents. We heard everything.” The hand gripping hers tightened. “We’ll get through this, together.”
Lily’s appreciation for this wonderful man multiplied a thousand times.
Dr. Shapiro told her how to unlock the mechanism. Lily’s heart raced as she released the lock and Miles pulled open the heavy door. She stepped inside and knelt in the twelve inches of water beside Annie.
Lily carefully removed the electrodes from Annie’s temples and the intravenous line from her arm, and lifted her out. She set her on the floor outside and smoothed strands of hair away from her face.
“Annie, wake up, cupcake.”
The blond agent knelt beside her. “I’m a medical doctor. Let me see her.”
“He was drugging her, that bastard.”
“No, Annie wasn’t drugged.”
They all looked at Dr. Shapiro.
“I meant what I said, Ms. Brent. Your sister was a good friend. I was hiding Annie’s results from Colton. He told me to administer Ketamine but I never did. The IV was a simple saline and protein solution. I knew Annie was different and had to be protected.”
“What’s wrong with her? Why won’t she wake up?”
“She’s exhausted.” He tipped his head toward the printouts on his table. “There were two mid-range spikes about thirty minutes ago and one severe spike of brainwave activity fifteen minutes ago that drained her energy.”
Lily glanced at Miles. She didn’t need to hear Dr. Shapiro tell it to know Annie had saved her life.
She planted a kiss on the child’s pale forehead. “Annie, come on, sweetheart. I’m anxious to talk to you.”
Annie’s eyes fluttered and she squeaked. “Mmm…Mommy.”
The reality of what had happened barreled over her. Lily hugged her little girl. She choked out a single sob, unable to form words.
“Mommy.”
Miles knelt beside Lily and circled her with his arm.
Lily sucked in a breath. “I’m your mommy, Annie.” She eased her daughter away until she could look into that angelic face. “I’m your mommy.”
Annie blinked. Her eyes focused on Lily and she smiled. “I know.”
Lily squeezed her close again. “I’m never going to let anyone take you away ever again,” she said between tears. She pressed soft kisses all over Annie’s face. “I love you, sweetheart.”
Miles rubbed her back. Lily heard the female agent call her partner away. “Let’s get him out of here.”
Lily assumed she was referring to Dr. Shapiro. She didn’t care. She had her child in her arms and Miles at her side.
“I want my red pants,” Annie said, and Lily’s tears turned to laughter. Annie sat up and Lily reluctantly let her go. If she had her way, she’d hug her forever.
“Cassandra was as much your mommy as I am. We both had a part in bringing you into this world. She’ll always be a part of us both.”
“I know,” Annie said again. She stood up and peeked around at Miles. “Mr. Miles, I knew you’d come for me.”
“I told you I would.”
Annie threw her arms around his neck. He gathered her close and squeezed his eyes shut as he hugged her. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
“But sweetheart, you’re going to have to have to stop calling me that.”
Annie looked at him with the same mixture of uncertainty and hope in her face that Lily felt inside.
“I’m going to be your new daddy.” He looked at Lily. “If your mommy will have me.”
Lily felt as if her heart would burst. She blinked past new tears of joy. “Of course I will.”
Epilogue
Six months later.
She’d been scared when the plane took off, but Annie knew nothing bad would happen. She was happier than she’d ever been before. She had a mommy, a daddy and even a new grandpa. And in a few months, she’d have her own little brother.
Mommy and Daddy were holding hands and staring at each other again. That she didn’t understand, but her mommy told her she would someday. Annie thought they were just weird.
“Can I go talk to the girl?”
Lily looked over at the little girl leaning against her mother in the center row. Annie knew the reason she had no hair was she was getting doctor treatment that made it fall out.
“For a minute.”
“Here you go.” Miles lifted her across them and set her down in the aisle.
Annie took Tigger with her and slipped into the empty seat.
“Put on your seatbelt,” Lily said.
Annie clasped her seatbelt and smiled at the girl. “Hi. My name is Annie.”
She smiled back, but Annie could tell she didn’t feel well.
“We’re on our honeymoon. We’re going to Florida and we’re going to live there.”
“I’m Becky. We live in Tampa,” the girl said. Her voice was soft. “They have manatees there.”
“What’s a manatee?”
“It’s a cow that swims and eats grass that grows under water.” She touched Annie’s hair. “I like your hair.”
Annie produced the doll. “This is Tigger. You can keep him. He’ll help your hair grow back—but not this color.”
Becky giggled. “I think I would like this color. I was sick, but I went to a special doctor and I’m going to get better.”
Annie grasped Becky’s hand. “I know you will.”
About the Author
Pamela Fryer has a vivid imagination. As a teenager, she thought she’d write a book, have Stephen King-like fame and buy a big house for her family in Woodside Hills—where today you can’t find a fixer-upper for under a million dollars. Reality sank in fast, but that didn’t stop Pamela from writing the stories spinning through her imagination. Persistence paid off, and after four nominations for the Golden Heart™ award given by the Romance Writers of America, Pamela won with The Midnight Effect for Best Contemporary Series in Suspense/Adventure.
When asked why she writes romance, the answer is simple. There’s too much violence, anger and hatred in this world, and this is her way of bringing back a tiny bit of joy. Her favorite stories to write are the ones about the common character like Lily Brent—the underdog, the persecuted, the small against the large, who somehow manages to rise above undefeatable odds to get their happy ending.
To learn more about Pamela Fryer, please visit www.pamelafryer.com. She loves hearing from readers. Send an email to Pamela at [email protected].
Between the pages…between the sheets…something’s smokin’!
By the Book
© 2008 N.J. Walters
Amanda Barrington hopes Jamesville is the right place for her rare-book business—and her new life. The moving truck barely pulls away before both are off to a rousing start. It’s not her new customer that’s caught her attention, though. It’s the customer’s brother, Jonah Sutter.
From the moment cynical, ex-military Jonah sets eyes on Amanda, he burns for her like a house afire—which is what she’s going to have if she doesn’t get her house’s electrical system overhauled. He knows he’s not a forever kind of guy, but he’s more than willing to be her fix-it man. In more ways than one.
When unexpected danger threatens, Jonah finds himself dealing with more than just the desire to get Amanda into bed.
Protecting her means moving in, which exposes them both to a new danger—losing their hearts.
Warning: this title contains explicit language and sex hot enough to blow your fuses.
Enjoy th
e following excerpt for By the Book:
Jonah couldn’t stop staring at Amanda. Her hair was once again caught at her nape in a ponytail. She wasn’t wearing any makeup and there was a smudge of dirt on her nose and another on her cheek. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched daintily on her nose, giving her a studious appearance. She hadn’t been wearing them the first time he’d met her so he assumed she must wear contact lenses at least part of the time. She looked good enough to eat and he hadn’t had any breakfast yet. He’d left home the second he’d gotten Shamus’s phone call.
“Can I come in?” His voice was rough with arousal, but he was hoping she wouldn’t notice. Thankfully, he’d left his shirt untucked and the tails covered most of the front of his jeans, hiding the hard ridge there. His fingers tightened around the handle of his toolbox.
She was wearing a pair of faded jeans that fit her like a glove. The material lovingly caressed her curvy thighs and waist. Her green V-neck T-shirt was modest enough, but it hinted at the firm, rounded breasts beneath it.
Amanda frowned at him and glanced back toward the road. Her eyes widened when she saw the truck he’d driven over here. “Sutter’s Electrical?”
“Family business.” He stepped forward and she fell back a pace. He kept going until he was firmly inside. “Shamus called me.” Jonah used his booted foot to shove the door closed.
“Oh.” He could sense she was still suspicious of him. “That was fast.”
He barely suppressed a smile. She had no idea just how fast he could be given the right motivation. He estimated it would take him about fifteen seconds, maybe less, to strip her clothing off her and burying his face between her curvy thighs. “I was just on my way out the door when he called.”
“Oh.”
“You already said that.”
She scowled at him and waved her hand toward the kitchen. “The electrical panel is downstairs. I have no idea what the problem is, but two of the outlets in the front room don’t work.”
When he didn’t move, she turned on her heel and headed toward the kitchen. Jonah took the opportunity to admire her firm, tight ass. No doubt about it, he’d love to have her on her hands and knees in front of him as he fucked her from behind.
