Mistaken Identity

by Shirlee McCoy

  A light appeared in one of the church windows, there and gone so quickly they would have missed it if they hadn’t been watching.

  “Henry...” Trinity murmured, taking a step toward the building.

  “Don’t jump the gun, Trinity,” Mason said, taking her good arm and holding her back. The other arm was in his improvised sling, but he knew it was swelling and that the pain was excruciating.

  “He’s in there. I know he is.”

  “And the people he’s with are probably armed and dangerous,” he noted.

  “And they’re going to panic when that woman—”

  “Doris Samson,” the chief confirmed. “She’s wife to General William Samson. He’s—”

  “Facing court-martial proceedings.” Mason cut into the chief’s explanation.

  “Right. The guy she was with was in one of Samson’s barracks. They worked together for a number of years and Mack was probably very aware of what Samson was doing.”

  “They all wanted the money,” Trinity said. “That was the motivation. If Henry dies because—”

  “He’s not going to die,” Mason responded, letting his hand slide from her arm to her nape. Her skin felt clammy and cool.

  “I hope you’re right, Mason,” she responded, still watching the church as if Henry would somehow appear in front of it.

  The light flashed again. This time in another window.

  “A signal maybe?” Chance suggested.

  “Probably looking for the boss to return,” the chief responded. “I have two men on the ground near the back of the property. I’m sending them in.”

  “I thought you wanted to wait until the K-9 teams arrived.”

  “I planned to, but if the guy inside is getting antsy, the kid might be in imminent danger.”

  “Do you really think—” Mason began. He didn’t have time to finish. Glass broke and someone screamed, the sound filled with terror and panic.

  “Henry!” Trinity yelled, and, as if her words had conjured him, the front door opened and a boy ran out. Long and lanky, limping a little as he sprinted away from the church, a taller, heavier person behind him. Not a police officer. The guy looked like a thug, the streetlights glinting off a gun pointed straight at the kid’s head.

  “No!” Trinity shouted, and it was enough to stop both for a split second. The man glanced in their direction, the gun swinging toward them.

  “Police! Drop it!” the police chief yelled.

  A shot rang out and the man fell, the gun tumbling from his hand.

  “Trinity!” Henry pivoted and headed in their direction, running with that swift, limping gait.

  “Trinity!” he called again, and she darted forward just as the guy on the ground rolled over, snatched up his gun again.

  Mason leaped forward, knocking Trinity to the ground, her scream choked off as she landed on her broken arm.

  And then there was just Henry, running toward him, the gunman aiming for his back.

  Mason was up and moving, Chance in his periphery, gun drawn, stance wide.

  Chance fired as Mason dove for the kid, dragged him to the ground, a bullet slamming into the pavement near his head, bits of cement and dirt flying into his face as another shot rang out and another.

  Then there was silence, complete except for the frantic breathing of the kid he was shielding.

  He looked around. Saw the gunman spread-eagled on the ground, an officer frisking him. Chance near his sister, feeling for a pulse and shouting into his phone.

  Mason stood, dragging Henry with him.

  “Trinity!” the kid said, breaking away and running to her side.

  Mason followed, crouching next to her, searching for signs that she’d been shot. There was no blood. No bullet wounds. Just a bruise on her cheek and the arm he didn’t dare touch.

  “You called for an ambulance?” he asked, and Chance nodded grimly.

  “It’s on the way.”

  “And I’m not going in it,” Trinity muttered without opening her eyes. “Not until we have Henry.”

  “You do have me,” Henry said, touching her cheek.

  She opened her eyes, smiling as she looked into Henry’s face. Her gaze shifted from the boy to Chance and then to Mason.

  Something changed when she looked at him. The smile softened, her tension eased, and she held out her good hand.

  “I thought you said you weren’t a superhero,” she said as he took it.

  “Did I?”

  “Yes. Remember? My bat cave comment? You said you’d have one if you were a superhero.”

  “I’m not.”

  “No? I’m pretty sure you were flying when you tackled me from behind,” she said.

  He smiled, pressing a kiss to her knuckles and then to her cheek.

  “Maybe for you, I managed to achieve the impossible,” he said, and she smiled.

  “Gross,” Henry said.

  Chance laughed. “You won’t think so when you’re our age, kid.”

  “You especially won’t think it when you meet the right woman,” Mason added.

  “Is that what I am?” Trinity asked.

  “If you want to be,” he responded.

  She sighed. “Mason, I walked into your life and brought nothing but chaos with me.”

  “I’ve decided I like chaos.”

  “Do you also like dragging me from a lake, saving me from drowning, rescuing me from kidnappers, and—”

  “Yes.” He cut her off as an ambulance crew arrived and lifted her onto a gurney.

  “Are you sure?” she asked. “Because I’m not sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

  “I know exactly what I’m getting into,” he responded.

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Now, how about you stop talking and let the ambulance transport you? Henry and I are coming along, too,” he said, touching the boy’s shoulder.

  “I’d rather go home,” Henry said. “I need to see my mom. I need to tell her that I’m okay.”

  “Your mom will meet you at the hospital, son,” Chance said.

  “And the ride in the ambulance will give us a chance to get to know each other,” Mason added.

  “Why would we want to do that?” Henry asked, crossing his scrawny arms over his chest.

  “Because after your surgery and your recovery, you and I are going to meet and I’m going to make you a prosthetic leg that you’ll be wearing at the Paralympics one day.”

  “You’re Mason Gains?” Henry asked, his eyes widening.

  “I am.”

  “My mom was telling me about you. Wait until she hears that this!”

  “She’ll hear it sooner if you get in the ambulance,” Trinity said.

  Henry nodded, allowing himself to be lead away by an EMT.

  The rest of the ambulance crew followed, carrying the gurney, Trinity lying pale and silent as they moved her.

  Mason ignored the attendant’s comment that there wasn’t room, climbing aboard the ambulance, taking a seat beside Henry and smiling as the kid chatted with Trinity. They could have been mother and son, and he could finally see the bond that had sent her to a stranger’s doorstep.

  He’d be forever grateful for that.

  Trinity glanced his way, grabbed his hand and pulled him down so she could speak without shouting.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “Once I saw him, I couldn’t say no.”

  “You could have. We both know it.”

  “Maybe I should have said that once I saw you, I couldn’t say no,” he replied, kissing her temple, his lips linger for a moment longer than necessary.

  “Like I said...” Henry muttered. “Gross.”

  Trinity laughed then groaned, closing her eyes as the ambulance bounced
over ruts in the road.

  “You okay?”

  “I will be,” she murmured, her eyes still closed, her hand still in his. She didn’t release her hold. Not as they reached the hospital. Not she was unloaded. Not even when they wheeled her into the building, Henry in a wheelchair beside her.

  They reached the emergency ward and a nurse touched her shoulder. “Ma’am, this is where you and your husband are going to have to say goodbye.”

  Mason could have corrected her. Trinity could have, too.

  Neither did.

  Instead, Trinity squeezed his hand and released it. “See you when I’m on the mend?”

  “If I have my way,” he replied, “you’ll be seeing me every day for the rest of your life.”

  She smiled. “I’m counting on it.”

  She turned her attention to Henry, gave him an encouraging nod. “Ready, kiddo? Let’s get this done.”

  And then she offered Mason a quick wave, closed her eyes and was wheeled away.

  FOURTEEN

  Winter came quickly in Maine.

  That’s what Trinity was thinking as she turned her Jeep onto the access road that led to Mason’s property. The fall colors had faded to browns and grays, the ground was sprinkled with a light powdering of snow, and everywhere she looked, winter seemed to be. Even the lake was still and calm, the surface icy near the shore.

  “Wow!” Henry said from his seat in the back.

  She glanced in the rearview mirror, smiling as she saw the excitement on his pale face. He’d weathered the surgery, was recovering well from the amputation, and he was ready for the first step in the process of creating a prosthetic leg.

  “Are you sure Mason really wants to do this?” Bryn whispered. “I’d hate to have gotten Henry’s—”

  “I can hear you, Mom.”

  “It’s not a secret, sweetie. You’ve been through a lot, and I don’t want you to suffer more.”

  “Suffering is sitting in the house being bored out of my mind. This—” he waved out the window “—is an adventure of the first order. Even if Mason sends me away, it will be worth it.”

  “He won’t,” Trinity assured them both, releasing her grip on the steering wheel and shaking out her left hand. She still had problems with the arm, the surgery to reset the bones causing minor nerve damage. Or, maybe, the break had done that.

  It didn’t matter.

  The results were the same.

  Her speedy typing days were at an end, but she’d still managed to track the person who’d hacked into Mason’s computer system. Spending three days in the hospital with nothing to do but stare at the walls and wait for Mason to visit had given her plenty of time to go back through the trails she’d been following.

  This time, she hadn’t been booted back because the hacker had already been tossed in jail. Mack Danner had as much computer expertise as Trinity. It was a shame he’d used it for criminal activity.

  Of course, Doris Samson had tried to throw him under the bus, claiming the scheme to get rid of the sole witness to her husband’s crime had been Mack’s idea. Trinity thought Doris was a lot more deeply involved, but that wasn’t for her to decide. The authorities had things under control, and she was leaving the investigating to them.

  After Mack’s arrest, Tate had agreed to reenter witness protection. With the trial looming, the military police and federal government had put extra man power into keeping him safe. So far, the effort seemed to be paying off.

  That was great news for him.

  The news for Sally Roache hadn’t been nearly as wonderful. She’d been arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit murder. She’d agreed to a plea deal in exchange for testifying against Mack. According to her, Mack had approached John and offered him an opportunity to ruin Mason’s life the way that his had been ruined. Allowing confidential client information to be leaked was a sure-fire way to destroy the business Mason had worked so hard to build.

  At least, that’s what Mack had claimed when he’d offered John twenty-thousand dollars to gain access to Mason’s secure server and find out where Tate Whitman was hiding.

  An easy job.

  That’s what Mack had said.

  John had taken the first half of the payment, deposited it in their account, and then had second thoughts. He’d wanted to back out of the deal, and she thought he would have if he hadn’t died.

  His death seemed convenient, and the DA was pouring over John’s autopsy report, hoping to find evidence that it had really been a murder.

  Once John had died, Sally had believed her dealings with Mack were over. But, he called her the day after John’s death and threatened to kill her if she didn’t find a way to get Mason away from his Maine home.

  She’d complied.

  Not for money, but out of fear.

  That was the story she told to everyone who would listen.

  A jury would decide whether or not she was telling the truth.

  Trinity would testify at Mack’s trial, but she wouldn’t spend her time thinking about it or worrying about it. God was in control and His plans for her life were so much better than hers could ever be.

  She smiled as she pulled up in front of Mason’s house.

  This was better than anything she ever could have dreamed or planned or even asked for. Mason was the kind of guy who kept his promises, who built her up, who listened and cared and made her feel like the only person who really mattered to him.

  As a bonus, her parents loved him.

  Her brothers liked him.

  Every team member who’d showed up on Mason’s doorstep claiming to have questions about the pending criminal case against Doris came back to Maryland with good reports.

  And, Trinity?

  She was in love.

  She could admit that to herself even if she hadn’t said it to anyone else. Mason was everything she hadn’t known she needed, everything she’d had no idea was missing from her life.

  The front door opened as she got out of the car, and he was there, wearing old flannel and faded jeans and a smile that made her heart sing.

  She ran toward him, throwing herself into arms she knew would always be there.

  “Finally,” he murmured against her hair. “I thought you’d never get here.”

  “It’s a long drive.”

  “And it’s been forever since I’ve seen you.” He kissed her once. Twice. The third time, he lingered, pulling her close, stealing her breath.

  “Gross,” Henry said, moving toward them on crutches, his face wreathed in a happy smile.

  “You look good, kid,” Mason said. “How’s the leg?”

  “I don’t know. We’re not on speaking terms,” he said, and Mason laughed.

  “Hold on to that sense of humor. It’ll be a great asset in the future.” He turned his attention to Bryn, his hands still on Trinity’s waist, his hold light and steady and just exactly right. “How are you doing, Bryn?”

  “Fantastic. I thought this day would never come and, now that it’s here, I’m feeling pretty proud of myself for keeping my mouth closed,” she responded, smiling at Mason and then at Trinity. “It’s finally your turn, hun. And, it’s about time,” she said quietly.

  “My time for what?”

  The front door opened again, and her parents walked out, arm in arm, just like they always were. Jackson was behind them, his daughter in his arms, his family crowded close. Chance shoved through the crowd, walking out onto the stoop with Stella on one arm and Gertrude on the other.

  And, Trinity knew.

  Before Mason said a word, before the entire group moved toward her, surrounded her, pulled out cameras and phones and packets of tissue.

  She knew, and she looked into Mason’s eyes, into his familiar and wonderful face, and she saw everything she hadn’t known she should want, everything
she hadn’t dared ask God to give her. And she wanted to hold on to it forever, to cherish it the way it should be, because what she had with Mason was the best and finest gift she had ever been given.

  “I love you, and I will,” she proclaimed before he asked her to marry him, all the feelings gushing out in those two phrases.

  He laughed, pulling a box from his coat pocket, kissing her before he opened it.

  “I love you, too,” he murmured against her lips. “Forever and a day. Probably longer.”

  “Forever is always longer,” she replied, her hands on his shoulders, the soft old flannel and the warmth of his skin beneath making her long to pull him closer.

  “Nothing will ever be long enough. Not when it comes to spending my life with you. Will you marry me?”

  “Like I said—I love you. And I will. Forever and a day. Probably longer.”

  Her family cheered, Bryn cried and Henry stood a few steps away, looking straight into her eyes and mouthing, “Maybe it isn’t so gross, after all.”

  She laughed, offering her hand as Mason took the ring from the box and slid the beautiful, ruby solitaire on her finger.

  “You didn’t seem like a diamond kind of woman,” he said, and she smiled, throwing her arms around him, pulling him close.

  “How do you do that, Mason?” she asked.

  “Read you so well?”

  “Make me so happy,” she responded, and the whole world faded as he cupped her face, looked into her eyes and kissed her again.

  * * * * *

  Don’t miss these other MISSION: RESCUE stories from Shirlee McCoy:

  PROTECTIVE INSTINCTS

  HER CHRISTMAS GUARDIAN

  EXIT STRATEGY

  DEADLY CHRISTMAS SECRETS

  MYSTERY CHILD

  THE CHRISTMAS TARGET

  SECRETS AND LIES

  Available now from Love Inspired Suspense!

  Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com

  Keep reading for an excerpt from SAVED BY THE LAWMAN by Margaret Daley, book one of HER BABY’S PROTECTOR by Margaret Daley & Shirlee McCoy.

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