by Chris Niles
“What happened?” Her voice sounded like a frog ate a bucket of gravel.
“You’re pretty beat up, cher. Your leg is broken and it looks like a couple bruised ribs. Doc says you need to stay in bed for a while and let your body do the work.”
“When—what day is it?”
“It’s Thursday morning. You haven’t missed much. Well, except seeing Eddie’s face when Shelby climbed out of the plane. That was something.”
Kate fought to remember the previous day. Glimpses of jungle and razor-topped fencing and Gloria Rojas’s stiletto heels on a terra cotta floor. Of Tony bursting through the door.
“We’re home? I can’t remember how we got here.”
Tony’s cheek ticked up in a small grin. “Yeah, you shouldn’t. Fentanyl is a wonderful thing when it’s administered properly.” He stretched down and softly kissed her forehead. “Can you sleep some more?”
Kate rolled her head across the pillow and back, then blinked. “I need to pee.”
Tony stared at her, then glanced around her small bedroom, chuckling. “Let’s see if we can get some more painkillers in you before we try that, okay? Can you sit up?”
Kate tried to ignore the pain around her ribs as she rolled to her right and pushed up. Tony gently supported her back and piled pillows all around to hold her up. Then he handed her two pills and a glass of water.
She sipped the water, sloshing it around her dry mouth, threw the pills down with a second swallow, then drained the glass. She looked down at her leg, enclosed in a thick casing of supports and Velcro straps. Her eyes met Tony’s, then she nodded toward the splint.
“Yeah, that’s gonna keep you out of trouble for a while. You need to stay off it for at least four weeks. No weight. Then we’ll get x-rays. If it’s healing right, you can start with a little weight and some physical therapy, and hopefully you’ll be off crutches in a couple months and into a boot.”
Kate groaned.
“What do you remember about what happened?”
Whiskey whimpered, then nudged Kate’s hip with his nose.
“Come here, buddy” she gently patted her lap. He spun around, curled on the bed beside her, then lay his chin across her lap. She stroked his nose as she filled Tony in on her trip to Colombia, the meeting with Coco Rojas, and her surprise at the Sloth Sanctuary.
“She wants the emeralds back, but mostly… wait.” Her brows furrowed and she looked straight at Tony. “Did you say Shelby is back?”
He grinned.
“But how? Rojas didn’t have her. I was trying to negotiate. I told the woman I’d trade the emeralds for Shelby, and she came unglued.”
“It’s a long story. But she’s here, along with the man the Rojas stole the emeralds from. It was his team who helped us get you out, and his doctor who patched you up well enough to get you home.”
Kate searched her memory for any glimpses of their escape or the trip home, but she came up empty. “I can’t remember any of that.”
“No, you wouldn’t. Like I said, Fentanyl can be pretty magical. But we’re stepping you down to codeine. And by tomorrow, you’ll be back to straight Tylenol. I’m not gonna let you get hooked on that garbage.”
As he spoke, his forehead pulled together, and his eyes flickered with a darkness she’s never seen in him before. Then he shook it off and continued. “So, yeah, Shelby and Eddie are in Chuck’s guest room, and the emerald miner, Tim Keane… he’s here too.”
“So…”
“Yeah, Kate. It’s over. Everyone’s safe, and we can rest. You can heal up. Keane is going to help Shelby get set up with a new life somewhere the Rojas can’t find her. And Eddie will be safe. It’s all behind us. Now let me see what I can rustle up for breakfast.”
Kate listened as Tony clunked around in Serenity’s small galley, and the scent of bacon grease and frying eggs filled the passageway and into the master cabin. The painkillers covered her body like one more soft blanket. But instead of lulling her to sleep on the gentle rocking of the hull, the absence of her agony lifted her eyelids. Kate peered through the sheer curtains across her aft window, and out across Serenity’s stern to the pale, shallow channel and the low hammock island of Horseshoe Key. She stroked Whiskey’s fur until Tony returned with a tray piled high with food.
“Can you pull the curtains open?”
He grinned and pulled the fabric aside, revealing the clear blue sky and the sun glinting on the water’s greenish-blue surface like emeralds.
“So, what do we do with…” She picked up a piece of bacon and nibbled at it, the pain in her jaw only a dull ache she was aware of, but not bothered by. Her mind filled with the open sea, the horizon a sharp cerulean line, and the coral encrusted wreck of the Katherine K. fifty feet below.
“Keane should take them back. They are his, after all. I suspect he’ll give them to Shelby.”
Kate fought her focus back to Tony’s blue eyes. “How did…”
“Long story short, Shelby wanted out, but the Rojas were threatening her. She felt trapped. Keane grabbed her thinking she was stealing from him, but they figured out they had a common adversary. They went to Colombia to end this thing and got word you were there and in trouble. Shelby called me and William to get you out. It’s over.”
Kate scooped a tiny bite of scrambled egg into her mouth, savoring its soft texture and the hint of chili powder Tony put in everything he cooked. She swallowed, then pushed the plate away.
“I think I’m ready to get up.”
“Ohhhh, no. You’re not—”
“I need to pee. So help me up, or be prepared to clean up a big mess.” She tried to wink, but between the swelling and the painkillers, her face didn’t respond.
Tony cleared the bedsheets back, then gently pulled Kate’s legs to hang over the edge. “Okay, here’s how we do this. Just a warning… it’s gonna hurt. Don’t let the haze of the codeine fool you. So wrap your good arm over my shoulder, here… good.” Tony ducked under Kate’s armpit then lifted her up from the bed. She pressed down on her good leg, the broken one dangling in its bulky splint. She pressed down on his shoulder, took a single hop, then crumpled against him.
“Man. You weren’t lying.”
She felt a slight shrug of his shoulders. “Cher, I’d never lie to you.”
Kate’s unswollen eyebrow rose up on its own.
Tony bent his knees and pivoted so he was facing Kate. “I promise you, Kate. I might prepare a surprise or two, but I will never, ever lie to you.”
His blue eyes bore into hers. Unblinking. Sincere.
This guy.
Not since she had dated Danny had she met a stare like this. She held his gaze, her good arm still draped over his shoulder. A long-forgotten tingle rose in her belly, covering the dull ache in her ribs, rising through her chest, and lightening the weight of her aching head. Her vision narrowed until all she could see were his blue eyes boring into hers. She leaned forward, pulled him toward her, and their lips met.
Tony’s hand trembled at the small of her back. With the other, he slowly eased a thick curl behind her ear. Then he pulled back, sucked in a deep breath, and sighed, his eyes closed and a soft smile on his moist lips. Then he opened his eyes and winked at her.
“Let’s get you to the head, missy.”
Chapter Forty-Five
“How could you let this happen?”
Gloria flinched as the door slammed and her father’s voice boomed around the corner from the little vestibule. She straightened to her full height as he swept into the room. Her men scurried out, leaving them alone.
“Father, I—”
Ernesto Rojas wheeled on his daughter. “I don’t want to hear your excuses. This was a job for a man. I told Javier to handle this. But you couldn’t let it be, could you? What is wrong with you? Why can’t you be content like your mother is? You want to keep the business in the family? You should have given me grandsons to raise up. But no. You want it all. You want to do it yourself. But this is no job
for a woman. This is no life for a woman. This is a man’s world — all this fighting and bloodshed.”
Ernesto’s shoulders slumped just a touch. Imperceptible to anyone but the woman who’d been watching her papa all of her life. Her chest rose. She fought to hold steady, knowing she could outlast him.
“Papa.” She stepped toward her father, her head lowered, hiding the sly smile on her face. Pushing it back, she knelt on the tile and looked up at him. “Papa, forgive me. I know you wanted Javier to do this, but I created this mess and I wanted to solve it. I’m sorry.” She swallowed hard. “I failed. I underestimated the Irishman.”
“Yes. Yes, you did.”
Her father’s voice was losing steam. The intensity he worked so hard to maintain was slipping.
You’re getting old, Papa. And I know your game better than you think.
Gloria stared at a bit of bird dropping on the side of his polished black shoe and waited for him to continue.
“We lost two good men today. I will have to compensate their families. It will come from your budget.”
“Of course, Father. I’ll deliver it to their widows myself.” She held her gaze on his shoes, barely glimpsing the two bodies at the edge of her vision.
“If you were anyone else, Coco would have your head himself.”
“I know, Papa. I deserve his anger.”
When her father paused, and Gloria risked a peek. His shoulders drooped. She rose to her feet. He walked to the center of the room and leaned against the stainless steel table. With nothing to fight against, his arguments floated in the air like the seeds of a dandelion.
“Gloria, my precious daughter, I work hard for you and your mother. Why must you break my heart?”
Gloria swallowed hard, then looked down at her father. Standing there, propped up against the table, the man looked every one of his eighty-seven years, and then a few. The skin of his face folded against itself, marked with deep wrinkles and sagging jowls. His brown eyes were cloudy and held a perpetual squint from his proud refusal to wear the glasses he so desperately needed. Gloria doubted if he could even pick his own wife out of a lineup.
“Papa, I’m—”
A series of coughs wracked his body. Loud and thick and wet, he wheezed and hacked until he managed to spit a wad of slimy mucus to the bloody tile. After finally catching his breath, he turned to support his frail body with both hands. When he spoke, he spoke to the surface of the table.
“This is over. The package is a loss. Fine. The woman is gone. Let her be gone.”
“I will choose my couriers more carefully next time, Papa.”
“There will not be a next time. I am turning transportation over to Javier. You can return to your mother. She will find a way to make you a respectable match.”
Gloria straightened. “But Papa—”
He pushed off the table and whirled around. “I have spoken. It is finished.” He turned his back then stormed from the room.
Gloria’s ears pounded, one thump for every quickening beat of her pounding heart. Her body trembled, and she clutched the table’s edge. After the door slammed behind the old man, Gloria snarled through her clenched teeth. “Oh, Papa, you are wrong. You will not hide me away in some rich man’s kitchen and give Javier everything I’ve fought for. That woman will pay. The Irishman will pay.” She slammed her fist on the table. “This is far from finished.”
Chapter Forty-Six
The briny breeze ruffled Kate’s curls. She lifted her face into the clear morning sun and raised her orange juice to everyone at the crowded table.
“Oh, I’ve missed this.” She glanced down at the family-style spread of bacon, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, and baskets of biscuits. “And I’ve missed you all.”
Tony pressed his lips tightly together and nodded. “Doc said to stay in bed. But, nooooo….” He stretched the “oh” out as everyone laughed.
Kate was aware of the dull ache in both her leg and her ribs, but three days in bed was longer than she’d ever stayed idle. And even with Tony sleeping on the couch and catering to her every request, she was ready to get out into the fresh air and sunshine again.
Chuck had lined an Adirondack chair and footrest with pillows and foam pads to make a soft nest, then he’d set the whole thing up on risers so it was high enough to reach the table he pulled up. Kate would be the queen at the head of a table surrounded by her courtiers. Then, despite her protest that she could manage the crutches, Tony carried her from her cabin on Serenity up to the restaurant deck, where all her friends, save Kara who was asleep after doing a 2:00 a.m. show the night before, surrounded the table and stood to welcome their queen’s arrival.
She scanned the faces of the people she loved. People who had become family over the past three years, and people who had just joined the family within the past few days.
Kate continued. “I just want to say thank you. William, thanks for always having my back. And Michelle, thanks for letting him come after me and for guiding him to me.” Michelle had used the GPS tracking in Kate’s phone to guide William, Tony, and Keane’s small army to her location.
The couple both smiled, and William muttered, “Couldn’t just leave you there, now, could we?”
Kate continued around the table. “Brian and Kelsey, thanks for loving and caring for Eddie as much as his own mom, and for being there for him when she couldn’t be.”
“It’s been a nice break for us, too.” Brian replied. “Chuck, thank you for your hospitality.”
“Glad to. Little house hasn’t seen this much company since my mom and dad were still alive.”
“Tim.” Kate turned to the ruddy man sitting to her left. “As much as I wish none of this had happened — and we’ll talk about your role in that soon enough — I’m grateful you and your men were there when I needed them. Thank you.”
She took a sip of juice, and looked around the table at friends, old and new. Steve and Chuck sat at the end of the table. Steve’s eyes were bright and clear, with the light finally coming back into her friend’s spirit after such a long dark winter. And she’d never seen Chuck act so young as when he was playing with Eddie.
Tucked in between Steve and Tim, Shelby looked like a tiny doll, her big hair barely reaching above the bigger men’s shoulders. Like Tim, her role in the past week’s adventures would be the topic of a very long conversation. But for now, the little group could relax.
The emeralds were safe, and they’d be back with their rightful owner as soon as Kate could get into dive gear again. Shelby was found, and Eddie had his mama back. And Babette had even repaired Slothie, who, for the moment, was perched on one wide arm of Kate’s chair.
Shelby raised her own glass. “I’d like to thank all of you. I know it was my fault all this happened. And none of you had any reason to get involved. But you did, and I appreciate it. I appreciate you for taking care of Eddie when I couldn’t. I appreciate you coming for me—”
“Even though she was in no danger at all,” Keane interjected, and everyone turned to glare at him.
“They had no way of knowing that, Timothy.” Shelby nudged him with her shoulder and grinned, obviously having forgiven him. “So, thank you for coming for me. And Tony, please send my thanks to your friend Fish for smoothing everything over when we got back. I appreciate—”
“Mama, Kate, Tony, LOOK AT ME!” The little boy’s excited shout pulled everyone’s attention to the crushed coral parking lot. Colton was running alongside as Eddie teetered across the parking lot on a small bicycle. Shelby, Tony, and Brian all leapt from the table and ran down to the gravel to both cheer him on and to relieve Colton of the responsibility of catching him when he fell.
As the commotion quieted, Tim caught Kate’s eye. His sunburned face was serious.
“Katherine.”
Kate bristled. “Please. Call me Kate.”
“But Katherine is such a beautiful name. For a beautiful girl.” He waved toward Tony at the head of the little group guiding Edd
ie around the lot. “You’ve found your match in that one. Don’t let him get away, now.”
Kate’s forehead furrowed. “You’ve known us for three days. What’s it to you?”
“Sometimes it takes an outsider to see the truth.” Tim winked at her. “You’ve been lonely for a long time, and not many men can keep up with you. But this one… I’m just suggesting that you relax. Don’t push him away. You’re too young to live life without your match.”
Kate’s mouth moved before her brain could stop it. “I had my match. I’m not willing to lose another.”
Tim’s eyes softened. “And I’m watching as I slowly lose mine. Loss is the inevitable result of love. But it’s the price we pay for the richness of a life shared with another.”
Steve looked up, his eyes watery, and slid over to sit opposite Keane. “He’s right. I miss her terribly, but I would never change a minute of my time with Susan. And I’m finally able to focus more on the happy memories than the sadness. And one day, when I find someone as perfect for me as Tony is for you, I hope that I’ll have the courage to let her in.”
Kate swiveled to face the parking lot. Despite the ache in her ribs, the sight of Tony chasing after Eddie’s bike still brought a smile to her lips. As much as Kate wanted them to be wrong, they weren’t. Danny would never be replaced, but over the past few months, Tony had been there through everything. He was the steady to Kate’s spunk. The aim before her fire. And the perfect partner when facing an enemy. But even more important, he was just as solid when times were peaceful. It felt so natural just sitting on the deck in silence. And she’d never felt that peace with any other person. Not even Danny.
Yes, this Irishman might just have seen straight through to her core, and flipped the switch she needed to start this new chapter.
She grinned as Eddie wobbled then toppled over into Tony. They both tumbled into the stone and a cloud of dust puffed up around them. As the dust cleared, Tony was helping Eddie back to his feet, brushing the gravel from a scrape on his elbow and ignoring the blood oozing from his own arm. He propped Eddie back up on the bike, ruffled his hair, and they started to run forward again, with Colton running along the other side cheering Eddie on.
