by Jane Godman
“That leads me to the most important question of all,” Everett said. “How the hell did you persuade your brother to drive his car into a wall?”
By now, Georgia appeared to be losing control. She clutched Kennedy tighter, her gaze swiveling back and forth, as though seeking an escape route. “I didn’t persuade Sean, I forced him. For the first time in our lives, I was in charge. The baby was in my vehicle, and Sean was chasing us. Delilah was in the passenger seat with him. She was on her cell phone, talking to me, trying to get me to slow down, offering me anything I wanted if I would just give them Kennedy. Everything she said just made me more mad. She tried to frame me. Suddenly she wanted to play nice?”
Alyssa became aware of a tiny change in Everett’s stance. He was focused on something outside the barn. Hope flared inside her. Was it the FBI? Would they be able to get close to the barn without Georgia noticing them? Right now, she was so caught up in her story, it was unlikely she would notice if a brass band marched through the place. Even so, they didn’t want anything to spook her when she was already dangerously disturbed.
“It was when I reached Sheldon Street that the idea came to me. The entrance to the shopping mall parking lot is only wide enough for one vehicle. I swung into a U-turn, so I was facing Sean, then backed into the parking lot. As I came back out, I drove straight at him. He was going so fast, he didn’t have time to brake. His only choices were to hit my car head-on and risk his baby’s life, or swerve and drive into the wall.”
“So Sean did what every loving parent faced with the same decision would do.” Momentarily, Everett stopped hiding his feelings and the pain in his voice tore into Alyssa’s heart. “He saved his baby’s life at the expense of his own and Delilah’s.”
“I might have known you would try to make my brother sound like some sort of saint.” Georgia sneered. “I told my attorney I’d never get a fair trial if the Colton brothers had anything to do with it.”
“A fair trial? You forced Sean to drive his car at speed into a wall. How soon after you checked he and Delilah were dead did you come up with the idea of planting the fake suicide note on the dash?” Everett asked.
Georgia’s lips drew back in something close to a snarl. “I checked on them and knew immediately they had died instantly. Once I knew they were dead, anyway, it didn’t matter what story I told, did it? I could make it work for me.”
Alyssa’s stomach rolled uncomfortably. She had never seen pictures of the crash scene, or heard it described, but from Everett’s and Casey’s expressions when they talked about it, she knew it had been horrific. Yet Georgia’s first thought after seeing the mangled bodies of her brother and sister-in-law had been how she could use their deaths to save herself. It was further confirmation that she was a cold-blooded killer.
And she has our baby...
“When I went back to my own vehicle and saw Kennedy in the car seat, I realized I already had the perfect alibi. I wrote the note with my left hand and placed it on Sean’s dashboard. Then I drove back to their house and took some of Kennedy’s clothes and food away with me to support the fake alibi that she was at my place that night. I figured the signs of a struggle in the kitchen worked in my favor. It looked like Sean and Delilah had been fighting. I was the doting aunt who had been caring for the baby when her beloved brother took his own life. I was in the clear. I should have stayed that way, until you came sniffing around.”
“Didn’t you ever once consider telling the truth at the arraignment? If you’d come clean about Sean’s cattle-rustling operation, you could have gotten a reduced sentence.”
“You aren’t listening to me. You know what my brother was like. They were going to blame it all on me.” Georgia’s voice rose to a screech. “Yes, the cattle rustling was all Sean’s idea. So was the murder of that meddling Tostig guy. But with Delilah forging the evidence and me working with them, I couldn’t fight them. I would get sent down for all of it.”
“When you escaped, you could have gone on the run. Why did you come back for Kennedy? Is she your way of getting Sean’s money?” Alyssa asked.
Georgia glared at her. “Why shouldn’t I have his money? When Ray Torrington contacted me and told me about the will, he said I should try to get it overturned. He said he’d help me if I gave him a share of the estate.”
“Good old Ray,” Everett muttered. “No wonder he did a disappearing act.”
“That’s not the only reason I want her.” Georgia gazed down at Kennedy’s face. “I want to take care of her, even though we’ll be spending our lives on the run.”
“But in the letters you sent, you threatened to kill her.” Could Georgia tell that Everett was moving closer to her as he spoke?
“That was to scare the two of you, to get you to back out of the custody arrangement.” A slight smile flitted across her lips. “I’ve never had any trouble picking up guys in bars, and Joe Meyer was smitten within minutes. I gave him a sob story about being framed by the FBI agent whose brother I dumped.”
At the mention of Casey, Everett’s jaw clenched, but he kept his emotions in check.
“So while you were behind bars, Joe was delivering the notes?” he asked. “Was he also the person who drove his car at me and followed Alyssa into the elevator in Hoyles’? And let’s not forget the Santa Express store.”
“Yeah. He turned out to be quite creative.” She looked down at Kennedy. “I’d never hurt her. She’s all I have left now.”
Her gun hand wavered and Everett seized his chance. He lunged and grabbed Kennedy, then began running in a zigzag pattern toward the exit. Bending almost double, he cradled Kennedy against his chest. As he reached Alyssa, he pulled her down to the same level and, with an arm around her waist, dragged her along with him.
When Georgia screamed in fury, Alyssa risked a glance over her shoulder. She was in time to see the other woman raise her weapon and take aim. Then a sudden volley of shots rang out from the loft space and Georgia pitched forward onto her face.
Even with the threat from Georgia neutralized by his FBI colleagues, Everett didn’t stop running until they were outside. There were a number of vehicles close to the barn and, seeing Casey crouched beside his cruiser, Everett placed Kennedy in Alyssa’s arms and thrust them both toward his brother.
“Keep them safe. And get a paramedic to check Kennedy over.”
Alyssa watched in dismay as he headed back inside the barn. Casey found a warm throw in the trunk of his car and placed it around her shoulders before guiding her into the back seat. Kennedy gave a few hiccupping sobs then, after exploring Alyssa’s face with her fingertips, heaved a huge, sleepy sigh. Alyssa rocked her and sang some of her favorite songs.
When the paramedics came, they checked the baby’s vital signs, but pronounced her fine. “Give her plenty of fluids and keep her warm, but she seems happy now she’s back with Mom.”
Alyssa promptly burst into tears, only managing to stop long enough to fish her keys out of her pocket. Tearfully, she asked Casey if he could find Everett’s vehicle and bring her the pink-elephant bag. When he returned with it, Kennedy gulped down her formula and fell asleep while Alyssa changed her diaper. After that, the minutes seemed like hours as Alyssa strained her eyes waiting for Everett to reappear.
“What’s happening?” Despite the throw, her teeth were chattering wildly as she spoke to Casey, who came to sit next to her. Together, they watched the barn.
“Even though the suspect is down, they have to secure the scene,” he replied.
It must be so hard for him to stay professional, Alyssa thought. In this case “the suspect” had been his childhood sweetheart, the woman he once thought he’d marry. Now he had no idea if she was dead or alive. Part of him had to be remembering the past and feeling sorrow for everything Georgia Dodd had once meant to him.
Finally, they saw a movement at the entrance. Alyssa slid down the window to
get a better view. Everett was exiting the barn slightly ahead of a small group of other FBI agents, all of whom wore body armor.
He hadn’t been wearing any protective gear when he snatched Kennedy from Georgia. Although the thought made her shiver even more, she knew he had done the right thing. Acting on his training and instincts, he had judged when the moment was right and saved their little girl’s life.
It’s who he is. This is what he does. She had never been more proud of him.
After talking to his colleagues for a few minutes, he joined them in the back of Casey’s vehicle, sandwiching Alyssa between the Colton twins.
“Georgia is dead.” Everett closed his eyes as he tilted his head back. “The paramedics did everything but they couldn’t save her.”
After a few minutes, Casey straightened. “I’ll give you some time alone while I speak to Agent Hayes.”
When he’d gone, Alyssa wrapped the throw around the three members of her little family, and they sat in silence for a long time.
“It never gets any easier when someone dies,” Everett said at last.
“This must be so much harder. You knew Georgia as a child.”
He nodded. “I keep looking back and wondering if there were any signs back then that it would turn out this way.”
“Don’t do that to yourself. Georgia was responsible for what happened to her today.” She nodded to a lone figure. Casey had returned and was standing a few feet from the vehicle. “But I think someone else may be torturing himself with memories and guilt.”
He caught her hand and kissed it. “I need to go to him. Will you be okay here?”
“Me and my girl are doing fine.” It was true. She couldn’t say she was untouched by what had gone on, but she had new resources that would help her through.
Motherhood. She watched Everett as he went to Casey and placed an arm around his brother’s shoulders. And something else.
The two men leaned on the hood of one of the unmarked FBI cars, sometimes talking, occasionally lapsing into silence. After about fifteen minutes, they returned to the cruiser. Alyssa handed Kennedy to Everett so she could climb out. Stretching her limbs, she shivered as the cold hit her. It was a good shiver. The shiver of someone enjoying the fresh air, hungry for food and able to think about the future without fear. A survivor-shiver.
“Lyss?” Everett took her hand. “I don’t know what you’re smiling about, but it’s Christmas Eve.”
She pulled him in the direction of the ridge. “What are we waiting for? Get our car down here. We need to get home fast. Remember those superorganized holiday plans of mine? I haven’t even wrapped the presents.”
Chapter 17
Alyssa spent the rest of the day determinedly plowing on with her festive preparations. On Christmas morning, she woke feeling as though she’d been hit by a truck. And maybe I have. Emotionally.
“Do you think Kennedy will be okay?” she asked Everett, as they drank coffee in bed and waited for their daughter to wake up and open her mountain of presents. “She was abducted and saw her aunt killed.”
“She was drugged, so she wasn’t aware of any of that. And the paramedics confirmed that she’s physically fine. The only issue may be if she has a memory of Georgia coming into the apartment and taking her from the crib. But we already know that we have to watch her for signs of PTSD. If that happens, we’ll deal with it.” He placed an arm around her shoulders. “How are you holding up?”
She leaned against him. “Mostly okay. I get a little shaky now and then when I think about what could have happened. But I’m just grateful to have my family back together.”
He drew her closer. “Speaking of families, Mom wants to know if we’re still okay for dinner?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
“And, on a scale of one to ten, how festive are you feeling right now?” There was a familiar gleam in his eyes.
Alyssa gave a little wriggle of pleasure as he twined his fingers in her hair. “Were you planning on giving me a present?”
He lowered his lips to her neck. “I was thinking more of starting a new tradition...”
* * *
Several hours later, they arrived at Ryker and Maribelle’s house. Although the mood around the table was subdued, there was an unspoken pact not to let recent events spoil the occasion. It was Casey and Melody’s first holiday as a couple, as well as Kennedy’s first Christmas. “I have a family of meat eaters,” Maribelle explained. “Although they just had turkey at Thanksgiving, it’s a Colton tradition to eat it again at Christmas.”
“But Dad cooked it, right?” Everett exchanged a nervous glance with Casey.
She rapped the back of his hand with a wooden spoon. “I don’t know where this myth that Mom can’t cook meat originated. But, yes, your father did roast the turkey and he baked a ham.”
“She only has to look at a piece of beef to incinerate it,” Everett whispered to Alyssa out of the corner of his mouth. “When we were growing up, we thought the smoke alarm was the dinner bell.”
She choked slightly, and he gave her a wicked grin as he patted her on the back.
“Is everything okay, dear?” Maribelle asked.
“I think a cornbread crumb got stuck in my throat.” She glared at Everett.
“Mom is in charge of sides and desserts.” This time he said it louder, tilting his wineglass toward Maribelle. “And she is incredible at both.”
It was true. The table groaned under the weight of mashed potatoes, gravy, green-bean casserole, rolls, brussels sprouts and carrots, cranberry sauce and sweet-potato casserole. In the kitchen, pumpkin pie and pecan pie were waiting to be served with ice cream once everyone’s digestive capabilities had returned to normal. Alyssa figured that might be around mid-January.
Kennedy, seated in her high chair at the head of the table, was in her element. Food and an audience were two of her favorite things. She really liked this particular group of people, and today they had all given her presents. She was approaching the screeching stage.
“I don’t understand why she kept hitting me with the doll we gave her.” Casey felt the top of his head carefully. “Didn’t she like it?”
“Ask Dad.” Everett rubbed his own scalp reminiscently.
Ryker laughed. “All babies like rough-and-tumble games. Don’t they, little one?”
Kennedy grinned and offered him a half-chewed piece of green bean. Solemnly he took it and pretended to eat it.
“What will you do now?” Maribelle asked Everett. “I mean, now this is all over, won’t you have to go back to Phoenix? And Alyssa’s job is there...”
Ryker covered her hand with his own. “This is not the time, my love.”
Everett sent a sidelong glance in Alyssa’s direction. “Maybe the time to answer that question would be after we’ve discussed it with each other.”
After dinner, Everett and Casey cleared everything away and loaded the dishwasher.
“Maribelle, you raised your boys right,” Melody said.
“Some Christmas traditions are worth keeping.” Maribelle kicked off her shoes and refilled her wineglass.
Kennedy, exhausted by the strain of being the main attraction, fell asleep. Alyssa placed her on the sofa and tucked her favorite blanket around her. Ryker placed a hand on her shoulder as he stood next to her gazing down at the baby.
“Thank you for giving Maribelle and me our best Christmas present.”
“Oh.” Her throat tightened, and she reached up to grip his hand. “She loves you, too.”
“You’ll work it out.”
From where they were standing, she could see into the kitchen. Now and then, she caught a glimpse of Everett, and heard him laughing with his brother.
They had worked it out. At least, she thought they had. They wanted to be together. But what would that look l
ike from now on? Was Everett’s together the same as hers?
A few minutes later, he emerged from the kitchen. “Want to take a walk?”
Leaving Kennedy under four pairs of watchful eyes, they wrapped up warm and headed out into the garden. Remnants of the freak snow shower still clung to the ground and Ryker’s outdoor flower beds looked forlorn in the icy, gray light. Everett took Alyssa’s hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm, guiding her around the yard and pointing out the places where he and Casey played as a child.
Turning to face her, he drew in a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking.”
“So have I.” What if his thinking wasn’t the same as her thinking? “But you go first.”
“I can turn down the promotion and take a desk job.” The words came out on a rush. Everett Colton was more nervous than she’d ever seen him. It was a sight to behold. “That way, you don’t have to worry that I’ll be in danger at work.”
“You’d do that for me?” He nodded. “But you love your job.”
“I love you more.” His eyes were bright. “When I say ‘more,’ I mean more than you’ll ever know. More with every passing moment, with each breath I take and with every single kiss or touch. Most of all, I want you to know that, if I’m lucky enough to hear you say you love me, too, my answer will always be ‘I love you more.’”
With a little sob, she reached up and cupped her hands on either side of his face. “There’s no ‘if’ about it. I fell in love with you eight years ago. That didn’t change just because of the distance between us. If anything, it made my love for you even stronger. Since we’ve been back together, the obstacles that have been thrown in our path have only reinforced what we have.” She pressed a kiss onto his lips. “But I don’t want you to quit your job.”
“What about your fear that I’ll be in danger?”
“Maybe a little part of that will always be with me, but the way you’ve cared for me and Kennedy, and watching you save her life, have made me see things differently. I can’t let what happened to my dad continue to rule my outlook, and I can’t let it affect Kennedy’s future. I love you, and I’ll take what comes with that—the good, the bad and the reality of your job.”
