by Leigh Bale
Hooper showed a smug smile, looking very pleased with himself. “Of course, Mac. I knew if I bided my time, you’d lead me right to it. And you did.”
“We were friends once. You’ve been to my home. And yet, you got every man on my team killed. And for what? A key to an encrypted file of bogus data. How much did the Taliban pay you to betray your country? Thirty pieces of silver?”
Hooper shrugged. “Let’s just say I’m gonna walk out of here, get on a plane to South America, and live the rest of my life sipping piña coladas on the beach.”
Mac’s grip tightened around his cane. “Not if I get my hands on you, first.”
“Tsk-tsk,” Hooper taunted. “Such a temper, Mac. But you know who I am, now. Surely you realize I have to kill all of you.”
Toni’s heartbeat tripped into double-time. They’d been through so much. Surely God wouldn’t let this evil man kill them. And she prayed. Fervently, over and over again. Begging the Lord to help them.
“The U.S. military won’t be the only ones hunting you,” the Colonel drawled. “The Taliban will kill you when they find out the encrypted data you sold them is phony.”
Hooper glared at the Colonel, his face turning an angry shade of red. “I don’t believe the briefcase was a plant, Colonel. You’re saying that to buy some more time. But it won’t help you. Now, give me the key. My people will discover if it’s real or not. You won’t be around to tell any tales.”
A loud noise came from down the hallway, the sound of smashing wood. Hooper glanced at the door.
Now! Now, they must act.
Toni gripped her sister’s arm, pulling her free of Hooper’s grasp. Mac reached for the gun, jerking Hooper’s hand up so he couldn’t fire on them. Cara’s shrill screams filled their ears as the girl scurried over to her grandmother, huddling on the sofa like a frightened rabbit. Before Hooper could react, Toni stomped the sharp point of her heel down on his instep. The agent howled and she drew back her arm and jabbed her elbow into his abdomen.
Hooper doubled over, waving the gun wildly. The Colonel ducked and Mac dodged sideways as a deafening boom exploded in the room. The shot smattered a hole in the wall where Mac had been standing moments before. Plaster and small particles rained down on Bernice and Cara’s heads.
Mac swung his cane like a club across Hooper’s wrist. Hooper screeched with pain and the gun went flying. It thudded to the floor, skidding across the hardwood until it stopped at Toni’s feet. She pounced on it as the Colonel slammed his fist into Hooper’s abdomen. Mac wielded his cane like a baseball bat, striking Hooper across the face. Blood spurted from the CIA agent’s nose as he fell back, knocking over a small table and lamp. The sound of shattering glass filled their ears.
Toni pointed the gun at Hooper’s head. Her hands trembled visibly, but she felt the heat of anger swelling over her entire body. “Stop! Don’t you dare move, or so help me, I will shoot you.”
Hooper froze, his eyes wide and wary. “Now, you don’t want to do that.”
“Oh, yes I do. Get your hands up where I can see them,” she ordered with so much vehemence that Hooper actually cringed.
Alarm glimmered in Hooper’s eyes as he lifted his hands high in the air. “Don’t shoot me. Please.”
“After what you’ve done, I dearly want to kill you. Believe me. Go ahead. Give me one more reason.” She spoke low, her pulse racing with adrenaline.
“Toni.”
Mac called to her, but she didn’t look at him. His voice reached her as if through a tunnel.
“Toni, give me the gun,” Mac spoke close beside her. “Come on, sweetheart. Eric’s memory is worth more than this.”
Mac…her comforter, her rock. She trusted him with her life. She loved him. It no longer mattered what the ballistics tests proved. All she knew was that her brother had died because Derek Hooper had set up an ambush to get him killed. By the grace of God, Mac had survived. It wasn’t his fault. He’d tried to save Eric’s life and she could never blame Mac for her brother’s death.
She stepped sideways, veering toward Mac, not once taking her eyes off Hooper.
Slowly, carefully, she handed the gun over to Mac. His warm, strong fingers curled over hers, taking the weapon from her grip.
“I’ve got it, Toni. You can let go, now.”
She did, turning to face him. Giving him her complete trust. Tremors of shock and emotion caused her entire body to shake with reaction.
Mac’s gaze bore into Hooper like a high powered drill. “Hooper will never hurt anyone again, I promise you that.”
From across the room, Toni heard her grandmother exhale a deep sigh of relief.
“Colonel, call the FBI.” Mac’s hands didn’t waver as he kept the weapon trained on Hooper.
The Colonel gave a short laugh. “I’ll do even better than that, Mac.” He walked over to Cara and Bernice, taking each of their hands in his, speaking to them with compassion. “Don’t be frightened, ladies. You’re safe, now. But we’re about to be invaded.” He glanced at Mac. “Don’t shoot anyone, Mac.”
“Colonel, what’s going on?”
A SWAT team erupted through the doorway. Cara shrieked and almost climbed the wall until Toni went to huddle with her sister and grandmother on the couch.
At least fifteen men dressed in Kevlar helmets and black flak jackets surrounded them, waving submachine guns. They shouted orders, securing every corner of the house.
“Take him. He’s the traitor.” The Colonel jutted his chin toward Hooper.
In a matter of moments, FBI agents yanked Hooper’s arms behind his back and clapped his wrists in handcuffs. Blood ran down his face, staining his shirtfront. He glared at Mac as they dragged him toward the door.
“You should have been killed, too. I wish you’d died with your men,” he jeered.
Mac didn’t get the chance to react. Toni walked over to the man, drew back her fist and slugged Hooper in the nose. “That’s for Eric.”
Hooper yowled with pain, but the handcuffs kept him from clutching his face. Two armed agents interceded, pulling Toni back before she could do more harm. She didn’t know what had come over her. She’d acted without thinking, knowing it wasn’t a Christian thing to do. But it sure had felt good.
The Colonel chuckled. “Good job, Miss Hamilton. Where he’s going, he won’t need any fancy suits. The prison population doesn’t like traitors.” The Colonel jerked his head toward the door. “Get that scum out of here.”
The agents dragged Hooper outside.
Mac pivoted on his cane and reached for Toni. She rushed into his embrace, burying her face against his shoulder. She stood there several moments, absorbing his warmth, feeling his steady heartbeat beneath her cheek.
“It’s gonna be okay, now. Your family is safe,” he assured her, lacing his fingers through her hair.
“Oh, Mac, if you hadn’t been here,” she croaked. “I don’t know what we would have done without you.”
“Shh, I’m here.”
She drew back and looked up at him, ignoring the tears streaming down her face. What were a few tears when the man you loved said something like that?
Mac faced the Colonel. “Sir, are you going to explain all of this?”
A deep laugh shook the Colonel’s chest. “With pleasure. Come with me.”
Toni stepped away from Mac. As they followed the Colonel outside into the front yard, Toni embraced her sister. The girl clung to her, sobbing. Grandma joined them and they wept with happiness.
“Are you all right? Did he hurt you?” Toni asked.
“No, I’m okay,” Cara said.
“I’m so sorry, Cara,” Toni whispered to her sister. “I love you so much. If anything happened to you, I couldn’t live with myself.”
“I’m sorry, too.” The girl’s voice trembled with remorse. “You won’t have any more trouble from me, Toni. I promised the Lord if he got me away from those men, I’d change. And I meant it. I love you.”
Overpowering joy swept
Toni, so strong she could hardly absorb the impact. “We both have a lot to be grateful for.”
“Amen.” Grandma’s eyes glowed with pleasure.
“Come on. Let’s hear what the Colonel has to say.” Mac directed them to the front steps.
As they walked into the bright morning sunlight, they caught the smell of someone frying bacon. Neighbors crowded the sidewalk, street and front yards. Still wearing their bathrobes and pajamas, they bent their heads together and jabbered about all the commotion. Toni watched as NCIS agents put Hooper in a dark sedan and drove him away.
“Hey, isn’t that Jabbaar, the ponytail man?” Toni pointed at another car parked out front.
Sure enough, Jabbaar stood cuffed and waiting as three armed officers opened the door and directed him into the back seat, then closed the door. He sat silent, his expression dark and angry, long black hair hanging into his eyes.
“It sure is.” Mac glanced at the Colonel. “How’d you catch him?”
“We’ve had Miss Hamilton’s house under surveillance for several days, now.” He pointed to where a man wearing a gray sweat suit stood talking to two NCIS agents.
Toni gasped. “We saw that man watching my house.”
“He works for us,” the Colonel confessed.
“I thought you were retired,” Mac said.
Wilkinson shrugged. “I am. Let’s just say I’ve been helping the FBI clean up this one little mess.”
“But why was he watching Toni’s home?”
The Colonel pointed at Jabbaar. “The FBI and NCIS have been after Jabbaar Azizi for years. He works for the Taliban and provides information to terrorist cells. Azizi has been helping Andrus and Hooper steal top-secret files. We’re talking treason here. But don’t worry. Where he’s going, he won’t be troubling you again and our nation will be safer for it.”
“So, all of this was just to catch the real spy and a terrorist?” Toni cried in outrage. “Do you realize how you endangered my family? You could have told me my house was under surveillance. My sister could have been killed.”
She could hardly believe all this cloak and dagger stuff.
The Colonel looked away, seeming contrite. “I’m sorry, Miss Hamilton. We didn’t know who we could trust, nor did we know they’d come after you.”
“Well, they did. I couldn’t even get anyone to help me find Cara.”
“I’m sorry about that, too. We had to intervene with the police. They wanted to help, but we took over the investigation. We couldn’t tell you that, of course. But we were working on it behind the scenes.”
Toni shook her head. “And here I thought they were just inept at doing their job. If you were watching my house, why didn’t your people stop Andrus from kidnapping Cara in the first place?”
“I’ve been told that an agent saw Andrus leaving with Cara, but didn’t see anything abnormal. In fact, when Andrus was spotted at your house, we started wondering if Mac and Andrus were working together.”
Toni wasn’t satisfied. “You told my family that Eric died in a routine fire fight. The American people aren’t quite as stupid as our Government seems to think we are. We still know right from wrong. If I didn’t think it might hurt Mac, I’d go to the media with this story.” She bit out the words, filled with indignation.
“I hope you won’t do that,” the Colonel said. “We’ve been working to secure your sister. We just had to be sure what we were dealing with.”
Mac held out Eric’s flash drive to the Colonel. “Is this really a dud, or were you just pulling Hooper’s leg?”
Wilkinson’s eyes hardened. “Oh, it’s real, all right. But very outdated. It wouldn’t do the Taliban much good.”
He took the flash drive from Mac and dropped it onto the ground, then proceeded to smash it with the heel of his boot. Mac watched with a look of fascination.
The Colonel laughed and clapped Mac on the shoulder. “Thank you, Sergeant. I’ve got to go now, but I want you to know I’m proud of you, son. I’ll be recommending you to receive a commendation. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Marine Corps award you the Navy Cross.”
“What?” Mac gaped at his CO.
Toni’s eyes widened. The Navy Cross was the second highest military honor for valor that Mac could receive. Most marines died to earn such an honor. “Mac, you’re a true hero.”
He frowned, looking awed and humbled. “I don’t deserve that, sir.”
“Why would you think that?” The Colonel tilted his head and dawning flooded his face. “Ah, yes. In all the excitement, I forgot to tell you the other reason I came over here this morning.”
As he spoke, Wilkinson opened the door to his car and got inside, smiling. “I received the ballistics report late last night. The bullet that killed Eric Hamilton came from Lieutenant Andrus’s gun. No doubt Andrus wanted to ensure that Eric didn’t come out of that ambush alive.”
Toni shuddered, barely able to comprehend such evil.
“You’re sure it was Andrus?” Mac exclaimed.
“Absolutely positive. You and Andrus carried different types of rifles.” The Colonel’s bushy eyebrows lifted. “You risked your life trying to save your men and were injured in battle. You just helped thwart a ring of deadly spies. I’m recommending you for that commendation and I don’t want to hear any arguments about it.”
Closing the door, the Colonel started his car, speaking through the open window. “One of my men will bring you to the NCIS office so you can give us a signed statement. I’ll see you there.”
Gravel smattered beneath his tires as he drove away.
Mac turned and faced Toni. Before she could say anything, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She didn’t struggle. God had worked a miracle for them and this was a time to celebrate. One thought pounded inside her brain.
Mac had not killed Eric.
As he drew back, she gazed at Mac’s smiling face. She longed to tell him of the love in her heart, but she couldn’t. Too many people needed her attention right now. Peace settled over her. Her brother’s killers would get the justice they deserved. But she could never share her life with Mac when he still resented the Lord. Even though she loved Mac, she couldn’t be with him, and that hurt most of all.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Six days later, the doorbell rang. Dressed in Capri’s and a short-sleeved shirt, Toni padded across the tiled entryway in her bare feet. Morning sunlight streamed through the top window of the oak door. Before she opened it, she pushed back the curtains and peered out the window to see who was calling. Even though life had settled back into normalcy, the past events had made her wary.
“Mac!”
She jerked open the front door. Mac stood on the step holding a gift-wrapped package with an enormous white bow on top.
Without an invitation, she wrapped her arms around his tall frame and embraced him. Oh, how she’d missed him. He’d returned to Thorne Mountain last week to be with his parents. She’d tucked into work at the shoe store and spent time with Cara and Grams. Except for a static phone call mid-week to say he’d gotten her tires repaired and would bring her car to Vegas today, they hadn’t talked since. The thought of seeing Mac again had filled Toni with both dread and a thrill of anticipation. The few days they’d been apart felt more like centuries.
Now, she stared at the pink and white paper on the gift he held, wondering what it was for.
“I’m so glad you’re here. Come in.” She stepped to one side and allowed him to enter ahead of her. He walked inside barely limping, missing his cane.
“Your leg’s getting better.” She closed the door and led him into the living room.
“Yes, it is.” He glanced toward the kitchen, looking a bit sheepish. “Can we talk in private for a few minutes?”
“Sure. Sit down.” She indicated the sofa as the grandfather clock chimed ten o’clock. Its melodious peals filled the air along with the sweet smell of brownies Grams was baking in the kitchen. Instead of going off somewhere with her friends
, Cara was helping Grams. Since the kidnapping, she’d made some major changes in her life, preferring to stay home more often.
Toni sat across from Mac and he set his package on the coffee table in front of them. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped. Stiff and nervous.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He smiled, his jaw firm. “Yes, but I need to speak with you about something important.”
A thrill of excitement shot through her, followed by a buzz of dread. During the past few days, she’d thought long and hard about Mac. Her feelings hadn’t changed. She loved him deeply, but she wanted a man who loved the Lord. Her faith wouldn’t allow her to settle for anything less. She and Mac could never be more than friends. And that knowledge left her feeling hollow inside.
“What do you want to talk about?” Anxiety stiffened Toni’s spine. She steeled herself, wondering what he could possibly want to say.
He gazed into her eyes. “Us.”
Her heart thudded. She hated the thought of hurting him. “Mac, it’s too soon. We can’t….”
“I don’t think it’s soon enough. I never stopped loving you, Toni. I was so foolish and worldly to push you away. Now, I need to resolve something between us.” He reached out and lifted the package, handing it to her. “This is for you.”
Toni took the gift, staring at it like it might explode. She bit her bottom lip and gave him a rueful smile. “It’s not a bomb, is it?”
Mac laughed. “Just open it. But be careful. It’s fragile.”
Toni nodded. Without speaking, she undid the bow and set it aside on the table. She freed one edge of tape from the gift-wrap, then another and another. Slowly, she revealed a plain cardboard box that offered no indication as to what might be inside.
She opened the top flaps of the box and peeked inside. Seeing the contents, she pressed trembling fingers to her mouth. No, it couldn’t be. For several moments, she did nothing but stare at the object, unable to contain her own emotions.
