by Mary Alford
While the man strong-armed Liz past him, her gaze held his briefly. Was she trying to tell him something or... Was she working with Sam?
Why would he need her and Michael? Only three people had access to the code to unlock the safe containing the personnel files for the Scorpion members. Kyle, Jase...and Liz.
She’s not cooperating. Duncan’s words chased uneasily through his head. Was it just a ploy to keep Liz’s true loyalty secret?
He recalled something Alhasan had said about the Fox’s followers being closer than he thought. Before he had time to contemplate the possibility, Sam headed for the door with one final command to his men.
“Tie them up. We need to get out of here now.”
Sam addressed Kyle once more. The smug smile on his face told Kyle there was more bad news coming. “The plane is wired with explosives. Once we’re airborne we’ll blow it, and then when the rest of your team arrives we’ll take care of them, as well. Sorry, my friend, I hate for it to end like this. I really did like you.”
In the distance, the noise of an approaching chopper tore Sam’s attention away.
Jase!
“You’re too late,” Kyle assured him while trying to sound convincing. “That’s Jase and the rest of the Scorpions. You’ll never make it out of here alive, Sam. Give yourself up.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. They’ll be dead soon enough.” He turned to his men. “Leave them. Let’s get to the chopper. We need to be airborne to detonate the explosives.”
They’ll be dead soon enough. What had Sam meant by that? He had no idea, but the sooner he got everyone off the plane the better.
* * *
She held her side where the knife had ripped her flesh. Blood soaked her shirt and hand.
Kyle hurried to her. “How bad is it?” he asked with fear written all over his face.
She tried to be strong. “Not too bad. It’s just a flesh wound. I don’t think he nicked anything important.” He didn’t believe her, but there was no time to examine the cut.
“We have to get everyone off now. The second they’re airborne, they’ll blow the plane.”
Lena faced the couple and younger man. “Are you hurt or can you walk? We need everyone off the plane quickly.”
Visibly shaken, the couple stared at each other. The younger man got to his feet. “I’m David, and yes, we can walk.” He took the woman’s arm and assisted her while the older man followed.
“Let me help you.” Kyle turned to her and insisted.
She shook her head. “No, I can walk. Take Joseph.”
Although Kyle appeared doubtful, he scooped the boy into his arms. The child fought him. Joseph didn’t trust anyone but her.
Lena stood in front of him and smiled. “Joseph, it’s okay, you can trust him. He’s not going to hurt you, I promise. Come, follow me.” She headed for the exit, her heart pounding with each step. What if they were too late? She couldn’t lose Kyle and Joseph after they’d come through so much.
Once they reached the bottom stair, she saw the chopper slowly rise in the air. “Run for the trees,” she yelled, and Kyle grabbed her hand and with Joseph tucked under his arm they raced for the trees nearby.
They’d barely made it to the edge of the woods when the plane went up in a firestorm that knocked them to the ground. The world around her blurred with pain. Bile rose in her throat. She forced in several breaths before it cleared away.
Joseph freed himself from Kyle and ran into her arms, and she flinched.
“It’s okay,” she struggled to reassure him. “We’re safe now. They’re not going to hurt us again.”
Something in Kyle’s expression told her nothing could be farther from the truth.
“What is it?” she asked fearfully.
“He’s planning to take out the team once they land. There’s only one way to do that. He’s got this whole area wired. They’ll be waiting for Aaron to land the chopper. We have to stop Sam before he can detonate the rest of the explosives.”
Lena slowly got to her feet and headed for the clearing.
“No.” Kyle stopped her. “I need you get everyone out of the area in case I can’t stop him in time.”
She knew what that meant. If he failed, he’d be dead.
She reached for his arm with tears in her eyes. “Please be careful,” she whispered. She wanted to say so much more. Tell him that she would love him for the rest of her life, but she didn’t have the right to claim his heart any longer.
Please come back to me, she said in her head instead.
He smiled down at her tenderly and his smile held a moment of promise. “I will. Hurry, Lena. Get everyone to safety.”
FIFTEEN
Sam’s chopper hovered over the wreckage of the plane, waiting for Aaron to land. With the explosion, Aaron had been forced to withdraw from the immediate area. No one on board the Scorpion chopper had any idea Sam was the enemy. They’d think he was assisting.
It was now or never. Kyle had one shot at taking the chopper down. He’d need a direct hit to its engine.
Sam’s spotlight panned the area, searching for survivors. They’d open fire the second they spotted him.
The risk was great. Liz and Michael were on board and might possibly die, but he couldn’t let Sam detonate those explosives.
Kyle waited until the spotlight was focused on a different area, then he slipped from his coverage and aimed for the engine.
The bullets charged from the Glock. The sound of metal hitting metal followed. Smoke spewed from the chopper’s wasted engine and immediately it swayed back and forth. The pilot tried to correct. Without the engine it was useless. The machine slammed into the ground full force.
Aaron brought the chopper closer and homed in on Kyle. Moments later, it kicked up earth as it landed.
After the dust and debris cleared, Kyle headed for the downed machine. As soon as the second chopper was on the ground, Jase and the team rushed to Kyle’s aide.
Sam was unconscious in the copilot seat. Kyle felt for a pulse.
“Is he alive?” Jase asked the second he reached the chopper.
“Just barely.” Sam’s injuries were severe. Several of his men were dead. Those who had survived were in bad shape.
Kyle shoved aside debris until he reached Liz and Michael. They were barely hanging on, as well.
Agent Ryan Samuels climbed through the wreckage until he reached Liz. He was well trained in emergency medicine. Ryan did a quick but thorough exam of both agents. “Liz has a fractured wrist and possibly some broken ribs. Michael may have internal bleeding and he’s been stabbed. We need to get them to a hospital right away.”
Kyle tried his cell phone again. This time the call went through. The signal blocker must have been inside the plane. He called the local police and briefed them on what was going on.
“What happened here?” Jase asked in disbelief once Kyle had ended the call.
He told his friend the truth about Sam’s betrayal.
Jase was clearly in shock. He shook his head in disbelief. “It’s unimaginable. Sam was the one we’ve been searching for all along.”
“I know. I still can’t believe it, either,” Kyle assured him. “Hopefully, with the help of the survivors we’ll be able to compile enough evidence to send Sam away for good. And perhaps find out where the weapons are hidden.” That was something that concerned him deeply. Where had Sam stashed the weapons?
Jase blew out a breath. “Where’s Lena?” he asked when he realized she was nowhere around.
Kyle explained about the explosives. “We need to get everyone out of here as quickly as possible,” he said. “It was amazing that the accident didn’t detonate them. As soon as the area is cleared, I’ll have an explosives team come in and disarm t
hem.”
In the distance multiple sirens blared. Help was close.
“Why do you think he took Liz and Michael? And what was he after at headquarters?” Jase asked perplexed by it all.
Kyle only had pieces of the puzzle now. “There’s something in the personnel files that he doesn’t want us to find, and we need to learn what it is.” He hesitated a second and then told Jase his worst fear. “I think someone on our team is working for Sam.”
The accusation was as unexpected as it was shocking. “Do you think it could be Liz or Michael? Or both?” Jase asked.
Kyle didn’t want to go there. “I don’t know. I sure hope not. It could just be more lies. But until we know for sure, we need to search those files carefully.”
“You’re right.” Jase glanced back at the ruined chopper. “Do you think he’ll talk?”
Kyle knew who he meant. “Maybe if he believes it will save his life, but I don’t believe so.” What Sam chose to do didn’t matter anymore. All Kyle could think about was Lena. He loved her. But he still had to find a way to forgive her.
* * *
They’d barely made it to the parked car when she witnessed the chopper drop from the sky. Kyle had managed to accomplish a near-impossible feat. She all but forgot about her own injuries. There would be lives at stake. Some from their own team. The Fox. She prayed he was still alive. He needed to be held responsible for his brutality.
Kyle. She was so afraid for him. She knew he wouldn’t leave anyone behind, yet each moment he was back there he risked the chance that something would go wrong and the explosives would ignite.
It was hard not to go after him, but she had to think of Joseph. The boy had been clinging to her since she’d carried him from the woods.
She could hear the ambulances coming. She turned in time to see several emergency personnel along with a multitude of cop cars streaming down the road, lights flashing.
Henry was one of the police officers responding. He spotted her and came over. “Heard the commotion on the radio and figured it had something to do with you two. I know I don’t have jurisdiction here, but I figured I’d offer my help. Looks like you’re worse for the wear. Where are the others?”
She pointed back toward the woods. “They’re in there. A chopper went down. There are multiple injuries. They need you. I’ll be fine.” She told Henry about the explosives.
The chief glanced around at the amount of police officers responding to the call. “You have plenty of help coming. You need to have that wound looked after. You’ve lost a lot of blood.”
Lena finally gave in.
“Who’s this young man?” Henry asked curiously.
“He’s my friend.” She smiled down at the boy who’d stolen her heart.
“You two look a lot alike,” he informed her as four more EMTs arrived on the scene. “Come with me.” He told them. “We have to hurry. We need to get the wounded out as quickly as possible.” Before she had time to process what Henry had said, he was gone.
With Joseph refusing to leave her side, Lena spotted David and Ella’s parents, and went over to where they were receiving treatment.
“How are they?” she asked the EMT treating them.
“Surprisingly well considering what they’ve been through.” He got a good look at her and said, “You’d better let me take a look at that wound.”
She couldn’t imagine how bad she must appear, but she had other priorities. “Can you give us just a minute first?” she asked and the man nodded.
Ella’s parents had been through so much, but she needed answers.
She took David aside.
“She’s dead, isn’t she?” he asked once they were out of earshot and she knew he meant Ella. There was no doubt in her mind that Ella’s body had been the one burned beyond recognition.
“Yes. I’m sorry. I know you loved her.”
With tears in his eyes he said, “Yes, but to be honest, we haven’t seen her in years, so we were pretty certain she was gone.” He swallowed back emotion. “Still, it’s good to know once and for all.” He nodded toward Ella’s parents. “It’ll be hard for them.”
Lena couldn’t imagine the pain David and Ella’s parents had gone through.
“Can you tell me what happened to you?” she asked.
He glanced over at the elderly couple. They were just recognizable as Ella’s parents. They’d lost so much weight and the hardships of prison life had left its toll on their faces.
“We’d barely been there a few weeks when we were attacked. Several people were killed. We were taken prisoner along with Ella. But they separated us pretty quickly,” he said and shook his head. “I never saw her again after those first few days.”
Sam had planned ahead. Ultimately using Ella’s resemblance to Lena to form his deadly plot.
“Thank you for sharing with me. I’ll let you get back to them. They’re going to need you now more than ever,” Lena told him. They’d all have a long road ahead of them.
Lena went over to the EMT who immediately began treating her injury.
She thought about the future. Would she find one with Kyle? She desperately hoped so.
As she had so many times in the past through all those dark years in prison, she’d put her future in God’s hands. He hadn’t let her down yet. He wouldn’t now.
SIXTEEN
When the last of the injured were safely out of the danger zone, Henry sent in the bomb squad to do their job.
Kyle emerged from the woods in time to see the EMT bandaging Lena’s side. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. He loved her.
“I still can’t believe it,” Jase mumbled and then rushed to Lena’s side. But Kyle couldn’t move. If he lived to be a hundred, he didn’t think he’d get used to having his wife back.
Jase held her close and Kyle smiled at the reunion. He understood the magnitude of emotions Jase experienced. As he watched, Lena’s love for her friend was evident in the tears streaming down her face.
She appeared so lost that his heart melted for her. In his mind one thought became clear. For seven years, he’d prayed for her return. God had granted his prayers. Now it was up to him. He had to forgive her for both their sakes. She’d suffered enough. If he wanted to have a future with her—and he so desperately did—then his bitterness had no place now or ever.
He silently prayed for strength and gave God his anger.
As much as he wanted to find out what Sam was up to, Kyle knew the road ahead for him and Lena would be a rough one. She needed him and he so wanted to be there for her. He’d leave the unraveling of Sam’s operation and the possible mole inside the Scorpion team to someone else to uncover. He wanted to save his marriage.
She glanced up at him tentatively. Their gazes held. He loved her more than ever. They had a second chance, and he wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize that. They’d see their baby girl again someday, and perhaps God would bless them with more children in the future.
Lena was holding on to Joseph as if he might disappear from her life. It was then that Kyle realized why he recognized the boy. He had the same dark hair as Lena, and his eyes were gray...just like Kyle’s. The realization almost threatened to take his legs from underneath him. Lena believed she’d lost their child.
Alhasan had lied about so many things. Was it possible that Joseph was their son?
* * *
She couldn’t read anything welcoming in Kyle as he drew near. She struggled to keep the tears away. Had she lost him?
Please, no.
Jase followed her line of sight then hugged her once more. “We have a lot to catch up on and I can’t wait for you to meet Reyna, but I think you have other things to sort out right now.” He smiled tenderly then stepped away as Kyle drew near. He looked so uncertain that her heart sha
ttered.
“How’s she doing?” he asked the EMT.
“She’s blessed. A few more inches up and it would have been a different story.” He closed his equipment bag and stepped away, and she didn’t know what to say. He was better off without her.
“How’s the boy?” he asked her and she sensed he wasn’t saying what he wanted to. She remembered that trait from the past.
She hugged Joseph close. “He’s okay. I won’t give him up. He doesn’t have anyone, Kyle. I won’t give him up,” she said with defiance.
The EMT came back with a stuffed bear. “Hey, Joseph, do you think you could help me out? My friend Teddy needs a good home.”
The boy stared at the bear in awe. He hadn’t had so much as a single toy the entire time he’d been held captive.
“If you could take care of Teddy, it would be a big help for me.”
When Joseph hesitated and looked to her, she said, “Go ahead, honey, it’s okay. Take it.”
Slowly Joseph reached out to take the bear from the man. He stared at it a second longer then clutched it tight.
“Joseph, do you think I could take a look at that wound on your arm?” the EMT asked quietly. “I promise I’ll be as gentle as possible.”
Joseph cowered closer to Lena’s side.
“It’s okay. I’ll be right over there. I won’t be out of your sight for a second.”
Slowly the boy released his grasp on her and the EMT showed him all his instruments.
Lena stepped a little away. Her heart was breaking. She had to stay strong. She didn’t want Joseph to see her upset.
Admiration flashed in Kyle’s eyes. “He loves you so much. He’ll need you to move beyond all this.” He finally faced her. “Lena, we need to talk.”
This was the moment she’d been dreading. She didn’t want to hear him say the words.
She couldn’t look at him and not fall apart. She stared at Joseph. He was her future.
“Is Sam alive?” she asked, searching for something to say.
“Yes, but he’s badly injured,” he said quietly.
