Native Born

by Jenna Kernan

  Cassidy glanced back to the waiting three men. She had one more important call to make to Amanda, the only thing more important than her job.

  “Hi, pumpkin. You at school?”

  “Mom, school ended hours ago. I’m at the rec center. The game. Remember? Where are you? Warm-up is almost over.”

  She glanced at her watch and saw it was nearly four in the afternoon.

  “Right. You all warmed up?” she asked, turning her back on the men.

  “Where are you?” asked Amanda.

  “I’m still in Tucson.” Her daughter groaned. “Grandma is on the way.”

  “Oh, Mom!”

  “Listen. There was some trouble. You’ll see it on the news.”

  “Mom?” Her daughter’s voice was now calm. Unlike some of her fellows, she had never hidden what she did from her daughter. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, fine. But I’m still in Tucson.”

  “Did you see my brothers?”

  She glanced to Gabe and then to Clyne. “Yes.” She gripped her neck with her opposite hand so hard that her back began to ache.

  “I want to meet them!” Her daughter’s voice filled with longing.

  “Maybe soon.”

  And maybe forever. Cassidy’s heart ached low down and deep, reminding her of a pain she had not felt since she’d discovered her husband had been killed in action.

  She needed to get them out of Arizona. If only that would work. But she knew that moving wouldn’t protect Amanda from one particular threat. The ICWA, Indian Child Welfare Act. Sovereign rights. Tribal rights.

  “Are you listening to me?” asked Amanda.

  “What was that, pumpkin?”

  “I asked if you will be back in time for Saturday’s game?”

  She glanced to Clyne, the newest of the tribal council and enemy number one in her book. Oh, if she could just find something to bury them but all she’d come up with was something ancient on the third brother, Clay. She stiffened. A brow arched as she looked at Clyne, who narrowed his eyes at her.

  “I’ll try, pumpkin.”

  “Oh, Mom!”

  From the phone, Cassidy heard the sound of a scoreboard buzzer.

  “I’ve got to go.”

  Cassidy pictured her in her red-and-white basketball uniform, her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, her lips tinted pink from the colored lip gloss her daughter had begun wearing. It was her last year of elementary school. Her last year of eligibility in the youth basketball league. Next year Cassidy would have a teenager on her hands. She hoped.

  “I love you,” said Cassidy.

  “You, too.” The line went dead.

  She held the phone to her chest for just a moment, eyes closed against the darkness that crept into her heart. What would she do if they took her daughter away?

  “Was that her?”

  The gruff male voice brought her about and she faced Clyne, who had snuck up on her without a sound.

  Cassidy straightened for a fight with Clyne—her daughter’s eldest brother and the first name on the complaint petitioning to have her daughter’s closed adoption opened and overturned. She knew he’d win. He knew it, too. She saw not an ounce of pity for her in those deep brown eyes. Just the alert stare of a confident man facing a foe.

  His face was all angles where her daughter’s was all soft curves and the promise of the woman she would soon become.

  An Apache woman. Not if she could help it. Amanda would be whatever she wanted and not be limited to one place and one clannish tribe who clung to that mountain as if it were more than just another outcropping of stone. Cold as his heart, she suspected. What did he know about Amanda, anyway? Nothing. According to his records he’d been deployed with the US Marines when his sister had been born and hadn’t been discharged until after the accident that took his mother.

  “Was that who?” she asked. But she knew. Still she made him say it.

  “Jovanna?” he said, breathing the word, just a whisper.

  Her skin prickled at the hushed intimate tone.

  “Her name is Amanda Gail Walker.”

  “Amanda?” Clyne spat the word as he threw up his hands. “I’ve never met an Apache woman named Amanda.”

  “And you won’t meet this one if I have any say in it.”

  “We are her family,” said Clyne. “Her real family.”

  “Hey, I’m just as real as the family that didn’t even know she was alive for twelve years.”

  “Nine,” he corrected. Nine years on July 4 since his mother had died in that auto accident.

  “If it were up to you all, she would have been raised in a series of group homes in South Dakota.”

  “You are not a mother. You’re a field agent.”

  “And?”

  “You have no husband, no other children.”

  “What’s your point?”

  “You are alone raising my sister and you have a very dangerous job. You were shot today! You could get killed at any moment. A good mother doesn’t put her child at that kind of risk.”

  “It’s an important job.”

  “So is motherhood,” said Clyne. “So is teaching her who she is, who her people are, where she comes from. She belongs where her tribe has lived for centuries. You move her around like she’s a canary.”

  “You finished? Because it isn’t up to you. It’s up to the judge. Until then I do my job and you keep away from my daughter.”

  “Walker!” She turned to see her boss closing in. “Outside. Now.”

  She followed him out into the hallway.

  “What was that?” asked Tully.

  “Custody battle,” she said.

  “I know all about that. What I’m asking about is why are you fighting with a tribal councilman?”

  “Perhaps I’m not the right one for this assignment,” she said, hating herself for saying it. She’d never turned down an assignment before.

  “I agree. But I need an agent up there on Black Mountain. One who is not Apache and Chief Cosen just gave me an in. So you’re it. Find out what’s going on up there. You got it? We’ve got permission for two agents on that rez. That’s never happened before. So shut your mouth and do your job.”

  “Yes, sir.” Cassidy had a thought. “Do you think the Cosens might be involved with the distribution ring?”

  “How do I know? That’s for you to find out.”

  Cassidy’s mood brightened.

  If she were up there, in his home, in his community, perhaps she could find some chink in the Cosen armor, something to make them unfit to raise a twelve-year-old child.

  But if that were so, then why in the wide world would Chief Gabe Cosen allow her up in his territory?

  She had a terrible thought. What if the Cosen brothers wanted her up there, away from the protection of other agents, so that something bad could happen to her? That would remove her from the equation when it came to the custody of her daughter.

  Cassidy drew in a breath and faced her boss. It was a gamble. But it was the only way she could see to keep Amanda without putting her daughter in the position to choose.

  A twelve-year-old should not have to choose between her mother and her brothers. It wasn’t fair to ask a child to make such a choice. But Amanda would have to, if it came down to that.

  Cassidy squared her shoulders as if she were still at attention in lineup. Then she met the analytical gaze of Donald Tully.

  “If I do this, will you put in that recommendation for my transfer to DC?” she asked.

  Tully’s mouth went tight, but the glimmer in his eyes showed he knew she had won. “You know we do some good work here, too.”

  “Answer the question.”

  “Yes, damn it. I will.”

 
“All right. I’ll do it.”

  * * *

  HIS BROTHER ANSWERED on the first ring.

  “I got her!” he said, his voice full of jubilation.

  “You sure?” asked his brother, Johnny.

  “Gray Volvo station wagon, right?”

  “That’s what I said.”

  Johnny had tailed her the day she’d shown up in court to testify on a big case. She’d lost the tail easily but now they knew the make and model of her personal vehicle.

  “She heading to the hospital?” Johnny asked.

  “Don’t know,” he said.

  “Damned, I hit her dead center. Should have knocked her down, at least. Then I would have had another shot,” said Johnny.

  “We need to get that tungsten ammo.”

  “We don’t. Common caliber will get the job done.”

  “If it’s a head shot.”

  “It was a head shot,” said Johnny. “She moved. Jumped on him.”

  “What about a bigger caliber or a hollow point?”

  “We buy that and we might as well wave a red flag in front of the Feds’ eyes. No reason to buy that ammo but one.”

  “No guts, no glory,” he said, using Johnny’s favorite expression.

  “Hey, I’m all about hitting the target. Just don’t want a spot next to Brett’s.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “In the cemetery, stupid,” said Johnny.

  “Right,” he said. Johnny was always the smart one. “She’s heading for the interstate.”

  “Heading home, maybe. That’d be a break. Get her address if you can,” said Johnny.

  “Sure. Sure.”

  “Hey, kid? Finding her car? Ya done good.”

  He basked in the praise. Truth was, he didn’t mind a cell next to Johnny’s. Just so long as he took care of business first.

  Chapter Four

  Seemed you only needed to get shot to get the rest of the day off. Cassidy’s boss sent her to the hospital. But she didn’t go. Instead, she went home to her daughter. The drive from Tucson to Phoenix took three hours, but it didn’t matter. She made it in time for supper.

  She arrived with pizza and found Diane waiting with the table set. Amanda bounded off the couch and accepted a kiss and then the boxes, which she carried to the kitchen dinette.

  Gerard’s mother retrieved the milk from the refrigerator for Amanda and then took her seat. Diane had many good qualities. Cooking was not one of them. But she was the only other family Amanda had. Cassidy gritted her teeth at the lie. The only family that Cassidy wanted her to have. Was that selfish?

  “Finally,” said Diane. “I’m starving.”

  Diane was sixty-three, black and didn’t look a day over fifty. She had taken an early retirement from UPS five years ago when her only son had been killed in action. Her skin was a lighter brown than her son’s had been and she chose to straighten her hair, instead of leaving it natural, as Gerard had.

  When Cassidy had transferred from California to Arizona, Diane had joined them. Her decision to help raise Amanda had allowed Cassidy to take Amanda out of the school keeper’s programs and allowed Cassidy to move into fieldwork, which she truly loved.

  Cassidy excused herself to change. Using a mirror, she checked the sight of the impact and noted the purplish bruise that spread across her back. She took four ibuprofens and slipped into a button-up blouse because it hurt too much to lift her arms over her head. Then she rejoined her mother-in-law and daughter.

  After dinner it was past nine on a school night. Amanda headed off to bed. Cassidy joined her, sitting on the foot of the twin bed, trying not to look at the photo of her husband on his second deployment that rested on Amanda’s nightstand.

  “You’re leaving again, aren’t you?” said Amanda.

  Cassidy stroked her daughter’s glossy black hair away from her face. Clyne’s hair had been just this color. Gabe and Kino kept their hair so short it was hard to compare and she had yet to meet Clay, the middle brother.

  “Yes, doodlebug. I have to pack tonight. I’ll be gone before you get up.”

  “We have another game on Wednesday.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Where?” Her daughter knew that her mother couldn’t say much about her assignments. But this time, somehow, it seemed important that she know.

  “Black Mountain.”

  “On the reservation?” Her daughter’s voice now rose with excitement. “Oh, Mom. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Because she tried to keep her daughter away from the people who were attempting to take Amanda away from her.

  “Can I come?”

  “Of course you can’t come.”

  Her daughter continued on and Cassidy wished she had not mentioned the location of her assignment.

  “Are you going to Pinyon Fort? Will you see the museum? There are two hotels on Black Mountain, the ski resort and the casino. Where will you stay?”

  It was like watching a train pick up speed and having no way to slow it down.

  Ever since Cassidy had told her daughter that she was not really Sioux, as they had been told, but Apache, Amanda had been Googling the Black Mountain tribe’s website and studying Apache history.

  “I’m not sure yet.” Cassidy pressed a hand to her forehead.

  “You have to tell me everything, what it’s like. They had snow there today. I checked. I haven’t seen snow since we left South Dakota. I wish I could come, too.”

  Cassidy stroked her daughter’s head and forced a smile.

  “Maybe next time.”

  “Will you see them?”

  “Yes.”

  Amanda’s eyes widened. “Oh, I want to go!”

  “I know.”

  “What if the judge says I have to go with them? Wouldn’t it be better if I had at least met them?”

  Cassidy’s heart ached at the possibility of losing her daughter.

  “They can’t take you for long. Even if the judge overturns my custody, you remember what I told you?”

  “I’m twelve.”

  Cassidy nodded.

  Amanda recited by memory. “Twelve-year-olds can request to be adopted away from their tribe.”

  “That’s right.”

  Amanda frowned. Ever since they’d discovered who she really was and that she had another family out there, Amanda had been increasingly unhappy. Of course the opening of her adoption and the challenge for custody upset her. Why wouldn’t it?

  “They can’t win,” said Cassidy. “Because you are old enough to choose.”

  Amanda moved her legs restlessly under the covers and seemed to want to say something.

  Cassidy waited.

  “Can you at least take a picture of them?”

  “What? Why?”

  “So I can see if they look like me?”

  How she wished she could go back to the time when they both thought she had no one but her mom and dad and Grandma Diane. When there was no one else.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” said Cassidy.

  “Please?” asked Amanda.

  Cassidy tucked the covers back in place. “I have to go pack and you have to go to sleep. Good night, sweetheart.”

  Amanda kissed her mother and then flopped to her side. She said nothing more as Cassidy walked to the bedroom door and waited.

  She was about to give up when Amanda flopped back to face her.

  “Be careful up there, Mom.”

  “I will. I love you.”

  “You, too.”

  Cassidy closed the door and headed to her bedroom to pack. She was good at packing. A tour of duty with the US Army had taught her that. And also how to fly helicopters. She’d put
in for a transfer from her first assignment with the FBI after Gerard died because she couldn’t stand to live in the home they had chosen together. They’d ended up in Southern California.

  After she had finished in her room, she carried her suitcase, briefcase and duffel down to the hallway. She told Diane all she could about where she was going. But she didn’t tell her that after this assignment she would finally get her transfer. Would Diane come with them or would it be just the two of them again?

  She didn’t know. What she did know was she needed the custody decision so that Amanda could tell the judge she wanted to be adopted again by her mother. Then she needed to get away from this part of the country. As far as possible from the Apache tribe. Until then, she was keeping her daughter away from the Cosen brothers.

  * * *

  “SO YOU WON’T change your mind?” Clyne asked Gabe.

  “Do you know how many officers I have?”

  Clyne did, of course. Twelve officers for twenty-six hundred square miles. Only it was eleven since he’d lost a man in January.

  “I need help, Clyne. Not just on processing evidence in the Arizona crime labs. I need investigators. Because if you think this is over with you are mistaken. All we did was slow them down. They’ll be back and I don’t want my guys killed in gun battles with Mexican cartel killers.”

  Clyne did not want that, either.

  “But why her?” He meant Agent Walker.

  “Do you know anything about her?”

  “All I need to know.”

  “That’s bull. She’s highly qualified and she knows what she is doing. She knows all the players. You have to trust me on this.”

  Clyne tried for humor. “She’s a real company man, huh? She probably wears that FBI T-shirt to bed.”

  That gave him a strong image of pale legs peeking out from beneath a navy blue T-shirt that ended right below her slender hips.

  Clyne growled. He stood with his four brothers, all now wrapped in blankets and perched as close to the fire as possible as their uncle Luke added the stones to the fire. The stones were among the Great Spirit’s creations and so had a life force and power like all things in nature. Luke would be tending the fire and passing the hot stones into their wikiup for the ceremony of purification. Their uncle was the only one dressed appropriately for the chilly night air, warm enough to unzip his parka and remove his gloves.