by Karen Anders
Callie took a moment to really study the area. She caught glimpses of men in the jungle, but only because she was searching for them.
“The cavalry is here,” Leila said softly, “Don’t worry.”
They moved around the house, and managed to slip up behind the leaders without being detected by using one of the vehicles as cover.
“Ah, here is the Ghost’s man. When will your boss be here?” he asked jovially.
“Eduardo, he’s already here.”
Eduardo looked around. “But I do not see him, señor. Is this some kind of joke?”
“No, it’s no joke. I’m the Ghost.”
“You? What is this!”
“I’ve used the Ghost as a cover for three years, building my reputation, garnering your interest solely for the purpose of providing this large shipment for you.”
“Because you want to work for me?”
Shane laughed and Callie’s heart constricted. God, she loved him.
“No. I don’t want work for you, you fuck. My real name is Shane McMasters. You left me and five dead DEA agents to rot in the jungle.”
“You’re DEA! You son of a bitch! It is you who are the traitor.”
Just then, men came pouring out of the jungle, bristling with weapons. They were dressed in dark jackets with DEA printed in white letters on the back. They shouted for everyone to stay where they were. They were accompanied by men dressed in olive drab, toting high-powered weapons.
Fuentes turned and fled. But Shane went after him and tackled him to the ground. Unfortunately, several men pointed their guns at him. Callie aimed carefully. She and Leila opened fire.
With bullets flying, Shane held on to Fuentes and dragged him behind one of the buildings, where Callie lost sight of him. She bolted around the truck, only to come face-to-face with one of the Libertad. She never hesitated. She grabbed his rifle and slammed him in the face with it, at the same time sweeping his feet out from under him. As he went down, she used the butt of the rifle to sock him in the jaw.
He went out like a light. She dropped the rifle and sprinted after Shane and Fuentes. Gunfire cut across her path and she and Leila dived for cover behind another truck.
It looked as if the DEA and the government soldiers had Fuentes’s men and the Libertad on the run. Several of their leaders were either putting their hands up or were already dead.
But there was a pocket of resistance still left. She and Leila skirted that group and came around the building. Fuentes had escaped and hidden behind three of his guards, who were effectively pinning Shane down.
“I’ll make my way around and we’ll come at them from the side and front. I hope you’re a good shot,” Callie murmured.
“They don’t call me dead-eye for nothing,” Leila said.
Callie took off and, crouching low, got into position. Then she stood and started shooting to draw their attention away from Shane. That’s when Leila took her own shots, dropping all three guards in succession. Fuentes ran for his garage.
“He’s heading for his all-terrain,” Shane yelled, and started after him.
Leila got sidetracked by a guard. “Keep going,” she urged. Callie followed Shane. He reached the garage before she did, and she drew up short when she got inside.
Shane and Fuentes were already duking it out, and Fuentes was losing. Soon he was down, but Shane wouldn’t stop. Callie ran over and tugged on his arm, shouting at him that it was enough.
Finally he stopped, dropping back against one of the mammoth wheels of the vehicle Fuentes had been trying to access. Shane’s knuckles were bloody as he sat there, breathing heavily, trying to gain his composure.
“It’s over,” she said. “It’s finally over.”
“It’ll never be over,” Shane stated, looking up at her, his eyes filled with raw pain.
“We can make it work.”
He shook his head.
Suddenly they were overrun by DEA agents. One of them grabbed Shane’s arm and escorted him out. “Wait,” Callie said.
Another agent blocked her way. “Just who are you?”
Callie watched as Shane was put into a car and driven away. Fuentes was picked up and also taken. She shoved her way past the DEA agent and met up with Leila-and with Drew.
Her heart felt empty, completely and totally empty. Shane was gone and she was never going to see him again.
IT HAD BEEN THREE WEEKS. Three weeks since Fuentes had been arrested. She’d cried more in that time than she had in her whole life. But Callie had to pick up the pieces and go on. She lounged by a pool in a hotel in Milan, waiting for Reggie to show up with some information she needed. “Hiya, love.”
She looked up to find the Brit in swim trunks that would make a stripper blush. His skin was a deep golden-brown and his blond hair spiked-just like Jammer used to wear his hair. She felt her heart tighten, and was thankful for the sunglasses that hid her eyes. “Hi, Reggie.”
He sat down in the chaise longue next to her and ordered a mai tai. He slid his hand down her sleek leg and smiled at her. “So, what do you say to hooking up? Me and you been dancing around it for some time.”
“No, Reggie. I don’t think so.”
“Ah, still pining for that bloke?”
“Black operatives don’t pine. Just give me the information and I’ll be on my way.”
Reggie smiled and gave her what she needed to know. She closed her eyes and settled back in the chair. “Thanks, Reggie. See you around.”
“You bet, love.”
She wrapped up the rest of the mission and jumped a plane to D.C., to her apartment. Once home, she listlessly went through her mail, still hoping, still waiting for something from Shane. But there was nothing.
She flipped on the TV to the news and popped some popcorn. Settling down, she was just about to turn the channel when the anchor came on and said, “This is a breaking story. While being transferred today to a more secure facility by the DEA, Eduardo Fuentes was killed when an attempt to free him failed. The attack also left one agent dead, as well as his would-be rescuers.”
Callie sat up straighter. The information seeped in. Fuentes was dead. That meant…She could barely let herself even hope. That meant Shane was free to come back to her.
But her hope turned to disappointment when after three days she’d still heard nothing from Shane.
The morning of the fourth day, her doorbell rang and her heart jumped. She ran to answer it, but found it was only a deliveryman.
He handed her a box and had her sign the delivery slip. Shutting the door, she took the package inside and set it on her table. With her breath suspended in her lungs, she opened the box. Inside was nestled a bottle of Shane’s Craving Cherry brandy.
There was no note, no instructions, no greetings. Just the bottle. She remembered that day when they had tasted the cherries. It took her only a moment to make up her mind as to what she was going to do.
SHANE STOOD ON THE PATIO and watched the sun set on the vineyard. His vineyard. The DEA director had accepted his resignation. After Fuentes had died, there was no more reason for him to hide. No more reason for him to be anyone other than who he was.
The DEA had also been generous. Shane had been allowed to keep the vineyard and all the profits it had made as compensation for giving up three years of his life and allowing his sister, Rio, to suffer through his death. He’d even received a special commendation from the president.
He was free and clear and able to do exactly what he wanted for the first time in his life. He was missing only one thing now, one truly colossal and important thing.
“Hey, I have this bottle of cherry brandy and no one to drink it with.”
At the sound of her wonderful voice, his whole body stilled, even his heart.
He turned around to find Callie silhouetted against the night, bathed in the light from the kitchen like an angel. His angel.
“I hear it’s quite good,” she said softly, her voice breaking.
She se
t the bottle down on the kitchen table. He wasn’t sure how he got to her. Only that he was in her arms as they both dissolved to the patio floor from the sheer emotion of seeing each other again.
They spoke between kisses.
“I waited for you…”
“Wasn’t sure you wanted to see me…”
“I love you…Shane.”
“It’ll take a while getting used to my real name, but now we’ll have the time and the freedom to explore each other to the fullest. I love you, Callie.”
“Then everything else can be worked out.”
Epilogue
“THEY’RE HERE,” Callie said as she put the finishing touches on the hors d’oeuvres. Shane was teaching her to cook and it was quite wonderful to discover other pleasures of the body besides what she and Shane did in the bedroom.
“I think I might need a bulletproof vest. The last time your brother-in-law met me he clocked me but good.”
“I think you should let me do the talking.”
Callie walked to the front door with Shane at her side. When she opened the door, Allie and Drew stood there.
“Hi, sis,” her twin said as she embraced Callie. Then she looked at Shane. “Is it true, you are really a DEA agent?”
Shane took Allie’s hand in his. “It’s true. I’m sorry for what I put you and Drew through when we met. It was part of my job to stay deep undercover.”
“You protected us and you destroyed the man who tried to kill my sister. I have no complaints.” She reached up and embraced him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
“Well, I’m not going to kiss his cheek,” Drew said, then stuck out his hand. “But I’m not going to sock you, either. Welcome to this crazy family.” He broke out in a fit of laughter.
Allie, looking perplexed, slapped him on the back. “What’s so funny?” she asked as Callie ushered them both into the house.
“Wait until Max finds out. He thought it was bad enough having a black ops guy in the family. Now we have the notorious Ghost.”
“See?” Shane said. “I told you I need a bulletproof vest.”
“Oh, stop it,” Callie retorted, biting her bottom lip. Her brother had better not be difficult.
They were each enjoying a glass of wine and hors d’oeuvres on the patio when the doorbell rang again.
Shane stiffened. “How am I going to face her?”
Callie cupped his face and met his eyes. “She’s going to be so happy to see you. You’re alive, that’s all that’s going to matter to her. Now let’s go.”
This time Shane opened the door. A beautiful, tanned woman stood there with Callie’s tall, dark and handsome brother, Max, who was also very tanned.
“Oh God, Shane.” Tears gathered, spilled over and ran down her cheeks. “It’s really you. They told me everything, but I could scarcely believe it.” She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. “I missed you so much. I’m so happy to have you back.”
“You aren’t mad about what I had to do? Pretending to be dead?”
“No. I came to the conclusion that it was you I saw in that compound. I didn’t know why you were there. I was after Fuentes myself and dragged Max into it. I wasn’t going to let the man who murdered my brother get away with it. I just knew that it was you I had seen, but that bastard Stanford lied to my face. Though I understand why he did it. It was to protect you. Oh God, I’m babbling. Let me introduce you to Max.”
Without a word Max walked up to Shane and punched him in the jaw. Shane stumbled back as Callie and Rio yelled in unison, “Max.”
Once again Shane held up his hand. “No. I deserved that, too. Have it out of your system now, Carpenter?”
Max extended his hand just as Drew came into the room, saying, “Dammit, Allie, we missed it.”
“Well, you were the one who kissed me first, Drew.”
Callie felt tears build in her eyes as Shane shook her brother’s hand.
“I also have to thank you for keeping the three women I love more than my own life as safe as you could manage,” Max mumbled. “I cannot believe you were a DEA agent on our side the whole time.”
Drew laughed and slapped Max on the back. “We’re just one happy undercover family.”
Shane nodded. He turned to Callie. “There’s no need for secrets anymore. Callie, I love you more than anything in this world. Will you marry me?”
She stood there stunned. “Yes,” she said. “Yes!” she repeated, and threw herself into his arms.
They stared into each other’s eyes as Drew, Allie, Max and Rio drifted away.
“I loved you the moment I saw you in your crazy Gina Callahan persona, but I always knew who you were beneath.”
“It was deliciously dangerous to love a man on the wrong side of the law, but I’m so happy with the way things turned out. I’m leaving Watchdog to become a lawyer.”
“Watch out, criminal justice system!” He laughed as he pulled her against him, and they walked back to the patio and their family.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Karen Anders is a three-time National Readers’ Choice Award finalist and RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice finalist, and has won the prestigious Holt Medallion. Two of her novels made the Waldenbooks bestseller list in 2003. Published since 1997, she currently writes sexy action/adventure romance for the Harlequin Blaze line. To contact the author please write to her in care of Harlequin Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada, or visit www.karenanders.com.
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