by Marta Perry
“That’ll do.”
“Quinn’s got some painful bruised ribs, but he’s otherwise okay. Colleen has a concussion, along with some assorted bruises. We’re keeping her here overnight for observation, but she should be fine.”
“And Jay?” His heart clenched. He’d been holding the boy in his arms when the rescuers broke through, knowing how Juli had felt when she’d held that dying child.
The anxiety must have shown in his voice, because Adam put his hand on Ken’s shoulder. “Poor kid took quite a beating, between those thugs and the explosion, but he’s going to be all right. He’s been admitted. His father is with him now, and the rescue worker who found you—Julianna. You can go up later and see him if you want.”
Juli. He slid off the table. “Later nothing. I’m going now.”
“You’ll have to get past all the people who want to talk to you first,” Adam warned.
“I will. Thanks, Adam.”
But when he reached the hallway, he saw it wasn’t going to be as easy as that. He could hardly brush past his mother, or his sister or brother. And when he finally finished reassuring them and drying his mother’s tears, Sam Vance and his partner were lying in wait for him.
“Listen, Sam.” He stepped out of the way of an impromptu prayer service Pastor Gabriel seemed to be holding. “I can’t tell you anything you don’t already know. Give me a break, will you? I need to find someone.”
Sam looked as if he knew who that someone was. “Believe it or not, we don’t really need you. Your friend Jay is a pretty brave kid. I’d try and get him to the police academy if his heart didn’t belong to the Air Force. He’s told us all about it, and we’ve already picked up Theo Crale.”
“Has he told you yet who hired him?”
“He’s denying everything at the moment, but it’s early yet. We’ll get him.” Sam grabbed his shoulder, hard enough to make him wince. “Congratulations on not being dead yet, cousin. I think you’ll find Julianna up on the second floor.”
“Thanks.” He saw someone carrying a camera round the corner and sprinted for the elevator, shutting the doors in the reporter’s avid face.
Juli. He had to see Juli. Had to be sure she was all right.
And had he imagined it, or had he lain in the darkness with a ton of rubble over him and heard her say she loved him?
The doors swished open on the second floor. He started down the hallway, glancing at the penciled name placards on doors as he went.
Colleen Montgomery. The door swung open as he passed. He had a quick glance at a white hospital bed, a motionless figure, blond hair spilling across the pillow, a rose next to her making a bright spot of red.
He looked curiously at the tall figure striding away. What had Alessandro Donato been doing in Colleen’s room?
Then he saw Juli come out of a room across the hall, and every other thought left his mind. He reached out, as he had in the darkness, and clasped her hand.
“You’re here.” Stupid, but it was all he could think of to say.
“I’m here.” A flush warmed her cheeks. She gestured toward the door. “Jay is in there. He insisted I bring Angel up so he could thank her, so I smuggled her in. I’m sure you want to see him.”
He didn’t release her hand. “I do. But I want to see you first.”
The flush deepened. “You’re seeing me.”
A sound of laughter spilled out of one of the rooms. “Alone.” He tugged at her hand, leading her down the hall until he spotted an empty room. “Here.”
Once inside, he shoved the door closed. He wanted to put his arms around her, but he couldn’t. Not until he knew for sure.
“Was I imagining it?”
“What?” Her face was a luminous oval in the soft glow of a bedside reading light.
“When you found us. When you told me the rest of the blessing. You said you loved me.”
Her face went still. “I had to say it. Even if it embarrassed you, the way it did before. You don’t have to say anything—”
He pulled her against him, his arms going around her while his heart overflowed with gratitude. “Not say anything? How could I not? I thought I’d lost you with my stupidity.”
“You’re not—”
He put his fingers over her lips. “Stupid. I thought the only thing that was important in life was flying. I thought it was the only thing I’d ever be good at, and that if I couldn’t do that, I was nothing.”
Her eyes clouded. “The medical exam?”
“I didn’t pass. I’m being assigned to Peterson, to do training.”
All of a sudden that didn’t sound as bad as he’d thought. He’d been a positive influence on Jay. Maybe he could be the same for a new generation of pilots.
“I’m sorry. So sorry.”
He shook his head. “Don’t be. I know now that God has other things for me to do. Good things.” He moved his hands on her arms. “Things that I hope include you, if you can stand the idea.”
Her smile came through then, trembling on the verge of tears. “Stand it? I think I’ve been dreaming of that since I was fifteen, and I didn’t even realize it until you came back and took my heart again.”
“I couldn’t take what you weren’t ready to give, could I?”
A tear spilled over, glistening on her cheek. “When Angel and I went in, looking for you, I knew that God had put us there for just that purpose. Whatever happens in the future, we did what He had planned for us.”
He pressed his cheek against hers. “I love you, Juli. I know we’ve both got some things to deal with, and I’m not sure what the future holds, whether I’ll stick with the Air Force or look into something else. But there’s one thing I’m sure of. I love you. I want a life with you.”
“That’s good.” Her arms went around him then. “Because I’m not letting you go.”
His lips found hers then, in a kiss that held all there was of his heart.
When they finally drew an inch apart, he laid his cheek against hers. “You know, I’d like to change a little bit of that blessing you said for me.”
She smiled, her cheek moving against his. “I’m not sure you ought to tamper with ancient Pueblo blessings.”
“Just a little.” He kissed her lightly and twined his fingers through hers. “‘Hold on to life, even when it is easier letting go. Hold on to my hand, and never go away from me.’”
She looked at him gravely, and all of her courageous heart was in that look. “I will hold on. I promise. Always.”
EPILOGUE
“They should be dead.” He raged across the dim cavern and back again, his stride that of an angry panther balked of its prey. “Why aren’t they dead?” He swung on her. “You told me they’d be dead.”
She would not let him see fear. “The bomb was your idea. Apparently your experts underestimated the strength of the building. And that idiot, O’Brien, underestimated the brains of his hireling.”
“O’Brien.” His anger veered away from her. “The man has disappointed me once too often.”
It didn’t pay to relax. Keep his attention focused on O’Brien, so that he wouldn’t think about her. About what she was doing, thinking, planning.
“O’Brien called me. He wants out. He’s desperate, afraid Crale will name him. He wants money from you to disappear.”
“It’s time for him to disappear.” Escalante smiled thinly. “But not in the way he imagines. Kill him. And while you’re at it, frame that nosy reporter, Colleen Montgomery.”
“It won’t be easy. Or cheap.”
“Do it,” he snarled. “That should keep all of them preoccupied for the time being. Then I will reclaim what is mine.”
His eyes shone like a feral cat’s. Even she, who feared nothing, took a step back.
“I will reclaim what is mine,” he repeated. “And my enemies will perish. All of them.”
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
In the story’s opening, Kenneth Vance seems impatient with God, his family and hi
s friends over the injury that affects his vision. Have you ever found yourself arguing with God over the things that have happened to you? Is it possible to push away the very people who want to help and support you?
Ken remembers Julianna Red Feather as being ashamed of her Native American heritage as a teenager, while as an adult, she exhibits pride in that heritage. Do you remember the desperate need to fit in as a teenager? Are there things you now remember with embarrassment about your efforts to be like everyone else?
Ken wants to return to flying so much that he can’t see anything else he can do with his life, but God has some surprises in store for him. Has God ever answered your prayers in a surprising way? Can you think of examples from the Bible of times when God has acted in a way that surprised our human understanding?
The expansion of the hospital gives rise to opposition from residents who feel they are being displaced by it. How can a community balance the needs of the whole community versus those of a small minority? What might have been done to prevent the situation in Colorado Springs from deteriorating into vandalism?
Even though he tries to push them away, Kenneth has the support of his extended family and of his family’s friends, people who have been close to each other for generations. Do you have a base of friends nearby that you’ve known for a long time? If not, what do you have to do to establish such a support group when you arrive in a new place? How can the church provide support to newcomers in its midst?
Julianna’s work with the Urban Search and Rescue Group is very important to her, and Urban Search and Rescue has become much more visible in recent years as we’ve seen their work in disaster areas. What impressed you about the dedication of the volunteers who work with Julianna? Did you learn anything new about their work through this story?
Julianna is reluctant to introduce Ken to her family and tribe. Why do you think that is? Have you ever been exposed to misunderstanding or even ridicule because of the traditions of your family or ethnic group? How do you think you’d react if you were?
When someone stalks Julianna through the unfinished building, she cries out to God in fragments of prayers. Does God hear and understand those prayers that we can’t fully verbalize? When might you pray that way?
It takes a crisis to make Ken see that some things are more important than his own vision of what his future should be. Have you ever experienced a shift in insight through a crisis or emergency? Describe how that made you feel.
Julianna and Ken come out of their experiences with a stronger sense of who they are and with the assurance that they have been brought together by God. Do you believe God has a hand in finding the love of your life? Why or why not? In what ways can we follow God’s leading in that important decision?
ISBN: 978-1-4268-4918-3
IN THE ENEMY’S SIGHTS
Copyright © 2006 by Harlequin Books S.A.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.
® and TM are trademarks of Steeple Hill Books, used under license. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.SteepleHill.com
*Hometown Heroes
**The Flanagans
**The Flanagans
*Hometown Heroes
*Hometown Heroes
†Caldwell Kin
†Caldwell Kin
†Caldwell Kin
†Caldwell Kin
**The Flanagans
**The Flanagans
