Countdown (18 page)

EIGHTEEN

“S
tand down,” the man yelled.

James blinked. He wasn't either of the men that had been chasing them. “Are you security?”

“NSA,” the man answered.

“James,” Rachel said, “it's the man who took Cynthia to the hospital.”

The man lowered his weapon. “I'm Agent Thorne. You're James and Rachel?”

James exhaled and reached a hand out to Rachel. “You okay?”

She nodded and took his hand to get up.

“Derrick woke from ICU,” Thorne explained. “He had a visual on the man who ran him off the road. We got your text from Cynthia right after we were able to figure out the mole and find any other compromised agents.” Just past his shoulder he saw other agents reading the cuffed gunmen their rights. Next to them stood a gathering group of men in camouflage, likely air force security.

“Derrick wants to know if you can shut down the launch.”

James exhaled. “Give me two more minutes.” He turned to the keyboard and continued to type, overriding commands until “Launch Failure” appeared on the screen. He stepped away, shoulders sagging in relief.

Rachel placed a hand on his shoulder. “You did it,” she whispered.

“I'm sorry to do this, but I need to ask you both questions separately while we secure the rest of the building,” Agent Thorne said.

“And I'll be glad to...after I see Brian Holland in cuffs.” James stood his ground.

Thorne put his hands on his waist, mulling it over. “I think I can help with you that.”

James reached for Rachel.

“I'm afraid she needs to stay here,” Thorne interjected.

Rachel smiled. “Go ahead, James. I'll be fine.”

He followed Thorne and another agent to the elevator.

“We found Holland had wired money to the Caymans,” Thorne explained. “We've traced it back to a terrorist group. We also discovered a falsified passport and airline ticket to France, and an apartment set up in Andorra where there's no extradition treaty.”

In other words, they didn't know the whole story. Approaching the top floor, James shared with Thorne what Holland had admitted about ordering a hit on Nikki. “Make sure Derrick knows.”

Thorne crossed his arms over his chest, his expression somber. “I understood your wife was once part of the NSA family. You can be assured she'll get justice.” Thorne pointed to a window where they could see straight into the launch observation room. “Wait here.”

James crossed his arms over his chest and braced himself. He could see Brian's smug face as he sat with the other executives. Agent Thorne took a guard and walked into the room. Thorne pointed at Brian and the guard moved in front of him. As Brian held his hands up and turned around, his eyes met James's. Brian's eyes widened with awareness as he was handcuffed.

James exhaled. For the first time in weeks...no, years, he felt peace.

Thorne returned and escorted James to a room to give his statement. An hour later, when they were finally done, James leaned back in his chair. “Where's Rachel?”

Thorne checked his phone. “We released her. Last I heard she asked to lie down in the van while she waited for you.”

As James made his way back down to the ground floor, he called his mom, dad and David. After assurances they were safe and unharmed, Mom explained what happened on her end. “I'm so glad Rachel contacted your dad. He called that FBI agent I had set an appointment up with. They surrounded the beach house and took out those creeps before I could blink. Now you boys can't get in any more danger because I'm out of favors to call in.”

“That's great, Mom, but why were you at the beach house? That wasn't the plan.”

“We left town as promised but right ahead of us on the highway were two guys in suits, hightailing it out of town. They were driving a government-issued black sedan. We figured the threat had passed. Believe me, I didn't think there was another set of them or we'd never have returned.”

James closed his eyes, unbelievably thankful that everyone was safe.

“I've heard from Luke. The boys are fine,” his mom said. She passed on their location. James couldn't wait to see the boys again and finally be able to tell them with certainty that they were safe.

He said his goodbyes and approached the van. But there was no sign of Rachel. He peeked in the passenger window and found the passenger seat fully reclined. She was fast asleep and more beautiful than ever.

Sleep had been nonexistent for both of them the past few days. And while he finally felt peace, his body still hummed with adrenaline. Rachel deserved to sleep. He just hoped she wouldn't mind one side trip to pick up the boys.

* * *

Rachel stretched and yawned and realized she was in a moving car, in the dark. She tried to sit up and strained against a seat belt.

James chuckled. “Sleep well?”

She flicked the lever and sat up. “How long have I been asleep?”

“A few hours. You didn't so much as twitch.”

“I don't remember ever being so exhausted in my life.” She rubbed her eyes and noted they were on a freeway filled with lights. “Is everything okay?”

He smiled. “Better than okay.”

Rachel bit her lip. Had she dreamed he'd said she was a woman he loved? She fidgeted, not sure how to bring it up. “Um, where are we?”

“Ten minutes away from our stop.”

He was grinning from ear to ear. She'd never seen him like this, excited and secretive.

“Which is?” she pressed.

“Rachel, you had your receptionist clear your schedule this week, right?”

She felt her eyebrows raise but said nothing.

“I was wondering if you could take a couple days off while I pick up the boys.”

Her mouth dropped. “It's going to take that long to reach them?”

“No, it's going to take that long to enjoy some time off with them. I was thinking about how you and I never take vacations. They happen to be somewhere pretty fun. Have you ever been to Disneyland?”

She gasped. She couldn't help it.

James laughed. “I'll get you your own room. I'll even buy you clothes in the Disney Store.”

The reality hit her. She didn't want to owe James anything. “I couldn't let you do that,” Rachel said.

His face sobered. “I could never repay you for what you've done for the boys, what you've done for me. Please let me do this little thing.” He shrugged. “Besides, I was just given a promotion and a raise.”

“Oh?”

“Apparently someone needed to take Brian Holland's job immediately. I said only if I got a couple weeks off first.”

Rachel laughed. “Oh, well, if you put it that way. Okay.”

She couldn't help but stare at his profile. The city lights flashed past his face. Should she bring up what he'd said in the server room? It'd be too awkward if he'd said it accidentally. Rachel sighed. Well, it could wait until after Disneyland...one of the top three places she'd wanted to visit someday.

James parked and hustled her to the gates of Disneyland. Thankfully, her feet had been elevated the entire time on the drive, so her ankle felt significantly better. Still, he held his arm out for support.

“It's so dark. Do you know where the boys are?”

“Yes. Luke and I picked a meeting spot,” he answered. “I think we barely made it just in time.” He paid for the tickets, and she walked into Disneyland for the first time.

The street lanterns in the courtyard dimmed and music streamed through the speakers lined all around the park. Kids squealed, parents clapped, and most people sat wherever they'd been standing. Rachel and James stood on the back edge of the crowd. “How will we ever find them in this crowd? Why are they all sitting?”

“I'm not worried about that right now. The boys are in safe hands.” He grinned. “I think you need to see this.”

Shades of blue, purples and pinks illuminated the Sleeping Beauty Castle. Spotlights streamed into the sky, moving around. Shimmering sparkles shot out into the sky simultaneously from all different directions. A glowing Tinker Bell glided through the evening sky. “How'd they do that?”

Sonic booms that would normally terrify her sent shivers of delight and wonder up her spine. Light exploded above the castle in a dazzling array of shapes and colors. She grabbed James's arm instinctively and gaped in awe at the beauty and wonder of it all. “I've seen fireworks before but this...”

In her peripheral she noticed James wasn't paying attention to the show at all. He watched her. The lights in the sky reflected in his eyes. “You're missing it,” she said.

He shook his head. “I'm watching the most beautiful thing here.”

She eyed him. “You wanted to surprise me with this.”

“I had hoped you'd like it.”

In that moment she knew she hadn't dreamed his words in the server room. She reached for his hands and stepped closer. Fireworks exploded all around them, as if shimmering diamonds were falling from the sky. “As a kid I dreamed about coming here.” She shook her head. “You make it easy to forget all about my past,” she said.

“In favor of a good future?” he asked.

She blinked slowly. “Only if it's with you.”

He gently moved her hair behind her shoulders and leaned forward. Her cheeks heated as “Kiss the Girl” poured through the speakers.

“May I?” James whispered.

The moment his lips touched hers it was like...well, it was like fireworks.

EPILOGUE

T
he vibrating was so annoying. Rachel rolled over and opened her eyes. “Who is calling me on Saturday morning?”

In the six months since she'd arrived home from Disneyland, she'd taken to working weekdays only. The first time she'd limited her schedule to forty hours, she'd worried she'd have a panic attack. Instead, James and the boys had kept her busy. Now, forty hours was more than enough for her.

Last weekend, for instance, they rode on a hayride, hiked through a corn maze and painted pumpkins. They'd taught her how to play, how to have fun.

She peeked at the phone.

Where are you?

She couldn't help but smile. James was a morning person. It simultaneously drove her crazy and amused her. She texted back.

At home, about to get started on my long To Do list.

It vibrated immediately.

You were sleeping in, weren't you?

She cracked up. She knew he'd see right through her.

I wanted to throw a pebble at your window. Will this work instead?

She frowned. Why would he want to throw a pebble? To get her attention? She kicked off her covers and shuffled to the bedroom window. Pulling back the curtains, she looked down.

The red, orange and yellow leaves had been raked in their adjoining yards to spell
Marry Me?

James stood at the end of the piles wearing a suit, holding a phone.

Rachel put a hand over her mouth. She squealed, darted into the bathroom, brushed her teeth and ran a comb through her hair. It was a good thing that man knew she got ready fast. She launched down the stairs and flung open the front door.

She almost ran into James, on his knee, on her patio. He held an open, black ring box with a sparkling diamond inside. “Rachel Cooper, would you—”

“Yes!” she blurted. She put a hand over her mouth and laughed. She waved at the yard. “Sorry. I thought you'd already asked.”

He jumped up, a giant smile spread on his face. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him close. His hands tightened around her waist as he kissed her.

She looked up at the beautiful display in her yard. “I didn't think we had this many leaves between both yards.”

James gestured behind him. Every yard in the entire cul-de-sac was void of leaves. “No one minded letting me rake for them.”

Two giant leaf piles closer to the oak tree shifted. The boys burst up through them. “Surprise!”

James laughed, but didn't release his hold on her, and she hoped he never did. “Good job, guys.”

“She gonna marry us, huh, Dad,” Ethan said. Both boys were nodding, and even though it didn't sound like a question, they were waiting for an answer.

Rachel released her arms from James and waved them close. They ran for her and barreled into her waiting arms. James helped lift them up until they were all huddled in a group hug.

The boys kissed her cheeks and she laughed, staring right into her future husband's loving eyes.

“You were right,” she said. “God does set the lonely in families.”

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from
SEARCH AND RESCUE
by Valerie Hansen

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Dear Reader,

It was early spring with unseasonably warm temperatures. I opened the windows for some fresh air but left the blinds down as I cleaned the house. Usually I put in earphones and crank up the tunes as I clean. It only took an hour to forget that the construction crew across the street could hear everything, including my singing. The embarrassment was enough to make me wonder how much neighbors know about each other just from close proximity. This sparked the idea of James and Rachel.

I love writing about the McGuire brothers. I particularly enjoyed writing James. My own hunky hero, also known as my husband, works in an information technology department and helped me with the terminology. A congressional report written on the threat of an electromagnetic weapon and a desperate need for a haircut provided the rest of the ideas.

I love to hear from readers. Feel free to contact me through my website,
writingheather.com
.

Blessings,

Heather Woodhaven