Heart Lies & Alibis (39 page)

Amberly turned to look at him, her mouth agape, and her eyes the size of saucers. Before she could respond, in words or in action, the front and back doors exploded simultaneously. Men in black tactical gear breached the room, brandishing semi-automatic weapons and angry attitudes while yelling, "Get Down!" over and over. Davis was right behind the first few men, his weapon already drawn and leveled at Amberly. He glanced just a moment at the crumpled body of his partner before turning all attention on her assailant.

"Weapons down!! Now!!" Three of the men roared from various places in the room. "Hands up! Move!" Everyone heard the order but Amberly. Time stopped as I watched in horror as the next moments unfolded.

It was as if she had lost the ability to hear them or was unable to comprehend what they were saying, because Amberly raised her gun slightly instead of surrendering. And I wanted to scream at her to listen. I wanted her punished for what she had done to my life but not like this. She looked wild eyed and so scared Davis yelled again. "Weapons down. Now. Final warning or I will shoot you!" His gun never wavered and the rest of the officers were at his back.

But his order only seemed to confuse her more because she lifted the gun higher and Davis fired once, hitting her point blank in the chest. She crumpled to the ground, the gun falling from her hand, her eyes locked open in death. She had given everything she had to Ortiz and it hadn't been enough to save her in the end.

Ortiz's men dropped their weapons when they realized very quickly they were outmanned and outgunned. Malachy was the last to drop his weapon, the switchblade clanging as it hit the table. Ortiz simply sat as he had all along, calm and collected, without the slightest hint he was concerned with where his future was now headed.

I slumped with relief against the wall, cradling my injured ribs and looking across to Declan for the first time in what felt like an eternity. He gave me a slight smile as he too sank against the wall. I smiled back. Our nightmare was finally over and we had survived. I was going to let fate handle whatever happened next.

EPILOGUE

Punta Uva, Costa Rica

I walked the stretch of beach in front of our small bungalow just as the sun broke in the dawn. It had become my morning habit over the six months we had been in Costa Rica. It was my time to think and breathe but mostly to remember. So much has happened in such a short time and so much had changed in my life, I sometimes still feel at a loss trying to make sense of it all. I wondered if that understanding would ever happen.

Ortiz and his men had been arrested that day at the house in Port Isabel, as had Malachy. I still could see all their faces as they were cuffed and led from the room. For the first time in the few days since I had known him, Emiliano Ortiz looked angry and at a loss for words. This was not the ending he could have ever imagined would happen and his loss of control was devastating to him. It made me smile thinking about how much he would suffer.

As Malachy passed between where Declan and I leaned against the wall, he stopped. He looked at me first and then turned his eyes back to Declan. "This isn't over Mikey. I will get out of prison and I will find you," he turned his head and looked at me again before turning his gaze back to Declan, "and of course your lady love too. You and I will finish what we started here today and you will die. That is a promise I make you right now." The officer nudged him forward before we could respond. We never saw Malachy again.

But the threat hung over us the next few weeks while we tried to clean up the mess our lives had become in such a short time. I spoke at length with the DEA, giving them full access to Thad's records and files. Our law partners had been as in the dark about everything as I had. I think they may have felt more betrayed by their friend than I had by my husband. Eventually, I sold them mine and Thad's share of the firm. I wasn't sure I would ever practice law again. It no longer had the same appeal to me.

My house was decimated by the gunfight and once all the repairs were made, it took me a long time to sell it. Finally after a few months, an up and coming rock band wanted to buy it with the proceeds from their first album. It was well-known what had happened there and they thought all the events there were 'cool' and good fodder for their next album. I'm sure my neighbors were not as excited at the prospect of their new neighbors though. It made Declan and I laugh thinking about it and I honestly didn't care anymore. The life I had once known in Houston was a distant memory and I was glad to be done it and with the home I had shared with Thad. It was time to put those memories in a box and to create a new future. I was ready.

Declan decided he would take his chances outside the protection of WITSEC after everything was done. Now that Malachy and Paddy knew where he was and who he was, he knew they couldn't really protect him anymore even with a new identity. In the end, he chose to keep the name Declan O'Shea, letting Michael Donnelly be buried next to Bobbi Jo Callahan in the past where they belonged. He decided to go back to using his Boston accent, however, and I liked that choice a great deal. Although every once in a while, the Irish rogue I had met on that fateful night would still appear and I liked that even more.

When I was cleared of all charges for Thad's murder and we had given all the help we could to the local authorities and the DEA in their cases against Malachy and the Lazcano Cartel, we realized it was time for us to say goodbye to Texas. Though it looked like Malachy was going to prison, we knew he still had the ability to exact retribution on us and would take every chance he had to do it. The District Attorney warned us Malachy was going to be released on bail soon in spite of their best efforts to keep him in prison and Declan and I knew he couldn't wait to act on the threats he made the last time we saw each other. The authorities offered us all the protection they could but we were tired of living by someone else's rules and declined. They wished us luck but I knew they thought we would end up dead without them.

One night Declan and I were talking about our future together over a few too many margaritas. We decided to let fate guide us for the next step of our journey because at this point we knew we had nothing to lose. Thad had collected maps over the years and had a number of them framed on the walls of the den. Declan took a dart and threw it towards a map of South America. The tip of the dart landed near the tiny town of Punta Uva, Costa Rica. We agreed that it seemed like as good a place as any to start our new life together. After all we had been through, anything seemed better than Houston right now.

Saying good-bye to Grace and her family was one of the hardest things I had to do in a life already filled with a lot of pain and loss. Grace and Carter understood why we needed to go but watching their faces fade in our rearview mirror as we drove away put a deep hole in my heart I know will never be filled. Someday I hope to see them again. Someday I hope for a lot of things to happen that might never happen. But I hold on to my memories of them and for now that is enough.

And so here we are living in our own small piece of paradise, which is a far cry from where we first met yet oddly fitting for how our life together has been. The front yard of our small house overlooks the Caribbean, we have white sand spilling onto our veranda and the sun rarely stops shining. I feel a peace in this place I haven't known for most of my life and when I look out at the waves crashing into the shore, I feel like I have found home for the first time. These walks I take every morning have given me the time and space to understand my life as it is now, the person I have become and I savor every moment of them. I turn around near a grove of palms that mark the end of our stretch of beach and head back to the house. As I get closer, I can see Declan standing on the porch, waiting for me with a cup of coffee and I smile. This is our daily routine and I love it. I shiver a bit because just seeing him still makes me feel alive in ways I never imagined I would know and I hope the feeling lasts forever. He has changed my world and I will forever be grateful to him for coming into my life.

I'm not sure what our future holds because of the danger we still face or where we will eventually end up when or if things ever calm down but I know without a doubt, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but right here. Maybe 'Happily-Ever-After' isn't such a bad thing to want out of life after all. And with Declan, it finally feels possible.