Invisibility Cloak (37 page)

Sophia, Mimi and the general all gasped.

Footsteps crunched on the dry earth and stopped.

“What―?” she gasped and blinked a few times.

“Ah, I don’t think you’ll need a new car.” A deep voice came out of thin air. “Not where you’ll be heading.”

General Holmes’ face contorted and he fell backward as if he was punched squarely in the face.

Later that evening . . .

“S
o let me get this straight,” Detective Coolman said before taking a sip of coffee. “Alejandro Castillo was extorting secrets from your ex-husband. More specifically―ways to walk effortlessly over the US border without being detected. With the Invisibility Cloak?”

“Yes, Detective Coolman,” Amanda admitted, rubbing her forehead. “But I have solid evidence that he was purposefully misleading them. He knew it was wrong, being involved with them. Wayne knew in the end.”

Ryder squeezed her other hand.

“So what happened to Sophia and Mimi?” She looked around her kitchen happy to be home and safe, finally.

“Down at the station.” Jeremy tipped his head back and emptied his coffee cup. “They keep babbling on about a letter.” He walked to the sink and set his cup down. “They swear it will clear them.”

“A letter?” Sammie asked as she walked by them. “From who?”

“Your father, honey.”

“Uh oh.”

“What is it, squirt?” Ryder said.

“A letter from my dad?”

“Yes . . .” She frowned at her daughter. “Do you know something about it, Sammie?”

She ran up the stairs and came back moments later, holding a white envelope.

Amanda sucked in a breath as she looked at Wayne’s scribbled handwriting on the front. It was addressed to Miss Samarium Harris. “When did you get this, Sammie?”

“It came after dad was killed. I was too scared to open it.” Her cherub face looked like she was heading for a meltdown before she hurled her body into Amanda’s lap at the kitchen table. “I’m sorry I didn’t give it to you earlier,” she whispered.

Exhaling slowly, Amanda cradled both hands around her daughter’s face. “Honey, it’s okay. Can we open it now?”

Sammie nodded furiously.

Amanda passed the letter to Ryder. “Please?”

He tore it open and studied the paper, swearing under his breath. “Jer, this will put a lot of people away.” Ryder handed the handwritten letter from Dr. Wayne Harris to Jeremy.

Jeremy perused the contents of the letter and whistled. “Numerous contacts at Strategic Command were in cahoots with Alejandro Castillo?” The Harbor Falls Detective looked at everyone at the kitchen table. “This is extremely secure intel. No leaks.”

Sammie bobbed her head furiously. “Yes, sir!” She looked up wide-eyed at him. “I promise I won’t leak any intel.”

Amanda waved her hand at the letter. “Please keep Wayne’s part out of this out of the media. As you can see, he knew what he did was wrong.”

Detective Coolman nodded. “I’ll do my best, ma’am.”

Epilogue

December 1st . . .

“S
o what are we going to name her, Mom?” Sammie asked while she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. “She’s going to be so much fun!”

“Another girl.” Nick groaned beside her, “Yeah, so much fun.”

Amanda mustered up a small grin, even though she was exhausted. Who’d have thought she would deliver a ten-pound baby? No, correction, a ten pound, two-ounce baby girl. Cuddled up next to her, she gently ran her index finger over her jet-black hair. She was beautiful, just like her brother and sister were when they were born. Just as perfect as Nickel and Sammie, except she had Ryder’s coloring.

“You did good, honey.” Ryder said from the other side of the hospital bed. “She was big. Ten pounds, two-ounces.” He grinned. “I believe that’s how big I was. I’ll have to double check with my mom.”

“Ten point two, hmmm,” Nickel said quietly. “I got it! Molybdenum.”

“Molly-de-what?” Ryder said stepping closer to Amanda. Their daughter reached her tiny fist out to clutch onto his finger.

“Yeah, an element Peter Jacob Hjelm isolated in 1781. Often confused as a lead compound. Atomic number is forty-two, atomic weight of ninety-five point ninety-six. But get this . . . the density of Molybdenum is ten point two grams per cubic centimeter. And to top it off it is often used an alloying agent with steel.”

“Perfect, Nickel,” she said looking at her husband. “She binds us together as a family.”

Ryder cleared his throat. “Speaking on that subject, and since we are all together.” He looked over at her son and daughter before he looked back at Amanda.

And she nodded, encouraging him on.

“How would you both feel, if I adopted you? Since your mother and your brand new sister has Stevenson as a last name, your mother and I would like you both to, too.” Ryder stepped up to Nickel. “No rush, I know it’s a big decision. I don’t want to push you into something you don’t want to do.”

Nickel looked up. “Thanks, man, but can I think on it?”

“Absolutely. No rush. Ah―” Ryder told Nick before he gasped out when Sammie gave him a fierce hug.

“I want to. Can I do it by myself or do both of us have to change our name together?”

“You can do whatever you want, Sammie. Just know that we love you both, whatever you decide,” Amanda said quietly.

Nickel nodded.

Amanda yawned and lowered her lids.

“Come on, let’s head home, your mother needs some shut eye.” Ryder leaned over and kissed her on the top of her head before he turned to her two children. “Who wants to beat an old retired Army Ranger at a game of pool?”

“I do!”

Also from
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and
Jill Elaine Prim
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Now available on Amazon:
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