Pushed to the Edge (SEAL Team 14) (29 page)

“Who would want to shoot us?” she said, ambulance
sirens sounding in the distance.

“I have a pretty good idea,” he muttered.  Before
he could clarify, the paramedics who had arrived on the scene were fussing
around him, preparing him for transport to the hospital.  Joshua tried to
refuse transport to the emergency room, but relented when Victoria pressed him
to go.  He had always had a difficult time saying no to her.  She climbed into
the back of the ambulance with Joshua, her hands clinging to his, refusing to
let go. 

Victoria.  Oh my God, how is Joshua?”
Emmani asked in a breathless rush as soon as Victoria opened the front door to
Joshua’s house.  Emmani’s brown eyes were wide with worry.  When she heard that
Joshua had been injured in a shooting, she’d caught the earliest plane from
Austin.  Emmani had made it to California in record time, but Joshua had been
released from the hospital by the time that her plane had even lifted off from
Texas. 

“He’s doing okay, Emmani,” Victoria said, taking Emmani’s
overnight bag and setting it on the floor inside the foyer.  “He was shot high
on his left arm.  They performed X-Rays earlier to make sure that there were no
bullet fragments that broke off deeper into his shoulder.  Luckily, it was just
a flesh wound.”

“So he shouldn’t have any permanent damage?”

“No.  The doctors said that he’ll barely even have a scar. 
They did give him quite a bit of morphine for the pain at the hospital while
they were stitching him up though.  He’s taking a rest right now, but should be
up soon.”

“Oh thank God,” Emmani said, closing her eyes in relief.  “Who
would do something like this?  He’s supposed to be safe when he is at home.”

“It’s my fault,” Victoria said softly, trying unsuccessfully
to hold back tears.

“What do you mean?” Emmani asked, a puzzled look on her
face.

“It was this murder investigation that I was working on.  A
big news story involving a shipping company in Texas.  Apparently, someone from
the shipping company got wind of my investigation and found out how much I have
been able to piece together.  They sent someone to kill me.  Joshua saved my
life.”

“How do you know that this person was hired by this shipping
company?”

“His phone.  The shooter had his phone on him and the last
number that he called was Walker Cooper—one of the main suspects in former
Congressman Richard Henning’s killing.  Too much of a coincidence.”

“It’s not your fault, Victoria.  You couldn’t have imagined
that something like this would happen,” Emmani said, wrapping Victoria up in a
hug.  She then navigated Victoria over to the living room sofa.  She grabbed a
few tissues that were sitting in a decorative box on a side table and placed
them in Victoria’s hands.

“Yeah.  Well, it certainly feels like my fault.  To have
someone . . .  someone that I love very much to be attacked because of a story
that I’m writing . . .” she said, her words trailing off before she was able to
continue.  “If that bullet had hit him a few inches to the right, it could have
been a very different outcome.”

“But it didn’t.  That’s what you have to focus on.  Moving
forward.  And just for the record, I’m glad that you two are back together
again.  He loves you a lot, you know.  Even if it took him a painfully long
time to realize it.”

“Are you two conspiring against me?”

Both of the women glanced up to see Joshua standing in the doorway. 
He was wearing a sleeveless shirt and a large square-shaped gauze was covering
his wound.  Emmani leapt up as soon as she saw him, and ran to give her brother
a hug.

“Hey, sis.  You didn’t have to fly all the way out here to
check on me.  It’s barely even a scratch.”

“Yeah well, I had to see for myself.  I swear, trouble
manages to follow you around Big Bro.”  They stood there like that for a few
minutes.  Sister and brother.  Making small talk and trying to forget that
Joshua could very well have been killed today.  After a while, Emmani put up
her hand to excuse herself to take a call outside on her cell phone. 

Joshua walked over to the couch and sat down beside Victoria. 
He reached out his right hand to squeeze Victoria’s knee.  “How are you holding
up, Vicki?”

She cocked her head to look at him curiously.  “How are
you
holding up, you were the one who was shot.”  She leaned into him, kissing him
on the cheek.  She placed her hand on his chest, reassuring herself that he was
still there with her, that his heart was still beating.

“I’m just sorry that you had to see that.  That you were in
danger.”  His eyes darkened with anger.  Victoria glanced down and saw that he
had clenched his fists.  He looked away for a second, as if to get a hold on
his emotions before turning back to her.

“The Dallas Police Department said that they have enough
evidence against both Walt Mickelson and Walker Cooper to indict them on the murder
and conspiracy to commit murder charges.  Turns out that Walker Cooper got wind
of the fact that Richard Henning was trying to cut a deal with the Feds behind
his back in regards to the drug investigation, and decided to have him killed. 
No one left to point the finger at him.”

“Really, now?  Well, you know what they say: ‘No honor among
thieves.’ At least it’s over now.”  They just sat there like that for several
seconds, holding on to each other. 

“There’s something else that I wanted to talk to you about. 
Earlier, before the craziness happened.”

“What was that?”

“Two days ago, I received a cable news correspondent job
offer.”

“Really, wow.  That’s . . .  wow, really great.  That’s
something that you’ve always wanted,” he said, staring into her eyes.  She saw
genuine happiness for her achievement reflected back.

“Yeah.  It is.  The problem is . . . well the problem is
that the anchor position is in New York City.”

“Oh.”  Yeah
oh
.

The silence in the space between them was so encompassing
that the
tick tick tocking
of the kitchen wall clock seemed like it had
made a home inside her head.

“Well, you know.  That’s uh, really great,” Joshua said,
breaking the silence.  Then clearing his throat he continued, “That’s a huge
opportunity Vicki.  I mean working for a cable news network?  That’s always
been your dream career.  If you pass on the opportunity, you may not get it
again and that is a lot to give up.  I don’t want to stand in your way.”

“Yeah, I know.  You’re right it is.  But you’re an awful lot
to give up too, Joshua.”  Her words were slightly above a whisper.  There were
so many things that she wanted to say to him.  But she wasn’t quite sure how.

“It doesn’t mean that we have to break up.  A lot of people
do long distance relationships, you know.”

“Yeah, that’s true.  But how many of them actually work out
in the long run?”  He didn’t say anything, just entwined her hand into his,
stroking her skin with his thumb.

“I’m away a lot too for my work, so I understand.  I don’t
want you to give up your dream career for me.”

“As much as I have always wanted to have the flashy cable
news job, I’ve realized that now I want something more.”

“What do you want?”

“You.”  That one word was probably the hardest thing that
she had ever had to say.  She had completely exposed herself to Joshua with
that one syllable.  He could easily reject her.  Say that what they had was
good, but he didn’t really want anything more from her.  Instead, he kissed
her, wrapping his arms tightly around her.  Then he said the one word that
proved to her that he was always the man that she knew him to be.

“Stay.”