A figure appeared in the doorway. “She’s on her way.”
“Can you see anyone else?” I whispered.
“No.”
A car was approaching slowly. It stopped in front of the driveway, and an older woman stepped out. She reached in the back seat and picked up the child. Fear was in the woman’s eyes, and I wondered what Christian had threatened her with.
She walked toward us, and her voice quivered. “He told me to give her something to make her sleep. It won’t hurt her.”
“It’s okay.”
I reached for Emma, and she placed her in my arms. Gabriel was close as I kissed her on the cheek.
“Isn’t she beautiful?”
“Just like her mother.”
The older woman backed away and jumped in the front seat, and the car sped off before she could even close her door.
“That’s enough!” Christian yelled. “Give her to Max, and the two of you walk toward me, hands where I can see them.”
I snuggled her close and whispered in her ear, “I made you a promise the day you were born. I promised I would keep you safe. I hope someday you understand this is the only way I can do that.”
Max had opened the van door, and I passed her to him. His eyes were full of tears, and Karen was sobbing openly.
“Take care of her. She’s your new partner now.” I slipped my hand inside the bodice of my dress and removed the safety cap from the detonator.
Max nodded. “I’ll always have her back.”
I closed the door and stepped away from the van then watched as he backed out and drove away. We’d scoped out the area, looking for the best spot. I knew where he would park.
I took Gabriel’s hand in mine. “Ready, Mr. Browne?”
“Ready, Mrs. Browne.” He bent his head and kissed me. “Act surprised when you see Rivers. We need those extra seconds.”
We faced the door together.
“Where’s Joshua, Christian? I thought he was going to be here too. I think I should meet both my brothers before I die.”
I’d always thought Christian’s laugh was evil, but the one that came from behind him had icicles flowing through my blood. “You’re not going to die, Dakota. You’re going to live a long time.”
We walked a few feet closer then stopped.
“Rivers? You’re Joshua?” I asked, trying to sound as authentic as possible to give Gabriel time to retrieve the bottles from his jacket pocket.
“What are you doing?” Rivers stepped onto the porch. “Keep moving!”
“We missed our wedding toast.”
Gabriel and I opened the bottles together, crossed our arms, and raised the bottles to our lips.
“I love you, Gabriel Browne.”
He didn’t say anything, but the golden highlights of his eyes told me all I needed to know. We finished the bottles and smiled as I took his hand and placed it on my heart. The detonator was just beneath his fingers. “Thank you for my wedding present. This is mine to you. Kill him.”
Gabriel pressed the detonator, and the ground shook beneath us as fireworks lit up the sky.
43
Max lowered the rifle. The scope had shown him all he needed to see. He pressed the redial button on his cell phone. Don Sampson answered on the first ring.
“It’s over, Don. No one could have made it through that alive.”
“My team is on its way. I’ll make damn sure they’re both dead.” He drew in a sharp breath. “Gabe and Dakota?”
“Lying about fifty feet from the front porch. The blast blew them backward. Let me know when we can have the bodies. I know where I want to bury them.”
“Where can I find you and Karen?”
Max glanced at where Karen was snuggling Emma. The days ahead would be rough, but with Karen by his side, there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do. She didn’t want to return to New York, and Max wanted to raise Emma on the plantation. She would be close to her mother there, and so would he. “We’re going home.”
Epilogue
Max smiled as the front door opened and feet pounded down the hallway. “Uncle Max!”
“Back here, Emma.”
She ran into his office, breathless and waving a sheet of paper. “I made the honor roll.” She crossed the room and hopped into his lap. “Are you proud of me?”
He’d known already, as Emma’s teacher had given him a heads-up earlier in the day. “As proud as a peach.”
Emma frowned. “Peaches aren’t proud. They’re fuzzy.”
Karen stood in the doorway. “I think she has you on that one, Max.”
Emma hopped off his lap. “Can I visit Mommy and tell her?”
“You sure can if you can talk Aunt Karen out of those stilettos.”
Emma glanced at the shoes. “Ridiculous, aren’t they, Uncle Max? I’m never going to wear those things. I’m an outside girl, just like Mommy was.”
Max met Karen’s gaze and smiled. Sometimes Emma reminded him of Dakota so much that it hurt. “Yeah, honey, you’re just like your mommy.”
“Let me change my shoes, then we’ve got a surprise for you.”
“What kind of surprise?” Emma raced to join Karen. “I bet it’s not a kitten, is it? Why won’t you let me have a kitten? Mommy had a kitten. His name was Snowball, and that’s what I’m going to name mine.”
He waited for it, and tears filled his eyes when it came.
“Snowball!” Emma ran back into his office, cuddling the small white kitten. “Now I’ve got two things to tell Mommy. She’ll be happy in heaven, won’t she, Uncle Max?”
“You bet she will, honey.” He wheeled through the doorway and down the hall to the back door. The gravestones were visible, and Emma ran ahead. They’d buried Gabriel and Dakota beneath the huge oak tree next to Snowball. Karen came up behind him and pushed his wheelchair.
“You’ve made her one happy little girl, Uncle Max.”
He leaned back, pressing his head against the huge bump. “Soon she’ll have another surprise—a little brother to play with.”
“It could be a girl, you know.” Karen laughed, leaned forward, and kissed the top of his head.
“As big as you are, it could be twins.”
She smacked the top of his head that time. “Don’t call me fat. Did you look at the names I picked?”
“They’re perfect.”
She flinched and gasped. “Uh-oh.”
Max looked over his shoulder. “Uh-oh what?”
Karen nodded at the puddle at her feet. “My water just broke.”
“Emma, we’ve got to go. Aunt Karen is having a baby.”
Emma’s eyes grew large as she stared in the nursery window. “Two babies?”
Max grinned. “Yep. Maxwell Gabe Winchester, born at three minutes after eleven, and Karen Renae Winchester, born at five minutes after eleven. Do you think they’ll argue about which one is the oldest?”
Emma shook her head. “Nope. I’m the oldest. Can we go home now? I have to tell Mommy about the second baby. I only told her about one. And Snowball will be hungry.”
Max laughed and pulled her onto his lap. They’d kept Dakota’s memory alive for her. Someday, he would have to tell her everything but not until she was old enough to understand. “Let’s say good night to Aunt Karen, then we’ll go tell Mommy all about it.”
An Innocent Man