“You’ll be fine. Just follow my lead.”
“They’ll kill me!”
“Shut up! Stupid bitch,” he muttered. “Just like your mother. Brave, sure. Until you see the gun. Then you beg like a helpless whore.”
An icy shudder ran down Sasha’s spine as she imagined that moment—the moment when Julia Bracciali had actually looked into the barrel of the Butcher’s machine gun.
“Bastardo,”
she whispered.
Dante chuckled. “That’s just what
she
said.”
“Let her go, Martino,” the agent repeated over the bullhorn.
“
I’m
giving the orders here,” Dante shouted back at him. “If you want to save this girl, put down your weapons and move those vehicles. Then get out of our way. We’re driving out of here, and if I catch even a glimpse of you in my rearview mirror, I’ll drill a hole in her throat.”
Glancing at Dante’s wristwatch, Sasha noted that it was thirty seconds until midnight. There would be an explosion soon, one that would distract the Butcher. She needed to be ready to make her move then. So she edged the stiletto back down her sleeve and into her right hand. Her arm was still numb, but somehow she would find the strength to ram that blade into this evil man’s torso.
Because there was simply no way she was going to allow him to escape. Not now. Not ever again.
“Let her go!” the agent repeated, but Sasha could see his team mobilizing again.
Getting ready to move their vehicles.
They were going to cave. Or at least, that’s what they thought was about to happen.
“Do you want me to blow her ear off, just to prove I mean business?” Dante taunted them.
“No! Don’t harm her. We’ll let you go, but you have to release her first.”
“Bullshit. Clear those cars away. Sasha and I are getting into my Hummer now. One false move by you or your men and
she’s
a dead woman.”
As Sasha watched, the digital display on Dante’s watch turned from 11:59:59 to midnight.
But nothing happened on the mountain above the fortress, and she realized that the demolition of the church had been delayed.
Probably because they can’t wake up their fearless leader,
she told herself grimly.
So?
What are you waiting for? Just do it, will you? Before you lose your nerve!
With a silent apology to Jeff and Teal for making them witness this, Sasha grabbed Dante’s wrist with her good hand, forcing the pistol away from her throat. As the weapon fired wildly into the air, she buried the stiletto’s blade between the gangster’s ribs, hissing as she did so, “
Bastardo!
This is for Julia Bracciali.”
As the Butcher’s eyes widened with shock, a single shot rang out from the distance, exploding his skull into a thousand bloody pieces.
And Sasha couldn’t help but notice that the shot hadn’t come from the barricade, but rather, from the direction of the Kestonian border.
Whirling, she saw Jeff standing there, a rifle in his hand, a grim expression on his handsome face. She would have run to him—or at least, she imagined that her legs might have been able to do that—but he made a gesture that stopped her, a gesture he had taught her for their ops. With his open palm by his hip, he pressed downward, signaling her not to react.
Then she understood. He didn’t want the world to know—or more specifically, he didn’t want Dante’s men to know—that he and Sasha were connected.
“Miss?
Are you okay?”
She turned toward the voice, recognizing it as the man with the bullhorn, even though he was now standing before her with nothing in his hands but a blanket, which he draped around her shoulders.
“Thanks.” She pulled it tighter. “Am I under arrest?”
“Yes. You have the right to remain silent. I suggest you exercise it.”
“How dare you treat her this way!” a female voice interrupted. Sasha
spun,
concerned that it might be Teal. Then she saw Shannon Conner, and had to bite her bottom lip hard to keep from laughing with exhausted hilarity.
“I’m Shannon Conner of ABS news. You’ve been through an ordeal, Ms. Bracciali, but my viewers need to hear your story in your own words. What just happened here?”
“Leave her alone, she’s hurt,” the agent warned, but Sasha waved him away, saying, “She’s an old schoolmate of mine. I
want
to talk to her.
Unless it’s against the law.”
He winced.
“Just for a minute, then.”
Sasha turned back to Shannon and embraced her. “It’s so good to see a friendly face! This has been such a nightmare!”
Shannon patted her shoulder awkwardly. “I can imagine. Are you really okay? They probably have doctors—”
“My arm’s broken,” Sasha agreed. “But it’s practically numb, so I can talk for a minute. It’s the least I can do for you.”
“For me?”
“You’re so amazing! I can’t
believe
you really stayed here all this time! Vlad told me you threatened to do that, but it’s so cold out.” With a smile, Sasha added softly, “I tried to convince him to let you into Kestonia, but he wouldn’t.”
“You tried to help me? Why?”
Sasha shrugged. “We have so much in common. We both went to Athena Academy. And neither of us fit in.
Right?
You left, I stayed. But both of us were black sheep in our own way.”
“Well…” Shannon cleared her throat. “What just happened here, Ms. Bracciali?”
“Call me Sasha. I came to Kestonia for the ball. I’m a fashion designer, so it was more or less the mother ship for me. I ran into my uncle up there, and he needed to leave quickly. So I left with him.
Out of loyalty.
But the next thing I knew…”
Shannon cocked her head to the side. “The next thing you knew, he was holding a gun to your head?”
Sasha choked back a sob. “I thought he loved me, but…Well, I guess he just didn’t want to be taken alive.”
“What about Teal Arnett?”
“The Athena student who was kidnapped?
Is there news?” Sasha demanded. When Shannon just stared, Sasha continued blithely. “I haven’t seen a TV broadcast in almost a week, but after what
I
just went through, I can imagine how she felt, being kidnapped and all.
Poor kid.
Please
tell me she’s safe?”
“That’s it,” Jeff’s gruff voice interrupted. “The interview is over. Ms. Bracciali? The medic wants to take a look at you.”
Sasha turned to him and sniffed. “Let me say goodbye to my schoolmate first, please.” Embracing Shannon again, she whispered, “He saved my life, but puh-leeze. Some manners would be appreciated.”
Shannon laughed. “Can I call you when we’re all back in the States? I’d love a full-fledged interview.”
“I’d love that, too. Take care.”
The newswoman walked over to a Volvo SUV that was parked along the side of the road, where two young men were waiting for her. Meanwhile, Jeff rested his hands on Sasha’s shoulders. “If you’re okay, we should get going.”
She nodded.
“Wait a minute.” A man in a black parka stepped up to them and flashed his credentials in Jeff’s face. “You’re Crossman? I’m Cole Stringer, NSA. Any chance you have a package for me?”
“I don’t have it on me. But come on,” Jeff said, his green eyes twinkling. “We’ll go pick it up.” He led Sasha and Stringer to one of the FBI’s vehicles and motioned for them to get into the backseat. Then he drove a short distance, pulling up next to a stand of black-barked trees. “I’ve got to take a leak. Wait here.”
Sasha smiled and opened the back passenger door. “I’d like to stretch my legs, too. Will you excuse me, Agent Stringer?”
The NSA operative grinned. “Maybe
I
should drive from here on out so Crossman can debrief you.” He exited the vehicle and walked around to the driver’s side just as Jeff hustled Teal out of the trees and into the backseat through Sasha’s door.
“I thought that creep was going to kill you!” Teal squealed, embracing Sasha heartily. “You were so brave!”
“Just like her mom,” Jeff said quietly.
Agent Stringer pulled the SUV back onto the road and headed away from Kestonia. “Nice work, folks.”
“I’ll ride up front with you,” Teal told him. “These two have issues to work out.”
Before Sasha could stop her, the teen had scrambled up to the front passenger seat, turning to beam in the direction of Sasha and Jeff. “
Kiss
her.”
“Turn around and I will, brat,” Jeff said with a chuckle. Then he turned to Sasha, his eyes shining with relief and love. “You had me worried for a minute. But I should have known. You were unbelievable, as usual.”
Sasha wanted to pour her heart out to him, but instead all she said was, “Nice shot.”
“Thanks.” He cupped her chin in his hand. Then with a wary glance in Stringer’s direction, he murmured, “We make a good team, right?
Equal partners.
Et cetera.”
“Especially the et cetera,” she agreed, trying not to notice that Teal was giggling at the romantic double entendre. Then she arched an accusatory eyebrow at Jeff. “How exactly did those agents know Dante was coming across the border tonight?”
“They didn’t know about Dante. They just knew about his car. He was a helluva bonus, wasn’t he? After all these years, you got revenge against your mom’s killer. That must feel good.”
“Don’t try to change the subject,” she warned. “You called them, didn’t you? Arranged for them to stop the Hummer and pretend they were executing an arrest warrant for Dante, even though you couldn’t have known he’d actually be with me. Why?”
Jeff flushed,
then
admitted, “They were supposed to take
you
into custody.”
Sasha cocked her head to the side.
“Pardon?”
“You were hell-bent on going back after the Butcher. It was nuts, but you wouldn’t listen to reason. No way was I going to let you throw your life away in some stupid witness protection program. We needed time to come up with a new plan. Meanwhile, I did what I had to do.”
Sasha pretended to scowl.
“So much for being partners.”
“Actually,” he told her with a confident smile, “that’s exactly what real partners do. Watch each other’s backs.”
“Did you say ‘watch’? Or ‘wash’?” she asked teasingly.
“In our case, I hope it’s both,” he admitted. Then with a quick instruction to Teal to, “Face front!” he pulled his new partner into a long, loving embrace.
“
A
nd no matter what happened, he never panicked. Even when that awful man was threatening to shoot Sasha, Jeff was so cool. He just raised that rifle and
pow
!
Perfect shot.”
Allison Gracelyn struggled not to laugh at Teal Arnett’s blatant hero worship as the teenager described her twenty-four hours with Jeff Crossman. “He sounds very brave. Of course, Sasha was brave, too.”
“She’s so lucky. After he saved her, he waited to kiss her until we were driving away. And at that very moment, the lab blew up in the background. Ka-
pow!
I think Jeff timed it that way—with the kiss, I mean—just to make it more romantic.”
“Teal?”
Allison murmured. “You remember that’s all classified information, right?”
“Oh, right.” Teal looked around at the other students and alumni at the impromptu celebration in the Athena Academy dining hall. “Sorry, I’ll be more careful. Look! There’s Sasha!”
Allison turned in time to see Sasha Bracciali entering the dining hall. True to form, the designer made a dramatic entrance in her sassy red sundress. A coordinating shawl was draped around her bare shoulders, partially obscuring a cast and sling on her right arm. Otherwise, she was dressed as though it were the middle of summer rather than the end of February, apparently making the most of the warm Arizona evening after the freezing world of Kestonia.
But it was Sasha’s radiant smile that provided the real warmth as she rushed over to embrace Teal and Allison. “Did I miss anything? My flight was delayed for some ridiculous reason, and I was so anxious, I almost threatened to hijack it.”
“We’re just getting started,” Allison promised. “How’s the arm?”
“Just a hairline crack.
I don’t think it even needed a cast, but you know how doctors are.” Turning to Teal, Sasha smiled fondly. “I hear you got a clean bill of health, thank God.
Nothing missing except a few pounds, right?
And that buffet table over there should take care of that. Everything looks so yummy, Allison.”
“Did Jeff come with you?” Teal asked hopefully.
“He’s at the hotel. Do you think he’d miss a chance to see his favorite girl? But he understands this party is no-guys-allowed, so he’s being patient. As long as you let him buy you breakfast tomorrow.”
Allison smiled. “I take it you and Agent Crossman
are
officially an item?”
“Definitely.
And guess who arranged it? Big Frankie! When he heard that an FBI agent saved my life, he insisted on meeting him. And when he found out Jeff was single, he set us up on our first date. Do you
love
it?”
“That’s a good sign. They obviously believe your story—that Carmine betrayed
Vincenzo,
and you tried to save him.”
“Right.”
Teal beamed. “So now you and Jeff can work
and
play together?”
Sasha nodded. “But not in Chicago. It’s just too awkward. Plus, getting the Butcher was his main objective. So he’s going to ditch the organized crime scene. He’s hot to work kidnapping cases now. Don’t ask me why,” she added, arching her eyebrow at Teal.
“He’ll be sooo good at that. So will you,” the teen added magnanimously. “I can’t wait to see him tomorrow morning. Oh, Sasha, by the way, I washed and ironed your jeans. They’re in my room, so remind me to give them to you in the morning.”
“I was just kidding about that, Teal. You can keep them.”
The girl’s eyes danced. “I would, but they’re too short for me.
Way
too short.”
Sasha rolled her eyes,
then
told Allison, “She used to be such an angel, you know. Too bad she turned evil.”