Authors: Monica McCabe
“In the back!” Jason shouted and maneuvered a sharp turn.
Nik flung himself over the seat and began laughing out loud. He started handing weapons over. A couple semi-automatics made their way to Hank and Jason in the front. Matt and Miranda took possession of the assault rifles. Then Nik placed a small wooden box on the edge of the back seat and flipped open the lid. Two grenades lay nestled in sawdust.
Matt smiled with wicked intent. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” he asked Nik.
“Absolutely.”
Matt looked up front and met Jason’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “It’s cocktail time, my friend.”
With a whoop of adrenaline-laced energy, Jason cranked the steering wheel and spun them in a circle until they faced back the direction they came. The SUV rocked sideways as it slid to a halt, engine idling and eager to fly.
“I’ll get us close to the warehouse,” Jason promised, “just make sure your aim is dead on.”
“No!” Hank shouted. “We are
not
going back in there!”
Miranda ignored his protest. “While you’re at it, can you ram the back corner of that building and give those poor souls inside a fighting chance?”
“Say the word.”
“Oh, Jesus,” Hank groaned. “I’m not cut out for this kind of thing.” He grabbed the pistol beside him. “You got another clip back there?”
Nik passed over several for good measure. The grenades he gingerly lowered to the seat between Matt and Miranda.
“Ready?” Jason asked.
“Almost.” Matt rolled down his window halfway and braced the gun on the glass. He hated like hell to take Miranda back into the mix, but time had come for a little payback.
As Nik opened the back hatch of the SUV and braced his back against the seat, Matt looked at Miranda. Her smile felt like a ray of sunshine in world that had been bleak far too long.
“Joshua and Denise Bennett would be proud of their son,” she whispered.
That startled him. The warmth of her gaze drew him. He couldn’t help himself and leaned closer. She met him halfway and as his lips met hers, the world fell away.
“Honestly,” Jason said in bemused disgust, “you two have the worst timing!”
They broke apart on a laugh. Despite the odds they faced and the heartbreak sure to come, he felt impossibly happy.
With a quick wink her way, he took up position. “Let’s go!”
Jason revved the engines, then punched it.
The SUV quickly gained speed, eating up the dirt roadbed. They flew the outer perimeter until they rounded near the warehouse, and Jason sliced through an opening between buildings. They bounced over debris, some still burning, and kept a breakneck pace.
They caught Bessault’s men by surprise. The mercenaries were rushing to empty guns from the warehouse into the last good cargo truck. As Jason sped past, Matt and Nik sprayed a shower of bullets across the canvas-backed truck.
Some fought back, most dove for cover, but Jason couldn’t get close enough to the warehouse for the big payload. They needed a different angle.
Beating a hasty retreat, they shot down to the building where Weston and his men were locked inside. Flames already consumed the wooden exterior, and Jason punched the gas pedal, plowing right through the back corner. Splintering wood and metal scraped down the side of the vehicle, debris flying all around them.
They lost a headlight, but Jason kept moving, barreling out into the desert like a one-eyed monster, only to swing around for a second run.
“My side!” Matt yelled. “I’ll blow out the windows. Nik, you follow with a grenade.”
Miranda lifted one of the little bombs and carefully handed it back to Nik.
Then they were off, racing back into the chaos.
The enemy was more prepared this time and fought back hard, defending their camp with what they had in great supply. Guns. Jason kept his speed, zigzagging across the loading zone as bullets pinged against the SUV. Miranda flinched as one slammed into her door, but then fired right back, emptying a magazine as they raced for the warehouse.
Jason swerved hard and slowed, squeezing the SUV straight between the weapons-loaded truck and the warehouse.
Matt started shooting. The barrage blasted out a window, but there was no need. The door stood wide open. Nik yanked the grenade pin and launched it inside.
The ammunition contraband began pulling away, its gears grinding as the driver pushed it to its limits. Miranda twisted to get a look back at the cab.
“Bessault’s in that truck!” she yelled.
It lumbered away from the warehouse just as the building exploded. The percussion of the blast rocked the SUV and the burdened cargo truck, but both kept moving, even when a chain reaction of remaining weapons ignited behind them, bursting into deadly fireworks that lit up the night sky.
Jason raced toward the front of the camp. Then with a sharp yank on the steering wheel, he spun them around in a spray of sand, smack in the path of the bigger truck.
It wasn’t stopping, in fact, it gained speed.
“Oh, Christ.…” Hank wheezed. He leaned out the front window and fired his gun in rapid succession at the oncoming behemoth. He nailed a headlight, but the four-ton beast kept coming.
“We’ve one more grenade,” Nik declared. “And those weapons must be stopped.”
“Roger that!” Jason peeled away, the maneuver taking them back into the loading yard. Weston and his men were dishing out some tough payback amid heavy smoke and the acrid scent of gunpowder.
Jason sliced for the side, through the shacks to the perimeter, where he aimed for the only way out. The road they came in on. The road Bessault made a beeline for.
They rounded what was left of the camp at full speed and were greeted by a line of flashing red and blue lights. Jason slammed on the brakes. The cavalry had finally arrived.
The blockade didn’t slow down Bessault, however. Matt heard the giant truck’s engine wind as it reached for more speed.
The police heard it, too, and took aim, shooting several rounds against it. A front tire blew out with a bang, and the truck listed sharply left but continued to roll. It didn’t get far. The driver quickly lost control and smashed through the last two police cars with a shriek of twisting metal and shattering glass.
* * * *
Miranda stopped breathing as the truck slammed through the police cruisers. It plowed into the desert and bounced into a gully, lifting on two wheels. Time hung suspended as it listed and fell over in a slow-motion roll. One that ended with a resounding thud.
“Wait here!” Matt yelled as he climbed out of the SUV.
“Like hell!” Nik muttered, and he was out the back in a flash.
Hank turned back and glanced at Miranda. She shrugged and jumped out right behind Jason, and they made their way to the police line.
Nik stopped to talk to the chief, but Matt headed straight for the fallen giant. He’d traded the assault rifle for a pistol and a crew of men, and had the truck surrounded when the passenger door lifted up, slamming backward with a bang.
Bessault climbed out awkwardly, favoring his injured arm, but still faced the wall of firepower with arrogance. Escape was impossible. He knew it and tossed his weapon down in disgust before climbing off the truck.
Matt was there to handcuff him when he reached the ground.
This was the end. From a helpless boy of fourteen to a resolute man bringing his parent’s killer to justice, Matthew Bennett had finally come full circle. He’d won against the evil that forever scarred his life.
She tried to imagine how he must feel as he shoved the warlord over to the police line. Satisfaction. Completion. Triumph. Finally free of the driving force of vengeance. Free to live the life he chose.
It was over. In more ways than one, and Miranda’s heart constricted painfully. In the next few days she’d help at Katanga, do all she could to keep it out of the spotlight. But once assured of its survival, she’d have to fly home.
Her eyes filled with tears. She could beard a lion in its den, face down brutal killers, but the thought of leaving while her heart stayed forever in Africa reduced her to a weeping mess.
Through a watery haze, she watched Matt move away from the melee and stand alone on the edge of the desert. He grasped his wounded arm and leaned his head back as though aching.
Miranda didn’t wait another millisecond. She started walking his way, moving faster, until she ran the last few steps. By the time she reached him, his arms were open wide, and she stepped into his embrace, holding him tight in relief that he was safe, that he’d no longer be haunted by the past.
Meeting his gaze, the longing she saw in his eyes matched her own. His mouth lowered to hers, and she tangled her fingers in his hair as he kissed her, long and deep.
Too soon he broke the kiss. “I’m sorry,” he whispered against her ear.
Her heart constricted.
“I tried to keep you safe,” he continued, “but my lack of willpower put you in danger.”
What was he talking about? She took a step back to stare him in the eye. “Never again do I want to hear the words ‘I’m sorry’ after you’ve kissed me.”
He stared at her in consternation. “That’s not what I meant,” he said.
“Then forget the rest.” She lifted a hand and brushed the hair back from his brow. “It’s over and we’re safe. That’s what matters.”
“No.” He stared at her with charged intensity. “My vengeance nearly cost you your life. I’m sorry doesn’t begin to cover how I feel.”
“Then let me tell you how I feel.” Miranda took a full breath, and there in the circle of his arms, she faced the truth. “Joshua and Denise Bennett are free. Your family can now have peace. And the crazy thing is, I’d risk it all again just to make certain you had it.”
His arms tightened around her. “Why would you do that?”
“Because I love you.” This was a time for complete honesty. “I think I have from the moment I saw you at the airport.”
A tiny smile appeared. “You can’t help it. It’s the zing.”
She laughed, pleased with the small return of his old self. “Somewhere there must be an antidote.”
“You’ll never find it, Miranda Parrish.” He kissed her lips tenderly. “The magic is irresistible.”
“And you know this how?”
“Because you have zing, too.” He nibbled at her lips. “In spades.” The side of his face brushed hers, and he whispered into her ear. “I’ve been hopelessly in love since that day in the closet.”
Happiness rushed through her as his lips captured hers again. He loved her. They were alive. The world was once again righted. She could have stayed there in his arms forever if not for Jason’s intervention.
“In case you’re wondering,” Jason said, “this is the part where you’re supposed to ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after.”
Matt released her lips and sighed, but he kept her locked within the circle of his arms.
“Are you always this interfering?” he asked Jason.
“Admit it,” Jason said to Matt, “you’re nuts about her.”
“I’m afraid so,” Matt agreed.
“I knew it.” Jason grinned at the both of them. “My love meter is rarely wrong.”
She laughed and glanced back up at Matt, the warmth she saw in his eyes pierced straight into her heart.
“Just a minute here!” Hank marched over and planted both hands on his hips. “I want to know one thing.”
He looked like hell, but his eyes were clear as he stared over her head at Matt. “You’re not a janitor?”
Matt laughed and shook his head. “I’m whatever I need to be to get the job done.”
“And does that include stealing San Diego’s best dental zoologist?”
“Without a doubt.” His arms tightened around her, and she glowed warmly under the possessive gesture.
“Give it up old man.” Jason clapped Hank on the back. “She’s been a goner from the minute she saw him.”
Hank heaved a good-natured sigh and shook his head, but he reached out to shake hands with Matt. “I’ve lost in the game of love, but at least I’m still alive. I owe you my thanks.” He looked at Miranda with a wry smile. “Does this mean you are turning in your resignation at the zoo?”
She glanced between Hank and Matt, tapping a fingertip against her chin. “There’s an awful lot to do around here. Katanga is going to need new personnel, and a major overhaul to keep its image clean.”
Matt growled and pulled her up against him. “To hell with Katanga. Let’s talk about us.”
“Well, certainly you have to be there. Roz would be devastated without you.”
“Roz?” he asked brusquely. “What about you?”
She lifted her hand to his face and caressed his bruised skin. “Me? I can’t imagine any future without you in it.”
It was a day of life-affirming celebration at Katanga. Energy and excitement grew to a fever pitch as the sun sank below the horizon. A giant bonfire burned at the back of the property, and the sound of laughter and cheers drifted across a mild winter breeze.
Miranda smiled in peaceful contentment. The last six weeks had been both hectic and idyllic, and she wouldn’t have traded them for anything in the world.
It had been a time of justice, as African law moved swiftly to convict Bessault and put him away for a very long time. She went to the trials with Matt and sat next to him when the judge pronounced a life sentence. It was bittersweet, but comforting in a small way, to know that Joshua and Denise Bennett were finally at rest.
Graham was arrested at a private airstrip along with a suitcase full of diamonds and cash. His chartered plane was headed for Amsterdam when IDS agents apprehended him under a barrage of gunfire. Graham took a bullet in the stomach, but lived to testify against Weston in exchange for a reduced sentence of his own. Still, he’d be spending many years behind bars.
It was also a time of renewal. Katanga survived the fallout with no more than a hiccup, thanks to the considerable efforts of Matt and Nik. Diana quit her librarian position and left town, and Neil currently served time for his role in the smuggling operation.
Victor Keyes’s crime had come in caring too much. When funding grew scarce and had threatened to shut Katanga’s doors, his passion for the Center had turned to desperation, and he had agreed to look the other way for a cut of the profits. Free Day was his way of assuaging his conscience, to pay back the community for the smuggling. IDS allowed him to continue his leadership of Katanga.