Chapter One
The road was quiet and that alone should have told Miracle Jones something was not right. Usually, the Autobahn was buzzing with traffic. To give herself some company, Miracle turned on the radio and adjusted the volume so that her head wouldn’t explode. She’d been nursing a slight headache for the past few hours. She’d spent all day trying to find out what happened to Heinrik Loft, a child from Adolf Hitler’s circle. She wasn’t certain who he was but someone seemed to have gone through a lot of trouble to make him disappear. Sure, Loft wasn’t a part of what she had planned for her dissertation, but his named popped up a few times in her research, and then it was as if he’d fallen of the face of the earth.
It piqued her interest and even if she didn’t use him in the paper, she would like to know what became of him. Call it, curiosity.
Killed the cat, Miracle. Remember that.
Miracle grunted.
Something wasn’t right. No one just vanished off the face of the earth like that, without a trace. Even since there were no computers back in the day, there should be at least a paper trail as to the whereabouts of this guy or what happened to him. Then again, there were Nazis alive and well, hiding in plain sight all over the world. But this was a child. He probably didn’t know what was happening, and if he did know, he may not have understood.
Miracle had contacted eighteen people, historians and archeologists mostly, and none of them wanted to talk about Heinrik Loft. They had been friendly enough until she brought up his name and then BAM! Their sphincters slam shut so loudly Timbuktu must have heard.
There wasn’t even a legible picture of him. All the ones she could find were so damaged there was no salvaging them. One person had gone so far as to scratch out his face in a family album Miracle had found in the archives of the Die Bibliotek in Bonn.
She needed to regroup.
Maybe she’d have better luck at the Stadtbibliothek or one of the many other libraries in Munich.
A bright light shone in her car as a vehicle sped up behind her. The driver honked making Miracle frown. “I’m driving here!” She screamed.
The horn blared again.
Miracle tilted her head. “Go around, asshole!” She stuck a hand out her window to motion for the idiot to pass her.
The person only kept right on honking then swerved out of the lane then back again. Miracle glanced at her speedometer. She was already going one thirty – how much faster did this joker want her to go?
Before she could decide if she should pull out of the lane, and let him pass, or be an even bigger asshole and slow down, the car behind her rammed into the back of her vehicle.
“What the—”
He hit her again. Miracle’s hand slipped on her steering and the vehicle swerved dangerously to one side before she could get it back under control. There was no way she would stop on a dark road because someone hit her from behind. She’d been told many times to make sure they were in a public place before she pulled over.
The vehicle behind her swerved to her right and she figured the driver would pass her and be on their way. Miracle was wrong. The car veered toward her, slamming into the side of her brand new car. She screamed, but the other driver didn’t let up. He used his car to push her against the guardrail. The sharp sound of metal on concrete filled the air, the smell of rubbing metal caught her nose and Miracle knew she couldn’t keep this up. Sooner or later she would run out of space or the wall would give.
Miracle screamed again while slamming her foot on the gas, propelling her forward. The vehicle attacking her crashed into the guardrail causing sparks to fly through the air.
“How’d you like that? Douchebag!” Miracle hollered out her open window.
She didn’t slow down or stop, she merely kept her foot on the floor, going as fast as she could manage. They finally came to a place where a gas station was located and she pulled into the parking lot where a group of men were hanging out with their motorcycles. They didn’t look dangerous—hell, they couldn’t be more dangerous than the creep who just tried running her off the road.
She pulled as close to them as she could possibly get and eased to a stop. They glanced over at her and one ran over to see if she was okay. She glanced back to see the offending car, had slowed down, no doubt watching to see what she would do.
Miracle smiled. “I’m fine—danke.”
“Were you in an accident?” he asked. “Do you want me to call someone?”
Miracle paused to find the right words in German to tell them what she wished to convey. “Nein.” She shook her head then paused, conjugated a few words in her head before continuing. “I’m just not used to driving here and swung a little close to the guardrail, that’s all.”
“Oh okay. If you are sure you are okay.”
“I’m fine. Danke. I just want to catch my breath.”
He nodded and went back to his friends and Miracle kept her eyes on the car still waiting. After an hour, she figured it wouldn’t leave so she did the one thing she swore she wouldn’t do. She grabbed her phone, scrolled down and clicked send.
It took a couple of rings but then the line clicked. “M.J!” John “Tex” Keegan said, his Texan accent as real as the day was long. “What a pleasant surprise. Are you missing your Texan already?”
Already? Miracle had spent months going from Poland to Germany for her research. But she’d gone back to Norfolk a few times. She hadn’t seen Tex in almost a year since they lived in completely different states.
Miracle laughed. “Does Melody know you’re in love with me?” Despite her predicament, she couldn’t help herself.
“She knows. She just thinks no one else would put up with my ass.” Tex laughed heartily.
“And I’m right!” Melody called from somewhere on the other side. “He can be a handful!”
“And she’s right.” Miracle couldn’t help smiling. “Say hi to her for me, but listen, I need some help.”
“Help? Hold on. Mel, pass me my laptop,” Tex said. “Okay, M.J, talk to me.”
“Someone just tried running me off the road,” Miracle said. “They rammed me from behind and then slammed into the side of my car. I found these bikers and pulled up close to them but the car is still waiting for me on the other side of the road.”
“What in the hell?” The anger in Tex’s voice was no surprise to Miracle. Tex was a man who believed in helping those in need, especially those he called his friends. And when his friends called him for assistance, may God have mercy on the offending party. “Stay on the line, M.J—okay—I found you. Hang tight. I’m sending back-up.”
“Back-up...Tex...”
“She’s ten minutes out from your location. Don’t move and don’t hang up.”
Miracle exhaled and glanced in the rear-view mirror. The car was still there. She’d gambled that they wouldn’t attack if there was a crowd around. She caught the biker’s attention and waved him over. “Um—I don’t feel so well. So I’ve called a friend. She’s on her way—could you guys stick around until she comes?”
“Sure. We’ll be right here.”
Miracle nodded and rested back in her seat while her good Samaritan went back to his crew.
“M.J, who are you talking to?” Tex asked.
“The bikers. They seem nice.”
“They’d better be, because I have eyes on you guys right now,” Tex said. “I have ways of getting a drone to drop a missile on their damn heads.”
And he could do it too. Miracle had no doubt, especially since the irritation in Tex’s voice was so evident.
“No need for chemical warfare.” Miracle tried for a joke.
Tex grunted.
Miracle knew if Tex wasn’t a good guy he’d be a major pain in authorities’ asses because he was like a computer whisperer. She’d met him before he’d lost a leg, when her brother would do special operations with him. After Curtis died, Tex kind of adopted her. He checked in on her from time to time, made sure she was okay. After he lost his leg they drifted apart. He went through a phase where he just wanted to be left alone. Thankfully it hadn’t lasted. She’d missed him.
Miracle kept her eyes on the car that had become like a black cloud over her. Almost ten minutes later, a green and silver car pulled up behind her attacker’s. To her surprise, before anyone came out of the new car, her attackers sped off down the road. Instead of following, the green and silver car rolled toward her.
“She should be there now,” Tex said. “Green and silver police car.”
“You called the cops? Tex, they were probably just trying to rob me.”
“She’s not just any cop, M.J. Trust me. And if they just wanted your valuables, they wouldn’t have stuck around after you pulled into that parking lot. There’s something else going on here and I swear to keystrokes, I’m going to find out.”
Miracle groaned. When Tex’s friends were in trouble or he thought they were in danger, he was like a dog with a bone. In another life, she could have fallen in love with John Tex Keegan. It wasn’t hard to adore him. But by the time she even opened her eyes to see what a wonderful person he was, Tex had already fallen into the friend zone, swiftly moving toward big brother status.
And then there was Melody—a woman who had fallen into the ranks of Tex’s world and loved him more deeply than even Miracle could imagine anyone loving another.
Someone knocked on the side of her car and Miracle just about jumped a foot in the air. Honestly, Miracle was stunned to see it was a woman. But not just any woman—this cop was gorgeous with her dark hair tied back, serious brown eyes and lips that would make any man fall to his knees and weep.
“Hello there,” the officer said. “Sprechen sie Deutsch?”
“Just a little—sprichst du Englisch?”
The police smiled at her, her mouth curling upward at the corner. “Yes. I’m Sabine Henson.”
Miracle hopped from the car and exhaled. “Tex, she’s here.”
“All right. Tell her I’ll talk to her later.”
“Will do.”
“He says he’ll talk to you later.” Miracle explained to Sabine. “I don’t mean to be a bother, but that car almost killed me. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“And you don’t know who they are?” Sabine asked, inspecting Miracle’s car.
“No. I’m here doing research for my dissertation. I never thought it would be dangerous!” Miracle frowned. “I go from my apartment to the library, museums—when would I have time to piss anyone off?”
“Let me escort you home,” Sabine said. “I’m sure Tex got the license plate of the car so we’ll look into it.”
Miracle was too shaken up to argue, but she knew she couldn’t drive. Not in her current condition. Now safe, her body was finally coming down off the adrenaline high. With a sigh, she shook her head while curling her fingers into tight fists. “I-I can’t drive. Hell, I can’t even stop my hands from shaking.”
“No need to worry, ma’am.” Sabine grinned, while tipping an imaginary hat. “We here in Sankt Augustin are a full service kind of police. I’ll drive you home.”
The smile Sabine gave her took away Miracle’s worries and she nodded. “Okay, that would be nice. Thank you.”
Sabine excused herself for a bit to talk into her cell and Miracle took the time to hurry over and thank the bikers who’d watched over her. They merely grinned sheepishly at her, told her they would have done it for any beautiful lady, then proceeded to, one by one, kiss the back of her hand. Although the incident bringing her to their presence was so horrendous, she couldn’t help but giggle.
Soon she was on her way back toward her apartment, with a strange, woman driving her car. “So—how do you know Tex?” Miracle asked more to kill the silence than anything else.
“We trained together.”
“I see. He was a friend of my brother’s.” Miracle offered.
“Was? Tex doesn’t give up on friends easily. What happened?”
“Curt, died.” Miracle sighed.
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you. But, he left me Tex.” Miracle smiled. “Now I seem to have been adopted by a rowdy bunch of guys, and their women, I never thought I needed but adore beyond measure.”
“You mean The Wolf Pack?”
Miracle laughed. “That’s what you guys call them?”
“Well, they’re Wolf’s team—it only makes sense to call them The Wolf Pack. But I think I’m the only one who does.”
“The Wolf Pack.” Miracle murmured. “I like it.”
Sabine glanced at her and Miracle smiled.
“So your brother was military?” Sabine asked.
“Yeah. They used to call him Chaser.”
Sabine laughed fondly. “I knew Chaser.”
“You knew my brother?”
Sabine nodded, her eyes still on the road. “Sweet guy—no one would be able to tell he could bust through doors with the best of them. I met him on one of my training stints with Wolf and his team. I was sorry to hear of his death.”
“Yeah. He was my everything. So you’re not military, yet you train with American SEALs. How does that work?”
Sabine shrugged.
Miracle chewed on her bottom lip. She knew there was something Sabine wasn’t telling her but she wouldn’t push it. Tex and his friends had their secrets, and after having her brother and Tex in her life, she learned a long time ago not to ask. Instead, she snuggled in her seat, enjoying being driven for once. As the silence crept in, her mind went back to the terror she felt as that other car smashed into hers. She’d heard somewhere that during a near death experience, one’s life flashes before their eyes. They hadn’t lied.
In that moment, Miracle had seen all the things she still had left on her list to do before she died.
Fall in love.
Sleep all day.
Dance in the rain.
Laugh until she cried.
Visit the pyramids.
See the Taj Mahal.
Travel to Bora Bora.
Hear a man say I love you and mean it.
Most of these things could be bought—and why not? Her parents had left her millions of dollars. The least she could do was use some of it.
The ride home didn’t take overly long and by the time Sabine eased the car into Miracle’s assigned spot, Miracle was feeling severely drained. She expected that to happen—after the adrenaline wore off. Sabine escorted her from the lot, up the elevator and into the unit.
Miracle sighed. “Thanks for doing this.”
“Bitte,” Sabine replied.
It took a while for Sabine to leave her apartment. The police had checked the doors, the security system then all the windows. Miracle stood with her roommate and best friend Liane silently, allowing Sabine to do this. Apparently, Tex would firebomb Sabine’s house if she didn’t ensure Miracle was safe inside. When she was finished, Sabine turned serious, brown eyes on Miracle and Liane
“Okay, if you need anything the easiest way to get a hold of me is through Tex,” Sabine said. “I’ll send someone over to take care of your car. You can’t ride around with all those dents.”
“You really don’t have to do that,” Miracle said. “You’ve done so much already.”
But Sabine merely smiled and stepped through the door. “Lock up after me.”
With a nod, Miracle thanked her again. She closed the door and locked it. In that moment, all she wanted to do was fall into bed. But knew Liane had questions.
“Okay,” Liane said, leading her back to the sofa. “Start talking.”
Miracle went through the whole story and when she was finished, Liane rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen. “Lee? Say something.”
“What in the hell do you want me to say?” Liane snapped. “We should go home.”
“I’m not leaving until I get what I came here for,” Miracle muttered, defiance filling her tone. “I’ve come too far.”
“But you’re not working on what you came here for!” Liane snapped. “You’re nowhere near what you came here for!”
“What are you saying?”
“Jesus, Miracle! You could have died!” Liane tossed her hands up. “You know why this is happening, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Do I have to spell it out for you? You cannot be this clueless!”
Miracle rubbed her eyes, her head had started throbbing again and she was quickly losing her patience. “Why don’t you just spit it out?”
“You’re looking into Heinrik Loft!” Liane said in a hoarse whisper. “The man vanished a lifetime ago and you’re going to go and dig him up! Damn it, Miracle, don’t you see? His Houdini act wasn’t just for shits and giggles! He, or someone he knew, wanted him gone!”
“No one’s trying to kill me because of some guy from the nineteen forties.”
“Oh yeah? If he was a regular guy, I’d say, sure, whatever—not true. But he was a Nazi—Miracle! For crying out loud! These men are being jailed now for war crimes. No one wants to go to prison. Do you seriously think if he’s still alive and knows you’re digging, he’s going to let you find him?”
“No.”
“No. He’s going to see you dead first.” Liane tossed her hands up. “You’re going to have to let this go or you’re going to wind up road kill.”