Chapter Sixteen
Nando finally made his escape from Victor Herrera’s wrath, happy to have his skin in one piece, never mind his life. He had never seen El Jefe in such a rage. Not that he himself was any too pleased. How in the hell had these people, whoever they were, learned who had taken the hostages, where they were kept, and yanked them out from under the very noses of El Jefe’s personal guards?
Because they had gotten sloppy, he told himself. Too confident. A mistake he’d never make again.
His men were burying the dead and tending to the survivors even as he retreated to the safety of his own quarters. He pulled out his cell phone, his hands shaking as he pressed the speed dial for the man he was sure had betrayed him. Señor Rasgon would regret this, every day of his miserable life. Nando would exact his pound of flesh and more. And remind the man it was very unhealthy to make an enemy of the great Victor Herrera.
The phone rang four times on the other end before going to voice mail. He swore and snapped the phone shut. He’d wait a few minutes and try again. He knew the phone was set on vibrate, so this would be a warning to the idiot to get himself someplace to talk. But after six tries he still had no success making contact.
Swearing in gutter Spanish, he punched in another number, determined that someone would feel the heat of his anger.
Javier hurried to the side of the hangar to answer his cell phone. He had a very bad feeling about what he was going to hear.
“Stupido!” Nando’s voice exploded through the phone like a bomb. “You miserable little cockroach. You are worthless, you hear me? A piece of garbage.”
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Javier stammered.
Jesu Cristo! Now what?
“If you weren’t my cousin’s son, I’d be feeding you to the fish right now, piece by piece.”
“I don’t understand.” Javier shifted from foot to foot, trying to fight the roiling in his stomach.
“They’re gone, pendejo. The damn hostages are gone.”
Javier wanted to throw up. How could this be? He had heard the men talking, seen them leave.
“I am sorry,” he said, not knowing what else to say.
“Do not think you will rest easy over this one,” Nando told him. “El Jefe would like to see your ass roasted over a slow fire.”
“Please, Nando,” he began.
“You should go to church and pray to the Virgin Mother that you are still breathing when this is over.”
Troy was keeping a sharp eye on the hostages. He really wanted to get them to an emergency room, not fully convinced they shouldn’t get more medical attention. But everyone was anxious to get home as quickly as possible. He finally told Dan that for the trauma they’d been through they were holding up remarkably well, and after checking them each once more, agreed no hospital. He taped Eli’s ribs and made a note to remind Kat to keep an eye overnight on her sister. He figured the big crash would come once they were all inside their own homes.
They stopped to pick up the Gulfstream, leaving Rick and Troy to ride back in the helicopter with Ed. He would take the Black Hawk back to their private airfield outside Baltimore. It was midafternoon by the time the rest of them landed in San Antonio. The SUV Mark had driven to the airfield was still where they’d parked it. Dan managed to score a second one from the private terminal manager, at the same time letting him know the plane would be back in the hangar. They transferred everyone to the two vehicles while Mike parked the plane.
Mark had called Anthony Delaware en route, told him they had the hostages, and asked him not to tell anyone yet that they were free. He said they’d be bringing them to the Wright building shortly and would he please keep everyone there. He knew they all wanted showers desperately, and something to eat that resembled real food, but he needed them to wait until they confronted the person who’d set this all in motion.
For the first time, Mark and the agent exchanged the information they had. Mark also brought him up to speed on how and why the plan was hatched and who was behind it. Sort of. Delaware grudgingly asked for suggestions.
When Mark told him his plan, he was only too willing to agree. Obviously tamping down any hostility he felt, he said they’d all be waiting in the conference room.
“Anything to save his ass,” Mark told the others.
The hostages had all freshened up on the plane, and Dan and Mark had handed out spare clothes they kept in the plane’s bedroom. They even managed to find shorts and a shirt for Lissa.
Mark had hooked up the little printer and printed out everything Andy had sent to them. Then he handed it to Dan, who sat quietly to one side with Eli, in two of the comfortable chairs, reviewing the material. Eli had swallowed some aspirin in the helicopter but refused Troy’s offer of a pain pill.
“I want to be alert when I read what you’ve got,” he said, “and plan what I’m going to say to those bastards.”
Troy tried again to get everyone to the emergency room before they did anything else, but the Wrights were determined to confront the people who’d planned this and the man who’d put it together. Eli could barely control his anger.
Mark offered to drop Lissa and Sydney off at their home before going on to Wright International, but they refused, insisting they be present when it all went down.
When they walked into Pelley’s conference room, several pairs of eyes stared at them, taking in the tall, grim-looking strangers and the Wrights and Mari in their bruised, battered condition. Dan scanned the table, noticing who looked relieved and who looked shocked, then let Mark take the lead, since he’d been the one dealing with the FBI.
Delaware stood up from his seat at the table and grudgingly held out his hand. “Anthony Delaware,” he said. “Thanks for doing my job for me. Politics, you know.” His voiced was tinged with both bitterness and regret.
“Mark Halloran. And no problem.” He nodded at the group behind him, indicating each in turn. “My partners. Eli Wright and his family, and Mari Culhane. Faith Halloran and Mari’s sister, Katherine.”
Delaware shook hands with each of them. “You have to know how glad we are to have you back,” he told the Wright party, “and how badly our hands were tied.”
Eli nodded abruptly. “I do. I’m not blaming you; I’m sure you understand it didn’t make us feel any better, knowing we were in a no-win situation. I just thank God for men like the people from the Phoenix Agency.”
Ron Pelley had risen and hurried around to where everyone was standing. “Eli. Sydney. God, I’m so glad—”
“Stow it,” Eli snapped, halting Pelley in midsentence. “You’d better sit down.”
”You, too,” Delaware said, to Ryan Post and Rand Prescott, who had also half risen from their seats. “Right now.”
All three men sat, protesting, however.
“What the hell is going on?” Rand Prescott demanded.
“I think we’ll find out very quickly,” Mark told them. He looked at Delaware, who nodded.
“The men from the Phoenix Agency and the FBI discovered the same information almost simultaneously. Luckily for the Wrights and Miss Culhane, our agency doesn’t have to answer to government regulations.” He looked at Mike. “It’s really your show.”
Mike stepped forward. “When Katherine Culhane came to me and told me her sister was missing along with the whole Wright family, I kept hoping it was just a mix-up in travel plans. Obviously it wasn’t. It was a carefully planned kidnapping by Victor Herrera, head of the Sinaloa drug cartel. One of many that have occurred in the past year.” He looked at Mark, who took up the story.
“Someone had to have given Herrera the Wrights’ travel information and help set up the kidnapping. It wasn’t random. Digging through masses of information, we narrowed it down to you three.” He pointed at Pelley, Post, and Prescott. “You all had financial troubles you were trying to hide, and your cut of the action could get you healthy very fast.”
“Plus,” Mark went on, “you all had ties to Herrera. Post, your spa in Mexico is on the border of the state of Sinaloa. You’re overextended financially, and your sister finally turned off the aid faucet. Herrera sniffed you out, and he’s been using that spa to smuggle drugs and people into the United States.”
He looked at Pelley. “And you, my friend, have been siphoning money from the company to cover bad investments, some of which you were lured into by Herrera to give him a chokehold on you. How nice for him that you’ve been laundering his money for him as well.”
He let his gaze drift to Prescott.
“And you set them up, Prescott. You were the leader in this vicious charade. You gave Herrera the information because you had every detail of this trip. And you did it because the businesses you went into with Eli Wright were funded on your part by drug money, as is a great deal of your corporation. At least that’s the way it looks to us.”
The room was so still a pin dropping would have sounded like an explosion. The men in question looked paler than death, and the agents were listening with avid interest.
Dan moved forward, picking up the thread. “We decided to check everyone’s credit card activity for the past year. We didn’t know exactly when this poisonous little plot was hatched, but that gave us a starting point. And guess what we discovered?”
“Surprise!” Mark said. “The three of you showed up at a resort in the Bahamas at exactly the same time. An unusual coincidence, don’t you think, for three people who don’t even have contact with one another? It didn’t take much of a leap to recognize a planning party. That’s when we got the idea that all three of you had a hand in this, although one of you was the designated coordinator. We had to find out which one. It will be interesting to see what shows up when The F.B.I. gets warrants for everyone’s cell phone activities.”
“We had only one clue to follow,” Mike said. He looked at Delaware, who nodded. “We were able to hack into your computers, all of you, and pick up the emails you received. The last one addressed a Señor Rasgon. We could have torn our hair out figuring out that one, until someone in our group—and at the table here—said rasgon is Spanish for rip. A nickname, we assumed, based on initials as many nicknames are. But with three people carrying the same initials—Ronald Ian Pelley, Ryan Isaiah Post, and Rand Ivan Prescott. A coincidence that couldn’t happen again in a hundred years. We needed to devise a plan to ferret out the right person.”
Anthony Delaware cleared his throat, drawing attention back to himself.
“I’d like you three men—Pelley, Post, and Prescott—to take out your cell phones and put them on the table,” the agent said. “Now,” he snapped, when no one made a move.
With obvious reluctance the three men pulled their phones from their pockets and placed them on the table. Immediately Rand Prescott’s began to vibrate.
“Answer it, Mr. Prescott,” Delaware told him. When the man didn’t move, he said, “Fine. Then I’ll do it.” He reached across the table and grabbed the phone before Prescott could stop him. He waited until the tech standing by had plugged a cord into it and nodded, then flipped it open and put it on speaker.
“Rasgon?” a voice said. “Rip? Damn it, I’ve been calling you for hours. What the hell is going on? Do you have any idea what’s happened down here?”
“I think we all know what’s happened by now,” Delaware said. “Whoever the hell you are, I’d advise you to inform Victor Herrera he’s made some very dangerous enemies. He’d better hurry up and replace those guards who were killed today. And his other setup is down the drain. Oh, one more thing. I took the precaution of having Mr. Pelley record the numbers on the bearer bonds. A notice has gone out internationally that the bonds are counterfeit and should not be redeemed. I think even your back-alley money brokers will stay away from this one.”
“Listen,” Prescott began.
Delaware looked at Prescott. “Rip, huh? I should have figured you’d be the one leading the parade here. Big international wheeler dealer.”
“Damn it, Rand,” Eli Wright exploded. “What the hell were you thinking of?”
Prescott’s face paled. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. Or who this person is.”
“Rip?” the voice from the phone shouted. “I asked what is happening. You’d better talk to me.”
Delaware swung his gaze to the tech, who nodded his head, then the agent took the phone and pressed Off. Again he looked at each of the three men individually.
“You’re all guilty, you know. Prescott maybe a little more so. We’ll let the courts decided the severity of everyone’s penalty, because believe me, prison is just around the corner for everyone.” He nodded to his agents. “I think we need to take these three into custody. Get them downtown to the Justice Building, and keep them separated.”
As the agents went to work, Prescott was shouting again, demanding an attorney. Dan and Mark had to forcibly restrain Eli Wright from getting in at least one punch, but Sydney got her own licks in. As Ryan was being shoved past her, she reached out and slapped his face as hard as she could.
“I’m only glad our parents aren’t here to see this, you miserable little turd.” Her voice was filled with unsatisfied rage. “I hope you rot in whatever cell they put you in.”
Sydney Wright looked at her brother as two agents dragged him past her. “I’m sickened by you,” she spat at him. “To do this to your own family.”
“Family, huh?” he sneered. “If family had taken better care of me, maybe this never would have happened.”
“Family took care of you long enough,” Eli said, disgust in his voice. “We should have let you hang on your own a long time ago.” He turned his gaze to Ron Pelley, his rage vibrating throughout the room. “I treated you like a friend. More than a business associate. I gave you opportunities a lot of men never get. I trusted you, you bastard.”
He raised his hand as if to hit him, but Dan Romeo stepped up to him and placed a hand on his arm. “Don’t lower yourself to his level. He’ll get what he deserves.”
“Whatever it is, it will never be enough to make up for what we went through.” Sydney Wright’s voice was harsh. She stood to the side, holding her daughter.
“I know that,” Dan told them. “But it’s a start. And now I think it’s time for the three of you to get medical attention, and then go home. You have a lot of healing to do, psychologically as well as physically.”
When the agents and their prisoners had left, and Anthony Delaware had shaken hands all around, Mark guided everyone out of the conference room. “I think we could all use a little downtime right now.”
Kat had been reluctant to leave her sister by herself, still worried about a possible concussion, but Mari was firm about what she planned.
“I’m fine,” she assured her sister. “My head’s sore but doesn’t ache, and my vision’s been better even after I first got hit. So please. Right now I want the longest bath in the world, some hot tea, and a good night’s sleep in clean sheets.” She hugged her sister. “I’ll be okay, honestly. You and Mike get some rest, too.” She looked over at Mike, leaning against the wall. “Maybe we could all have breakfast tomorrow?”
“You got it,” he told her. “How about if we pick you up at ten. Is that good for you?”
“Perfect.” She looked back at Kat. “I know you think I shouldn’t be alone right now, but honest, sis. I’m going to conk right out. Tomorrow is when I’ll need you.”
Kat left her with great reluctance, but she was beginning to come apart, too. All the tension of the last few days had her unraveling, and she didn’t want to do it in front of Mari.
She was more than willing to let Mike take her to his hotel suite, undress her carefully, and stand her under a hot, hot shower. His hands felt so soothing as wordlessly he soaped her body then shampooed her hair, massaging her scalp and easing away the headache that had been building.
As the shower beat down and rinsed them off, he took her mouth in a kiss so tender it almost brought tears to her eyes. His tongue had a new possessiveness to it, his touch a sense of ownership that said, Mine. And she was more than happy to be his.
Carefully he lifted her to stand on the triangular seat built into one corner of the shower, lifted one of her legs and placed it over his shoulder, and opened her as if unwrapping a special package. With the water sluicing off his back, he bent down and captured her clit in his mouth, grazing it with his teeth while his thumbs and forefingers held her open to his assault.
Kat clutched at him for support, holding onto fistfuls of his wet hair, her eyes closed as electric sensations pulsed through her and scented steam rose around them. Still trapping her clit with his lips Mike slipped two fingers inside her waiting channel and moved them in and out in a steady rhythm.
“Slick,” he murmured against her wetness. “So smooth and wet.”
He sucked harder, moved his fingers more rapidly. Kat let the need coiled so tightly inside her unwind and spiral upward through her body until it exploded in an orgasm. She rocked on his fingers, clamping down on them, the walls of her sex convulsing until the climax spent itself.
Mike slipped his fingers from her hot wet clasp and moved them back to touch the tight ring of her anus.
“I want you here, Kat. I want to fuck your ass more than I want my next breath.”
“Yesss.” When he lowered her leg she dropped her head to touch her forehead to his and wrapped her legs around him. “I want that, too.”
The first time he’d taken her anally, she’d told him she’d never done that with anyone else. It was an intimate act that she shared only with him. She sensed now that he wanted to ask her about the intervening two years but was reluctant to.
She smiled. “No one but you, Mike. Ever.”
“And no one else ever will.”
He turned off the shower and dried them both with the big fluffy bath towels hanging on the warming rack before guiding her to the bed. She stood there trembling while he ran his hands over every inch of her body, touching every single place. His fingertips trailed through the crease where hip and thigh joined, first one side, then the other. His palms smoothed the skin of her tummy and moved upward to hold her breasts, fingers lightly pinching her already aching nipples.
When he cupped her cheeks and pressed his mouth to hers, she opened to let his tongue thrust deeply inside. Weaving her fingers into the thick hair on his head, she held him in place, shivering with delicious expectation as one hand moved to leave a trail of heat down her body on its way to her core. His fingers probed her wet folds, finding the already tender nub of her clitoris and stroking, stroking, stroking.
At the point where she didn’t think she could stand on her feet one more minute, Mike lifted her and placed her on the bed on her stomach. Pulling her to her hands and knees he dragged pillows beneath her to support her body then placed a hot kiss on each cheek of her ass. Kat closed her eyes and let the erotic sensations Mike had aroused dance everywhere on her body.
“Feel good, babe?”
“Mmm,” was all she could manage.
One hand slid between her thighs to find her clit and begin that steady stroking movement that brought all her senses into play and made her body ache for relief.
Now she was rocking on her hands and knees, eyes closed, rubbing her clit against his hand. The sudden absence of his touch left her feeling achingly empty but then she heard the familiar crinkle of foil and the snap of latex.
“Deep breath, kitten,” he said in a low voice that covered her like warm syrup. “Now.”
The head of his shaft was at her opening, probing, inching slowly inside her.
Breathe in, breathe out. In. Out.
Now, at last, he was all the way in, filling up every bit of space. When he moved, slowly at first, the friction of his movement drove her wild. She rocked with him, trying to urge him to increase his pace, feeling the dark lust surging through her. His big hands with their lean fingers gripped her hips until finally, he began to move faster. Harder. Driving deeper.
Then she was caught up in the rhythm, in the heat, in the mindlessness of the coupling.
In. Out. In. Out. Faster, faster, faster, faster.
“Now, Kat.” His voice was almost a shout. “Now, now, now.”
One more deep thrust, his fingers digging into her, and they burst into flames together, bodies shaking, still rocking through spasms more intense than she’d ever felt before. When they finally collapsed forward Kat wasn’t sure whether she’d ever be able to move again.
Mike’s breath was warm against her ear. “Mine. All mine.” His voice was raspy as he dragged air into his lungs. “Forever.”
“Forever,” she whispered with the little strength that remained.
“Hey, aren’t you ready yet?” Mike rapped on the bathroom door. “Food’s here, and everyone’s gonna be arriving any minute.”
“Almost ready,” she called.
“Come on. You look beautiful no matter what.”
Kat smiled to herself, thinking how wonderful the past days had been. She pulled on a pair of shorts and a green blouse, tying the tails of it around her midriff. Slid her feet into sandals, checked her hair once more, and opened the door. Mike was standing inches away from her, grinning.
“You look good enough to eat.” His hands bracketed her waist. “In fact, I might do just that.”
“Idiot,” she laughed. “We have company coming. Didn’t you just say they’d be here any minute?”
“Spoilsport. I’ll make you pay for it later.”
“Promises, promises,” she teased, as she eluded him and climbed up onto the deck.
When they’d finally gotten clear of the FBI, the DEA, and a few other alphabet agencies, they’d spent the past two weeks tying up loose ends. Except for a brief period, Mike had been with her every minute. Coddling her. Babying her. Making sure she was okay. He hadn’t officially asked her to marry him yet. Hadn’t said the words. But she wasn’t worried. They both knew where things were headed, and she was sure it would happen when the time was right.
She’d tried to object when he insisted on paying off the lease on her condo in Tampa and putting everything in storage temporarily.
“I’m not letting you get away this time,” he kept saying. “I learned my lesson the last time, and it was painful, believe me.”
His own condo had never been more than a place to change clothes and looked as if a delivery van had thrown up in it. So for the moment they were staying on his boat docked in Chesapeake Bay, getting ready to leave for a week on the water. Then they’d decide where they were going to live. He had, however, gotten a commitment from her to join Phoenix’s Psi department, with the details to be worked out later.
Eli Wright had insisted everyone, including Mari, get counseling to help them deal with what had happened. And he would cover the cost of it. Luckily, he’d suffered no internal injuries, just the cracked ribs Troy had diagnosed. While painful, they certainly weren’t life-threatening. He wanted to take Sydney to a plastic surgeon to see what he could do about the scar she was sure to have on her face, but she absolutely refused.
“It will remind me never to take anything for granted again,” she told him, “or to get too complacent.”
Lissa, who had held up remarkably well, had finally had her meltdown, but working with the counselor was doing her a lot of good.
Kat had also spent three days with Mari while Mike was off taking care of some obligations with the Phoenix Agency. Her sister had miraculously come through the situation with minimal trauma except for the finally fading bruise on her head and a lingering minor headache. But she’d been checked out, and the doctor had said she was doing very well. So they’d spent three days together doing girl things and thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Today Mike’s partners were going to join them for lunch so they could all catch up. The married ones were bringing their wives, and Kat had insisted the Latrobes bring the wonder dog, Xena. Mike had ordered the food from the restaurant at the end of the pier where the boat’s slip was, along with plenty of champagne to celebrate recent successes and happy occasions.
When Kat climbed the short stairway to the deck, the Phoenix group was already halfway down the pier, having elected to arrive together. Kat recognized the men who had risked their lives to save Mari and the Wrights.
And Faith, of course.
The group also included a slender woman, shorter than Faith, with sun-streaked brown hair and a pixie face, as well as another woman, slightly taller than Faith, with a well-toned body and a long braid of burnished red hair that hung down her back. Beside the second woman, trotting obediently, was the massive, black-and-white Xena the Wonder Dog, the Caucasian Ovcharka with Psi abilities.
They climbed the short ladder to the deck, Xena taking it in one great leap. Once they were all on board, the men and Faith hugged Kat and Mike. Dan and Rick introduced their wives. As Kat looked at all of them, she saw such love and affection passing between the married couples she felt her throat tighten with emotion. Would she and Mike be able to achieve that?
Xena sat down on the deck between Kelly and Rick, but her eyes were focused on Kat.
Kelly grinned. “Hold out your hand. I promise she won’t knock you over.”
Kat extended one hand, the dog lifted a paw and placed it in her palm. Kat smiled and shook it. “Pleased to meet you, Xena.”
“She has a particular affinity for people with psychic abilities,” Kelly told her. “We’re building a kennel behind the new house, and I’m going to breed Ovcharkas, then train them for special individuals.”
“That sounds exciting.”
Rick squeezed Kelly’s shoulder. “Everything about her is exciting.
The tall redhead blushed and punched his arm playfully.
They all arranged themselves around the table, which had been set on deck, and Mike pulled one of the bottles of champagne from the cooler, filled everyone’s glass, and lifted his own.
“I have several toasts to make today,” he began. “First, to my partners, my brothers in arms, there are no others like you. I am blessed to have found you.”
Everyone raised their glasses to take a sip of the bubbly liquid. Kat noted the men’s faces tighten with an emotion as strong as that between the couples.
“Next,” he continued, “to the wonderful Faith Halloran, for everything she did on this last chaotic episode to help the woman in my life.” He lifted his glass first toward Faith, then Kat.
The woman in his life?
Again the same feelings swept over her.
“I’m saving my last toast until after we get all the news on the table. So. Dan, you’ve been to Washington twice and also met with Eli Wright. You have the floor.”
Dan tossed back the last of the champagne and set his glass on the table.
“Okay. Long story short: the FBI is trying to keep from having egg on its face, although not all the egg belongs to them.”
“What do you mean?” Kat asked.
“They would do a lot of things differently if they weren’t hamstrung by some of this country’s political policies. Not being able to go into Mexico once they knew that’s where the hostages were was a bad thing. It pissed off a lot of people.” One corner of his mouth kicked up in a grin. “Not the least of whom was our good friend Anthony Delaware. Then you have to factor in the San Diego office, and you’ve got another bunch of unhappy people.”
“So how did you all resolve it?” Troy wanted to know. “I’ve been unavailable and unreachable, so I know less than anyone here.”
“We’re going to keep Phoenix out of this and let the feds take credit for the rescue without giving out any details. Then we’re going to bury the whole thing.”
“Which doesn’t make Eli Wright any too happy,” Mark put in. “Dan and I have met with him three or four times, and that is one pissed-off dude.”
“But even he realizes we aren’t going to gain anything by handing this to the media or making huge waves. It is what it is.”
“The good thing,” Mark added, “is that they’ve contracted with Phoenix to hire and train their security guards and put a whole new system in place. And Eli said he’d be happy to be a reference anytime we need it.”
“But that doesn’t address what’s going to happen with the three Rips,” Faith said. “What a group of scumbags.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Kat said, raising her glass and sipping from it.
“Right now they’re guests of the federal government,” Dan told her. “All the charges pending against them are federal charges. They just have to sort out which ones take precedence. The Department of Justice will be busy with this for a long time.”
“But won’t they just hire some high-priced lawyers and weasel out of it?” Mia asked. It was the first time she’d spoken since the recitation began.
Dan gave her a crooked grin. “They would if they could afford it. But the feds have frozen all their assets, since so much of their money is tied up in the drug trade and money laundering. And the publicity surrounding them will be so negative, no one will want to touch it with a ten-foot pole.” He shook his head. “No, they won’t be seeing freedom for a long time, if ever. And remember, kidnapping carries the death penalty.”
“That’s their only bargaining chip,” Mark told them. “If they open up to the feds and give them everything about Victor Herrera, the DOJ might take the death penalty off the table.”
“How’s your sister doing, Kat?” Faith asked.
“Much better than I expected. And Eli feels so guilty that she got caught up in it, he gave her a huge raise and moved her into a brand-new condo building with top-of-the-line security.” She grinned at Mike. “Provided by you-know-who. I think she’ll be all right.”
“It’s just too damn bad Herrera gets off scot-free,” Troy murmured.
“Not quite totally off,” Dan said. “The feds shut down several areas of his operation, including the money laundering, so he’ll take a big hit from this. And maybe the DEA can figure out a way to shut him down altogether.”
Mia pushed her plate away and looked at Kat. “So, I understand you’ve agreed to be part of our new Psi department?”
“Whatever that means. I’m just honored to be included in it.”
“We’re trying to expand our resources,” Mia told her. “Would you consider setting up a testing project to screen for other remote viewers and bringing in someone you’d recommend to train them?”
Kat tried to tamp down the shiver of excitement. “I’d love to. And I know just the people I can contact to work with us. When can we get together and work everything out?”
“Faith and I are going to talk to Aunt Vivi about getting some of the trainers from the Lotus Circle to help with vision interpretations and expansion of telepathy, too. And Kelly will be working with a local breeder to enhance the Psi abilities of the dogs and determine which dogs relate to which people.”
“Hold on a minute.” Mike held up a hand. “We have some other business to take care of first.” He uncorked another bottle of champagne and refilled all the glasses. Then he looked down at Kat.
Her stomach did flip-flops at the look in his eyes. What was he up to now?
“First,” he said, “a toast to the Hallorans, the Latrobes, and the Romeos for their unbelievably successful wedded bliss. A real inspiration to others.”
“You trying to tell us something?” Mark asked.
“That would be a yes,” he answered. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a small box, set his glass down so he could open it, and lifted out a solitaire diamond.
It was the most exquisite one Kat had ever seen. When Mike lifted her left hand and slipped the ring onto her finger, she had to struggle to breathe. All the air seemed to have left her lungs, yet her heart was beating fast enough to leap out of her chest.
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “I’m doing this in public so you’ll be too embarrassed to say no,” he teased. “Will you marry me, Kat? I screwed up once, but I’ll never do it again.”
She could hardly get the words out, tears clogging her throat and burning her eyelids.
“Go ahead,” Kelly said. “You owe it to the rest of the world to take him off the market.”
Mike’s gaze held Kat’s, and what she saw in his eyes wiped away any lingering reservations she might have had.
“Yes. Oh yes, I’ll marry you.”
He lifted her from the chair to give himself a better angle to press his mouth to hers in a scorching kiss. Everyone at the table clapped and whistled.
“We still have to talk about where we’re going to live,” he said when they finally broke for air. “And Kat will still be doing her remote viewing consulting in addition to working with us.”
“How about doing it through Phoenix?” Mia asked. “Now that you’ll be joining this great new Psi department, Kat, don’t you think it only makes sense to add the resources of the agency?”
She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “That sounds wonderful. I’d love to work with all of you, be able to use my gifts to help you with what you do. And draw on your resources to help the clients I bring in.”
Mike kissed her again, but this time when they broke apart, she realized everyone else at the table was looking at Troy expectantly.
A look of horror crossed his face. “No. No way. Uh-uh. Mrs. Arsenault’s little boy is meant for the single life.”
“That’s what we all said,” Dan told him. He nodded at Mike. “Don Juan here fell the hardest. You can, too.”
“Not in the plans,” Troy argued. “Not for me. I’m just saying, you know?”
But Kat caught the eyes of the other women, all with the same idea.
Then Mike was kissing her again, and she forgot to think about anything else.