a reason to live(98)

“Yeah,” he answered with certainty, tucking my head into his shoulder.

“How do you know?”

“Because it would take an act of God to stop that woman and He knows He’ll have less trouble with her on earth than in heaven messing in His affairs.”

Max grunted in agreement beside Shane and I giggled, “You’re right.”

“I know I am . . .”

Arrogant Shane was back and it made me smile. It was exactly what I needed to feel safe at that moment.

“Still arrogant, I see.”

“Still right, too . . .”

I nodded grudgingly.

Mia leaned across Max and smiled softly at me, worry for Maxine etched clearly across her face. “It’s over now, thank God. How did it play out? Max won’t tell me what happened.”

I looked at Max.

Apparently, he didn’t want her to know he broke Heller’s neck.

“He got what he deserved,” I answered.

“Does Jack have him in custody?”

“Umm . . .”

“He’s dead,” Max answered. “That’s all you need to know right now.”

Mia jerked and looked at Max.

“It was you, wasn’t it?” she gasped.

Max pulled her into his side and rested his chin on her head. “He shot Maxine and tried to kill you. What did you think I’d do when I left you here to go after him?”

“Oh. My. God. Are you all right?”

“I will be as soon as Mom’s out of surgery and I know she’s okay.”

We had to wait a while to find out, but finally, in the wee hours of the night, the doctor came in and told us she would make a full recovery.

Jack flashed his badge and they allowed all of us back to see her. When Max walked in ahead of us, he stopped in his tracks and I heard his breath stutter. Maxine was pale, with wires and tubes still attached from the surgery, and she looked frail for the first time since I’d met her.

Mia placed her hand on his arm and he began to breathe again. As if she sensed his presence, Maxine opened her eyes and put out her hand. Before Max could reach for her, she garbled in a dry, shaky voice, “You owe me a grandchild. Get to work,” and then fell back to sleep.

I expected Max to argue, but he picked up her hand, placed a kiss on her knuckles, and answered, “You got it.”

His agreement made its way through her muddled brain and she stirred enough to reply back, “A girl. And name her after my grandfather.”

Max grinned and looked at Mia.

“I’m not naming a girl after a man,” she announced, crossing her arms.

“You will this time. His name was Peyton G. Gunnison.”

“Peyton Hunter?” Mia whispered, pulling up a chair on the other side of her bed. “I like that.”

Shane took my hand and we backed out, leaving Mia and Max to stand guard over Maxine. Jack and Jenn followed and we all took a collective breath.

I curled into Shane’s side as we headed to the elevators and down to the parking lot. My nerves were still wired for some reason, so I needed the contact until I could settle.

“Let’s get you ladies home,” Jack mumbled. “Shane and I have an early morning at the station. We gotta meet with Parker.”

“He’s back from Alaska?”

“Yeah, he just arrived. Says he knows how Heller found us.”

I’d wondered the same thing. All the precautions the authorities had taken along with the FBI, and he still managed to get out unnoticed.

“He give you a heads up?” Shane asked as we climbed into Jack’s SUV.

Jack turned to look at me, studying me for a moment, then said, “He assumed the identity of Sage’s father and changed his appearance with facial hair.”

“What?” I grabbed Shane’s hand and took a deep breath. I hated the idea that Heller had used my father.

“How did he find us?” Shane asked, squeezing my hand tighter.

Jack looked at me again and I prepared. My skin began to prickle and my heart picked up speed. The need to move became overwhelming.

“Sage told him.”

“What?” Shane hissed.

I jerked my head back and shook my head. “I hadn't spoken to him in four years before tonight,” I cried out as adrenaline dumped and coursed through my body.

“He cloned your mother’s phone. Every text message you thought you sent her you were sendin’ to him instead. He’s been trackin’ you with it since you left Fairbanks.”

The shaking began again and I looked at Shane, then Jack and Jenn. I could have gotten them all killed.

It was then I actually crashed and burned.

My lungs seemed to constrict. Pulling air into them was like breathing through a straw. I wailed, “You could have been killed because of me,” as my skin crawled as if tiny ants marched over it, and my head grew dizzy. A loud ringing erupted in my ears blocking out their voices, and my heart raced faster, pounding out of control in my chest. Shane reached out to grab my face and said, “Sage?” but I pushed him away. The thought of being touched made it worse. My vision blurred and became spotty as I tried again to pull air into my lungs.