JoshuasMistake (16 page)

“I know and you did. But I’d rather die than live without
you.”

She threw her arms around him. “I love you, Joshua
Lakeland.”

In an instant Strength, Fear, Sorrow, Desire and Rage all
came together in the Tessa who was Love. Light exploded in every direction.

The hard ground beneath her was her first sign she had
crossed back through the veil. Her body ached but other than some stiffness and
an empty belly she was unharmed. Sweat dripped from every pore as the heat
pressed down around her.

“Am I in hell?” She tried to say the words out loud, but it
sounded similar to a croak from her dry throat.

Gunfire exploded outside. Tessa couldn’t see anything except
the orange glow on a mud ceiling.

A man who reminded her of Joshua bent over her and grinned.
He lifted her to sitting and tipped some water into her mouth. “You’re in
Nevada.”

“Joshua.” She managed the one word a bit better after the
water slid down her throat.

The man who had to be Joshua’s brother said, “He’s okay. I’m
Kane.”

“Who’s shooting?”

“I’m not sure, but my guess is Banta has found us.”

Tessa stretched her long legs and leaned against the dirt
wall. Her body was stiff and her stomach growled. She took the offered cup of
liquid and wiped sweat from her face as she drank. “Why is it so damn hot?”

Light streamed in through a doorway. She saw movement and
turned to see Joshua crawling on his stomach across the ground toward her. “Because
we’re in the sweat lodge, beautiful. It was the only way I could cross over and
get to you.”

Her entire body relaxed when she saw him. Her aches no
longer mattered. The memory of the pain Banta had caused meant nothing. He was
whole and that was all that mattered. “You’re alive. The bullet didn’t hit you?”

“You saved me.” The gunfire continued outside, but Joshua
pulled her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head.

Nothing would ever compare to being safe in his embrace. Odd
she should feel secure when it was obvious a battle raged outside. “I wasn’t
sure and then you were in my nightmare telling me…you love me.”

She’d said it out loud. It might have been her imagination,
but that was what she remembered most clearly from the other world.

He moved so she could see his face in the orange glow coming
from the center of the round room. “I do love you.”

Bliss
. It was well over a hundred degrees in the
room. Automatic weapons fire blasted outside and yet those words brought her
pure bliss.

“You brought me back.” Her lips found his, warm and needy.
The gunfire became louder, breaking the kiss much too soon.

He ignored the sound. “I will never leave you behind.”

She turned to find an elderly Native American woman lying on
her stomach nearby. She looked at them and nodded.

Even though Tessa had never seen the woman before there was
something familiar about her. Somehow she knew this woman was the reason Joshua
had found her. Tessa asked, “When did the battle start?”

The woman spoke. “It started about fifteen minutes ago.”

Kane said, “We need to get out of here. I have no idea how
it’s going.”

“You should have left,” Joshua said.

Kane shook his head. “I wasn’t sure you’d come back.”

The emotions flowing between the brothers swelled and then
retreated. Tessa’s connection to Joshua allowed her to feel their bond. Then
both of them brushed it away as if swatting a fly.

“There should be weapons just outside the entrance,” Joshua
said.

Joshua touched Tessa’s cheek and smiled. In spite of the hell
breaking loose outside his happiness was obvious. It flowed over her as if it
were a blanket. “Do you think you can move? We need to get out of the lodge.”

She pushed to her knees, testing her muscles. “I can move,
though I probably won’t be running just yet.”

His smile was enough to make her jump for joy at least
figuratively. Her memory was blurry after the bullet meant for Joshua left the
weapon. She remembered slowing time. She’d pushed the bullet, but before she
could find out if her effort had saved him, the pain of Banta tearing her aura
from her body erupted. The agony still lingered in her soul. How had she
survived? She remembered the nightmare. Fear, sorrow, rage were all warring
together and blocking her from moving forward. Then Joshua came for her, but it
was all blurry and surreal. At least until the moment she’d heard him declare
his love. Those words were a beacon. The barrier that had kept her away lifted
and she’d been in front of him. It had been her and not her fear or her
strength. She was more than just one emotion for the first time in what seemed like
years. How long had it been?

Joshua turned to the old woman. “You’ll have to make your
way to the house. It’s too hot in here for you to stay. We’ll cover you,
Adianca.”

The woman didn’t argue. On her belly she crept to the right
side of the entry and waited for the three of them to exit before her.

Tessa’s body rejected the idea of getting to her feet, but
she ignored the pain and took the automatic weapon Joshua handed her. The
daylight blinded her momentarily, but soon she could see the battle raging in
the desert.

She assumed the handful of Native Americans pinned down
behind an outcropping of rocks were on their side. Will and a young woman were
defending the sweat lodge.

Gunfire rained down on them from the ridge. Tessa, Joshua
and Kane created a wall to cover Adianca and get her safely inside the log
cabin. As soon as she was inside all three ran for the cover of a small
outbuilding.

A man dropped to the left of her. Without thinking, she
reached out and grabbed his outstretched arm, yanking him to safety. The wound
in his leg was bad but not fatal. Tessa quickly tore his jeans from where the
bullet had left the cotton ragged. She made a tight tourniquet to stop the
bleeding.

“I’m glad to see you’re better,” the man said. His teeth
gritted in pain.

“Do you know me?”

“I’m Jon. I was here when you were in the other place.”

She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t even know how long
she had been in Nevada. She muttered a thank you and Jon gave a quick nod. He
turned, staying behind the outbuilding’s wall and continued to fire in spite of
his wound.

Tessa turned toward Joshua and Kane. “We are going to get these
people killed. We need to lead Banta away from here.”

Kane said, “We’re pinned down. This is no good.”

Joshua said, “I’ll make my way around and try to get in
behind them.”

“You’ll never make it. It’s too open.” Tessa gripped his arm
tightly for emphasis. She’d just gotten back to him. She’d be damned if she was
going to let him commit suicide.

The sound of helicopters filled the valley.

“They’re bringing in more troops,” Kane said.

Joshua looked her in the eyes. “I’m sorry, beautiful. I didn’t
mean to bring you back only to get you killed.”

“I’d rather die here with you than be left in that
nightmare.” It surprised her, she really meant her words. Her only regret was
if they died in the desert Banta would live.

One helicopter landed far in the distance behind the enemy.
Banta’s men turned and began to fire on the approaching assault copter.

As soon as Joshua saw them turn on the incoming troops he
moved forward with Kane and Tessa following close behind. If the enemy was
shooting at the helicopter it meant whoever they were, they were allies.

A second helicopter landed behind the log cabin and a minute
later the psi contingent from Florida was rounding the house in full assault
gear.

Banta’s men became confused. Some of them threw down their
weapons and put their arms in the air.

Tessa saw Banta clearly at the center of the ridge. It might
have been her imagination, but she thought she saw a moment of panic on his
face. It was impossible she could have seen it at that distance. Still, he
stood looking down at them for a long moment, ignoring the bullets peppering
his general direction.

Tessa fired toward him and still he didn’t flinch. Bullets
bounced off his psi barrier as if they were pinballs in a machine.

The assault team members on the ridge collected weapons from
the surrendering troops. Even at a distance Tessa could see the FBI in white on
the black BDUs.

Banta ran for his helicopter with only a handful of his men and
took off toward the north.

Tessa fired pointlessly at the aircraft. The knot of rage in
her chest tightened and she kept firing until her clip was empty. Even then she
pointed her weapon at the ever-shrinking helicopter until Joshua gently pulled
the gun from her grasp.

“He’s getting away,” she said. Tears streamed down her
cheeks.

Joshua tossed the weapons aside and took her face in his
hands. With his thumbs he wiped away her tears. Those stark blue eyes captured
her full attention. “We will find him.”

“We can’t let him get away, Joshua.”

“We won’t.” He was completely sure of himself and something
about it brought her peace.

“Okay.”

One side of his mouth tipped up in a half-smile. He leaned
in for a quick kiss and then turned toward the men coming down the ridge into
the valley.

Joshua’s focus was on the short man in front of the rest. “Agent
Blake, I would ask you how you found us, but to be honest I don’t care.”

The two men shook hands.

“I do have some resources at my disposal, Lakeland,” Blake
said.

“I supposed the FBI does have its uses after all.”

Agent Blake stepped forward until he was face-to-face with
Tessa. “Miss Clark, the United States government owes you an apology. I did
some digging after the incident at the safe house in New Jersey. You could not
have perpetrated any wrongdoing during your mission. I had every phone and wire
record pulled confirming that. I also assume the official probe of Joshua
Lakeland, a respected Psi Agent, will confirm this. When this mess is over with
I’m sure your status will be reinstated if you still want to work for the Psi
Agency.”

She’d never heard of the government apologizing for
anything. “I appreciate that, Blake. I’ll have to give it some thought. There
may be some other opportunities opening up for me.”

Tessa looked over Blake’s shoulder to where Joshua was
listening to every word. He smiled, knowing she was thinking about the private
agency he’d talked about opening.

Blake cleared his throat. “I owe you a personal apology too.
I should have done my digging before.”

She shrugged. “You were following orders.”

“I’m learning sometimes that’s not good enough. I suspect
the person who gave those orders may have an agenda that is not in line with
the overall desires of the United States government. I’m looking into it now.”

Joshua said, “I’d be interested in what you find.”

Blake nodded and walked away to oversee the securing of
prisoners.

“That guy always pisses me off,” Jess McMean said about the
FBI agent before grabbing Tessa in a bear hug. “You okay?”

“I need food and sleep, but otherwise I think I’m fine.”

Jess let her go. “I thought we’d lost you for sure.”

Joshua put a possessive hand on the small of her back. “Not
a chance.”

Tessa gave him a weak smile. She knew the assurance Joshua
displayed was a lie. He’d been scared, afraid he would lose her. She couldn’t
help that her lips tugged up. “He says that, but there was a pretty big chance.
If Joshua hadn’t come after me I would never have found my way back.”

“I don’t understand,” Jess said.

“It’s a long story and one that can wait until Tessa has had
some rest.”

Jess didn’t argue. He accepted the off-putting statement
with a nod. “Sorry it took so long for us to get here. The local police showed
up at Will’s and we had a lot of explaining and covering up to do. Then Blake and
his men descended on us and I had to decide whose side they were on.”

Joshua listened to every word. “Understood. I’m just glad
you arrived when you did. Another few minutes and we would have been finished.
When this is all over, McMean, I’d like to talk to you about a new business
opportunity.”

Jess raised his eyebrows. “You going private sector,
Lakeland?”

“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. Now seems like
a good time to give orders rather than follow them. Especially since the source
of those orders has become too obscured in the last few months.”

Jess reached his hand out and Joshua shook it. “I’ll sure be
interested in listening to what you have in mind, Josh. First I think we have
to get on Banta’s trail and settle this.”

“Agreed.”

“You two had better get some rest. Your brother and Will are
looking pretty wrecked too. We’ll start tracking Banta. I expect he’ll lay low
for a few hours and we’ll need to be ready when he surfaces. If he’s smart he’ll
try to get out of the country as soon as possible.”

She hated that more people were putting themselves in
danger. “Be careful, Jess. You saw what he did to me. You don’t want to go
there.”

Jess smiled. “We’ll be careful.”

Tessa looked around. There were several wounded and they
were being taken care of by the very pretty woman who had been guarding the
sweat lodge with Will. “Who is that woman?”

“Rain. She lives here on the reservation.”

“She’s got a lot of psi ability. I can feel it from here.”

“I know. She and Lucy helped me get you to eat.” He pointed
at a dark-skinned woman with short hair who was talking to Will and Kane.

“I’ll have to thank them.” How many other people had been
instrumental in saving her life? She was overwhelmed.

“Come on. Don’t think about it now. We both need to sleep, find
Banta and then finish this.”

“Jess is right, he must be heading out of the country. He’d
be a fool to stay with this many people after him.” She wanted it to be true,
wanted to believe they could forget about Troth Banta for a long while.

Joshua shook his head. “He won’t go. His goal is to get to
me and he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. In most people determination
is a virtue, but in Banta that’s his flaw.”