Beyond the Edge (14 page)

“I don’t like this,” Kane muttered.

“What?”

“The first truck is coming out.”

“You think he’ll report seeing us to Nigel?” She didn’t understand Kane’s concern as they headed inside.

“There appears to be only this one way in.”

“That means Nigel can’t get past us.” She removed her gun from her purse and tucked it into her jacket pocket. If necessary, she could shoot right through the material without drawing the weapon. Although she understood that Kane intended to take Nigel back alive, she liked to keep her options open.

“It also could be a trap.”

“You think he went to all this trouble to get you off his trail?”

“Nigel is very intelligent. He’s schemed well. It’s never wise to underestimate one’s opponent.”

The tunnel smelled of old dust and dirt. Without the sun to warm her, the temperature dropped ten degrees. And as the sweat from her run dried on her flesh, she felt icy all over. Putting down her condition to fear, determined not to hinder Kane in any way—physically or mentally—she shoved her discomfort to the back of her mind.

The truck fumes were thick and the air made her a little sick. She didn’t understand why the trucks weren’t turning off their engines to unload. The smell didn’t seem to bother Kane, so she put down her sensitivity to nerves.

Headlights lit a scene of a crew of men unloading crates onto handheld dollies and rolling them through a doorway beyond their vision. The trucks’ engines covered any noisy steps they might have made.

“Do you see Nigel?” she asked softly.

“No. How do you feel about hijacking the last truck?” Kane asked.

“Hijacking it?”

He didn’t explain. Kane’s suit magically changed and now matched the men’s uniforms. “Follow me.”

Kane trotted to the last truck and knocked on the door. The driver opened the truck and Kane jerked his thumb over his shoulder, speaking to both security guards while she kept out of sight. “They need more help up at the—”

A bright light flared out of Kane’s wrist, a light he carefully kept aimed below the dash so none of the other guards would spot it. The flash of light had come from a tiny tubular device he held that he quickly slid up his sleeve. The light had caused both men to slump unconscious and Kane opened the door, dragged one man to the ground and then went back for his partner.

She climbed into the passenger seat and he tossed a shirt and cap her way, then slid behind the wheel. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. What about those guys?”

“They’ll wake up in a few hours with nothing more than a few aching muscles.”

She removed her jacket, shrugged into the shirt, shoved her hair under the cap and pulled it low over her eyes. Then she transferred her gun into the waistband of her slacks. Not as good an option as her jacket, but the weapon made her feel more in control.

Kane stepped on the gas and they jerked forward. Then he jammed on the brake, almost throwing her into the dash. “Sorry, the pedals are touchier than I thought.”

“You do know how to drive, don’t you?” she asked.

“Last time I drove a petroleum-propelled vehicle it was before World War One.”

“If that was supposed to make me feel better, it didn’t.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll get the hang of it soon.”

He eased forward more smoothly this time and she let out a sigh of relief. “You don’t have trucks in the future, either?”

“You already know entirely too much about the future.” He stepped on the brake a little too hard again but at least this time she didn’t fear she’d go through the windshield.

The truck in front of them unloaded slowly, giving them time to look over the site. But there wasn’t much to see. Four men unloaded the truck, working in teams. Two hefted the heavy crates down to the other team who loaded the dollies and disappeared for a minute before returning empty.

“They are returning for the next load so quickly, they can’t be going far.” He angled the truck’s side mirror. “I’d like an advance peek into that area before we go in. I’m hoping it’s small enough that you can stay outside and still remain in the time bubble.”

The driver got back into the truck in front of them and then did a five-point turnaround and headed out the tunnel. Kane pulled up smoothly, yanked on the brake and opened the door, but not before glancing into the sideview mirror.

She caught sight of a small room, filled floor to ceiling with boxes and lit by the truck’s headlights. No one appeared to be inside, but perhaps the angle was wrong.

By the time she’d exited and rounded the front of the vehicle, he’d KO’d the two men who’d been manning the dollies. He dragged both to one side while she unlocked the back of the vehicle.

The truck was stuffed with crates, all marked by lettering that read Hazardous Material. She shoved two smallish crates onto the ground. On the other side of each crate was a radiation symbol—no doubt to hide the precious items from thieves that might return if they knew the real contents. Kane joined her and loaded the dolly so high that he’d be hidden from view to anyone in the room when he pushed it inside.

Staying behind him, she slipped to one side of the doorway as he rolled the dolly on through. Wishing she could see, heart pounding, she tensed, drew her gun from her waistband and listened hard.

She heard an impatient and distracted voice mutter, “Took you long enough. Set the load in that corner. And be careful. If these crates break open, the contents will poison us.”

Kane grunted. At her angle from outside, she could see him swing the dolly to one side and reach for the icing device at his hip with his free hand. The next moment, Nigel knocked Kane down with such force that he shot backward, stirring up a cloud of dust.

As badly as she wanted to help Kane by shooting Nigel, she didn’t dare, not with the dust making it difficult for her to see. With the two men rolling and jabbing elbows and knees, if she shot the gun she was as likely to hit Kane as Nigel.

The smaller man fought like a dynamo and with a strength that more than equaled Kane’s, despite his larger frame. Vicious grunts, the smacking of flesh
on flesh, kicks and punches made the dust thicken. As much as she feared entering the room might distract Kane, she wanted to help, and she edged closer, waiting for an opportunity.

When the men crashed into a wall near her, she slammed her gun into Nigel’s temple. He cursed in pain, shifted and kicked the gun from her hand, but his fingers remained clenched firmly around Kane’s throat.

Her gun skittered across the floor. She advanced warily. Voice hoarse, Kane roared at her. “Get out.”

She ignored him. Until Nigel’s enhancers wore off, Kane was at a distinct disadvantage. And if Kane lost, Nigel would kill her anyway—she knew too much about his treasure.

Leaving wasn’t an option. If only she could find her gun. But between the fighting bodies, the crates and the dust, she could barely see.

The men smashed into a pile of crates beside her and one of them split open. A golden artifact with ruby eyes glinted in the truck’s headlights. She hefted it, testing its weight. A perfect weapon.

Fallon crouched, holding the sculpture, waiting for an opportunity. In the small space, the men’s fighting hadn’t slowed. Kane slammed a knee into Nigel’s chest. His air went out with a soft
oof
, but he rolled away and like a gymnast regained his feet.

Kane’s breath was labored and she feared his lungs had been starved of oxygen too long from the strangling to keep him going. Yet, he, too, dragged himself to his feet. The men circled, looking for an opening.

Nigel lunged.

Kane shifted, tried to sweep his opponent off his feet. But the enhancers rooted Nigel and Kane was the one who fell. He went down hard and rolled. But Nigel dived on top of him, striking with a series of blows to the body and face.

Fallon waited, wincing at each smack of knuckles on flesh. Waited until Nigel’s back was to her. And then she pounced.

O
UT OF HIS
swelling eye, Kane caught sight of a golden object whizzing by, then thunking Nigel’s thick skull. Fallon’s effort dazed Nigel, giving Kane the moment he required to retrieve the icer, shove it against Nigel’s side and pull the trigger.

“Bastard!” Nigel swore and then toppled over, instantly incapacitated.

Fallon dropped the golden statue and flung her arms around Kane’s neck. “Are you all right?”

Ignoring his bruised chest, aching bones and battered face, he drew her into his arms in a fierce embrace. “Thank you. I didn’t want you to place yourself at risk, but thank you.”

She trembled in his arms and he could feel her tears on his neck. “I thought he was going to kill you.”

Her concern had been all about him. He doubted she’d once considered her own safety and his heart ached for this woman. Now that Nigel was on ice, the bubble was shrinking rapidly. “We have only a few minutes.”

“I don’t want you to go.”

“I don’t want to go.” He tightened his arms, appreciating the way her curves molded to him. Even covered in dust, she smelled good. And as he thought how she’d risked her life to help him, he knew that she was his heart. No one would ever take her place.

A lump rose in his throat as he acknowledged his love. But he bit back the words. He wanted her to look to her future, not the past. He couldn’t stay. He’d known from the beginning this moment would arrive. He’d tried to deny his feelings—and failed miserably.

Fallon was part of him. Losing her would be like losing the best part of himself. Anguish and frustration battled with a need to use these last moments wisely. He tamped down his grief over losing her, forcing himself to think past the crushing loss to focus on the present.

“I’m leaving soon. And this treasure cache is yours. Your money paid for it. Keep these things or sell them.”

She stiffened and lifted her mouth to his, gently kissing his swollen and split lip. “I don’t care about the money.”

“I know.” He rocked her against him. “As the bubble collapses, you’ll feel sick.”

“I’m already sick at the thought of you leaving me,” she admitted, then spoke more strongly, likely pulling herself together for his sake. “But I won’t regret our time together. Not ever.”

He tried to keep her in the middle of the collapsing bubble to protect her from the worst of the ill ef
fects. “We had something special together. Now we will both go on.”

“Yes.”

He said the words to bolster her courage, knowing he would never find another woman he loved as much as Fallon. But now was not the time for truth. Beside them Nigel disappeared.

“He’s gone.” Fallon clutched him so tightly, as if the time bubble wouldn’t separate them. But physics didn’t work that way. His trip back was one way. He’d never see her again.

He had mere seconds left. “Goodbye, my darling Fallon.”

F
ALLON NEVER KNEW
how long she’d sat in the dust after Kane popped out of her existence. The time bubble’s effects seemed to have taken a long time to dissipate. Her stomach had still churned but eventually she’d shoved to her feet, just in time to meet Logan Kincaid and his Shey Group. He’d assured her his people would see that the treasure was safely shipped to her home. And no doubt recognizing her state of shock and inability to think clearly, he’d insisted that a doctor look her over to make sure she hadn’t been injured.

The doctor had done a complete physical. She hadn’t had the strength to object. And now she sat in his office, waiting to leave Las Vegas, her thoughts numb. She had hundreds of calls to return, business decisions to make, a family to reassure. But all she could think about was how she was going to go on with her life without Kane.

“Still feeling shaky, Ms. Hanover?”

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

“After a life-threatening experience, it’s normal to be on edge. And in your condition, it’s even likelier.”

“My condition?”

“I believe you’re pregnant. It’s a bit too early to confirm but—”

“What?”

“The vomiting. The cold chills and hot flashes. Your sensitivity to smells.”

Her symptoms were classic. But she’d blamed the time bubble and her upset. For a smart woman she hadn’t been thinking clearly since Kane had popped into her world.

They hadn’t used birth control. She’d been so aroused from his creativity, the idea hadn’t crossed her mind.

Oh…my…God. She was pregnant. With Kane’s baby.

Her hand curled protectively over her womb. She might not have Kane, but she had a precious piece of him.

A baby. The idea floated and wrapped around her like warm and fuzzy fleece.

She wondered if Kane would ever know. Would he look her up in history, see the date of the baby’s birth and realize they’d made a child? A child who would die before his father was born. The idea made her head ache and her heart shatter.

“Ms. Hanover, are you all right?” the doctor asked.

From the sound of the doc’s voice, he’d asked the question a few times and she hadn’t heard. Rousing herself from the chair and her thoughts, she gathered her purse, thanked him and left the office.

She had plans to make. And one thing she knew for certain. She didn’t want to work full-time and raise her child, too. Fallon had all the respect in the world for working mothers, but she wanted to see her child’s first smile, hear his or her first word, and she would miss so much if she went back to her former life.

Fallon’s mind whirled with plans. She would find good managers and put them in charge of each corporation, promoting from inside where she could. She’d redecorate her home and make it child friendly.

Kane probably hadn’t realized he’d given her a precious gift, a reason to live. And she would do something for him in return. Determined to put her plan in motion, she picked up her phone and called her attorney. And while she was arranging a gift for the father, she would make out a new will. She would soon have an heir, and as the sole parent she would prepare for all contingencies.

K
ANE’S FIRST FEW DAYS
back were filled with making certain Nigel was incarcerated and placed into rehab and with his own thorough debriefing. The Time Line Guardians had to go over his every move to ensure he had not compromised the time continuum.

His superiors were not happy that Fallon had been
caught in the time bubble and knew so much about the future. But for some reason beyond his understanding, they weren’t as upset as he’d feared. The day they released him from containment, he went straight to the chronology library and found out the reason his boss had let him off with no more than a ten-point penalty in his work file.

Two months after Kane had left Fallon, she’d died in a plane crash.

The news hit hard. He’d always known Fallon would be long dead when he’d arrived back in his time. But to learn her life had been cut so short made him angry with grief. It was like losing her all over again. Pain washed through him. No wonder his bosses hadn’t been concerned. Fallon hadn’t lived long enough to do anything with the knowledge he’d given her.

Saddened, Kane slumped in the library, wishing he could have done something, anything, to save her. If only he’d known her history, he could have warned her not to fly. If he’d known, he would have broken every rule to tell her how to avoid her untimely death. He might have risked changing history and all their futures to save her—he loved her that much.

Now there was nothing he could do to save her. The laws of physics would not permit him to go back. No one could travel to the same time twice. He had no way to warn her. No way to help her. No way to save her. Or was there?

He racked his brains, staring hard at the picture of the plane’s explosion. And then he reread the
story, his excitement escalating and his heart racing. His idea was wild. Crazy. But was it meant to be?

F
ALLON STRAPPED
her seat belt across her lap, but not too tightly. She didn’t want to constrict her baby in the womb. She supposed the thought of protecting it was silly. At two months her child couldn’t be even an inch long.

Having cut almost all her business ties, Fallon was satisfied with the new direction her life had taken. She’d liquidated her assets, simplified her life and was gratified to learn that the people she’d handpicked to run her charity foundations and the Hanover empire were doing a good job.

She was even more pleased that her family was getting along without her constant supervision. Although her parents and sister had all objected to her raising her “love child” alone, she paid them no heed, seeing their objections for what they really were: fear that she’d have less time to cater to them.

Kane had taught Fallon that her family could only take advantage of her if she let them. And she no longer would let them. She only accepted one call every few days from her relatives and had found that not only was her life more peaceful, but that they could manage without her.

As she sipped an orange juice before takeoff, she decided this would be her last ride in the private jet for a while. Traveling seemed to upset her system now that she was pregnant. So she was heading back to Tampa to stay there until she gave birth.

Fallon closed her eyes during the takeoff, appreciating the swift lift into the air. She ignored her stomach and took a few crackers from her purse. Eating frequently and at the first sign of stomach upset often kept the nausea under control. What she didn’t understand was why they called it morning sickness when she was sick all damn day. It was really a wonder that some women went through more than one pregnancy. She didn’t feel beautiful. She didn’t glow. She felt ill and the turbulence wasn’t helping.

She pressed a toggle that allowed her to speak directly to the pilot. “Captain Evans?”

“Sorry about the turbulence, ma’am. We should be above it once we clear five thousand feet.”

“Thank you.”

Fallon recalled the instantaneous travel she’d experienced with Kane and wished she could snap her fingers and instantly be home. But that wasn’t all she remembered and all she longed for. She missed Kane, more than she’d thought possible.

Although the baby gave her something to look forward to, she wished they could raise him together. Kane might never know he had a child. He certainly wouldn’t meet him. He wouldn’t be there to teach him how to be strong and tender. He wouldn’t be there to give him what he deserved: the wonderful father she knew Kane would be.

Her eyes teared. And she angrily wiped away the wetness, annoyed with her weakness.

Kane had given her more than she’d ever expected, but she couldn’t deny she missed talking to
him, holding him, making love. To know that she would never see him again was awful, but to know that their child would never meet his father was tragic.

The plane leaped like a bucking bronco and her drink sailed into the aisle. A popping noise alarmed her and then the oxygen mask dropped from the ceiling. In all the years she’d been flying, this had never happened. Her pulse sped but she told herself to be calm. Stress wasn’t good for the baby.

But neither was a crashing airplane.

Oh…God.

The nose dived. Through the window, an engine burst into flames.

Captain Evan’s voice remained calm. “The right engine has failure. We’re going down. Brace for impact.”

Could they fly under one engine? She didn’t dare ask the captain, certain he had other things to do. Like setting them down in a field. A nice open field with no trees. No electric wires. But visualizing them setting down lightly was almost impossible. Smoke poured through the cabin. The deck under her feet pitched from side to side.

They were falling. Falling out of control.

Her fingers gripped the armrests in a desperate attempt to prevent herself from being thrown from side to side. Adrenaline pumped through her, but there was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.

And as the plane plummeted, she realized that if the pilot didn’t pull up the nose, there was no hope.

She and the baby were going to die.

Looking out the window at the topsy-turvy landscape caused panic to rip through her. The treetops scraped the underbelly. The plane pitched to the right.

The G-force made holding up her head difficult. And then flames shot through the cabin. Heat blasted. Fire poured through the cabin, blackening, incinerating.

Fallon closed her eyes and prepared to die.