Blood Relics (A James Acton Thriller, #12) (41 page)

If they
had enough time.

He
started up the engine and turned the truck around, heading down the driveway,
several police officers shouting at them to stop.

We’ll
sort it out later.

“I’ve
got it!” exclaimed Niner. “Hang a right at the road.”

Reading
cranked the wheel, the tires chirping as they gained traction on the pavement,
spitting loose gravel at the officers stationed at the foot of the drive,
several jumping into their cars to give chase.

“Keep
going straight, the signal is getting stronger.”

Reading
looked in his rearview mirror and cursed, the flashing blue lights behind him
starting to close in. He pressed a little harder on the accelerator as the dark
countryside flew by. He didn’t want to miss anything but in a moment of clarity
he realized he shouldn’t be worried, it was Niner doing the looking, and that
was purely at radio waves.

He
pressed harder, at least now maintaining the distance.

“Stop!”

Reading
slammed on the brakes, the vehicle shuddering to a halt as Niner jumped out,
Dawson, still on the phone in a whispered conversation, joining him. Reading
put the vehicle in park and stepped down, the police cars in pursuit rapidly
closing the distance.

“She’s
here somewhere, the signal’s really strong.”

Reading
surveyed the area. It was an intersection, a smaller road intersecting the one
they were on, reflective stop signs about the only thing he could see beyond
his headlights.

Except a
strange glow coming from the ditch.

Laura!

He
sprinted forward as the police cars screeched to a halt, the officers jumping
out, barking orders. Reading ignored them, instead jumping into the ditch as he
spotted a small overturned car half inside a culvert running under the
intersection, one of its headlights shining dimly.

He
looked in the rear window and saw two bodies lying on the roof of the car, a
cellphone between them, still glowing.

“I found
her!”

He
pulled his weapon and smashed out the rear window as Dawson and Niner jumped in
after him, the police lining the ditch. Reaching inside, he grabbed Laura by
the wrist but she didn’t react.

“Laura,
can you hear me? Laura!”

He
pressed his fingers along her radial artery and tried to calm himself, gently
adjusting his fingers, looking for a pulse but finding nothing.

But she
was still warm.

He moved
his fingers again and cried out as he felt the beat, weak but still there.

“She’s
alive!”

Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France

Laura opened her eyes, everything a blur. She could feel the warmth
of sunlight on her face and the comfort of soft sheets surrounding her. The
gentle beeps of several machines nearby were quickly replaced by hushed voices.
She blinked a few times, allowing her eyes to focus on the ceiling tiles then
turned toward the voices.

And
smiled.

“She’s
awake!” James jumped from his chair, rushing to her side as he took her hand in
his. “How do you feel?”

She
smiled. “Better.”

“You had
us scared there for a while.”

“What
happened?” she asked, reaching down to feel her wound. She found a clean
dressing and very little pain when she pressed on it.

“You
were in a car crash. Hugh and the others found you just in time.”

She
looked at the window, the sun blazing in. “How long has it been?”

“Three
days.”

Her jaw
dropped. “Three days? But—”

“You
nearly died, hon. You lost a lot of blood and an infection had set in. They’ve
got you on antibiotics and you’re responding very well. They think you wouldn’t
have survived another half hour.” He sighed. “We were lucky.”

Lucky.

She
looked past her husband to see Reading standing in the doorway, a smile on his
face. “Hi Hugh.”

Reading
stepped inside, resting his hands on the rail at the foot of her bed. “Feeling
better?”

She
nodded. “Almost normal, actually. I’m sure I don’t, but compared to how I
was
feeling, it’s a miracle.” She smiled. “A miracle I understand I have you to
thank for.”

“Hey, I
knew he’d take all the credit if we let him in there alone.”

Laura
turned toward the door and her smile broadened as she spotted a grinning Niner,
Dawson right behind him. She motioned with her head for them to come in,
Giasson following them into the rather small room.

She
didn’t care.

She was
just happy to be alive.

And
free.

“What
happened? Did they catch him?”

Reading
shook his head. “No, not yet. Dietrich Kruger, the man who kidnapped you, and
his father haven’t been found. We eliminated four of his men and we think there
are at least two more, but we’re pretty sure it’s over.”

“Why?”

“Because
we found him.”

Laura
felt a rush flow through her body as she looked at her husband. “Longinus?”

He
nodded, grinning. “We found him in Mantua, along with the spear and the sponge
used to cleanse the body.”

She
squeezed her husband’s hand. “I’m so proud of you, I knew you could do it.”

“Terrence
and Jenny helped, and so did Mario.”

Mario
leaned into view. “I just provided security and translators.”

“Translators?”

“It’s a
long story,” said James, patting her hand. “I’ll tell you all about it when
you’re stronger.”

“Where’s
the spear?”

“He took
it.”

“Dietrich?”

James
nodded. “Yes. We recovered all of the stolen artifacts at the house and they’re
being returned, but the spear and the jar holding the sponge are still missing.
I’m afraid we’ll never see them again.”

Laura
felt a deep sadness fill her to the core, the very thought of such an
incredible discovery being lost to the ages because of a madman’s insane quest disgusting
her. And as the emotion overwhelmed her it reminded her of the news she had
received from Dr. Heinrich, all joy at her reunion wiped from her being.

“Terrence
and Jenny are outside, they’d like to say hi for a moment.”

Laura
looked at her husband, shaking her head. “I need to talk to you first, alone.”

He
looked at the others who said quick goodbyes, the room soon empty. She took her
husband’s hand in both of hers and held it to her chest. “I have some bad
news.”

She
watched as concern etched itself across his face.

“What is
it?”

“There
were complications.”

“What do
you mean?” He looked at her stomach. “You mean with your wound?”

She
nodded. “Dr. Heinrich scanned me and confirmed it.” She burst into tears, sobs
racking her body. “Oh James, I’m so sorry!” She could see his own face cloud
over, his love for her so deep she knew he could never stand to see her upset.

“What is
it?” he asked gently, leaning toward her, clutching her hands. “You can tell
me.”

“I-I..”
She looked away, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to fight off the tears that
refused to stop. “I can’t have children anymore.”

James
gasped, the grip on her hands loosening for a moment, that momentary reflex
crushing her inside as she felt the bond between them break, all their future
plans destroyed, their marriage torn asunder by a madman’s quest to save his
father.

His grip
tightened again and she turned back toward him, a thin thread of hope tugging
at her. She looked at her husband through tear filled eyes and saw the anguish
on his face, his own tears pouring down his cheeks, he too devastated at the
news.

“I’m so
sorry, James, I’m so sorry.”

He
reached up with one of his hands and caressed her cheeks, wiping away some of
the tears. “It’s not your fault.”

“Do-do
you still love me?”

A cry
erupted from him as he collapsed on her and hugged her, his chest heaving with
sobs. “Of course I do,” he said as he held her, “of course I do. Never doubt
that I love you, no matter what.”

“But our
children—”

“Are nothing
if you aren’t in my life.” He let go of her and sat up slightly, looking down
at her as he ran his fingers through her hair. “I love
you
. My life is
incredible because of
you.
Am I disappointed we can’t have children of
our own? Of course, but do I blame you? Of course not. I could never blame you
for that, and I could never love you any less because of it.
You
are my
life.
You
are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, to grow
old and die with, and whether or not we have children of our own to share that
with is unimportant, as long as I have you.”

She
reached up and rested her hand against his cheek, wiping away the still flowing
tears.

“I love
you so much.”

He
smiled and turned his head slightly, kissing her palm.

“And I
love you.”

Somewhere in South-East Asia
Six months later

The roar of the ocean was something Dietrich would never tire of.
The weather was idyllic, the sand was perfect, and the company even better. He
had put an exit plan in place the moment he had decided to break the law in
order to save his father, a plan that had meant liquidating a significant
portion of their assets and transferring them to secret accounts around the
world. Even if the authorities found an account, they’d be hard pressed to find
them all.

And so
far they’d found none.

He
sipped his piña colada, savoring the rich, cold drink as he watched his son
play near the water, his wife keeping a watchful eye nearby, his own mother at
her side. Smiling at the bartender, he took the tall glass of imported German
beer, brought in just for them, and returned to the reserved area of the beach,
separated by several cloth windbreaks.

He
handed the beer over.

“Thank
you.”

“You’re
welcome, Father.”

THE END

Sometimes decisions made in prior novels of a series pose challenges
to the author later on. I try to keep my characters as timeless and “ageless”
as possible so that you the reader can continue to enjoy their exploits in the years
to come, and I can continue to write them as well. Unlike actors, characters on
the written page don’t have to age.

Just
think if they had decided to have the Simpsons age with each new season. Bart
would be heading into middle age soon, Homer staring in Expendables 4.

It works
with some series, Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot (one of my favorites!) comes
to mind, but Poirot wasn’t exactly fighting terrorists and scurrying around
ancient ruins.