Iris Johansen - Final Target

The door was flung open. "Hands in the air!” A half-dozen men streamed into the room.

Suits. Indisputably CIA. For God's sake, it was like that break-in yesterday morning at the cottage.

" I'm not putting my hands in the air. If I take my hand off this compress, he's going to bleed to death. Where the hell is Danley? Let me talk to Danley."

"I'll have to do. Danley's busy securing the area." Andreas walked into the room. He looked down at Deschamps. "Is this our man?"

"Yes, I'm sure Danley's shown you pictures of him."

"But it's difficult to tell with half his head blown off"

"It's Deschamps. Travis got rid of him for you." She added fiercely, "So you get him some help."

"I have every intention of doing that. How is he?"

"The bullets went through his shoulder. He's lost some blood, but he'll live…if you don't screw up."

"I don't dare screw up. You l ook like you could use some help yourself." He motioned to one of the men. "Paulding, you get a medical team out here." Then he knelt beside her.

"Leave me alone. I'm okay."

" Let Travis go. We're not going to hurt him."

"How do I know that?"

"Cassie won't let me."

"What?"

He smiled. "She woke up."

"Oh, my God."

"That was my reaction. I felt like I could walk on air…It was damn wonderful. Even though she was almost hysterical and screaming at me to save Travis. She must have overheard us talking about him last night."

She had overheard all right. But not the way Andreas meant. "I told you how she felt about him."

"Yes, you did." He stood up. "We'll get you back to the house and get the bullet taken out."

" Not unless you bring Travis with me."

"You don't trust me?" He smiled. "I promised Cassie I'd bring him back to the house. It was the only way I could get her to quiet down. Do you think I'm about to send her spiraling away from me again? I'd move the whole damn world to keep that from happening."

She studied his face and then slowly nodded. "I can see you would."

"And now I'd better get back and tell Cassie that her hero is safe."

"But what about after Cassie is better? Will Travis be safe then?"

"We'll just have to see, won't we? I still want to break his neck." He moved toward the door. "I'll see you at the house." He stopped beside the body and bent down to pick up the Wind Dancer Deschamps was still clutching. "There's blood on it."

"Deschamps said the Wind Dancer liked blood."

"Ridiculous. How could it like or dislike anything?" He wiped the blood off the Wind Dancer and then smiled down into its emerald eyes. "After all, it's only a statue."

"Melissa. The monsters…Michael!"

"Shh. They're gone. Michael is safe. He's hurt, but he's right here beside me. We're in a van on the way back to the house."

"That's what Daddy said."

"Believe him."

"But I saw Michael-"

"I know what you saw. But it didn't happen. It doesn't have to happen if we fight it."

"Scary out here. Maybe I'll go back in the tunnel."

"Don't you dare 1. I'll go in and drag you out again. What if Michael or your daddy or mom needs you? What if I need you? You didn't like having your daddy go help Michael, did you? You wanted to do it yourself."

"Yes."

She had known a child as strong-willed as Cassie would have that response. " So would I. And how can you do anything while you're in there hiding ?"

Silence. "I'll stay awhile. It's kind of…nice to be back with Daddy."

That she was already beginning to cling to her father was promising. Tentative acceptance was probably as much as Melissa could hope for. Jessica would have known how to deal with her at this stage; Melissa could only go by instinct. " I'll come to see you tomorrow morning ."

"Now."

"Tomorrow," she repeated firmly.

"But I want to see you. I've seen you only the way you see yourself."

And she wanted to see Cassie awake. " Okay, it may be a while. The doctor's going to have to take care of my leg ."

"I'll wait. Will Michael come too?"

Melissa looked down at Travis, who had been given a shot by the doctor who had arrived on the scene after Andreas had left. " Perhaps we'll both go and visit him tomorrow. He got pretty banged up fighting the monster ."

"But he's alive?"

" Oh, yes, he's alive ." Thank you, God. It was a night for thanksgiving. Thanks for Travis. Thanks for Cassie. " We're pulling into the driveway. I have to go now. I'll see you later ."

"You did come," Cassie said. "I told Daddy you would. He said the doctor would put you right to bed."

"He tried." Melissa made her way forward in the wheelchair. "And I can stay only a few minutes."

"Are you hurting?" Cassie frowned. "You are hurting. I can feel it."

"It'll go away. The doctor gave me some medicine to make sure it does." She stopped beside the bed and just sat, looking at Cassie. The girl was thin, but the fragility was gone, banished by the sheer vitality in her expression. "You look…good."

"And you're prettier than you think you are. Almost as pretty as Mama." Her voice cracked on the last word, and she made a face. "I'm all hoarse. I sound like a frog. Daddy said it's because I'm not used to talking anymore."

"That would cause it." She couldn't get enough of looking at the child. So alive. So wonderfully alive. She'd never seen this Cassie except in photographs and TV news. "It should get better in a few days."

"I don't care. It makes Daddy laugh." She smiled. "And then I laugh."

"That's the way it works."

"I forgot." Her smile vanished. "You're still hurting. You go to bed."

"Yes, ma'am." She turned and wheeled toward the door. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Early. Come early, Melissa."

"Stop it. You don't have to talk to me this way anymore."

"It's easier."

"Don't do it anyway."

"But my throat's sore. You wouldn't want me to hurt my throat."

"Not that sore. And people don't understand when you talk like this. It would worry your mama and daddy."

"Well, then I won't do it with anyone but you."

It was clear Cassie was going to get her way regardless of whatever Melissa said. Accept the compromise. " That might work ."

"Are you sure Michael is all right?"

She opened the door. " The doctor said he'll be fine ."

"I've been worried. I've been trying and trying, but I can't reach him. If I stay out, he has to stay out too. It's not fair otherwise."

"What are you talking about?"

" You tell him. It's not fair …"

"I want out of here "Travis said as soon as Melissa came into his room the next morning. "And what are you doing in that wheelchair? Deschamps did hurt you. I wasn't sure the bastard was lying. I hoped to hell he was."

"Be quiet." She moved close to the bed. "I'm okay. I'm just bound to this blasted chair for a while. Cassie and her father are going to visit you, but I wanted to see you first." A luminous smile lit her face. "She came back last night, Travis."

He stiffened. "My God."

"She was jarred out of the trauma when she thought you were dying."

"How is she?"

"Scared, eager…beautiful." She swallowed hard. "So damn beautiful. I went in to see her last night and again this morning, and she smiled at me. I've never seen her smile."

"Neither have I."

She drew a deep breath. "We have to get you out of here. Right now Andreas is all sweetness and light." She grimaced. "As much as he can be. But once he's sure Cassie's okay, I don't know what he'll do. He's finding forgiving you a little difficult."