“But you love it,” Laura replied. “Do you honestly believe that if we all send out our energy, that if we sit and think about him, he’ll feel it?”
Nell nodded, far too moved to speak.
“Then he will feel us tonight. He’ll feel our love and our hope and our strength. He’ll know we’re with him.” Laura had some tears of her own. “And Cam found something when he searched your cabin. It was out in the shop.”
Laura led her up the stairs while Michael carried the sleeping baby behind them.
“What was it?” Nell asked.
“I think Henry was planning on giving it to you today,” Laura explained. She opened the door and led her inside the warm house. To her left was the front parlor, and it was easy to see that most of Bliss was out here tonight. “I don’t think he would mind us bringing it to you. It was obvious he meant for Poppy to have it tonight.”
Nell stopped and stared at the beautiful cradle. This was what he’d spent hours in his shop working on. He’d been lovingly making a bed for their baby.
Poppy would sleep surrounded by her father’s love.
“I love it. Thank you for bringing it here,” she said.
And then she was surrounded by them. The town closed ranks around her and she wasn’t alone.
Chapter Twelve
“You want to tell us where you hid those drugs, brother?”
Henry’s head hurt, but then his fucking everything hurt. His mind was foggy. How many drugs had they pumped through his system? They hadn’t stopped with the tranquilizer dart.
“Don’t call me brother.” He managed to get the words out as he took stock of where he was. He wasn’t in the same place he’d been the two nights before when they’d loaded him on a plane. He thought it was the third day, but he couldn’t be completely sure.
His daughter would be six days old if he was right. He’d had two days with her.
Did Nell think he’d left? It wasn’t like he hadn’t done it before. She knew how well he could dump one life for another.
No. Seth would have talked to her. Seth would have told her what he’d found.
“Or did you sell the drugs?” There was the sound of pacing. “I suppose after all these years you would have sold them, but I bet you still have the money. If you don’t, then I’ll simply have to make an example of you. We can’t have employees thinking they can get away with stealing from the company.”
“I wasn’t a fucking employee.” He shouldn’t have to explain the finer points of being a CIA operative.
“That’s not what my former bosses believed, but I’ll give it to you. You’re a hard man to find, Bishop.” The man in front of him came into focus. He was roughly six foot, with lean corded muscle and some fairly impressive neck tats that told Henry he knew how to kill. He wore tactical pants and a black T-shirt. There was a big gun in his shoulder holster that Henry would love to get his hands on.
But Henry had no idea who this guy was. It had been years, and the man standing in front of him hadn’t been in the inner circle at the time. “You know my name. Good for you. It’s only polite to know the name of the man who’s going to kill you.”
“We’re not there yet,” the dark-haired man said with a chuckle. A deep scar ran across his face. “But I don’t think we need introductions. You’re not here to make friends, Mr. Bishop. I know you manipulated everyone before, but it won’t happen with me. All you need to know is that I’m now the head of this organization. Thanks for taking out everyone above me a few months ago. I thought I would have to do far more to get to where I am.”
The fog was starting to clear and he glanced around. He remembered the place. He was in Bolivia at a compound owned by one of the cartels he’d investigated. He’d gone undercover with them, and he’d witnessed some truly horrific crimes here.
Was this karma? Payment for his sins? He’d seen paradise, held hope in his hands, and now it would all be taken away from him.
Or it was one last fight. One more test to see if he deserved the life he wanted. He hadn’t really had to fight the first time, but this last year had been one long battle for his marriage and his place in the world he loved.
Maybe this was the finish line. If he managed to fight his way out of this place, he wouldn’t have to look over his shoulder for the rest of his life. If he took out these assholes, his family would be safe.
“You misunderstood me.” Henry forced himself to sit up straight, to test the restraints he was in. His hands were fastened to a wooden chair by zip ties and his feet were bound to the legs. But the chair wasn’t bolted to the floor, and that was a mistake. The mercenaries had been smart enough to bind his hands behind his back with cuffs he couldn’t get out of. Hands in front was much easier to deal with. “I don’t care what your name is. I was saying it’s nice that you knew mine because I’m going to kill you.”
Nell would have to forgive him. Maybe there was a version of a carbon footprint offset for his soul. He would buy a couple of those.
Another low chuckle came from the man. “Sure, you are. You don’t even remember me. I guess you were too busy with the big guys to notice those of us who did the real work, but that’s okay.”
There was some talk around him. He used it to get some idea of what was behind him. Or rather who. At least two, both men. Another big guy stood behind the boss.
