Her only consolation was that her hands weren"t bound. She would be able to swim. But judging by the lights back at the shipyard, the vessel was already half a mile out. She would succ.u.mb to hypothermia long before she reached the sh.o.r.e.
She looked at Nicolas and couldn"t hold back the rush of tears. "Everything"s going to be okay," she choked.
It was a lie. They were going to die.
She hadn"t wanted to give Mummert the satisfaction of seeing her break down. But the injustice was too great. The heartbreak of an innocent child"s impending death shattered her.
Giving Nicolas a final look, she turned her back to them and faced the sea. She thought of Madrid, and another layer of grief fell over her. She loved him with all her heart. He was the kind of man she would have been able to spend the rest of her life with. Why hadn"t she recognized that when she"d been with him?
Terror stole through her when she looked down at the black, churning water. Her entire body shook violently when she stepped toward the edge of the platform.
"I love you, Madrid," she whispered. "Always."
Closing her eyes, she stepped closer to the edge of the platform. Behind her she heard Mummert shout something, but Jess"s heart was pounding too hard for her to hear. She visualized herself jumping, her body slamming into the cold water, the black abyss sucking her down.
Her foot reached the edge of the platform. Terror raged like a wild beast inside her. A scream waited to burst from her throat. Oh, dear G.o.d, help me.
The platform jolted violently beneath her feet, throwing her off balance. She dropped to her knees as a bullet whizzed over her head. She heard shouts from the ship and looked over her shoulder to see one of the huge lifeboats plummet into the crowd of men. The uninjured men scattered, and Jess caught a glimpse of Chin Lee grabbing Nicolas. When a second lifeboat plunged into the water, Jess looked up to see a huge plume of fire and smoke billow from the aft stack.
"The engine room!" someone yelled.
Out of the chaos, a black-clad figure swung down from one of the lifeboat pulleys. Hope burst inside Jess when she realized it was Madrid.
She screamed his name on the wind. In her peripheral vision she saw him gather Nicolas into his arms. With Chin Lee behind him, he hit the platform at a sprint.
His eyes met Jess"s. "Jump!" he shouted. "Jump!"
He didn"t give her a chance to hesitate. Snagging her hand in his, he hauled her over the side of the platform. Time stood still as they free-fell. Vaguely she was aware of shots being fired behind them.
Then the water rushed up and slammed into her like a solid block of ice. The cold s.n.a.t.c.hed the breath from her lungs, and the water enveloped her like icy hands, shook her, tumbled her.
But Madrid never let go of her hand. His warmth was like a lifeline, the only thing that separated life from death. She kicked, hoping the buoyancy of her body would float her to the top quickly.
An instant later Jess broke the surface. Next to her she saw the white oval of Madrid"s face. He was holding Nicolas. The little boy was crying and struggling, but he was alive. It was the most beautiful sight Jess had ever seen.
"Get in the lifeboat!" Madrid shouted.
Treading water, Jess looked around, spotted the small craft twenty feet away. Another layer of relief swept through her when she spotted Chin Lee already hanging on to the side.
Jess didn"t know how she made it to the boat. Using the last of her strength, she clung to the side. Then strong arms were pulling her on board. She looked up to see Madrid"s eyes on hers.
"I"ve got you," he said.
"You came for us," she choked out as he pulled her into his arms.
Vaguely she was aware of a chopper hovering over-head. A spotlight sweeping down. Cold wind and spray lashed them. But it was the strength and warmth emanating from Madrid"s body into hers that she felt all the way to her heart.
"How did you manage?" she asked, referring to the rescue.
Madrid smiled down at her. "I had a little bit of help."
"Vanderpol?"
He nodded. "Looks like the agency came through, too."
The realization of just how close she and Nicolas had come to dying shook her all over again. "My G.o.d, they were going to-"
"It"s okay," he said. "They didn"t."
Shaking the horrible thoughts from her mind, she looked around. "Where"s Nicolas?"
Madrid motioned to where Chin Lee and the boy huddled beneath a blanket. "He"s going to be okay."
Jess blinked back tears. "You saved our lives," she whispered.
"I had my own selfish reasons."
She choked out a laugh. "I"m glad."
He pulled her closer. "I"m never going to let you go. Think you can live with that?"
"I can"t live without it." She smiled. "I can"t live without you."
"Can I get that in writing?"
"I have a better idea," she said, and pulled his mouth down to hers.
Epilogue.
One month later The small chapel was packed. Madrid paced the marble hall outside the rectory and tried hard not to be nervous. He found it ironic that he"d faced down some of the most dangerous criminals the underworld could produce. But here he was about to marry the woman he loved and he"d suddenly been attacked by a bad case of nerves.
"Well, you"re a h.e.l.l of a sight to behold."
He looked up at the sound of Sean Cutter"s voice. His superior wore a black tuxedo and looked every bit as uncomfortable as Madrid felt.
"I"m glad you could make it," he said.
"Wouldn"t miss it for the world." The two men shook hands, their gazes locking. "She"s gorgeous."
Madrid shoved his hands into his pockets. "I don"t know what the h.e.l.l she wants with me."
Cutter grinned. "I guess that"s one of those mysteries we"ll probably never figure out." Removing an envelope from the inside pocket of his tux, he pa.s.sed it to Madrid.
"What"s this?" he asked.
"Open it and find out."
Madrid tore open the envelope, pulled out the single sheet of paper printed on official MIDNIGHT Agency letterhead and quickly read. He wasn"t an emotional man, but for a moment he couldn"t speak. "You"re promoting me?"
"You earned it." Cutter grimaced. "You followed your instincts on the Lighthouse Point PD case. You did the right thing against tremendous odds." He sighed. "Against pressure from your superiors." He looked down, then met Madrid"s gaze. "I was wrong."
Madrid didn"t know what to say. A month ago when he"d laid down his badge and gun, he"d thought his career with the MIDNIGHT Agency was over. "Thanks," he managed.
"Norm Mummert and most of the officers working for him are behind bars as of last week. The corruption had penetrated all levels of the Lighthouse Point PD and another small police department with partial jurisdiction over Humboldt Bay. It was one of the most far-reaching cases of police corruption the agency has ever seen. Prosecutors say it"s going to be a slam dunk."
"What about Capricorn and Yates?"
"Jake Vanderpol took Yates into custody yesterday in Paris. So far as we can tell, Capricorn in clean."
"What about the women?" he asked, referring to the young immigrants who had been smuggled into the United States using Capricorn container ships in Luna Bay, Lighthouse Point and Humboldt Bay to the north.
"Most of them have been reunited with their families."
Madrid was overwhelmed by a powerful sense of gratification knowing justice had prevailed. "I couldn"t have done it without Jess and Nicolas."
"Jess received a formal apology from the governor of California for what local law enforcement put her and the boy through."
"I"m glad."
Through the closed doors leading into the nave where dozens of people had gathered for the celebration, they heard the organ begin the traditional wedding march.
Cutter cleared his throat. "You"ve got the next three weeks off," he said. "I suggest you use them wisely, because I"m going to work your b.u.t.t off once you"re back."
Madrid couldn"t help it; he smiled. He thought of Jess waiting for him beyond those doors. He thought of little Nicolas, and for the second time in two minutes he found himself fighting emotion.
"After the wedding today, the three of us are flying to Hawaii for some R and R," he said.
"You"re adopting the boy?"
Madrid nodded. "We"re crazy about him. He"s a great kid."
"Angela would have been pleased." Cutter crossed to the ornately carved doors. "Ready?"
"I"ve been ready my whole life."
Cutter swung open the doors. "Good luck, man."
Entering the nave, Mike Madrid stepped into his future, his destiny, his fate. And in that moment he was the happiest man in the world.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-4285-2.
Books by Linda Castillo.
HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE.
871-OPERATION: MIDNIGHT TANGO.
890-OPERATION: MIDNIGHT ESCAPE.
920-OPERATION: MIDNIGHT GUARDIAN.
940-OPERATION: MIDNIGHT RENDEZVOUS.