Long Road Home(2)

She slammed viciously to the ground, wood and debris raining down on her like a hailstorm. Pain racked her entire body, and her vision blurred, the sky swirling above her.

Tears slipped down her cheeks. “Mom, Pop,” she croaked out.

Then everything went black.

Chapter Two

Montrose, Colorado

Manuel Ramirez stepped off the plane, slinging his carry-on over his shoulder. He walked briskly past the security checkpoints, noting the lines of people waiting to pass through. Tourist season was in full swing. His partner had arranged for a car, and hopefully he would breeze right through and be on his way. To see Jules.

For three years he’d looked for her. Utilizing every connection and department resource in his power, he’d left no stone unturned in his urgency to discover why she had disappeared. But even his position with the CIA hadn’t helped him in his quest.

Then, as suddenly as she had fallen off the face of the earth she’d reappeared. He’d dropped everything and flown to Colorado, praying that it wasn’t yet another dead end in a long line of disappointments.

He collected the necessary paperwork from the car rental counter and headed outside, anxious to begin the drive to Norwood.

His chest tightened as he imagined seeing Jules for the first time in three years. Was she okay? Had she been hurt? Thousands of questions burned a trail through his head.

Through countless missions in the last few years, his number one thought had been of her. If she was hungry, hurting, alone, scared. Trips home had become more difficult as he had to face the Trehans each time with no answers to their questions. Watching them slowly sink further into despair and into the belief that their adopted daughter was dead had been more than he could bear.

How would she react to seeing him? If she was in Norwood, why hadn’t she called him? Why the silence? Why had she never called him?

He shook his head as he climbed into the car. So many questions and no real answers. Not yet anyway.

As he started the engine, his cell phone rang. He answered, knowing it was Tony. “Talk to me.”

A long period of silence followed. “Manuel.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know how to say this, man.” Tony’s voice was heavy with sadness, and Manuel’s pulse immediately began to race. “It’s the Trehans.”

“Mom and Pop?” Manuel relaxed. “Did they call? You didn’t tell them about Jules, did you? I don’t want to get their hopes up if this turns out to be a dead end.”

“Manuel, they were there.”

His brow wrinkled in confusion. “Where?”

Tony sighed. “They went to Jules’s cabin in Norwood. I don’t know how they found out she was there. Maybe she called them.”

“No, they would’ve let me know.” But they hadn’t let him know they were going, had they? Why? He blew out his breath. “How’d they find out where she was?”

“Manuel, there’s more.”

Dread gripped him as he waited for Tony to continue.

“There was an explosion. The entire cabin blew up. The Trehans were inside.”

“What?” It couldn’t be true. There had to be some mistake. Then another thought hit him. “Jules?” he demanded, barely able to croak out her name. “What about Jules?”

“She’s alive.”

Relief poured over him, making him lightheaded and dizzy. She was all he had left now. He couldn’t lose her.

“She’s in the hospital in Grand Junction. She was airlifted from Norwood.”

“How bad is it?”

“I don’t know, man. She’s alive. That’s all I know. You need to get to Grand Junction fast. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m working on this end to try and figure it out. Your girl has some nasty enemies, and she isn’t safe. Sanderson and I are working on a transfer as soon as she’s stable.”

“Thanks, Tony,” he whispered. “Tell the boss man I appreciate his help.”

“There’s one other thing, Manny,” Tony said, slipping to the nickname only Jules used.

Manuel waited as he heard Tony shuffling through papers, the crackling coming over the receiver. He heard someone else in the background. Sanderson?

Tony’s voice came back over the phone. “There was a veritable arsenal in Jules’s Jeep. High-tech stuff. Not the run-of-the-mill self-defense for the average citizen. Most of it’s Russian. Sanderson thinks your girl is in quite a bit of trouble.”

Manuel closed his eyes and shook his head in an effort to dispel the overwhelming confusion. Guns? Jules? What the f**k? “I’ll call you when I get to Grand Junction.” He tossed the phone onto the seat and tried to steady himself. His hands shook, and he curled his fingers into fists.

Jules was alive, a fact that gave him unending joy. But the people who’d been such an important factor in his life were dead. He’d entered their lives when he was ten years old. An angry, sullen little boy whose mother had flitted in and out of his world when it suited her mood. He’d crept over to their house when things at his own home had gotten unbearable. They’d represented the only semblance of normalcy he’d had in his young life.

And now they were gone. Raw pain twisted in his chest. His hands clenched the steering wheel, and he gritted his teeth in anger. Whoever had done this to Jules—to his family—was going to pay.