Reckless Abandon (Phantom Protector Book 1) (20 page)

Floyd shook his head and released his clamp on
Briggs but never fully let him go.

A look of pain etched into Floyd’s eyes. “You
don’t know what you’re talking about. I tried to save her.”

Jamie shrugged. “That’s not what I’ve been told.
Do you know she hated you?”

“You’re lying, and you’ll pay for that.”

Jamie stopped her movement but kept her hands
behind her back. She slid the gun from its resting position. “She even kept a
secret from you.” Jamie grinned. “A life-changing secret.”

Floyd gripped Briggs harder. “She would never do
that.”

Jamie nodded, and her grin widened. “She was a
master at it really. You never even had a clue she was pregnant.”

Floyd’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You’re
lying, you little whore.”

Jamie tilted her head to the side. “It’s not
nice to call your daughter names.”

Jamie saw the moment that Floyd released his
hold of Max. “That’s right, Daddy,” she said, dragging the syllables. “My gift
is inherited.” She laughed as she pulled the gun from behind her back. Max had
already started to jump out of the way. “And so is my sister’s.”

A shot rang out through the quiet forest. The
bullet hit Max in the shoulder as it traveled through Max and hit right where
she knew it would, in Floyd’s black heart.

She moved to stand over him. She would watch him
take his last breath and, with it, the threat that had loomed over the people
she loved at the compound. Even more important, his death would remove the
threat against Sarah. He held up a hand and reached for her, and all she could
do was stand and watch. His hand collapsed to his side, and Jamie’s knees gave
out. She dropped to the ground. Tears streamed down her face. Not tears for the
deranged psycho she knew as her father, but for Max. She’d almost lost him by
the hand of the same man who had given her life.

She moved to his side and poured kisses over his
face.

“Did you have to shoot me in the shoulder?”

An unfamiliar laugh escaped her lips, a gasp of
relief that he was going to be just fine.

Jamie rubbed her hands together and went to
place them over Max’s shoulder. He stilled her from healing him. She looked down
into his eyes and, for the first time, saw love shining back at her, a love so
huge it almost consumed her. She felt it as if he were sending her the vibes.

He squeezed her hand. “I love you, Jamie Bloom,
and I plan on spending the rest of my life showing you how much.”

She leaned down and pressed her lips to his.
Tears fell from her eyes and landed on his cheeks. She wouldn’t have changed a
thing about what she’d learned over the last month. Max flinched, and she started
to pull away. He lifted his hand and held her by the back of the head, not
letting her move her lips away from his.

Jamie heard the rustling of the leaves behind
her before she even turned her head. She swung around on her knees and lifted
the gun in the direction of the sound.

Ridge held up his hands, palms out. Jamie
lowered the gun and released a breath. “As glad as I am that you killed the
bastard,” he said, “I don’t think this is the time to forget where exactly we
are.” He pointed over his shoulder toward the direction of the hanger. “We’ve
got a rendezvous to make.”

She rubbed her palms together and placed them
over Max’s shoulder. She glanced over her shoulder at Ridge. “How did he get
the drop on you?”

Ridge poked at the gash on his head with his
finger. “I went to hit him with some electricity, and it was as if he sucked
the power right from me.” Ridge ran a hand through his hair. “Just like what
Thompson can do.”

Max frowned. “He must have shot himself up with
the same stuff he used on Thompson.”

Jamie closed her eyes and let the white heat of
her healing powers flow from her palms down to Max. She let more than healing
come from her hands. She poured every ounce of love she had into it. She opened
her eyes to see a tear fall from Max’s eye. She pulled her hand back. “I’m not
hurting you, am I?”

He leaned up on his good shoulder. “Exactly the
opposite.” He leaned in and kissed her once again. “I love you.” He rested his
head on hers.

She whispered, “I love you too.”

Ridge held out his hand to pull Max up. “You two
can confess your love all you want after we check in with the others.”

Chapter
19

Freddie Sinclair watched the fight from nearby.
He grinned as he watched Floyd’s own daughter kill him. He turned to leave but
stopped when he heard them talking about Floyd’s extra power to suck other
people’s powers from thin air. He raised his brow.
He stuck himself with a needle. You don’t say?

He grinned. He knew it wasn’t going to be long
before the Phantoms raided Floyd’s compound. He turned and started jogging
deeper into the trees and farther away from the bloodbath that Floyd had lead
his men into. He quickened into a run with one mission in mind. That was to get
to the serum before the general even had a chance.

****

Jamie heard the click of her comm. “Status
check. Is everyone okay?” The general’s voice whispered over the waves,
sounding uncharacteristically weak. She heard Ridge answer before she had the
chance. “If I can get the two lovebirds to keep their hands off each other,
we’re clear on this side. Floyd is dead along with the other four.”

“Head to the rendezvous.”

They trampled through the forest with less grace
then they’d had when they entered. They rounded the corner of the plane hangar,
and Jamie stopped. Her eyes widened. The general was laid out on a table while Lydia pressed a
blood-soaked towel against the general’s chest. The general’s face was white as
a ghost. Sweat beaded on his forehead. His ability to stay conscious was
slipping from his fingers. Jamie gasped as they all hurried over to the table.

A tear fell from Lydia’s eye. She whispered, “I
already got the bullet out.”
 

Jamie rubbed her hands together and moved forward,
pushing Lydia’s
hands out of the way. She closed her eyes and once again let the emotions from
the moment and her healing white light flow from her palms and into the general’s
body. Two healing sessions in one day was going to wipe her out. It was during times
like these that she wished she drank coffee like Lydia to keep up her strength. Her
reserves were failing her.

The general clasped her palm. Jamie opened her
eyes and met his gaze. His eyes sparkled as he winked and, in his own silent
way, thanked her for what she’d done.

Jamie sagged against the table. Max scooped her
up in his arms and whispered, “I’ve got you.” Jamie snuggled into his embrace, only
somewhat coherent of everything going on around her. Max carried her up the steps
to the plane. “Let’s go get Sarah.”

She glanced over Briggs’ shoulder as the others
followed. “You can’t fly with your shoulder, you probably aren’t even a hundred
percent. You shouldn’t even be carrying me.”

Max didn’t reply. Brody stepped up behind them.
“I’ll get us there in one piece.”

Jamie whispered, “We’re all going to die.”

Lydia
passed
her with Rick by her side. She stopped and patted Jamie’s shoulder. “We’re
going to be just fine.”

It seemed like it took them forever to get to Florida.
Even with her lack of energy, Jamie was excited to finally be able to tell
Sarah that they were both safe.

Jamie slowly walked down the steps of the plane.
She barely had the energy to hang onto the railing to keep from falling. The
SUVs were parked in the hanger. Sarah flew from the door, her brown hair flying
behind her. She ran as fast as her little feet would take her. When Jamie
reached the last step, Sarah flung herself at Jamie, almost knocking her over.

Jamie lowered herself to her knees and hugged
her sister back with what little strength she had left. She whispered in her
ear, “It’s over. You’re safe now.”

Sarah leaned back as tears fell down her face.
“Are you hurt?”

Jamie let her hand drop to her side. “I healed
Max and the general. I’m just a little beat, but I’ll be fine.”

Sarah rested her palms on Jamie’s arms and
closed her eyes. The white healing light that Jamie normally felt leaving her
own palms started to tickle her arms from the heat. The heat grew in intensity
as she felt the sensation of love Sarah sent her. Jamie reached up and took the
hands from her arms. She kissed each of Sarah’s palms. “Thank you.”

Max leaned down and scooped up her sister as he
held out a hand to pull Jamie back up to her feet. “It’s time to take my girls
home,” he announced as he walked over to one of the empty SUVs. He glanced back
over his shoulder. “We’re going to drive. We might live longer with the way
Brody flies.”

Brody called out, “Heyyyy. I got us here, didn’t
I?”

****

Max chuckled. “Yeah, and if it’s all the same to
you, I’ll drive them back.”

Max put Sarah on her feet and helped Jamie slide
into the passenger seat. Max shut the door and followed Sarah back over to
where Lily was standing next to her mother, Emma. She hugged Lilly. “You knew.”

Lily giggled and held up a finger over her lips.
“Shh.”

Emma raised her brow. “Knew what?”

Sarah and Lily shared a knowing look. Lily
reached for Sarah and pulled her in for another hug. She whispered, “It’s not
time for them to find out.”

Sarah leaned out of the embrace and nodded. She
turned and hopped up into the back seat.

Max held out a hand to Jake, and Jake slapped
the keys into his palm. “I guess you’ll be staying in Henderson?”

Max grinned and glanced over his shoulder before
he turned back to his best friend. “Yep.”

He nodded. “I knew it was only a matter of time
before you fell too.”

Emma reached for Briggs and threw her arms
around him. “We’re going to miss you.”

Max took Emma’s hand and kissed her palm. “We’ll
be back to visit. I think Lily and Sarah will see to that.’

Emma smiled down at her daughter. “Yep, I’m sure
they will.”

Max ruffled Lily’s curls. “See ya, squirt.”

Lily grabbed his shirt and yanked to get his
attention. She flicked her finger for him to lower down to her level. She
cupped his ear with her little hands. “Uncle Max,” she whispered, “they’re
happy for you.”

Max’s eyebrows pulled together. “Who is, Lily?”

She looked over her shoulder to an empty space.
“Your wife and your daughter.”

Her words brought Max to his knees. He should
have known Lily would inherit one of her mother’s gifts. “You can see them.”

She leaned in, hugged him, and whispered, “I’ve
always been able to see them.” She looked back once more. “They said that they
can leave now.”

Max glanced over her shoulder to try and get a glimpse
of something, anything. There was nothing there.

A lone tear slid down his face.

Lily put her palm on his face. “Don’t be sad,
Uncle Max. They told me they like your new wife and daughter very much.” She
grinned. “They even like the new baby.”

She turned once more then faced him again.
“They’re gone now.”

Max kissed Lily on the forehead. “You have a
very special gift, Lily. Thank you.”

Lily giggled as her cheeks reddened. “You’re
welcome, Uncle Max.”

Max rose to his feet with shaky legs. He never
would have thought it was possible for a little girl to make him fall to his
knees, but he’d been wrong. His heart lifted. He felt the last stone around his
heart crumble. He raised a hand to his chest. He felt his heart beneath his
trembling fingers. He looked back once more as he climbed into the SUV.

Emma was on bent knee talking to her daughter.
Lily wasn’t listening; she was looking at Max. She winked and waved. Max
grinned and slid into the seat. Jamie had her head laid against the leather
seats with her eyes closed. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Jamie grinned but kept her eyes closed. “I’m
still tired, but I’m glad to be going home.”

Sarah leaned up between the seats. “Do you want
me to try again?” She placed her palm on Jamie’s shoulder. “I’m sure I’ll get
it right with more practice.”

Jamie smiled and opened her eyes. She reached up
and covered Sarah’s hand with her own. “You did just fine, Sarah. I’m just glad
it’s over. I think we need a vacation.”

Max chuckled.

He turned the wrong way out of the hanger.
“Where are you going?”

Max shrugged. “I own a beach house just next to
Abby’s. Me and the guys bought up the whole block for better security. I think
we all could use some beach time. Are you game?”