The man was not surprised when the unique ring tone on his secure satellite phone sounded at ten o’clock at night. It was six thirty in the morning in Iran. He pulled into an empty Christian church parking lot, the irony not missed.
“Good morning uncle.”
Had the Caliphate for the New Islamic State already heard about the incident in North Carolina? “You tell me. Has it been a good day?”
Well, whoever his uncle had working for him in the CIA was well connected.
“I believe so,” he said with a smile.
“How can this be? Your men failed to retrieve both the computer and the data. Then they allowed themselves to be captured.” His furious voice boomed across the planet.
“Everything has worked out well, uncle. The captured men are on their way right this moment to the jail cells in my building. The hard drive from Gabriel Davis’s computer is accompanying them as well as all backup copies. By morning, my time, I’ll be able to put my hands on everything. I have been assured that a computer virus will be released in the CIA system tomorrow afternoon targeting anything dealing with your gold, that Syrian mission eleven years ago, and a few other items I’ve deemed necessary to delete.”
“Your computer man can do that?” He sounded worried. Yes, his geek could do a lot more than wipe out specific files.
“Not only can he, he’s already uploaded the virus. It’ll trigger the millisecond anyone tries to access the information from the microSD drives.” He felt smug as he leaned back into the white leather of his expensive sports car.
“What of the men? Will they talk?”
What a worrier his uncle had become. He looked up at the lighted cross in front of the church. His uncle should have more faith…in him.
“Dead men don’t speak.”
“It seems you have the current situation handled.”
“I do. Our plans are firm. Everything will begin on the date we agreed upon. Glory will be ours, uncle.”
“Allah be with you and give you strength.”
The line went dead.
He let out a long slow breath. The tension in his shoulders was almost unbearable. He needed a release.
Pulling out of the church parking lot, he headed to the private club.
Teagan lay naked, completely satisfied in Logan’s arms. They were in his bed, this time completely alone.
Matt and Elizabeth had taken all four children out to lunch and a movie. It had been four days since the children had been kidnapped but Teagan would have nightmares forever about those hours they had spent with Ashley Helms.
Her friends worried about her reaction. Yes, she too had been kidnapped, but she was handling it. She had far too many things to do to worry about those few hours she’d spent with her captors. The children would be starting at a new school in two weeks. She would be heading back to work for the first time in months. She had an appointment to meet with a surgeon at Duke University and a video chat with one of the world’s leading geneticists.
And then there was her mother. She had another episode a few days after the first. The doctors were doing what they could, but they couldn’t stop the progression of the Alzheimer’s. Teagan had already come to terms with her mother’s mind. That was already gone. Eventually, the disease would take her mother’s body. All she could do at this point was make her comfortable, and the new facility seemed to be accomplishing that task.
Logan tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I can practically hear those brain cells of yours. What are you thinking about so intently?”
She sighed. “My life. It’s so complicated, but it is what it is. I just keep plugging along, doing the best I can.”
“That’s what I love about you.” He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “No matter what life throws at you, you’re up for it.” He shifted and leaned against the headboard pulling her up with him. “I know we said we weren’t going to talk about it right away, but I need to tell you something that happened to me during all that shit that went down with Ashley and the two mercenaries.”
Teagan rolled so half of her body was laying on top of Logan. “What is it?” She ran her fingertips through his salt and pepper chest hair.
“I don’t want to wait any longer.” His words came out quickly.
“Okay, you can tell me.” She was ready to listen.
“No. That’s what I wanted to tell you. I don’t want to wait any longer.” He rolled to face her. “Life is too short. I have a very dangerous job. Well, it was a lot more dangerous than it is now, but it’s still dangerous, just in a different way.”
“Logan, what are you trying to say?” She wasn’t really following him.
“I love you. I want to marry you. I want us to adopt Brann and Anora. I want us to live in one house, not two sides of the same building. I want to be with you, in sickness and in health, like the vows state. I want you. Forever. And I want the kids forever.”
“Was that a marriage proposal?” She really needed to clarify that point. There were a lot of reasons why she had decided not to get married.
“Yes. Do I need to repeat it?”
“No. But before I give you an answer, I just want to be clear about the fact that I will never give birth.” She hated the thought of losing him over this, but she was absolutely firm about this one point. “I refuse to take the chance of passing on these mutated genes. I would never curse a child simply through genetics.”
“I understand and I’m good with that.” His response seemed too quick.
“Are you telling me, that you would be okay without children of your own? Of your blood and DNA?” She had to be completely sure that he wouldn’t change his mind. Ever.
He twisted so he was facing her. “I don’t need my sperm to create more kids. I’m perfectly happy loving the two children we already have.” He circled his hand in the air. “This is what I’ve always wanted. A loving wife, two adorable children, a great house on the beach. That’s a perfect life. Well, it will be if you agree to be my wife.”
“I think you need to ask me, not just give me a list of what you want.” She knew she was being difficult.
“Teagan, I love you with all my heart. I can’t imagine my life without you…and the kids. I promise to always love you, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, till death do us part. Would you do me the honor of marrying me?”
“Yes.” She kissed him with all the love she had inside. “I know you’ll keep your promise to love us forever.”
The End.
You have reached the end of A Promise Never Forgotten,
but not the end of the series.
A Moment Never Forgotten gives Micah his happily ever after and “the man” behind the mahogany desk, and all the murders, is revealed.
A Moment Never Forgotten coming Fall 2019.