Antonia threw her handful of sand just as Leland’s finger depressed the trigger. At the same time, Reuben launched himself at Leland, who jerked backward instinctively as the sand pricked his eyes, clawing at his face.
She picked up the chair and brought it down on Leland’s back with all the strength she possessed as he rolled on top of Reuben. The metal impacted Leland’s skull with a thwack and sent the gun flying under a pile of boxes. Leland went limp. She helped Reuben get slowly to his feet, tears crowding her vision, mind disbelieving the events her eyes had just witnessed.
After one tight hug, he grabbed her hand and pulled her away. They met Hector at the stairs. “We have to get out of here before his men arrive,” Hector said.
Feet echoing on the steep steps, they made their way quickly. From upstairs they heard a groan as Leland fought his way back to consciousness. Antonia’s skin prickled in panic.
They plunged down to the landing, and she noticed that Reuben stumbled slightly, whether from haste or blood loss she was not sure. They headed for the exit just as a boat motored into the structure. As the man blinked to adjust to the darkness, the three shrank back into the shadows, but they were not quick enough. The boat captain pulled a weapon from his belt and began firing, the shots exploding in ear splitting percussions all around them, drilling deep tunnels into the wood siding.
There was no place to hide, no trace of cover. Splinters careened above their heads as they took the only chance open to them and plunged feetfirst into the water. Antonia felt Hector and Reuben punch through the surface a split second after she did. They slid under the planked dock and came up for air. Her head bumped the wood. There were only a few inches between the waterline and the underside of the dock. She sucked as much oxygen as she could in that tiny, precious gap.
“Get out to the ocean,” Reuben breathed next to her. “We’re easy targets here.”
Shots cut into the wood above them as the shooter raked the slip with bullets. They went under again, as deep as they could, but Antonia could still feel bullets chugging through the water near her shoulders and head. She pressed in the direction she figured led to the open ocean, but a second spray of bullets made them again take cover under the other platform. The shooter had leaped from the boat and run to the end of the dock, firing at close range into the water, here, there, at every swirl or splash, determined to find his target in spite of the darkness.
Reuben shoved Antonia behind him and backed them as far away from the shooter as he could. She rested her cheek against his shoulder, panting. The boathouse went so quiet their own harsh breathing sounded loud. She bit her lip between her teeth. A flash of movement from above revealed the boat captain bent over, peering underneath the planking of the dock right next to them. His feet made the boards creak and moan as he peered into the water, inch by meticulous inch.
Leland came down the stairs, a look of fury on his face, hair damp with blood. He gestured wildly with the gun and began his own perusal of the farthest dock, shooting methodically into the wood every few inches. There was no emotion on his face except pure, unadulterated rage, and she knew this time he would kill them on sight.
She held Reuben around the shoulders, knowing that he was frantically trying to formulate some means of escape. It was only a matter of minutes before they were discovered. They had to buy time, to live, until the coast guard arrived or Gavin managed to get some reinforcements there to help them. Hector crouched near enough that his shoulder touched hers. His lips were moving, but she could not hear any words. He looked small and scared, and hopeless.
Leland shouted loud enough for her to hear his every syllable as he paced the dock.
“I am going to kill you all. Do you hear me?” he roared. “All of you.”
Something moved next to her and she almost screamed. Before she could make sense of what she was seeing, Hector dove low and swam out into the open water between the slips.
“No!” Reuben lunged for him, but Hector was away before he could catch hold. Reuben’s profile was etched in anguish as his brother swam into the line of fire. She understood then. Hector was providing them a distraction, a precious moment to swim away undetected.
She’d thought him a coward. She’d believed he was purely selfish, but in this final act of heroism, he’d proven her wrong.
A shudder went through Reuben. It was as if she could sense his heart breaking inside his body. Tension, grief, outrage or maybe some other emotion balled the muscles in his back, and she felt a deep quiver run through him before he began to move. He would not let his brother’s sacrifice go to waste. He pulled her toward the opening, and after one breath they plunged as deep as they could before striking out for the ocean. Her sodden clothes pulled her back, tired muscles and exhaustion working against her as they kicked hard, scooping their way through the shadowed black water toward the brilliant blue sea.
Had she heard more shots? Was there shouting? She could not be sure over the pounding of her pulse as her body screamed for oxygen. A few more strokes and she felt the warmth of the sunlight-kissed water against her fingertips. Another two kicks and she broke to the surface, sucking in desperate lungfuls of sweet air. She was several yards out of the boathouse, she realized, the shore glittering invitingly to her right, sun dazzling her eyes.
Treading water she called to Reuben. “Come on.” When she received no reply she began to turn in slow circles, frantic energy pooling in her stomach. Finally, his head broke the surface, but his eyes were half closed and face pale as the Florida sand.
She reached him in a few hard strokes, moving behind him and supporting his head and shoulders. “It’s all right,” she whispered. “We’ll make it.”
She towed him toward shore, all the while eyeing the boathouse. The motor sound ignited a fresh terror inside her. The boat broke out of the shadows, two figures aboard. It didn’t take them long, only seconds really, before they spotted Antonia and Reuben. Antonia squeezed Reuben to her chest and kicked for all she was worth toward the shore.
* * *
They were not going to make it, not this way. Frustration and anger tainted every breath as Reuben tried to kick and help Antonia get them to shore. He knew the puffs of blood billowing in the water were from his stab wound, but he felt no pain, not in his body anyway. He wondered if Hector had. He remembered the swimming races they’d conducted as kids, the staying-underwater competitions that Hector won every time to Reuben’s chagrin. Hector was not content to lose, but he had this time. He’d lost so Reuben and Antonia could live.
The thought gave him a ripple of energy, and he flipped over on his stomach. Antonia gave him a surprised look. “Okay?”
“Okay. Go, go,” he gasped, putting a hand on her back and shoving her through the water.
Without another word they swam as hard as they could for shore. He tried to let his good arm do most of the work, but every motion reminded him the right side of his body was not working properly. The muscles seemed deadened, as if they belonged to someone else.
He heard the boat draw closer and closer, but the water underneath him was shallowing out, warming as they reached the shore. Bullets burst through the foaming waves.
Stroke, kick, breathe. His body was fueled now on one ferocious determination. He would not let Leland take her life. They would not steal away the single precious gift in his possession like they had taken his brother and threatened to do with Gracie. Sprays of water splashed his face as Leland continued to fire. Stroke, kick, breathe. Antonia kept darting looks over her shoulder to make sure he was still following.
“Just go,” he shouted. “Don’t wait for me.”
She pressed on until he saw her scramble to her feet and reel onto the shore like a wave coming home to the sand.
His heart leaped. She’d made it. She’d made it. His feet found purchase on the ground and he staggered in her direction, but his legs would no longer hold him. He felt himself falling, the shore reaching up to receive him. Then she was there, tugging on his arm.
“Come on, Reuben. Come on,” she pleaded. She grabbed him under the arms and attempted to drag him along the sand, but the slope was steep and he outweighed her.
He tried to get his knees underneath him with no success. The terrible numbness seemed to have crept from his wound through the rest of his torso, his legs, his arms, leaving them stiff and numb. She knelt next to him, staring into his face. “Please,” she whispered, water trailing down her long hair and onto his chest.
“Nee, you’ve got to go. Get to the trees. Now.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the exquisite brush of joy against his soul. Somewhere under all the pain, she still felt something for him. “I’ve lost my brother and Isla. Don’t let that be for nothing. Go, go now.”
Her black eyes were huge, glimmering with helplessness and something else. He reached up to stroke her cheek. “There’s that pilgrim soul again.”
She settled next to him, hand brushing the sand from his face. The boat engine was loud now. He struggled to sit up and saw that the vessel was a mere six feet from shore. Leland’s white teeth shone as he grinned and brought the gun up into firing position.
Reuben summoned his last bit of strength and shoved her behind him. At least he could offer her some small protection with his own body. As he braced for the bullets, his senses were confused by the heavy chop of rotors that whirled the sand into a frenzy. It was a coast guard helicopter. Two boats sped into view seemingly out of nowhere, police sirens competing with the helicopter noise, armed officers shouting commands.
For an endless moment, Leland appeared to be considering. Then his arms went up in a gesture of surrender along with his companion’s. One of the police boats pulled close to shore and disgorged a man who ran up the beach.
Gavin dropped down next to him. His shoulder was bandaged, arm secured in a sling. He gave Reuben the once-over and spoke quietly into his radio, summoning medical help, Reuben imagined.
“Well, Mr. Sandoval, it seems you have managed to survive. Silvio said things had gotten a bit tense around here. So much for a tropical island getaway.”
Reuben fought to keep his eyes open. “Thought you were going to arrest Leland at the boathouse.”
“Hector got away from me and went charging on in. My phone came back online so I called in the troops and went to meet them. No offense, but your brother is a real piece of work.”
The pain knifed through him again. He tried to talk, but only a sigh came out.
“Hector swam out to Leland,” Antonia explained. “To give us time to escape.” She smoothed the hair out of Reuben’s eyes, fingers cool and gentle against his skin.
“Oh, was that the truth?” Gavin raised an eyebrow. “I thought he was embellishing.”
Reuben jerked. “He’s okay? You talked to him?”
“Sure. He managed to get out of it with a couple of superficial wounds. We picked him up just before we busted Leland—and saved you two, I might add.”
Reuben wanted to shout, to hug the skinny DEA agent, whose profile began to swim before his eyes. “My brother is alive.”
“Yep. Alive and going to prison, but he says he’s okay with that. Even offered up his involvement in the drug deal a few years back. He’s going to prison, like I said, but his cooperation will help.”
A medic arrived and began to peel back the remains of Reuben’s tattered shirt to assess the damage, followed by another with a stretcher. Reuben lay in a helpless lump as they ministered to him. He could not feel the pressure of their hands and soon even their calm, measured voices blurred into the background. The only thing his senses would hold on to was Antonia’s black eyes, staring into his, her lips moving in words he could not hear, stroking his forehead with fingers he could not feel.
But those eyes...
They were alive, and vibrant. He wanted to put his hand out and feel that satin cheek, to tell her one more time that he was the man who loved the pilgrim soul in her, who savored the shadows of her changing face.
We’ve made it through the storm, he wanted to say. His mother had been right. There was no storm too big for God.
Instead he stared into her eyes until the darkness crept into his own.
* * *
Minutes ticked into days. Antonia took turns pacing around the joyless hospital waiting room, alternating paths with Silvio and Paula. Interrupting the pacing were interviews with the police, rehashing every detail from her reckless swim into the ocean with the man on the Jet Ski, to the horrifying conclusion in the boathouse. She’d gone over an edited version with her sister, Mia, as soon as she’d been able to get hold of a borrowed phone. The phone buzzed again and Antonia picked it up.
“Is Reuben okay?” Mia asked.
“They’re still waiting to see if the fever breaks. The infection is a nasty one.”
“I’m coming home.”
Antonia sucked in a breath. “Really? When?”
“Tomorrow. I’ve got enough for the red-eye. I need to—” Her voice broke off and after a steadying breath she continued, “I need to thank Reuben personally for saving your life.”
Antonia sighed. “Reuben will be overjoyed to see Gracie.” She paused. “What are you thinking about? Hector?”
Mia was silent for a moment. “He did terrible things, but knowing what happened, I think he really does love Gracie. When she’s old enough, I’ll make sure she knows her father made mistakes but he tried to do the right thing in the end. We’ll play it by ear when he gets out of prison.” Another pause. “So what about you and Reuben? Where do things stand with the two of you?”
Where did they stand? She was filled with a deep and overwhelming gratitude that God had spared his life and hers, but her heart was such a jumble of emotion she could not discern what was posttraumatic shock and what was real. “I don’t know.”
They ended the conversation with information about flights and preparations for Mia and Gracie to return to the old house. There would need to be cleaning done and supplies purchased for the little girl, storm damage seen to. It was a relief to put her mind to the prosaic details of daily living.
She disconnected and let the quiet of the waiting room soothe her mind. Silvio and Paula had gone to stay with relatives, who graciously agreed to accept Charley the cat, also. At that moment, they were away for a short time, seeing to the details. A nurse exited Reuben’s room and gave her a wide smile.
“Fever’s broken,” she said triumphantly. “He’s going to be right as rain. Might even get to go home soon.”
Antonia closed her eyes, dizzy with relief.
“You can go in and see him now,” she said.
Antonia’s heart raced and her hands went cold. Now that he was safe, his life restored, she was left with the question Mia had raised. Pulse fluttering in her throat, she walked slowly into his room. He was asleep, face scratched and bruised, still pale, but with a flush of normal color returning.
She leaned over the bed and studied him. Suddenly, all the emotions came crashing in, like the crushing waves of a hurricane, firing memories both happy and horrifying into her mind. Their life, their love, had exploded into shards of debris that presented itself to her now at such lightning-quick speeds her heart could not figure out how to respond.
She leaned down and kissed him on the mouth, pressed her forehead to his and ran from the room.
* * *
Two days after his release from the hospital, Reuben stepped over the broken branches of his orange trees, savoring the cool air on his face. They’d been denuded of their leaves and though some were still standing like stalwart soldiers amidst the wreckage, the roots of the old Valencia poked from the earth, defeated.
It was painful to see the seasoned trees, which had been so productive and vibrant, reduced to trash. It’s all right, he thought. I’m not defeated.
With only a small twinge of pain from his ribs, he bent and dug a handful of earth, raising it to his nose and inhaling deeply the earthy scent of promise. He would rebuild the orchard and coax life from the ground again, with God’s help. The air would be filled with the perfumed blossoms and bejeweled with the lush color of oranges once more. The road would be hard and expensive, but he would travel it, somehow.
Optimism fought with another emotion. His gaze wandered to the blue sky, and he wondered where Antonia had gone. He did not blame her for taking off. His choices and those of his brother almost got her killed. She’d probably fled from the hospital as soon as she was able, maybe even left Florida altogether, and that would be justifiable.
He flung the soil to the ground and tried to figure out where to start. He was piling the broken branches as best he could into an enormous mound when Antonia appeared underneath the trees, just as if she were part of the orchard itself. The sun glossed her dark hair and pulled at the edges of her yellow dress.
He was unable to speak.
“Hi, Reuben,” she said.
He came close slowly, tentatively, afraid that she might run or disappear somehow, evaporate like the clouds. “Antonia. How...how are you?”
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
He shrugged. “Just sore. It will take me a while to get back to full steam.”
She raised an eyebrow. “And you figured some manual labor would speed things along?”
He laughed. “Hard work is good for the soul.”
“Then you have a soul bigger than most,” she said before her face grew serious. “What did you decide to do? About Isla, I mean?”
“I’m giving it up, but not to Garza. Deeding the land to the nature conservancy. No more hotels for me.”
“How does that feel?” she asked softly, gathering her windblown hair. “Giving up your mother’s dream?”
“I thought it would be devastating, but it hasn’t been that way. My mother’s real dream was for us to live an honest life. And I’m going to do that, here in my orchard. Hector can join me someday if he wants to.” He wondered if the mention of his brother’s name would upset her.
“Hector turned out to have some of those honest qualities after all.”
“Too bad he didn’t display them sooner,” Reuben said with a sigh. “It would have prevented a lot of heartache, but that’s between him and God.”
“You can’t save anybody, can you?”
“Nope. That’s His job, but I forgot that for a while.”
She nodded. For a few moments they were silent, listening to the rustling leaves. “I know it’s rude and all, but I brought an uninvited guest.”
“Who?”
Gracie and Mia walked up the gravel road. When Gracie saw Reuben, she broke from her mother’s hand and trotted on chubby legs as fast as she could.
“Uncle Booben!” she shouted.
He swept her into a hug and clung to her, his heart nearly exploding, throat thick. “Gracie, I’ve missed you. I love you so much.”
Gracie put her small hand on Reuben’s cheek and patted gently. “I miss you, too, Uncle Booben.” She put a tiny fingertip on the scratch bisecting Reuben’s forehead. “You got hurt.” She looked at him closer. “And skinny.”
“And you got even more gorgeous since I saw you last. Did you grow a couple of feet?” He swung her around in circles until they were both breathless and dizzy, before he put her down.
“Come here, Gracie,” Mia said. “Hold Mama’s hand and we’ll go see if the playhouse Uncle Booben made for you is still standing.” She looked at Reuben and took a deep breath. “Thank you for saving my sister. I was wrong to take Gracie from you. I’m truly sorry.”
He opened his mouth to answer, to apologize again for his brother, for all that had transpired, but before he could summon up the words, she’d turned and walked away through the trees with Gracie.
Reuben fought for composure as Antonia came near. “I thought...” He cleared his throat. “Thank you. I will never let anything happen to Gracie.”
She took his hand then. “She’s going to grow up better having Uncle Booben in her life.”
He sighed. “I hope so.”
Antonia raised his hand and brushed his fingers to her lips, sending tingles spiraling through his body.
“Back on the island,” she said, “when I thought I was going to die, I realized how much of my life was spent in anger and blame. I decided that was not what God meant for me, for my life. That’s not why He let me survive the storm, so I could go back to holding on to past hurts.”
He could not help it. He pulled her close, close enough that he could smell her sun-warmed hair and feel the curve of her body next to his. “Nee, I’m sorry for...”
With a trembling finger, she quieted him with a touch to his mouth. “I know. You told me you’re sorry, and so am I. We made mistakes, both of us, and that’s done.” Her hands fell to his shirtfront and she held them there. He knew she must be able to feel the wild beating of his heart. Something hopeful, joyful, tender lifted inside his soul.
“I’m going to be a farmer, Nee, not a resort owner. Just a simple farmer because that’s what God made me to be.”
Cocking her head she smiled. “There’s nothing simple about you, Reuben.”
“I could say the same about you.” He stroked her hair. “You are wild and compassionate, beautiful because of what you’ve been through.” She shivered in his arms and he ran his palms over her shoulders, strong and soft at the same time. “I would do anything for you, go anywhere because I love you.” He offered up the words, bare and vulnerable, delicate as an orange blossom. “I’ll always love you.”
Tears glistened in her eyes. “You won’t have to go anywhere. You’ll stay here, on your farm, and we’ll build it again, together.”
Together. His friend, his love, the most precious creation he had ever been blessed to see. Reuben and Antonia. Together.
“Can this be real?” he whispered, pressing kisses on her temple, her cheeks, her neck.
“Yes, Reuben, it’s real,” she murmured back, raising her mouth and joining her life to his with a long, slow kiss. “I love you.”
He let the joy shudder through him, the storm of emotion blowing away the past until nothing remained but the sun-kissed future that they would face.
Together.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from YULETIDE JEOPARDY by Sandra Robbins.