Sworn to Protect (Vows of the Heart) (37 page)

Ethan managed a grin.

The doctor entered looking at his patient critically, but then his expression relaxed. “You really have a tendency to abuse that left arm, Mr. Lancaster.”

“Sorry,” Ethan said dryly, then squeezed Bethany’s hand. “How are you doing?”

“Doc says I have a bruised sternum, nothing more.”

“And the baby?”

“The baby’s fine, but I’m supposed to see an OB/GYN later.”

Ethan breathed a sigh of relief.

The doctor nodded. “Both of you need to rest. As you know stress is not good for Mom here.” The doctor ordered the nurse to give him some pain medication and left.

Bethany gazed at Ethan, her fingers stroking through his hair. “We did it.”

“Are you sure about that? Or are they going to come in and haul me out of here in handcuffs?”

“Doubtful,” Nathan said. “Leonard says they have all the evidence they need to clear you. They found Gunther’s body and Cordova is again in custody. He doesn’t have anyone else in the ATF and Leonard will make sure it stays that way. The Attorney General started executing warrants for those people on his list within minutes of the information airing. He’s having a field day with this one.”

“So it is finally over,” Bethany said.

Ethan grinned at her. “All you have to worry about now is having a healthy baby.” He paused, his smile growing. “And planning your wedding.”

“Is that your version of a proposal, Ethan Lancaster?”

Nathan groaned, his hand covering his face. “You should have at least gotten her a ring if you were going to be that lame about it.”

Ethan glared at his brother. “I was going to, but something else came up.”

“All right, all right, you two,” Bethany said, giggling and clutching her injured chest. “Don’t make me laugh, it hurts.”

“Sorry, sweetheart.”

“You’re under the influence of morphine, s
o I won’t hold your ineptitude against you,” Bethany said.

“Ineptitude?” Ethan protested.

“So, the answer is yes, you big oaf.”

Nathan started laughing.

“Out!” Ethan growled at him, pointing towards the door. “Out!”

Still laughing, Nathan made a hasty retreat.

After he left, Ethan looked at Bethany ruefully. “I’m sorry—”

“Hush,” she said and kissed him lightly. “I don’t care how you ask, just as long as you asked.”

“You’re sure your answer is yes?”

She gazed into his beautiful mercury eyes. “Yes, but I want a real wedding with all the bells and whistles.”

“You got it, sweetheart.” He pulled her down and kissed her again. Ethan’s lips slid across her cheek to her ear. “I went through hell, Bethany, but I’d do it all again if it meant you loving me.”

“I do love you, Ethan.” Bethany returned his embrace, feeling tears of joy trickle down her cheeks. The band of fear she had come to know vanished – at last, she could breathe again.

One Year Later

Ethan’s heart pounded as Bethany pushed the Dodge Charger Pursuit for all it was worth. Tires screamed as she slid it around the corner. She whipped the car back around into another turn, never touching a single orange cone. She crossed a brightly painted line and slammed on the brakes. In an instant she bounded out of the car and removed her helmet, grinning.

Ethan watched Bethany’s student slowly climb out of the passenger side, his face gray. With shaking hands he removed his helmet and staggered against the car.

“And there you have it,” Bethany said, facing a line of ATF rookies watching her. One young man moved to help the first rookie. “That is how you drive a Pursuit. I hope all of you took notes because next week it will be your turn. You’re dismissed.” She faced Ethan and inclined her head. “Nice to see you, Captain Lancaster. Care to go a lap, just for old time’s sake?”

He laughed as he wrapped her in his arms. “I’ve had enough of your bat
-out-of-hell driving to last two lifetimes.”

She giggled, her emerald eyes sparking. “Joey,” she called to one of her students and tossed the keys at him. He smoothly caught them out of the air. “Take the car back to the barn and see that it’s prepped for next week.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She faced Ethan again. “And where is your brother?”

“In my office with the baby, playing the doting uncle.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “But there’s someone waiting for us in the conference room. We need to talk to him first.”

Her smile vanished. “The private investigator?”

He nodded and escorted her back to the office. As they entered the building Ethan marveled at all the changes. When Ethan returned from his honeymoon, the ATF not only said he still had a job, they offered him a promotion, the captain’s position. He had gratefully accepted it
.

Ethan’s left arm was fully healed thanks to two more surgeries and extensive physical therapy. It only bothered him when the weather turned cold and wet. But the injuries he had suffered prohibited fieldwork. That no longer mattered to him. Ethan adapted easily to his duties as captain and he enjoyed the new challenges of the position
.

A
fter marrying Bethany and watching his child grow within her, Ethan knew he had far more important things to consider. Working in the field, especially undercover, offered too many risks. After all they had suffered, he didn’t want to contemplate leaving Bethany a widow and his child without a father. Edwards had been right, the job did have its own rewards.

Edwards had also been right about the rookies benefiting from experience. Upon assuming the captain’s position Ethan re-evaluated their training procedures. His worry of Bethany giving up a part of herself with a normal life remained foremost on his mind
, but so did the failure of his support team on the Cordova case. Ethan developed a highly specialized training opportunity for those rookies with potential as undercover agents and presented it to his superiors. He fretted at what their response would be when he told them who he planned to direct the program. To his shock, his superiors fully supported his choice.

When Bethany recovered from having their daughter
, she entered a new job with the ATF as a private consultant and the program was now her domain. She not only taught driving skills, but everything she knew as a professional thief. All of it helped sell the agents when they assumed undercover roles. Ethan also knew firsthand how those talents could help get someone out of trouble.

Although, Ethan noted wryly, those students who fell short or who did not live up to expectation found themselves missing a variety of objects – a wallet here, a cell phone there. Bethany kept it all safely stowed in her desk like a grade school teacher with confiscated contraband, awaiting the time when the student opened his eyes to what she was trying to teach him.

They stepped from the elevator and Ethan guided Bethany to the conference room. He glanced at his office, seeing Nathan holding three month old Faith. He walked around the office with her in his arms, delighting in showing her shiny objects. A smile tugged at Ethan’s lips. His brother, the former Navy SEAL who could easily kill a man with his bare hands, was now a loving uncle who did not fear the toxic waste of even the worst dirty diapers. Nathan babysat for them often. He had latched onto Faith and Ethan knew his daughter helped keep his brother sober.

Bethany squeezed Ethan’s hand and he looked down at her. She too watched Nathan, her eyes liquid. “That man needs to be a father,” she said softly. “He has so much love to give
, but he buries it, just like you did at first. I hate to see him in pain.”

Ethan nodded and opened the door. “Let’s hope all of that will change.”

The private investigator looked up as they entered. “Captain, Mrs. Lancaster,” he said, offering his hand.

Ethan accepted his handshake. “Mr. Baldwin, how have you been?”

“Good,” the man replied smiling. “Congratulations on the Cordova case. That conviction and sentencing was an all-time record.”

“Thank you,” Ethan said tightly. Cordova was now on death row awaiting his sentence – death by lethal injection. He thought of all the people the bastard had murdered, of all the lives he had destroyed.

“I followed up on your leads,” Baldwin said, jerking Ethan from his thoughts. The P.I. pushed a file toward him.

Ethan
opened the file and his jaw went slack as he stared at the photos along with other evidence the man had collected.

“You are absolutely certain of all of this information, Mr. Baldwin?”

“Yes, sir,” Baldwin replied. “It surprised me how difficult the answers were to find at first, despite the leads you gave me. That’s why it took me so long. But I am very confident in my findings. All of the information you need should be in the file.”

Ethan picked up a black and white photo, taken with a high-powered telephoto lens. It was a clear shot and its evidence was irrefutable. Stunning but irrefutable.

“Thank you, Mr. Baldwin.” Ethan said, writing out a personal check from his Lancaster fund and handing it to the man. “That will be all for now, but I may need your services later.”

“Of course, Captain
. Just give me a call.” He rose as Ethan did and shook his hand, then left the conference room, closing the door behind him.

Ethan’s gaze locked on Bethany and he stared at her a long moment.

She fidgeted nervously, finally looking at the floor.

“Well?” h
e asked softly.

“I don’t know, Ethan. Are you absolutely sure?”

“As positive as I can be. These pictures don’t lie.”

“What if we’re wrong?” s
he asked. “Nathan has been sober for a year, this could send him over the edge.”

“I know,” he replied and held the photo. “But, Bethany, I swear to you...this is Ana.” He then
pulled out the bank statements and checks Bethany had found at the cabin. Ethan had the department’s handwriting expert look at the checks. They were not forgeries. “He deserves to know, Bethany. If he needs us, we’ll be there for him every step of the way.”

She nodded and they left the conference room, returning to Ethan’s office.

As they entered, Nathan held his finger to his lips. “I gave her a bottle, she’s almost asleep,” he whispered.

Bethany reached for the baby then hesitated. Nathan seemed unwilling to give her up.

“Nathan,” Ethan said. “Have a seat. There’s something I need to show you.”

He sat, keeping one eye on the baby. Faith grunted, sucking loudly on her pacifier then settled, her eyes closed.

Ethan grinned at him and Nathan returned the smile. But too quickly, Ethan’s humor faded. “Bethany and I found some interesting information we thought you should know about. Actually, Bethany was the one who first discovered it, I just followed up.”

“Oh great,” Bethany muttered. “Blame it on me.”

Nathan looked from Ethan to her in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Ethan started to open the file and Bethany rose, stepping next to Nathan and gripping his shoulder tightly. “Nathan,” Ethan said, turning the file so his brother could see the photos. “Ana is alive.”

Nathan blinked at the pictures then his face turned a terrible shade of gray. Bethany’s fingers tightened on his shoulder. He reached up, moving like an automaton, and gripped her hand, his eyes never leaving the photos.

“Ana...?” His voice cracked.

Ethan pushed the file closer, slowly and clearly explaining all the evidence they had discovered and their hiring of a private investigator to confirm their suspicions. “I didn’t want to give you any false hopes, Nathan. That’s why I didn’t tell you earlier. I had to be certain. Now, I am.”

Nathan said nothing, staring at the information in the files, but gazing longer at the pictures. “You’re right...she is Ana...oh God.” A shudder passed through him and he gazed down at the child he held in his arms. Squeezing his eyes closed, he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

“Nathan,” Bethany whispered, her voice thick. Tears dripped down her cheeks.

Slowly, carefully, Nathan hand
ed the baby to Bethany. “Why?” he choked. “Why would she do this to me?”

Ethan rose from his chair and moved to the front of his desk. “Nathan, Ana was never vicious. Hell, she didn’t have a mean bone in her body. I know she wouldn’t do this to hurt you.” He picked up two canceled checks. “I had our handwriting expert look at this. This one is dated a year after she disappeared. While our analyst says it is by the same hand, he notes significant changes to her signature. While there is no way he can be certain
, he says it might be indicative of a brain injury.”

“Amnesia?” Bethany asked.

“It’s entirely possible,” Ethan replied. “Even probable considering the avalanche. And Nathan, there’s more.”

“More?” h
e asked hoarsely.

“You know I’ve been talking a lot with the Attorney General because of Cordova. He found information that scared the hell out of me. Nathan your file wasn’t unsealed because you were helping me. It was unsealed right before you married Ana.”