Long Road Home - Maya Banks Page 0,1

it.”

She remained silent, her mind working quickly. Northstar did nothing that didn’t benefit him.

“Why?” she asked.

“It’s simple, Magalie. I want you back.”

“My name is Jules,” she ground out.

“What you call yourself is inconsequential. I want to bring you back in. I know where you are. Your pitiful attempts at hiding are no credit to your training. I let you have a little vacation. It’s time to get back to work.”

“No.”

“What?”

“I said no.”

“I really hoped you wouldn’t say that,” he said in a regretful tone. “It’s a shame the Trehans traveled all this way for nothing.”

She dropped the phone and started for the cabin in a full sprint. “Mom, Pop!” she screamed.

She was almost to the porch when the entire world exploded around her. A ball of fire flashed in her vision as a violent force propelled her backwards, her body arcing in the air.

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