Page 53 of Joshua's Mistake
Kane turned and looked at him. It took Joshua a moment to put it into words.
He offered his hand. “Thanks.” He struggled for another moment. “I mean it. I couldn’t do this without you, Kane. Thanks.”
Kane took his hand in a firm grip. “You call, I come. We’re brothers, that’s how it works. Right?”
“Right.”
With a nod, Kane sat on the couch beside Tessa.
* * *
Joshua hadno memory of closing his eyes but Kane’s voice came through the speakers, letting him know they were about to land. He looked across the aisle. Tessa hadn’t moved an inch.
Hang in there, beautiful.
He pulled his seat upright and looked out the window. Will was setting down on a dirt road. It was a road Joshua had traveled many times to get to the reservation and meet with Adianca. The shaman had brought him to a peaceful place when his mind was without rest. Now his world had collapsed and he had to beg her to build it back up. She was powerful but this might be too far beyond even her scope of psychic healing. The shaman could call on forces beyond their world. Her abilities were closer to magic than psi. Joshua’s gut tightened and his chest ached. Worry wouldn’t bring Tessa back. They couldn’t get on the ground fast enough.
The road was clear but the uneven ground caused the plane to bounce severely. Joshua got up and rushed to keep Tessa secured to the couch. He pinned her with his body until the jarring stopped and they came to a halt.
“Sorry about that,” Will called from the cockpit.
“You two okay?” Kane asked.
Joshua looked down at her inert form. His heart clenched. “Yeah, we’re okay.”
The engines powered down but a new sound could be heard outside. Both Kane and Will were up and out of the cockpit in an instant. Joshua didn’t move from the couch. He would protect her body even if he had failed to protect the rest of her.
Kane pulled a rifle out of the overhead bin. He removed it from the case, grabbed the magazine and loaded it before moving to the back of the plane where he could see the approaching vehicle. “Black Hummer.”
Joshua relaxed. “It’s Adianca. That’s what she drives.”
“If you don’t mind I’m going to hold on to this until we get the all clear.” Kane patted the stock of the weapon.
“I would prefer if both of you would load up all the weapons and ammo that Will probably has stashed in this bucket. We may be safe for now but Banta will not move on without getting what he’s after. He’s a predator. He’ll find us.”
Joshua’s words hung in the air. The engine noise outside stopped and Will opened the hatch, lowering the steps.
Picking Tessa up, Joshua headed for the stairs after his brother. He whispered, “Did you call her?”
“No.”
“How did she know we were coming or that we would land here?”
“No idea.” Kane still held the rifle but he kept it slung over his arm.
The woman standing near the large vehicle was just over five feet tall. She had long black hair that was streaked white, and deep wrinkles creased her weathered skin. Her bright eyes focused on them as she crossed her arms over her chest and waited until the travelers were several feet away.
Putting one hand up was the only thing needed for the petite woman to stop them in their tracks. Joshua gripped Tessa tighter as Adianca stepped toward them. She put her hand on Tessa’s forehead and a frown creased her already wrinkled face. “Yes. You have done right bringing her to me, Lakeland. If she is willing, we can find her.”
Joshua relaxed the tiniest degree. “Thank you, Shaman.”
She reached up and cupped his cheek. The spark in her eyes dimmed. “She must be willing to come. I do not know if she will. The horror of what she has endured may be too great.”
He nodded his understanding even though his chest felt as if it were ripping in two. Under normal circumstances he might have asked his teacher how she had known they were coming or what horrors Tessa had gone through. Though it was unlikely the answer he’d receive would give any enlightenment. Adianca had her own way of looking at the world. How she knew things…well, she was a shaman.
She pointed at Kane. “Little Lakeland, drive. You, keep watch.” The second order was for Will.
“Come.” She turned and got in the back of the Hummer. Joshua followed and kept Tessa cradled on his lap.
