Chase 'n' Ana (22 page)

sight was obliterated.

Within moments it was over. Giovanni Sardo lay on the ground. There was no sign

of the spirits.

Ana dropped her arms and Fergi lifted off her shoulder. Ana walked over to kneel

in front of Giovanni. He did not appear to be breathing. Self-loathing filled her. How

could she have taken a life? Chase raced to her and she looked up at him with tears in

her eyes. “What have I done, Chase?”

“Survived,” he said as he pulled her to her feet and into his arms. “And sent some

long overdue folks on their way home.”

Clara ran to Charlie along with his sons and got him to his feet. With one arm over

Clara’s shoulders he limped over to Chase and Ana. “God as my witness, if I hadn’t

seen it with my own eyes, I’d never have believed it.”

A groan from Giovanni made Ana jump. He opened his eyes and saw her with

Chase. “You think you’ve won, bitch?” he snarled and lifted his hand. In it was a

handgun.

Faster than the strike of a snake, both Chase and Charlie drew their guns. Two shots

sounded, almost simultaneously. Twin blossoms of crimson appeared in the center of

Giovanni’s chest. His body jerked, spasmed and then stilled.

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Chase ‘n’ Ana

Ana closed her eyes as Chase wrapped his arms around her and pressed her face

against his chest.

“It’s over, Fancy,” he crooned. “You’re safe.”

“At what price?” she asked.

“The way I see it, you did nothing wrong,” Charlie spoke up. “The man tried to kill

you and Clara. You saved Clara, and probably the rest of us. You saw what he did to

me. If you hadn’t…blasted him with whatever the hell that was, then we probably

would all be toast.”

“Amen,” Chase said.

Ana looked up and saw Clara smiling up at Charlie, and Charlie and Chase looking

at one another intently. “I was wrong, son,” Charlie said. “About a hell of a lot, it

seems.” He gave Clara a meaningful look. “All I can do is apologize. What say we make

a fresh start?”

Chase looked down at the hand his father extended and then at Ana. She smiled

and nodded. Chase took his father’s hand. “Sounds like a plan…Dad.”

Ana realized then that there was no need for remorse. Giovanni had chosen his own

path and had allowed the evil to take up residence inside him. In fact, he had welcomed

it. That it destroyed him was not her fault. And maybe that was the way his story was

supposed to be. If nothing else good came out of his life, at least he was instrumental in

bringing Chase’s family together again. That had to count for something. The look in

Clara’s and Charlie’s eyes when they looked at one another counted for even more. Ana

would be willing to bet that there would be wedding bells ringing in their near future.

And then there was Chase. She looked up to see him watching her with love

shining in his dark eyes. Gone were the shadows of the past.

“Woohoo!” Caleb startled them all with his gleeful yell. “Well, hell, ya’ll. Life is for

the living. I say we meet up with Jason and let him know we rescued the women then

get home and have ourselves one hell of a victory celebration.”

Chase and Charlie groaned at the same time and Ana laughed. “What’s the matter,

cowboy? One little old ancient evil and a handful of spirits take the starch out of your

shirt?”

Chase gave her a mock scowl and made a grab for her as she darted away from him

and took off running in the direction of the horses. Chase hesitated for only a split

second before he took off after her.

“Hey!” Caleb yelled after them. “What ya’ll doing?”

“Chasing Ana,” Chase shouted over his shoulder as he closed in on her.

“Ya’ll coming to the house?” Caleb asked.

“Later!” Chase replied as he scooped Ana up into his arm, giggling and squirming.

“Much, much later,” she added and looped her arms around Chase’s neck. “So,

cowboy. What now? We get on our horse and ride off into the sunset to live happily

ever after?”

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Ciana Stone

“Indeed, we do, Fancy.” He grinned. “Indeed we do.”

116

About the Author

Ciana Stone has been reading since the age of three, and wrote her first story at age

five. Since then she has enjoyed writing as a solitary form of entertainment, and has just

recently come out of the closet to share her stories with others. She holds several post

graduate degrees and has often been referred to as a professional student. Her latest

fields of interest are quantum mechanics and Taoism. When she is not writing (or

studying) she enjoys painting (canvas, not walls), sculpting, running, hiking and yoga.

She lives with her long-time lover in several locations in the United States.

Ciana welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email

address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Also by Ciana Stone

Mind Games

Riding Ranger

Wyatt’s Chance

Also see Ciana’s release at Cerridwen Press (www.cerridwenpress.com):

That Which Survives

Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning

publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC

on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you

breathless.

www.ellorascave.com