Obsession (30 page)

She felt a kick. “The baby says you can sit down and take a rest.”

Joshua placed his mouth close to Angie’s belly button, “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”

“Stop, you’re tickling me,” she giggled. “The baby will come out whenever he or she’s good and ready.”

“You’re sure you don’t want to know if it’s a boy or a girl?”

“Yup. At least we’ve picked out names. Zackariah if it’s a boy, Rachel if it’s a girl.”

“That’s a good name,” Dan said leading a red-headed boy over to his mother. “Jake told me he likes that name. He also likes his little sister’s presents and wants to open them for her.”

“She asked me to,” Jake said.

“Yes, of course.” Dan rolled his eyes. “She’s not as advanced as you were at that age. Your little sister isn’t even talking yet.”

“Yes she
is,
Daddy. Leah talks to me all the time." He pointed to his head. “I hear her in here.”

Angie exchanged a glance with her husband.
Did Jake really mean that?
She thought about Metatron’s revelation that her son had powers handed down from generations of healers in his father’s family, powers that had been foretold in scrolls still to be discovered in caves in Israel.

“Dan, I have to ask you, has your family always been physicians?"

Jake’s biological father shook his head. “Not every generation, but close. My great-grandmother and grandmother were midwives. Some called them witches because they always knew the gender of a baby
before
it was delivered. It was one of the reasons my ancestors moved around a lot. My grandmother and my grandfather fled the country because their neighbors didn’t care for Jews, much less Jewish ‘witches’.”

Jake climbed on the sofa next to his mother’s lap and patted her belly. “You okay in there?”

The baby kicked in response.

“Don’t tease your sibling.” She leaned against Alejandro/Josué. “Dan, where’s your wife?”

“She’s wrapping up a meeting on the computer. Sarah’s volunteer work with not-for-profits is coming in handy. She’s been giving Isabel advice about how to set up a foundation for the Tarahumaran boarding school and orphanage.” He sipped a glass of wine. “She should be done shortly.”

“Well, between the grape vines, coffee groves, and apple orchards that Sister Teresa set up with the gold Brother Aaron gave her,” Alejandro/Josué said, “they should be able to get out of the marijuana growing business soon.”

Angie couldn’t believe how remorseful the entire Edmondsville Community had been. With their homes and former lives in the US gone and their cult leader dead, the congregation had decided to elect Brother Aaron as their leader. The first thing he’d done was to release the Tarahumaran girls from captivity and escort them down the mountain to their families. On behalf of the entire congregation, Brother Aaron had also pledged to assist the natives in whatever way they could. They said it was the least they could do to make reparations to the Tarahumarans for their losses.

The gold, as Angie had thought, was out in the open the whole time. Painted white with a blue star, the two-foot wide shield hanging in the great room had been solid gold. Zeke had seen it every time he sat on the throne.

“Isabel swore to Sarah that she was getting out of the trafficking business. She’s talking about building a casino in Chihuahua.” Dan shook his head. “I have a hard time believing she’s telling the truth and really going straight.”

“It’s only a matter of time before the US and Mexican governments get sick of these drug wars.” Alejandro/Josué said. “Isabel has a family, wants to protect them. She’s diversifying her portfolio, investing in legal activities, keeping her money and staying out of jail. The boss lady is a smart woman.”

Angie pinched his leg. “Stop calling her that. I’m your boss now.”

“Ouch. You should be grateful. Isabel didn’t bat an eye when I told her I was moving to the US to set up my own business. She was happy to have a ‘friend’ across the border who might be able to help her guys out in a pinch. Of course, my new supervisor at the Baltimore ATFE thinks it’s great. With her as my buddy, we get all sorts of intelligence on the other cartels.”

His cell phone rang. “Natasha. How are you?” He nodded. “That’s great. I’m so glad that worked out. And your daughter, does she like her new school? Yes, we’d love to see you when you come to Washington to testify. It’s a date.” He pressed the off button and glanced at Angie. “What?”

“You’re a chick magnet, that’s what. It’s a good thing I trust you. Otherwise I’d worry about you with that Russian bombshell.”

He kissed her cheek. “Strictly business, my love.”

“Better be.”

“Besides, I fixed her up with my step-brother, Luis. Now
that
man is a chick magnet.”

A little blonde girl in a frilly pink dress crawled over to the couch and pulled herself up to stand. She smiled, patted Angie’s knee, and babbled.

“Well, hello, Leah,” Angie said. “How are you today?”

Jake said, “She says she’s fine, Mommy. She wants to play with Rachel.”

“It’s going to be a while before the baby comes. And, we don’t know it’s a girl, Jake.”

Angie smiled at the adorable blonde. A contraction took her off guard. She gasped, then relaxed.
Braxton-Hicks contractions.
The doctors had warned her they were a possibility in the third trimester. Another cramp, this one harder. The obstetrician had been positive she was due in a month.
Maybe a phone call was in order.
This wasn’t her first child, and these contractions were coming fast.
Remember the mantra. Puff, puff, blow.

Alejandro/Josué grabbed her hand. “Are you okay?”

“Think—we’d—better—get to—the hospital.”

The room exploded in a cacophony of advice, and questions, but Jake’s beet red face had her undivided attention.

“Rachel’s coming out!” Jake screamed. “Rachel’s coming out
now
!”

A word about the author...

After working in health care delivery for years, Sharon Buchbinder became an association executive, a health care researcher, and an academic in higher education. She had it all—a terrific, supportive husband, an amazing son, and a wonderful job. But that itch to write (some call it an
obsession
) kept beckoning her to “come on back” to writing fiction. Thanks to the kindness of family, friends, critique partners, Romance Writers of America, and Maryland Romance Writers, she is now published in contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and romantic suspense.

When not attempting to make students and colleagues laugh, she can be found herding cats, waiting on a large gray dog, fishing, dining with good friends, or writing.

You can find her at
www.sharonbuchbinder.com

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