With the mighty thundering of the verse severing the panic, the training for this exact scenario came back to him. Michael thrust his arms together and threaded them up between Booker’s. He threw them down and out while exploding up from his hips at the same time. Booker lost his grip and his balance, fell forward, his nose crashing into Michael’s head. He rolled off and writhed in the dirt, holding his now-broken nose.
Out of the dark periphery, Ron and Steve appeared and grabbed Booker while Michael sucked in the oxygen he’d been deprived of. Once he caught his breath, he sat up. “Where did you guys come from?”
Dani rushed in and scooped up Eddie. “I told you these guys are the real heroes.” She held Eddie close, smiled down at Michael. “They helped me find you.”
Michael took his time standing, pushing through the slight shakiness in his legs. His head pounded, but he didn’t care. He wanted the feel of Dani in his arms. Needed to know with his own two hands that she was real. He pulled her and Eddie into his chest. “Took you long enough.”
She gaped up at him. “I think what you meant to say is, ‘Thank you, Dani, for coming to my rescue.’”
He quieted her with a swift kiss, first her lips, then her forehead. He breathed in her sweet floral scent, breathed out a prayer of thanks, then whispered, “Thank you, Dani, for coming to my rescue.”
He ruffled Eddie’s hair and smiled at him. “You’re safe now, kiddo.”
“Eddie!” Stephanie sped toward them, arms outstretched.
Eddie reached for his aunt. “We’re safe, Auntie Steph. They’re guardian angels. Just like you said.”
Michael and Dani looked at her, confused.
She laughed through a tearful smile. “Yeah, buddy. They kept us safe, huh?” She squeezed him in a fierce hug. “I told him God would send His angels to keep us safe. To defend us.”
Dani grinned up at Michael. “I guess He did, didn’t He.”
Michael balked. “Believe me, I’m no angel.”
“Maybe not, but you were named after one.” Dani’s eyes shimmered with love and tenderness. “Your mom would be so proud.”
And deep in his heart, Michael knew it was true.
Epilogue
Dani didn’t bother hiding her grin or excitement today. She bounced on her toes and grabbed Michael’s hand. He squeezed. They faced the crowd together, windows of the event center spilling dusky, golden light on their friends, their family, and the city dignitaries sitting in the rows before them. Press at the edges held cameras and microphones while the mayor continued his speech from the podium a few feet to her right.
“Thanks to these fine citizens, hard-working men and women with integrity and courage, several criminals responsible for a worldwide criminal organization are now detained and will face our justice system. The reputation of one of Renegade’s best, the late Captain Martina Martinelli, is restored. And the people of this city can rest tonight knowing the caliber of defenders we have right here.”
One by one, he called them up and handed each a city medal. Finn, Kumar, and even Steve, Ron, and Denny received one. The mayor called her name, then Michael’s. The three rows of the extended Martinelli family, plus Lily and Josh, stood and cheered with abandon. Isaac Carter, a couple rows over, sent a high-pitched whistle across the crowd while holding Eddie. The whoops and hollers sent vibrations through the temporary stage, detected by Dani’s feet as she walked to the middle.
As the mayor handed her the medal and they posed, shaking hands and facing the audience, Dani caught two familiar faces.
There, in the middle of the back row, sat her mother and father, always unassuming, never wanting to draw attention. But it was the slight tip upward in Alton Kim’s lips that struck her, making it suddenly harder to hold the bright grin on her own face.
Was that…pride in her father’s eyes?
Her mother gave a tiny wave, dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.
Dani needed a tissue for the way her own eyes filled. But she held it together until the end of the ceremony. The Martinellis practically stormed the stage once the mayor gave the final remarks. As soon as they released her, she navigated the crowd until she reached her parents.
“You came.” She sounded a little breathless, but so be it.
“Of course we came.” Her mother hugged her tight. “We’re so proud of you.”
Her father gave her a little nod.
And it was everything.
Before she could talk herself out of it, she hugged him too.
Simon burst through the crowd. “Auntie Dani! Michael is looking for you. He said he’s lost.”