Zane took one, and Gil grudgingly took the other. “Get in here, Powell. Prayer meeting time.”
Luke joined them, grasping Gil’s and Zane’s hands.
“Jesus. Help us. Help Faith. Give her courage. Amen.” Tessawhispered the words, and when she said amen, they all echoed with their own amens.
“I liked that prayer meeting,” Gil said as he checked his weapon. “Short. To the point.”
“God doesn’t need long, drawn-out prayers,” Zane said. “Most of the time they’re for the listeners, not God.” He smiled at Tessa. It wasn’t hostile. It was ... sad.
The sight of it twisted something in Luke. His friend was hurting, but it would have to wait. “Let’s go.”
The same officer who’d come up with him last night stood at the elevator and joined them in the descent. “Does anyone have keys?” Gil asked.
Zane’s and Luke’s cars had been blown up a week ago. Gil’s car was still parked at his house. Tessa reached into her pocket and removed a set of keys.
“You have keys. But do you have a car?” Gil asked. “You came straight here from the office like the rest of us.”
“True.” Tessa jingled the keys in Gil’s direction. “But unlike the rest of you, I didn’t like the idea of being here without my own wheels and asked one of the officers to bring my car over last night.”
The officer in the elevator gave Tessa a fist bump. “Well played, Agent Reed. Your car is at the curb. There’s an officer waiting for you.”
“Thanks, Freddie. If we don’t see you later, you’ve been great.” She patted his arm and led the way off the elevator, with Zane, Gil, and Luke close on her heels.
DAVID LEE TOOKa step closer. “You’re aware of your surroundings and trained to fight back.” He took another step, and hisvoice lowered to a whisper. “And I got to you. I could have killed you as you slept. So, I know you’ll believe me when I tell you that your sister—”
“Don’t you dare touch my sister.” Faith jumped to her knees as she spoke but froze when the tip of the barrel of a gun scraped none too gently down her temple.
His left hand twisted in her hair as he leaned close and whispered in her ear. “It’s up to you, Faith. Hope is a beautiful woman. So full of vitality and joy, despite her condition. I’d hate to see that beautiful skin in shreds on those stunning cheekbones.”
Bile churned in Faith’s gut. She trembled—not out of fear but out of rage.
David’s hand tightened in her hair and yanked her head back. “You are in charge of this investigation. Look for your Tiger”—he sneered the word—“and leave me out of it. Do you understand?”
When she didn’t answer, he jammed the gun into the base of her skull. Tears leaked from her eyes and pain shot through her head as the gun pressed hard against her occipital bone.
“Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
His hand traced across her back and arm before he stepped away, then he removed the gun. “You’re quite a beautiful woman yourself. I’d love to stay and get to know you. But under the circumstances, let’s never do this again, okay?” He laughed and turned for the door.
Faith blinked back the tears she’d had no control over, but otherwise remained still and silent.
Her eyes had adjusted, and she followed the darkness that was David Lee as he went through her door. She strained to hear his footfalls, but there was nothing. She pulled in a shaky breath, then bit back a scream as darkness filled the doorway.
“I forgot. In case you don’t believe I’m capable of doing what I said, I’ve left a welcome gift for your friends. I hope they like it.” This time, he left the room at a run, his laughter echoing back to her as he ran down the hall. Faith didn’t wait to be sure he’d left the house. She scrambled to untangle her phone from the blankets.
She shifted the blankets and a low thud came from the floor on the other side of the bed. She scurried across the sheets, guided by the dim light from the screen, and snatched the phone.
She dialed 911. The dispatchers should be able to reach the—
An explosion shook the house, and outside her window a fireball rose into the sky.
33
TESSA FLOORED ITas Zane fed her directions. “Right at the next intersection. Left in two streets...”
From the back seat, Luke dialed Faith’s number, but again and again it went straight to voice mail.
