Cordelia’s words spilled out in a rush. “When Aaron finally told me the truth about his work, I was horrified. I had to tell him who I was. He promised he’d quit, as soon as he could, and we’d leave. In the meantime we kept our relationship a secret. I knew Daddy would never accept anyone in the business dating his daughter. And especially someone whose sister was going to be a cop.”
Mackenzie jerked as if she’d been slapped.
“How’s that for irony? We told no one, were never together in public, but ... but Daddy found out anyway.” Tears flowed down Cordelia’s face, dripping from her chin. “I was stupid to think he wouldn’t.”
Gideon stared, willing her to say it, the terrible fact he feared was coming, one that would detonate Mackenzie like a bomb. “Your father knew about you and Aaron.”
“Yes.” Cordelia looked at the floor. “And he had Aaron killed.”
****
Mackenzie reeled back into Gideon’s chest. She tried to absorb Cordelia’s revelation. Bullseye had Aaron murdered because of his relationship with Cordelia?
She was engulfed by a wave of nausea. But was it the truth? All of it? Cordelia was clearly stricken, but there was no way they could trust her with their lives, not now.
Gideon tugged at her forearm. “Mackenzie, we’re out of here. Hold on to me and let’s go.”
She was shaky as he steered her. She heard the sounds of car doors wrenched open, boots pounding toward the hangar.
“You can’t get away. The chopper’s ready out back. We have to go,” Cordelia said.
“We’re not going anywhere with you.” Gideon urged Mackenzie on. “Faster.”
Rifle shots peppered the steel doors. The weapon now in Gideon’s hand was hardly a match.
All three of them ran to the rear as more bullets plowed into the metal. The fenced area would provide no protection from gunfire. They had minutes, maybe less.
Her mind cycled through possibilities. Cordelia would get on that chopper and when it lifted off, it might be enough of a distraction for Mackenzie and Gideon to run back into the hangar, open the doors, and tear out the front. Without getting shot? It was no better than a suicide mission, but she could think of nothing else.
Holding on to Gideon, she tumbled past the door and into the fenced yard. He held her close as Cordelia sprinted to the chopper. The rotors were whirling, getting up to speed as the engine whined.
Jake was tight-jawed, working the controls. He called out to them. “Get in! Now!”
Cordelia turned back to Gideon. “You can’t stay here. I’m ...”
Her words were lost in a roar as a surge of water burst from beyond the field and rolled in a tumbling mass toward the tarmac.
“The dam!” Cordelia screamed. Her eyes were wild.
The water moved so forcefully it shook the groundunder their feet. Swirling waves foamed toward them with terrifying speed, engulfing their ankles within seconds.
Gideon slipped and went under, the gun snatched from his grip and sucked away.
Mackenzie yanked him up as the water level rose. The helicopter was their only way out. Cordelia was a pace ahead of them.
Gideon shoved her. “Go, go!”
Mackenzie catapulted forward. Cordelia tripped, splashing face-first near the skids already rising. Gideon grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her through the open chopper door with Mackenzie’s help.
Water sucked at Gideon’s boots as he jumped in after the two women. The split second he and Cordelia were aboard, Mackenzie slammed the door closed, and the chopper rose straight up at a dizzying speed.
“Buckle in!” the pilot shouted. All three of them took the rear seats and strapped in against the vibrations of the aircraft. Within seconds they were flying into the darkness.
They banked left. She caught sight of the shimmering surface below as the floodwater surrounded the hangar. Al and Jerry were nowhere to be seen. If they hadn’t made it back to their vehicles, survival would be out of the question.
She felt unmoored, unable to process what had just happened. Cordelia was Bullseye’s daughter. He’d had Aaron executed. Now they were trapped in a helicopter with her and her pilot.
Jake listened on his headphones and turned to report, gesturing for them to put on their own headsets. “It wasonly a partial failure. The dam’s still hanging on, but no telling if it’s going to last.”
