The helicopter thundered on through the dark sky. A blurry thumbprint of sun shone behind oppressive cloud cover.
“Dad never stopped watching me, even when I was a full-grown woman. He was still watching when I met Aaron,” Cordelia said. “I’d let my guard down after somany years. I thought Daddy realized I was an adult who wouldn’t take his money, no matter how hard he pressed.”
And Aaron had landed in the middle of this fearful clan.
“There. You’ve got the sordid family history. Satisfied?” Cordelia closed her eyes and leaned her head to the side. “I’m done talking. I just want to sleep now.” She turned away.
Mackenzie looked at Gideon, unsure of how to respond.
He squeezed her hand and slid off his headset. She did the same. He put his mouth close to her ear. “Phone?”
She checked. “Still no service.”
“Hopefully when we get to the airport in Clover, we can call. They’ll have security there that can help in any case.”
She nodded, but her thoughts were elsewhere ... with Cordelia, a woman caught in her father’s violent world, his grief over his wife transformed into something ugly and vengeful. Then again, he could have been ugly and vengeful long before the loss.
Ugly and vengeful ... Mackenzie wondered suddenly if that described her too. She shook the thought away. Maybe it had until Gideon convinced her otherwise. She’d let that be her core for way too long. That wasn’t the identity God meant for her, and he’d used Gideon to deliver the message. It eased a tightly coiled place inside her, and for the first time in a long while, she took a full breath. Down below, the hills glittered wetly in the starlight.
Once the waters receded, they’d be back on solid ground again. What would that be like? With all the painful truths she’d learned? She found herself leaning against Gideon, her head on his shoulder.
He wrapped his arm around her, though she knew the motion caused him pain.
“I can’t even believe what’s happened. I just want to go home.”
“Soon,” he whispered.
Drowsiness overcame her, the thudding of the rotors a soothing lullaby. Rest was the thing her body craved most.
She wasn’t quite asleep yet when a sudden movement from Jake startled her. He clasped his earpiece, listening intently. He gestured for Cordelia to join him in the jump seat where she put on the copilot headset.
Gideon reached for Mackenzie’s hand, waiting.
Had the dam finally failed completely? Were there gunmen waiting at the airport?
The message Cordelia listened to was quick, but it hit her like a splash of acid. She ripped off the headphones and flung them at Jake as if they’d burned her. Jake didn’t make further eye contact, his fingers white on the controls.
“Gideon, something’s going down.” Mackenzie’s stomach lurched as the helicopter dipped to one side.
“Yes,” he said grimly. “We’re changing direction.”
They were both reaching for their seat belts when Cordelia spun to face them. She held a small gun, and pain hardened her features into stone.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “We have to go to my father’s house.”
Bullseye’s home? Mackenzie was too stunned to speak. Again the rug had been ripped out from under them. But surely everything Cordelia had revealed was the truth.
“Cordelia ...” Gideon started, reaching again for his seat belt.
“No,” she barked before her voice dropped to a strangled whisper. She aimed the gun at his chest, center mass. “I don’t want to shoot you.”
Jake jerked a look, sweat beading on his temple. “You know you can’t fire a weapon in here. If you do, we’ll crash.”
“I know.” Her eyes never left Gideon’s. “So don’t make me, okay?”
“What is going on?” he demanded.
Her lips quivered. “I really thought I could get you out, get us all out, but things have changed.”
