Chapter 15 #4
She did. Poor Lorraine, falsely arrested, their van forced into the river.
Kevin fearing for his family’s safety. Attack after attack on her and Gideon.
Bullseye reigned with an iron fist. Mackenzie sat back.
A name. She had a name. It was the key that would unlock the rest of the investigation.
With her web of shadowy contacts she could unearth his secrets, deliver them to the police along with her other notes, and help them put their case together.
“Why didn’t you go to the cops?” Gideon asked. “After Aaron was killed? Tell them he was working for Soliel?”
Cordelia flushed. “What good would that do? There are so many layers between him and his lower-level people, they’d never prove anything.”
“Especially since Aaron’s shooter was killed shortly after the murder. Not that he would have squealed on his boss anyway,” Mackenzie said.
Cordelia straightened and put her mug down. “The best option now is for us all to leave. Soon as we hear from my friend that he’s returned from the search, we’ll head to the airstrip. He’s going to fly us out of here the first moment he can.”
“That’s a huge risk for him.”
“Yes, but I can trust him.”
Mackenzie chewed her lip in thought. “When we’re clear, we can meet with the police. Together we’d have enough to convince them to look into the case.”
Cordelia shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’m leaving town all right, but I’m not getting myself involved in an investigation.”
Not getting involved? When her fiancé was brutally murdered?
“What’s your plan after we get out of here then?” Gideon said.
Mackenzie tried to patiently wait for an answer.
“Why do you need to know?” Cordelia said.
“Why wouldn’t you want to share?” he countered. “You’re going to ensure that we all get a flight out. Then what will you do?”
“I have a college friend in Oregon. I’ll be okay there.”
“Safe from Bullseye’s reach? He’ll put a price on your head too,” Gideon said. “Might have already.”
Her eyes flashed. “Let him. Most of my horses have already been taken to safety. There’s only the two that carried us remaining and I’ve made arrangements for them.
Got a buyer for the stables if there’s anything left of them after the dam fails or the town is washed away by the rain.
” Her tone went flat. “There’s nothing here for me anymore, not one single thing.
” She got up. “I’m going to lay down. I have a radio that my friend’s been using to contact me since there’s no cell service.
Soon as I hear from him, we’ll go. You should get some sleep if you can.
” Cordelia walked soundlessly to the bathroom, closed the door, and ran the water in the sink.
Gideon drank his coffee. “You okay, Zee?” He kept his voice low and soft.
“Honestly, I don’t know. That was a shock.”
“You can say that again.” He finished the last gulp. “I don’t know if I believe her completely.”
Mackenzie started. It hadn’t occurred to her that he might not be as convinced as she was. “Everything she said was right on with the timeline. I know she was Aaron’s fiancée. She’s not faking that.”
“It’s not the engagement part that troubles me.” Gideon rolled his empty cup between his palms. “I just feel like there’s a missing piece, something she’s not divulging.”
She felt a flicker of irritation. “This is what you wanted all along, to get out. Now that we’re doing it, you’re upset?”
“Not upset. Wary.”
She shook her head. “I’m not. I feel like we finally have the answers. I’ve got Bullseye’s name. I’ll convince Cordelia to go to the cops with me eventually. She knows things that will help them nail him to the wall.”
“She doesn’t want to talk. Can’t exactly blame her for that.”
“Bullseye won’t be a threat for long.”
His eyes roved her face. “Doesn’t it seem odd to you that her fiancé was murdered and she didn’t want to take that up with the police? A tough woman like that?”
Her impatience grew. They had the truth now. Why was he throwing up roadblocks? “He owns some of the cops here, maybe that’s the case for other departments. She has a right to be nervous.”
He didn’t answer, so she touched his shoulder.
“Let me check your bandage again and you can get some rest, okay? We’ve still got some dangerous hours ahead if Bullseye gets wind we’re flying out.
His people know we’re somewhere in this forest, and I’m sure they haven’t stopped their ground efforts. ”
She led him to the kitchen chair, where she examined his bandage. There was a small amount of fresh blood, but not enough to make her worry. She retaped the gauze into place.
He winced.
“Uncomfortable?”
“Nah. I’m practically healed.”
She kissed the lines of pain on his brow, allowed her fingers to graze his temple. He sighed, and his body relaxed. “We’re almost clear, Gideon. We’re going to return to the land of hot showers, microwaves, and all the praying mantises a guy could want.”
He didn’t smile and it pained her, so she bent her head and kissed him.
His lips were warm and soft and his chin prickly with stubble.
She’d intended a quick peck as a friendly encouragement, but she couldn’t resist giving him a proper kiss.
Then it was all warmth and comfort, and when he eagerly returned the kiss, she couldn’t back away for what seemed like forever.
When she did, breathless, she stroked his cheek.
“I’ll never forget everything you’ve done for me, and I promise I’ll accept my punishment for stealing your wallet as soon as I return.”
“You know that’s not my concern.”
“I do know that.”
He went quiet, the tenderness of his expression, the tingling on her own lips urging her nearer. But this was not the time, nor the place, nor maybe even the right choice, for them to nurture their closeness. This was a terrifying movie that was nearing its end. Soon they’d be safe.
Soon they’d be home.
She forced herself away from him. “I’ll take the armchair. You lie down on the sofa.”
Gideon’s gaze followed her. He needed more convincing. She didn’t.
She and Cordelia had both loved Aaron, and that bond would hold them together forever. Cordelia had risked everything, including her own life, to save theirs. It was enough proof of her intentions.
Mackenzie settled into the armchair, prepared for an uncomfortable night.
In a matter of hours their harrowing journey would be over.
And Bullseye’s problems were just beginning.
With a smile on her lips, still tingling from the kiss, she closed her eyes.