Grace may not be either. God, please let her be alive.

  A noise caught his attention and then the door opened. Grace stood before him, broken, bloody and nearly frostbitten. Her lips were blue and her hair was like a sheet of ice. “If you ask me what took so long I might snap your other finger,” she teased through sheer exhaustion.

  “Now that you remember how?” He returned the banter, never more thankful to see her in his life. Their bodies were nearly at a breaking point—Grace’s even more from crawling through cold vents. He hauled it out of the freezer and they raced through the flooding pasteurizing plant.

  Outside it was pouring rain but at least it was warm. If Grace kept moving, she wouldn’t suffer any serious effects from being inside the ducts.

  Everything within their eyesight was a water world.

  “We can’t drive in this.”

  “We need a boat,” Grace said.

  Hollis stared past the dairy to the old farmhouse barn. “Denner liked to fish. We might catch a break and find a boat in there.”

  Grace snorted. “A johnboat with a trolling motor? We need speed.”

  “Or—” Hollis grinned “—we just need good geography.” He sprinted toward the old barn and Grace caught up with him. It was like she had hidden energy in places that popped out at unexpected times. The way she pushed herself—the strength within her—mesmerized him. This woman was the most incredible person he’d ever known.

  They reached the barn and ran inside where it was at least dry overhead. In the corner, something was covered with a tarp. Please be a boat.

  Hollis tossed off the tarp to a River Jet bass boat. “Praise You, Lord!” Hollis pulled and Grace pushed the trailer it was on out into the rain and hauled the boat into the water.

  Grace ran back inside and came out with a gas can. “Just in case.”

  “Look at you knowing things now.” He winked and she actually laughed then groaned as her lip cracked and began bleeding again. The fury at what that man had done wanted to be released, but Hollis wasn’t after vengeance. Only justice.

  He got the motor going; it sputtered then roared strong. No life vests. No time to find them. “What’s this talk of geography?” Grace asked.

  “We have an advantage. If everything is underwater,” he hollered over the rain and the motor, “we can take a shortcut to Lander’s field. Beat them there even. Pays to know the lay of the land like we do.”

  “We need weapons.”

  Hollis patted his side. “I’ve got Clive’s Glock. It’s locked and loaded.”

  “Yeah, well, I got nothing.” She rummaged through the boat’s compartments and seat benches that doubled as storage. She held up a filleting knife. “It’ll slice. I can work with it.”

  “I’m sure you can.”

  He cut a hard right, floored at how quickly the town, even the outskirts they were on, had been submerged. The governor would have to declare a state of emergency.

  “How is this going to go down, Grace?”

  Grace sat in the seat beside him. “Hopefully, not bloody, but it’s Clive. I don’t want any more death, Hollis. I’m sick of bloodshed.”

  “What about being an agent?” He had to ask. Had to know if that love and passion for it was still there.

  “I love being an agent. I love protecting our country. But I don’t love the things I did, Hollis. And there were a lot of things. I don’t want to talk about it. I need to focus. We’re outnumbered three to one, maybe four if the pilot is an agent. I have no idea where Patsy stands or even if she’s with them. Or alive.”

  “If he is corrupt and did have a hand in your parents’ deaths, he’ll get rid of her just to shut her up.”

  “He will. We need to save her.”

  “If she’s alive, we will.”

  A blue chopper came into view, the blades already whirring. It began to rise into the air.

  “Get closer,” Grace called and stood on the edge of the speeding boat, hands out balancing against the bumpy water and wind from the chopper.

  “What are you gonna do?”

  “What we’re gonna do. We’re taking a flying leap, Hollis.”

  She’d lost her marbles and he loved it. Full throttle and he sped toward the copter as it continued liftoff.

  “Closer!” Grace put the handle of the knife between her teeth to hold it, keeping her hands free.

  Hollis kept one eye on the aircraft, gun in hand.

  Gunshots fired and Grace ducked, then leaped into the air and grabbed ahold of the landing skids like she’d done it a thousand times.

  Hollis returned fire, but needed to conserve bullets. He edged the boat farther, then jumped from the captain’s chair onto the other landing skid while Grace was already pulling herself up to make a charge into the birdie.

  Crewcut leaned down but Grace was faster, swinging upward and kicking him square in the kisser and flinging herself inside.

  Hollis lifted himself up as Clive aimed a new gun on him. The chopper veered and Clive lost his balance. Hollis swung into the seating area and launched himself on Clive as they struggled for the gun. Grace and Crewcut continued to tangle, and Dr. Sayer sat with her mouth hanging open. At least she was alive.

  Hollis spotted cuffs lying on the floor. He made a play for them, elbowing Clive in the nose, then he flipped the agent over and cuffed him right as Crewcut threw Grace from the helicopter.

  His heart stopped.

  In two moves, he had Crewcut unconscious and had fallen onto his belly to peer out. Grace was hanging on to the landing skids with one hand.

  Hollis reached out. Couldn’t quite connect. “Stretch, Grace!”

  Rain poured. He could see her fingers slipping.

  No. No. He couldn’t lose her. Not after they’d come so far. “Stretch,” he roared. He hooked his feet under the seat and slid out of the helicopter, hanging freely. If Crewcut woke, he was done for. Grace too.

  Grace shouted, “Get inside. I can’t... I—”

  Just as her hand slipped, Hollis grabbed ahold of her wrist and hauled her up until she could reach the floor of the helicopter and push herself inside. Hollis slid in beside her and sighed relief.

  Clive stood above them—free of cuffs—and pointing a gun.

  THIRTEEN

  Grace worked out the scenario quickly. The young agent was out like a light on the floor. Patsy remained silent—possibly in shock—in the seat. The pilot was cool as a cucumber. Probably an agent who knew as long as he kept them in the air, he was safe.

  Clive had a gun on her and Hollis, moving it from one to the other.

  The knife was on the floor and no doubt the pilot had a gun. Could she get to him without getting shot? Probably not.

  “I should have had Agent Foyles shoot you,” Clive said.

  “I love you too,” she countered, sounding entirely braver than she felt. At least Crewcut now had a name.

  This was it. Hollis had no idea the day he did a good deed by rescuing her that he’d all but signed his own death warrant.

  But he had rescued her. From much more than death. From a life that never truly fulfilled her, from a path that would lead only to destruction. Because he’d led her to church that first Sunday after she’d awakened from the coma. And ultimately into the arms of her real rescuer—Jesus.

  “I’m sorry, Hollis,” she said.

  “For what?”

  She half laughed. “Clive, you have murdered innocent people. Judith Ryland. The deputy guarding Patsy. And you attempted to murder Hollis who had nothing to do with any crime. Neither did I. You can’t get away with this.”

  “And Lucy’s family,” Patsy said. “Tell her, Clive.”

  “Shut up, Patsy.”

  “Tell her how you found out that her father was looking into you after the toxin you recovered fell into Russia’s hands along with the antidote we’d created thirty years ago on that special task force. Tell her how you lied and said it was me. That I did it and you had ‘eyes’ on me. But then other projects were compromised that I didn’t work on at all. Henry suspected you. He was coming to me in Bogota—bringing Lucinda with him. A vacation with a hidden agenda to keep you from discovering his real intentions, and you found out anyway and made sure that plane went down before it ever reached me.”

  Grace held her breath. “Is that true?”

  “That your dad might have suspected me in one of his investigations? Possibly.”

  “Liar!” Patsy screamed and shook her head. “It’s all over now. No point in either of us lying to her anymore.”

  “What did you lie about, Patsy?”

  “All your mother told me was she and Henry were going to Costa Rica on a nice long vacation and since they were close to Bogota, Henry suggested they come and see me too. She had no idea about Clive and what Henry suspected. I made that up to get you on my side. But the minute she said Henry suggested they visit—I knew. He was coming to question me. I wasn’t sure if Clive was afraid I’d tell Henry the truth about himself or if he just didn’t care and wanted us both dead so we could never talk.”

  Clive turned the gun on Patsy. Hollis dove onto Clive, knocking the gun to the floor. The pilot reached across the seat and Grace bolted into action, grabbing his gun and pointing it on him. “I don’t think so.”

  Hollis pinned Clive.

  Patsy snatched the gun and aimed it on Clive. “It’s over, Clive. For us both.” She turned to Grace. “I knew what was really going on because I helped him do it that first time thirty years ago, and then over and again through the years. We’ve sold bioweapons to terrorists all over the world.”

  “Why would you do it, Patsy?” Grace asked.

  “For the money. To help my sister. Clive...he was just greedy. But I knew he’d kill me when he was done with me. So I took measures into my own hands. I kept proof of his involvement and sent it out to several different people I trusted. They didn’t know what they had. I made sure of it.”

  “Shut your mouth!” Clive hollered.

  “But Clive knew that too. He went on a treasure spree, collecting the evidence I had against him. People began turning up dead. I knew I was in trouble. That’s why I took a job with Hector, for money yes. But the main deal was protection. From Clive.”

  Grace went into her memory. Hits she’d made. Intel she’d retrieved. “Did you send this evidence to Canada, the Cays, India, Tokyo?”

  “Yes,” Patsy whispered.

  All places Clive had sent her on missions. All targets that he said had a hand in murdering her father and mother. Lies. Like Noel said. She’d blindly trusted the only man she considered family. And if Clive had ordered Grace to kill Patsy in Colombia, she would have. She’d trusted him with her life, like all the others on the team. “When I questioned you about my parents and your involvement, you knew then I’d do whatever it took to find the truth. You did send Noel to kill me, but you had to have lied to him or he wouldn’t have crossed me. What did you tell him? That I was betraying our country and going rogue?”

  Clive’s face said it all. That’s exactly what he’d done.

  “Noel came back. Mission accomplished, but Siobhan said Noel told everyone I died in the fire.” Why? The truth smacked her. “You told Noel to lie about my death to honor me. You loved me too much to let me go down as a traitor to our country, and he agreed because at the end of the day, Noel was my friend, but duty to the job came first.”

  Clive closed his eyes. “You only had to trust me.”

  “I did.” Until she couldn’t anymore. “Noel dropped off the grid not long ago... Something must have not sat right with him. Maybe he was looking for Patsy, and what turned up was the truth. You did have my parents killed. And he thought he’d killed me for nothing. So he disappeared to collect evidence against you. I’m right, aren’t I?”

  Clive’s crumpled expression told her she was on the money.

  “Noel saw me on TV and came to apologize. To find Patsy so we could take you down, but I used that stupid pen. Pens you gave us but hid the fact you’d chipped them. Siobhan said you told her it was for our safety, but that’s a lie too. It was to keep tabs on us. A way to find us if we ever did cross you.”

  “It was for your own good. Don’t read more into it than that.”

  “Then why not tell us they were chipped? We trusted you. Never would have thought to even check them.”

  She wished she had. Noel might be alive right now.

  “You had Foyles kill Noel before he could confirm to me the truth and fill Siobhan in, as well. Because he would have, once he had me to back him up.”

  “We save lives.”

  That was the best he could come up with? His only response?

  “You used me to eliminate people and steal the evidence that proved you guilty of treason and murder.” She had killed innocent people. She could hardly breathe.

  “When you showed up at the compound,” Patsy said, “I knew Clive had finished collecting the evidence that would incriminate him. He sent you in to retrieve the research and toxin, so I slowed the research, knowing he would bide his time and wait for it, then order a hit on me. Then Hector went to the States. The DEA was coming in and I was afraid. I told you the truth—”

  “You left out a good bit, Patsy. You’re a traitor to our country. For money.”

  “I am. And so is he.”

  Grace was reeling. “He never told me to kill you.”

  “He would have made up something or he would have sent someone else—like that agent that came for us. Take the research, kill me—or take me in. Guess where Clive takes people like me who can benefit him?”

  “Where?”

  “Shut up!”

  Hollis put a foot on his chest. “You shut up,” he barked.

  “He puts them away in cells. Private cells where they work for him in labs. Doing what I did for Hector, only for him and for free.”

  “No,” Grace said. But he had said—Siobhan had even said—they had doctors. Grace assumed that meant they knew of doctors, but this information...they literally had them!

  “Oh yes. He’s threatened me with that plenty. Where do you think I’m going right now? Jail? No.”

  “I made you rich,” Clive said.

  “That you did. But you won’t be making anyone anything again.” She pulled the trigger and ended Clive’s life.

  Hollis dropped to his knees, grabbed the cuffs and slid them around the wrists of Agent Foyles, who was stirring. “Patsy, give me the gun,” Hollis said.

  “I did a lot of bad things, Grace. I’m not going to prison.”

  Before Grace could get to her, the trigger was already pulled and Patsy fell to the floor.

  Grace gasped. Hollis took the gun from her and aimed it on the pilot. “Turn us around. Take us to Lander’s field and don’t try anything.” He radioed Cord and told him where to meet them.

  Collapsing in the seat, Grace held her head in her hands. Her body ached everywhere. This world was dark. An evil place. Blackmailing. Murder. Bioweapons! Siobhan had the information. They’d have to find her and retrieve it.

  When the helicopter landed, they jumped into the water and Cord met them with several deputies. Deputy Jordan wasn’t among them.

  “Where’s Deputy Jordan?” Grace asked.

  Cord shook his head. Clive had killed the poor guy.

  So much death and destruction. Like this horrible flood that had devastated a town. Clive and his thirst for power and greed had devastated numerous lives.

  They took the pilot and Agent Foyles into custody.

  Siobhan had vanished. Probably left behind to do cleanup duty. Sweep the place of any evidence they’d been there—it hadn’t been on agency time. This had been personal. She couldn’t blame Siobhan for following Clive’s orders, for lying to her, drugging her or even knocking her out. Clive was a first-class manipulator.

  No time to process or even talk to Hollis, they’d gone straight into search-and-rescue mode, helping evacuate those the Coast Guard hadn’t gotten to yet. In between rescues, paramedics had checked them out and cleared them. The town was a mess.

  Only the most northern tip had been spared. Businesses and residential areas were ruined.

  But the rain had let up.

  People had been sent to the neighboring towns. Insurance companies were going to have a major payout.

  By the end of the day, Grace and Hollis had cleaned up and gotten dry in rented hotel rooms. Tish was safe and across the hall.

  A knock came on her door. She opened it to Hollis, looking as bruised and roughed up as she did. “Come in.”

  He entered her room and sat on the small couch in the sitting room. “How are you?”

  “I don’t know.” She curled up beside him. “No, that’s not true. I’m exhausted, Hollis. And I remember being so mad at my dad for not loving me enough, but he did love me. And now I know why it felt like he didn’t, and I can’t even tell him I’m sorry. I can’t start over.”

  Hollis laid his hand with the broken finger on her knee. “I guess we never know someone’s real story or why they behave the way they do. You can’t beat yourself up. And you did follow in his footsteps. He’d be proud.”

  “I killed innocent people.”

  “You trusted a man who took advantage of you. You thought you were saving lives. It’s not the unforgivable sin, Grace. And you know there are people you can talk to.”

  “Therapy? I’ll be in that the rest of my life.”

  “Nothing wrong with that.” He smiled and she carefully laid her hand on his. “What are you going to do next?”

  “I have a briefing at Langley. Two weeks from today.” She sighed. “I got the call after Cord dealt with the aftermath.”