Even in the moonlight, Aria could see Kirill smirk and knew he would not let her get away that easily, despite Robert’s promises. But what choice did she have, unless she was able to distract them enough to get Valentina’s gun? Her best chance would be if they were focused on something else...something like the evidence. “It’s in the garage,” she said.
Robert stared at her a moment. “Good girl. Where exactly in the garage?”
“It’s better if I show you,” Aria replied. Her fingers were shaking. The reality that she was about to face possible death was too real. Help me. Peace, like the type she experienced when David had prayed for them in the woods, dripped down her like an anointing. Her fingers stopped trembling.
Robert tilted his head, and she wondered if the change she felt was visible to him. He held out a hand. “Lead the way.”
Her steps were slow and methodical, as she hoped to gather up more courage on the way. They passed the kitchen, the stairway, the hall—a shadow in her peripheral caught her eye. She felt her eyes widen. The silhouette sunk back into a doorway...the door of the den they had hidden together mere hours ago.
“What is it?” Robert asked.
“I’m sorry. The crying catches me off guard.” It wasn’t a lie. She tasted the salty tears on her lips but hastened her steps to the garage, lest they got suspicious. Aria was so thankful for the dark. She couldn’t stop smiling...and crying. He was alive! It had to have been him. And she needed to keep him that way. She just hoped he wouldn’t interfere with her plan.
Turning the doorknob to the garage, she squared her shoulders. This time her armor seemed to return. Her reserve hardened. She flipped on the light and strode to the center of the room. Valentina and Kirill followed her inside, both squinting at the bright light, which caused them to grip their weapons tighter. Aria pursed her lips and pointed to the wall next to the workbench. “It’s in there. You’ll need a screwdriver to open it.”
Robert stood in the doorway, his shoulder propping the door fully open. His left hand gripped his gun, which was pointed directly at her, as if he had expected her to try something and he wanted a quick escape, if needed. His eyes darted to the wall and then back to her. A broad grin spread across his face. “Well done. I’ll admit it. We never would’ve found it.” He thrust his chin at her. “So get a screwdriver and open it.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Me?”
“Yes. Why not? You have no injury.”
Aria’s shoulders dropped. It was a major blow to her plan. She had figured that Robert wouldn’t do it. He was the boss and had the injury to his forearm, and she had been sure he wouldn’t ask Valentina, especially after finding out they were family. She thought Kirill would be the natural choice, and if he put his gun down or in his holster that would’ve given her the split-second advantage she needed to take away Valentina’s gun and disarm them one by one. Or at least die trying. Now what would she do?
“I’m growing impatient,” Robert said.
She dragged her feet to the workbench and shuffled through the tools, passing over the screwdriver a few times before finally picking it up. Making a grand display of wiping her tears away she looked over her shoulder at where everyone was standing. Valentina had moved next to her at the workbench, apparently taking Aria on as her responsibility. Kirill stood in the middle of the garage, legs spread apart in a fighting stance, watching her every move. Kirill was the biggest threat—he was ready for action. Robert was still holding the door open. Wait. Was there a shadow approaching?
Aria turned to the wall. If David had his own plan, she needed to keep everyone’s attention on her. “The electrical joist box is one of the best hiding places because it is part of the house, a fixture if you will. When someone ransacks a house, they typically don’t think to unscrew things that are physically part of the—”
A whoosh followed by a guttural scream swung her attention to the door, but before she could see what happened everything went black.
Aria made her move. She switched the screwdriver to her left hand, spun around to where she could sense Valentina was standing and slammed the screwdriver’s flat blade onto Valentina’s forearm. Aria used her right hand to twist Valentina’s wrist three quarters of the way around, causing Valentina to drop the gun right into Aria’s right palm.
Kirill made the same cry as Robert. What on earth? The light flipped on. Kirill was on one knee, his left hand over his stomach in anguish, but his gun was rising.
Without thinking, she cocked back the hammer on Valentina’s gun and pressed the trigger. A bullet whooshed past Kirill’s face, missing him by an inch. Kirill jerked back in surprise and something that resembled a small ball of yarn pelted him in the knee. Kirill howled and the gun left his fingers and soared until it hit the garage door. Robert was in the fetal position at the bottom of the step while David stood above him, holding the edge of the...yarn? She wanted to rush toward him but knew it’d need to wait.
Aria picked up Robert’s gun and, while pointing them both at Kirill, approached his gun, only a foot from where he crouched. With the three guns in her possession, she felt she could finally look at David.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
He was breathing hard and fast, and his face was paler than his white T-shirt. His entire right arm was covered in reddish-black streaks. Blood. She gripped Valentina’s gun tighter. “Help me get these guys secured before you pass out. Then I’ll be better than great.”
He nodded, but even that seemed to take a great effort. David was gripping his cord contraption hard while holding a jagged black knife in his right. She moved to him and pulled out the zip ties she remembered he had stored on the side of his tool belt. In exchange she put the two other guns in the belt.
Within moments, she had the three gunmen’s wrists bound. David pressed the garage opener, and she waved the gun toward the Hummer, indicating they should get in. Kirill glared at her. “You think I should be scared of a little girl with a gun?”
She sighed. Some people really were slow learners. She straightened her arm and shot the front tire of the Hummer. The hefty tire’s air pressure made a loud noise that took her slightly off guard. It served her purpose, though. Kirill’s eyes widened, and he walked forward. She ordered Kirill to crawl in the trunk, Robert got the middle and a sobbing Valentina got the front passenger seat. She retrieved her bag from the floorboard and slung it diagonally over her chest. Then she took six extra zip ties and tied their original bindings to the door handles, as well as bound their feet together.
David was starting to shiver violently.
“David! Go inside.”
He didn’t respond. Was he starting to go into shock? She jogged over and turned him toward the inside of the house. “It’s okay now.”
She pulled David into the kitchen, and loved that she was able to flip on the lights without fear. “You saved me, David.”
Again, no response. His eyelids were dropping. She led him to the couch. “Lie down, honey.” She put her hand behind his head and gently pressed on his chest until he cooperated. She found some throws and draped his frigid body. She examined the wet gauze around his shoulder. “You’ve lost a lot of blood.” She put her hand on his face. “Stay with me, David. I can’t lose you now.” She stuffed a throw pillow underneath his feet then ran to the bedroom closet to grab more pillows.
“Come on, come on,” she scolded herself. First-aid training 101 went over shock treatment. What should she do? She racked her memory. She needed to elevate his legs...six inches or twelve inches above his head? In this case he had lost so much blood, she decided more had to be better.
By the time she came back to the room his eyes were closed. She placed the pillows under his legs and grabbed his wrist. Her fingertips pressed hard, searching. His pulse was there. Faint, but still present. His shoulder didn’t seem to be bleeding anymore, but
she shoved another pillow underneath to elevate it above the heart as well.
“I love you,” David whispered, but his eyes were still closed.
Her heart sped up. She grabbed his hand and kneeled down beside him. “I love you, too. David. Can you hear me? I was just scared to admit it.”
Impossibly, he smiled. “I know. It’s a great comfort to me to know you can’t hide your feelings from me.”
She wanted to slap his chest. This was the David she knew and loved—the one who wouldn’t let her get away with anything, who challenged her in every way to be a better person. “I missed you.”
“I know.”
She laughed. She couldn’t help it.
“I missed you too,” he added. “Aria?”
“Yes?”
“I kind of wish you wouldn’t have shot the tire.”
“We can’t go anywhere, anyway,” she objected. “There’s no way out yet.”
He groaned. “I think I need a hospit—” His voice faded and his mouth went slack.
“David? David?” She found his phone in his tool belt and powered it up. It had one red bar left. She pressed the contact for his father.
David needs hospital now. Shot. Pls help.
She held the phone and bowed her head. “Please send help, Lord.”
A moment later the phone vibrated.
Give location. Will get to you no matter what. Do your best and give him our love.
The phone beeped at her. Only one percent battery left. “No,” she shouted and sprinted to the porch to get the address. She typed in the address, pressed send and a moment later the phone went black. Aria gripped it tightly and prayed the message had gone through.
She returned to David. At least he was still breathing. She knelt down on her knees and held his hand and prayed.
TWENTY-THREE
It took effort to open his eyes, and the light was blinding. Someone tried to pull Aria away from him. He reached out for her.
“David, she’s fine. Aria, wake up. For crying out loud, I’m not trying to hurt either of you!”
He knew that voice. He squinted to see a tall man in front of him. “Dad,” he groaned.
“Hi, son,” his dad answered. Dad’s voice was extra stern, with a wobble. David hated seeing his dad scared, because he knew if there was fear in that man it meant things were bleak. “You just save your energy for staying alive, David,” his dad continued. “We can talk later.”
Aria was bleary-eyed and trying to stand up. “I...I must have fallen asleep.”
Dad chuckled. “You were down for the count. I can’t imagine what you two have been through.”
David was suddenly aware there were two other men in the room, preparing a stretcher. Another man moved David’s extremities around, examining him, but he didn’t have the strength to look and see what he was doing. The pain intensified and he growled.
“Mr. McGuire, we have the two gunmen and an accomplice strapped inside the Hummer outside. They killed George and shot David,” Aria told his father.
“The Portland police have an air unit on the way as well. I’ll let them know. Are you ready to leave?”
“Oh!” Aria shouted. “The flash drive! I just have to get it and I’ll be right there.”
David wanted to scream as the medics lifted him off the couch and carried him to the stretcher. The pain threatened to knock him unconscious. His eyes flashed open as he took a giant breath.
“Give it a second. We just injected your shoulder with morphine. We need to take you on a little trip to get you in that helicopter.”
In an instant, they were shuffling out the back door and Aria rushed to his side. “I have the evidence, and you’re going to be fine. You have to be fine, understand me, David McGuire?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Her eyes left his face, and her expression morphed into surprise.
He twisted his head to look in the direction she pointed. The sunrise was breathtaking but also shined light on the wreckage below. There wasn’t a single building on the conference center campus left standing. Movement caught his attention. He strained to hold his head up as the men carried the stretcher farther away from the view. A short distance away, a group of whales blew little jets of water up, so close together it reminded him of a synchronized fountain.
“It’s a reminder,” his dad said. “That life goes on. Don’t worry, Aria. They’ll fix David up. They’ll fix this town up. One foot in front of another.” He laughed. “Literally. Come on. Let’s get you two out of here.”
David smiled and let his eyes close, knowing Aria was in safe hands. A moment later, he heard what sounded like metal scraping against metal. His eyelids felt weighted down, but he sensed someone very close to him. “Did I wake you?” Aria asked. “I’m sorry. How do you feel?”
“Beat up,” he muttered, feeling as if his mouth was full of sand. He blinked and realized he wasn’t in the helicopter. He was in a hospital room. She offered him a giant flexible straw attached to a cup the size of a pitcher. He took a tentative sip. “I don’t remember the helicopter ride. What’d they give me?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. You haven’t been out of surgery long.”
“I’ve been in surgery?” He looked down at his shoulder and realized it was numb. That was probably a blessing. His ear still throbbed, however. He reached up and found a hard, smooth cup covering it with gauze in the middle of it. His fingers trailed the textured fabric up and around his head.
Aria stood up and showed him her phone, on the camera setting, so he could use it as a mirror. “You don’t look your best, but you’re still as handsome as ever.” She bit her lip. “They had to do reconstructive surgery on your ear. Between your gun wound and that, you might be here a while.” Her curls bounced, framing her face. Her eyes looked bright and more green than brown in the hospital lighting. She inhaled. “I’ve already answered all of the questions the authorities could think of, so hopefully they’ll give you a break for awhile. And your dad helped me track the vacation rental owners and the ATV owner to make sure we reimburse them properly. So there’s nothing for you to worry about. Your job is to rest and get better.”
He laughed. “I have no doubt you’ve taken care of everything.” Aria was always on top of the details. “You’ve had a shower,” he accused.
Her eyes widened. “Busted... I also took a nap.” She fidgeted with the hem of her pink blouse. “I figured if you were resting...”
“It’s only fair you sleep too, right?”
She laughed and reached for his hand. The moment they touched her expression sobered. “When I thought you were dead,” she whispered, “I realized all the time we had wasted because of my fear—”
“—and my fragile ego,” David interrupted. “Aria, you have no idea just how much I want us to be together, but I need for you to be sure. A hundred percent.” He shook his head slightly. “It hurts to admit it, but my heart can’t take losing you again, so I’m going to keep my guard up until you’re sure.”
“I am,” she insisted, and gave his hand a squeeze.
“Aria,” he murmured, “take some time. It’s what you asked for two years ago and I messed it up. These last twenty-four hours have been the most intense of my life. You need to grieve—really face it—and then if you are sure you’re ready to do life with someone like me, I’ll be ready.”
David didn’t say the rest of what he was thinking, but if she took some time and still said she loved him, he was willing to leave construction behind if that was what it would take to be together. He hoped and prayed that wasn’t what the Lord or Aria would ask of him, but after seeing men intent to kill her, he realized his career dreams paled before finding love. “If you still feel this way, I’ll be waiting with open arms.” He followed her gaze to his shoulder wrap
ped up tight. “Well, with one really wide arm.”
She smiled but her eyes filled with tears. “I know you’re probably right, but after being without you for so long, I never want to leave your side.”
“Which is why you have to. You need to be sure.” He looked up to see his parents in the doorway. “I’ll be well taken care of. Go.”
She leaned down and kissed his cheek. A surge of wellbeing rushed down his spine. Although the pain medications could’ve played a part, he still preferred her kisses.
Aria spun around with a nod toward his mom and dad, and walked out of the room. David hoped he hadn’t just made a stupid decision, and prayed she wasn’t walking out of his life forever.
* * *
It had been six days since she’d last spoken to David. His mom had sent her update texts about his condition. If all went well, he should be given the green light to check out tomorrow.
Aria took a deep breath, the opened padlock in her hands and reached down to lift the tin door to the storage unit. The movement stirred up a gust of stale, dusty air. She covered her nose with one arm, allowed the dust to settle again and entered the unit filled with furniture and boxes.
Like a magnet, she was drawn to the chocolate-colored couch recliner against the wall. As a young girl, she’d sat on the armrest while her dad asked her about her day. As she grew older, she sat on the matching couch, which was placed perpendicular to his chair. But it was always the same routine that brought her comfort. She sat down and patted the armrest. In front of her was a tower of boxes. The second one from the top caught her eye. The movers had labeled it Girl’s Room Documents with black marker. She stood and shifted the boxes until she could place it down in front of the recliner. She rocked forward and opened it.
Inside, the box was filled with school papers, her Bible, a half-empty box of tissues, several pens and notebooks, and a stack of unopened envelopes that filled the majority of the box. The sympathy cards. Aria took a deep breath and, after stacking them on her lap, began opening them one by one.
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