FOURTEEN
Jacob stared into the cold dead eyes of the man who’d killed his sister, hurt his colleague, threatened the lives of his family. Then he watched as Warren slid his phone back into his pocket and reached out one meaty hand toward the only woman Jacob had ever let himself begin to love.
Anger filled his heart, coursing over him with a ferocity that momentarily blocked out his ability to think, or pray, or even move. Red swam before his eyes. Blood pounded hot through his veins. Lord, this man is a monster. And You want me to forgive him? You want me to seek justice instead of vengeance! He doesn’t deserve Your mercy. I thought when this moment came I could forgive. But I can’t.
“Jacob, it’s okay. I’m going with him!” Grace’s voice cut gently and firmly through the chaos raging in his mind. Her hands slid around his neck and he felt the warmth of her body fill his core. “You go take care of your family. I’ll go with Warren.”
He blinked, the blinding rage fading from his eyes. Grace’s face filled his gaze. Her lips brushed his cheek.
“It’ll be okay,” she whispered. “Go ask Olivia to tell you what she told me about this wedding.”
Olivia? The maid of honor? What was she saying? “No, Grace...”
But before he could finish his thought, her lips met his. He kissed her deeply, pulled her against his chest for one long moment and held her there, as if that’s where she was meant to be.
As if that was where they both wished they’d always be.
“Come on!” Warren said. “Now!”
“You’ll save them, then you’ll find me and you’ll rescue me.” Grace pulled away. Her hand brushed his face. “Because I have faith in you and because that’s what we do. We rescue each other.”
“Hey, Jacob!” Trent’s voice sounded behind him.
“Dude, what’s going on?” That one was Nick.
He turned. The entire wedding party was streaming across the field toward him in an array of flowing fabric, dress uniforms and concern. The door slammed behind him. He turned back. Warren had forced Grace in through the driver’s side door and climbed in after her. He watched as Warren pressed his gun into the side of Grace’s head.
Grace’s words echoed in his heart. You’ll save them, then you’ll find me and you’ll rescue me.
Warren’s vehicle disappeared down the road through the trees.
“Jacob!” Trent’s voice grew louder.
Jacob turned back. His family was halfway across the field. He sprinted for them.
“I think Warren Scott killed Faith,” he called, as the various words he’d practiced on how to tell his family about all that had happened fell from his mind. “Grace and I found Faith’s locket in a cabin. Grace’s father is Hal Turner and he confessed to Faith’s murder. But Grace thinks Warren did it. He just abducted her and basically threatened to kill her, unless she goes along with Turner’s confession. There are poisonous gas canisters all around the venue, apparently the same kind that infected people at Search and Rescue, and it’s especially deadly for anyone vulnerable like really young kids and the elderly. If I try to stop him, he’ll set them off, poison everyone here and kill people. Either way, someone’s going to die. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier and I don’t know what to do.”
A pause clicked through the group. He watched lips move in silent prayer and his brothers and sisters-in-law exchange glances.
“Okay.” Chloe, Trent’s new bride, nodded. “Sounds pretty straightforward. We need to organize the evacuation of the venue. I think Trent can head up one evacuation team. Olivia, maybe you and Daniel can head a second? We’ll set up a station to deal with anyone infected and locate any medical staff on site. Max, you got that? Erica and Daisy, go evacuate the day care room immediately. Keep it quiet and calm for now. I don’t want anyone knowing we’re evacuating until the little kids are out of the building. I’ll call it in and organize outside rescue efforts.”
Heads nodded. Max, Nick, Erica and Daisy took off running. Chloe reached into a concealed pocket in her wedding dress, pulled out a slim phone and turned it on. She stepped aside and placed a call, leaving just Trent, Nick and Olivia behind.
“Okay, I did not know she had that,” Trent said. “At least she didn’t have it on during the ceremony.” Trent punched Jacob in the arm. “Go get Grace. We’ve got this.”
Jacob hesitated. “You guys need me.”
“Nah,” Nick said. “We’re good. You raised us well. Go find Grace. Who is she, anyway?”
“A reporter,” Jacob said. “A really incredible, beautiful and talented woman.”
“She works for me,” Olivia added.
“Is she a future Henry?” Trent asked.
“Maybe,” Jacob said. “I hope so. Trent? Did you and Chloe actually get married?”
“Yup!” Trent shouted. “We said the I do’s and then asked all the guests to stay put.”
Jacob watched as his brothers and Olivia turned and started toward the building.
“Wait, Olivia!” he called. “Grace asked me to ask you what you’d told her about the wedding.”
Olivia laughed and didn’t stop. “I told her we had enough tactical power to evacuate a small country.”
“See?” Trent called. “Grace gets it. You go rescue her. We got this.”
* * *
Warren stared straight ahead through the windshield as he drove, with one hand on the steering wheel and one on the gun he held pointed at Grace. She debated grabbing the steering wheel and trying to crash the car. If she did, would he manage to get a shot off first? If not, would she die in the crash?
Her eyes rose to the rearview mirror, waiting to see the shape of Jacob’s car coming after her. They didn’t have that much of a head start. He couldn’t be that far behind. And yet the mirror remained achingly empty.
“So, what’s the plan?” she asked. “If you kill me, Jacob’s not just going to pretend that he doesn’t know what you did to me or his sister.”
“I told you, I have a place.” A smirk crossed his lips. “Somewhere nobody is ever going to find us.”
Turner’s words crossed her mind.
“Let me guess,” she said, “it’s somewhere in the Caribbean?”
Warren snorted. “Your father told you that, did he? Well, it’s roughly in that part of the word, but not as easily located as that. When we get there, you’re going to call this witness and tell them not to mention the whole nerve damage thing. Then you’ll call your father and remind him to confess. Then when Turner is convicted and everything dies down, I’ll let you go.”
No, he’d kill her or he’d keep her. But he’d never let her go. Fear and faith beat through her heart in equal measures. “Jacob won’t stop looking for me and he will find me.”
Warren pulled off the road into a tiny airstrip. A small Cessna Skyhawk sat on the runway.
“Not if he doesn’t know what country to look in.” He waved the gun toward the aircraft. “Come on. You and me are going on a little flight.”
The fear in her chest roared louder. Tears filled her eyes. Her legs shook as she stepped from the car and let him lead her across the airfield. His hand clamped painfully on her neck. The other pressed the gun into her side.
“You promised to deactivate the gas,” Grace said.
“I was lying,” Warren said. “What better cover for your disappearance than a huge illness outbreak at the family wedding of the girl your father admitted to killing. Now, hold out your hands.”
She resisted the order until the pain in her neck grew so tight she thought she was about to black out. He zip-tied her wrists together. Wind brushed the trees. Stillness filled the air. The sound of a vehicle roared toward them, then disappeared in the distance as it passed the entrance to the airfield. Warren opened the door to the small aircraft and forced her to get inside. She climbed into the passenger seat. H
er hands shook. He started the engine and the small plane started down the runway. The road behind them lay empty.
Was I wrong, Lord? Am I really all alone? Is nobody coming for me?
An engine roared. She looked up as a motorcycle shot through the trees ahead. A tall man in a red Mountie jacket was weaving his way toward the racing plane.
Jacob!
The plane was picking up speed. Jacob was racing closer. Warren leaned out of the window and fired. Jacob swerved, dodging the bullets as they flew toward him. She couldn’t imagine how much pain his shoulder must be in. The plane began to lift. Jacob wasn’t going to make it. They were going to take off and leave him behind.
Jacob yanked his handlebars hard to the right as his bike skidded sideways, flying underneath the tiny plane. His body rolled along the tarmac as he leaped free. A thud shook the plane as the motorcycle hit the wheels. The tail cracked. The plane spun like a Frisbee off the runway and into the trees. Her eyes closed.
The plane stopped. Warren was hunched over the steering wheel, groaning. Jacob was running toward them. Warren raised his weapon and aimed it at Jacob, but Grace punched him hard in the back of the head with her bound hands before he could get off a shot. Warren slumped forward. She pulled the gun from his hand and tossed it out the window.
“Grace!” Jacob called. “You all right?”
“Yes!” She checked Warren’s neck. His pulse was strong, and he was breathing. Jacob reached her door and yanked it open. She tumbled out into his arms. “Warren’s down. I hit him pretty hard. He’s unconscious but breathing. I need help getting out of these zip ties. How’s the wedding?”
“My family’s evacuating the venue and calling backup.” Jacob slid a knife from his pocket, slipped it between the ties and cut her free. Then he lifted her off her feet with his good arm. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
“So are you.” Her lips brushed his face, then his mouth found hers for a long moment.
Then Jacob broke the kiss and set her down. He climbed into the cockpit, and she watched as he secured Warren’s hands and feet with more zip ties he found in Warren’s jacket pocket. Then Jacob leapt back to her side.
“We need to get back to the venue,” he said, “help with the evacuation and call in for Warren’s arrest. I should also call my brother, the paramedic, to look at him.” Then he glanced back to the plane. “Remind me quickly what your mother said about forgiveness being a process?”
“You forgive the best you know how,” Grace said, “then you forgive again, and again, whenever you need to.”
“Forgiving Warren might be a very long process,” he said.
“Forgiving my father too.”
His fingers tightened in hers. Jacob grabbed her hand and they started jogging back toward the venue.
“Which brother is the paramedic?” she asked.
“Max. It’s a big family, but you’ll get used to us.”
She glanced back at the plane. The remains of his motorcycle were wedged under it. “I’m sorry about your motorcycle.”
“Yeah, I really should’ve bought a cheaper one and saved some money for my wedding.”
She glanced at him sideways. “I thought you weren’t the marrying kind.”
“Maybe not, but I can try to be.” His voice deepened. “Because I think I’ve finally found someone worth spending my whole life with.”
Hope filled her chest like bubbles of light, rising up inside her and spilling out into her limbs. “Have you now?”
“Yeah, Grace, I have.” His hand tightened in hers. “You’re the most extraordinary person I’ve ever met, Grace. Thank you for jumping from the helicopter ladder to save me. I didn’t get it then. But I get it now. I needed you to rescue me, and I needed to rescue you. I know we got off to a rough start, and I know we have a lot of steps to take before we get there, starting with coffee. But I think being together is something worth fighting for.”
The trees parted. The venue appeared ahead. People spilled across the lawn. His brother Nick was directing evacuees into groups. His parents, Daisy, Erica and his nephews were gathered by the pond. Chloe stood in her wedding dress and directed emergency vehicles as they arrived. Trent looked up at them from amidst the chaos and waved.
Jacob paused and turned to Grace. “This is my family. This is my life. And I want you to be a part of it. Trust me, this isn’t a conversation I want to have right now in the middle of a crisis. But I can’t wait another moment. I think I’m falling in love with you, and I just can’t stop smiling at even having the hope of spending my forever with you.”
“I think I’m falling in love with you too,” she said.
Then she kissed him quickly and together they ran into the fray.
EPILOGUE
Snow buffeted gently outside the Henry farmhouse living room window. Red-and-green lights twinkled in from the towering pine tree. The voices of Henrys, old and new, filled the air, spilling over and on top of each other like music. Nick, Erica, their son, Zander, and his cousin Fitz sat on the floor underneath the tree with Fitz’s parents, Max and Daisy, squeezed together on an armchair close by. Jacob’s father and Chloe were standing by the window discussing crime. His mother and Trent were carrying more plates of cheesecake squares, Nanaimo bars and cookies out to place on the already crowded table. Faith’s locket, now back from forensics, hung high on the tree beside the star. His mother’s latest painting hung over the fireplace with the words inspired by Psalm 119:90, “Great is thy faithfulness, God, through all generations.”
Jacob sat back on the overstuffed love seat, wrapped his arm around Grace’s shoulder and pulled her closer into his side. He leaned over and brushed his lips on the top of her head. Thank You, Lord, for my family, for Grace, for everything You’ve brought into my life. You have done far more in my life than I ever dreamed. You comforted and healed us when we were broken. You strengthened us for Your work in the world. You brought us together as a family. I can’t thank You enough.
Max and Daisy stood. His arm slipped around her waist and pulled her close. His fingers splayed gently across the side of her stomach. “Before we open presents, we have an announcement to make—”
“No, you don’t!” Nick leaped to his feet, with a laugh, before reaching down to help Erica up. “Because we have an announcement too and you’re not stealing our moment.”
Jacob’s two youngest brothers stood for a moment in the living room, staring each other down. Erica and Daisy exchanged a look and a laugh that made Jacob pretty sure they already knew what their husbands were going to say.
“We’re having a baby!” Nick and Max said at once.
“With Daisy,” Max added quickly. “We’re due in June.”
“Beginning or end of the month?” Nick asked. “Because Erica and I are due around the second week.”
“Third week,” Max said.
Nick had barely gotten out half a laugh before Erica poked him in the ribs. “If you try to make our baby a competition with your brother, I’ll kill you.”
Nick wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. “I won’t.”
“I won’t either,” Max said quickly, kissing Daisy.
Then the couples pulled apart as their family rushed in to congratulate them.
Jacob hung back and let the rest of the family exchange hugs first. He bent down and kissed Grace softly. “Welcome to your first Henry family Christmas.”
“Hey!” Max raised his head above the crowd. “Does anybody else have anything important to announce? Because we might as well get all the announcements out of the way first.”
Jacob glanced down at the beautiful woman in his arms. Light danced in her eyes.
“Maybe,” he said. “Give us a moment.”
A chorus of laughter rose from around the room as Jacob got up, took Grace by the hand and walked through into the kitchen, thumpin
g both Max and Nick on the shoulders in congratulations as they went. They put their coats and boots on and slipped out the back door. Then Jacob led her around the house, back to the front porch. They sat there on an old wooden swing and glanced through the window at the happy chaos of his family inside.
“If they both have girls, they’ll name them both some variation of Faith,” Jacob said.
The seat rocked gently. His eyes rose to the sky.
In the months since the prison break, Warren had been charged with Faith’s death and a slew of other more recent corruption and bribery charges. Liam Bearsmith had regained consciousness and provided evidence that Warren had destroyed multiple DNA samples and other pieces of evidence during his career in exchange for cash bribes from dozens of criminals. While Warren had both targeted and worked with criminals, like Hal Turner, thankfully there was no evidence any other cops had ever helped Warren with his crimes.
After a long fight on his behalf, Grace’s father was finally getting proper psychological help and had admitted to inventing The Elders, though his need to cast himself as a victim persisted. Grace had written a lengthy op-ed for Torchlight News, letting the world know that Turner was her biological father. Social media was cruel at first, but her colleagues and newspaper had stood by her, and then stories began to spill out from people who’d been inspired by Grace’s courage to face their own family secrets.
Forgiving Warren had turned out to be even harder than Jacob had expected, but he knew God was working on his heart and he could now see the man’s face on the news without feeling a sudden surge of pain. Most importantly, he had Grace standing beside him, sharing his pain and letting him help carry hers. They had been slowly weaving their lives together, with coffees, and walks, and long conversations, going to the gym together after work and church together on Sundays. He’d had so many Saturday family dinners with her mom and Frank he was now an honorary part of the family. Then at the end of December, they’d started going to see Grace’s therapist together for couple’s counseling, working through their trust issues, their pasts and how to build something strong together.
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