Chapter 23
CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE
Stephen pushed Heidi behind him, shielding her body with his.
They kept their heads low and their steps quick as they darted toward the helicopter.
The door opened, and Kai and Trevor leaned out. Working in tandem, they pulled Heidi inside as Stephen dove in.
The next second, the chopper was airborne again.
Kai worked fast getting Heidi secured as Trevor fired rounds back at their enemies.
Stephen jerked on his seatbelt as he glanced out. Four gunmen emerged from the woods, their rifles aimed at the copter.
His gut tightened.
This still wasn't over.
The pilot turned the helicopter away from the men.
Then he swooped into the air.
Trevor continued to fire back.
But Stephen didn't dare feel any relief yet. Too much was still at stake.
Bullets clanked against metal. Pinged against the cockpit and landing skids.
He waited for an explosion.
None came.
He waited for the copter to careen out of control.
It didn't.
The bullets must not have hit the fuel line or damaged anything vital.
Praise God!
Several seconds later, they soared over the mountains. The sun peeked over the range in the distance, casting its warm glow onto the changing leaves.
Finally, Stephen sat back and pulled on his headset.
He glanced around. Heidi was pale but unharmed. The pilot sat in the front seat, a man Stephen didn't recognize. Gage also sat up front, and Trevor and Kai were in the third row.
He adjusted the microphone over his mouth. "Am I ever glad to see you guys."
"Glad you're okay too," Gage said.
"How'd you find us?" he asked.
"I traced your satellite phone. I lost mine somewhere in the woods or I would have called."
"Makes sense."
Stephen stole a glance at Heidi. She looked shaken and tired but okay. Still out of sorts, so to speak, but she was alive and unharmed. That was the most he could ask for in this situation.
He couldn't wait for this bird to land. He needed to discuss with his teammates what had happened. The stakes kept rising, and eventually they'd hit a tipping point.
An hour later, Heidi glanced at the property where they landed.
She was fairly certain they'd headed north away from Georgia and toward Tennessee. The mountains—beautiful in the daylight—had remained beneath them for most of the trip.
Now they were on several acres of land that had been cleared. The property was surrounded by wooden fences and a sprawling white ranch-style house sat at the center. Heidi couldn't be certain, but she thought she spotted horse stables in the back near a pond with a small fishing pier.
Wherever they were, it was beautiful.
If only she were here to enjoy it.
Once the blades stopped spinning, Stephen helped her out and kept hold of her arm as they walked away from the copter. She was grateful for his support. She wasn't sure her legs would hold her she was still so shaken.
She stole a glance back at the helicopter. Bullet holes marred the sides. There was one precariously close to where she thought the fuel tank was located.
She shuddered.
That getaway had been entirely too close.
She swallowed hard, her throat burning as she glanced at Stephen. "Where are we?"
He nodded toward the home in the distance. "All my guys told me was that we were in Tennessee. That they'd brought us somewhere we'd be safe and can develop our next plan of action."
"Being safe sounds like a good start."
He cast her a soft grin. "I agree."
Gage motioned to them, and they followed him across the lawn. Stephen stayed beside her the whole time.
Several minutes later, they stepped into a meticulously decorated, luxurious farmhouse.
Whoever owned this clearly had a lot of money.
She didn't ask questions. Not yet at least.
They kept walking until they reached a massive living room with wooden beams across the ceiling, a soaring fireplace, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
The rest of the guys left her and Stephen in the room.
A man with white hair sat in a leather recliner near the fireplace with his feet propped up by the chair. Something about him seemed frail yet strong at the same time.
The fact that Stephen gasped beside her really made her curious.
Just who was this man?