Chapter 39

CHAPTER

THIRTY-NINE

Heidi's eyes widened when she saw the vehicle turn toward the airport.

Instead of heading toward the entrance, they pulled behind the terminal to the area used by private planes.

The SUV came to a stop, and Edward jumped out and opened her door.

"You're coming with me," Rafferty muttered.

Edward grabbed her arm and pulled her out, leaving her no choice.

"Where are we going?" The question slipped out. "What are you planning exactly? You're scaring me."

Heidi glanced at the runway in the distance and saw that a plane had landed. Myriads of people had gathered on the other side of the fence to wait for it, almost as if someone important were in town. Men dressed in military uniforms waited inside the fence.

Instead of walking toward the crowd, Edward dragged her toward a smaller plane in the distance.

She stopped at the steps of the plane and turned to Rafferty. "We're flying somewhere?"

"Out of the country."

Her eyebrows shot up. "What? Why?"

"I'm going to be a wanted man very soon. People are after me and my team." His gaze met hers. "And they're after you, Heidi. Because of me."

"What do you mean, because of you? I know you said you've made a lot of enemies." Her voice sounded high-pitched as the words left her lips. "But why is someone after me? Why are you taking me with you?"

Rafferty's gaze locked with hers for a long moment. Finally, he cleared his throat and announced, "Because you're my daughter."

As the words echoed in her head, Heidi's world began to spin.

"Why are they going to the airport?" Stephen didn't bother to hide the confusion in his voice.

Gage pointed to a large private jet. "It looks like we have a special guest."

Stephen looked more closely. That was when he realized Commander Billings must have come into town on the aircraft.

All along he'd assumed Rafferty was headed to a campaign rally. But it appeared Rafferty was meeting the commander at the airport instead.

What exactly did Rafferty have up his sleeve?

His gaze went back to Rafferty's SUV.

Rafferty and Heidi climbed out. A man Stephen had seen multiple times gripped Heidi's arm, leading her to a smaller plane.

Wait . . . so Rafferty wasn't headed toward the commander? Then why was he here?

Stephen continued to scan the space. Movement on the outskirts of the airport caught his eye.

A glint of light on the rooftop of a nearby building.

Snipers, he realized.

What he didn't know was if these men were guarding the commander or if they were in position to take the commander out.

As Gage threw the SUV into Park, Stephen swerved his gaze between the commander and Heidi. Did the commander have any idea what was about to happen? His assassination could send serious shockwaves through the country. Could even cause conflict and violence to break out.

But Heidi's death . . . it would tear his personal world apart.

He could only get to one of them in time to save them.

Though more than anything he wanted to run to Heidi, the commander appeared to be in more imminent danger.

Either way, Stephen had to make a decision, and he had to make it quickly.