Page 7 of Gideon

“I don’t know. She never returned.”

“You didn’t try to find her when you grew up?”

“No, I didn’t want someone in my life who didn’t want me in theirs.”

“Yeah, I would never be that parent. If I have to kill Jonah, I will.”

“Did you tell the police what you knew?”

“Yeah, they were under his pay. I couldn’t tell who was trustworthy, so I stopped calling them.”

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, how much further do we have?”

“A couple of days. Haley is safe. River and Kat are great people; they work with me.”

“What do you do?”

“We run a high-security business. We rescue people in other countries, provide protection, and ensure their safety. We also assist with oil rig fires; people call us because we’ve helped extinguish them overseas. We’re all former Army Special Forces. Kat is our assistant, and she is also a medic. So you don’t have to worry about Haley—she's in safe hands.”

“Thank you again. Maybe I could hire your company to protect us.”

“We’re already protecting you. The moment I took Haley under my wing, I became your guardian. I’ll handle everything. You don’t have to worry about Jonah Reeves ever again.”

I looked at him, realizing Haley and I had a guardian angel. “You’re going to protect us.”

“Yes. Did you think I’d leave you to face that bastard alone? I’d never do that.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything.”

She was quiet for the next hour.

“Do you need to stop for anything?” I asked.

“No, thank you. But if you stop for gas, I’d like a Pepsi and a chocolate bar,” she said with a chuckle.

“Do you have a sweet tooth?”

“Only when I’m nervous. What about you?”

“No, I don’t eat many sweets. One of my co-workers is a great cook. Sometimes, he brings a lemon cream pie to work, and I eat most of it.”

“I like pies too.”

“Tell me about your life growing up.”

“My life has always been boring. I lived in the same town growing up. The lake was the only good thing about living in Farmington, Oklahoma. We had a great lake. I started fishing there when I was little,” she wiped her hand across her eyes. I wondered if she was crying.

“One of my foster brothers stole me a fishing pole and a bunch of tackle. I know it’s terrible to steal, but that’s the best gift I’ve ever had. I guess he knew I needed something.”

“No one told you to stay away from the lake?”

“Most of the foster moms didn’t care where you went as long as you were home by bedtime. If you weren’t home by then, you were locked out.”

“They would lock you out.”

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