Away From the Dark (The Light #2)(21)

“Ma’am, soon. I promise,” Deputy Hill said, as he disappeared again behind the door.

The relief I’d experienced at the airport was beginning to fade. This didn’t seem right. Someone should have taken my statement.

With each ticking minute, I remembered who I was. I was no longer compliant Sara. I was Stella, and I was alive. I had parents, a sister, and a boyfriend who deserved to know that I was no longer missing. I had friends who needed to be informed. There were people I needed to help and an organization I needed to expose.

With a huff I stood, scooting the metal chair across the hard tile, and headed for the door. Just as I did, the door opened. Deputy Hill met me and I gasped.

Deputy Hill wasn’t alone.

His next sentence took everything away. My newfound freedom disappeared as he spoke. “Ma’am . . . your husband is here to take you home.”





CHAPTER 9


Jacob


A few hours earlier



It was a gamble, but it was also our only chance. If Raquel was right and Sara had not only remembered her past but also found a way to leave the Northern Light, Thomas would have been her only option. On the off chance she was with him, his plane had to be intercepted. If Raquel was wrong, then we were without options and time. As I flew toward Fairbanks, all I could think about was getting to her, Sara or Stella, I didn’t know. When I left Montana, her whereabouts had still been unconfirmed.

My Citation X flew considerably faster than Thomas’s Cessna 206. He might have left the Northern Light with Sara before I left Whitefish, but despite the impending weather, I was able to gain on them.

The entire flight, unsure whether I’d find Sara in Fairbanks, I contemplated Special Agent Adler’s plan. It was brilliant and totally contingent upon Sara. If I found her, I would then need to convince her to help. If I accomplished both goals, then we’d be going back to the Northern Light. Going back would give the FBI more time to sync the raids at all campuses. It was the only way to reduce loss of life if, indeed, there was an extermination plan that one raid at one campus would set into motion. If I couldn’t find Sara or convince her, then the operation was over.

Everything.

Three years of deep-cover operative work, embedding myself in The Light, learning the ways, proving my loyalty . . . it was all done. I had until tomorrow morning to pass Sara’s answer on to Special Agent Adler.

Agent Jacoby McAlister wasn’t ready to be done. I’d learned too much and was too close.

As I got closer to Fairbanks, I continued my fervent prayers that she was there. Being certain of her safety became paramount. With that in mind, if she was there Jacob Adams decided he wanted Sara to say no. That wasn’t completely true. As her husband I wanted to make the choice for her. Ever since I’d taken her as my wife, I’d been worried about how to protect her when the raids finally went down—not if, but when: they were inevitable. I’d been terrified that someone would execute a possible contingency plan while I was away. That was why I’d taken her plea to travel with me to the Commission. She’d always been intelligent and inquisitive, and with her request, I’d hoped she’d provided a way for me to save her.

No matter what decision was made or whether she was found, her life as Stella Montgomery was over. If she found a way back to Detroit on her own, I knew what would happen. The Light would eliminate her as a threat. Under no circumstances could she return to her hometown. It was too dangerous.

Assuming she was found and she chose not to help, the federal agencies were ready to take her into the witness protection program and the raids would happen—tomorrow. If Sara and I didn’t return to the Northern Light, the FBI feared it would raise suspicions and put more lives at stake.

On the off chance that Father Gabriel would see Sara’s and my desertion as the beginning link in a chain that would bring him down, the sting operation had to be over, and the FBI had to move. The bureau wasn’t willing to jeopardize the intelligence I’d discovered. Though there were still unknowns, such as the location of the money, I’d unraveled enough to stop The Light and put Father Gabriel behind bars for a very long time.

Without question, with each mile while I prayed she was in Fairbanks, I was conflicted over whether to take her back to the Northern Light and continue my mission, or to hand her over to witness protection and assure her safety.

When Hill called my burner to tell me they had Sara and what Thomas had done, I was still in the air and unable to receive calls. It wasn’t until I landed that I heard the voice mail. Learning that she was safe almost took me to my knees with relief; however, as his message continued and I heard that Thomas had struck Sara, blackening her eye, my death grip on the burner phone almost crushed it.

I reminded myself that the most important thing was that we’d found Sara.

I’d devised a story to help with the cover-up of her escape. I contacted Brother Daniel and told him that Whitefish hadn’t been ready for me. I hadn’t been able to get the supplies I needed, so I’d flown to Fairbanks.

For that story to be believable, I had to purchase supplies. Since I wasn’t leaving Sara alone once I had her, I needed to leave her at the marshals’ office where I knew she was safe. Per Special Agent Adler, she’d come into contact only with two marshals, and Deputy Hill was the only one who’d spoken with her.

It hadn’t taken Adler long to learn Thomas’s flight plans and discover that he had been headed to Fairbanks. Unfortunately, there wasn’t an FBI field office in Fairbanks. The only one in Alaska was in Anchorage. That gave the FBI the choice of the US Marshals or local police. Adler chose to contact Deputy Hill and involved the US Marshals in our operation. Without divulging too much, he explained the urgency of finding, securing, and isolating Sara, as well as taking care of Thomas.