Page 73 of Be Courageous

“Get off me!” Ashton roared on the floor. “You’re dead! You’re both dead!”

As the man straddling him pushed Ashton’s face into the plush carpet, McKenzie banished the two from her thoughts. She and Miles were essentially alone, a circumstance for which she’d longed for three lonely years. God still had plans to prosper her. The evidence was sitting right in front of her, his knee touching hers, their eyes locked. “Tell me I’m not dreaming.” After that blow to her head, it was all too possible.

“You’re not. See?” He drew her hand to his chest where she could feel his heart thumping through the soft fabric of his shirt. “I’m really here. You’re safe. No one’s going to hurt you again.”

She caught back a sob of joy.Thank You, Father!

“Dad,” Miles called over his shoulder, snapping her out of her trance. “See if you can find the keys to these cuffs. Then you can put them on him.”

McKenzie peered in surprise at the other man. His hair, evidently once as dark as Miles’s, was shot with silver. He was a larger man with harder features, but there was no doubt they were blood related. Searching Ashton’s pockets, the older agent turned up a set of tiny keys. Within seconds, McKenzie’s wrist was free.

“Where else are you hurt?” Miles rubbed her chafed skin as he tossed the cuffs to his father.

She shook her head to signify that she was fine, but sobs of relief got the better of her. Miles pulled her close, crooning words of comfort. Burrowing into his embrace, McKenzie let his never-forgotten scent anchor her in this new reality, even as his father hauled a resisting Ashton Ravenel to his feet. Spittle flew from that man’s mouth as he cursed the men for arresting him.

“I swear you’ll regret you ever laid a hand on me, Ellis.”

“Good, so you know who I am. I must have you worried, Ravenel.” The elder Ellis turned toward his son. “Let’s go, before any of his friends show up.”

“Right.” Miles looked down at her with real concern. “Can you walk, Angel? Or do you need me to carry you?”

McKenzie wiped the tears from her face. “I—I can walk.” After scooting to the edge of the bed, she pushed shakily to her bare feet, refusing Miles’s help.

His encouraging smile faded as he caught sight of the swelling on her forehead. “That’s quite a goose egg. You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. Could you carry my bag?” She pointed toward her meager possessions, stashed in the corner of the room.

With Miles’s steadying hand under her elbow, McKenzie made her way through the maze of sleeping quarters, up a set of stairs, and through a plush galley, none of which she remembered seeing before. Shock caught up to her suddenly, sapping the strength from her legs. As she sank onto the nearest sofa, Miles looked back at his father, who was wrestling Ashton along behind them.

“What’s the plan?”

His father shoved Ashton onto the opposite sofa before pointing his gun at his chest. “I thought you were the man with the plan.”

“Well, my plan is to take McKenzie and disappear.”

Miles and his father stared hard at each other. Only then did McKenzie pick up on the tension between them.

“I hear you, but I’ll need McKenzie’s testimony so you can’t leave the country yet. When it’s time for that, I’ll help.”

Miles frowned as if finding his father’s words difficult to believe. “Thanks.” The words sounded like they had been dragged out of him.

“Okay then. You drop me and Ravenel off at the nearest police station. Find a quiet hotel and stay put until I reach out to you.”

Being stuck with Ashton in a car did not appeal to McKenzie any more than knowing she would have to testify against him.

Miles did not look happy, either. “And then what? I’m not giving her back to WITSEC.”

“We’ll talk about that later.” His father’s reply was terse, unquestionable.

Miles’s shoulders rose and fell as he processed what his father was telling him. She’d seen that torn look on his face before, back when he pretended to be someone he wasn’t.

Without another word, he turned back to McKenzie and helped her to her feet. His father hauled a resisting and sullen Ashton from the couch, and they left the galley to cross a sleek deck toward the pier. Two youths stood on deck watching them with their mouths open.

On their way past the youths, Miles’s father dropped a small set of keys into their hands, instructing them to find their skipper. What was that about?

As the decking gave way to gravel, Miles scooped McKenzie into his arms, carrying her past a marina store and restaurant, both closed, past a handful of boats pulled out of the water and sitting on racks, to a blue Ford Taurus. Without releasing her, he managed to unlock the front passenger door, lowered her gently onto the seat, then dropped her bag onto her lap.

His father pushed Ashton into the back and slid in beside him. As she glanced back at the pair, the elder Ellis caught her eyes. “I’m Drake.” He stuck out a large hand for McKenzie to shake. “Now that we’ve met, I can see why my son would risk his career for you.”

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