Page 47 of Final Approach

“Then again, he’s never liked me, so it could have just been his way of showing how tough he was. Who knows?”

“All right. We’ll get an agent in that area to pick him up and do some questioning.”

Hank nodded. “Thanks for letting me crash at your place.”

“Meet you there.”

“Okay.” He and the agents walked toward the exit with Andrew right behind them.

“Andrew! Wait!”

He turned to see James, Cole, Jesslyn, and Kenzie heading toward them. “Hank, hold up a second, would you? I want to introduce you to a few people if you feel like it.”

“Sure.”

He made the introductions, then Kenzie said, “We came to be with Kristine. Have you heard anything about Emily?”

“It’s not good.” He told them what he knew.

Kenzie frowned and nodded. “We won’t keep you.”

“Where’s Nathan?” Andrew asked. “I haven’t talked to him in the last hour or so.”

“Investigating the hijacking,” Jesslyn said. “He said to call him when you got a moment.”

“I’ll do that as soon as I’m in the car.”

The others said their goodbyes and headed for the elevator. Andrew said a quick prayer for Kristine, her sister, and Dana as he, Hank, and the agents headed toward the exit once more.

Hank’s phone rang and he looked at the screen. “I need to take this. You mind?”

One of the agents nodded.

Hank swiped the screen and listened. Once again, his face went pale. “All right. Explain. In detail, please.”

TEN

Kristine was watching her sister and praying when Emily opened her eyes.

“Hi,” Kristine whispered. A tear slid down Emily’s temple, wrenching Kristine’s heart from her chest. “It’s okay, Em, rest. Sleep and heal. You’re going to be fine.”

Moments later Emily slept again, her breathing a reassuring rhythm. Her face was black and blue where she’d hit her head, but the docs said there was no swelling on her brain, miraculously enough. She’d still need a lot of healing after the surgeries she’d been through.

Kristine glanced at her phone. A text from her flight instructor, Mac Adams, wanting to know when she planned to schedule her next solo flight. She needed a minimum of ten hours’ solo flight time. She grimaced and ignored the text. After her last solo attempt—the one she hadn’t told anyone about—she was terrified to try again.

She’d gone up, a healthy mix of excitement and fear thrumming through her veins. Mostly excitement. She’d been ready to go, taxied down the runway, and taken off. And then the engine cut out on her. She was certain she was going to die, and the memory of those few minutes of sheer terror, of letting God know she was readyif he was, was stamped in her mind. The fear hadn’t really been for her, but of leaving Ethan and Emily without a buffer between them and their father.Please takecare of them,God.That was the prayer she uttered before the engine caught, sputtered, then caught again. With her instructor’s calm but tense voice echoing in her ears, she managed to land the plane. It was a rough landing, but she’d walked away. And now, she didn’t know how she’d manage to go up again alone.

She walked out into the hall and found her father. He was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, head tilted upward. She placed a hand on his arm and he jerked to attention. “Sorry,” she said, “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s okay. How’s she doing?”

“She woke up for a second, then slipped back under. She knew I was there.”

“Good. Good.” He raked a hand over his head. “I was on the way back and saw you in there. I decided to let you have your time and wait out here.”

“Oh. Well ... thanks.” Maybe?

His nostrils flared. “I can’t believe this happened. First you with the hijacking, now her with the wreck ... I may have a nervous breakdown. I can’t believe she would do this to me.”