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TWENTY-SEVEN

“ Y ou look so pretty!” Hazel said as she stared at Penny in the full-length mirror in Andi’s bedroom. The red beaded gown with the halter top was surprisingly comfortable for formal wear. The slit up the side went high enough to easily access her holster there but not reveal the weapon. She needed to blend in with the crowd tonight and still do her job to keep the governor safe and find Sosa.

Libby appeared in the doorway. “All right, munchkin, why don’t you help your brother in the kitchen. He’s making cookies with Andi, and I hear they need a taste-tester.”

“Cookies? Bye, Aunt Penny! Have fun at the ball!” Hazel was already out the door and down the hall.

“That’s one way to occupy her so you can lecture me.” Penny put the finishing touches of red lipstick on.

“You make it hard to get you alone. I had to be creative.” Libby fixed a stray lock of hair that had escaped the updo. “But I didn’t come to lecture you.”

“Sure you did. You have that look.”

“I just want to see you settled and happy, Pen. Put down some roots. Maybe even get married someday. Is that so bad?”

“Weren’t you the one that always told me to never find my happiness in a man? And then you went and married one. Talk about mixed messages.” Penny reached for the earrings Andi had left out for her. “Besides, wasn’t too long ago you and Dan were on the verge of splitting up.”

“Yeah. Moving here was my last-ditch effort to save our marriage. I hoped a less stressful job, a small-town vibe would give us more family time.”

Penny studied her sister in the mirror. Despite the stress and trauma of everything that had gone on, she’d never seen her so at peace. Content. “You seem better now. Guess it worked.”

“It wasn’t the new job or the move. It was God.” Libby watched her put the earrings in.

“Ah. So this is the part where you tell me I need Jesus.” Penny swiped her clutch off the bed and dropped her lipstick into it. “But I need to leave soon.”

“I just hope you’ll give Bryce a chance. He’s one of the good ones.”

“I’m not denying that Bryce is a good man. But I’ve seen what loving someone can do. Two isn’t always better than one.”

“No, but three is.” Libby looked down at her wedding ring a moment. “You want to know what really saved my marriage? A verse from Ecclesiastes that said a cord of three strands is not easily broken.”

What was she talking about? “You and Dan have an open marriage? I’m not religious, and even to me that doesn’t sound right.”

Libby laughed. “The third strand is God. When we both came to understand who He is, what He’s done for us, everything changed.”

Penny wanted to swat all the words away, but something she’d never heard in Libby’s voice stayed her. “What changed?”

“For the first time in my life there was something—no, Someone bigger than us. I found hope and purpose and love in God.”

“And that magically fixed everything?”

Libby sat on the bed. “There wasn’t anything magical about it. It’s still hard work to keep our marriage going. But as Dan and I went through counseling and read the Bible and got to know the Lord on our own, priorities shifted. I wasn’t looking to Dan or our marriage to fulfill me in ways it was never meant to. Things that used to be so important to me didn’t mean as much anymore.”

“Things like what?” Penny picked at the beading of her clutch, not necessarily ready to reveal how much she wanted what her sister seemed to have already found.

“For one, I didn’t need the stability and recognition from my job or Dan or the kids. I found that all in Christ. I never realized how much I worried about how other people saw me. How I had this image of having it all together that I felt pressured to maintain. I still struggle with that, but it’s better. And I went from asking ‘What do I need from Dan, what is he not giving to me, and why won’t he just pick up his dirty towels in the bathroom and make my life easier?’ to ‘What can I do for Dan? How can I show him love today?’ I’ll tell you, that’s not marriage advice or life advice you’ll find in a magazine article or most of the psychology podcasts I listened to, but it’s made all the difference for us.”

“And what if the worst thing happens to Dan? Or the kids? What happens when you lose them? God’s gonna pick up all the pieces and make it better?” Penny stared right at Libby, daring her to speak truth.

“I can’t imagine my life without them, but yeah, if something happened and I lost them, I know I’ll see them again. And I’d grieve. My heart would shatter. But I know God would hold me together, because I’ve realized I never had it together in the first place. I’ve tried. I spent a lot of years that way, and now that I have the freedom to let that worry go, I want it for you too.”

“I’m not going to deny that I’ve been thinking about it, but”—Penny sat next to Libby on the bed—“I’m doing fine on my own. Don’t you think?”

“Until you’re not. Penny, letting others in, letting God in, doesn’t make you weak the way Dad told us. It makes you stronger. Remember, a cord of three? The verse goes, ‘Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.’ You can’t deny a braid is stronger than a single strand. Please, just think about it?”

She was right. She couldn’t deny the imagery, but she needed to leave. “I will. But I have to go now.”

Penny tried hard to put all the things Libby had said out of mind as she drove to the big hotel venue for the ball. But they stuck in her brain rather annoyingly. She had a job to focus on though. This wasn’t time for personal matters.

So why did the words beckon her?

I’m doing fine on my own.

Until you’re not.

Like when she’d fallen apart in the storage closet. Or at the thought of going into that storm cellar. Those moments were coming more frequently. Why now? She was older. Stronger now. But the panic attacks were coming more frequently.

Not only that, but the way she was drawn to Bryce was evidence too…the ultimate weakness. She was falling for him.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to spend a little more time here with Libby and the kids. She could certainly do a better job visiting.

And Bryce? Well, she didn’t quite know what to do about him. But that was a problem for another time, because right now she had a job to do.

She slipped her Sig into the thigh holster under her dress. Thank goodness Andi had one she could borrow. Libby had some cute slingbacks she would still be able to run in if need be.

Penny went through the security at the door, showed her identification, and was led back to the meeting room where the governor and others from his office waited.

Governor Noble shook her hand. The classic tux and well-groomed brown-and-gray hair didn’t hide the lines of worry around his eyes and across his broad forehead.

“Thank you for coming, Ms. Mitchell. Since you seem to know who all the players are in this game, I’m grateful to have you on our security team tonight.” He quickly introduced her to the others in the room, mostly security protection, assistants, and staff members from his office.

“It’s my pleasure to be here. I’ll keep you safe.”

“I appreciate that.” His tight smile was sad. Obviously the worry about his family weighed it down.

“Sir, forgive me for saying so, but are you sure you don’t want the citizens to know that your wife and son are missing? What if they could help? What if someone saw something?”

“Believe me, I’ve been through it all. I wanted to show up here tonight and prove to these cowards that I’m not going to roll over and play dead.”

“What is it they want? Has there been an official demand?”

“They want me to step down. They’re not happy with the changes we’ve been making at the capital. But they’ll see soon enough. I don’t cower to bullies.”

He turned as another man in a suit gestured to him. “Excuse me, Ms. Mitchell.”

“Of course.” She stepped away, giving them privacy as the two men put their heads together, deep in conversation.

Tony walked into the room looking rather dapper in a black tux. He checked in with the guard at the door.

She waited for a hint of attraction or warmth. Nothing.

He wasn’t Bryce.

But he did walk right up to her, mouth firm.

“What are you doing here?” she asked him.

“They needed extra security.” He didn’t give her his typical flirty smile. In fact, he seemed annoyed or something.

“What’s wrong?”

“I thought we were on the same team.”

“We are.”

“Then why didn’t you call me the second your family was kidnapped? I would’ve been there to help find them.”

Ah. That.

“Do you not trust me?” he asked.

“That has nothing to do with it.”

“Then what is it about?”

“Tony, all I could focus on was finding Libby and the kids. I wasn’t really thinking straight. And I admit, I’m not the greatest at depending on others. I’m sorry. But for now, we need to focus on finding the governor’s family.”

“No more of this leaving me in the dark?”

“I’ll do my best. Are we good?”

He gave her a short nod. “Okay.” He looked around the room. “Where are the others on the task force?”

“Jude is here somewhere. Olivia too, I think. Bryce had a work shift.”

“You two figure anything out?” Tony’s smirk was back.

Penny rolled her eyes at him. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Jason Woods clapped. The chatter around the room immediately died. “All right, people. Let’s keep eyes open. You know what to do.”

Penny took her place behind the governor as he left the room. They made their way to the stage, where a podium stood. Officers situated around the room guarded every angle. Penny stayed in the spotlight, scanning the crowd, ready to move if need be.

“Welcome, friends and neighbors. Who’s ready to boogie?” The governor spoke into the microphone.

Cheers and clapping rose from the crowd.

Penny studied every inch of the room, not really listening to the governor’s speech. She didn’t know how he was holding it together with his wife and child missing. But she’d make sure nothing happened to the man on her watch. The governor’s security had ensured the corners of the room were well-lit. Caterers came and went as they filled plates and trays of hors d’oeuvres on the back table. None of them stood out or paid much attention to the man on the stage.

Before she knew it, Governor Noble was waving and leaving the podium. His countenance changed as soon as he was offstage. His shoulders dropped and he ran a hand through his hair.

A woman handed him a tablet as soon as he reached the wings. “Here’s a list of the people you wanted to touch base with tonight.”

“Thank you, Reba.” He scrolled down the tablet, then handed it back to her. “Let’s get this over with.” He rolled his shoulders back as if bracing himself and walked a few steps. He paused and pulled out his phone. His whole body went rigid.

“What is it?” Penny asked.

He shook his head. “Nothing.” He gave her a tight smile.

“Are you sure? If you know something?—”

“No, no. I’m fine. I’m just not really in a dancing mood. But let’s go out there, make our appearance, and leave.”

“Whatever you say.” Penny stepped back behind him, watching the shadows as they navigated the dark spaces at the edges of the stage and wound down to the dance floor. The governor mingled with guests, shook hands, smiled. Penny stayed on his tail and watched for her target.

The governor bent over the table and looked at something a man with a jacket and bolo tie was showing him. Penny took a moment to study the outskirts of room. It had been a lot easier from up on stage.

A man in a black Stetson, standing at the coffee station by the desserts, caught her eye. His back was to Penny, but he was the right height and build. He spoke to a woman and then left the room. Just before he did, he turned, and she caught his profile.

Sosa!