Page 97 of Airborne
Did she have the courage to accept the truth and move forward?
Own the problem.
Ask forgiveness from God and Chad.
Choose to change.
Determine not to fall into the codependency trap ever again.
Was she to stay married to Chad despite their differences?
Chad needed a wife who balanced him and whom he balanced. Little Levi needed a mother who loved, guided, and allowed him to make mistakes and learn from them.
So much easier said than done. That’s where God came in.
With the fiery sun in a slow afternoon descent, Heather left the imaginary peaceful world along the rocky island shore and walked to the quarantine facility. The dinner hour approached, but first she needed to talk to Chad.
Heather grabbed a bottle of water from the recreation room. The words she needed to say to Chad rolled and rearranged in her mind. A handful of people were in the area, and one of them was Sonya Karey—the first time she’d seen the woman alone.
Heather unscrewed the bottle and took a long drink. Sonya wore her pink hair in a ponytail and no makeup, giving her a youthful appearance... or naive. “Hi, Sonya.”
The young woman turned to the hallway.
“I’m not the enemy,” Heather said. “I want the guilty person or persons arrested just like you.”
She whipped around. “We have a difference in opinion.”
“We, as in you and Parker? What do you think?” Heather studied her. Did she not have an identity outside of Parker? She pointed to two chairs. “Want to talk a little?”
“It’s nearing dinnertime, and Parker will be expecting me.”
“We have a good thirty minutes.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“Really? Your husband is looking for answers about the virus, and he believes I have them.” Heather noted Sonya’s fisted hands at her side. “But I don’t. You could tell him that for me.”
“Tell him yourself. Not my job to be your errand girl. You, on the other hand, have no idea what my husband is capable of doing.”
Sonya made her way toward the cafeteria. It would take more than one encounter for Heather to make a friend.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
CHAD LEFT A MESSAGEand his regular phone number with Thomas Powell’s answering service. Betting hadn’t made Chad’s résumé, unless he deferred to calculating test tube data and projecting the results. He assumed Powell’s response in two hours or less depended on the man’s curiosity. Or a hit man had Chad in his sights waiting until he left his apartment. Andy planned to meet with Leigh Masterson—Trey Alvinson’s ex-girlfriend—this evening, but Javier was left out of the loop on this one. If anything of value resulted, Chad would fill him in.
Fifty-five minutes later Chad’s phone buzzed with a call, a number with no name. He touched Speaker and pressed Record. Just in case the FBI didn’t record this call. “Dr. Chad Lawrence here.”
“Dr. Lawrence, I feel like we’re old friends.”
“Your voice isn’t familiar.”
“Excuse me. Thomas Powell here. You wanted to talk?”
“I do. Let me get right to the point. I met with Trey Alvinson several times before his unfortunate accident, and he gave me incredible research notes.”
“Trey talked to you three times, not several, and his notes are in my possession. Nothing there pertains to you. The owner closed the lab and shipped the equipment overseas. If you’re interested in acquiring items for your laboratory, I’m not your man.”
“I’m not interested in buying anything, Mr. Powell. I’m selling a valuable commodity. Trey made a copy of his findings, and he gave them to me. They’re in a safe place.”
