Excerpt
Legacy of Angels
Genie Gabriel
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"I'm not safe anywhere." Terror
beat in Claudia deGras' heart, pulsed through her veins, shut down any rational
thought. Get out of here!
She bolted toward the door, not daring to
look back as the sound of heavy footsteps followed her.
The old brown sedan sitting in the
driveway always had the keys in the ignition. Most of the time, it started
without much protest.
Claudia flung open the door and cranked
the key. The engine caught and roared as she shoved the accelerator to the
floor. Two doors banged shut as the old Buick slid sideways on the gravel, then
found traction on the pavement.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw
Patrick O'Shea on the wide bench seat beside her, his hand braced against the
dashboard for balance, but his face reflected his normal serenity.
Could she trust him? Did she have a
choice? And where was she going?
She eased her foot off the accelerator
and settled the old sedan into a speed that wouldn't get them stopped by the
police, though patrols were rare on this sparsely traveled road in Eastern
Oregon.
While she drove the highway in silence,
the childhood memories of curses and shouting and fists landing heavy blows on
her body receded, and her panicked mind calmed down.
No one had harmed her today. In fact,
over the last few weeks the O'Shea siblings, including Patrick, had rearranged
their lives to protect her from the man-beast who stalked her.
She shivered.
The man-beast was the real danger.
"Take the next exit." Patrick's
deep voice interrupted Claudia's thoughts.
Patrick's wisdom and gentleness had
provided a balm to Claudia's soul many times during the time she had been
recovering from her physical wounds at his mother's rambling farmhouse. Today,
she discovered the emotional fears were deeper than she imagined. Facing the
man-beast again--even in her memory--pushed her into a panicked flight.
Now reason was returning and adrenaline
ebbing, and Claudia floundered. Once again, Patrick's reassuring voice provided
an anchor, so she followed his instructions. Down a paved road for several
miles, flanked on either side by acres of rangeland turning dusty gold in the
early summer heat. Then another turn onto a graveled road with no other
traffic. Finally off any road entirely, bumping over the rangeland to come to a
stop under a sheltering copse of trees near a lake.
After Claudia turned off the engine,
Patrick opened the car door. "Come with me."
He walked toward the lake, not looking
back.
Claudia watched him for long minutes. Was
he simply going to leave her?
The land sloped downward where Patrick
now walked, making it seem like he was disappearing. When only the top of his
head was still in view, panic seized Claudia once again. "Wait!"
She jumped out of the car and slammed the
door behind her, running to catch up with Patrick. She topped the knoll and
stopped, her chest rising and falling rapidly with exertion and fright.
Patrick stood looking up at her, the same
serene expression on his face. Then he turned and continued walking to the
water's edge. Hidden in the tall reeds was a raft that looked as if it would
sink with the weight of the family of ducks swimming nearby. However, when
Patrick climbed on, the craft barely dipped before stabilizing. He turned and
reached out his hand in invitation. Cautious but curious, Claudia climbed
aboard.
Using a long pole, Patrick pushed them
across the lake and under a rocky outcropping. He secured the raft to a
sawed-off tree stump that served as a pier post for a make-shift dock and
stepped off. "Be careful. It can be slippery."
Intrigued, Claudia once again took
Patrick's hand and climbed off the raft. They walked toward a sheer rock cliff
topped by ruins of what could have been an ancient stone cathedral. However, as
they reached the cliff, Patrick slipped through a notch in one of the rocks.
Once inside, he retrieved a flashlight from a pocket in the rock wall and
turned it on, revealing a narrow corridor. Claudia followed him down a winding
pathway for what seemed like miles. Patrick walked without hesitation, turning
down side tunnels until she felt totally disoriented.
At last he stopped in front of a solid
rock wall. Well, it appeared solid. Until he slid aside what must have been a
doorway, revealing into a cavernous room.
"Where are we?" Claudia asked.
Patrick turned with a half-smile. "Safe.
That's what you wanted, right?"
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