Nicolae: The Rise Of The Antichrist by Tim Lahaye, Jerry B. Jenkins

of course I wanted her. But I will use the excuse of her pregnancy to get her out of the office.”
    “Did you want me to handle that for you?” Fortunate said.
    “I will tell her myself, if that is what you mean,” Carpathia said. “I would like you to handle finding new secretarial personnel.”
    Rayford fought for composure. He did not want to give anything away to McCullum.
    No one could ever know Rayford could hear those conversations. But now he was hearing things he never wanted to hear. Maybe there was some advantage to knowing this stuff, and perhaps it might be useful to the Tribulation Force. But life had become so cheap that in a matter of hours he had lost a new acquaintance, Hernandez, and a dear old mentor and friend, Earl Halliday. He had promised Earl he would communicate with Earl’s wife should anything happen. He did not look forward to that.
    Rayford shut off the intercom. He flipped the switch that allowed him to speak to his first officer through the headphones. “I think I will take a break in my quarters,” he said.
    McCullum nodded, and Rayford made his way out of the cockpit and into his chamber, which was even more lavishly appointed than his area on the now-destroyed Global Community One. Rayford removed his shoes and stretched out on his back. He thought about Earl. He thought about Amanda. He thought about Chloe and Buck. And he worried. And it all started with the loss of Bruce. Rayford turned on his side and buried his face in his hands and wept. How many close to him might he lose today alone?
----
    The Range Rover was lodged between the trunk and lower branches of a large tree and the concrete abutment. “Turn those lights off, hon!” Buck called out. “Let’s not draw attention to ourselves now.”
    The wheels of the vehicle pressed almost flat against the wall, and Buck was amazed that the tree could sustain the weight. Buck had to climb into the tree to look down through the driver’s-side window. “Can you reach the ignition?” he asked.
    “Yes, I had to turn the car off because the wheels were spinning against the wall.”
    “Just turn the key halfway and lower the window so I can help you.”
    Chloe seemed to be dangling from the seat belt. “I’m not sure I can reach the window button on that side.”
    “Can you unlatch your seat belt without hurting yourself?”
    “I’ll try, Buck, but I hurt all over. I’m not sure what’s broken and what isn’t.”
    “Try to brace yourself somehow and get loose of that thing. Then you can stand on the passenger’s-side window and lower this one.” But Chloe was so hopelessly entangled in the strap that it was all she could do to swing her body around and turn the ignition switch halfway. She pulled herself up with her right hand to reach the window button.
    When the window was open, Buck reached down with both hands to try to support her. “I was so worried about you,” he said.
    “I was worried about me too,” Chloe said. “I think I took all the damage to my left side. I think my ankle’s broken, my wrist is sprained, and I feel pain in my left knee and shoulder.”
    “Makes sense, from the looks of things,” Buck said. “Does it hurt if I hold you this way so you can put your good foot down on the passenger’s-side window?”
    Buck lay across the side of the nearly upended Range Rover and reached way down in to put one forearm under Chloe’s right arm and grab her waistband at the back with the other. He lifted as she pushed the seat belt button. She was petite, but with no foundation or way to brace himself it was all Buck could da to keep from dropping her. She moved her feet out from under the dashboard and stood gingerly. Her feet were on the passenger’s-side door, and her head now was near the steering wheel.
    “You’re not bleeding anywhere?”
    “I don’t think so.”
    “I hope you’re not bleeding internally.”
    “Buck, I’m sure I’d be long gone by now if I were bleeding