Dangerous Amish Showdown

by Mary Alford

  Once ready, he returned to the living room where Willa had lit one of the lanterns hanging on the wall to provide light for Erik. She held another in her hand.

  Willa hurried to the kitchen and returned with a house key. “You should lock the door behind us. I will use my key to get inside.”

  Erik rose with a groan and went with them to the door. “Be careful, brother. This is a bad situation. Don’t get yourself killed.”

  His partner’s remarks drove home with graphic clarity the dangers outside the house. “Don’t worry about me. As soon as the buggy is ready, Willa will come back here. Rest, my friend. Hopefully, this will all be over soon, and we’ll be on our way with Samantha to put Bartelli away for good.”

  Erik managed a smile. “I sure hope you’re right, but you and I both know what Bartelli is capable of doing.”

  He did. The photos from Samantha’s crime scene showed the extent of Bartelli’s anger. Just one example of the crimes Bartelli had allegedly committed.

  Mason and Willa stepped out into the rainy morning still shrouded in darkness, and Erik closed the door and slid the lock into place.

  Mason turned to the brave woman at his side. “Stay close to me.” He didn’t know how to explain the bad feeling that wouldn’t go away. Willa nodded. And they stepped from the porch and started toward the barn.

  “The phone shanty will be easier to reach by road, but it will take longer. It might be better to head to my Englischer neighbor’s home. He has a phone.”

  He considered the suggestion. Willa’s family fields were behind the house. With the rain continuing, the mare might struggle over the soggy ground. But with the phone shanty on the other side of the mountains, getting there would take time.

  The hackles on the back of his neck continued to remind him to be cautious. Tread quietly.

  While he ran through the best course of action in his head, Willa suddenly extinguished the lantern without warning and grabbed his arm.

  She leaned in close and whispered, “Someone’s in the woods in front of the house. They are coming this way. I pray they didn’t see the light.”

  He glanced back at the house. They were closer to the barn. Taking Willa’s hand, he hurried toward the building, hoping they would have time to reach it before the intruders spotted them.

  Bartelli’s people were being cautious, moving through the woods without the benefit of flashlights.

  He and Willa were almost to the door when branches snapped beneath the weight of more than one footstep. The men were almost right on top of them and blocking the entrance to the barn. Making it back to the house undetected was impossible. If they stayed here, they’d both be dead.

  * * *

  Willa’s blood rushed to her ears while fear threatened to render her immobile. They couldn’t stay here. Her brain churned out ways to escape. The thought of another run-in terrified her. Why were they coming back to the house, anyway? Had they realized she’d been dishonest?

  Her daed’s old wagon. Still holding Mason’s arm, she started around the side of the barn toward where her father’s work wagon slowly wasted away from lack of use. Though the fog helped to keep them hidden, covering their footsteps would be impossible.

  Reaching the wagon, Willa lifted a corner of the thick black tarp she’d placed over the wagon last winter in an attempt to do what she could to protect it. Getting into the back of the wagon with an injured arm proved a challenge Mason couldn’t manage alone. Willa did her best to assist him before she scrambled inside. Their ascent wasn’t silent. She tugged the tarp back into place and lay lengthwise beside Mason on the wagon’s floor.

  Fear and exertion accelerated her pulse. Not for a minute did she think those men would hesitate to kill them.

  Every little sound near the wagon had her wondering if the men had discovered their hiding place despite her attempts at concealing it.

  Voices filtered through the tarp. The men were close. Willa reached for Mason’s hand. He entwined his fingers with hers and turned his head toward her. Though the darkness prevented her from seeing his expression clearly, having him close made her feel less afraid. The Mason she knew as a kid would have found this threat just as terrifying as she. The Englischer version of that boy had probably dealt with situations far worse.

  Samantha’s face came into her thoughts. The love Mason had for the child was clear. He’d be her strong protector, fighting to the death to save that little girl.

  Mamm believed nothing happened by chance. She saw Gott’s hand in every single decision—in everything, gut or bad. Had Gott orchestrated the events from thirteen years earlier for this moment? For this little girl?

  A noise nearby had her heart jumping to her throat. She clutched Mason’s hand tighter when the wagon moved slightly as if someone had leaned against it.

  “I’m telling you they aren’t here. We’re miles away from the crash site.” The male voice sounded familiar and far too close, as if he were standing right beside the wagon.

  “Yeah, well, I saw a light, and what about the footsteps we were tracking? They led to this house, to the porch. Personally, I think that woman lied.”

  Willa froze. If he believed she hadn’t been truthful, would he and the other men return to the house?

  “She’s Amish, they don’t lie,” the familiar voice said. This was the man who had spoken to the leader after they’d searched her house. The second man could be one of the two who hadn’t said anything. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter because he expects us to search every square inch of this place until we find them. They’re both injured and they don’t have a vehicle.” The man sounded annoyed with his partner. “I’ve heard what he did to that little girl’s parents. And to others. I’m not crossing him.”

  “Were you there?” The second man seemed almost in awe. “Man, that was messed up.”

  “No, but I was told about it. And it’s what he’ll do to us if we let these marshals get away with the kid,” the first man said.

  “I heard he had someone from the marshals service on his payroll. Sooner or later, they’ll reach out to their commander and let him know where they’re hiding. We can wait around until they contact their people and the guy on the inside lets us know where to find them.”

  Willa jerked her head toward Mason and clamped down on her bottom lip to keep from making a sound. He didn’t appear surprised by what the men were discussing...almost as if he’d known someone from his own agency was working for the man trying to kill Samantha.

  “If they’re dead, they won’t be reaching out to anyone. We’ve got to find that little girl and take care of her once and for all. You know he’s on his way here now.”

  He? Who was the man talking about? Mason said Lucian Bartelli was being held in jail until his trial.

  Willa’s staccato pulse ticked off every second that passed in silence. After what felt like forever, the two men seemed to move away.

  “I think they’ve left,” Mason said in a low voice. Still, Willa couldn’t move.

  “Did you know Bartelli had someone inside your agency working for him?”

  He exhaled, then nodded and held her gaze. “Let’s just say I suspected as much. That’s how they keep finding where we’re hiding Samantha.”

  Which meant there would be no help coming from Mason’s people.

  “Who do you think they were talking about coming here?”

  Mason shook his head. “I have no idea. Law enforcement has not been able to identify who this person is. But my guess is, the man who is reportedly Bartelli’s second-in-command...and the person Samantha saw. Bartelli rarely handles executions himself, which proved how enraged he had to be with Samantha’s father. The man betrayed him when Bartelli considered him a friend. He wanted to handle the execution personally.” He told her about how close Samantha’s father had worked with Bartelli as his accountant.

 
“He usually has someone who handles the dirty work for him. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to find out anything about this man beyond that Bartelli trusts him.” He quieted for a beat, seeming to listen for any out of the ordinary sounds. “We’ve managed to arrest a few of Bartelli’s people before. Few talk, but from those who have, we’ve learned this man, who they call Ombra—or shadow—is far worse than Bartelli ever could be.”

  Willa shivered as Mason eased himself toward the back of the wagon and lifted the tarp enough to see their surroundings. “It’s too risky to try to leave with them so close. We’ll have to wait until they’ve cleared out of the area. I don’t see anyone.” He slowly jumped down and held out his uninjured hand for her. She took it and climbed from the wagon.

  All Willa could think about was the men combing the woods near her home. With so many out there, how could they hope to get help for Erik and Samantha?

  “Did you recognize either of those voices?”

  She had. “Yes, one for sure. They both were probably part of the group that forced their way into the house. They don’t appear to be leaving.”

  She couldn’t stop shaking and Mason seemed to realize it. He tucked her closer to his side. The fog had most everything obscured beyond a few feet and made it impossible to judge the distance to the house.

  Willa clasped Mason’s hand once more. His warm one encompassing hers helped her feel less afraid.

  It was impossible not to make any noise as they crossed the soaked grass. Willa kept her attention on their surroundings, expecting armed men to jump out of the fog before they reached the house.

  “Things will work out,” Mason murmured as if sensing her fear. But would they? She tried to keep her faith stronger than her doubts.

  Sound became distorted in the weather. The rain soaked her prayer kapp. Her clothes clung to her skin.

  “I heard something,” a voice called from ahead.

  She stopped dead in her tracks. One of the men. He appeared to be near the front of the house.

  “The barn. It’s our only chance,” Mason whispered against her ear. With her hand tucked in his, they ran while her skirt tangled around her legs.

  “Over there. I heard something,” the same man said.

  “Yeah, I did, too. I just hope it’s a person and not a bear.”

  The barn appeared through the fog, but the men were too close.

  “Go check it out,” the first man said.

  “Me? Why should I go? Why not you?”

  The two were arguing and hopefully distracted enough not to see her and Mason.

  They kept coming. The first man clearly didn’t like his partner’s response. “What’s the matter?” he taunted. “You afraid?” When his partner didn’t respond, he said, “All right, come on. We’ll both go.”

  Willa’s heart pumped adrenaline into her body as footsteps crunched along the soggy grass. There was no time to take cover in the barn. And no place to hide.

  FOUR

  Mason pointed at the woods behind the barn. The tree coverage would give them a chance to stay hidden. Hopefully, the others would think the noise came from a stray animal and give up the search.

  Reaching the first of the lodgepole pines, he ducked behind it along with Willa. Mason caught his breath and listened. Not a sound. Where had they gone?

  He peeked around the edge of the tree. Nothing moved in his limited visual. Had they given up already? His stomach tightened—a warning to keep on his toes.

  If they could stay hidden and circle around behind the house, Willa could use her key to get them inside using the rear door.

  Mason whispered his plan against Willa’s ear. Before he could put it into action, one of the men entered his line of sight.

  He pulled Willa closer and hugged the tree while the man moved past them and continued deeper into the woods. Where had the partner gone?

  Mason’s foot connected with a twig on the ground and he cringed as he eased them away from their position.

  “Is that you, Jake?” the man called out. Mason inched to where he could see better. The man had his weapon held out in front of him. “You say there are bears in these woods?” The uneasiness in his voice made it clear he didn’t want to run into one.

  After another moment passed, the man continued moving forward. The missing partner worried Mason the most. They’d been together a few minutes earlier, so where had the second guy gone?

  Once the man disappeared into the trees, Mason let Willa go. “We have to hurry.” He turned and came face-to-face with the second guy.

  “There you are, Marshal.” The man’s eyes glinted as he aimed the handgun at them. Mason couldn’t let him get a shot off and warn his partner as well as the others.

  Grabbing for the handgun, he slammed his full weight into his adversary, forcing him to stumble backward. Mason didn’t let up.

  “Help,” the man called to his partner. Mason quickly reacted, wrapping his arm around the man’s throat and squeezing while Bartelli’s man struck him with the gun. Mason somehow dodged a direct blow to his head. The man’s efforts weakened and the handgun hit the ground as he passed out. But not before alerting his partner.

  “Run, Willa.”

  Taking her hand, he led her through the woods before the second man could reach his unconscious partner.

  “Jake, where are you?” the conscious man called out.

  The trees grew thick on this part of the property. That, along with the fog, should make it hard for Bartelli’s man to see them unless he followed the noise they made running through the woods.

  In the soupy darkness, Mason spotted the ruins of the former house that had been on the property many years back when another family owned the land.

  “Over there.” He urged Willa in front of him, and she headed for the house. Mason glanced behind them, but he couldn’t see anything. By now, the second man would have reached his unconscious buddy. Did the guy have time to awaken?

  He and Willa reached the structure that consisted of little more than four walls. He hurried her around the side and toward the back. If they kept going in this direction, they’d reach the house.

  His biggest fear was that Bartelli’s people had called in the attack. If so, there would be no going for help. The house would be surrounded in no time. And not a single person besides Bartelli and his men would ever know what truly happened.

  * * *

  “What do we do now?” Willa asked, her heart rate accelerated. She wasn’t used to running for her life.

  “By now, those two know Erik and Samantha are inside the house. Keeping them from kicking in the door isn’t going to be easy. We have to hurry. I just hope they didn’t call this in.”

  She understood what he meant. If they had alerted others, then time was running out.

  Staying close to Mason, Willa eased herself forward. Hopefully, with the weather and darkness, they could lose the men tracking them.

  They hurried along the back side of the ruins. Her home was still some distance. “Where are they?”

  “Hang on.” Mason peeked around the wall of the ruins. “I don’t see anyone,” he said once he’d returned to her side. “We don’t have a choice. Let’s keep going.” Mason still held her hand. A chill sped through her body as she and Mason stepped from the coverage of the wall and started walking at a fast pace. Willa frequently looked over her shoulder because she couldn’t let go of the feeling that their trackers wouldn’t be fooled so easily.

  The ground around them was littered with dead leaves and tree branches, making it impossible to move quietly. She was relieved when they reached the next group of trees.

  “Hang on a second.” Mason gathered her behind him and squinted in the direction they’d come. “Is it possible we lost them in the weather?”

  Her worst fear was that the men had given up on them and retur
ned to the house. “What if they aren’t following us anymore?” She told him her concerns.

  “I sure hope that doesn’t happen. Stay in front of me and keep your eyes open. We have to be getting closer to your home.” He waited for her to lead the way, using his body as protection against a stray bullet. Willa quickly picked her way through the trees while her fears continued to grow. As a child, she’d once played in these woods, never imagining something so deadly would take place here one day.

  Mason suddenly grabbed her arm and she froze. Turning her toward him, he placed a finger over his lips and pointed to a nearby tree. They slipped behind it and listened.

  Voices in the distance appeared to grow fainter. It sounded as if the men had lost them and were heading away from the farm. Willa exhaled a huge sigh of relief. “They aren’t heading toward the house.”

  “It doesn’t appear so. Still, I’ll feel better once we’re out of sight.”

  Close to the path that led to her yard, something caught Willa’s attention. She stopped and faced Mason. “I heard something.”

  “I did, too.” The words cleared his lips just as a snapping sound—like footsteps crunching leaves—resounded through the woods.

  She gathered air into her lungs. Silence returned to the countryside. “Maybe an animal?” she ventured hopefully.

  “Maybe.” But the doubt in his tone didn’t give her confidence. “Either way, we can’t stay here.”

  Mason checked the woods around them as best he could. “I don’t see anything. Still, I’ll feel better once we reach the house. Stay behind the trees as much as possible.” He urged her along to the next group of lodgepole pines.

  No voices. No footsteps besides theirs. Still, Willa couldn’t settle down. Those people had everything to lose if they failed. They wouldn’t give up so easily.

  The clearing to the house appeared in front of them. Just a little bit farther. She and Mason reached the edge of the yard. Her foot touched the grass as two weapons simultaneously discharged, breaking the silence. The men were right on top of them, had probably tracked them all along, waiting for a clear shot.