by Mary Alford
She fought the tears that were close but he saw them.
“Please, don’t cry.” He put his arms around her. “We’re not done yet,” he whispered against her ear.
Willa struggled to answer. “I know, but I’m just so angry at these men for what they are doing to Samantha. To us. How can humans be so heartless?”
Mason brushed his hand across her cheek. “I wish I understood the way the world works,” he said gently. “I’ve been gone from the Amish ways for thirteen years, and yet I still don’t understand how people can do the things they do to each other. It’s discouraging. It makes me...”
He didn’t finish, but she wished he had.
Mason leaned his forehead against hers. “I’ve missed you, Willa. Every time I think of my life here in West Kootenai, you are always there. You make me smile when I remember your tender heart, your gentle strength.” His hands fanned her cheeks as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.
Just for a moment, she’d stay close to him and imagine what it might be like to have a future with him.
But only for a moment. “We should hurry,” she said in an unsteady voice. “After what just happened, who knows what they’ll try next.”
His hands fell to his sides. “Are you ready for this?” he said softly, and held her gaze.
She wasn’t, but she wouldn’t leave him alone. “Jah, I’m ready.”
“Let me see your weapon.” Willa brought out the handgun and handed it to him. He checked the magazine. “You have almost a full clip.” He checked his own weapon.
She understood they had a limited window to get the man with the phone incapacitated.
Mason checked the window once more. “He’s gone,” he said in a surprised tone.
Willa looked over his shoulder. The man with the phone had left the smokehouse. Through the gathering dusk, she searched the woods. “Over there.” She pointed. The man had moved to his partner’s side. The two were talking.
“I can’t afford to let him get away. We need that phone...hold on. There’s another man.” A third person joined the two. The new man wore an expensive-looking suit and appeared visibly angry. He shoved his finger in both men’s faces and raged on. The conversation was barely distinguishable.
“I told you what I expected. Now keep the phone I gave you close in case I need to reach you, and do it.” The man with the phone backed away.
Willa’s attention returned to the man in the suit. Samantha’s words rang through her head. The one who had held her mother wore a suit. This man had been present when Lucian Bartelli killed Samantha’s parents. She shivered as she realized the man they were looking at was Ombra.
TEN
“Come on,” Mason muttered as he watched the suited man continue to berate the other two. After another lengthy finger-wagging period, the new man turned toward the house. Mason ducked out of sight but not before he’d gotten a good look at the guy in the suit. “I know him,” he murmured in stunned disbelief. “What is he doing here?”
“He has to be the one Samantha spoke of. The one who held her mother.”
He spun toward her with shock. “That’s Dante Bartelli. Lucian’s brother. I can’t believe it. He helped Lucian kill Samantha’s parents. This is huge.” As far as the police had been able to determine, Dante was in no way connected to any of his brother’s crimes. His only association was being Lucian’s high-powered attorney. According to the information they’d uncovered on Dante, the man didn’t have so much as a speeding ticket. The truth was beyond terrifying. “Dante Bartelli is Ombra.”
“And now that he’s here...” She didn’t finish, but he read what she didn’t say. Now that Dante was here, the real attack would begin.
Dante Bartelli stormed around the corner of the house and out of sight, clearly unhappy with the way his people had handled the situation so far.
Soon, the man with the sat phone returned to his post near the smokehouse. The second moved into the woods and out of sight.
“We have to go now. Before they attack.” The stakes had never been higher. He moved to the door. Willa followed.
“It’s too risky to go out this way.” He glanced around the space, but there was only one option. “I’m going to try and slip out that window. It’s on the opposite side from where they are standing guard. I can circle around using the woods until I reach the man with the phone. Take him by surprise.” He moved to the window and looked out. “I don’t see anyone on this side yet.” He wondered how long that would last.
With Willa’s help, he removed the nails. Mason slowly raised the window. Before he made a move, Willa grabbed his arm.
“I’m worried it’s too dangerous. There could be others in the woods that you can’t see.”
He understood her concern was for his safety, but without any means of reaching anyone to assist them, it was only a matter of time before they all perished. He couldn’t let that happen.
“There’s no other way, Willa,” he said with a shake of his head. “I have to take the chance.”
She slowly nodded. The concern on her face said it all. “I know.”
“I’ll be careful. Stay by the window at the back near the buggy but out of sight. I may need you to back me up. But keep your eyes open. If they start shooting at the house get down. Don’t put yourself in danger of being struck by a bullet.”
After he checked a final time to make sure nothing had changed, Mason hoisted himself up and through the opening.
He hit the ground hard and caught himself with his hands. With his pulse pounding in his ears, he glanced around. Not seeing an immediate threat, he rose. Trying to be as quiet as possible, Mason slipped to the back side of the house, flattened himself against the wall and discreetly peered around.
Phone Man stood at the back of the smokehouse, his full attention on the house. From Mason’s vantage point he couldn’t see the second man or if indeed there were others around.
There was no way Phone Man wouldn’t see him if he tried to reach the buggy from here. He’d have to circle through the woods near this side of the house and back behind the smokehouse if he stood a chance at taking the man by surprise.
He slipped further away from the back and hoped they wouldn’t hear him moving into the woods in front of him.
Once he reached the first of the trees, Mason slipped behind one and waited with his heart racing. He half expected Bartelli’s men to open fire. When that didn’t happen, he moved deeper into the woods and slowly headed through them while trying to be as quiet as possible. He couldn’t imagine how frantic Willa must be without having a visual of him yet.
It seemed to take forever before he reached the woods at the back of the smokehouse. Through the leaves, he was able to get a look at the man there. His full attention was on the house. Mason couldn’t see the second man. Where was he?
Whether he liked it or not, he had to make his move fast. Mason eased to the edge of the woods. Phone Man still hadn’t heard him. This was it. He closed the space between them rapidly. A handful of steps still separated them when the man jerked toward the tiniest sound he made.
The surprise on his face turned to horror in an instant as Mason slugged him with the butt of the weapon. He stumbled backward and hit the side of the smokehouse as he went down.
As hard as Mason tried, the attack hadn’t been a quiet one. He acted quickly, searching the man’s pocket. Finding the sat phone, he grabbed it and the man’s handgun, then started back to the woods.
Before he reached the coverage, the second man rounded the back corner of the building.
The man opened fire. Mason hit the dirt and scrambled for the cover of the smokehouse, then leaned past the corner and returned fire. The man dropped but the damage was done. He’d alerted the rest of Bartelli’s people.
Mason took off running through the trees as fast as he could. He had to make it to t
he house. If they trapped him out in the open, he’d be a dead man.
Out of breath, Mason reached the side of the house and the open window. Through the tree coverage, he could see the smokehouse. Several of Bartelli’s soldiers were running that way.
Willa leaned out and grabbed for his hand. “Hurry.” With her help, he cleared the opening and collapsed on the floor.
“I was so worried they’d kill you,” Willa whispered. She helped him to his feet.
Mason grabbed the hammer and nails and secured the window once more before he hugged her close. “I’m okay. Now we have a way to communicate with the sheriff and not a second too soon.”
“The phone.” Her expression cleared. “We have a chance.”
Relief flowed through his veins when the call went through. He wanted to keep a positive front, but he had a bad feeling. If Bartelli had brought this much manpower to bring down a child, he doubted they’d be afraid to take on the small number of men at the Eagle’s Nest sheriff’s department.
The dispatcher’s voice sounded wonderful. Mason quickly explained their situation. “I need to speak with Sheriff Collins right away.” He identified himself and waited only a handful of seconds before the sheriff came on the line.
“Sheriff, this is Marshal Mason Shetler. I have a partner who has been shot and is in bad shape, and I’m trying to protect our six-year-old witness against dozens of men.” He told the sheriff where they were. “We need immediate assistance.”
The sheriff didn’t sound surprised. “I’ve dispatched four of my deputies your way already. One of your neighbors reported hearing a bunch of gunshots coming from the Lambrights’ property. We have an ambulance on its way, as well. Stay out of sight and stay safe, Marshal Shetler. Help is on the way.”
Those words had never sounded so good.
“Sheriff, these men are dangerous. They might try to harm your deputies.”
“Roger that. I’ll make them aware. I’m going to give you my direct cell phone number. If something else breaks, call me right away. Until then, stay safe.”
Mason put the number into the phone. “We will. Thank you, Sheriff.” He couldn’t stop smiling when the call ended. Help was coming. Would it come in time to save them? He saw the same misgiving in Willa, and he did his best to reassure her. “We just have to hold on for a little while longer.”
Yet he couldn’t get rid of his doubts. There were too many of them to count.
The shooting around back had stopped, and Mason eased himself over to the window. The man whose phone he’d taken had awakened and knelt over his shot partner, screaming at the top of his lungs.
Several men ran to his aid. The man’s hands waved wildly as he told them what happened. All eyes focused on the back of the house.
Mason ducked out of sight and returned to the front to search through the shattered window. At least the rain appeared to have stopped for now.
“Let’s stay in the kitchen. It’s safe.” He followed Willa, listening to any sound coming from outdoors. No sirens yet. The drive from Eagle’s Nest would take a good half hour. The roads leading into the area were not well maintained. Still, Bartelli’s people managed it. The sheriff could, too.
His stomach churned. The sat phone in his hand rang suddenly, causing Willa to jump. Like him, she was on edge.
Looking at the phone, he saw the sheriff’s cell phone number and answered it.
“This is Sheriff Collins. We have a problem.”
Mason’s heart dropped to his stomach. Bad news, his head warned while his heart wasn’t sure how much more of it they could take and survive.
* * *
Willa saw the truth on Mason’s face. “How bad is it?” she asked as soon as the call ended.
He ran a hand through his hair. “Bad. The sheriff’s men are taking heavy fire.” He looked into her eyes. “If they can’t make it past Bartelli’s people...”
She tried not to break down. “Then it’s just us.”
“Yes,” he said slowly.
Falling apart wouldn’t help even though her heart screamed to let go, to stop fighting. Willa shoved down the fears. “Then we’ll just have to hold them off until the sheriff and his people can get through.”
Mason smiled at her show of courage she didn’t really feel. “The house is getting colder by the minute. I’ll be right back. I’m going to stir the fire.”
He stuffed the phone into his pocket and went to tend to the fire while Willa waited in the kitchen for him. No sound came from the root cellar. Willa prayed Erik’s condition hadn’t worsened.
Beyond the kitchen curtains, night closed in. The house grew dark. In the distance, shots could be heard. The deputies were fighting a battle themselves.
Mason returned to the kitchen.
“There are so many of them,” she whispered.
“Yes. Bartelli’s people are trying to hold the sheriff’s men off long enough to finish the job.” He looked her way. “Willa...”
She knew what he was going to say, but she didn’t want his apologies.
She placed her finger over his lips. “Even if I knew everything that would happen here today, I would still stand by your side and fight for that little girl.”
His mouth twisted and he entwined their hands. “You are one strong woman, Willa Lambright. You always were.”
He let her hands go and leaned against the counter. “You know, I used to imagine what coming home might look like.” A laugh filled with bitterness tore from him. “Believe it or not, this wasn’t it.”
Her heart went out to him. “I can imagine. This isn’t anything I could ever have expected.” She sighed and wondered if he’d thought about coming home seriously, or was it just because of what was happening now?
“Do you want to return to West Kootenai?” She squashed the glint of hope before it could take life.
“Many times I’ve considered it,” he said quietly. “To be honest, I’ve missed so much about this life. I even thought about handing in my badge more than once.”
“Do you still think about Miriam?” The question was out before Willa could stop it. She wished it back as soon as it cleared her lips.
“No, Willa,” he said vehemently. “What happened back then was never about me loving Miriam.” His expression softened as he skimmed her face. “I was foolish to think it was love, and foolish not to see what was right before me all along.” Mason gathered her close and rested his chin against her head. More than anything, she wanted this bittersweet moment to go on forever.
“We’ll get through this,” he murmured softly. “And when we do...” She held him tighter. He didn’t finish and for that she was grateful. Best not to make promises neither could fulfill.
Mason pulled away and looked into her eyes. She couldn’t answer a single one of the questions she saw there.
“Willa? What is it? Tell me.”
Before the truth could come tumbling from her lips, the world around them exploded.
Mason grabbed her waist and hauled her to the floor beside him, covering her with his body. Beneath them, Samantha screamed. Golden Boy charged up the steps and scratched at the door.
Don’t let them win. Don’t let us die. Willa prayed with all her heart while the assault raging around them seemed to go on forever.
ELEVEN
He’d expected the attack, braced for it, but nothing prepared him for its magnitude. Mason held Willa close, and he could feel her shaking.
How many men had Bartelli and his brother sent to eliminate the problem? It amazed him that Dante Bartelli wasn’t even concerned enough to think twice about engaging the sheriff’s deputies. He had to know Sheriff Collins’s men would eventually call for backup and force their way through. Was he so sure there would be no one left to save by the time they reached the house?
As hard as he tried, Mason couldn’t se
e a good outcome for anyone in the house. While bullets landed all around, he prayed and wished for another day. Another day with Willa. Another day to make things better for Samantha. Another day to change the things he could with his family.
Just as quickly as it started, the attack came to an end. For a long moment, he couldn’t trust that it was over. He slowly rose from his crouched position and surveyed the room. The window curtain flapped in tattered shreds beyond the busted glass. They’d see him and Willa on the floor. They were in danger every second they were in the kitchen.
“Stay as low as you can and come with me,” he said against her ear. Glass lay everywhere on the floor. He clasped her hand and pulled her along beside him until they reached the living room. Was there any room in the house where they’d be safe?
“Where are the sheriff’s men?” Willa’s voice caught, exposing her terror.
“They’re trying. They’re doing everything they can.”
She swallowed back a sob. “But it may not be in time.”
No sooner had the words left her lips than someone tried to kick in the front door.
“We’ve got to get out of the open.” He ushered her behind the sofa realizing it would provide little coverage, but they were running out of options. Once they were out of sight, Mason leaned past the protection of the sofa and fired several rounds into the front door. A loud thud followed. Another man tried to climb through the busted window. All that was visible was his leg, but Mason acted quickly. The bullet struck the exposed appendage, and a scream followed. The man fell backward onto the porch. A second later, stuttered footsteps ran from the house.
Mason stared at the destroyed living room. He didn’t have to wait long for the next assault. Several shots came from the back of the house. Bartelli’s people were circling the parameter.
He ducked behind the sofa and called the sheriff’s cell phone. The call went unanswered.
