Agent’s Mountain Rescue

by Jennifer D. Bokal

  “It looks like you’ve gotten yourself into quite a tussle,” he said while he cleaned the wounds to her face.

  “I guess you could say that,” she said.

  “I heard a rumor that you were tangled up with that killer Darcy Owens.”

  “You shouldn’t believe everything you hear,” said Holly. “But this time, it’s true.”

  “Then you are one blessed woman. More than one of her victims has been brought through the hospital’s morgue. Then again, you seem to always have luck on your side.”

  “I guess I did what I had to do.” Holly’s words were dismissive, but her hands began to shudder. Delayed shock, she realized. “Do you remember when I was in high school? The car accident?”

  “You and three other kids,” said Doc Lambert. “Sure, I remember. A real tragedy.”

  “There’s more than that,” she said. “I knew we were going too fast. I should’ve...” Holly choked on her words.

  “Everyone in that car knew you were going too fast, and maybe you’re right. Maybe if you’d said something or done something, then everything would’ve been different. But it’s not. You need to let go of that past, or at least make peace with it. That’s the only way you can have a future.”

  Despite the hard knot in her throat, Holly nodded. “Maybe you’re right.”

  “There’s no maybe about it. Why you lived and that boy didn’t might never make sense. But you’ve been given the gift of life twice. What you need to do is make sure that your life is worth living.”

  Doc Lambert’s words settled on the room like a dusting of snow. He continued, returning to her current physical state. “None of your injuries are life-threatening, but I want to keep you overnight for observation.”

  “I can’t stay,” she said. Was Doc Lambert right? Did Holly deserve happiness? “I have too much to do.”

  “You’re always busy with one thing or another, aren’t you? Well, now you have something new to write about in a book.”

  Sure, Holly had sworn off writing another book more than once. Yet the first lines of her newest work came to her unbidden. Could she really go back into the world of publishing? Or maybe the question Holly should be asking was whether she could really leave the story of Darcy Owens untold.

  Doc Lambert prodded the bruising on her neck. His touch was light, yet Holly winced. “Let me see your stomach. I should stitch that abdominal wound properly.”

  She lifted her shirt. “Whoever tended to this cut at the beginning did a decent job,” said Doc Lambert. “Who’d you say provided first aid?”

  “Liam,” said Holly. Her voice caught. “Liam Alexander.”

  “You were lucky he came along when he did.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” she said. She truly was lucky to have met Liam. Yet now that the case had ended, was their time together over, as well? Was now the time for her to say goodbye?

  * * *

  Liam had stopped by the small hospital café and gotten Sophie a yogurt—strawberry, her favorite flavor—while waiting for Holly to finish her exam. Yet there was one person he needed to see.

  The hospital was small—less than two dozen rooms for patients and a separate suite of rooms for those in rehab.

  Julia’s room looked more like a dorm with wooden furniture and a desk than a hospital room with an adjustable bed and various monitors. Julia, dressed in sweats, lay on the bed with her eyes closed. A thick bandage covered her right hand. Martinez sat in a chair next to the bed, staring at an e-reader. Liam wasn’t surprised to see the former cop staying close to his friend.

  Standing next to the door, Liam coughed quietly. Martinez looked up.

  Sophie leaned her head on Liam’s shoulder. “Mind if we come in?”

  “Come in,” said Martinez, rising to his feet. “Who is this cutie?”

  “Sophie, can you say hi to Agent Martinez?”

  She opened and closed her hand, shyly hiding her face in Liam’s shoulder. “Hi.”

  “I just wanted to see how Julia was doing.”

  Liam recalled the moment he looked into the bunker and saw Julia’s bloodied body sprawled across the floor.

  Martinez said, “Julia got lucky.”

  “Did I hear someone mention my name?” Julia asked, opening her eyes.

  “You have visitors,” said Martinez. “Liam and his daughter, Sophie, came to see you.”

  “Hey,” said Julia. “It’s my hero.”

  “Daddy’s a hero?”

  “He sure is,” said Julia.

  Liam shuffled, uncomfortable with the title. “I don’t know about that.”

  “I also heard from Marcus that you brought in Darcy Owens,” said Martinez.

  “I guess I helped a little,” said Liam.

  “Thank goodness she’s locked up,” said Julia, while smothering a yawn. “I’m not sure if I’d be able to rest if she was still out there.”

  “I should let you get some more sleep,” Liam said.

  “Thanks for stopping by,” said Martinez. “I’m glad to have you on the team.”

  With a nod, Liam took Sophie and walked down the corridor. The scent of disinfectant was thick in the air. One word stuck with him. Team.

  Liam had to admit, even if only to himself, that he had finally discovered a group of people he respected. More than that, he’d found a place where he belonged.

  * * *

  Holly left the examination and made her way to the hospital’s front entrance. There, in a seat by the doors, sat Liam Alexander. Sophie was curled in her father’s lap and asleep once again.

  “Hey, what are you doing here?” she asked.

  “I thought you could use a ride to the bank.” He looked at his watch. “It’s a quarter past nine. They should be open by now.”

  “I can walk,” she said. “It’s only a few blocks...”

  “You’ve been through a lot. Let me help you this one last time.”

  The drive took only minutes and soon they pulled into the parking lot of the Pleasant Pines Savings and Loan. There were several cars in the lot, including a late-model luxury sedan that Holly knew belonged to Thomas. Thank goodness he was already at work.

  “Does that car belong to the bank’s manager, the one you called?”

  Holly nodded. “It does.”

  “Maybe he got your message and hasn’t processed the sale.”

  “I hope you’re right,” she said. She glanced at Liam. If she stayed in Pleasant Pines, would they have a future together? Yet before she worried about romance, she had a business to save and money to transfer. She continued, “Thank you, for everything. Without you, I wouldn’t be able to pay off the loan.”

  “It was you who earned that money,” he said. “What are you waiting for? Go and talk to the manager.”

  She opened the car door. The air was warm and the sky was blue. Spring, with all its new beginnings, had finally come. Was this the time for Holly’s new beginning, as well?

  “Wish me luck,” she said.

  “Good luck.”

  She walked toward the bank and watched as cars drove up and down Main Street. True, Holly had seen the town of Pleasant Pines most every day of her life. Now it seemed like a different place. What had changed? Yet she knew.

  It was Liam.

  Now she couldn’t remember what her life was like before they’d met. In a short time, he’d become a part of her world—her partner.

  She needed him with her now. Turning, she sprinted back to the car.

  Liam unrolled the window as she approached. “What’s wrong? Do you need something?”

  “Nothing’s wrong,” said Holly. “What I need is you. We are a team. You helped me get the money. It’s only right that you help me pay off the loan.”

  Sophie sat in her car seat, blinking. “Are we home?”

&n
bsp; “No,” said Liam. “We’re at the bank. Want to go to a meeting with me?”

  “Then can we go home?” she asked. “And have chicken nuggets?”

  “Absolutely,” said Liam. He unbuckled his daughter from the back seat and jogged over to Holly. Hand in hand, they opened the bank’s door. Several tellers stood at the counter. A single office sat in the far corner. The name Thomas Irwin was stenciled on the door.

  Holly’s pulse raced as her steps slowed.

  “Ready?” Liam asked. He squeezed her hand.

  His touch filled her with strength. “I was born ready,” she said.

  Pushing open the office door, Holly said, “Good news, Thomas. I have the money...”

  Whatever else she planned to say died on her lips. Thomas, along with two men in dark suits, sat around a glass-and-metal table. She immediately knew that the men were from Texas. They were the ones who’d be taking over her school. They didn’t look at all like teachers—but rather accountants. Businessmen. Which she assumed that they were. Still, could they run the school? Or just turn a profit?

  Thomas Irwin stood. “Holly, what are you doing here? When we spoke on Monday, you seemed ready to sell.”

  “I’m here now and I called earlier,” Holly said. Her voice was filled with flint. “You gave me until today to pay off the loan.”

  Thomas’s high forehead reddened. At least he had the decency to look embarrassed. “The paperwork has already been signed. The school has been sold.”

  “You can’t do this,” said Holly.

  The other two men stood. To her, they looked exactly the same. One of them said, “We’ll be in touch about any personal belongings in the building.”

  They left the office.

  Holly went numb. Her ears buzzed and her vision blurred. She couldn’t let them go, not without putting up a fight.

  “Wait,” she called after the men, following them into the bank’s lobby.

  The duo stopped and faced her, yet said nothing.

  Holly said, “Even if I lose my business, you can’t let my staff go. They’re good teachers who’ve bonded with the students. More than that, they need their jobs.”

  One of the dark-suited men nodded at the other. “We aren’t laying off any of the staff. You can rest assured that your former teachers will still have jobs.”

  “That’s all I can ask, then,” she said.

  With that, they were gone and all of Holly’s dreams were taken with them. Light streamed in through the bank’s front window. The town park was across the street. The gazebo was brilliant in the morning light.

  “What now?” Liam asked.

  “Take me back to my car.” Holly felt as if she’d been hollowed out of every thought and feeling. It left her as a shell—not even a whole person.

  “We could hire a lawyer,” he said. “You had an agreement with the bank. They pushed the meeting up without notifying you—”

  “No,” she interrupted. “I’m tired of fighting and I can’t, not today.”

  “I wish I could help,” he said.

  Turning from him, she looked out the window. “You can’t,” she said simply. “What’s done is done. It’s just...” She shook her head, letting her words fade away.

  “It’s just what?”

  “Never mind.”

  “I can’t drop it,” he said. “I care about you. I want to help.”

  For Holly, it all came down to the accident. It happened more than a lifetime ago, yet it was with her every day. Certainly, losing the school was all about being punished for having the audacity to hope.

  It was why Liam, if he ever knew the truth, wouldn’t want her. It was why Holly maybe should leave Pleasant Pines—and this time, not come back.

  * * *

  It was Sunday afternoon. Holly had spent the last two days packing up what she could of her home. Dishes. Clothes. Books. All the boxes had been loaded into her car. A moving company had been hired to deliver her furniture to the apartment she had rented, sight unseen, in Ohio. It would all arrive later in the week and Tonya had agreed to oversee the packing.

  For the job, Holly had donned a set of black leggings and a gray University of Wyoming sweatshirt that was two sizes too big. She hadn’t bothered doing either her hair or makeup. A purple bruise had bloomed on her cheek. Her stomach still hurt, despite Doc Lambert having prescribed a painkiller.

  Yet there was more that hurt Holly than her injuries.

  Liam’s face flashed in her mind, and Holly’s eyes began to burn. She had no choice but to leave town.

  Closing the door to her little house for the last time, she twisted the knob to make sure the lock was engaged. The late-afternoon sun hung low in a cloudless sky of cornflower blue.

  She’d thought a lot about leaving without saying goodbye but decided she couldn’t do it to Sophie. So she drove to Liam’s house and once again parked on the street. Without many thoughts and even fewer expectations, Holly crossed the lawn and stood on Liam’s stoop. With a deep breath, she lifted her hand, ready to knock.

  The door opened. Dressed in a plaid flannel shirt of rust and red, along with a pair of jeans, Liam stood on the other side of the threshold.

  Her cheeks warmed at the sight of him. “Hey,” she said simply.

  “Hey, yourself.” He added quickly, “I saw you pull up. Are you leaving for Ohio?”

  She nodded. “I wanted to say goodbye.”

  “Thanks. For everything,” he said.

  “Same to you. The money I made with RMJ will be helpful while I relocate.”

  He looked down, nodding.

  Holly knew this was the perfect moment to put Liam Alexander and all their adventures in the past. All she had to do was walk away. Yet she remained. “How’s Sophie?”

  Eyes still downcast, he said, “She seems fine. I’ve taken off the next week just to be with her.”

  “That’s smart,” said Holly. “Has she said anything?”

  “She asked a couple of questions about Darcy and where she was taken.” He looked up, his gaze meeting Holly’s. “She’s asked about you.”

  As if an iron band had wrapped around her chest, Holly found it difficult to breathe. “Give her a hug for me, will you?”

  Before Liam could say anything, a whir of pink flew past him.

  “Holly.” Sophie hugged Holly around the legs. “You came to see us. Are you going to stay for dinner? We can have chicken nuggets.”

  Holly glanced at Liam, who rolled his eyes. “I swear, I do feed her other things.”

  Holly laughed but couldn’t hold his gaze. Especially not as she heard Sophie’s plaintive voice.

  “Will you stay, Holly? Will you?”

  Holly bent down, putting herself at the child’s level. “I can’t, sweetie,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  Holly brushed a soft strand of hair from Sophie’s cheek. “I can’t come over tomorrow, either.”

  “Why not?”

  “Actually, I came to say goodbye. I’m moving.”

  The little girl’s lip trembled. “But...you promised you wouldn’t ever let me go.”

  Holly had indeed made that promise. Yet, in the moment, she had meant only to reassure the child that she was safe. “I need a new job, sweetie. Without a job, I can’t stay in Pleasant Pines.”

  “I don’t want you to go.”

  “Neither do I.”

  Sophie ran away, leaving Holly with whatever excuse she was about to give. Standing tall, she faced Liam. “I’m sorry about that.”

  Waving away her apology, he said, “Right now, she doesn’t understand. I hope someday she will.” He looked tired. “Like you said.”

  “Well...” She turned and looked at her car. “I better go. I want to be on the road before it gets dark.”

  �
��Sure,” said Liam.

  What should she do? Shake his hand? Hug him? Kiss him and never let him go?

  She gave a little wave. “Well...goodbye, Liam,” she said, turning to go.

  “Holly, wait.”

  She stopped and faced him.

  Liam had his hands at the back of his neck. After untying the leather cord, he held out the dog tag. “Here,” he said. “These belonged to my cousin, Charlie. He’d want you to have them.”

  “I—I...” Holly stammered. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Don’t say anything. Just take the necklace. Think of me every now and again.”

  Holly’s eyes burned with unshed tears. Turning, she held up her hair. “Can you help me get it on?”

  Liam looped the cord around her neck before tying the thong in the back. The leather was still warm from the heat of his body. She placed her hand on the metal tag. “Thank you,” she said, facing him once more.

  He was already back inside his house. Lifting his hand once more, Liam shut the door.

  * * *

  After Liam closed the door, he leaned against the wall. Holly was gone, and she’d never come back. It was best if he got used to the idea. Sophie sat on the stairs, her chin in her hands.

  Kneeling next to his daughter, he asked, “You okay?”

  “No,” she said.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I want Holly to stay.”

  Liam sighed. “We don’t always get what we want, baby girl. Besides, Holly needs a job.”

  “She has a job at Saplings.”

  “Not anymore. The bank sold her school.”

  “She can buy another school here,” said Sophie.

  “For that,” said Liam, “Holly needs a lot of money.”

  He paused. The answer was crystal clear. Why hadn’t he thought of it before?

  Yet Holly was gone. Or was she? It had been only a minute—no more. He pulled open the front door and stepped onto the lawn. Her car was no longer parked at the corner. He muttered a curse as his heart sank to his shoes. He peered up the street. Her taillights blazed as she slowed for a stop sign.

  Could he catch her? Where were his keys?