Ricochet

by Christy Barritt

  “Then what are you saying?”

  “I’m simply asking you to tell me the truth.”

  “I’ve never lied to you, Nick.”

  “I’m not saying that you have. But I am saying that the camp is on precarious ground right now. I need to know about your past so I can know how to handle this situation. The last thing either of us wants is for this camp to be shut down, correct?”

  Molly nodded slowly. “Of course.”

  Nick relaxed his shoulders some. “Good, then why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”

  She said nothing for a moment.

  “Molly, even if something did happen in your past, it’s not going to change the way I think about you. ‘Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.’ That’s not me. I’m not in a place to throw any stones—not that I’d want to anyway.”

  She buried her face in her hands a moment, as if trying to compose herself. Finally, she heaved in a deep breath and sat up, opening her eyes until her weary gaze met Nick’s. “My former boss did make accusations against me. None of them were true, though. He was simply retaliating because I broke up with him. He’s used to getting his way and tried to manipulate the situation. The hospital opened an investigation. I voluntarily did a drug test—which was clean, and I also allowed hospital staff to look at my financial records to prove that I hadn’t been selling anything. My ex-boyfriend kept persisting—and he was the chief of staff. Finally, I simply agreed to leave. The work environment became too toxic for me to handle any more and I knew I needed a change.”

  “He really accused you of stealing drugs?”

  Molly nodded. “He even tried to come across to everyone else like a hero by offering to pay for me to get treatment. It was despicable.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Me, too. But that which doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.”

  “And that’s why you came here? To get away from all of that?”

  “I need some of that clarity that I had when I was here. Honestly, when I look back on my life, my week I spent here was one of my best weeks ever. I needed to get away from everything else in my life and just focus on getting my heart right.”

  Nick had always felt a connection with Molly, but it had never felt as strong as at that moment. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and tell her that everything would be okay. He wanted to tell her that he understood, that he’d come back here for the same purpose. But he couldn’t do that. It was his responsibility to oversee the camp right now.

  He only hoped there was a happy ending to this whole situation.

  * * *

  The camper’s parents called in a new prescription to a local pharmacy, and Molly had left to pick it up. As she disappeared out the door, Nick couldn’t stop thinking about everything she’d told him. Her work situation must have been awful. She’d used the word “despicable” when describing the doctor who’d made the accusations against her, and that was a perfect word. Why would someone do something that awful? Had he really thought his manipulation would work? The very thought of it caused anger to surge up Nick’s spine.

  Another car rumbled up the camp’s gravel driveway. Who now?

  Nick hurried to the cafeteria door, anxious to know whether his parents or the sheriff had returned. Instead, he saw a luxury sedan with out-of-state license plates. A camper’s parent maybe?

  Nick watched as a well-groomed man in his early forties exited the vehicle. The dark-haired man approached Nick with a warm smile. Nick braced himself. A lawyer, perhaps? Whoever the man was, Nick had a bad feeling about his presence here.

  “Nick White, I presume?” The man offered his hand, a row of perfect white teeth gleaming from a plastered-on smile.

  Nick hesitated before returning the man’s handshake. “And you are?”

  “I’m Dr. Derek Houston. I’m trying to locate someone and I hope you might be able to help.”

  Derek Houston? Where had Nick heard that name before? “And who is that?”

  “Molly Hamilton.”

  Adrenaline surged through his veins. “You came all the way out here to the middle of nowhere to find this Molly Hamilton?”

  The man’s smile dipped slightly. “That’s correct. A mutual friend mentioned that she might have come here.”

  “Must be important to you to talk to her if you drove all the way out here.”

  The smile disappeared. “She’s not answering my calls, so I had no choice but to pay her a visit.”

  “Maybe she’s not answering your calls for a reason.”

  The man’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

  “Why don’t you tell me then?”

  “She has a drug problem that she doesn’t want to own up to. I know she seems all sweet and innocent on the outside, but she has some serious problems.”

  “I’d say the only serious problem she has is you.”

  Derek’s eyes darkened. “I can cause trouble for this camp, you know.”

  “Don’t threaten me, doctor.”

  The man’s features softened for a moment, as if he decided to change his game plan. “Look, this conversation isn’t going the way I wanted it to. I really just want to talk to Molly.”

  “She’s not here.”

  “Do you know when she’ll return?”

  “Not sure.”

  “Will you ask her to contact me?”

  “I’ll give her the message.”

  “I’m not trying to cause trouble, Mr. White. I simply want to talk to Molly. Despite her issues, she’s very special to me, and I screwed things up with her while we were in Maryland.” He pointed inside. “I did drive a long way. Do you think I could wait until she returns?”

  Nick shook his head. “This is private property, doctor. Besides, the kids are coming to dinner soon. I’d suggest you leave. If Molly wants to talk to you, she’ll contact you.”

  Nick watched the man leave. He was bad news, the kind of person who could turn his charm on and off in order to manipulate people.

  Could he be behind the vandalism at the camp? If the doctor shut the camp down, maybe he thought Molly would go running back to her old job in Maryland. And the bigger question—was the man simply capable of manipulating or was he also capable of violence?

  * * *

  Molly waved as the last car pulled out of the camp, signaling the end of another successful week—despite all the attempts to the contrary.

  Molly’s pulse had been racing ever since Nick leaned over and whispered that he needed to talk to her earlier. What could it be about? The missing drugs again? She’d thought he believed her when she told what had happened in Maryland. But what if he didn’t? What if he’d decided to fire her? She wouldn’t blame him. With all the troubles the camp was having, missing drugs, when combined with the accusations against her, certainly didn’t help their case.

  Three days had passed since the drugs went missing. Yet the thought of what had happened still haunted her. They’d talked to each of the campers and no one seemed to know anything about the drugs. But with only two keys, who else could have gotten into the cabinet without leaving so much as a hint? There were no jimmy marks or broken glass or anything else to indicate someone had forced their way inside.

  “Cody’s having a campfire complete with s’mores. Want to come?” Nick extended his hand to her.

  “Sounds like fun.” Without even thinking, she reached for his hand. His fingers wra
pped around hers, sending tingles through every part of her. Once she got to his side, his hand slipped from hers and instead went around her waist.

  “I know you don’t like the woods,” he said as the trees loomed around them.

  “No, I don’t. Every time I get near them, I think of that night I spent lost in the forest as a child. Some things you just don’t ever forget, no matter how hard you try.” She shivered even thinking about the experience.

  “I’ve always thought you were brave for even getting as close as you did. Some people would have avoided a camp like this after what you went through.”

  “I don’t want things from my past to hold me back. I just want them to make me stronger.”

  “You never have held on to your past, Molly. You’ve always been your own person—determined, strong, wise. I think those are the very traits that have always intimidated my mother.”

  “I can’t imagine how I could intimidate your mom. Most of the people she’s surrounded by have her up on a pedestal. Your dad, too.”

  “That’s why she’s intimidated. You’ve always had the ability to see through people, Molly.”

  “I never saw it like that.”

  “That’s why I broke up with you, Molly. Because I was a coward.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He paused and turned toward her. “I was afraid that you’d see who I really was—someone who was just going through the motions. I could fool almost anyone into believing that I was the perfect Christian when, in truth, I was far from it. I knew as soon as you saw through me that I was going to be the biggest disappointment to you. I couldn’t bear the thought of it. So I broke up with you to spare us both the pain.”

  “You really thought you were going to disappoint me?”

  He grimaced. “I more than thought it. I knew it. You were so strong in your faith. You were one of the most authentic people I’d ever met. You made me realize how much I fell short.”

  “You’re too hard on yourself.”

  He shook his head and began walking again. “I’m not, Molly. My dad stood in front of the whole church and told everyone that I was going to follow in his footsteps by becoming a chaplain in the Navy. Everyone cried and applauded and said what a good guy I was. I didn’t have the willpower to disappoint everyone. So I went to seminary and joined the military.”

  “What happened over there, Nick?” She grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. She gripped his arm, not letting him go. “What brought you back here?”

  “I would go into town sometimes when I had some time off. I got to know some of the locals. There were Christians over there who knew that if they got caught they would die for their faith—and they didn’t care. In fact, a few of them did die for their faith. I realized what a hypocrite I was. If I were in their shoes, I don’t know that I could do the same. I knew I had to make some changes in my life. All of that led me back here. As soon as I finished my stint in the military, I got out and knew I needed to reevaluate my life.”

  “I think it takes a lot of courage to do that, Nick. Honesty takes courage.”

  “I appreciate you saying that, but I’m in no way worthy of praise or admiration.”

  “The beautiful part is that you don’t think so. You don’t realize what a treasure you are.”

  “Molly—”

  “Come on, guys! We’re about to eat all of the chocolate over here!” Cody waved them toward the campfire.

  Nick tilted his head. “I guess we’ll have to finish this talk later.”

  “Deal.” She dropped her hand from his arm and they walked side by side toward the blazing fire in the distance. A group of Cody’s friends were there, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. They even joked unknowingly about some of those old scary campfire stories counselors used to tell. Nick and Molly joined in the fun...or at least tried to.

  Molly couldn’t forget about her earlier conversation with Nick. It pained her to know how much he beat himself up. But the fact that he wanted to be a better person said so much about him. Molly had learned early to accept God’s grace but, at the same time, to always push herself to do her best.

  Finally, Cody and his friends drifted away. Nick and Molly sat by the fire, its embers crackling and popping. Molly let the flames warm her as she absorbed the sounds of nature around her. Normally being out here in the isolation of the woods would frighten her, but with Nick by her side, she felt safe.

  “Derek stopped by this week, Molly.”

  Molly nearly fell off the bench she perched on. “Derek?”

  He nodded. “He said he wanted to talk to you.”

  “How did he find me here?”

  “He said a friend told him.”

  “I didn’t tell anyone where I was going.” Her blood went cold. How had he found her?

  “I told him to get lost, that this was private property. I’ve been keeping my eyes open for him since then, but there’s been nothing.” Nick looked at her. “He threatened to take down the camp, Molly.”

  She gasped. “He said that?”

  “Basically, yes.”

  “Do you think he’s been the one behind everything going on here?”

  “I don’t know. If he shuts the camp down, maybe he thinks you’d go running back to Maryland, back to him.”

  “Never. He’s trying to control the situation again, and it’s not going to work.”

  “I just wanted to warn you.”

  “Nick, what if this is all my fault? What if all of these things are happening at the camp because Derek wants to send me a message?”

  His hand covered hers. “Don’t think like that. Even if it was Derek, everything that’s happening wouldn’t be your fault.”

  “No, but if I wasn’t here...”

  Nick gently turned her chin until she faced him. “If you weren’t here, I would have probably lost my mind already. You’ve been at my side, helping me solve every problem and carry every burden. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

  Before Molly could respond, a sound in the distance assaulted to her ears. Chainsaws. She looked at the woods, toward the sound. Was someone trying to scare them again?

  Before she could question what to do, two figures emerged from the woods—running straight at them.

  ELEVEN

  Nick grabbed Molly’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “Come on!”

  Molly didn’t have to be told twice. Nick pulled her down the trail back toward the cafeteria. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the men still chasing them. Thankfully, they appeared to have left their chainsaws behind. But something else glinted in their hands—the metal of guns.

  A shot whizzed past them, splintering the wood on a nearby tree.

  “Are you okay?” Nick yelled, still charging ahead.

  Another shot flew past, close enough this time that Molly could smell the smoky acid of the bullet. Her hands trembled from the fear the smell sent coursing through her. “I think so.”

  He glanced back, but only for a second. “Do you trust me?”

  “Trust you?” What was Nick getting at? “Yes, yes, I trust you.”

  “Then don’t let go of my hand.” Nick pulled her from the trail into the woods. They wound between trees, over a creek, into the darkness.

  Prickles of fear spread over Molly’s skin. Each step into the woods made her breathing grow heavier. Her heart raced faster than a mountain river during flood season.

  But sh
e couldn’t slow down, couldn’t look back. The men were still on their trail, still within shooting distance. Any misstep could mean a bullet into her body, into Nick’s body.

  She darted around some underbrush, still gripping Nick’s hand with all the strength she had in her. As they rounded a briar patch, a branch from a fallen tree sliced into her leg. The pain nearly made her double over.

  “Are you okay?” Nick called over his shoulder.

  She hobbled forward, trying to ignore the agony ripping through her leg. “We have to keep moving. I’ll be fine.”

  He slowed long enough to run his gaze over her. “You’re hurt.”

  “It’s just a cut.” Every movement caused her to wince in pain, though. This was a deep cut. As a nurse, she didn’t have to see the abrasion to know she’d need some stitches.

  “Come on.” Nick lifted her into his arms. “Put your arms around my neck and hold on.”

  She simply nodded, not in the mood to argue. Instead, she tucked her head between Nick’s neck and shoulder, grateful for his hard muscles and sure-footedness. She closed her eyes and blocked out the darkness, tried to pretend she was anywhere but the woods.

  Nick rounded a cluster of trees and ducked behind them. He sucked in a few deep breaths, still holding Molly close. Silence settled around them for a moment. Finally Nick slowly lowered Molly from his arms and onto the rocky ground.

  “You okay?” he mouthed, an arm still around her for support.

  She nodded, even though she felt anything but okay. He eased her onto the forest floor, between the protection of several trees. With a finger over his lips to signal silence, Nick peered around the makeshift fortress.

  Finally, he lowered himself on the ground beside her and placed a strong hand on her knee. “I think we lost them,” he whispered. “Let’s stay still a few more minutes just to be sure.”

  Her heart pounded so hard she felt certain Nick could hear it. Her concern over its loudness only lasted a moment as the searing pain from her cut came to the forefront of her mind. Her cut was deep, deeper than she’d first anticipated.