by Sharon Dunn
His heart squeezed tight when he heard Merci let out a cry.
Nathan stepped softly, hoping not to make any noise. He walked toward where light streamed out. The two thugs came into view. One was kneeling over Merci, and the other stood with his back to Nathan holding a flashlight.
More slapping sounds. “Where are they? Where are the books?”
Merci let out a cry of confusion. “The books? What are you talking about? You mean the textbooks that were in my room?”
Nathan’s hands curled into fists. He’d heard enough. They weren’t going to hurt her anymore. Nathan scanned the ground around him and picked up a small log. His feet pounded the ground as he lifted his arm and thwacked the standing thief hard against the side of the head. Leather Jacket tumbled to the ground. Nathan pushed Orange Coat out of the way and turned to look at Merci. From where she lay on the ground on her back, she reached out her arms to him.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her to a sitting position. Orange Coat recovered and lunged toward him. Nathan angled out of the way while Merci scrambled to her feet. He grabbed her hand and started to run.
From the ground where he lay, Leather Coat grabbed his ankle as he ran by and pulled him down.
Nathan hit the hard ground. “Run, Merci.”
She hesitated.
Nathan managed to land a hard hit to Leather Coat’s stomach and break free of his grasp before Orange Coat pulled out a gun.
“I don’t think anyone is going anywhere,” said Orange Coat.
Merci moved toward Nathan, who stepped in front of her, shielding her.
Leather Jacket doubled over from the blow to his stomach.
“Now give me the girl. We are not through with her yet,” Orange Coat snarled.
Nathan knew he was of no value to them. They’d shoot him and take Merci. His mind reeled as he stared at the barrel of the gun. What could he do? They had turned a half circle in their struggle, so Orange Coat’s back was to the hill that led up to the highway.
Nathan looked over Orange Coat’s shoulder where he saw shadows moving. The thieves’ flashlights had been kicked off into the brush, and it was hard to discern anything.
Merci let out a fear-filled gasp as she pressed closer to him. Nathan scanned the area around him. Maybe the darkness could work to their advantage.
He talked to Orange Coat to distract him. “Now you don’t want to shoot me. What if you accidentally hit the girl? And you said you still need her. All this trouble you have gone to. It can’t be worth it.”
“It’s worth a couple of million, and we get a cut of it now for all our trouble?”
What could be worth a couple of million dollars? While Nathan talked, he took an almost indiscernible step back, communicating to Merci that they needed to dive into the dark underbrush.
Orange Coat lifted the gun. On cue, Merci fell to the ground and scrambled on all fours toward the darkness of the bushes. As he turned to run, Nathan spotted a flashlight, grabbed it and shone it directly in Orange Coat’s eyes.
Orange Coat put up his hand. The distraction allowed Nathan time to reach for the other man’s gun. The gun flew out of Orange Coat’s hand and off into the shadows. Nathan wrestled with the thief. An arm hooked around his neck. Leather Jacket must have recovered and now had him in a vise.
“Get off of him.”
He could hear Merci shouting and see flashes of her face. Orange Coat landed a blow to his stomach. Nathan gasped for air as the hands around his neck tightened. In his peripheral vision, he saw Leather Jacket dragging Merci away.
He clawed at the hands around his neck. He kicked Orange Coat in the shin, which caused him to let go of Nathan’s neck. Nathan gasped for air and saw spots in front of his face. He wrestled Orange Coat to the ground and pinned him only to have Leather Jacket return and jump on top of him.
What had happened to Merci?
He wrestled and fought with both men, getting in several good blows, but growing tired. How much longer could he keep this up? Nathan had knocked Orange Coat to the ground and hit Leather Jacket across the jaw when a voice boomed out of the darkness.
“Leave my brother alone.”
Both thieves threw their arms up.
Daniel stood before him, holding the gun that had been tossed out into the darkness.
“You came.” Gratitude washed through Nathan like a flood.
“Of course I came. I would move heaven and earth for you, little brother,” said Daniel. “I don’t ever want to hurt you again or see you hurt. You have to believe that.”
“I’m starting to. Thank you.” Nathan retrieved the flashlight and shone it in the brush looking for Merci. “How did you know?”
“Right after you left, the sheriff’s department called. They had a stolen vehicle report that was delayed in getting in because the driver had to hike into town. They tried to call your cell first.”
“Mountains must have blocked the reception,” Nathan said.
“I knew where you were going. I got in my car and headed down the mountain.”
Nathan’s heart swelled with love for his brother. “You did that for me.”
Daniel nodded.
“Help me.” Merci’s strained voice came from the brush.
“Go find her. I can handle these two.” Daniel leveled the gun at the thugs. “Get on your knees, both of you.”
The thieves complied.
Nathan swung the flashlight back and forth searching until he found Merci lying facedown with her hands tied behind her back. He untied her.
She fell into his arms but pulled away quickly. Her voice filled with panic. “We have to go to my aunt’s house. I know what they are looking for.”
“What are you talking about?”
“They wanted to know where the books were. The only books they could be talking about are the ones my father sent me in the care package to give to my aunt.”
“Your father sent your aunt books worth millions of dollars?”
Daniel said, “Nathan, I think we need to get something to tie these guys up with. I can’t hold this gun forever.”
Merci picked up the rope she had been restrained with. “This is long enough. We can cut this in half.”
While Daniel tied the thieves’ hands behind their backs, Merci pulled Nathan out of earshot of the thieves and continued, “My father didn’t know the books were worth that much…or maybe it’s just one of the books. He probably bought them at some little street stall in Spain. They were books that were written in Spanish. My aunt used to be a missionary in South America. She likes to read Spanish books. When I got the care package, I put the books in the mail to Auntie. I didn’t want them taking up space and adding weight to my suitcase.”
“But for some reason Hawthorne knows how much the book or books are worth.”
“I know now where I saw him. When I got that care package from my dad, I opened it up in the student union. Hawthorne walked by me. He stopped and asked me directions to some place on campus. It was such a quick conversation. I don’t even remember where he wanted to go. I must have just taken out the books, and he saw them.”
“So he recognized that at least one of the books was valuable. Why go to all this trouble? Why not just offer to buy the book from you for a couple hundred dollars?”
“Maybe he was afraid I would do research and find out the book was worth more. It doesn’t matter.” She walked to where Daniel still held a gun on the two thieves. She addressed Leather Jacket. “You were supposed to call Hawthorne if you were successful, right?”
Leather Jacket stared at the ground. His voice filled with defeat. “Yes, if he doesn’t hear from us, he knows it didn’t work.”
“Nathan, we need to get to my aunt’s house. I mailed the books to my aunt right after the package arrived. If Lorelei has my phone, she knows where my aunt lives. Even if they don’t know that the books are there, they might be waiting there to ambush me once they figure out these guys’ plan didn’t work.” Merci stepp
ed toward thieves. “That was the plan, wasn’t it?”
Both of them nodded.
“Please.” Merci grabbed Nathan’s coat, her voice filled with desperation. “Aunt Celeste is in danger.”
NINETEEN
“Nathan, we’re ten miles from town.” Merci couldn’t hide the sense of terror that had invaded every cell of her body. “We have to go and make sure Aunt Celeste is okay.”
“Couldn’t you wait five minutes?” said Daniel. “I called the police in Grotto Falls when I saw the wreck. They’re on their way.”
“We have to go now,” Merci pleaded.
Nathan looked at his brother.
“I can watch these two until the police get here. You can take my car since yours is wrecked.” Daniel tossed Nathan the keys.
Nathan patted his brother’s shoulder. “Thanks…for saving my life.”
“I’d do it again tomorrow if you asked me.”
The walls seemed to have melted between the two brothers.
Merci and Nathan scrambled up the hill past the wrecked car to where Daniel’s car was parked beside the thieves’ car. Once Nathan had started the engine, he handed Merci his phone. “Phone the police in Grotto Falls. Maybe they can meet us at your aunt’s house.”
Merci nodded. Her stomach twisted into a tight knot as she dialed.
Please, God, don’t let them hurt my aunt.
The lights of the city came into view, and the landscape changed from mountains to rolling hills. Merci phoned the local police, explained the situation and gave them her aunt’s address. When she tried her aunt’s number, there was no answer.
She pulled the phone away from her ear. “Sometimes she doesn’t hear the phone if she is in the back part of the house.”
As they came closer to the city limits, they passed a gas station and a hotel. Hardly any snow had fallen at this lower elevation. Merci directed Nathan through the streets until they arrived at a white house with a stone walkway and chain-link fence. The windows of the house were dark.
A sense of apprehension skittered over Merci’s nerves. “Where are the police?”
“Maybe they’re still on their way.”
“They should have gotten here before us,” she said in a trembling voice.
Nathan knocked on the door.
“She wouldn’t have gone to sleep. She’s expecting me, and she would have left the living room light on.” Merci checked the door. It was locked.
“Let’s look around.” Nathan took Merci’s hand and led her around the side of the house.
“I think we need to call the police again.” Merci looked at the cell phone panel.
A hoarse whisper from behind her caused her to freeze. “The two of you better be really still.” Hawthorne stepped forward and placed a gun on Nathan’s temple. “Don’t try anything heroic.”
Hawthorne’s voice would haunt her dreams. If she lived to dream again. A sense of terror spread through her. “Don’t hurt him.”
Hawthorne raised an eyebrow. “I won’t if you tell me what I need to know. Now, why don’t all of us go inside? The back door is unlocked. Merci, you go first and if you try anything, your boyfriend dies. Are we clear on that?”
Lorelei must have told Hawthorne her name. How else would he have learned it? As she eased open the back door, she prayed that her aunt was still alive. Hawthorne was the type to get someone else to do his dirty work. Was he capable of killing?
Merci stepped through the door first. She gave Nathan a backward glance.
“It’s okay,” Nathan reassured.
Hawthorne pressed the gun harder against Nathan’s temple. “I meant what I said.”
Merci shuddered. The fire in Hawthorne’s eyes told her he had no problem with killing.
Merci stepped inside and reached for a light switch. Their footsteps seemed to echo in the hallway. Maybe Aunt Celeste had run out for a last-minute errand to the grocery store. Was it too much to hope that this animal hadn’t had the chance to do harm to her aunt?
“To the kitchen,” said Hawthorne.
She reached out and switched on the light in the kitchen. Merci gasped. Aunt Celeste was tied up in a kitchen chair. Tears streamed down the older woman’s face. Merci fell to floor and hugged her aunt.
“I’m so sorry this had to happen.” Merci stroked her aunt’s hair and wiped the tears away.
Celeste nodded but was unable to respond because of the gag in her mouth.
Hawthorne shouted toward the dark living room where the curtains were drawn. “Lori, get me two more chairs and some rope.”
Shadows covered Lorelei as she moved around the dining room and then came into the lighted kitchen carrying two chairs. Lorelei’s face was drawn. She looked as if she hadn’t slept in weeks. She kept her gaze on the floor.
Hawthorne took the gun away from Nathan’s temple and ordered him to sit down in the chair. He looked at Merci. “You, too.”
Nathan’s gaze moved around the room as though he were trying to come up with a strategy for escape. Hawthorne kept the gun on Nathan while Lorelei tied his hands behind his back and to the chair.
“Put your hands behind your back,” Lorelei whispered to Merci.
Lorelei tugged on Merci’s hands as she wrapped the rope around them. Merci bent down and angled her head so she could talk to Lorelei. “Why, why did you do this?”
“Shut up.” Hawthorne waved the gun at Merci.
Lorelei tugged harder on the restraints, causing the rope to dig into Merci’s wrists. Merci winced.
Lorelei stood up. “All done.”
“Good girl.” Hawthorne leaned toward Lorelei and kissed her. “It won’t be long now, Babe. We’ll be rolling in dough.”
Hawthorne narrowed his eyes at Merci as he loomed over her. “Now all you have to do is tell me where you put that Spanish language book. We’ll go get it, and you’ll be free to go.”
Merci knew he was lying. Once he had the book in his hand, she would be of no use to him. He’d probably kill Nathan and her aunt even sooner. “What book are you talking about?”
“It’s a nineteenth-century book about fruit trees written in Spanish with illustrations. The Un libro de arboles disappeared sixty years ago. It was suspected that it was stolen. How it ended up in some European street market is anyone’s guess. The bookseller obviously didn’t know what he had.”
He leaned over her. “So where is it?”
Merci shook her head. “I’m still not sure what you are talking about.” She had to stall long enough for them to come up with a plan, or for the local police to show up. Certainly, her call wouldn’t have been ignored…unless Hawthorne had found a way to throw the police off or to harm them.
Hawthorne leaned close enough for her to feel his hot breath on her cheek. “That day you were in the Student Union. I stopped to ask you where the cafeteria was. You had just opened a package with a European post mark.”
“Oh, yes, now I remember, the one my father sent.”
Aunt Celeste’s eyes grew wide, and her gaze turned toward the dark living room. The books were there stacked on the table by the couch. All Hawthorne had to do was turn on the lights, glance in that direction and he would see them. And then they would all be dead.
Hawthorne held Merci in his stone-cold gaze. “Yes, where is it?” He cocked his head to one side. “Don’t tell me you got smart and put it in a security deposit box.”
“I…umm… Let me think. There was so much in that package. I’m trying to think what I did with all of it.”
Hawthorne’s features tightened, indicating impatience. “Tell me what you did with it.”
Lights flashed across the curtains.
Lorelei ran to the window and pulled back the edge of a curtain. “It’s a cop. He’s driving by real slow. Jonathan, I think he’s going to stop here.”
Hawthorne’s gaze darted around the room and then he untied Celeste. “Now you listen to me, old lady. You’re going to tell this guy that everything is fine here and
that your niece has already gone to sleep.”
Lorelei came back into the kitchen, put a gag in Merci’s mouth and turned off the lights. There was no chance of the policeman seeing them when he stood at the door. Maybe she could knock the chair over and make a loud noise.
Hawthorne pushed Celeste to her feet. “And if you try anything. I’ll shoot you and then your precious niece.”
There was a knock on the door. A dog barked somewhere in the neighborhood. Celeste trudged toward the door. Hawthorne turned on the lights and crouched by the door where Celeste could see him but the police officer wouldn’t be able to. He kept the gun pointed at her.
With the lights on, the books were clearly visible. Merci held her breath. All Hawthorne had to do was pivot ninety degrees, and he would see the books.
Her aunt opened the door. The older woman gripped the edge of the door with trembling hands, but her voice was steady. “Hello Officer, what brings you out so late?”
Merci could hear the policeman but not see him. “We got a call earlier that you might be in some danger.”
“In danger?”
In the kitchen, Lorelei touched Merci’s wrist and whispered in her ear. “I did it because he promised me the moon and said I’d be rich. I thought I loved him.” The ropes around Merci’s wrist loosened. “But it has gone too far.”
The conversation continued at the door. “A Merci Carson called in a while ago concerned that you might have had a break-in.”
Celeste hesitated for a moment before answering. “I don’t know what Merci was so worried about. Everything is fine here. She arrived a little bit ago and went straight to bed. She must have forgotten to call you and say everything was just fine.”
“Good to hear. Sorry I was so slow in getting over here. I was on my way out to an accident just outside of town when the call came in. We’ve only got two officers on duty tonight. Well, you have a good night, ma’am.”
Celeste closed the door. Hawthorne jumped to his feet and shoved the gun in Celeste’s back. Hawthorne’s face grew red with anger. “Now, Merci, I suggest you tell me where that book is or I’ll put a bullet in your aunt and then in your boyfriend.”
