by Dana R. Lynn
After several hours, they came to a small town. They entered a drugstore and picked up some food and some more water. And a small pay-by-the-minute cell phone. As they stood in line, Tyler and Annabelle held a conversation, as planned.
“I think we should head toward Fort Wayne,” he said.
She nodded, wincing slightly at his overly loud voice. Really, he was a horrible actor. “We could do that. That seems to make sense.”
By the time they reached the bored clerk, Annabelle was clenching her teeth. They were so out in the open here. Yes, it had been her plan, but she wanted nothing more than to bolt out of the store and hide with Bethany and Tyler. Any moment now, one of the men after them could waltz right through those sliding doors. What would they do then? She doubted if the men would hesitate to shoot. Or kidnap Bethany. A shudder worked its way done her spine.
Tyler casually reached over and grabbed her hand. She startled. Forcing herself to calm down, she squeezed his hand to let him know she was all right. He raised an eyebrow at her, concern radiating from his blue-gray gaze. She smiled at him. He watched her for a minute before nodding and releasing her hand. Immediately, she wanted to reach out and grab his hand again. Which was ridiculous. She curled her fingers into her palm and focused her attention on her little girl.
Finally, they were on their way.
“Let’s get a few miles between us and this store before we try to set up the phone and call.” Tyler hefted up Bethany into his arm and grabbed Annabelle’s hand again. She allowed him to lead them back into the shadows.
They walked for another twenty minutes in silence. Annabelle’s thoughts whirled chaotically in her mind. Tyler’s voice broke through.
“You are not going to like this.” Tyler’s statement came out of nowhere.
“What? I’ve not liked a number of things recently. Can you be a bit more specific?” She allowed the sarcasm to drip in her tone, knowing that Tyler would find it amusing. Sure enough, he chuckled softly.
His chuckle dwindled, though, as he nodded his head to the right. “You’re not going to like that.”
Annabelle followed where he was indicating. The pit of her stomach dropped out.
There. Was. No. Way.
But she knew that he was right. The bridge that stretched out across the fast-moving stream was the best way to continue heading east and putting distance between them and the people who wanted to cash in on their deaths.
It was also the flimsiest excuse for a bridge that she had ever seen.
NINE
Her heart rate went into overdrive as they approached the bridge. The stream was only about thirty feet across. And it didn’t look that deep. Beneath the surface of the rippling, clear water, the rocks settled on the bottom were visible. What really bothered her was the speed at which it roared past. She was a good swimmer, but she knew that she would be swept away in that current. And what about Bethany?
The little girl had just started to learn to swim this summer. Before that, she’d been afraid to get into the water.
“I am sorry, Annie. I think it’s our best option. We can move on, though, and try something else.” Tyler. Trying to be understanding.
Her guilt shot up a notch. She was not going to be the one holding them back.
“No. You’re right. This is our best option. I need to get over myself and do it.” She clenched her jaw tight. She could do this.
“That’s not what I meant. You know that.” Now he sounded offended.
She cringed. She knew that wasn’t what he had been getting at. Facing her fears made her snap. “No, really. I need to do this.”
Without another word, they approached the bridge. A stiff breeze would rattle it. A cold sweat broke out all over her. She had no idea how she would manage this.
“Look, it won’t be that bad,” Tyler insisted. “There are handrails. And most of the wood is intact. Step over the parts that look rotted.”
That looked like most of the bridge.
She looked at him. He must have seen her fear. He stepped up to her and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “You can do this, Annie. I will do whatever I can to help you out. Let me get Bethany across and then I will help you.”
Without thinking, she leaned forward so that her forehead rested on his chest. His hands gently squeezed her arms. Sucking in a fortifying breath, she stepped back.
“I can handle a bridge, Tyler. Fear or no fear. I will be right behind you.” The words sounded good. She hoped that she could go through with them.
He glanced deep into her eyes, but finally he nodded. He turned and held out a hand to Bethany. “Okay, Bethany, let’s see if we can cross this bridge together, honey. I want you to hold my hand, do you understand?”
Bethany had apparently caught some of the vibes. Her eyes were round with fear as she nodded. “I don’t wanna.”
Her favorite phrase lately.
“I know you don’t, bug. I wish you didn’t have to. But I need you to do this. We need to keep going so the bad men don’t find us.” Her eyes grew even bigger. Annabelle waited for the tears to come. To her surprise, the tiny girl reached for her daddy’s hand and let him lead her across the bridge.
The bridge was every bit as rickety as she had feared. She trembled as she watched her husband and child slowly cross over the vicious water flowing below. Her heartbeat was heavy in her chest as she kept up a constant litany of prayer. She stepped onto the bridge when they reached the middle. A blast of wind hit them suddenly. Was the bridge shaking? Or was it just her? The bridge quivered below her feet. She placed her hands on the rails and took a step. The rails and the wood beneath her feet vibrated with each and every step she took.
Don’t look down. Don’t look down.
She looked down. The sight of the water rushing below nearly brought her down to her knees. Her stomach heaved. She jerked her head up, striving to keep her eyes on the bridge and her husband’s back. He was right in front of her. He and Bethany had almost reached the other side.
Even as she watched, he took another careful step. His foot went through the rotting wood. Bethany screamed. Annabelle’s heart stopped.
“Shh. It’s okay, Bethany. Just a bad piece of wood. Let’s keep going.”
Where did he get it from? The man had nerves of steel. He’d been shot at, several times, seen his boss murdered, been brought into hiding and now was walking across this death trap of a bridge, and still his voice was calm and reassuring. As if this was a normal afternoon walk for him. A feeling of admiration spread through her.
She was frozen. They made it to the other side. She stood where she was, feeling the bridge sway and hearing each individual creek.
She drew in a deep breath and edged forward. One step. Another. Partway across, she saw the place where Tyler had lost his footing. Holding her breath, she stepped around it. She was almost to the other side, when she heard Tyler shout.
“Behind you! Get down!”
A shot rang out. It bounced off the tree next to his head.
She looked behind her. Jim and his friend had figured out that they were being tricked. She dropped to her hands and knees, feeling the bridge give a slight bounce as her weight hit it.
She couldn’t believe she had just done that.
Another shot. This time, when she looked ahead, she saw that Tyler had shoved Bethany behind the tree. He was kneeling at the other end of the bridge, hand outstretched. Desperation stood out starkly in his eyes.
With a burst of speed she hadn’t known she was capable of, she scrambled across the bridge on her hands and knees. If she was going to die, it wasn’t going to be because she had waited for death to come and get her.
As soon as she was close to him, Tyler reached out and grabbed her, pulling her the rest of the way over. Together, they ran to where Bethany was.
Another shout behind her
made Annabelle swing around. Her mouth dropped open. There was a gap in the bridge. Jim was lying flat on the bridge, his Illinois baseball cap nearly falling off his head. The other man was nowhere to be seen. Right in front of Jim, though, there was a gaping hole. She knew immediately what had happened. Jim and friend had obviously decided to follow after them across the bridge. They had also apparently lacked the sense to move slowly.
“We can’t stay here.”
Urgency colored Tyler’s voice. Bethany was in tears.
Tyler picked up Bethany in his uninjured arm. “We have to get away from here. Far away.”
* * *
Tyler couldn’t believe how close they had come to getting caught. The look on Annie’s face when she had frozen on the bridge had terrified him. Then he had spied the men running up behind them. He didn’t think he’d ever forget that image—a man holding a gun, aimed right at them, while Annie’s back was turned to him.
She could have been hit. Maybe injured. Or worse.
He couldn’t let himself be drawn into thinking about that right now. He had more important things to do. Such as locating the marshals.
“Let’s get that cell phone set up and try the marshals.”
She searched him with her eyes. “I am going to have nightmares about that bridge for the rest of my life.”
He glanced down at her. “Me, too. I think my heart stopped when you fell to your knees. The way it bounced! Not to mention watching those men run onto the bridge, shooting.” He shook his head fiercely as if trying to shake off the memory.
Bethany hiccupped into his shoulder. Annie tightened her lips and grabbed the phone out of her bag. “I am not even sure if the thing is already charged. We may have wasted our time.”
He thought about it. “Yeah, but it’s worth a shot.”
Shrugging, Annie unboxed the phone and turned it on. It took ten minutes, but she was able to get it set up and add the airtime.
“It doesn’t have a lot of battery.” She showed him the phone. The battery icon was almost empty.
“It’s better than nothing.” He hoped it was enough.
Pulling out Karl’s number, she quickly punched in the digits and hit Send. She put it on speaker, so Tyler could hear it, too. It was answered almost immediately.
“Hello?”
“Karl? It’s Annabelle.” Tyler could see the tears welling in her eyes.
Hearing the voice of the marshal relaxed something inside of him. At least they knew he had survived. He had not allowed his mind to go there, but the thought had been constantly in the background the past day and half.
“Annabelle? Where are you? Are Tyler and Bethany with you?”
“Hey, Karl. Tyler here. Yes, we’re all fine. Although we have had a few close calls. We saw Rick was hurt. How is he? And Stacy?”
“Rick will be out of commission for a few weeks, but he’ll be fine. Stacy is here with me. We’ve both been concerned about you.”
Annie and Tyler gave as clear directions as they could. The bridge they crossed was actually a landmark that Karl recognized. “I know that bridge. Crossed it a few times myself when I was hiking in the area as a teen. I used to live around here. I’m only about an hour from you. Keep heading east. If you hit Garman Road, follow it. We’ll track you dow—”
Karl’s voice was cut off. Annie looked at the phone in her hand. It was no surprise when she informed Tyler that they had no battery left.
“I guess we keep walking.” Tyler wanted nothing more than to slow down, but that wasn’t a choice.
Twenty minutes later, they hit Garman Road. Both Tyler and Annie let out sighs as they spotted the name. It was a two-lane highway with a constant stream of traffic. They continued walking until a dark Ford Taurus pulled out of the line of traffic onto the narrow shoulder beside them. He had never seen the car before. Tyler was ready to grab his family and bolt when the window rolled down and he saw Stacy looking at them. Karl was in the driver’s seat.
“Care for a ride?” Stacy’s words were casual, but the skin around her eyes was tight. They were the eyes of someone who had been worried.
Tyler nodded and opened the back door. A booster chair was sitting in the middle for Bethany. He let his daughter in, then gestured for Annie to follow her. Once they were both inside, he jogged around to the other side of the vehicle. Karl turned on the blinker. It might be a minute or so before there was a break that would allow Karl to merge back onto the highway.
Nothing had ever felt as good as sinking into car seats in the back of an air-conditioned car. He barely had the energy to strap himself in before he slumped down in the seat and closed his eyes, letting out a sigh.
“I was expecting a different car,” Annie said softly.
He opened his eyes a crack. That’s right. They had left Iowa with three distinctly different vehicles.
Stacy turned partially around in her seat. “Our other vehicles have obviously been made. We still don’t know how they found us.”
Tyler straightened in his seat. “We do.”
Briefly, he told the marshals about the past day, including the conversation that he and Annie had overheard while they were hiding in the tree house. “I wondered about that. But no one was spotted following us. The good thing is, they have no idea where you are headed, and this is a totally different vehicle.”
“I’m just relieved that Rick wasn’t killed,” Tyler said. “I think I would have felt guilty for the rest of my life if he had died.”
To his surprise, Annabelle reached around Bethany and touched his shoulder. “You had no control over this situation, Tyler. I know it’s awful, but you are as much a victim of it as we are. I can’t even think about what you went through, seeing your boss killed that way.”
He grabbed on to her words like a lifesaver. Could she really mean it? “But my job—”
“Does not give anyone the right to harm you or anyone connected to you.”
“She’s right, Tyler.” Stacy shifted so she could turn in her seat and see them. “None of this is your fault.”
A glance flickered between Karl and Stacy. He could see Karl’s arm move. And Stacy blush. Was he holding her hand? Tyler peered around Bethany at Annabelle. He grinned. Her eyes were narrowed as she gazed speculatively at the two in the front seat. So she saw it, too.
The silence that fell was heavy, thick with the emotions of the adults in the car.
Karl broke the silence. “It’s time we told you about where you will be going. There’s a little Amish community in Ohio. It’s in a small farming town called Harvest. There’s a large number of Amish and Mennonite families settled there. You will be going in the program as Ty and Annie Miller. You need to start thinking of yourselves that way. There is no more Tyler and Annabelle.”
Things were starting to feel real very quickly. Karl continued to speak.
“You are going to be a young married couple who have decided to join the Amish church but have not yet been baptized. That should help you out of situations where you come across a cultural tradition or taboo. Plain folk will be forgiving since you are still learning. You will be staying with Abraham and Julia Beiler. They will supposedly be old friends of yours who have invited you to stay with them while you make the transition to Amish life.”
“How much do they know?” They had to know something, obviously. US Marshals were asking them to house people in their home. Complete strangers.
Stacy replied. “They know that you are in the witness protection program. And they know that you are not really Amish. We didn’t tell them the entire story. But they wouldn’t be surprised. They, too, are in the witness protection program.”
Tyler felt his jaw come unhinged. They were being placed with other program members? That seemed a bit unusual.
“What else?” Annie asked.
“Well, let’s see... Julia has t
wo children. Her son, William, is fourteen. He’s a nice young man, responsible and very helpful. Her daughter, Kayla, is seven. I think she’ll be a good friend for Bethany.”
Bethany’s ears picked up this last comment. She lifted her head from the toys that she had found on her seat. “Does Kayla like to swim? I am learning to swim this summer.”
Stacy grinned. Tyler understood. His daughter was too cute to resist. “I have no clue if she swims, honey. You’ll have to ask.”
Nodding, Bethany lost interest in the conversation and returned to her toys.
“Where was I?” Stacy tapped her chin. “Well, Abraham was a police officer for about a decade or so. Although he was raised Amish, right, Karl?”
The blond man at the wheel nodded. “Yup. He was recently wounded. Oh, and the bishop knows that you are in the program. He is a rather forward-thinking man. He agreed to allow you to have sanctuary in his district. I promised him you’d try to conform as best as you could.”
Tyler expected as much. Annie had a hesitant look on her face. “Everything will work out, Annie. We can do this.”
She rolled her eyes. “You have no idea, Tyler. But I promised to try. So I will.”
“We’ll be there in a few hours. It’s a nine-hour drive from where we were staying in Iowa. We’re in Indiana right now.”
“I should be able to pull onto the road after the red truck passes.” Karl craned his head to watch the progress of the truck, his hands starting to turn the wheel.
Before he could pull back onto the road, a bullet hit the side of the car. Bethany screamed. Annie put her arms around her daughter in an attempt to shelter her. Tyler was dimly aware of Stacy calling in the attack on her radio.
The shooter was somewhere off to the right, staying out of sight.
Suddenly, Tyler realized that their heads were above the back seat. Within sight of anyone with a gun. Without pausing, he reached over and unbuckled Bethany.
