by Dana R. Lynn
She could already tell that this was going to be a story that broke her heart. She would hear the story through, though—she could tell that Tyler needed to tell her.
Tyler seem to have trouble finding the words to say what happened. She tried to help him along.
“Did someone take advantage of your dad?”
He nodded. “My uncle—his brother. He had gotten into it with some very bad people. When my dad tried to help him by going to the cops, those people decided to try and ruin him. And they did.”
Her hand went to her throat—she was horrified.
Tyler continued his story. “My parents went to the police again. By this time, they had lost almost everything. And I don’t just mean material things. They had lost their self-respect. Friends had stopped calling. My best friend’s parents even told him that he couldn’t hang out with me anymore. Unfortunately, my parents couldn’t afford a good lawyer. And the court-appointed one just didn’t seem to be taking the case seriously. So no one was ever punished except for my dad and my mom.”
He caught her eyes with his, and the breath stuck in her throat. The pain she saw reached out and grabbed her.
“It killed him.” His voice was so low, she had to lean forward to hear him clearly. “Oh, I know it was officially a heart attack, but this tragedy is what killed my dad. And it broke my mother’s heart and she died, too. When I was offered a scholarship, I knew that I wanted to be a lawyer. I wanted to put people like that in jail. I took great pleasure in putting them in jail, too.”
His head dropped into his hands. “And that’s when my trouble started. I became so obsessed with putting the bad guys in jail, that I neglected you. Eventually, though, I paid for my arrogance. One of the men I put behind bars had a son. A son who promised to make me pay. I could never prove it, but a week later, a truck ran through a light and into our living room window.”
Her heart stopped. The accident. Her scars. They led back to Tyler and his job.
Annabelle didn’t know what to think. Or how to feel. To know that the accident that had caused her so much misery and pain was, in fact, no accident at all. If she could believe Tyler.
And she did.
It all made sense now. The way he’d started to pull back after her accident. The way he had suddenly not wanted the family to go anywhere.
“That’s why you didn’t go to my father’s funeral.” It wasn’t a question.
He nodded. “I never wanted to hurt you. I was afraid that if I showed up, he would go after your family. I was terrified that you or Bethany would be hurt or killed. I knew that my job was a danger to you. The man who wanted me to pay died of a heart attack. Then, two days later, you walked out. When you left, I wanted to go after you. But I knew it was for the best. I had many enemies. I couldn’t guarantee another wouldn’t have come after me.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t let me know what was happening!” She shook her head. “And what if we were in danger because you weren’t there to protect us?”
Tyler sighed and dropped his head into his hands. “I made sure that people knew we were not together in any sense. I stayed away from Bethany so it would appear that I was an uninterested father. And I have a friend who is a detective. He checked up on you now and then. I did whatever I could to make sure you were safe. I was pretty sure that the danger had been eradicated, but I couldn’t risk it.”
Annabelle felt like she was watching some poorly written soap opera. Any moment now, something would pop out of nowhere to save them. But, of course, it would not. “I thought that you were pulling back because my scars disgusted you.”
Had she really just told him that? She was a bit embarrassed by her vanity.
His shocked face told her more than his words could that the thought had never entered his mind. “Annie, you’re beautiful. You always have been. I thought your scars were beautiful, too.”
She ducked her head. That was hard to believe.
“It’s true. Every time I saw your scars, I remembered running to find you and lifting your lifeless body in my arms. I thought you were dead. I looked at your scars, and I remembered the gratitude I felt at knowing that you were alive.”
Their conversation was interrupted when Abraham entered the room carrying a cell phone. She recognized it as the same kind of phone that Karl had given her and Tyler.
“Is it Karl?” Tyler asked, accepting the phone when Abraham held it out to him.
“Yes.”
When Tyler answered the phone, she knew that their conversation was over. Frowning, she rapped her knuckles against the side of the chair. Her stomach was unsettled. Partly from the conversation they had just had, and partly from the events of the day. She remembered how gentle Tyler had been as he had seen to her wound. She had been so angry with him for so long, she had forgotten how sweet he could be.
Was she still angry with him? Now that she had an explanation, she understood what had happened between them. If she was honest with herself, she probably had let her insecurities caused by her scars keep her from fighting for their marriage.
Tyler had pushed them away to protect them. She got that. She even could respect it, although she felt he was wrong.
What she didn’t know was whether she could ever trust him not to do the same thing in the future if they were in danger.
THIRTEEN
The doctor came out to see her the next day. He cleaned her wound with a solemn expression and then told her that the next time she helped clean her husband’s hunting rifle, they needed to make sure it was not loaded first. Blinking, she agreed. Cleaning a hunting rifle? She probably couldn’t tell him that someone had shot at her.
Tyler and Abraham had gone to the barn to work by the time the doctor had finished and left. Sighing, she realized that there would not be an opportunity to talk with him more about what had happened in the past until later.
Did she want to talk more? Because if she didn’t talk to him, then she didn’t need to deal with the emotional bulldozer he had hit her with the day before.
Did she blame him for her accident? Could she allow their relationship to continue to grow, knowing what she knew?
It was fine while they were here, hidden in Amish country. But what happened when they returned home, if they returned home? She knew that he regretted missing out on their lives. She also believed that he did what he could to protect them.
What she didn’t know, and what she had been afraid to ask, was whether or not he would make the same choices again. Would he, if they returned to their lives, again bury himself in his work at the price of their family?
He had felt driven by what happened to his father. She got that. But she could not go through the emotional wringer he had put them through again.
A car drove into the driveway. It was Karl. She moved toward the door to let him in, but Julia beat her there.
“Karl!” The Amish woman greeted him with a smile. “I did not expect to see you again so soon. Although, you are always welcome.”
“Good morning, Julia. I didn’t plan on visiting so soon.” His gaze found Annie. “Ty said you had been attacked and that you had been shot.”
She nodded. “That is true. I don’t think it’s serious, though.”
“The whole situation is serious. I need to talk with you both.”
“He’s working with Abraham in the barn. I’ll go get him.” Julia hurried off. Less than ten minutes later, she returned, Tyler striding in behind her.
“Karl!” The men shook hands.
“Ty. As I was telling Annie, your situation is serious, but I do have some good news. Someone had heard gunshots and had called the police to the market. When they arrived and surrounded him, the man refused to surrender and began shooting at the police. They returned fire, and the man in question was killed. Although I never take someone’s death lightly, I am relieved that he n
ever had a chance to reveal that he had seen you.”
“How do you know that?” She clenched her fists tight enough for her short nails to dig into her palms.
“The police identified him as someone local. He had a long rap sheet, mostly minor crimes. His computer and his phone have been checked out. He apparently got word of the bounty on your head. As far as we can tell, he was at the market and recognized you from the pictures that had been circulated.”
“It seems odd that he would recognize us.” Tyler narrowed his eyes, his lips tight.
“Not really. This guy was known for his memory. What we used to call a photographic memory. The fact that he recognized you isn’t odd, but it isn’t exactly something most people can do, either. He made no phone calls after he saw you. Were you dressed Amish?”
“No, and we didn’t arrive at the market in the buggy. Abraham dropped us off before we got there.”
“Good. That should help.” He frowned. “I think you should still be safe here. This scenario could have happened anywhere we placed you. But I am going to start planning for a new placement for you. Just in case we need to move quick.”
Her heart sank. She had just started to get comfortable with the Beilers. And Bethany would be difficult. The only reason her daughter really tolerated their situation was because of Kayla and her chicken. She knew that her daughter was becoming anxious to return home. He hadn’t said they had to move, though. Only that it was a possibility.
Unwillingly, her eyes moved to Tyler. He had been quick-thinking during their ordeal. Had he always been that competent in dealing with a crisis? She was discovering new depths to him.
Karl continued. “For now, your cover is safe. I just would ask that you avoid the market until things settle down.”
He glanced around. “Are the kids here?”
“William took them out to the neighbors’. New kittens.”
“Ah. Well, that sounds great. I want to talk with Abraham as long as I’m here.”
Disappointment settled over her. She had enjoyed the market. Well, until the man started shooting. Knowing that she would not be able to go again anytime soon made her feel like the prison bars were coming in tighter.
“I’ll show you where he is,” Tyler said. “He was going out in the woods to check on something.”
Karl walked outside with Tyler. Annie sighed, discouraged.
“Annie, it will work out.”
Annie slowly rotated on her stockinged feet to face Julia. “I’m not sure it will. I feel like everything is coming unglued. Things I have known for years are not as they seem. My husband has someone after him, and therefore us, and now I can’t even go into the market.”
She needed to stop talking because she sounded like a teenager. Any moment she’d say, “It’s not fair!”
“Come, sit.” Julia brought two coffee mugs to the table. She joined her. “Have you talked with Ty about how you are feeling?”
A flush crawled up her neck and into her cheeks. “No. Julia, Ty and I, well, we’re married. But we have been living separate lives for several years now. I had always believed it was because he chose his job over us. Now, I’m not sure what to think.”
Briefly, she outlined what Tyler had told her, skipping over the part about his father. When she told the other woman about the accident that had nearly killed her and had left her with so many emotional and physical scars, Julia covered her mouth with her hand.
“Oh, that is so terrible!”
Annie realized there were tears on her cheeks. She dashed them away angrily. She was crying way too much lately.
“I don’t know what to do. I am afraid of the fact that we seem to be growing so close. I don’t want to get hurt again.” She wasn’t worried about him abandoning Bethany again, though. He’d said he wouldn’t, and despite everything that had happened in the past, she trusted him to keep his word.
Julia considered. “Sometimes life is hard. Before I met Abraham, I was struggling to raise two children alone. William, he’s such a wonderful young man. And he is such a joy to me. Now. A year ago, though, he was in trouble. Well, you remember what I told you, about him getting involved with a gang. He even ran away.”
“No!” Shocked, Annie stared at her new friend.
“It is true. Abraham, his story was equally harsh. His first wife and child were murdered, killed by a car bomb. I do not know how he survived that.”
Neither did she. The thought of anything happening to Bethany turned her stomach. How did one pick up the pieces after such devastating events?
She asked the question out loud.
“The only way I know to survive is through my faith.”
Annie bit her lip. “I’m afraid I haven’t relied on God as much as I should through this. I tend to leap and think of going to God afterward.”
A brief smile flickered across Julia’s face. “That is human nature. But I think the more we trust in Him, the more resilient we will be when the hard times come. Because they will come. Having faith does not mean we have an easy path.”
The truth of the statement hit her. She had acted as if things should be easy, because she had faith. When she left Tyler, she had expected him to come after her, and then pouted when he hadn’t.
And despite his distancing himself from them, he wasn’t the one who left.
That was all on her.
* * *
Karl excused himself to take a phone call, leaving Tyler and Abraham alone. As they usually did, they began to talk and debate current issues. Abraham Beiler was one of the most interesting men that Tyler had ever met. The man had lived a very hard life, and had managed not only to survive, but also to thrive. Tyler shuddered even to think about losing his family so violently.
The one thing that made Tyler uncomfortable was how unreserved Abraham was when it came to talking about his faith. Tyler realized he had kind of given up on his faith when things had turned sour. He hadn’t even given God a chance to work before he had pushed Him out of his life. Instead, he had just accepted things as they were. His life stalled.
When was the last time he had a real friend to talk to? Even when he was supposedly happily married to Annie, on some level he always kept his emotional distance from her. It was almost like he had always known that one day she would leave him.
No, that wasn’t true. Her leaving had shocked him. But what had shocked him even more was that he hadn’t really even noticed how far apart they’d gotten. He hadn’t noticed how much pain she was in. Was it by choice?
“Ty, how is Annie feeling today?” Abraham asked. It was almost as if he knew whom Tyler was thinking so hard about.
“Oh, I think she’s doing all right. She’s strong.” He paused, then blurted out, “I hate that she was hurt because of me.”
Now what on earth had made him say that? Abraham was going to think he was off his rocker. That’s not the sort of conversation one has with a virtual stranger.
Except, Abraham and Julia didn’t really feel like strangers. It was probably because Tyler knew that they were in the witness protection program, as well. And lived to tell about it. Abraham had told him about the deaths of his wife and child, as well as the gang members who had been hunting down William. Now, they were a family, living a simple life far from where they had started out.
That made him pause again. The Beiler family was still in the witness protection program. And they probably always would be.
What if he and Annie were always in the program, too? They couldn’t go on as they were. Deep inside, he knew that he still had feelings for her. They had never really died out. He had just shoved them aside so that he could carry on doing his job. A job, if he was honest, he had come to despise. He felt no joy inside when he was working. Only a sense of never-ending duty.
Could they be a couple again? But what would happen if they left the program? H
e didn’t know if he even wanted to go there.
Abraham was staring at him, an expectant look on his face. He was no doubt waiting for Tyler to explain why he had been avoiding his wife. Tyler laughed to himself, although there was no humor in the sound. He’d been doing a lot of explaining himself lately. He wasn’t exactly sure that he enjoyed that.
“Hey, Ty! Abraham!” Tyler was grateful to see Karl approaching. “I have some news for you.”
Tyler was glad to know that the man who’d been shooting at them hadn’t found out where they were.
But Annie wouldn’t be happy about having to stay away from the market. He knew that she had enjoyed the experience, minus the shooting, of course.
“What I really wanted to tell you,” Karl said, his tone catching Tyler’s attention, “is that the judge has moved up the trial date. And Billy Clarke, our resident technology whiz kid, has stumbled on information that the bounty out on you has increased. Tyler, I don’t need to tell you that you and Annie have to stay under the radar. Now, more than ever. Every bounty hunter and petty thief in the continental US will be after you. They won’t care if they bring you in dead or alive.”
* * *
Karl stayed through dinner, then he departed with a final warning for them to be careful and to stay alert. After he left, Tyler asked Annie to take a walk outside with him. Her eyes widened. He’d caught her by surprise. She said yes, to his relief.
They stepped outside and moved away from the house. Not too far away. Just far enough away where their conversation would not carry through the windows to the people still inside. As they walked, he laced his fingers through hers.
“Annie...” He couldn’t bring himself to look at her. Not yet. “Karl brought some news today.”
She halted and tugged him to a stop with her. “Is it about the man who shot me? I know that Karl said that he doesn’t think our cover has been blown.”
“Yes, and no.” He caught her other hand and leaned toward her. Their foreheads touched. Just for a moment, he thought, let me pretend that she still loves me and that everything will be fine. “You already know that he’s no longer a threat. What Karl just told me is that the trial date has been moved up.”
