Mountain Ambush

by Hope White

  “Ryan, I’m sorry,” Maddie called out.

  Her brother slammed the door shut.

  “Go ahead and order the food,” Nate said to Maddie. “We’ll wait for you out here.”

  With a nod, Maddie turned toward the restaurant, frustrated that Rocky’s good intentions had caused such tension between her and her brother.

  “Maddie?” Spence said.

  She glanced over her shoulder at him.

  “I’m glad you’re okay,” he said.

  * * *

  Maddie had barely spoken to Spence on the ride back to the resort. He assumed she was upset that he’d overreacted about her disappearance. He’d apologized to her in the squad car, but Nate said Spence did the right thing.

  “It’s always better to be vigilant than to ignore your gut,” Nate said.

  Maddie stared out the window.

  In this case, Spence’s gut had been wrong. Maddie hadn’t been in danger. She’d been out with her work partner. It bothered Spence that she’d refused to have dinner with him, yet went off with Rocky.

  When Spence asked her why she’d ignored her brother’s call, she explained that she’d been in a heated discussion with Rocky and figured responding to her brother and cousin via text would suffice. She said that Rocky had been trying to make a point: Maddie always put everyone else first, but never herself.

  The car went silent after that comment as if she was ashamed, that caring so much about others was a personality flaw.

  It wasn’t a flaw. It was a gift. Hadn’t she put Spence’s welfare above her own ever since they’d found Gwen on the trail?

  Nate dropped Maddie off at her cousin’s cottage and took Spence to the cabin where Ryan waited. Spence apologized to Maddie’s brother for overreacting, but the officer said it wasn’t necessary, that his irresponsible sister should have answered his call and texted more than a simple “I’m fine.”

  Spence wanted to argue the “irresponsible” remark, but thought better of it. As he and Ryan ate dinner, Spence learned that Ryan felt very protective of Maddie, which drove her crazy because she considered herself an independent woman.

  He and Ryan watched TV for an hour and Spence turned in early.

  Even now, well past midnight, he was unable to sleep. Perhaps another symptom of his concussion, or he could be wired from tonight’s excitement. So worried about Maddie being kidnapped, he’d caught himself praying for her safety.

  Hang on, praying?

  Spence shook his head and rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. The lights were off in his room, but the full moon glowed through the sheer curtains.

  He felt incredibly alone, detached from everyone. The brain trauma was messing with him again, making him moody and sullen. He wasn’t alone; he had plenty of friends.

  Then again real friends would know the truth about the patient he’d lost in Portland, about Spence’s brother who’d died at only eight years old. True friends would know about his fiancée’s betrayal that cut him so deeply he’d become an expert at keeping people at a distance with his effusive charm and practiced smile.

  Well, he’d kept everyone at a distance except Maddie. She’d somehow seen right through his facade.

  He started to drift, recalling how Maddie talked him down from his precarious ledge after the attack in the hospital; remembering the lovely image of her curled up on the chair in the cabin. It helped to visualize that image, a content and peaceful Maddie reading a book close by.

  Then the images turned violent, images of his enemy coming for him.

  Coming for Maddie.

  He jackknifed in bed, his heart pounding. Needing to distract himself, he slipped on a sweatshirt and opened his bedroom door. Officer McBride was sitting at the kitchen table looking at his phone.

  “Shouldn’t you be asleep?” he asked.

  “Not happening anytime soon.” Spence wandered to the kitchen counter and made some tea. He motioned to the table. “Mind if I...?”

  “Sure, have a seat. I was reading a book on my phone.”

  “About your ‘irresponsible sister’ comment earlier...” Spence started.

  “That was harsh. I was upset,” Ryan said, putting his phone in his pocket. “She’s so frustrating sometimes, but I love her.”

  “Frustrating how?”

  “Stubborn, opinionated. I think it’s a defense mechanism.”

  Spence glanced at Ryan in question.

  “She’s dealt with her share of pain,” Ryan continued. “Dad left us when she was fourteen and I was seventeen. Mom fell apart and Maddie tried so hard to make it better, to make Mom better. But you can’t fix other people, ya know?”

  Spence nodded that he understood. He remembered how he’d wanted to help his own parents deal with their grief after Bobby had died, but at thirteen, Spence had no clue what to do.

  “Anyway, when Maddie was fifteen Mom moved away to be with a cousin in Florida. Didn’t exactly invite her teenage daughter along,” Ryan continued. “So Maddie moved in with Aunt Margaret. Maddie loves our aunt and cousins, but it’s not the same. I think she felt like it was her fault somehow that my folks left.”

  “That’s tough on a teenager.”

  “Yeah, and then there was the idiot boyfriend.” Ryan shook his head.

  “A jerk?”

  “Actually he was really good for her. Brought her out of her funk.”

  Jealousy tweaked in Spence’s chest. “Then why is he an idiot?”

  “He moved away for school and basically dropped out of her life. It was traumatic.” Ryan glanced at Spence. “I think that’s what makes her Maddie, the bullheaded woman who will never leave Echo Mountain.”

  “She won’t leave because...?”

  “She’ll never run away like my parents and Waylan.”

  “You can move away and not be running from something.”

  “Yeah, try telling her that.”

  Spence considered Ryan’s words.

  “Anyway, I know I overreacted when she disappeared with Rocky, but it’s that big brother thing, which is unnecessary because she is one strong woman.” A proud smile eased across his lips.

  He had every right to be proud of his sister. Spence was not only proud, but also incredibly grateful.

  The peaceful moment was shattered by a shrill alarm coming from the resort.

  Ryan pushed back his chair and went to the front window.

  “What’s going on?” Spence said.

  “Not sure. Dispatch,” he said into his radio. “You get a call for an alarm at Echo Mountain Resort?”

  “Affirmative. Engine 52 and ambulance are on the way.”

  “A fire?” Ryan asked.

  “Affirmative.”

  Someone pounded on the cabin door.

  “It’s Nia!” a muffled voice cried.

  Ryan opened the door to the hotel’s concierge wearing a frantic expression.

  “Fire truck and ambulance are on the way,” Ryan said.

  “We can’t wait. There’s a fire in the kitchen. They think a little girl is inside. We need your help.”

  “Let’s go.” Spence approached the door.

  Ryan blocked him. “No, we’ve got orders.”

  “It’ll take emergency five to seven minutes to get here,” Spence said. “We can’t wait.”

  Ryan considered for a second. “I’ll call the chief.”

  “Call him on the way.” Spence grabbed a jacket and marched out of the cabin. “Where’s Aiden?” he asked Nia.

  “I paged him. He might be wiped out from the fall today. Went to bed early? I don’t know.”

  As Spence, Nia and Ryan jogged across the property, Ryan radioed that they were assisting with rescue efforts. By the time they reached the sout
h entrance, guests had evacuated the resort and smoke was seeping out of the kitchen windows.

  Ryan approached a small group of employees who were hovering by the entrance. “Everyone okay?”

  They all nodded that they were.

  “I’m Edith, head cook,” a middle-aged woman introduced.

  “Didn’t the sprinklers go off?” Ryan asked.

  “Strangely, no,” Edith said.

  Scott stumbled out of the building assisting a young woman.

  “My daughter? Did you see my daughter?” a man in his thirties asked Scott.

  “No, not yet.” Scott helped the woman to a nearby bench.

  “I’ve gotta go find her.”

  Ryan blocked the young father. “Sir, you need to stay back.”

  Spence put a calming hand on the man’s shoulder. “What’s your name?”

  “Rich.”

  “Rich, fire crews will be here any minute,” Spence said.

  “I’ll go back in.” Scott burst into a round of coughing.

  “You’ve inhaled enough smoke,” Spence said. “Do we even know she’s inside?”

  “Edith,” Ryan said. “Was a little girl in there?”

  “Yes, she came to watch us bake pastries for tomorrow’s breakfast buffet. I thought someone grabbed her on the way out.” She glanced at coworkers who all shook their heads that they hadn’t.

  Spence kept a firm grip on the father’s shoulder to prevent him from rushing into a burning building.

  “Where did you last see her?” Ryan asked Edith.

  “Near the dishwasher. The smoke was coming from the storage closet, where we keep the linens. I don’t get it. There’s nothing flammable in there.”

  “You stay here,” Ryan said to Spence and the father.

  Ryan covered his mouth with his jacket sleeve and rushed into the building.

  Spence scanned the group outside. Guests clung to their loved ones as they watched and waited for news about the fire.

  “I didn’t see any flames,” a thirtysomething redheaded man said.

  “I hope it wasn’t Tina smoking a cigarette in the closet,” a teenager said.

  “I thought she quit,” the redheaded man said.

  “Who’s Tina?” Spence asked.

  “Our new assistant baker. Single mother of three,” Edith offered. “Has anyone seen her?”

  They all shook their heads that she didn’t exit the building with them.

  Spence eyed the smoke-filled hallway. Ryan was looking for a little girl near the dishwasher, but didn’t know about the single mother who’d possibly been smoking in the closet.

  Sirens echoed from the highway. They were still too far away. If Tina had accidentally set the fire...

  Spence gripped the dad’s shoulders and looked him in the eyes. “Rich, I’m putting you in charge. Make sure everyone stays clear of the building. That includes you. And assist the fire department when they arrive.”

  The father nodded. “Okay.”

  Spence turned and raced into the building.

  He thought he heard someone shout his name from behind, but didn’t let it distract him. He had to get inside; he had to help.

  Shoving his jacket sleeve against his mouth, he slogged his way through the dense smoke. He stumbled down the hallway, wondering why the sprinklers hadn’t gone off. He flung open the kitchen door.

  “Ryan, it’s Spence! Where are you?”

  “I’ve got the girl!” Ryan said.

  “There’s another woman in here!”

  “I’ve got her, too! Get outta here!”

  Something snapped around his neck and yanked him back. Spence dug his fingers between his neck and what felt like braided rope.

  The pressure cut off his airway. Someone shoved a cloth over his mouth, making it even harder to breathe.

  “Don’t fight it.”

  The rope loosened and he gasped for air, inhaling whatever was in the cloth.

  The alarm grew distorted, sounding like the wail of an animal caught in a trap.

  “Relax. It’s almost over,” the voice whispered.

  SEVEN

  “Spence!” Maddie called, pacing outside the door to the resort.

  She couldn’t believe he raced into a smoke-filled hallway. What was he thinking? He wasn’t wearing equipment to protect him against fire. Was he that desperate to save lives?

  Or was this bad judgment due to the brain injury?

  And where was Ryan? He was supposed to be watching Spence, keeping him from doing anything foolish like rushing into a burning building.

  Unless Ryan was also inside.

  It took every ounce of self-control not to sprint into the resort after Spence, and possibly her brother, but common sense dictated she hang back.

  Emergency vehicles finally pulled up. Vivian and her partner, Karl, pushed a stretcher toward the resort. Maddie spotted Sam Treadwell climb off Engine 52.

  “Sam!” she called as he approached in full gear. “I saw Dr. Spencer run inside, and my brother might be in there, as well.”

  “Without gear?” he said, frustrated.

  “Find them, please find them.”

  Sam motioned to his team. As they started for the door, it swung open and Ryan came out, holding a little girl in his arms. A young woman clung to Ryan’s shoulder.

  “Ryan!” Maddie cried rushing to her brother. He handed the little girl to paramedics, and Maddie threw her arms around him.

  “Anyone else inside?” Sam asked.

  “I don’t think so.”

  Maddie broke the hug. “Spence, where’s Spence?”

  “I told him to get out.” Ryan scanned the area. “I thought he was ahead of me.”

  “We got this,” Sam said. He and his team entered the resort.

  “Are you okay?” Maddie asked her brother.

  “Yeah.”

  She hugged him again and he said, “Hey, it’s okay. Now you know how I felt when you didn’t answer my call earlier.” It wasn’t a shaming comment, it was a caring one.

  “I’m sorry about that,” she said.

  “I know, I know.”

  She broke the hug. “I’m worried about Spence.”

  “He called out to me. He was fine.”

  “He’s still in there?” As Maddie glanced toward the resort, she realized the terrified, thirtysomething woman with brown hair clung to Ryan’s shoulder.

  Maddie nodded at her brother. “Have the medics examine her.”

  Ryan turned to the woman. “Ma’am, let’s get you checked out.”

  She didn’t respond, just stared at her hand that gripped his jacket.

  “Come on, you’re okay,” he said, leading her to the ambulance.

  Maddie took a few steps closer to the door, hoping to get a better look, hoping to see the guys from Engine 52 escorting Spence out of the building.

  The alarm suddenly clicked off, blanketing the grounds in an eerie silence. She felt someone touch her shoulder. She glanced into her cousin Bree’s eyes.

  “Spence is still inside,” Maddie said.

  “The firemen will get him out.”

  Maddie nodded. A second ambulance pulled up to the side entrance. They were obviously prepared for multiple injuries.

  Her cousin Aiden rushed toward them.

  “You okay?” Nia asked.

  “Of course I’m not okay. My resort’s on fire.” He glanced at Nia. “Sorry, hon.” He kissed the top of her head. “How did this start?”

  “We’re not sure,” Nia said. “Smoke suddenly filled the hallways from the kitchen area.”

  “Dr. Spencer is in there,” Maddie said.

  “Spence? Why?” Aiden asked, wo
rried about his friend.

  Maddie stared at the building. “I guess he needed to help.”

  “I should’ve gotten here sooner,” Aiden said. He took a step toward the resort.

  Nia blocked him. “Don’t even think about it.”

  “Here comes Sam,” Maddie said. The firefighter and his team came out of the building assisting two more people, but not Spence.

  Maddie’s heart sank. Before she could ask the firefighter about Spence, he spoke to the group.

  “Everyone, you can go back to your rooms. It wasn’t a fire, just a lotta smoke contained in the kitchen.” Sam approached Aiden. “You’ve got a prankster on your hands. Someone set off a smoke bomb.”

  “Did you see Dr. Spencer?” Maddie asked.

  “I saw county paramedics wheeling him away from the side exit,” Sam said.

  Maddie nodded. She didn’t like that county had taken Spence because she didn’t know those paramedics and couldn’t push them for information about his condition.

  As everyone started talking around her—Aiden barking orders, Sam speculating on the damage and the kitchen staff asking if they should go back inside and finish the baking—Maddie glanced beyond Aiden and spotted two men wheeling Spence toward an ambulance. The hair on the back of her neck pricked.

  “Maddie?” Bree asked.

  “How’s Tina?” Aiden asked Ryan.

  “She’s okay. Relieved she didn’t start the fire.”

  “Sam says it was some kind of smoke bomb,” Aiden added.

  “Kids?” Ryan said.

  “Maddie, what is it?” Bree gripped Maddie’s arm.

  Maddie couldn’t take her eyes off Spence being loaded into the ambulance.

  Something felt off, but she wasn’t sure what. Maybe she just needed to see for herself that he was okay. Or maybe it was something else...

  “Maddie!” Ryan called out.

  That’s when she realized she was running toward the ambulance.

  Follow your gut.

  Bree had driven that message home over and over again to everyone in the McBride clan. As Maddie tore across the property, the ambulance sped off through a fog of smoke.

  And there, on the ground, was a body.

  “Spence,” she gasped.

  “Maddie!” Ryan caught up to her. “What are you—?”