by kimberly
The Expedition ate up the distance between the Naltsiine property and their own in short order.
Jenna touched his arm. “Cole. Babe, slow down.”
A glance at the speedometer told him he’d doubled the speed limit. With snow and ice, that was plain stupid. He let his foot off the accelerator. Andie’s eyes met his in the rearview mirror. This wasn’t a military operation. This was family. Careful, Maddox.
Almost there. “I’m sorry, girls.” He let out his breath. “It’s just—”
“We know, Cole.” Andie blurted, crossing her arms across her chest. Anger dripped from her words. “I want to hurt whoever’s doing this.”
Jenna whipped around in her seat. “We’re all upset about this, young lady, but that is no way to talk.”
Andie’s face turned beet red as tears streamed. “They’ve stolen my best friend, Mom! Stolen her spirit, her faith, her trust, her laughter! We’ve been connected since we were babies, you said so yourself—”
“Squirt—”
“I feel like I’ve been torn in half, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get the other half back.” She sobbed into her hands.
Cole and Jenna exchanged a look.
“I’m sorry.” With heavy sniffs, Andie wiped the tears from her face. “I’m sorry. I’m just so stinkin’ worried about Zoya. She hasn’t been herself since this whole thing started.”
Cole pulled into Anesia’s driveway as Jenna reached back to their daughter. He shifted the truck to park. “It’s all right, Squirt. We’re all a little tense.”
Jenna nodded. “But we need to be strong and find out what’s going on, okay? This is tough junk for you guys to have to handle, but please remember that you can always talk to us. Always.”
Andie’s blue eyes lifted to stare at Sean. Sadness etched lines into her forehead. “I know. But if Zoya keeps stuffing everything inside and doesn’t talk to me, we’re going to have a bigger problem.”
The wisdom in their daughter’s words struck his gut like a physical blow. He searched Jenna’s face. Her mouth set in a grim line. As they all exited the vehicle, Cole watched his girls head up the front steps to Anesia’s home. His gut tightened.
If his suspicions were correct?
God help them all.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
COLE
January 30
Naltsiine Kennels
5:34 p.m.
Sergeant Roberts walked in the door. “There’s no one there.”
Cole watched Zoya for a reaction.
Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “But . . . he was there . . . and all that blood . . .” She clamped her mouth shut and shook her head again.
Detective Sheldon turned to the other officer. “I’ve got a statement, let’s get back out there and do a full sweep.”
“Yes, sir.”
The detective turned to Cole. “Keep the door locked behind us and it would be a good idea to set the alarm again.” The man’s intense gaze swept the room. “Is there anything else you need, Ms. Naltsiine?”
Anesia looked at Cole. “The dogs need to be checked on, but that can wait ’til you get back.”
The officers took their leave. Cole locked the dead bolt and went to the alarm key pad.
“Just hit STAY,” Anesia rubbed her neck and held onto Jenna’s hand. “Thanks for coming, guys.”
Jenna wrapped her arm around her long-time friend. “Not a problem. I’m so glad you called.”
Cole pulled a chair up beside the couch and touched Zoya’s knee. “How’re you doing, kiddo?”
No response. Just a few silent tears rolled down her cheeks. Zoya’s knuckles were white where she gripped her mother’s arm. The kid was in shock.
He turned to Anesia. “Did she recognize the guy who shot at her?”
“No. And if Sasha hadn’t gone out the dog door behind her, he probably would’ve succeeded.”
Jenna gasped. “Anesia, maybe you shouldn’t say things like that in front of—”
Anesia’s gaze snapped to Jenna, then Cole, then back to Jenna. “I’m not going to coddle anyone, Jenna. We’ve always been honest and open about everything. This terrified my daughter, yes, but she saw what happened. I can’t change that. Can’t take it away.” She wrapped Zoya in a fierce hug as tears pooled in her eyes. “First, Zoya witnessed a murder. A murder, Jenna. And I can’t do anything about that. Can’t take those horrible images away. And now? Now someone has tried to murder her! Again! You might not think I’m handling this correctly, but let’s face it.” The tears were streaming down her face now as the volume of her voice grew. “This is our reality.”
Jenna’s jaw dropped. And then snapped shut. She looked to Cole.
He shook his head. Hoping she’d get the hint.
But she spoke anyway. “Anesia, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that you weren’t handling this right, I was just—”
“Trying to help. I know.” Anesia stood, Zoya attached to her arm like glue. “Let’s just drop it. I never should’ve snapped at you.”
“Ladies, emotions are running a little high right now, and we’ve neglected the most important thing.”
Anesia’s fiery gaze focused on him.
“We need to pray.” He grabbed Andie’s and Jenna’s hands. “You guys know I’m still new at this. But—”
Andie squeezed his hand bringing his gaze down to hers. Tears brimmed her eyes. In a sudden rush of emotion, Cole was back on the side of Sultana, a treacherous mountain in the Alaskan Range. Stranded. With nowhere to go. And two injured women to care for. No matter how hard he’d tried, he couldn’t do it on his own then, and he couldn’t handle this on his own now. They needed to turn it over to the only One who could help them through.
He gave Andie a slight nod and closed his eyes. “Father, we don’t understand what’s going on. But we come to You seeking wisdom and guidance and protection. We can’t do this alone. Please protect Anesia and Zoya, help us not to fear, but to trust in You. And Father, help us to forgive, just as You have forgiven us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
As he opened his eyes, his gaze was drawn to Zoya first. Her face was bland. No expression. One hand clung to her mom, the other methodically stroked her dog’s back.
Sasha stood by the edge of the couch like a sentinel, protecting her girl. Her ears on alert. Eyes darting around the room at each little noise. This animal had saved Zoya’s life. How many people would’ve risked everything to do the same?
“Thanks, Cole.” His wife wrapped an arm around his waist. “Maybe I should fix something hot to drink for everyone.” When no response came from Anesia or Zoya, Jenna glanced at Cole—fear and hurt evident in her eyes—before heading into the kitchen.
Andie went and sat beside Zoya’s stiff form. Didn’t say anything. Just sat there.
“Zoya?” She’d already been through enough, but he needed answers. “I need to ask you some questions.”
A nod. But she wouldn’t look him in the eyes.
“Can you tell me what the guy looked like?”
“Tall. Like a stick. Ugly. Mean face.”
“Did you see what he was wearing?”
“All black.”
“Color of his eyes, or hair?”
“Black. Awful black.”
Cole ran a hand across his jaw. Not a lot to go on. Poor kid. “Anything else you noticed?”
She stared at Sasha. “I didn’t have time. Didn’t even know he was there. Just heard that sound, like he was getting ready to shoot, and I looked up.” A tear slid down her face. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
And like that, an invisible wall shot up. Gone was the sweet girl who loved to talk to him about Jesus. Gone was the face that so easily offered a smile. Gone was the soft-spoken encourager . . .
Andie was right. The experiences were ripping Zoya apart. God, we could really use Your help.
He nodded at Anesia and left the room. Right now, all he wanted to do was punch somebody. And worse. He wanted to
mete out punishment—to serve vengeance on whoever stole the innocence and life out of that precious kid. And the FBI. He knew they were busy, desperate to bring the ring down, but Cole felt more pressure from them to keep everyone safe. He was only one man. And these people meant everything to him.
A knock on the door broke through his anger. He walked back to the front. Checked through the peephole. Detective Sheldon stood on the porch. More official vehicles were parked along the driveway.
“Anesia, I need to disarm the system and talk to the detective.”
She gave him the code.
After the detective entered, several seconds passed before he spoke. “We found blood. Hastily covered up with snow. But there nonetheless. Footprints seem to have been brushed away, so we haven’t found enough to get a cast yet, but we’ll keep searching. Appears to be at least two men.”
“Anything else?” Cole eyed the shocked pair on the couch. “Zoya said she only saw one.”
“Not yet. But the team is out there looking. We’ll keep a car here with surveillance around the clock. Apparently the second man came to help the shooter. That’s all we can guess at right now.” The detective turned to Anesia. “Please let me know if your daughter remembers anything else.”
“Thank you, Detective.”
They headed out the door.
Cole stood on the threshold, watching the men leave. How could he protect them and find what he needed for AMI at the same time? The pressure built in his head.
Sean raced toward them and took all the porch steps in one. He nodded to the detective. “You might want to hear this.” He bent at the waist to catch his breath.
Cole closed the door behind him so they could talk on the porch. “What?”
“I went around the perimeter of the property. And I found this”—he lifted a tiny, plastic-encased macrochip—“next to some Snickers wrappers.”
“Did you touch anything else? Were there any footprints?” The detective crossed his arms.
“No, I tried to leave it all untouched, and yes.” Sean straightened. “Appeared to be at least two sets.” He zeroed in on Cole. “How are they?”
“Not good.” He shook his head. Sean was a good man. His concern was evident. And his anger.
The detective sighed and turned to Sergeant Roberts. “Go with Sean and check it out, collect all the evidence.”
“Mind if I have a look at that?” Cole lifted the chip up to the light. “Detective, I think you need to come back inside.”
“Major Maddox, there’s something you need to know. That’s not the first one we’ve found.”
“Excuse me?” His anger burned. “And you didn’t think it was important enough to mention? Do you even know what this is? Because I can tell you right now, sir, that this isn’t just a murder investigation.” He glared at the detective. “It’s a matter of national security.”
* * *
RICK
January 30
Anchorage, Alaska
7:11 p.m.
An elephant sat on his chest. The pills weren’t working. Neither was the amber liquid in the shot glass in front of him.
The spirits had cursed him. And now there was nothing he could do about it.
The phone rang.
“Yeah?”
“We have a mess that needs to be cleaned up.”
Please, don’t let it be Zoya. “What?”
“Our man was unsuccessful today.”
He let out the breath he’d been holding. So Zoya was still alive.
“You need to dispose of him. And I’m putting you in charge of eliminating our problem.”
“Sir?”
“The girl. She’s too skittish. And from the way she’s reacted when he makes himself known, she definitely recognizes him. You need to get rid of the witness. No questions. No buts. Just do it.”
Maybe the spirits hadn’t cursed him after all. Was this the way out? “I’ll take care of it.”
“Good. The sooner the better.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And Rick?”
Here it comes. His chest tightened to the point he didn’t think he’d ever be able to take another breath. “I’m listening.”
“You’re my best man. My second-in-command.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t make me kill you too.”
The vise around his heart squeezed harder.
“Get the job done.”
* * *
ANESIA
January 30
Naltsiine Kennels
9:31 p.m.
The nightmare just wouldn’t end. After Cole spoke with the FBI, another set of armed and uniformed people came to her house. With more questions. Always the questions. New ones, and the old ones. Over and over and over.
If Anesia didn’t know any better, she’d think they suspected her of stealing AMI. The only thing going for her was the fact that all the boot prints they collected were from men’s boots.
Andie and Zoya sat side by side in a big overstuffed chair. Legs all tucked up under them, their heads leaning together. Neither one speaking. Would the trauma to these two never end?
Cole’s voice echoed off the wood floors. “Thank you for coming. I’ll be in touch.” He closed the door on the last batch of FBI personnel and walked toward her.
Jenna wrapped an arm around Anesia’s shoulders. “They’ve cleared you for now, Anesia. But this doesn’t look good. Somehow Dan’s brother, your property, and tiny macrochips . . . it’s all connected to stealing AMI.”
Anesia placed her hands on her hips in exasperation. “I’m a mother for crying out loud! And I own a dog kennel! Why on earth would I steal Marc’s stupid program?”
Jenna squeezed her shoulder and went to sit on the couch.
Great. Now she’d hurt Jenna. The one person who’d always stood beside her. “I’m sorry.”
Her friend looked up at her. “I understand. It feels like a fresh stab wound every time AMI is brought up. I’m thankful Marc turned around in the end, but the consequences keep following us. Such destructive power.” Jenna shook her head. “I should be apologizing. Here we are facing an unknown enemy and I’m feeling sorry for myself.”
Andie stood up and joined her mom. “Daddy wouldn’t want us focusing on all the negative stuff. God’s brought us so much good from all this mess.” Her spunky syats’ea eyed each person in the room. “Cole and Sean for starters.”
“You can’t argue with her there.” Cole smiled and patted Sean on the back.
Anesia’s heart beat a little faster. Sean. The complexity of the man unnerved her at times. As she learned about him in layers, the more she trusted him. Liked him. As their gazes collided, he frowned. She’d embarrassed him by not responding last night. Maybe even hurt him. Would she ever get the chance to let him know how much she respected him? How drawn she was to him?
“Mom?” Zoya rested her head in her hands on the arm of the chair.
She walked over and knelt in front of her daughter. “You okay, sweetie?”
“My head hurts. And I’m really tired.”
“Let me get you some medicine. It’s been too long of a day and you just had a concussion.” Was that only yesterday?
“I don’t want to be alone.”
“Okay. I’m not going anywhere.”
“No. I don’t want to be alone when I sleep.”
“Would you like to sleep in my room?” Her heart broke at the forlorn look on Zoya’s face.
“Yeah.” Zoya lifted her face. “Auntie Jenna?”
“Yeah, Punkin?” Jenna walked closer.
“Can Andie stay for a few days?”
“Sure thing. Cole and I already decided that we were going to stay here for a while. And when you’re feeling better, you can come stay at our house too, okay?”
Zoya nodded. Exhaustion and grief and fear all mixed in her eyes.
“Let’s get you two settled and then us adults are going to talk for a while, all right?” Anesia lifted
her daughter’s limp hand and tugged. The poor kid had no energy. “Hey Cole, would you mind carrying Zoya for me? I don’t think she’s got any strength left.”
Cole was at her side in an instant and lifted her precious child into his arms. Sean stood watching. His hands flexed at his sides. The muscle in his jaw twitched. If only she could read what was going on in that head of his. She turned to the stairs.
Not a sound came from Zoya. It was like she’d given up. Once they made it to Anesia’s room, Cole laid her on the bed.
“I don’t want to be alone.” Zoya’s words were hollow. Full of fear and dread.
“I’ll stay with you.” Andie slid onto the bed next to her. “Don’t worry. I won’t leave. Not even to go to the bathroom. Not until your mom is here, okay?”
Zoya nodded and clutched Andie’s hand.
Anesia kissed the tops of both of their heads. “I love you. We’ll be downstairs.”
As Anesia left the room, the anguish in her daughter’s eyes wrapped her heart in a tight squeeze. Would they ever get Zoya back?
She grabbed the rail and started to descend the stairs, but stopped on the second step. God, I don’t know what You’re doing, but it sure would be nice to have a little help. Forgive me for my doubts, Lord. But I’m so afraid.
Tears clogged her throat, but they wouldn’t come. And for once, she really needed to have a good cry. Lowering herself to sit, she released a long breath.
A shadow rounded the corner.
Sean.
He looked up into her eyes. No words were exchanged, but he got the message. As he approached, he took time with each step. Reaching her, he lowered himself to the step below her in silence.
The ball was in her court.
Her fingers fidgeted.
He sat. Patience and something undefined written all over his face.
Maybe it was time to just let it all out. “Sean, I need to apologize. I couldn’t collect my thoughts last night and everything overwhelmed me. I never wanted to hurt you. And . . . hopefully you see now how much I . . . need you.”
“Don’t worry about it. It was entirely my fault.” His words were too stiff. Even for him.
