by Dana R. Lynn
“We should be going if we’re going to do this.”
She knew Levi was giving her one last chance to back out if she wanted to. She couldn’t. Not yet. She couldn’t back out and maybe never learn what had happened.
He read her expression.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
Levi already had the buggy hitched and ready to go. She smiled. He’d been confident about what her response would be. He knew her well for only having known her a few days.
They clambered up into the buggy.
Levi flicked the reins, starting the mare off at a trot. “I would like to be home by lunch. I’m supposed to go in to work this afternoon.”
“For the buggy tours?”
“Jah.” He glanced at her. “Would you like to cumme?”
Lilah blinked. “I don’t know. Would you get into trouble?”
He snorted. “Not likely. My boss would be thrilled to have you join us. He has told me that I could bring a brother or a friend if I wanted to.”
“I’ll think about it.” It might be amusing. And, she had to admit, spending time with Levi that didn’t include doing something that might get them shot or killed had its own appeal.
As planned, Levi pulled the buggy off the road before they arrived at her property. He hopped out, then held out a hand to assist her.
“One moment.” He reached behind his seat. His arm bounced a few times as he searched for something. “Ah! There it is.”
Curious, she leaned closer. He was holding a pair of binoculars. Well-used ones, judging by the scratches and dings on them.
“These will help me see if there are any snipers hiding in the trees today.”
Oh, she hoped he didn’t see any. She placed one hand over her stomach, trying to quell the queasiness.
“We’ll use the cover of the trees to go in behind the barn,” Levi whispered. “If I tell you to drop, fall on your stomach on the ground. Don’t ask questions. I don’t want you to get hurt because you didn’t move fast enough.”
Lilah didn’t trust herself to answer, so she just nodded. His blunt words sounded harsh, but she knew him well enough to understand he didn’t mean them to be. It was just the way he was, and truthfully, she appreciated his honest approach and lack of pretense. It was fast becoming one of the traits she admired most about him. And Levi Burkholder had many outstanding characteristics.
For a moment, she regretted the risk he was placing himself in for her. If he got hurt, or worse, she didn’t know how she’d live with the guilt.
He offered, she reminded herself.
Mentally, she prayed for their safety and for Gott to guide and protect them.
Levi beckoned for her to follow him. She did her best to mimic his actions, trying to keep her steps as quiet as his as they walked through the woody area. Whenever there was a sound, they would immediately freeze and Levi would visually search for the source of the noise. Then they would continue walking. It made for a very slow trek to the back of the barn, but Lilah couldn’t see that they had any other choice. Every few minutes, Levi would motion for her to stay back, and he would step closer to the tree line to use his binoculars. At these times she held her breath until he returned to her.
She was so antsy to reach the destination that she was actually shocked when she found herself reluctant to leave the relative safety of the trees. More than reluctant. Levi had come back from using his binoculars again, and she found herself momentarily unable to move her feet.
Levi moved to stand directly in front of her. She was mortified at her weakness.
“I can do this,” she whispered.
“Jah, I know you can.”
She jerked slightly when his hand touched her face. Gently, he lifted her chin to bring her gaze to his. “You are a strong woman, Lilah. But even strong people have obstacles they can’t cross alone.”
His hand left her face and drifted down to take her right hand in his left. She gripped his hand tightly.
“Ouch,” he said mildly. “Ready?”
Suddenly, she sniffed. “Do you smell smoke?”
He lifted his head and inhaled. His head whipped around in the direction of the smell. “It’s close.”
Still holding hands, they ran to the back of the barn. A breeze blew a thick cloud of black smoke past where they were standing into the trees they had recently left. Creeping along the back of the barn, they edged their way to the corner. The smoke was thicker now. The acrid smoke was burning her eyes and the insides of her nostrils.
Rage furled inside her. Lilah knew what they would find even before they looked around the corner.
The debris pile which had once been the shed that had served as Jacob’s office was now a roaring mass of flames. The thick smoke from the blazing pile smelled horrid, curling and clawing at the sky like a hideous monster.
As the flames reached higher, the fire was spreading. The dry grass and the tree soon began to burn. Sparks and embers jumped from the main fire.
“Lilah, the barn is on fire!” Levi pointed to the front of the barn. It had indeed caught fire.
“We have to go—now!” Lilah just grabbed Levi’s hand and pulled him back away from the wall. She didn’t have time to explain, but she knew what was kept in that corner of the barn. Amish hauser didn’t use electricity, but they did use propane and other fuels. Right inside the barn, Jacob had built a shelf, a wooden shelf, where he stored their extra propane, oil and kerosene for the lamps they lit their haus with.
Levi didn’t question her urgency. Picking up the pace, he ran with her.
They were almost to the woods when the structure exploded, sending Levi and Lilah hurtling to the ground.
ELEVEN
Lilah hit the ground hard. The breath was knocked out of her, and she knew she would have several bruises.
Groaning, she got to her knees. They couldn’t stop. Already she could hear the crackling of the fire around them. The smoke filling the air sent her mind back to the night when her brother had died. Except now, along with the smoke choking her, it was the memories.
Turning her head, she coughed. Then she cried out in fear.
Levi wasn’t moving. His head was bleeding. It was bleeding profusely.
Nee, this could not be happening again.
Grunting, she pushed herself up and staggered to her feet. She had to get Levi out of here. Fast. This fire was going to blaze out of control, and she and Levi would be stuck and roasted alive.
She thought about moving back out to the open, but then she paused. That fire couldn’t have been going very long. Which led her to believe that whoever had set the shed afire, surely they were still in the area.
Either she would be dragging Levi out to face a sniper, or they could continue on through the woods and face fire.
If only Levi was awake. Nee, she was smart enough to make a plan without him. Although it would be an immense help if Levi would get up and walk. Even if she had to support his weight, that would be gut. She didn’t relish the idea of dragging him.
Gott, I could really use help. Please, let him wake up.
Bending down, she grasped him firmly under his arms and began dragging him away from the fire, deeper into the trees. She had only managed to drag him ten feet when her back muscles began to burn in protest.
They weren’t going to make it.
Desperate and too exhausted to think, tears streamed down her cheeks.
Levi groaned. She stopped. When he groaned again, she gently set him back down on the ground and scurried around so she could see his face.
“Levi? Levi! Please open your eyes! You have to walk or we’ll both die.”
She didn’t expect it to work, so was shocked when his eyes popped open. They widened farther when he saw the flames.
“Gotta get up.” He rolled to his knees and retched.
/> She held her clasped hands to her lips, praying silently. “What can I do?”
“I probably have a concussion,” he gasped out. “Nothing you can do. You’ll have to help me walk.”
She could do that.
Together, they managed to get him into a standing position, although she couldn’t have said how they accomplished that seemingly impossible task. Once he was on his feet, she rushed over to his left side and burrowed under his arm. He wrapped it around her shoulders while she grabbed him around his back with her right arm. It was worse than entering a three-legged race when heights were vastly different. Except the issue now wasn’t height as much as it was Levi trying not to give her too much of his weight. Which resulted in Lilah constantly trying not to be yanked to the side.
“Levi, lean on me a little more.”
He resisted for a few minutes, but finally sagged slightly against her. Most likely due to being too weary to do otherwise. Her back began to sweat, her dress beginning to stick to her skin like glue.
Was it her imagination, or was it becoming warmer?
Throwing a desperate glance over her shoulder, her fears were confirmed. The fire was greedily eating the first couple of trees.
“Trees...are burning,” she gasped out to Levi, struggling to increase their pace.
“The trees are alive, grass is wet. It rained recently,” he rasped. “Slow progress.”
Still, she noticed that he put more effort into moving rapidly.
Five minutes later, she nearly cried when the siren at the local volunteer fire department rent the air. The department was being dispatched. Please Gott, let it be to the fire, and not an EMT call.
It was still early enough in the morning that she hoped most of the volunteer firefighters were at home. Sometimes if a call went out during the day, there would not be enough available personnel and the next department would be dispatched. She relayed this information between gasps to Levi.
“How do you know this?” His breathing was ragged by now.
“Jacob was in the department. The bishop allowed him a pager for such calls.”
When she heard the unmistakable blare of the fire engines, she smiled. “The fire trucks are on their way.”
They continued toward where the buggy had been left. Although they were still moving as fast as they could, some of the urgency had dissipated. The firefighters would take care of the threat at their backs. Even as they continued in their oddly staggering march, the heavy trucks rumbled past.
They were almost there.
The buggy, though, was not.
“Would your mare have taken off?” Lilah asked, a doubtful note creeping into her voice.
“She’s never done that before.” He looked around. “Although, I don’t really have another explanation.”
“So—” she ran her tongue across her teeth, giving herself a few seconds to think “—she ran away?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe. Or maybe she was scared by the explosion. Either way, we’re stuck out here.”
“It took me almost thirty minutes on foot to get to your barn.”
By silent consent, they moved closer to the road. She set her jaw and hefted his arm tighter over her shoulders. They hadn’t gone far when they heard someone crashing wildly through the woods behind them.
Levi shoved her down behind a thick tree, then knelt in front of her. Leaning in, he whispered in her ear. “I think we’re being followed. There’s no way we can outrun them.”
She understood. Their only chance of not getting caught was to hide.
“Shouldn’t you get down?”
He shook his head. “I’m going to see if I can see his face.”
“Levi—” She broke off when the crashing drew closer. Whoever was following them was almost there.
* * *
Levi tensed, hearing their stalker coming. Ack, this guy would never have made it in the army. He ran after them with more noise than a stampede of elephants.
Briefly, Levi grinned, remembering Lilah comparing him to a rhinoceros. They were really into pachyderm analogies lately.
The smile bled from his face when the man entered the woods. His jaw dropped. The man who was chasing them was no man at all, but a woman.
He blinked, thinking maybe she was just an innocent trying to escape the blaze. That idea died quickly as she paused and swung in a slow circle. He saw the gun strapped at her side. Her glare canvassed the area. He had no doubt she was searching for them.
He squatted lower, hoping to evade her glance. The adrenaline surged in his veins. His military training urged him to rush her.
A branch cracked off to the right. Levi moved nothing but his eyes, peeking out of the corners. A second hunter came into view. This one was holding a rifle in his very capable hands. All thoughts of ambushing those searching for them flew out of his mind. One person, he could handle. Even with a weapon, he would have surprise on his side.
Two? Nee, that would be foolish. He would probably be dispatched within seconds, leaving Lilah completely vulnerable. As much as he wanted to charge in, the wisest course of action would be to wait until these two were gone.
That didn’t mean he couldn’t take advantage of the fact that neither of them had seen him and try to memorize their appearance so he could report each detail to the police.
“Are you sure someone was out here?” the man growled. “I don’t see anyone. I think you’re imagining things, Tammy. We’re wasting time.”
“They left their buggy on the side of the road,” the woman, Tammy, hissed. “I scared the horse away, so they have to be here somewhere. And keep your voice down. I didn’t set that fire so you could warn them off with a tale to tell the cops.”
They continued to argue softly for a few minutes. Levi filed their conversation away in his brain. They would indeed take this tale to the police.
Supposing they survived. He shoved the unworthy thought aside.
After what seemed like hours, the two began to wander away from where Levi and Lilah crouched. His legs and back were burning with the strain of keeping still, yet he didn’t twitch so much as a muscle.
Finally, the noises from the two would-be assassins faded away.
“They certainly don’t have your skill of walking quietly,” Lilah remarked in a whisper.
He smiled. “That’s an understatement.”
He stood, holding in a groan as his muscles protested. He held his left hand down to her. She hesitated, then placed her slender hand in his and allowed him to assist her to her feet.
“Oh! My leg is asleep.” When she wobbled slightly, he pulled her close to steady her.
Not a gut idea. Standing so close, he fought to remember why he couldn’t lean in and kiss her.
Lilah pulled back and saved him from making that mistake. Her face was flushed. Averting her eyes, she laughed. A low breathless sound that captivated him.
“Which way should we walk?”
He mentally shook himself. “Let’s walk back toward your property. It’s opposite of the direction those two were heading.”
She nodded. “How’s your head?”
“It hurts some. I don’t know if I can walk all the way to my haus.” He took a careful step on his own. “I can walk without help now.”
His legs were fine. And even though his head still ached, his vision wasn’t blurry any longer. He was fairly sure he had a concussion.
The corners of her mouth tipped downward. She walked beside him for about a hundred feet before commenting. “I think your head hurts more than just ‘some.’ How are you going to work this afternoon?”
He’d forgotten about his job. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it in. When we have the opportunity, I’ll use a phone to call my boss. He’ll have to find someone else to drive tonight. Maybe I can switch with on
e of the other tour drivers.”
Right now, that was the least of his concerns.
The scent of smoke was still in the air.
“I think we should avoid coming out near where the fire was.” Levi picked his way carefully through the brambles. Lilah’s skirt caught on the prickly thorns a few times. She yanked it away fiercely. He grinned, surprised that he could find anything amusing. “That dress won’t last very long if you don’t take better care of it.”
She screwed up her mouth and nose in the most adorable look of disgust he’d ever seen. “It will never come clean after this, anyway.”
After that, their conversation died away.
Levi’s ears caught the sounds of engines rumbling and conversation, interrupted by the beeps of radio static.
“I hear the first responders,” Lilah commented, echoing his thoughts.
“Jah. We’ll be ready to go home soon.” His spirits lifted at the thought.
Five minutes later, they broke through the trees. Levi halted, stunned. Lilah gasped beside him.
The barn, or what was left of it, was in splinters. Some of the pieces had been flung as far as where the rubble from the haus lay.
“How did we survive that?” he said, his tone hushed with awe and shock.
“Gott saved us.” Lilah trembled beside him. Whether from shock or exhaustion, or a mixture of both, he wasn’t sure.
Levi reached out and took her hand. She clenched her fingers around his. He winced. She had a mighty strong grip when she was emotional. He didn’t protest. If she needed to hold on to him, he’d let her. For as long as necessary.
TWELVE
They weren’t able to get away as early as he’d hoped.
When they crashed through the trees, Levi and Lilah had stood, taking in the utter devastation of what had been her home for maybe a minute. Two minutes at the most. One of the firefighters had seen them and had shouted for them to stay where they were.
“Where exactly does he think we are going to go?” Lilah leaned into him as she spoke. Levi doubted she knew what she was doing.
