Touch of Rain

by Teyla Branton

  “You and I will go for help,” Jake said. “The others should hide somewhere.”

  “I want my son.” Spring’s voice was tense with stress.

  “You go,” I told Jake. “I promised to help her.”

  “I’m not leaving without you. Gabe can go with Spring.”

  Gabe shook his head. “I’m going to find Korin. These are my people, and I have to protect them.”

  Jake stopped moving, blocking our path. “Are you guys nuts? That madman tried to kill you! He still might.”

  “I don’t care.” Spring pushed past him and strode into the forest.

  Another thought occurred to me. “Jake, on the radio you said Korin’s in his office, maybe he’s got Ethan there. If so, we have to save him.”

  “Isn’t that what the police are for?”

  “Korin’s got a gun,” I reminded him as Gabe hurried after Spring.

  “My point exactly.” Jake glared at me, his face barely discernible in the darkness under the trees. I wanted to put my arms around him and hold on with my eyes closed, forgetting any of this ever happened. First I had to keep my promise to Spring. And maybe stop Gabe from doing anything he’d later regret.

  “We have to help them.” My teeth clicked together as I spoke because I was seriously cold now, though the temperature didn’t seem as low as the night before.

  Jake muttered something unintelligible as he peeled off his jacket and helped me into it. Then, avoiding my wrapped wrist, he put his hand under my elbow, and we hurried on through the trees. Jake picked the easiest path, careful of my ribs and my bare feet, though the pain in my ribs far outweighed any other discomfort. The warmth from his jacket had made my shivering stop, and I felt grateful for that. It was easier to think now.

  We caught up to Gabe and Spring at the married housing, where they were peering around the corner. No one was in the square, but lights were coming from somewhere inside the main house, though not brightly enough to be coming directly from any of the rooms whose windows faced the square. That meant perhaps the hallway or the main room or one of the offices. We couldn’t be sure exactly where.

  “There’s a window to Korin’s office,” Gabe said. “We can go around and look in.”

  “What good’s it going to do if we find him?” Jake said. “He’s got a gun, remember?”

  “If I can get inside my office, I’ll have a gun too.”

  Jake started moving. “Okay. You women stay here. Keep an eye out.”

  Spring shook her head. “I’m going after my son.” Before any of us could stop her, she was darting across the square. I started to go after her, but Jake grabbed my arm.

  “Someone’s coming!” he gritted as I struggled to free myself.

  Sure enough, the light on the back porch had come on.

  Chapter 24

  Spring hesitated when the light flipped on but then picked up speed. She reached the stairs to the women’s side of the singles’ house, vaulting up them in one leap. She didn’t even look back as she opened the door and flung herself inside.

  I waited for the bang of the door, but she had the presence of mind to put her hand out behind her and it closed without a sound reaching us.

  Meanwhile, the back door to the main house opened, and Korin and two of his goons emerged. No sign of Ethan. I held my breath to see if they’d notice the door to the women’s dorm closing, but they were too involved in their own conversation. They weren’t attempting to be covert, and the murmur of their voices carried to us, though we couldn’t make out the words.

  They were coming our way, so we had no choice but to circle around to the far side of the married house to stay away from them. With Jake’s arm against mine, I crouched at the end of the structure in the dark and waited for them to disappear into the trees. Everything about Jake was on alert, from his taut muscles to the grim expression on his face. I had no doubt that if I was safely back in Portland he’d be following Korin, awaiting his chance to attack.

  “If they’re going to the cellar, they’ll soon find out we aren’t there.” Gabe’s face showed his age and more. Something new had come alive in his expression, a burning ugliness that I felt echoed in my own heart.

  “Then we’d better get Spring and get out of here,” Jake mumbled.

  “There’s enough time to check the office,” I said.

  Gabe nodded. “And for me to get my gun.”

  Frustration gleamed in Jake’s eyes. “Fine. Let’s do it. But I don’t like the way that porch is lit up.”

  “We’ll go around to the front.” Gabe started forward, slowly at first to be sure Korin was gone.

  We sprinted to the front of the main house. It seemed to take far longer than I expected. My ribs burned horribly, but I had no choice except to continue on. Ethan was in danger—I just knew it. Once in the front, we took the time to check Korin’s window. Light streamed around the edges of the blinds, but we couldn’t see inside.

  “Follow me,” Gabe whispered, heading to the door. He went in first, his shoes clunking on the wood floor. I went next, soundless on my bare feet, and Jake followed almost as quietly.

  Beyond the main room, the hall light was on, and every few steps we took the floorboards creaked. “Better use cushioning in your next building,” Jake muttered.

  “Shhh,” I said.

  “Be careful,” Gabe whispered. “Korin had a third man with him earlier.” He slipped into his own darkened office, while we continued down the hall to Korin’s. Gabe came out again before we reached the door, his face pale and his hands empty except for a carved wooden statue. He shook his head, and I knew that meant Korin had found his gun. Of course he would have planned ahead.

  That’s when I noticed Jake had also picked up a short, sturdy branch from outside. Not much of a weapon against a gun but it was something.

  Jake put a hand on the doorknob to Korin’s office. “One, two, three,” he mouthed, and sprang forward. Gabe followed him, statue raised. I was on his heels, numb with dread.

  Inside the office, Ethan sat in a chair in front of the desk, the chair angled so his side was toward us. Ropes secured both hands and feet to the chair. I’d scarcely had time to notice Korin’s third man, surprise etched on his face, before Jake launched himself toward the man, knocking him to the floor. His fist drew back and pounded. Once, twice. A sickening crunch and the struggle was over.

  “Autumn.” Surprise registered on Ethan’s face. “You’re okay!”

  “What happened?” I asked. “Why didn’t you get the police?”

  He looked down at the ropes. “Well, I’ve been a bit tied up.”

  “You weren’t here earlier,” Jake said. “Where were you?”

  “Those men found me right after I left you last night. I tried to radio you, but there wasn’t an answer.”

  “Your radio was back at the van,” Jake said.

  “Well, yeah. They followed me back, and I put it down before they got me. They actually kept me tied in the van until just a few hours ago. But I swear I didn’t tell them anything about you two.”

  I was working at the ropes on Ethan’s hands, but his fingers grabbed mine. “What happened to you? Are you okay? What about Marcie?”

  His fingers felt warm and strong. “She’s alive—barely. We need to get her to a hospital or she won’t survive.”

  “Then we need to hurry.” He rubbed his wrists, but they didn’t look too sore. He was lucky they hadn’t cinched the ropes more tightly—or thrown him into a dark pit.

  While Jake tied up the unconscious man on the floor, Gabe untied Ethan’s feet. “Where did Korin go?” Gabe asked Ethan.

  Ethan came to his feet. “I don’t know. I tried to convince him that I’d pay to have my sister back, but he didn’t even confirm that she’s here. I don’t know where he went.”

  “She’s been in a root cellar for at least a month,” My eyes went to Korin’s desk where the three prescription bottles sat, the same ones I’d seen in Ethan’s van. “You brought
her medication? I thought you said it wouldn’t be safe to give them to her.” I reached out for the bottles, but he caught my hand in his, staring at the cuts on my dirt-stained fingers.

  “I know she has to see a doctor first, but I thought the pills might convince them to let me see her, so I asked Korin’s men to bring them along. Look, is she really okay? Did you tell her I was coming? Did she say anything?” Sadness filled his face. “I just hope she forgives me for all my mistakes.”

  “She was too far gone to tell us much.” I rubbed my hand up and down his arm, a show of sympathy, and he took the opportunity to step closer.

  His fingers touched my cheek near the cut. “This looks a lot worse than the last time I saw you. Something else happened, didn’t it?”

  “Sorry to interrupt this tender reunion,” Jake growled before I could respond, “but we really need to get out of here.”

  Ethan put his hand on my arm, where I imagined I could feel the heat of him through Jake’s jacket. “Where’s my sister?” he asked me.

  “In their big barn. That’s out to the left beyond the trees, if you’re looking at the house straight on.”

  “I know where it is. I did a little reconnaissance before you called me last night.” He smiled, and I felt more at ease. We had evened the odds a little. Four to three now. Five if we counted Spring.

  “Come on,” Jake urged. “We have to move.”

  We were walking down the hall on our way out the front when we heard steps on the stairs. My heart shifted into high gear, a heavy thumping in my chest.

  “Great,” Jake muttered. Shoving me into the dark confines of Gabe’s office nearly opposite the back entryway, he jumped across to the other side of the hallway and stood poised to attack. Gabe and Ethan waited on the side closer to where I hid in the dark office.

  I considered my options. Even if I dared make noise trying to get out the window, I wasn’t willing to leave Jake and Ethan. I stood with my back against the wall, steeling myself for the confrontation to come. I kept seeing the little pistol in Korin’s hand and that froze me in place. Would I be able to move when the time came?

  An odd sound came from outside the half-open window. A thrumming sound. Something else Korin had in store for us? Or was it just my heart?

  With a burst of shouts, the fighting began. The cries and grunting compelled me into the hall. Gabe was down on the ground, apparently unconscious, and near him Ethan wrestled with the big man who’d attacked me last night, the one whose belt buckle testified of the terrible things he’d done to others. Jake was on the far side, struggling with the other guard, a blur of punches and maneuvering. I couldn’t see Korin, which made me even more nervous. Had he found Marcie and Harmony?

  Ethan cried out as the big man landed a punch to his stomach. For a man who’d supposedly trained in martial arts, he wasn’t making much headway. I scooped up Gabe’s fallen statue, and with all the strength I could muster, smashed it at the base of the man’s skull. To my surprise, his eyes rolled up and he collapsed.

  “Thanks,” Ethan wheezed.

  “No problem.” I touched my right wrist gingerly, wondering if this time I’d broken a bone with the impact.

  Jake was standing over the other man. “We need to get some rope.” But even as he spoke, he was turning to new movement at the back door.

  Korin stood there, his customary ponytail partly loose from its elastic and framing his wide face with wisps of stringy hair. He wasn’t alone. Spring was with him, her arms around her sleeping child, her eyes bright with terror. Korin’s pistol pointed at her head.

  “Nobody move,” he ordered in a deceptively calm voice, as though he’d asked us if we’d like bacon with our eggs.

  “Okay, now, we’re just going into my office and wait for my friends here to wake up and then we’ll take care of you.” His eyes flicked over me, took in Jake’s presence, paused on Gabe’s still form, and finally came to rest on Ethan. “Your sister, it seems, has flown the coop.”

  “I guess our deal’s off, then. If you can’t deliver, I won’t pay.”

  Korin shrugged. “That’s okay. Something tells me she might bring me more than you were willing to pay—once I find her. Certain things she said are beginning to make sense now.” Underneath the anticipation, Korin’s voice was beginning to show strain.

  The tendons in Ethan’s neck bulged. “When I get my hands on you—”

  “Put your muscle where your mouth is,” Jake blurted suddenly. “You’re all talk, but I suspect there’s a lot you aren’t telling us, Mr. Math-Teacher-Turned-PI.”

  Ethan blinked at this sudden attack, but I knew Jake was only trying to distract Korin. “You’re just upset because Ethan likes me,” I yelled at Jake. Two could play at the distraction game. “Well, I’ll tell you something—I don’t need a brother. At least Ethan doesn’t treat me like a baby sister.”

  Jake’s nostrils flared. “He’s using you!”

  “Says you!” I shouted more loudly. “At least when he kisses me he doesn’t give me any of that fake crap you dish out!”

  His voice rose to meet mine. “You’re the one who’s always saying how grateful you were for my support after your father’s death. I won’t use that to make you feel obligated to me!”

  “I don’t feel obligated to you or to anyone! ANYONE! And I’m not your little sister, so stop treating me that way!”

  Jake blinked as words eluded him. I understood. We weren’t faking this scene. Not a bit of it.

  In the next instant, Jake’s muscles tensed. I knew what he planned. He lunged toward Korin at the same moment I slammed into Spring and her son, knocking them to the side. She cried out as they fell near the door. The loud crack of the pistol reverberated through the house, ricocheting at least once before finding its target.

  Please, not Jake, I thought, turning frantically, ignoring the agony of my ribs.

  Jake and Korin were struggling for the gun, both very much alive. It was Ethan who had his hand over his arm, staunching the flow of blood beneath. Nothing life-threatening, I saw.

  “Run!” Jake yelled at us. Spring leapt immediately for the door with her son, but I started toward Jake. Ethan let go of his wounded arm and grabbed me.

  “Get her out of here!” Jake gasped.

  “No!” I tried to shake off Ethan. “We have to help him!”

  Jake and Korin were still fighting for the gun. Pulling myself from Ethan’s hand, I dived for the wooden statue.

  A rough arm closed around my neck, bringing me up short. The big guard had regained consciousness—and he was insane with fury.

  Now I understood why Jake had wanted me to run. I choked as the arm tightened.

  “Help her!” Jake ordered Ethan.

  Ethan looked back and forth between me and Jake several times before sprinting to the door and out into the night.

  “He’ll bring help,” I rasped. The guard tightened his grip.

  Truth was, I didn’t really have much hope of help. If Jake didn’t best Korin in the next few seconds, we’d both end up dead, and then Korin would find and kill Ethan and do whatever he pleased with Spring and her son. And Gabe and Harmony and Marcie and everyone else.

  I was ready to give in to the tempting blackness when I felt her presence.

  My sister.

  Clawing at my captor’s arm, I screamed, “No, Tawnia! Get out of here!”

  That distracted Korin. There was a loud crack! as Jake knocked his forehead against Korin’s face, sending him reeling. Jake ripped the gun from his hand. The air to my lungs was completely cut off now, and the blackness was encroaching. I thought I saw shadowy figures coming into the room, but I didn’t know if they were friend or foe.

  “Step away from her,” came a deadly voice.

  The big man abruptly let me go, and the next moment I was falling. I didn’t care. I just wanted air. I sucked it in, not minding in the least the torment in my throat and ribs.

  I never hit the floor.

  When I cou
ld see again, I found myself supported in Detective Shannon Martin’s arms—arms that felt safe and strong and better than anything I’d ever experienced.

  Until I remembered Jake.

  Frantically, I turned my head, wilting as I saw Jake was okay. He met my gaze for a long, telling moment. He was also surprised and relieved that we’d survived. That I’d survived.

  Then he knelt by Gabe’s unconscious form, and the moment was over.

  “What, no sarcastic comment?” Shannon’s voice sounded strangely gruff.

  I dragged my eyes to his. Emotions swirled in his face, but I couldn’t identify any of them. “Now that you mention it,” I croaked, “you did cut it a bit late.”

  “You’re still alive, aren’t you?” His eyes wandered over me as though making sure.

  “No thanks to you.”

  “Should I leave?”

  I wanted to roll my eyes, but I couldn’t. I hurt everywhere. If he hadn’t been holding me, I’d probably fall to the ground and lie there in a puddle of pain. “And waste this opportunity to question me? If only I could be so lucky.”

  “I do have a lot of questions.”

  I sagged away from him. “Help me sit.” The sooner I sat, the sooner he could be free from me, and me from him. He eased my sore body down to the floor in the hallway and squatted next to me.

  “Where’s Tawnia?” I asked. Behind Shannon, I could see another officer cuffing Korin and his men. Jake was still trying to wake Gabe.

  “She and her husband are in the chopper with my partner.”

  Ah, a helicopter. That explained the odd thrumming sound I’d heard earlier. “No, she’s not.” Every word hurt my throat. “She’s close.” But she wasn’t as close as my fear had first made me believe. The main thing was that Tawnia was okay, and the knowledge made me want to cry with relief.

  He sighed. “Should have known she wouldn’t stay put.”

  “How?” I asked.

  Shannon’s eyes narrowed. “You mean, how did we find you?” When I nodded, he continued, “After your call, your sister contacted me because of your talk about a cat that didn’t exist. She’d also drawn frightening pictures of you, and she was pretty much hysterical. Fortunately, I got that map you’d saved on your email, since that math teacher you told me about never returned my calls, and we were able to pinpoint this location.” He shrugged. “I broke a few rules.”