Rescued (A McKenzie Ridge Novel Book 1)

by Stephanie St. Klaire

  “Please, please, save my baby,” their patient, plead, begged desperately. “Save her, please, something’s wrong, help her first.

  Sam was stunned, realizing that a maternal instinct had set in and this woman knew her baby was in trouble. It was going to be a challenge to save the mother; the unborn child would need a miracle.

  ***

  “It was Rene,” Sam said with shock, at the revelation. “Dawson, she is the one we brought in, that’s why she is familiar, we all helped her.”

  The room was quiet as they all remembered their role that day, and the one patient that stuck with all of them. Their badly injured patient, who also lost her husband and baby, and nearly her own life, she was the one who haunted each them.

  “I’m lost. So Rene was the girl from the accident. What does that have to do with Sam, and all the bullshit?” Jessie inquired.

  “That’s what I don’t know,” Blake admitted. “What I do know is she survived a major tragedy here, then moved here, and it never comes up, despite the friendships she’s built?”

  “Coop, it doesn’t mean anything other than she took a job here,” Colton claimed, always believing the best in others, despite the unusual circumstances. He wasn’t jumping on any bandwagon or witch-hunt until there was a reason to. His big heart and compassion for others ran deep, trumping any macho tendencies he may harbor. “Maybe it’s too much to talk about, and she wanted a fresh start.”

  “I don’t know, something isn’t right about that,” Sam interjected, sifting through the newly discovered information. “I see her all the time, with Ellie’s riding lessons and camp; we have become friends. How does it not come up, it wasn’t a quick passing, one summer. I was with her for hours, during what was probably the most traumatic time of her life…not a mention?”

  “There is absolutely no way she doesn’t know who I am, not after that day,” she concluded.

  Dawson agreed with Sam. There was a reason she left him with unease all this time, why she nagged at the back of his mind every time he saw her. There was a reason that chills pierced through him when he learned about her behavior that led him to his friends with questions, asking for help with this mystery of Rene. No, something was definitely out of sync, Sam was right, this isn’t right.

  Her car may not match the car from the night of the accident, but he wasn’t ready to dismiss her, not yet. No this was rotting in his gut, like a really bad burrito.

  “Well, we can dig into Rene a little more, later. We have bigger issues to work through, and that’s finding out who is after Sam, and why,” Blake replied, trying to get back to the task at hand, finding their criminal. “It can’t be Rene, Sam saw a dark vehicle and Rene drives a red truck, I checked.”

  ***

  Morgan Jameson’s world turned upside down and spun out of control like a tilt-o-whirl, at Blake’s statement. As if the planets finally aligned and the universe was speaking to her, granting her a clear picture, Morgan began to piece together the eerie puzzle before them, as scenes from the past months began to flash like a highlight reel of a movie.

  She began pacing, sorting out the images flooding her mind. She mumbled to herself, talking it out, as she evaluated the devastating thoughts consuming her. How had they missed this, how had she missed this? The clues were there all along, camouflaged by friendship, kindness, and lies.

  This was bigger than they all could have imagined, they had been played, and it was far from over. This was a well thought out, calculated plan established by the scariest psychopath there was, one who has nothing to lose.

  “No, no, no…we missed it; we missed what was right in front of us,” Morgan alleged, ready to deliver her insight, as she just solved the puzzle. “What have we done? Shit!”

  “What, Morgan, what did we miss?” Everly replied, watching Morgan pace, frenzied, by her friend’s admittance.

  Morgan stood still, with a blank stare. “We played right into Rene’s hands. It is Rene. It has been all along.”

  Realizing where Ellie was and who she was with, Sam went cold and tried to discredit what Morgan declared because if she was right, her attacker had her daughter. “No, it can’t be her, Blake said she has a red truck, she has Ellie, so it can’t be her!” She turned to Dawson searching for help, this wasn’t happening, Morgan had to be wrong. “Right? The guy has a dark car, not a red truck…”

  “The truck is new. Well, a few months new, I didn’t think anything of it when she bought it, she needed something better to haul horse trailers, it made sense,” Morgan confessed, trying to lighten the inevitable blow that was about to cruelly strike. “When she moved here, she had a small dark blue SUV. It has to be her, at night it easily could have looked black.”

  ***

  Having all of the pieces, they now had a clear picture of what they were dealing with, a desperate woman that for some reason wanted revenge on the town where she lost everything. Why Sam was her target was still a mystery, perhaps it was the beginning of a much longer list, who knew, it was hard to understand the workings of a clearly insane mind. The details of why and how would have to be settled later; for now, they had a little girl to find.

  “We need to get over there, we still have a head start, camp is running late today. That should help,” Everly shared.

  “Running late? Since when? There wasn’t anything on the schedule.” Dawson chimed in, hair prickling the back of his neck, as his mood quickly escalated to high alert.

  “The trail ride. The kids earned a ride through the foothills, didn’t they tell you at last pick up? Cal and Angel planned it,” Morgan questioned, suddenly realizing this was another part of the sick and twisted plan they were working against. “Or did they?”

  “Cal said quite the opposite, they’re having fun, but not ready for anything like that yet. They are just learning the trails around Sugar Pine.”

  Blake put a firm hand on Dawson’s shoulder as he charged the door, full of fury, off to rescue their little girl. It was clear to everyone in the moment that there was a dramatic shift from concern and worry, to conquer and rescue, and Dawson was at the helm of that mission. The room began to buzz around them as a plan was established. This was a team effort, not a one man mission, they were going to need everyone, it was apparent they were dealing with a dangerous individual, one who has had months to prepare for what they had only hours to.

  Dawson held Sam, full of angst, as she lost all the pieces she was scarcely keeping together. “Rene has her, she has my baby,” she whispered, overcome by the torment Rene had unleashed.

  “I know, baby,” he said, consoling her, determined to make this right. “I’m going to get her, I’m bringing our girl home. I promise you, this ends today, so help me…”

  ***

  She kissed him, interrupting his affirmation because she already knew it, and believed in it. He was committed to them, and taking care of them was all he wanted, she didn’t doubt his devotion or intentions one bit. She didn’t need to hear it, to trust that he meant every word, he was her hero in every way, he rescued her.

  Sam’s eyes filled with tears of fear and love this time. She needed this man, wanted him, and knew he would bring her daughter, their girl, back. His claim filled a fractured part of her that she didn’t know was gaping, until Dawson closed it. For the first time in her life, in the midst of danger and tragedy, Sam felt content and safe, despite her missing piece.

  A wave of calm and confidence rushed her like a wave breaking on the shore. As she scanned the room and no longer saw friends or co-workers, but family. Walls completely removed, her heart filled with the love that surrounded her that she couldn’t acknowledge, until now. She feared for her daughter, but knew it was temporary, that Rene couldn’t hurt her or her loved ones anymore, Dawson was bringing Ellie home.

  Stopping at the door, behind the group leaving, Dawson turned and said, “I love you.”

  ***

  The next hour was nothing short of organized chaos. Dawson had Granny Lou
charged with Sam’s care at his house, upon her release from the hospital, and made sure they both knew where he kept his gun. Sam was comfortable with guns, but in this debauchery, it left her uneasy; the fact she may need it felt climactic and surreal. This town was safe, and guns were used for sport, not protection from anything but the occasional cranky bear or wild beast.

  Rene was the threat today. Sam saved lives, the thought of harming one sat in her belly like a bucket of cement as she pondered whether or not she could follow through, should the bear appear.

  Granny, on the other hand, as gentle as she was ornery, had the weapon found, inspected, loaded, and praised for its beauty as soon as they made it to Dawson’s. Louise Shaw had been alone most of her life, raising Everly after her parents died, and then Sam when she joined their family. She had no qualms about protecting herself at any measure necessary.

  She was comfortable with just about anything, being as independent and self-sufficient as she was, including protecting her loved ones, again, at any cost. No, Granny wouldn’t hesitate if a threat arrived on her doorstep…and she wasn’t one to fire a warning shot.

  ***

  Dawson and the rest of the self-appointed, impromptu, rescue team, arrived at The Stable’s to find exactly what they expected, camp over, all of the kids gone home, and Rene and Ellie nowhere to be found. Cal was quickly brought up to speed and had his own odd encounters to add to an already muddy state of affairs.

  Rene had given notice, she was leaving McKenzie Ridge. Dawson wasn’t letting her departure include taking Ellie. The only place he was comfortable with her going was a little white padded room, he imagined she was already in hell. They would find her, they would find Ellie.

  A search team quickly fell into place, as the group already in attendance made up a great portion of the existing community team anyway. Blake assigned officers to the grounds in the event Rene should return, as well as officers posted outside Dawson’s home, and at Lou’s and Sam’s homes. An APB was issued in town as well as the surrounding areas, covering the entire state.

  Rene was good at her game, she would know better than to flee via air or train, she would likely drive using back roads until she reached a safe distance, then she would blend in, just like she had in McKenzie Ridge; but where? They were in the mountains surrounded by more of nature’s terrain, it would be easy to disappear, especially if you had months to establish a well formed plan and a good couple of hours’ head start.

  “She saddled up and rode with us, she was known to do that,” Cal said to the group, trying to shed light on the afternoon’s events. “She really enjoys the young ‘ins.”

  “When did you notice she was gone?” Blake inquired, trying to get an idea of not only where she was, but how big her head start was.

  “She was riding behind the group, keepin' everyone in line.” Cal took off his ball cap and scratched his balding head, trying to recall the events, sharing as much detail as possible. “She went up the trail with us, I reckon it was somewhere on the way back that she disappeared because she wasn’t bringing up the tail when we got back to the yard here.”

  Dawson was hesitant to ask the next question, what was on everyone’s mind already, but needed an answer. “Was Ellie still with the group?”

  “Sorry, Dawson, she wasn’t. I didn’t think much of it, though.” Cal hung his head, now full of regret as he updated them on the last part of Rene’s scheme. “She told me she was helping ya’ll out, keeping Ellie in her care. I had heard what happened, saw Miss Evie and Morgie talkin’ to her before…I mean I trusted her! I just didn’t think anything was wrong, till you all showed up.”

  “We all did, Cal, we all trusted her. She’s been plotting this for some time, there is no way any of us could have known,” Blake replied, full of understanding. She had gotten the best of all of them, which infuriated Blake. He was slipping, nothing falls off his radar, ever, and he was blaming himself for not figuring this out sooner.

  Morgan was sharing his guilt, she basically handed Ellie over, sealing the deal. That would be the last time she trusted anyone on their word. “Where the hell do we start? She didn’t leave a fucking clue, nothing! Her truck is gone, but so are their horses, where did she go and how?”

  She was exceeding the threshold of anger and was well on her way to rage. Morgan was a good fucking cop, top of her craft, yet somehow missed all the red flags, and had nothing to work with. Morgan was heated, ready to deliver her wrath on Rene, God help her.

  ***

  Dawson stood off from the group, staring out past The Stable’s, past the park, gazing and scanning the hillside, at the base of the mountain that was scarred with the miles of trails. Half listening to the conversation behind him, deep in thought, heavy in prayer, he turned to the group of frustrated searchers and spoke, “There is a clue, not from Rene, but Ellie. I know where they are.”

  He turned and made his way to the stables. “Saddle up, we’re riding. She has her at the cabin at the peak, behind that lookout tower.” He delivered matter of fact, full of confidence. “Ellie has been talking about riding and camping at the cabin. How does she know about the cabin, unless someone told her? It’s a great place to hide and wait it out.”

  CHAPTER 23

  The terrain was steep and winding, and several miles up the mountainside, to reach the ridge that McKenzie was named for. The cabin was old, and sat behind the abandoned Forest Service lookout tower that was used during fire season to watch for forest fires. As the terrain changed over the years and became more populated, the Forest’s needs changed, and a new tower with better distant views and technology had been built further up the mountain.

  Ellie had been talking about riding, camping, even mentioning a cabin, calling it “Miss Rene’s cabin”. Relief struck him when he recalled the many conversations, especially when Jameson and Everly mentioned Ellie’s girl campout at the cabin, earlier that day, but it was quickly dampened by the realization that Rene had been planning this for some time and preparing Ellie for this event.

  Anger coursed through his body as that sunk in, and the reality that this could just be another sick plot twist, a planted idea to cause a diversion, to give Rene more time to execute her real plan. This was all they had to go on though, a hunch that he hoped was divine intervention as a result of answered prayers.

  He was running on equal parts faith and fury, that his gut reaction wasn’t failing him on this one, she had to be there, he promised Sam he would bring their girl home, and he would. Those two quickly invaded his heart and became his world. Living without one of them wasn’t an option, he would protect what was his, at all cost.

  ***

  Sam wandered through Dawson’s home lost in thought, wondering where Dawson was, and if he had Ellie yet. Shifting from worry for Ellie to confusion, she wondered how a threat, a real movie worthy enemy, managed to find its way into her world, and right under her nose. Trying to pass the time, and distance herself from the massive guilt and trepidation that was swarming around her, she focused on her surroundings, picturing Dawson in his environment.

  His home was a stunning reverse living, lodge style home, that sat atop a modest hill, surrounded by nature, and breathtaking mountain views all around. Windows on all sides and decks surrounding the entire perimeter of the structure, at each level, it was exquisite. His home was masculine in design, but comfortable and homey, perfectly Dawson, safe and strong.

  “Where have you drifted off to honey?”

  “Gran, you startled me!” She replied, with a nervous chuckle. “I’m just trying to keep myself busy and focused on anything but worry, it’s not working very well.”

  Lou reached for her just in time to catch the tears that fell with Sam’s raspy sobs. “Oh honey, it’s going to be okay, I feel it in these old bones of mine,” she said, assuring Sam it was the truth; Louise Shaw was known for her intuitive wisdom. “Dawson and Evie love that child, they won’t let anything happen to her, and they’d sacrifice everything fo
r our Ellie girl!”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of, it’s not just Ellie, it’s all of them. I can’t lose any of them, I couldn’t live with it, knowing I brought this here!”

  “You shush now! You are not responsible for that deranged woman bringing all her crazy to town,” Lou said, not one to mince words, making her feelings well known and not caring if it offended anyone. “She needs help, that one, none of it is your fault, ya hear me, girl?”

  Sam looked around, tossing her head back, defeated, crushed, and terrified that the world she had so carefully and hesitantly let in, was about to crash down around her and there wouldn’t be any pieces worth picking up.

  “Have faith, girl. Dawson will find her. That boy loves her, and he loves you too.”

  Granny’s doses of wisdom always brought calm to the storm. She was right, he loved them, and she loved him, desperately and completely. He had become a pillar of strength and comfort that felt like home. He was home, for her, the missing piece to her heart, the happiness she didn’t know was missing, he made her whole, completed her and Ellie. He was going to bring her home, she felt much stronger and at peace with that declaration.

  ***

  The team approached the cabin in prompt fashion, despite the rugged ascent, pausing several yards out to abandon their horses and evaluate the scene, not wanting to risk their position or presence before entering. Blake led their mission, his extensive military experience abundantly clear, as he outlined the next steps of their rescue effort. Nerves fried and tensions high amongst the group, he delivered a sense of confidence and cool that they all needed to adopt before commencing their rescue efforts.

  They only had one shot at this, there was no room for error, especially given the situation. They had no idea what awaited them on the other side of that door, what they would stumble upon, and to what degree Rene was willing to push her level of crazy to accomplish her goal, whatever that may be. Patience was running thin, all Dawson wanted to do was get inside and find his little tomboy in a tutu, and get home to Sam.