“You’re leaving me?” Candace asked, aiming her question at Josh. She fell into his arms again. “Please don’t leave me, Uncle Josh.”
His heart broke at the thought of leaving her, but one of the women he loved was safe. It was time to retrieve the other one. “Daniel is going to be right here with you. You won’t be alone. And Colton and I will be back soon.”
She clung to Josh and he hated to release her. “Please don’t leave me.”
“I have to go find Elise before it’s too late. She might be scared or injured or worse. I have to find her, Candace.”
“I’m scared, Uncle Josh.” She seemed to choke over her next words. “He said he killed my dad.”
That revelation threatened to knock him to the ground. Did she mean Bobby? Had he killed Max? Could it be true? But why would he tell a frightened little girl such a thing unless it was? The bitter taste of betrayal hit him again, but he glanced up and saw Colton’s expression that clearly communicated he didn’t have time right now for grief and anger. He had to keep his head about him if he wanted to get Elise back alive.
He leaned down and faced Candace, trying to turn his tone to one of comfort. “I know you’re frightened, but remember what the Bible says... Let God guide your path.”
“Let God guide your path.” She spoke the words at the same time he did then smiled, a reminder of how many times she’d heard that verse quoted to her.
“The Bible says God’s word is a lamp onto my feet. That means we often can’t see where we’re headed, but God knows. He knows each step we take before we take them. He led you to me, and now Daniel will keep you safe.”
She reluctantly pulled away from him. “I’ll be praying that you find her.”
Josh watched her as he and Colton headed out.
He thought about her last words. She would be praying he found Elise. He prayed that, too, but he added one condition.
He prayed he would find her alive.
* * *
“Agent Richardson.”
She glanced up at Bobby Danbar staring down at her. Roy was at his side.
“You’ve caused us all sorts of problems. Because of you, we’re shutting down operations here sooner than we’d planned. And the first rule of shutting down operations is to tie up loose ends.”
He motioned toward Roy, who placed something large over the opening.
“What are you doing?” Elise cried, scratching at the walls as the object filled more and more of the open space, then buried Elise into darkness.
He was closing up the well and leaving her to die.
“No!” Elise clawed at the dirt walls, trying to climb up. All she managed to do was loosen the dirt around her. And what would she do if she made it to the top anyway? The opening was blocked.
“Somebody help me!” she screamed over and over again until her throat was raw and sore.
This was it. This was where she was going to die. Her only hope was that Candace would get away and bring back help. But would the girl even remember how to get back to her? And would help arrive in time?
Why had she even been brought here? Why had God even allowed her to connect with Josh? To find a chance at love only to have it ripped away?
Why had God allowed this to happen to her? She pondered that thought. All the terrible things God had allowed in her life had led her to this. She should be angry at God, but she couldn’t be. She’d found the trafficking ring. She’d helped Candace escape. And no matter if she died or not, she’d shut down this ring in this area. Girls here were safe. Even if her death was the cost.
She was willing to pay it.
But what if God had intervened? If He hadn’t allowed the mugging or Max’s death? She might never have become an FBI agent. She wouldn’t have been here to help Candace and she would never have met Josh.
Yes, she was thankful for her suffering, thankful for the guiding hand of the Lord. Josh was right. We might not see all the steps ahead, but we have to follow Him one step at a time and allow His goodness to light our path, even when we can’t see it ourselves. She had been a part of God’s plan all along.
She crouched down and covered her face with her hands. She was on her own. Even if Candace managed to get away, even if she found help, the air in this well would certainly run out before anyone could arrive.
This was it. This was where she was going to die.
She wiped away tears that rolled down her cheeks and thought of the future she would miss. The next kiss with Josh, planning a future, perhaps kids and a home of her own. She saw her future slipping away, her dreams, her desires.
What would happen to her now? She vaguely remembered something she’d heard repeated at funerals about closing your eyes in this world and waking up in Heaven. Would it be that simple?
Not for her. Not for someone like her. After all she’d done wrong, after the way she’d lived her life, why would God want her?
There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus.
That verse from Romans pulsed through her mind. She’d heard her mother recite it again and again when Elise was a child. But could she believe it? Was it possible God really wanted her even after all the bad choices she’d made and all the consequences that resulted? Could God forgive her? Redeem her?
She lifted her head toward Heaven and cried out.
God, do You want me? God, can You love me?
A peace fell over her. God’s everlasting patience was there waiting for her to want it. She imagined His hand reaching for hers. All she had to do was grab for it, accept his offer of everlasting life and grace.
“I accept,” she whispered and felt her life opening to the grace He’d sustained her with.
It no longer mattered what lay ahead of her if she made it out of this well. If Josh chose never to forgive her, she would survive. If her career was over, she could still have a future.
But none of that mattered now because she was in this hole, this grave that would be the end of her.
She closed her eyes as the weight upon her chest grew heavier and heavier with each breath. She’d told Josh she would sacrifice her life to protect innocent girls, and now it looked as if that would be the cost of saving Candace. If it was, so be it.
Some sacrifices were worth making.
* * *
Josh moved through the woods in the direction Candace had instructed. He stopped when he came to a clearing ahead of him and crouched at the perimeter. He peered around and noticed a car he recognized as Bobby’s black sedan and a truck he remembered seeing at the Martin home parked in front of a cabin.
Lord, help me find her.
Candace had said Elise was being kept inside an abandoned well. He pulled out his binoculars and scanned the area, finding it on the back side of the property toward the tree line, right where Candace had indicated.
His brothers’ voices echoed in his ear as they each reported back over the radio. The perimeter was secure. No one was getting in or out while his team was there.
Colton appeared quietly beside him. “That must be the well your niece mentioned,” he said, motioning to the same area Josh had scoped out. “There’s no easy access to it. You’ll be a sitting duck out there if anyone in the cabin walks out.”
He agreed with Colton’s assessment. There was no cover around the well. It was away from the tree line in an open area. Still, he had no choice but to take the chance.
“I’m going,” he stated.
Colton nodded then spoke into his mic, alerting the team that the plan was about to go into action.
“I have a clear view into the cabin,” he heard Matt say. “I have visual on four souls. Looks like they’re clearing up evidence.”
“Four people. That confirms what Candace told us,” Colton said to Josh. “Let’s hope they don’t wander outside.” He raised his
weapon and trained it on the cabin. “Go.”
Josh took off for the well, moving as cautiously and quickly as he could. He was an open target and he knew it, but he also knew his team had his back. They would see someone coming before he would.
As he approached the well, he saw it had a cover over the top of it. They’d closed it up. Panic struck him. Had they done that with Elise inside? Or had they moved her after Candace escaped?
He dropped his gun and leaned down, pushing the heavy iron cover until it gave way and moved. He pushed it off and it hit the ground with a thud. He shone his light into the well. He saw her half sitting, half lying against the side.
“Elise!”
She didn’t move when he called her name. He had to get down to her, but he didn’t see any way back up. A rope ladder lay at the bottom near Elise’s foot.
He pulled out his grappling harness and attached it to an iron pipe, probably where they’d secured the ladder when they needed it. Then he rappelled down the well. She still didn’t move as he reached the bottom.
He bent down and touched her cheek, his heart ready to burst through his chest with worry and relief. Her face was warm and he could see her shallowly breathing in and out. He wasn’t too late.
He spoke her name again. “Elise. Can you hear me?”
Her eyelids fluttered then opened and she gazed up at him from weary eyes. “Josh? Is that you?”
“It’s me. I’m here.”
“Candace?”
“She’s safe. She’s with Daniel.”
“What about Brooke? Where’s Brooke?”
He hadn’t seen Brooke, but he didn’t want to worry her. “We’ll find her. We’ll find her together.”
But first they had to get out of this well.
“You came for me,” she whispered.
“Of course I did. I’m not letting you go that easily, Elise. I love you.”
She smiled. “And I love you.”
“That is all so sweet.” Colton’s voice sounded in his ear. “But perhaps we could get on with the rescue. What’s your status?”
Josh grinned, remembering his mic was on. “On our way up.” He helped Elise to her feet. “I need you to climb, baby. Can you do that?”
She grabbed the rope but looked so weak he wondered if she would be able to pull herself up.
“You can do this,” he assured her. “I’ll be right behind you.”
She pressed her foot against the wall and started to climb but made it only a few steps before she slid back down. “I don’t think I can.”
Josh pressed against her back. He wasn’t going to let her give up. “You have to do this. You have to escape. Think about Brooke. We have to get out of this well so we can find Brooke.”
His words seemed to give her renewed energy. She pressed her lips firmly and grabbed the rope with renewed strength and began to climb, slowly but surely making it to the top. He climbed up behind her, quickly scaling the wall to the top.
“What’s our status?” Josh asked into his mic.
He heard the word clear from each of his team members. All they had to do now was to get safely into the woods and then they could move in on Bobby and the others. He took hold of Elise’s arm. “Let’s go,” he said, leading her toward the woods away from the cabin.
But she stopped and turned back toward the cabin. “Brooke. We have to go get her.”
“First we have to get you to safety. Then we’ll go in after Brooke.”
She shook her head firmly, her face set. “I’m not leaving without her.”
Josh crouched, pulling Elise down with him. They were sitting targets out in the open, but he recognized the determination on her face. “Does anyone have visual on the girl?” he asked into his mic.
“Negative. No visual on the girl,” Matt said. He had the best view into the front room of the cabin, but that didn’t mean Brooke wasn’t tied up somewhere out of visual range. The rest of the team echoed Matt’s status.
Josh scrubbed his hand over his face. He wanted nothing more than to get Elise out of danger, away from this cabin and Bobby’s reach.
Elise looked him square in the eye as if sensing his desire to toss her over his shoulder and haul her out of danger’s way. A fire lit in the brown of her eyes. “I won’t leave without Brooke.”
She reached for the gun at his side then stood and rushed in the direction of the cabin.
“You’re made!” Matt’s call rang in his ears. “They spotted movement in the window. They’re armed and heading out the back door. Get down now!”
Elise was too far away to hear the warning, and calling out to her would only attract further attention their way.
Josh did the only thing he could do as the back door of the cabin opened and the barrel of a gun poked out.
He tackled her as gunfire sprayed.
* * *
Elise hit the ground and rolled as the bullets from the shooter’s gun sprayed over them. Josh jerked then fell to the ground, his gun flying out of his hand. Anger and adrenaline rushed through Elise as she saw Josh lay unmoving on the ground, blood pooling around his shoulder just above his bulletproof vest. He’d come to rescue her only to get shot.
She rushed to him and rolled him over. He was unconscious and unresponsive and blood was flowing onto the ground around him, but she couldn’t tell where it was coming from.
She glanced back at the cabin and saw Jay and Rick dead on the ground outside the cabin door while Roy was crouched down still shooting. A moment later, the crack of gunfire took him out, too.
“Help me! Please help me!”
Elise heard the cry over the sound of rapid gunfire. Brooke! The girl was inside the cabin. Elise crawled forward until she could see into the cabin. She spotted Bobby on the floor, crouched beneath a table, his arm wrapped tightly around Brooke and a gun to her head.
“Tell them to stop firing,” he called to Elise. “Tell them to stop or I’ll kill her right now.”
Elise scrambled back to pull Josh’s earpiece and mic free so she could use them. She had to stop Josh’s team from firing on the cabin. Not only because of Bobby, but because Brooke could be injured by their gunfire.
“Stop firing,” she called into the mic. “He has a hostage inside the cabin. Please stop firing. You could hit her.”
“Hold your fire!” She heard the call over the radio. “Stand by. Elise, it’s Colton. What do you see?”
“He has a hostage inside. It’s Brooke. He has a gun to her head.”
“How is Josh? From here, it looks like he’s not moving.”
She glanced down at him. No, he hadn’t moved since the moment he’d gone down. “He’s unresponsive and he’s losing blood.”
“We’re on our way toward you,” Colton told her. “Stay where you are.”
Once the gunfire stopped, Bobby poked his head out, the gun still pressed into Brooke’s head. “That’s better,” he shouted, obviously feeling more in control now with his hostage’s life to bargain with. He pointed the gun at Elise. “Now you come in here with me, Agent Richardson.”
“Stay where you’re at, Elise,” Colton shouted in her ear, obviously having heard Bobby’s demand over the mic. “Do not—I repeat, do not—go into that cabin.”
Bobby glared at her, then pressed the gun harder against Brooke’s head, causing the girl to sob even more. Her chin quivered and tears flowed down her face.
“Please help me,” she begged. “Please help me.”
“Do not do it, Elise,” Colton’s voice commanded her. “We’re nearly to you.”
She kept her eyes on Bobby and Brooke as she slowly stood, not wanting to give him any reason to doubt her intentions. She was going to do what he said. She wouldn’t do anything to risk Brooke’s life. Perhaps she could convince
him to let Brooke go and use her as a hostage instead.
Colton kept hollering in her ear, and it didn’t take long before she heard his voice behind her instead of only through the mic. She also heard the sounds of footsteps heading toward them. She peeled her gaze away from Bobby long enough to see five men dressed in full gear, rifles trained at them, heading her way.
Bobby saw them, too, and dug the gun into Brooke’s head. “Stay back,” he shouted at them. “Stay back or I’ll kill her.” He glared at Elise. “Get inside or I do it right now.”
There was no way she was going to let him hurt another girl.
She dropped the gun and radio and slowly stood, her hands raised to show him she was unarmed.
Colton was only feet away from her. “Elise, do not do this.”
She glanced back at Josh still unmoving on the ground. She was nearly certain he was dead, and without him she had only one thing left to live for—protecting this girl from a madman.
* * *
Bobby grinned as Elise closed the cabin door on his order, effectively shutting out the team surrounding the cabin.
“Good. Now sit in the chair,” he said, motioning to a straight-backed chair. She did as he commanded and sat down.
“How could you do this, Bobby? How could you betray your friends this way?”
“I have my own family to look out for. I provide for them any way I can.”
“Even by kidnapping and murder?”
“When you have a family, perhaps you’ll understand the lengths you’ll go to in order to get them what they need.”
“You can let Brooke go now. You have me. What’s a better hostage than a federal agent?”
He glanced out the window at the activity of the team then swore. “They’ve got the place surrounded. But they won’t fire, not while I’ve got you both inside. They won’t take the chance on hurting one of you. I don’t care what kind of sharpshooters they think they are.”
He closed the curtain then paced the floor in the kitchen, dragging Brooke along beside him.
Elise noticed her face was pale and red from crying but she appeared to be uninjured. That was good. They might need to run to escape. It was good to know Brooke was capable of running.
Yuletide Abduction Page 18
