His painful scream behind me pushed me into an upright position when I reached the top, and I dashed into Aunt Debbie’s bedroom. My mind had cleared enough to know I had one more option on the table.
Slamming the door behind me, I locked it and ran to the wardrobe in the corner. Flinging the doors open I started pulling the small drawers out, madly feeling through them, throwing lingerie and scarves everywhere.
Levi hadn’t given up—he banged on the door with unreal strength. As I searched, the door shook and shuddered.
A great bang against the door finally burst it wide-open just as my hand closed over the cold steel of Aunt Debbie’s purse revolver. It was only the length of my hand, and I didn’t know if it was loaded, but it was all I had.
I will never forget the sight of Levi’s bleeding face, distorted in rage and pain, coming full speed into the room. I found some inner place of calm and aimed.
I pulled the trigger before he even saw the tiny thing.
36
Noah
“Can’t you go any faster?” I asked Sam, pushing my body from the backseat into the front.
“I’m damn near going twenty miles over the speed limit as it is—so back off.”
I knew that Sam was just as frustrated as I was with the traffic, and the distance to cover to get to Rose. He’d readily jumped into his truck and picked us up when I’d called him.
Sam slammed his phone against his thigh and breathed out in frustration. “Damn it, she’s not answering her phone.” He gazed over at Father and said, “Maybe I should go ahead and call the Fairfield cops and ask them to check the house out for us?” Sam asked, while he swerved in between the cars on the busy highway.
Father said, “Oh, I don’t think that will be necessary. Chances are that Levi isn’t even in the state. I find it hard to believe that the boy would be able to get away from the house for our troubled teens and hire a driver to bring him to this city.”
Father smoothed out his beard and added, “Then he’d have to find her house in this maze of humanity.”
“Levi is resourceful, Father...and obsessed with Rose. He’ll find a way to get to her, if he can.”
My heart was thumping so hard, I could hardly catch a proper breath at times. I hated the feeling of helplessness.
“What the hell does this guy have against Rose, anyway?” Sam growled. He took the exit from the highway a little too fast, and we were swept to the left side of the vehicle.
I righted myself and told him, “Back in the fall, he tried to have his way with Rose at a benefit auction. Summer was there, and she videoed what he did until I got there and beat the crap out of him.”
I couldn’t help but think about what I’d do to Levi this time if he went near Rose. I’d kill him.
Sam’s voice rose. “Why didn’t anyone tell me and Dad about this?”
Father answered, “The bishop and the ministers handled the situation. Since we had the video as proof, Levi was punished and sent away to the special home in Indiana. He needed counseling.”
“It sounds like he needed a jail cell. Damn, this is completely nuts, you know that?” Sam turned again.
Father was probably right. It would be impossible for Levi to find where Rose lived here. I wouldn’t know myself how to get back to the highway, as crowded and confusing as it all was.
“So what’s the plan?” Sam asked, still using a loud anxious voice.
“We bring Rose back to Meadowview tonight,” I said with no question in my mind.
“Whoa, wait a minute—Dad isn’t going to like that one bit. Rose lives here now. She has school and dancing. Hell, she even has a job.”
“She’ll need to be protected, Sam. Can’t you get that through your thick head?” I said harshly, definitely not wanting to hear all Sam’s reasons for why I couldn’t bring Rose home with me.
“Now, hold on, son. Once we locate Rose and make sure she is all right, we can contact the police and put them on alert. Your mother was going to visit the Zooks and inform them of the problem. I’m sure they can get a hold of the home in Indiana and verify that Levi is there,” Father said.
Sam said, “That’s a better plan than yours.”
We were silent for the next few minutes while he turned onto several roads, entering a residential area that was filled to the brim with house after house after house. I never could understand how people lived so tightly packed as this. It wasn’t natural.
“We’re here.” Sam pulled into the driveway of the attractive, two-story brick colonial that I’d already been inside of. But Sam didn’t need to know that right now. My eyes noted Rose’s red pickup—and the older model black car at the curb. I didn’t like the look of the car one bit, and just as I was going to tell Father and Sam about it, we all heard the loud pop of a gun going off.
The sound was sharp and out of place in the otherwise quiet neighborhood. My brain exploded with the sound, triggering my legs and hands to work frantically to free myself from the vehicle.
I covered the yard, running full tilt over the thick carpet of grass, with Sam right behind me.
Grabbing the knob, I flung the door open and barreled into the house. Sam went into the family room, while I took the stairs two at a time. I remembered where her room was—I’d never forget that room.
“Rose!” I screamed. Sam and Father’s voices echoed mine downstairs.
I called to her again and burst into her room. One quick turn of my head and I saw she wasn’t there.
Running back into the hallway, my heart cold as ice, I moved toward the door that hung off its bottom hinge.
Please, Lord, don’t let Rose be dead.
I covered the space in a few steps, but it seemed as if I were crawling through thick mud as I crossed into the room.
The sight that met my eyes gripped my insides. Levi was on the ground, writhing in pain. Blood covered his swollen face, making him almost unrecognizable. Since I’d only heard one shot, my mind quickly figured out that his thigh was where the bullet must have met its mark, hitting an artery, if the bright red, spurting blood was any indication.
I had a couple of seconds to process what I saw before I stepped over Levi who was only inches from Rose’s curled-up body. I grabbed Rose up into my arms, carrying her away from the room, and Levi’s wailing profanities. The sounds and words slipping from Levi’s tongue made me think the devil was among us.
Sam nearly smashed into me as he flew through the hallway.
“Holy shit,” Sam said. He had a cell phone plastered to his ear. I vaguely heard him tell whoever was on the other end that an intruder had been shot, and then he rattled off the address.
Father paused to place a hand on Rose’s face. “Is she all right?”
“She’s in much better shape than Levi is.” I said the truth.
Father nodded, his face grim, as he swept by us toward Levi.
I took Rose to her room and laid her carefully on the bed. There was a smear of blood on her chin that stretched up the side of her face to her right ear. Her other cheek was bruised dark red and swollen. All that didn’t still my breathing as much as the way her glazed eyes stared out from the ashen skin of her face.
“Rose, sweetheart, I’m here.”
I brought my face to hers, “Please talk to me, Rose. Come on, snap out of it.”
I only half noticed Sam on the other side of the bed searching around Rose’s head with his hands and then going over her body.
“She appears to be in shock,” Sam offered, before he shouted at her, “Rose, you better start talking or I’m going to tell everyone how you fainted at the sight of some blood.”
Astounding me, Sam’s words did the trick.
“You’re...a...prick, Sam,” Rose stammered out between breaths. “Did I really get him?”
“You sure did, sweetheart,” I said pulling her up into my arms again. Even with the smell of her blood, there was still the scent of warm flowers underneath.
I thanked God as I hel
d her trembling body.
“I’m glad,” she said into my neck.
“Good job, sis. Looks like you didn’t even need us.” Sam’s relief was evident as he blew out a long sigh.
The sound of the sirens got Sam back up again. “I’ll go meet everybody,” he said, sprinting out of the room.
“Is he...dead?” Rose whispered.
I listened to the house; the sound of the sirens and the voices bursting around downstairs were clear to my ears, but I didn’t hear Levi’s screams any longer.
I smoothed Rose’s tangled hair down, as I said, “Reckon I don’t know. He was very much alive when I took you out of there.”
Rose’s eyes narrowed, and the words from her mouth sent a shiver over me.
“I hope he’s dead.”
Before I could say anything, there were three officers sweeping into the room, along with two paramedics.
“Move over, young man,” the oldest officer commanded me.
The guy’s no-nonsense tone was enough to get me away from the bed and up against the wall.
The big guy cleared an area so that the paramedics could sail right over to Rose. I was glad they were there caring for her. My mind worried that when she calmed down, she’d be hurting all over.
“Noah, don’t leave me,” Rose called out, holding her hand to me.
I slid over close enough to reach out and grasp it, even though the head policeman frowned at me.
“Are you related to her?” the officer asked.
“I’m her boyfriend.”
Sam squeezed in, seeming comfortable to bump past the lawmen until he reached Rose’s head. I had to give him credit for his audacity.
“I’m Rose’s brother,” Sam told them.
“Then you’ll be the one riding with her to the hospital,” the chubby officer said, taking the time to look squarely at me in warning.
What did I ever do to him?
Sam, reading my thoughts, told me, “Ah, Noah...Dad talked to the sheriff about the situation with Rose and you a while back... You aren’t supposed to be here.”
“Don’t you dare make Noah leave—Sam, please tell them it’s all right now,” Rose pleaded with her brother. The lady paramedic spoke soothingly to Rose as she held her down to the bed while the man tried to see into her eyes with a light that looked like a pen.
“Yeah, don’t worry about it. It’s okay now,” Sam said, eyeing the chubby guy, apparently the sheriff of this busy town.
The commotion in the hallway made me look up in time to see Levi being carried away by another group of medical workers, with several officers following behind. I didn’t see much of Levi because of the mask on his face. He was just a blur going by to my eyes.
I was glad that he wasn’t speaking any longer.
“We’re ready,” the man said.
In no time at all, a slender, cotlike device was beside the bed. I had to let go of Rose in order for them to move her, and I did, but only after I bent down and kissed her forehead.
“Can’t he come?” Rose looked to the sheriff.
“Sorry, but only one other person can ride with you to the hospital—and that’ll be your brother.”
I could see Rose was preparing to argue, and she didn’t need to waste her energy. “It’s all right, sweetheart. I’m sure one of these kind officers will give Father and me a ride to the hospital. I’ll be right behind you.”
Everyone took that as a cue to quickly get Rose on the cot and whisk her out of the room. Sam held her hand, hovering near her while she craned her neck to watch me until she disappeared into the hallway.
Before I got out the door, Father stayed me with his hand.
“How serious are her injuries?” Father asked. His face was flushed and his voice jumpy.
“She was beat up pretty bad, but I believe they are all the type of cuts and bruises that will heal well.” I hesitated, not sure if I wanted to know, but asking, anyway, “What about Levi?”
Father shook his head wearily and sighed. “He was alive when they took him out, but he’d lost so much blood it’s hard to say whether he will survive.”
I remembered Rose’s wish, and I couldn’t say that I didn’t feel the same way. It served Levi right for attacking Rose. And, if he did die, we’d never have to worry about him again.
“We have to go to the hospital to be with Rose,” I said, surging forward and forgetting about everything else.
Father slowed me by stepping into my path. His face was bright with concern as he said, “Noah, what happened here today was inexcusable. Levi will face justice from the authorities...and God. But you must not let your heart turn to stone toward him. It is our way to show forgiveness in all things.”
I thought about Levi hitting Rose, scratching her and cutting her. I remembered his vile cussing, and I thought about how terrified Rose must have been.
No, he would not get any forgiveness from me.
“I feel that God is the only one in the position to forgive that bastard. Now, please, can we go to Rose?”
Father hesitated for some seconds, then nodded and moved aside. I hoped that one of the officers would indeed transport us to the hospital. As I walked out into the dim evening light, the sight of many police vehicles assaulted my vision. There were also a dozen neighborhood people standing around, pointing and gawking at me and Father as we made our way across the yard.
I didn’t need to worry about the police leaving us behind—several of them were walking to us briskly.
“We have some questions for the two of you,” the sheriff said.
I only half paid attention to the conversation flying back and forth between Father and the sheriff, my mind was so distracted by the crowd and flashing lights.
I was also remembering Levi’s destroyed face—and the look of disapproval on Father’s when I had told him I would not take the way of Grace where Levi was concerned.
* * *
It seemed as if it was hours before we stepped into the lobby of the hospital. Our questioning had moved from the yard to the sheriff’s office, where we’d recounted our story several times, before the large man finally had allowed us to leave.
At least he had instructed the younger patrolman to drive us to the hospital. It was amazing that the sheriff even showed us that courtesy, as unfriendly as he’d been. Obviously, Dr. Cameron had given the man an earful about the Amish. Now that he had to deal with one of us who’d attacked a girl in his own backyard, his impression of our people was probably sullied forever.
The patrolman led us to the emergency waiting area and then disappeared behind the doorway for some minutes before returning with Dr. Cameron in tow. Rose’s father had made a quick journey to the city.
My heart stumbled at the sight of him—one more obstacle to keep me from seeing my love.
Dr. Cameron did not offer his hand to my father, nor did he look my way. The patrolman, who had been engaging enough on the ride over, was stone-still, avoiding our eyes altogether.
We had no one on our side in these parts.
“How’s Rose?” I spoke to David, anyway.
David glanced my way dismissively and focused his gaze on my father.
“Rose is doing well. Her outer scars will heal much more quickly than her inner ones. I appreciate your concern for her. And the fact that you coaxed Sam into bringing you to the city was admirable, but I will reiterate what I told you before. Rose will not be having anything to do with your community while she is still a minor—especially after all this. I hope you will respect me in this matter, Amos, and keep your son away from her.”
Father stood silently staring at David. At that moment I wished I could have spied into my father’s brain to see what he was thinking. He was obviously weighing his words carefully before he spilled them. After all, he knew that Rose could be pregnant, and what David wanted might not even be an issue in a couple of months.
I remained silent. I trusted Father to represent me.
Finally, Father s
poke, his voice level and resolved.
“So be it, then, David. But the forces of nature may affect your decision in time. Until then, we will patiently wait for Rose, for I do believe that regardless of your wishes, Noah and Rose will be together in time.”
Father tipped his hat and turned, walking straight out the front doors. I hesitated, wanting desperately to see Rose, but the look David gave me told me he’d never allow it. As I went to follow Father, I saw a wisp of sympathy pass over the patrolman’s face before I left.
I tried to leave with the same confident manner that Father had used, but I probably didn’t pull it off as well. My heart was breaking that I would again be kept away from Rose.
How long could this go on? I quickly counted in my head, seven months until her birthday...or earlier if her belly began to grow.
For Rose’s sake I didn’t want her to be with child, but for my sake, I silently prayed that she was.
37
Rose
I wondered what Noah was doing right then. Absently, I stroked Hope’s head, which was flopped on my lap like a rag doll.
The darkness outside the front windows was complete, and I couldn’t help but stare out into it, zombielike. The trickling of Summer’s country lingo occasionally reached my ears, with Sam’s voice popping up here and there, a bit more abruptly.
The two of them sat on the couch side by side, looking as if they were a couple of straitlaced Amish kids. I hid a smile, thinking about how Sam had attempted to pull Summer’s legs onto his lap, but she’d have nothing of it. She had said something to the effect that she was in no way going to get all cozy with Sam in front of his entire kin, and then added that it was rude, besides, with Rose not able to cuddle up with her guy and all.
That had instantly brought an image of Noah’s worried face to mind. The discomfort I was feeling because of the bruises and scrapes to my body were nothing compared to the throbbing hurt my heart was dealing with.
Why was Dad being such a dictator?
It had been a week since the psycho Levi had tracked me down to give payback for getting him kicked out of his community. The fact that the worm was still alive bugged me to no end. Even though the sheriff had assured me that once Levi was recovered enough to leave the hospital, a jail cell or a mental institution awaited him.
Belonging Page 35
