Plain Refuge

by Dana R. Lynn

  His face a grim mask, Aiden continued to paddle. Sophie followed his lead. Until they were out of the water, there was little they could do to help Levi.

  After continuing to fight their way through the rapids one at a time, they lost sight of the men.

  Had they passed the police blockade? Or had the dogs followed the scent to the river?

  As if reading her thoughts, Aiden called out, “We need to go downstream far enough to get beyond the dogs. I’m hoping it will take them a while to pick up the scent again, especially since they don’t know where we’ll get off.”

  Which made sense. Aiden didn’t even know where they would exit the water. It needed to be soon. Her eyes rested on Levi.

  “I think he’s going into shock. We need to get him warm.”

  Her own teeth were chattering from the freezing water. The bottom of the raft was drenched, as was their clothing. Getting him to a safe, dry location was a priority.

  It just wasn’t possible at the moment.

  The river wound around a bend. Another rapid came into view. Sophie clenched her teeth as Aiden bellowed out instructions. They were nearly out of the rapid when they bounced off a boulder that was half-buried in the river. The force of the collision dumped Levi out of the craft. Celine and Sophie cried out.

  “Levi!” Aiden lurched forward and grabbed at his friend. He yanked and tugged. Sophie and Celine helped as much as they could. He was nearly inside when they crashed into another boulder. With horror, she watched as Aiden’s back slammed into it and his head brushed against it. She and Celine got him back into the raft.

  “We have to get out of the river,” he mumbled, his voice slurred. He was losing consciousness and attempted to shake it off, grimacing. When he heaved himself back to where he had been and took up her oar, she opened her mouth. Although what she planned to say was a mystery. She just knew he was in bad shape.

  “Don’t argue,” he told her. “I have to keep going. Once we make it to the bank, we still have to find a way to get Levi warm.”

  “You, too.” He might imagine himself invincible, she thought as she scanned him for signs of shock, but he wasn’t.

  Levi was still bleeding. She pulled off her cardigan. It was sopping wet but better than nothing. Tossing it to Celine, she signed, “Fold this up and hold it against his shoulder. Keep pressure on it.”

  Celine’s mouth formed an O. “I don’t want to hurt him!”

  “We need to stop the bleeding to keep him alive.”

  Gingerly she did as she was told. Sophie’s heart stirred in empathy as she watched her little sister caring for Levi. Levi was so much like her brother had been. His attitude toward her sister made her wonder if he had siblings of his own that he had cared for. Briefly, she wondered why he was estranged from his family.

  After roughly fifteen minutes of struggling against the current, the raft hit the bank with a hard bounce. Aiden grunted. Sophie winced in sympathy. It took them the better part of half an hour, but together, Aiden, Sophie and Celine were able to carry Levi over the bank and up to street level. They halted in a patch of sunlight near a dirt-and-gravel road. No cars were in sight as far as she could see.

  That was both good and bad. Good because those who wanted to kill them weren’t running at them. Bad because Levi needed help. So did Aiden.

  “We can’t stay here near the road. Let’s go into the field across the road. It’s sunny, but if we sit in the tall grass, no one will see us from the road,” Aiden said.

  Sweat was pouring down her back by the time they’d set Levi down in the grass. She wiped off her face with her arm.

  “Where do you think we are?”

  Aiden didn’t answer. “Aiden?”

  Her heart was in her throat as she spun around, searching for him.

  He was sitting a few feet away with his back braced against a tree.

  “Sophie,” he rumbled out, barely audible.

  She ran to his side and knelt down.

  “I’m here. What can I do for you?” Reaching out, she placed the back of her hand against his forehead. It was clammy. That was definitely not good.

  Why was he smiling?

  She removed her hand. To her surprise, he grabbed it in his and held on. “We’ll be okay. Pray.”

  When he slumped over, tears distorted her vision. She brushed them away on her sleeve. Crying wouldn’t help anyone. Leaning over, she placed her fingers on his neck. The pulse nearly brought on a second bout of tears.

  Pushing herself to her feet, she crossed over to where Levi lay. She didn’t know what else she could do for him. Everything they had was wet.

  In a rush, she opened the backpack and pulled out Celine’s processors. She’d placed them in a Ziploc bag. The baggie was damp, but the devices appeared to be dry.

  She handed them over to Celine. “They’ll need to be recharged soon. We don’t have the charger with us.”

  “Will Aiden and Levi die?”

  Sophie dropped down next to her sister and looped her arm around the child. Her heart ached for her. The fact that she didn’t know how to make everything better gnawed at her. She wasn’t used to feeling helpless. “I won’t lie to you. I’m really worried about Levi. I think Aiden just needs some rest.”

  “He likes you. Aiden does. At least I think he does.”

  What? Where had that come from? Her cheeks heated as her sister turned her head to observe her. Celine was trying to distract herself. She hoped.

  “He doesn’t like me,” Sophie signed without her voice, just in case he was conscious enough to hear her. She felt like she was in junior high having a conversation about boys. “He’s helping us. That’s all.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Celine might have said more, but Sophie shushed her. “Hold on. I hear something coming.”

  It wasn’t a sound she heard much in Chicago, but she’d know it anywhere. It was the steady clip-clop of horse hooves. A single horse, if her guess was correct. She needed to see who was coming. Her shoulders tightened as the list of possibilities ran through her mind. Surely, the men who were after them would not be on horseback.

  Rising up on her knees, Sophie slowly lifted her head above the tall grass. Just high enough so she had a view of what was coming. That way, if it was someone who could help them, she could stand up and wave him down. Otherwise, she was fairly confident that she could drop down again and hide.

  At least she pretended she was feeling confident. For Celine’s sake.

  Initially she couldn’t see anyone, though the clip-clop of hooves continued to get closer. Now she could hear another sound. Some sort of motorless vehicle.

  Finally, the horse cleared the trees. It was pulling a buggy, driven by an Amish man around her father’s age.

  What should she do? She didn’t want to involve a stranger, but the men needed care. The Amish would not take them to the police, nor was it likely they had seen their pictures on the television. Levi had said his family was Amish. Should she relate that to the man? Or was that something she shouldn’t mention?

  Decided, she realized that the man had started to drive past.

  If she was going to get help, she needed to act fast.

  TEN

  Jumping to her feet, Sophie ran toward the road, waving her hands to get the man’s attention.

  “Hey!”

  Startled, the Amish man pulled on the reins he was holding. The horse trotted a couple horse lengths before coming to a halt. Sophie no longer felt the pain in her legs as desperation had her running out to where he was stopped in the middle of the dirt road.

  “Hey,” she panted as she reached the buggy.

  She stopped to get her breath, wondering what she could tell him.

  “Are you in trouble?” the man asked her.

  She blinked rapidly. “Yes. I am. I’m with my sister and
two of our friends over there.” She pointed in the direction of where she’d left her companions. Suddenly she realized that she could tell the man part of the truth.

  “We went rafting, and my friends were injured. Both of them are unconscious.”

  His eyebrows winged upward, hiding beneath his light brown bangs.

  “Ach! Show me where.”

  He followed her to where Celine waited with the men. Levi’s breathing was harsh. His color was awful. Aiden was in the same condition he’d been in previously. The Amish man bent closer to Levi, removing the cardigan that had been used to stem the blood.

  “This man’s been shot.” He stood and faced Sophie.

  “Yes.” She sucked in a breath to fortify herself. She’d tell him as much as she could. It was the only decent thing to do. If he decided to help them, it would put him at peril. He deserved to make that choice with full knowledge of what he was choosing.

  She hoped that he didn’t decide to take his horse and buggy and return home.

  “He was shot helping us. That man—” she pointed to Aiden “—is a cop. He was hurt rescuing my sister and myself from men who want to hurt us. He was injured when they came after us. I’m afraid that if I don’t get them help fast, they’ll die.”

  At her words, Celine buried her face in her hands.

  “You should get them to a hospital, ain’t so? I can drive you to town and you can call an ambulance.”

  Okay, this was where it could get tricky. She needed his help, and she had to do whatever she could to convince him.

  “Sir, we can’t go to the hospital. Or to the police. They think we killed someone.”

  His face went blank. He wasn’t going to help. She’d tried to convince him, but it was no use.

  “We didn’t kill anyone,” she hurried to explain. She probably shouldn’t have said that, except she felt that she should be honest with this man. It wouldn’t be fair to give him less than the truth. She tried again. “Please, sir, Aiden didn’t kill anyone. He was framed.”

  He stilled. “Aiden who?”

  “Forster. Aiden Forster.”

  “I know of him.”

  She stared at him, shocked. What were the chances that the person who came by would know of Aiden? She’d say it was a coincidence, but she didn’t believe that. Once again, God was showing His care for them. She was humbled. And a little bit awed.

  “Really? You know him?” She pointed back at Aiden.

  The man gave her a small smile and shook his head slightly. “Nee. I don’t know him. I know of him.”

  She waited. After a few seconds, it was apparent that he had told her all he was planning to say. Hopefully, whatever he knew about Aiden would be enough to convince him to assist them.

  She grabbed on to her courage. “If you know of him, then you know that he is a man of honor. Someone who takes his duty to protect and serve seriously.” She gestured to Levi. “This young man will die if he doesn’t get help soon.”

  He pulled on his beard while he thought. Finally, he appeared to come to a decision and nodded his head.

  “Ja. I will help you. I will need my son. Wait here. I will be back.”

  He climbed back up in his buggy and picked up the reins. “My haus is down the road. I will return in ten minutes.”

  He clicked his teeth and flicked the reins. The horse started off at a steady trot. Sophie watched until the buggy was out of sight. She had no idea how long she stood there waiting until the low hum of a motor coming closer sent her running back to where the others were hiding. She sat down beside her sister and was out of sight before the vehicle passed.

  “Will he help us?” Celine asked.

  “Yes, he’s gone to get someone else.”

  They waited in silence. The time dragged on. Hadn’t it been ten minutes yet? Maybe he’d changed his mind. Or maybe he had really gone to the police.

  Anxiety crawled like ants through her. Even her skin itched with it. The need to move had her rocking in place as she sat. Shifting restlessly, Sophie tried to decide what else they could do.

  Nothing. There was nothing else she could do. There was no way she and Celine would be able to carry two men who were unconscious. And there was definitely not a chance that she would abandon them. Nor was she comfortable with the idea of leaving them to go find help.

  You can pray.

  She could pray. She could give the whole situation to God and allow Him to take control. Wasn’t that what she had said she was going to do from now on? It was hard. She had been in control of her own life for so long that the thought of letting go was an uncomfortable sensation. It made her feel a little twitchy to not be in charge of what was happening.

  She scoffed at herself. When was the last time she had really been in charge? Yeah, sure, she lived by herself. She was making career decisions. But her personal life she had no control over. If she’d had control of what happened in her life, her parents and Brian would still be alive, and Celine would not be in this danger. Nor would she.

  Closing her eyes, she bowed her head. “God, I can’t control this situation. I have no idea what I’m doing or what will happen. Please take over. Calm my anxiety and bring help. And please let these men recover.”

  Peace washed over her. Oh, she was still scared and concerned for their safety. But she wasn’t alone. That knowledge was finally sinking in deep.

  The staccato drum of hooves on the road brought her head up. She didn’t want to raise her hopes. No doubt there were many Amish families living in this part of the country. She wasn’t even sure if they were in Pennsylvania or Ohio. Tilting her head, she listened critically. The noise was coming from the direction in which the man had driven away.

  The noise stopped. She heard boots hit the ground. More than one person.

  Her heartbeat increased.

  Now they would discover if the man had truly brought help or simply turned them in.

  Several male voices drifted over to where they were hiding.

  “Dat, are you sure this is where you left them?”

  “Ja, they are here somewhere.”

  She recognized the second male. It was the man she’d talked to. Cautious, she rose so her eyes were above the grass. There were two men, both in Amish dress. One was younger, late teens maybe. His face was clean-shaven, so she knew he was unmarried. The horse was no longer pulling a buggy. Now she saw it hitched to some kind of flatbed trailer.

  So that’s what had taken them so long.

  She nearly wilted with relief. They were truly going to assist them even though they were strangers.

  “There you are.” They moved to where she was hiding. The man pointed at Aiden. “Does he look familiar?”

  His son strode closer to Aiden. “Ja. I’m not sure. It was two years ago, but this might have been him.”

  Might have been him what? She was hoping one of them would enlighten her; instead, they went to Levi and began to move him to the trailer.

  “Easy, now. We don’t want to hurt the man. Watch your step.” The father kept up a steady stream of comments as they carried first Levi, then Aiden, to the trailer. When they were done, he walked over to where Sophie and Celine stood.

  “It would be best if you rode in back with them.”

  His accent was thicker than Levi’s. Celine looked at her, not sure what to do. Sophie understood. Celine was so exhausted that she was finding it difficult to read lips. Well, she could ease some of the strain for the girl. She signed the instructions to her sister. Neither man reacted to the obvious clue that she was deaf.

  Celine asked a question.

  “My sister wants to know your names.”

  “Ach! Of course she does. I’m Silas King, and this is my son, Melvin.”

  Within minutes, they were settled into the trailer and on their way to the King home. Sophie’s whol
e body ached. She was tired, mentally and physically, and was ready to fall asleep on her feet. It had been hours since they’d eaten, but she was past feeling hungry.

  She heard sirens coming toward them from the other direction. Motioning her sister to stay low, she hunkered down next to Aiden. When an emergency vehicle zoomed past, she let out the breath she’d been holding but didn’t straighten up. She remained in that position until Silas pulled the trailer into his driveway.

  As Silas and Melvin carried Levi into the house, Aiden stirred.

  “Sophie?”

  “Shh. It’s fine.” She leaned down and kissed his forehead. Celine snickered. Sophie ignored her sister the best she could. What had come over her, kissing him?

  “Sophie, are you hurt?”

  Aiden’s eyes blinked open for a moment.

  “No.”

  She would have said more if he had not grimaced and closed his eyes again. They could talk when he was awake.

  All that mattered at the moment was that they were safe.

  For now.

  * * *

  Where was he?

  Aiden blinked at the bright morning light coming through a window. He was in a strange room, in a strange bed and wearing someone else’s clothes. The walls were a warm off-white shade, and there were no pictures on them. The furnishings were simple. A dresser, a chest, a bed. No lamps. No light switches.

  It wasn’t a room he’d ever been in, but it was comfortable. The warmth of the bed called to him. He was still so drained it would be wonderful to close his eyes and sink back into sleep.

  His lids drifted shut. His mind began to clear. He had a vague recollection of talking to Sophie while riding in some kind of trailer or buggy.

  Sophie! And Celine. Were they here? Were they safe? And then there was Levi. The last he knew, Levi had been shot and had lost blood. Where was Levi?