by Dana R. Lynn
“If we are going to go, we need to go now.” He picked up his coat and put it on again, careful not to irritate his wound. “Nathaniel, cumme. We must go.”
“Goin’ to Grossmamma’s haus, Dat?”
He felt a twinge of guilt at the boy’s tired voice. “Jah. We are going to Grossmamma’s haus.”
“How will we travel?” Sadie murmured, donning her own coat. She walked over to the far wall and unplugged her phone. “It’s fully charged.”
That gave him an idea.
“Do you still have Braden’s number? Maybe he can recommend a driver we can trust.”
In reply, she pushed a button on her phone and it sprang to life. “I saved his number in my contacts.”
He waited while she called the driver. Impatience danced up and down his spine. He held himself still with an effort, refusing to fidget as if he were a kind.
“Hey Braden, it’s me. Sadie. Listen we need a ride...Well, we’re worried that the man after me might know your car, he came after me.” Ben could hear the exclamation coming through the phone. He smiled briefly. “Oh, really? That sounds great. Thanks. Here.”
To his surprise, she handed him the phone. “He said his own car broke down and is in the shop. He has a rental now that he normally wouldn’t be caught in. He’ll give us a ride in that without charge. No one should recognize it, but I don’t know where to tell him to meet us.”
Ben took the phone gingerly, more uncomfortable than he’d been in a long time, but this was an emergency. His bishop did allow them to use cell phones if it was really necessary. In the fewest words possible, he gave the driver directions to an intersection several blocks away. He didn’t want the police seeing them getting into a car in front of the station. Or anyone else.
He handed the phone back to Sadie. “Cumme. We must go.”
It was a true testament to how serious his tone was that the exhausted Nathaniel didn’t even make a token protest as they left the station and walked the several blocks to meet up with Braden, even though it was still raining. They didn’t recognize the car, of course. It was only when he pulled directly in front of them and rolled the window down that they knew him.
The moment they heard his doors unlock, the three runaways jumped in, scurrying across the back seat, Nathaniel in the middle. Braden put the car in Drive and started forward. Ben laid his head against the back of the seat for a second, allowing some of the tension that had gripped him to flow out.
“Where to, man?” Braden looked at them through the rearview mirror.
Ben gave him the address and the young man plugged it into his GPS.
As the miles ticked away, he couldn’t quite shake the worry that Mason Green was still out there. Nor could he forget the flashbacks that Sadie was experiencing.
What if the amnesia she was afflicted with hid a dark secret? One that could hurt her as much as Mason Green?
How was he to protect her and his family from a danger that she couldn’t remember?
* * *
The windshield wipers were set on high, swishing back and forth at full speed to keep up with the onslaught of rain streaming down the windshield. It was coming down so hard now that it wasn’t even possible to distinguish drops. Rather, it was a constant sheet of water. When they had first gotten on the interstate highway, the traffic was flowing nicely at around sixty miles an hour. They certainly weren’t going sixty now. She leaned forward so that she could peer over and see the speedometer. Just over forty. Great. Well, the one positive was that nearly everyone else had slowed down, too.
Sighing, she settled back against the seat. Ben reached across Nathaniel and tapped her shoulder to get her attention. “Relax. We’re on our way to a new place in a car the man after you has not seen before.”
He removed his arm and she immediately felt the loss. Which was just silly. She did not need to develop a crush on a man so out of her reach. Even if he was kind and brave.
And thoughts about him would not be a good idea either. She tossed him a smile to let him know she had heard him, then turned her head to watch the rain sliding down the window.
Nathaniel slumped against her right arm, his even breathing deepening to soft little snorting snores. It was adorable. She smiled down at the child snuggled up to her so trustingly. Ben shifted in his seat near the window. When she lifted her gaze, her heart melted at the tender expression on his face as he watched his son sleep. A rather robust snore escaped from Nathaniel. All three of the adults in the car chuckled softly. She was still laughing when her gaze rose and snared Ben’s.
All laughter fled. The electricity that had been simmering between them for days flared to life. He had the deepest eyes she had ever seen. The rain pounding on the car, the radio quietly playing in the front of the vehicle, all of it faded until she was aware of nothing except the strong man sitting so close to her, with only a sleeping child separating them.
“Guys, we have a problem.” Braden’s voice was like being doused with icy water. Both Ben and Sadie jumped, their faces flushing. The sudden movement woke up Nathaniel. The child sat up straight with a cry.
“Dat! What’s happening?” The fear in his young voice shredded her heart to pieces. No child should have to be afraid. Without thinking about it, she looped her arm around his slender shoulders and hauled him closer to her.
“Alles ist gut, Nathaniel,” she murmured, the words for all is well flowing off her tongue like smooth cream. The moment the words left her mouth, she stiffened, her eyes opening wide. How had she known that phrase? Was it something she’d heard from Ben or Ruth? And why had it felt so natural to say it? Even if she had heard it, it shouldn’t have been her instinctive way to comfort him.
“Sadie—” Ben begin, his face covered in confusion.
The car slid slightly before Braden corrected it.
“What’s the issue?” she asked the driver, keeping her tone calm. She shared a glance with Ben. That conversation would have to wait.
Now that she was paying attention, she realized that they had slowed down. A lot. The rain hitting the windshield had altered. She could hear some of the drops plink as they made contact with the glass. Plink was not a word that should be associated with rain.
“Is that ice?” Ben asked, leaning forward slightly.
“Sure is. The road is getting slippy.” She might have found the local word for slippery quaint and amusing if the situation hadn’t been so treacherous. Knots were beginning to form between her shoulders as the tension inside her ratcheted up a notch. “I might need to take the back roads. The traffic won’t be as heavy there.”
“If that’s what you think is best,” Ben responded. She could see the crease that formed on his brow. He might have sounded calm, but he was worried; she could see the concern hovering in the deep shadows of his eyes.
God, if You’re there, please help us. Protect Ben and Nathaniel and let us get to his home.
The prayer sprang from the depths of her soul. She had no idea if she was normally a praying person or not, but right at this moment, she knew that no one but the Almighty could get them out of the current mess they were in.
A semi truck zoomed past them, its speed creating a vortex that sucked them toward the fast lane. Sadie tightened her grip on Nathaniel and squeezed her eyes shut. Then they shot open again when Ben’s hand closed over hers. He pulled it back when she looked at him. She knew he had been silently offering her encouragement, but it felt like more.
“Idiot driver. Does he think it’s summertime?” Braden muttered darkly.
Once the car was no longer being pulled to the side, he sighed. A few minutes later, he moved up behind a slower-moving car. He switched lanes, passing a large sedan inching along. Sadie looked over. The woman at the wheel was staring ahead, her hands clenched on the wheel in concentration. This weather was an accident waiting to happen.
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, then Braden exclaimed, his foot hitting the brake. She could feel the shudder as the antilock brakes kicked on and the vehicle began to skid. Outside the car, the air screeched with the horrendous clatter of metal crunching against metal. The semi that had passed them so blithely earlier had jackknifed and was completely blocking the road. Several cars had collided in their attempt to avoid the rig. Drivers were climbing out of the vehicles. She couldn’t hear them, but it was obvious by their agitated movements that some of them were shouting. Fists were shaken in the air.
The violence of it disturbed her.
Even more disturbing, though, was the knowledge that they were not going to be able to follow through with their plans of traveling to the next exit and getting off the interstate. Which meant they wouldn’t be able to use the back roads to get the remainder of the distance to Ben’s family’s home.
They were stuck, here in the middle of nowhere, on an icy interstate filled with other irate travelers. And the weather appeared to be growing worse. The icy downpour had become more snow than rain in the past few minutes while they’d been sitting still.
What if Mason Green was in one of the vehicles that was halting behind them? Granted, he didn’t know what car Braden was driving. But they lost the advantage while they were sitting in an unmoving vehicle. All he had to do was get out of his vehicle and walk along the center of the road between the two eastbound lanes to see if he could find them inside the car. If he found them here, how would they protect themselves?
He really wasn’t after Ben, Nathaniel or Braden. She knew that if he found them, she’d leave with Green to protect the others. Although she didn’t think they would just let her go.
And that would put them in even more danger. She had no doubt Green would willingly shoot her companions to get to her.
The image of him standing over the body of another man intruded once again. Her stomach curdled. She swallowed hard and tried to breathe in through her nose to control the roiling of her gut. Fear prickled her skin, like tiny insects crawling over her.
“We can’t just sit here!” she burst out.
“I’m really sorry,” Braden said, lifting his hands in a helpless gesture. His face was frustrated. “There’s nothing more I can do right now. Hopefully they’ll be able to get some tow trucks and a crew out to move the semi and get us moving again. Until then, I’m going to have to sit right here. I don’t like it, either.”
“That doesn’t mean we have to stay here,” Ben said, his voice slow and considering. He was obviously working on an idea even as he spoke.
Sadie switched her eyes to the Amish man sitting so close to her. “What do you mean? What else can we do?”
He glanced quickly at his son before meeting her eyes. “We’re not that far from my old District. It’s cold out, but we’re dressed warm. We could probably walk the rest of the distance.”
She pondered his words, mentally balancing the pros and cons. It might be their best option. Still, she hesitated to agree.
“Would that be too much for—” She really didn’t want to say Nathaniel’s name out loud, knowing that any sign that she felt he was weak would infuriate the seven-year-old. But her concern was real. It would be a lot to ask of the child. It was wet and slippery out, and judging by the way the trees on the side of the road were swaying, the wind was fierce.
Ben frowned, his own gaze troubled. “Nee, I think not. It will be hard. I do not know what else to do.”
Biting her lip, she thought about it. “Ben, you and Nathaniel could go. He won’t be after you if I’m not with—”
“Nee.” He glared at her. “We all go, or we all stay. Wir bleiben zusammen.”
The last was said deliberately. Nathaniel nodded with his father. “Jah.”
Her breath shuddered out of her. Maybe she was wrong, but she was pretty sure she knew what he had said. We stay together.
His satisfied expression told her she was right. Why had she known that? Had she taken German in high school? Somehow, she doubted it. This felt more natural than a memory from a class years ago.
“Are you guys sure about this?” Braden asked.
“Jah. Denke for your help. We will walk from here.”
The young man hit the door locks and his passengers all climbed out of the vehicle. They walked as quickly as they could over the slippery surface of the black top covered with a thin layer of black ice. Ben assisted them over the guard rail and the silent trio began to make the slow trek down the shallow embankment.
The trees seemed so far away. Until they made it, they would be out in the open. She was aware of Ben moving to walk behind them. Not because he was slower, she realized, but because he was sheltering them with his body. Anyone coming after them would have to get past him.
Their pace was slower than she would have liked but it couldn’t be helped. They were walking in thick mud, which sucked her boots in and made them feel like they had lead weights in the bottoms. Then there was Nathaniel. He wasn’t a complainer, which she truly appreciated, but he was only seven. His legs couldn’t match the long strides she would have used without him.
She flicked an angst-ridden gaze back toward the interstate they’d abandoned. The cars were backed up for as far as they could see. Was Mason Green among them? She couldn’t shake the feeling that they had targets on their backs. Anyone looking their way would see them.
After what felt like forever, they reached the tree line.
As they ducked behind the large pines and slipped into the shadows, she looked back one final time, feeling as if she were under a microscope. Had they been noticed?
Heart pounding, she plunged into the cover of the trees.
EIGHT
They hadn’t gone far before Sadie became aware of an echo behind them. She paused, pulling Ben and Nathaniel to a stop again. She held her breath, hoping to be proven wrong. There it was... Footsteps. Then suddenly the noise stopped.
They were being followed.
Sadie and Ben looked around. When they glanced back at each other, they both shook their heads. They couldn’t see anything. Ben pointed down. She nodded. She knew his thought matched her own. Whoever was following them was using their footprints as a guide.
Grabbing Nathaniel’s hands, Ben whispered to his son to stay quiet and follow. He led them off the path. They went down, down, down an incline. The rocks were slippery and they had to watch their step, but there would be no prints. That was an advantage. Her left foot skidded a bit on the slick surface. Any advantage they had would be lost if she fell down the incline and made a racket that would draw the killer to their position.
Ben seemed to know where he was going, she noted with relief. He’d grown up in this area, she reminded herself. It made sense that he would know his way around. He wore an air of confidence that gave her some hope that they could survive their current situation.
“Cumme, Nathaniel. Let me help you down.”
Nathaniel sucked in his lower lip. The poor thing looked scared to death, but he obeyed his parent without question. Ben jumped down one particularly steep part, then reached up his arms for his son. Effortlessly, he swung the boy down by his side. Sadie was impressed with the unconscious show of his physical strength.
Her admiration changed to alarm when the man turned back to her. She gulped. There was not much she could do. She had to get down there, and they didn’t have the luxury of time to let her try and make her own slow way down.
She allowed herself to lean into Ben’s arms, setting her hands on his shoulders to keep her balance. When he pulled her down and swung her to his side, a strange breathlessness stole over her.
It may have been her imagination, but she thought that he held on to her a second or two longer than necessary. Then again, he might have been trying to ascertain if she was steady enough to stand on her own.
When he let go, she felt a pang of regret, but quickly shoved it aside. They didn’t have time for her to be nonsensical.
Ben led his son and Sadie along a rocky path that wound through patches of mud-covered areas where the trees were less dense and erosion had worn away the rocks. They communicated mostly with gestures, as any sound could lead the villain hunting them down straight to them.
Suddenly, Ben stopped. Excitement filled him as he turned in a circle, looking around.
“Sadie,” he whispered softly. “There’s a cave near here. Its entrance is partially hidden by trees and shrubs. If we can get there, we can get out of the rain.”
He cast a glance meaningfully behind them. She nodded to show she comprehended the secret message. If they hid in the cave, it might throw whoever was following them off the track long enough for them to escape.
“It’s worth a shot,” she whispered back.
“We’re going to go to a cave?” Nathaniel didn’t sound excited. She looked at Ben and could see the compassion there. Ben knew his son did not like the dark. A dark cave would not be his son’s choice for an adventure.
“Jah. Sadie and I will be with you. Maybe we can dry off some, ain’t so?”
The sigh that came out of the child lifted his shoulders in an exaggerated motion. Sadie saw Ben bite back a smile. The little boy was so endearing, Sadie covered her mouth with her hand so he wouldn’t think she was laughing at him.
“Guess so, Dat.”
Her heart melted at the brave acceptance. Putting her arm around his shoulders, she gave Nathaniel a gentle squeeze. “I don’t like caves, either, but your father is right that it would be good to get out of the rain.”
She was afraid to say more. Even though they were whispering and couldn’t hear any steps behind them, it didn’t mean that they were out of danger. Or out of earshot.
Keeping a firm hand in Nathaniel’s, she followed Ben until they came to the mouth of the cave. He was right. The entrance was partially hidden. She might have missed it altogether had he not been there with her.
