by Dana R. Lynn
“There’s a phone in the barn,” he called out, racing toward it.
Ben was right behind him. Isaac placed the call to Ryder, then he followed Ben back to the buggy. “We need to question the people on the street, see if they have anything to add. Maybe one of them saw something.”
It seemed to take forever to get back to where Sadie had disappeared. They questioned the neighbors at each house. The fourth was the home of a young Englisch couple. The twenty something husband answered the door, looking startled to have a couple of Amish men on his porch.
“Can I help you?”
“Yes,” Isaac responded. “Probably around an hour ago, a young Amish woman was abducted from the Bontrager farm four houses down. A young boy saw her being dragged into a car. Did you happen to see anything suspicious around that time?”
The young man removed his ball cap and scratched his head. “I’m sorry to hear about the woman. A car did come and stop in front of the Bontrager house. I noticed it sitting there when I went out to go to the store. I didn’t see who was driving it, but I do recall thinking that it was weird to see a car parked in front of the house.”
Ben’s heart sped up. Hopefully this man would be able to provide some information that would help them.
Isaac continued to ask him questions. The man hadn’t seen the driver, but he definitely got a good look at the car. He was able to provide them with the make and model of the sedan, along with the color and the college sticker in the back window.
“Thanks. This might help us locate her,” Isaac told the man.
Ten minutes later, they were joined by Ryder. From where he stood, Ben could see Lily patiently sitting in the front seat.
Succinctly, they told him all they had learned. Within minutes, he had called in the description of the car in what he called a BOLO or be on the lookout.
“Once we get a hit, we will head in that direction. I brought Lily along. I know you said Sadie was taken by car. But once she is out of the car, Lily can help. She might be able to track Sadie’s scent. If you have anything of Sadie’s with you, that is.”
Ben started to shake his head, then stopped. Sadie’s kapp. He handed it over to Ryder, his hands shaking slightly.
Ryder met his eyes. “We’ll do our best to find her, Ben. I promise you that I will use whatever I can to find her.”
Ben nodded, his throat closed.
Isaac placed his hand on Ben’s shoulder briefly in solidarity. The hand slipped off when Ryder’s radio started beeping before a feminine voice broke through. Ryder straightened and answered the call. Ben clenched and unclenched his hands, trying to understand the jargon that was passing back and forth between the sergeant and the dispatcher.
“We have a sighting.” Ryder turned and strode back to his car. “Let’s go. Someone saw the car in the downtown area ten minutes ago.”
Ben and Isaac ran after Ryder. Both of them climbed into the back seat.
“I’m not going to use my siren. I don’t want to give Green a heads-up that he’s been found.” He pulled the car out onto the road. When they hit the downtown area, Ben swallowed his disappointment as they hit some minor traffic. Every second wasted was a second longer that Sadie was in the hands of evil men.
“You should hit the lights, even if you’re not going to use the siren,” Isaac advised tensely. Ben realized that Isaac was affected by the kidnapping of their childhood friend, too.
“Yep.” Ryder flicked a switch, and Ben could see the reflection of the flashing lights on the windshields of the cars they passed. The vehicles ahead of them moved to the side, allowing the cruiser to speed up the road uninhibited.
Gib nicht auf, Sadie. Ben whispered the words in his mind, silently pleading with her not to give up. We’re coming.
He could only pray they’d be in time.
FIFTEEN
Ryder turned the corner so sharply that Ben set a hand down on the seat to balance himself. He didn’t complain. Anything that Ryder did in pursuit of Sadie was fine with him. When the police officer pulled to a stop behind the car that fit the description of the vehicle the young man had described, he felt his hopes rise.
Three men climbed from the car. Ben didn’t recognize the area. Ryder jogged to the other side of the cruiser and let Lily out. He snapped a leash on her harness and then he held Sadie’s kapp to her nose. Lily sniffed the kapp, quivering.
When he told her to search in German, Ben blinked. He hadn’t expected that the dog would have been trained in such a familiar language.
“It made sense to teach her in a language I could remember,” Isaac murmured, his eyes focused on his former colleague and the canine cop.
Lily put her muzzle to the ground and then shot off to the back door of the building.
Where were they? Frowning, Ben looked around.
Isaac caught his breath beside him. “The newspaper’s office is in this building. We need to be careful.”
Ryder nodded. “We don’t have a warrant, but I think we have a strong case for not waiting for one.” He thumbed the radio on his shoulder. When it was answered, he gave their location and the situation. “The situation is grave. I can’t wait to enter the building, but I am requesting backup as soon as possible.”
“Backup will be there in under ten.”
Ten minutes. They couldn’t wait. Not for other officers, not for a warrant. Ben didn’t care about the Englisch laws. He was going in, whether they were allowed to or not. Sadie’s life was in the balance, and that mattered more than any law.
“Let’s take this slowly,” Ryder warned. “I don’t want to frighten him. It might go bad for Sadie.”
Isaac nodded and Ben understood what he was saying. If they made Mason Green aware of their presence, he might hurt Sadie, or worse, and try to get away again. He was all for going careful if it would protect her.
Lord, please keep her safe. Help us to catch this man and keep him from preying on other women and children.
He thought of how Nathaniel said that the man who took Sadie had threatened to take him along, as well. If that had happened, he might have lost both of those he loved most without any idea of where they should start searching for them. He wasn’t sure how he would have gotten through that, although he knew Gott would be there to help him.
“Okay, let’s go around the side of the building,” Ryder whispered, breaking into his bleak thoughts. “There’s another entrance there. It might help us sneak up on them.”
Ryder went first with Lily. The other two men followed, trying to keep the noise down. Together, they went around to the side. Ryder and Isaac opened the door slowly. A very slight creak sounded from the heavy door, but hopefully it was masked by the other noises around them. As soon as they entered, Lily’s nose was on the ground again as she continued to search for her target. The next five minutes felt like an hour as they crept after the canine. At last, they could hear the low rumble of masculine voices. One voice. Two voices. Ben’s eyebrow raised. He thought he recognized Kurt’s voice. Even though he couldn’t understand what his friend was saying, he thought he could detect the fear and strain in his voice.
He glanced at Isaac and Ryder. Both were looking grim.
Suddenly, Kurt shouted out. A second later, Ben heard a scream that made his blood turn to ice in his veins. Sadie. He was done waiting. He took off in the direction of the scream, followed closely by Isaac and Ryder. He twisted around a corner, his blood pounding in his ears.
More shouts by Kurt kept him moving in the direction of the voices. They led him to a staircase. He stomped rapidly down the stairs, not even caring anymore that he was making enough noise to alert everyone in the building to his presence.
Ryder shoved past him, gun out.
“Police! Drop your weapon!” Ryder shouted, pointing his gun at someone still out of Ben’s sight. A second later, Ben and Isaac reached the bottom of the s
teps together and took in the room at a glance.
Kurt was lying on his side, tied up. He must have fallen over or been pushed. He was awake and had some slight facial bruising.
Directly in front of them, Mason Green was holding on to a struggling Sadie. Ben kept his eyes focused on Mason with difficulty. If he looked at her, he was afraid that the strength of his emotions, one of which was a hot rage that was constricting his chest, would take over his common sense.
She was alive. He needed to focus on that and not let himself be sidetracked by other things. Right now, getting her out of this alive and without further harm was his priority.
Sirens were heard directly outside the building.
“Drop the gun, Green. There’s no way you can get away with hurting Miss Standings or Mr. Standings. You’re going to be arrested, and any additional violence will only hurt your chances when you go to trial.”
Mason Green laughed harshly. Then he sneered. “I’m not the one you should be worried about. The Nettles are long gone. You’ll never find them.”
Ryder narrowed his eyes. “I wouldn’t count on that.”
Ben held himself still to keep from drawing attention. He caught Sadie’s eye, trying to communicate his love and his promise to free her. She didn’t look away. When he looked back at Mason Green for a moment, he saw when the man lost all hope and only wanted his vengeance.
Mason’s eyes twitched to where he was holding Sadie. Ben knew he was planning on shooting her.
The moment he brought the gun closer and his finger tightened on the trigger, Sadie yelled out, her voice vibrating with fury, and kicked, hard. Mason screamed in pain as the heel of her boot slammed into his shin. She jerked from his loosened hold. Ben leaped forward, catching Sadie and dropping to the floor with her in his arms. Kurt yelled. A gunshot went wild, hitting the wall.
Ryder attacked, rushing at Mason and taking him down. Within seconds, the angry man was struggling and shouting, even as Ryder rolled him over and cuffed him while yelling his rights at full voice.
When the man was subdued, Isaac assisted Ryder in pulling him to his feet. He had to dodge out of the way to avoid being kicked. Ben turned away from Mason, his full attention on the young woman who held his heart. Without thinking about it, he kissed her gently on the forehead. Then on the cheek.
He wanted to kiss her lips, desperately. But he held himself back. Instead, he stood and held out his hand. She put hers in his, and he gently tugged her to her feet. Carefully, he scrutinized her, looking for any outward signs of injury. She had a couple of scratches and a bruise on the right side of her face. Other than that, she appeared unharmed. He sighed in relief.
All the fears he’d kept inside for the past hour caught up with him. He could feel himself starting to shake. He slammed his eyes closed and clenched his fists, doing his best to hold himself together. Nothing worked.
“Ben.”
He opened his eyes and stared into the eyes of the woman he had risked death to save. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“You came,” she choked out. “I can’t believe you found me.”
“I promised I would protect you. I meant it. With my whole being.”
He was unprepared for the suddenness with which she flung her arms around him and snuggled into his shoulder. He adapted well, though, and his own arms closed around her. He stood there, silently praising Gott for protecting her and letting him hold her in his arms.
* * *
Sadie wanted nothing more than to stay nestled deep in Ben’s strong embrace. But she knew she couldn’t. She had to move away from him. Instinctively, her arms tightened in protest. She inhaled his clean, comforting scent.
Enough. This was already hard. She needed to stop torturing them both.
Bracing herself, she backed out of his grasp. He released her, and his arms fell to his sides. She saw his fingers twitch, as if they wanted to reach out and hold her again. They didn’t, though.
She was glad, she told herself, even as she wrestled with the regret.
“I thought we were too late,” he whispered.
It was then that she noticed Isaac helping Kurt to his feet while Ryder took a handcuffed Mason Green out to his cruiser. The killer impaled her with a deadly glare and sneered as he was paraded past her. “Don’t get too complacent, little girl. Ethan will finish the job. Don’t you doubt that.”
It wasn’t over, even though they had caught Mason Green.
Horrified, she swiveled her head and looked at Ben. The Amish man’s mouth was a tight line, and his eyes were hard as he watched the criminal being put in the back of the police car.
“Ben?”
She had to call his name a second time before he stopped glaring after Mason Green and turned his attention back to her. There was no mistaking the concern in those deep eyes. She had grown familiar with his moods.
“They’re still going to be after me.”
Please say I’m wrong. Please.
He didn’t. Instead, his face grew grim as he slowly nodded. “Jah. We already knew that Mason Green was working with Ethan Nettle.”
“It’s not just Ethan. His son Vincent is working with him.” She saw the surprise in his eyes. “I so hoped it was over.” She couldn’t control her glance in the direction that Ryder had taken Mason. She knew that by now, the villain was safe inside the police cruiser. She couldn’t see Mason through the walls, but she felt as though his eyes were boring holes in her, even from a distance. “Ethan and his son were here. Vincent was the man that kidnapped me. They were already packed and ready to disappear. After Ethan scolded Mason for failing too many times. In order to make up for past mistakes, Mason’s job was to get rid of Kurt and myself.”
Ben paled at her words.
Would she never be safe?
“You could come back—”
“No. I’m sorry, Ben. I will not put you or your family in danger again.”
He sighed. “They are your people, too, Sadie. You have family there. Family that loves you.” He paused, his gaze searching her face. “You could join the church. I’m sure you could find a mann. Maybe even one who is a lonely widower, who would open his heart and his home to you.”
She couldn’t breathe. Ben, the man she had being trying so hard to deny her growing feelings for, was all but telling her he loved her and wished for her to be his wife. The mother of his children.
For the space of three heartbeats, she almost agreed, her heart filling with joy at this gift. Then reality crashed in, shattering the dreams. She couldn’t do it. Couldn’t put them in danger. The Amish were peaceful people. If killers came for her family, Ben would not pick up a gun to protect himself. He would protect his family, but for himself he would accept death rather than participate in violence. That would destroy her.
She swallowed the pain that started to fill her heart and stepped back from him, deliberately increasing the distance. His face paled, telling her he understood her move.
“I am not going back to the Amish district, Ben. I will not continue to put you and Nathaniel, or my family and friends in danger. It wouldn’t be fair.”
“You belong with us,” he insisted, his voice rough with hurt.
Oh, no. Tears stung her eyes. She wanted to give in and tell him she’d go anywhere he was. But it would never work. And she didn’t know if she could live a life under the fear and pressure.
“Nee.” The Amish word slipped out. “I do not belong anywhere. I am not Englisch, not anymore, nor am I Amish. I won’t be responsible for putting anyone in danger. Not again.”
Ryder came to where they stood. His serious eyes bounced between them. Had he heard what they had been talking about? His words confirmed that he had.
“If you won’t return to the Amish with Ben, you should still go into hiding. Ethan Nettle and his son are both gone. It won’t be
safe for you to return to your home. I will have to put a security detail on Kurt, too.”
Her brother. Maybe she’d be able to be placed with him. Then she wouldn’t be alone.
“I can’t go into a safe house,” Kurt stated in a voice tinged with steel, coming over to their group, dashing her hopes. “Not now that I know Ethan is a part of this.”
“Kurt,” she started, then paused, unsure what to say.
“My boss is Mason Green’s contact,” Kurt growled. “I can’t believe I never suspected it.”
“It’s because of me,” she whispered. Kurt glanced at her, his face alert. “Oh, Kurt, I had blocked the memories, but Mason Green had murdered my real father, years ago. My mother and I left our home so she could protect me. When Ethan was at our house, I saw a photo of Mason, and my reaction told Ethan that I had recognized it, although I still didn’t recall completely who he was.”
Kurt shook his head. “He’s been playing me the whole time. My guess is in his mind, I was expendable. Maybe he’s been using me to figure out what you knew. How much of a threat you were. Once he knew you were remembering, I’m sure he was pretty desperate to get you out of the picture. I can’t let them get away with that.”
“What do you plan to do?” Ben asked, subdued.
She winced. He was still hurt by her rejection, but she knew she’d made the right choice.
“I’m a reporter,” Kurt responded. “I’m going to do my job and expose the truth.”
Ryder walked over to Sadie. “I can put you in a safe place. If you are sure this is what you want. I can arrange for a temporary placement for you until we find Nettle and his son. Nettle has a very well-known face. In order to truly hide, he’ll have to be in disguise. There’s no telling how long this could take.”
Sadie bit her lip. She knew that they were all thinking the same thing. What if they never found Nettle or his son? She’d be in hiding for the rest of her life. Never to see Kurt again. Separated from her newly discovered grandparents...and from the man she—
No. That was done. It had to be. There was nothing for her in that relationship.
