Amish Country Ambush (Amish Country Justice Book 4)

by Dana R. Lynn

  “I heard noises. I thought someone was still in the house. I thought, I need to get Mikey. I need to protect him, jah? I went into his room and I found him, and I woke him up. There were footsteps in the house. I told Mikey we were going to play a game, and we climbed out a window. When we were in the trees, I looked back. I could see a very large man on the porch.”

  Hudson.

  “He had on a white shirt, but there was a red stain on his shirt. I thought, there’s blood on his shirt. The dead woman’s blood.” She buried her face in her hands for a second. They waited, for clearly she needed a minute to compose herself.

  “I didn’t know what to do. I was so scared. Then he started yelling out Mikey’s name. I was afraid he’d hurt him. I started going to my cousin’s house, but when I got there, I saw men had come, and I heard them asking about me and a boy. I knew it wasn’t safe there, so I decided to come here. I found a friend who drove me partway, then we walked.”

  Amazed at the young girl’s quick thinking, Elise again was overcome by gratitude. There was no doubt in her mind that Leah had saved Mikey from being taken.

  “But, Leah, why didn’t you go the rest of the way home?” she asked. “Why stay out here in the woods? Didn’t you think your family would help you?”

  “Jah, I knew that Abram would help me. He’s a gut brother. Strong, and he would protect me. But I got scared again. I was close to his house. A car drove past. We were in the woods, I don’t think they saw us.”

  “Who, Leah? Who was it?” Her stomach hurt.

  Leah’s face was so pale it was astonishing to Elise that she hadn’t passed out. “The men. The men who went to my cousin’s haus. They were here. They drove past three times.”

  A tear dripped off her chin onto the apron over her blue dress. “I didn’t know what to do. I was close to my home. I could hear my brother’s voice as he worked. But I could not go home. I was afraid the men would hurt my brother or his wife if I went to them.”

  Elise couldn’t tell her she was wrong. In fact, she suspected that Leah had actually saved her brother’s life by not going home. If Dellon was bold enough to keep driving by her house, he obviously expected her to show up sooner or later. How long would it be until he showed up again?

  She looked at Ryan for guidance.

  Intercepting her glance, he nodded and then began to speak.

  “Leah, I have a friend in New Wilmington. He’s a police officer, like me. He is checking out something at the moment. When he returns, I want to take you and Mikey and Elise back to the police station.”

  Watching him, she felt pride in what he did, how seriously he took his position. She had been right to tell him that he was meant to be a police officer. Every move he made showed how determined he was to see that the innocent were protected and that justice was done.

  When no protest came from the ladies, Ryan continued. “Once the three of you are secure, I plan to come back here. I need to stop Leroy Dellon and Hudson Langor, for one. And I need to make sure that your family is safe. When all this is over, Leah, I know that your brother will be happy to have you home.”

  A thought occurred to Elise. “Ryan, I am wondering if there were any clues in either Dellon’s house or van about why he is chasing us?”

  He looked at her with an approving smile. “Nothing we found pointed directly to you. But I strongly suspect that Hudson is the reason—because of his connection to you and your nephew. Whether Hudson instigated the whole thing, I don’t know. I keep going back to what he said about his boss trying to kill him. Was that Dellon, or was he working with another criminal, too? Who put the hit on him? I don’t like all these loose ends.”

  How on earth was she ever going to find peace with such evil surrounding her? Was it even possible to stop all the people after her? She’d done her best to live a good life, to raise her nephew to be a kind and polite child. And this is what happened.

  Was it worth it?

  Mikey snuggled deeper into her shoulder. She kissed his head again. Yes, it was worth it. She had no idea why God was letting her go through this trial. But she reminded herself that He hadn’t left her. She wasn’t alone.

  Her vison moved to include Ryan. No, she wasn’t alone. God had known that she would need help. And He’d sent her someone capable of shouldering her burdens with her for a time. In her heart, she wished it could be for a lifetime. She could almost convince herself it didn’t matter that she couldn’t have children. She was fairly sure that he felt as strongly for her as she did for him.

  Her thoughts flashed back to the conversation he’d had with Jackson. He was a good man. How could she deny him the opportunity for a family, knowing that he longed for one?

  She straightened her shoulders. She wouldn’t be selfish. She’d accept his help in the current situation. Then she’d move on.

  She sat quietly, holding her sweet boy as her heart shattered inside her.

  * * *

  Ryan paced back in forth in front of the barn, frustration making him cagey. He couldn’t understand what was going on inside Elise’s head. For the past forty-five minutes, she’d been quietly talking with Leah. He’d tried to catch her attention several times, but she never looked his way.

  He couldn’t help feeling that she was ignoring him. Why? To the best of his knowledge, he hadn’t done anything. Well, anything except for working like crazy to save her life and find Mikey. But besides that...

  He bit back a groan. Now he was getting petty. Seriously, though, he had woken up this morning feeling refreshed and eager to start his day. More to the point, he had been eager to see her. The desire to tell her how he felt was so strong he was ready to explode with it.

  And then she’d gotten up and completely shut him down. Oh, sure, she was polite, and a time or two he thought he’d detected a chink in the wall she’d built up around herself. But before he could talk with her about his feelings, she’d hidden behind it again.

  Now she was deliberately ignoring all his attempts to get her attention. He knew that if he told her it was something important, something related to the case, she’d listen and do what he instructed. On that front, they were in sync with each other. Personal feelings, though, were another matter.

  What was he to do?

  Leave it alone, Ryan. Get her home, make sure she and Mikey are safe. Then you can work out any issues.

  If she let him. What if she didn’t want anything to do with him once the case was over?

  He didn’t even want to go there.

  A lone car drove down the road. Ryan stopped pacing and ducked deeper inside the barn. He couldn’t see it too well from where he stood because of the distance. All he could tell was that it was a maroon sedan.

  “Elise,” he hissed.

  She looked up at him, startled. It was proof of how serious the situation was that he didn’t say anything snarky about her finally looking at him.

  “Where are those binoculars?”

  Without questioning, she set Mikey down and hurried over, her arm outstretched to hand them to him. As he took them, their fingers brushed. Just barely, but enough for a sharp spark of electricity to dance between them. Elise flinched.

  He ignored it. Now was definitely not the time.

  Raising the binoculars to his eyes, he adjusted them until the scene in front of him cleared. The sedan loomed like it was two feet away. His heartbeat kicked up. There, right in the driver’s seat, sat Leroy Dellon. His head was turned toward the Byler home, away from the woods, but Ryan knew it was him. He didn’t have anyone in the car with him. Where had the rest of his goons gone? And how had he gotten the vehicle? Stolen, most likely. Unease trickled down Ryan’s spine. He hoped that the criminal boss hadn’t gotten the vehicle by killing someone. He had a bad feeling that he had done just that.

  Dellon turned his head and looked straight at Ryan. Ryan jumped back, his
stomach dropping. Wait. They were far enough away that Dellon shouldn’t have been able to see inside the barn. He puffed out his cheeks and exhaled the air in his lungs, fast.

  Man, for a moment, he’d thought they were caught.

  When would Jackson return? The sooner he got back, the sooner they could move out.

  A little hand tugged at his jeans leg. Mikey was trying to get his attention. He sure was a cute little guy.

  “Hi, kiddo. What’s up?” He ruffled the boy’s curly brown hair. He had the same hazel eyes as his aunt.

  “Are you a friend of Auntie Lise?”

  That was a good question. Was he? “Sure, I’m her friend.”

  The little boy grinned. “Cool. I wanna be a cop when I get big.”

  Aw, this kid was just melting his heart. “Do you? Have you told your auntie that?”

  The dark head shook. No. That would be an interesting conversation to watch. Not that Ryan expected her to be upset. He imagined it would just be a serious conversation where she’d say that she was proud of him for wanting to help others. The kind of conversation that should happen in a family.

  A family that he wanted to be a part of.

  “Well, well, well. Isn’t this a cozy gathering?” a cold voice sneered from the doorway.

  Ryan turned. Two of Dellon’s henchmen crowded in the doorway, guns pointed right at their small group. Angered with himself for becoming distracted, Ryan wondered if he could get his hands on his gun fast enough to fight back. He quickly discarded that idea. By the time he’d pulled the service weapon out, the men would have had time to shoot at least one, and most likely more, of their small group. He’d best wait for an opportunity to strike.

  Mikey began to cry.

  “Quiet, brat!” one of them growled at the child, moving his arm back as if to strike him.

  Reacting fast, Ryan shoved Mikey out of arm’s reach and towards his aunt. Elise caught the child by his shirt and pulled him the rest of the way to her, placing her body between the child and the strangers.

  One of them laughed. “It don’t matter. You’ll be coming with us.”

  “What about this one?” The second man shrugged a shoulder toward Ryan. “Should we kill ’im?” The eagerness that lit his face made Ryan’s stomach turn. He’d always known getting killed in the line of duty was a possibility, but he was far from ready to die.

  The other guy, however, stared at his companion like he’d lost his mind. “Are you nuts? You know how hard they’d look for us for killin’ a cop? I plan on enjoying the money I get for this job. Not hiding because some moron I work with decided to off a cop.”

  Amazing. Scruples in a hired killer. Who’d have thought?

  “That don’t mean we can’t do this.” The man reached out, lightning quick, and struck out with his gun. Ryan jerked his arm up to protect himself. Elise screamed. The gun connected with his head and he crumpled.

  * * *

  Ryan had no idea how long he’d been out.

  Jumping to his feet, he tried to ignore the stabbing pain in his skull. He staggered outside of the barn. In the distance he could hear voices. Good. They hadn’t gone too far. Which meant he’d only been out for a couple of minutes.

  He ran as fast as his aching head would allow. It seemed to take forever until he saw them beyond the tree line.

  Mikey cried out as he was pushed into a car. He could see that Leah was already inside. Why were they taking her? Though he wished he could have gotten her to safety, he had to admit he was relieved the thugs hadn’t simply killed the girl once she wasn’t needed anymore.

  Elise was forced into the car next. When she struggled, the man closest to her slammed a meaty fist into her jaw. She crumpled. Rage filled Ryan as he continued running until he reached the street.

  The second man, the one who’d wanted to kill him in the barn, saw him coming and took aim. Ryan dove to the ground as the shot exploded from the gun. Hearing the car door slam and the engine rev, Ryan jumped to his feet again and ran toward the car, his own weapon out.

  He had to stop them.

  Holding his gun steady, he shot at the tire. It popped with a loud hiss of air. The car swerved but didn’t stop. Revving up, it headed straight for him. He couldn’t risk another shot at this distance. It might go wild and hit Elise, Leah or Mikey.

  The car was upon him. At the last moment, he tried to leap out of the way. Unfortunately, his reflexes were slow from the blow he’d taken to his head. As he jumped to the side, the car clipped him, and he was tossed in the air. The last thing he heard before slamming to the ground was Elise screaming his name.

  Then blackness swallowed him again.

  SIXTEEN

  Mikey was crying.

  Elise became aware of his sobs, coming as if from a distance. Her eyelids were like lead weights over her eyes. With a grunt, she forced herself to lift them. It was so difficult. Her vision wavered. Blinking, she worked to clear up her eyesight.

  As she slowly came awake, she realized that something heavy was leaning against her side. She was lying down, her hands down at her sides. Her muscles were cramped. She was on the floor. But on the floor where?

  Lifting her head as far as she was able, she saw Mikey lying against her, crying. She dragged her hand over to him and touched his arm. He jolted into a sitting position. The tears had made tracks down his dirty face. His mouth trembled. Her poor baby. Her gaze searched him. He didn’t look hurt. Just scared.

  “Auntie Lise. I thought you was dead. Like my mommy. You wouldn’t wake up.” His little voice broke into sobs at the last word.

  “Shush, Mikey. I’m okay.” She took a mental inventory of herself. Other than the heavy, slightly woozy feeling, she seemed to be in one piece. Nothing hurt, other than her head. But for how long would that stay the case? As happy as she was to be alive, she could hardly believe it. It seemed to her that it would have made more sense for Hudson or that Leroy fellow to finish her off. She still wasn’t sure what was going on. But it was obvious that there was no love lost between the two men, neither of whom was in the room.

  Leah! What had they done with the Amish girl? She didn’t remember anything after being hit on the head.

  Elise struggled to a half-sitting position. Now she had a clear view of her surroundings. Hardwood floors. A large open room with neatly spaced wooden benches. No television. No phone or computer. Simple wooden furniture. Through the window, she could see a clothesline stretching out from the side of the house. No pictures with family members hung on the walls.

  She was certain they were in an Amish house. Was it the Byler home? Leah’s family’s house? Her gut clenched as a wave of nausea rolled over her. Where was Leah’s family? Where was Leah?

  Dread shivered up her spine.

  Please, Lord. Let them be alive. Let us survive this. Then she remembered.

  Ryan. He’d been run over! She had been so afraid when the one man had struck him with his gun. She’d never seen anyone collapse so hard. Never would she forget the sound his body had made as it hit the ground. Her relief when he’d run after them had been short-lived. When the car had struck him, she knew he wouldn’t be getting up again. Her stomach heaved. It was all she could do to keep herself from vomiting. Grief swamped her, pulling her down. She couldn’t believe he was dead. Those thugs had killed the man she loved. Even though she knew she could never be the woman for Ryan, she would have had the comfort of knowing he was still alive, doing a job he loved. Now...

  A sob escaped through the hard knot clogging her throat, choking her.

  “Auntie Lise?” Mikey’s frightened voice drew her.

  “It’s okay, baby.” She pulled him close, inhaling his little-boy scent. Her baby needed a bath, but he was warm and, for the moment, safe. She had to stay strong for his sake. No matter what happened to her, he would survive if she could make it happen.


  Heavy, running steps announced that they weren’t alone anymore. She waited. Would it be Hudson, come to finish what he started?

  She turned to glare. Only it wasn’t Hudson who entered the room. It was Leroy Dellon, the man who’d put out a contract on her, though she was still unsure why. He glared at her, malevolence emanating from him like a strong cologne. She pulled Mikey back, pushing her boy behind her. The man staring at her sneered.

  “Do you really believe that you’ll be strong enough to protect him?” He sat on a bench across from her, then spat on the floor, a dark tobacco-filled stream that left an ugly stain on the polished floors. It reminded her of evil, leaving a dark stain on his soul. Then he spoke again. “Make no mistake, Miss St. Clair. You’re alive for one reason. Bait. You and the boy lured Langor out of hiding. The fool. For a time, I thought I’d successfully killed him. If he’d stayed hidden, I wouldn’t have known otherwise. He’s been disappointing. I expected more loyalty from him.” He said it almost sadly. Then he flashed her a smile that made her shudder. “I think you’ll be the method that I use to make Langor pay for his betrayal.”

  What? Did they honestly think she was in league with Hudson? If he’d been watching and listening, surely he knew that she feared Hudson.

  “I don’t know anything! He killed my sister. I would never help him!”

  He laughed. It was not a pleasant sound. “Young lady, it really doesn’t matter what lies you say to cover your tracks now. You had to know something. You were staying in his house when your sister, his wife, went to the police with information.”

  Her head reared back. “My sister never made it to the police!”

  He gave her that horrible soul-chilling smile again. “She did. Unfortunately for her, her contact was working for me. The SD card that Langor has been searching for is in my possession. That sealed her fate. What sealed his is that she called my informant later and said she had more evidence. Evidence that proved Langor had been working on a specific job. For a specific person. Me. I couldn’t let her live. Nor could I let him get away with gathering information to use against me. That’s why she had to be eliminated.”