by Mary Alford
When she didn’t answer, he opened the door and came around to her side. Rachel climbed out next to him. Noah took the bag she held.
The front door opened and both Theresa and Walker came out.
Noah stepped up onto the porch with Rachel.
“Theresa, this is Rachel Albrecht.” He introduced her to the older woman.
Rachel extended her hand, but Theresa ignored it and enveloped Rachel in a hug. Theresa was a hugger who never met a stranger.
“Come inside and warm up.”
Theresa took the bag from Noah, and she and Rachel went in, leaving Noah and Walker alone on the porch.
“This is hitting a little too close for comfort,” Walker said when it was just the two of them. “So far, we have nothing to go on to locate the girl, and we have no idea what these men have planned for her or Rachel. We need to find Eva and fast because I’m afraid her time is running out.”
Noah couldn’t let that happen. Eva had her whole life ahead of her. And Rachel had lost so much already. He wouldn’t let her lose her sister, as well. No matter what, he’d do everything in his power to bring Eva home safely. Even if he had to give his life for hers.
TEN
“I’ve made up a room for you next to ours,” Theresa told her. “Let’s sit for a bit.”
Rachel followed her to the sofa placed near an enormous rock fireplace.
“Are you hungry, hon?” the woman asked.
Food was the last thing on Rachel’s mind. “No, thank you,” she said and glanced toward the door, feeling Noah’s absence deeply. With him, she felt safe.
Theresa smiled kindly. “They’ll be a few minutes. No doubt they’re discussing what happened at your house tonight.”
Rachel met the woman’s gaze. “I’m sorry to intrude on your life like this. I hope it’s not too much of an inconvenience.”
Theresa patted her arm. “Not at all. We’re happy to have you here.” Theresa hesitated. “I know you’re worried about your sister, about your own life, but you have some of the best people working round the clock to solve this case. If I were in trouble, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have on my side than Walker and his team.”
The honesty on the older woman’s face helped her to relax. “I know they are doing everything they can to find Eva.”
Theresa held her gaze. “I understand you and Noah knew each other when you were younger.”
Rachel’s eyes widened. She had no idea Noah had spoken about her.
She lowered her head. “We were neighbors...and good friends. Noah always looked out for me growing up.”
“He’s like that, helping out those in need. I think what happened with Olivia has left its mark on him. Makes him want to try his best to save people.”
Color drained from Rachel’s face. “Olivia?”
“Noah’s wife,” Theresa said without looking away. Rachel couldn’t hide her surprise. She’d been right. Noah had loved someone else.
“Her dying hurt him badly. But that was a long time ago,” Theresa said with a sigh. “And he’s grown up so much. It’s time he remarried. Noah deserves to be happy again. Have a family of his own.”
Each word struck like a blow. A family. Something she could never give him.
“Oh, it’s after midnight. You must be exhausted. Why don’t I show you to your room?” Theresa rose and Rachel did the same.
Grabbing her bag, Theresa headed down the hallway and stopped next to one of the doors. Opening it, she went inside. “This was our oldest daughter’s room. Candace lives in Billings with her husband and two daughters now. I think you should be comfortable enough here.” She placed the bag on the bed. “There’s a bathroom next door with towels. If you need anything at all, you let me know.”
Rachel nodded. “Denki, Theresa, you are very kind.”
Theresa stopped beside her. “I can see you’re important to Noah, and he’s like a son to Walker and me.” She touched Rachel’s hand. “Get some sleep and try not to worry too much. They’ll figure this out.” Stepping out of the room, Theresa shut the door quietly.
With a tiny sigh, Rachel sank to the bed’s softness. She still couldn’t believe Noah had been married. In her mind, she tried to envision the type of woman he would love. No doubt, she would be beautiful and Englisch. Olivia, a pretty name. It hurt so much to think of him with someone else even though she had no right to these feelings.
Grabbing her nightgown and brush, Rachel headed to the bathroom to change. As she glanced in the mirror, the woman staring back at her was almost unrecognizable. Dark smudges beneath each eye spoke of lack of sleep. Her cheeks were sunken. Fear was branded on her face.
Turning away, she went back to the bedroom and removed her prayer kapp, unpinning her hair to brush out the tangles.
The curtains above the window were open. A shiver sped down Rachel’s spine as a sense of being watched made her click off the light. She set down the brush and peered out into the night, her imagination taking her to terrifying places. The feeling of being watched wouldn’t go away.
Yanking the curtains closed, she flipped on the light and the darkness fled.
Her hands unsteady, Rachel brought out her Bible and read a favorite verse.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
If ever she needed Gott’s peace it was now. She bowed her head. “Holy Father, keep Eva safe. Please help Noah find the people responsible for taking her and bring my sister back home to her family.”
A breath slipped from her lips and peace that only came from Gott enveloped her like a warm winter’s cloak.
Outside the room, she heard voices quietly talking. Noah and Walker. Rachel pulled the covers back and slipped into the bed, the soft sheets welcoming. As she closed her eyes troubled thoughts plagued her mind. Foremost was Noah. At one time she thought she knew him better than anyone. She’d been wrong. The grown-up Noah held many secrets.
* * *
Noah’s eyes flew open, and he sat up in bed and listened. Nothing but quiet. Yet something had jarred him out of light sleep.
Seconds ticked by before he realized it wasn’t a sound that had woken him but a scent. Smoke filled the room. The house was on fire.
Lunging from the bed, he cracked the door open. A wall of smoke billowed inside. Covering his mouth with his hand, Noah crouched low to the ground and eased from the room. Rachel was in the room next to his. He went inside and hurried to the bed.
She sat up. “What’s happening?” she asked in a breathless tone.
“The house is on fire. We have to wake the others and get out.” She threw the covers off and followed him to the door.
“Cover your mouth and nose and stay low,” he said. Rachel reached for her prayer kapp and held it against her nose. “Grab on to me and stay close. It’s hard to see through the smoke.”
She clutched his shirt. They’d taken but a few steps when Noah spotted Walker and Theresa emerging from their room.
“Where’s the fire’s origin?” Walker got out through a fit of coughing. He held his wife close. Theresa pressed her face against her husband’s shoulder.
The smoke sent tears streaming from Noah’s eyes. He pointed to the curtains billowing in the living room. “I’m guessing they threw a Molotov cocktail through the window. They’re trying to force us outside. They’re planning an attack.” Flames licked up the living room walls.
A noise at the back door drew Noah’s attention. The men were trying to break through.
Rachel clutched his hand.
“The window in our room. It’s the only way. We can climb out and drop down behind the house,” Walker told them.
“There’s not much time,” Noah said as the fire continued to spread.
Walker and Theresa hurried back inside their room while
Noah and Rachel followed.
Noah clicked the lock on the door and shoved a chair against the knob. “That should buy us a little time.”
The back door gave way. The men breached the house. Time was critical.
Shoving his gun in the waist of his pants, Walker opened the window.
Noah had no doubt the fire had been set deliberately. The men were desperate to get to Rachel. “My guess is they have more men outside waiting for us. Let me go first,” he said and swung his legs out the window. The house sat on a knoll with a sloping backyard, which meant the drop would be steep. One false move could end in a twisted ankle.
Using his arms, he shifted so that his body hung over the side. Noah dangled for a moment before dropping to the ground. Hitting hard, his legs almost buckled beneath him.
The wind howled around the edge of the house, carrying with it a wealth of snow flurries. A winter storm was hitting the mountains. The wind had the potential to spread the fire. They needed help now.
With a quick look around, Noah motioned to Walker, who helped Rachel out the window.
The terror on her face ripped at his heart. “Don’t look at the ground, stay focused on me. I have you.”
After slipping down the side of the house as far as possible, Rachel let go and Noah caught her in his arms.
“You’re okay,” he said and sat her on her feet, then focused on the burning house. Where were the men?
Walker glanced behind him. “Smoke’s filling the room pretty fast. We don’t have much time. Hurry, Theresa.” Walker helped his wife onto the ledge.
Theresa jumped, barely giving Noah enough time to catch her.
Once she was safe beside Rachel, Walker hit the ground. Losing his footing, he stumbled and fell.
Theresa rushed to her husband’s side. “Are you okay?”
Noah could see, right away, Walker had reinjured an old knee wound. “I’m calling for backup and I’ll get the fire department dispatched right away.” Grabbing his phone, Noah made the call. He explained to Janine what had happened.
“Aden and Megan are still at Rachel’s house. I’ll send them over. I’m calling the fire department now. Are you all safe?”
Noah glanced at the raging fire. He had no idea, but he had a bad feeling. “For now,” he told her.
“Be careful, Noah. These are some bad guys. I’m praying for you all.”
Ending the call, Noah pocketed the phone. Cold settled in deep. “We need to find someplace safe to get out of this storm and out of sight. I don’t like being in the open like this. We’ll be easy targets out here.”
Walker pointed to the barn a little ways behind the house. “We should be safe enough in there until our backup arrives.”
“Hurry,” Noah urged, his gut telling him whoever set the fire was close and ready to make their next move.
They eased away from the heat. To the left, Walker had cleared the land for pasture. Trees flanked the right side. Noah kept his body between Rachel and the woods.
“You and Theresa head for the barn,” Noah yelled over the noise of the storm and fire. “Walker and I will hold off the men inside.”
Rachel hesitated. She didn’t want to leave him.
“Go, we’ll be okay,” he assured her.
Theresa reached for Rachel’s arm and together they raced to the building.
The women reached the barn when gunfire exploded nearby. The men had left the house and were coming after them. Noah returned fire, forcing the shooters to take cover in the woods nearby.
A lull in the firefight gave Noah time to shove his backup mag into the Glock 9mm. The magazine held seventeen rounds, but it was his last one. “Let’s get out of here before they start shooting again.” The words had barely cleared his lips when another round lit up the woods.
He and Walker hit the ground together. This time bullets flew past them close enough for Noah to hear the noise they made. Their attackers were trying to kill them.
“We have to get out of the open. They’re not playing around anymore,” Walker yelled.
Noah rolled onto his side and fired, forcing the men to take cover.
He leaped to his feet, while Walker rose slower, favoring his injured leg. Running through blinding snow toward the open barn door, Walker’s limp slowed him down considerably. Noah would not leave his commander behind. He wrapped his arm around Walker’s waist and kept running. When they were less than ten feet from the barn, the men opened up again. He and Walker hit the snow-covered ground. Every moment they were out in the open like this brought them one step closer to taking a bullet.
Aiming in the direction the shots were coming from, Noah fired off more rounds, helped Walker to his feet and all but carried him to the barn. He slammed the door closed behind him.
“They’ll keep coming,” Walker said between labored breaths. “Let’s hope Aden and Megan get here before those men charge the barn.”
Glancing around, Noah tried to pull his thoughts together. Walker’s enclosed tractor sat off to one side.
“Does it run?” he asked, pointing to the machine.
Walker nodded.
Hurrying to the tractor, Noah fired it up and slowly eased the machine in front of the door. It would give them a measure of protection and hopefully prevent the men from storming the barn.
Noah checked his ammo. Almost empty. They had Walker’s weapon, but it wouldn’t last long against the arsenal these men possessed. He hoped they could hold out long enough for his team to arrive. Aden and Megan were a good twenty minutes out under the best of conditions.
He pulled in a breath and listened beyond the raging storm. Silence.
“What are they waiting for?” Walker said. “They have us on our heels.” Noah had never seen his mentor appear so worried before.
“I counted at least four shooters. They have us outmanned, but the one thing we have going for us is that they need Rachel alive. They won’t shoot blind and risk killing her.”
Acrid smoke began wafting under the barn door. The men were trying to smoke them out.
ELEVEN
Rachel stared in horror at the puffs of gray smoke billowing under the door. The men must have started a fire right in front of the door. It wouldn’t be long before it caught. With all the hay inside, the barn would go up like a tinderbox.
“What can we do? We will die if we stay here.” She searched Noah’s face, seeing the worry he could not hide.
“We’re going to get out of here.” Noah pointed to the tractor. “And that’s how we’re going to do it.”
He fired the machine up. “It’ll be a tight squeeze with all of us, but it’s our only chance.”
“What’s your plan?” Walker asked as he watched the door go up in a blaze. “We can’t go out the door. We’ll be heading straight into the fire they set. It’s too risky.”
“Does this thing have enough horsepower to break down a wall?” Noah asked.
Walker’s expression was not reassuring. “We’re about to find out.”
Noah helped Rachel inside, followed by Theresa. He climbed into the driver’s seat. When Walker ambled up the steps and closed the door, there was barely room to breathe much less move.
The fire quickly engulfed the front of the building. Walker pointed behind them. “Try for the rear wall. There’s some damage to the building there from last winter’s storm. It’ll be your best shot.”
Putting the tractor in gear, Noah started down the narrow path between bales of hay. As he neared the wall, he raised the front loader bucket into the air.
“Hang on,” Noah warned as they hit the wall hard.
The force threw Rachel forward. She caught herself before hitting the windshield. When the shuddering impact stopped, the wall remained intact.
“Try it again,” Walker said, glancing behind them. Their window of escape wa
s quickly slipping away.
Noah backed up a bit, then drove forward as fast as the tractor would allow. It smashed against the wall hard, but the structure didn’t budge.
“It’s useless. There’s only one way out of here. We have to brave the fire.” Noah clasped Rachel’s hand. She slowly nodded.
“They’ll be waiting for us,” Walker said. “Expect a firefight, and this thing isn’t bulletproof.”
Turning the tractor around in the tight space proved challenging, but once he managed it, Noah drove toward the raging fire while Rachel squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t watch.
“Hang on. I’m going to try to get through it as fast as I can.” Noah floored the accelerator.
She felt the heat from the fire as they entered the inferno. The tractor plowed through the compromised entrance while pieces of debris rained down on it. Would the fuel tank ignite?
Holy Father, please protect us. The simple prayer slipped through her mind. Noah didn’t stop.
“We’re out,” he exclaimed when they’d left the blazing barn behind.
She opened her eyes. In front of them, the house was engulfed. Behind them, the barn crumbled in flames. Bile rose in her throat. Because of her, Walker and Theresa had lost so much.
* * *
Four men stepped out in front of them, weapons aimed. Noah jerked the tractor right and kept going.
“It’s a risk, but I believe they can’t afford to shoot at us now and chance hitting you,” Noah said to Rachel.
She looked behind them. “They’re running after us.”
Passing the house, Noah headed out into a cleared field. “Where does this lead?” he asked Walker.
“Eventually back to the main highway, but there’s a lot of rough terrain in between.”
“We have to keep going. I’m almost out of rounds, and you’re in no condition for a battle.”
Walker held his wife close. Theresa was a real mountain woman. Walker had mentioned many times that she was a better shot than him. The fear Noah saw in her now drove home how dangerous their situation was.
