Kitabı oku: «Amish Haven», sayfa 3

FOUR

Off the grid?

Annabelle stared at the marshal, appalled. What exactly did Karl have in mind when he said “off the grid”? Mentally, she envisioned them living in a rustic shack in the middle of the woods. Little House on the Prairie–style. She quelled a shiver of distaste. She was not a woman who enjoyed camping. Too many creepy crawly things. If it wasn’t for the danger to her daughter, she’d back out now. However, since her daughter’s life was at stake, she held her silence. There was nothing she would not endure to protect Bethany.

She regretted thinking that she would be able to protect her little girl without the protection of the marshals.

“Annabelle?”

She turned her head and met Tyler’s eyes. The concern in them was clear. “I just want to go back to a normal life and forget that all this happened, Tyler. I want to wake up in the morning and know that Bethany is safe. Instead, I know that from this point on, I am going to be constantly looking over my shoulder. I hate that.”

“Annie—” Tyler began. He broke off when Stacy entered the room. Without Bethany.

“Where’s my daughter?” Annabelle winced at the harsh note in her voice. She’d always thought of herself as someone who could keep calm in an emergency. This whole experience was testing that theory.

Stacy, fortunately, seemed to understand. She flashed a sympathetic smile at the nervous parents. “She’s fine. Really. She fell asleep while I was reading to her. I’m guessing she was pretty worn out from the past couple of days.”

Annabelle felt a small niggle of guilt. Her baby girl was suffering because of her stubbornness. If she had just given in gracefully when the situation had first come up...

No! That was not productive. She had been doing her best to protect her child. That was never the wrong thing to do. Now she was starting to second-guess her choices, and she wasn’t going to go down that road. She had second-guessed herself for months after she left Tyler, but when he never made any effort to get her back, she realized that she had been right.

She’d also realized that she hadn’t wanted to be right. Not that time.

The conversation drifted into more logistics. She doubted that she’d be able to add anything. Solitude. That’s what she needed. Just a few minutes to herself, so she could think.

Pushing her seat back, she stood. Immediately, all conversation stopped and the marshals and Tyler all focused on her.

“Is it all right if I excuse myself for a bit?” She wasn’t really asking but thought she should be polite. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the small grin that crossed Tyler’s face. Ah, apparently, he was on to her.

“Of course!” Karl stood, deep furrows digging into his forehead. “Are you all right? Anything we can do for you?”

She felt ridiculous.

“Relax, guys. She just needs some time to herself to process. She’ll be fine.”

Annabelle felt her jaw drop as she turned to look at Tyler. She was amazed that he had realized that about her. Granted, they had been married. But it had seemed back then that his attention was always on other things. She’d often wondered if he was truly listening to what she had been saying.

He had just proven that he had been. She wasn’t sure what to think about that. And that scared her. Because she needed to keep up her guard around him. She had given him her heart once, and he hadn’t appreciated it, choosing his job over her and their daughter. She couldn’t allow herself to make that mistake again.

It was getting hard to breathe in the room, being so close to him.

She walked into the living room area to check on Bethany. The blanket from the couch was on the floor. Bethany, however, was not on the couch. Annabelle frowned. She had thought that Stacy had left her in the living room, but maybe she had put her in one of the bedrooms.

Stomach flipping like she had swallowed a couple of frogs, Annabelle ran to the first bedroom and opened the door. Her heart raced as her fear spiked. She had to swallow past the scream that had lodged in her throat. Spinning around, she checked each bedroom. They were all empty. Where was her baby?

She wasn’t going to stand here, though. She had a house full of US marshals to help her.

And Tyler.

Running back through the house, she burst into the room. “Bethany’s gone!”

Tyler jumped to his feet so fast that his chair tipped over. No one even glanced at it.

“I’ll check the rest of the house!” Stacy charged off. Annabelle could hear her feet pounding down the hallway.

“The rest of you, check the perimeter. Rick, check the garage. If she’s not there, join us outside.”

Without another word, the search began. Annabelle ran outside after Karl. When he turned to her, she shook her head. “Don’t you dare tell me it’s safer inside. No one is going to keep me from searching for my daughter.”

Wisely, the lawman let the subject drop.

The group spread out. Within a few minutes, Stacy and Rick had rejoined them and were helping to comb the yard for Bethany. Annabelle had barely held back a sob when she had told them. She had been holding on to the hope that Bethany was playing in the house and she just hadn’t seen her. Now that hope was gone.

The air was suddenly split by a child’s shout.

“No! I want my mommy!”

Bethany.

“Quiet, kid.” The cold voice sent ice through her veins.

“No! Let me go! Let me—”

Annabelle’s knees turned to water as her daughter’s shout was suddenly cut off. She couldn’t allow herself to falter, though. Her baby needed her. Karl waved his gun in the air, indicating that they should follow him. He pointed at Rick and signaled something. Without breaking stride, Rick turned the corner and disappeared on the other side of the house.

She understood. They were going to try and box in the villain who was taking her daughter. What if they were too late? “Hurry,” she whispered.

A hand touched her back. She didn’t scream. She knew that touch. Tyler was right behind her. For some odd reason, his familiar touch was comforting. She drew in a deep breath as they continued to follow Karl around the side of the house. He was moving so slowly. Even though she knew in her heart they had to move with care, she found herself practically stepping on the heels of the marshal’s black shoes.

As they turned the corner, her horrified eyes met with a sight that would haunt her for the rest of her life. A young man in his twenties was dragging her struggling five-year-old daughter across the lawn. Bethany was small, but she was also wiggly. And she was putting all that wiggle to good use now. The man was having trouble keeping hold of him.

“Halt!” Karl bellowed, snapping his gun up.

Annabelle clutched the man at her side. Dimly she was aware it was Tyler, but she couldn’t help herself. What if he shot and hit Bethany? It took all her will not to say something. She had to trust that he knew what he was doing. It was the hardest thing she had ever had to do. So hard, she tasted blood from biting her lip in her agony. Needing to be strong, she released Tyler. She swayed briefly, but his hand touched her on her back and steadied her.

The young man did halt. He swiveled, putting himself behind Bethany. He strapped the young girl against him with a muscular arm and yanked a knife out of his pocket. Instead of showing fear, a sneer slipped onto his face.

“You ain’t gonna shoot me. ’Cause if you do, you might hit the kid. She’s my insurance. There’s a lot of money riding on me bringing her daddy in. And unless you let us go, and he comes with me, then she might get hurt. It’s that simple.”

“Please.” Was that strangled voice hers? Annabelle swallowed the fear that clogged her throat. “Please. She’s just a little girl.”

He laughed. She shuddered at the sound. Stacy placed a hand on her shoulder. She had been so wrapped up in the scene playing out before her that she hadn’t realized the marshal was beside her.

“Now, bring her daddy out to me.”

Wait. What? She glanced over her shoulder, where her estranged husband had been standing mere seconds ago. There was no one there now. Her heart chilled in her chest. Had he abandoned them, right when they needed him?

No, she couldn’t believe that. Yes, he had chosen work and his life over them before. But she had seen the caring in his eyes when he interacted with his daughter.

But she couldn’t deny what her eyes were telling her.

Tyler was gone.

* * *

There was no way he was going to let that man hurt his daughter.

Tyler crept back into the shadows and stole up behind the man holding the knife. He saw a thick branch, about a foot long, and grabbed it. Stepping carefully, he concentrated on making a minimum amount of noise as his feet inched closer to his goal. It was a good thing it was summer. The lush green grass cushioned his steps and softened any noises. He could clearly make out the man’s voice through the shrubbery. And he could hear the pleading voice of his wife.

He winced, remembering the man who’d promised to hurt his family years ago. He had hoped that when he had disappeared from their lives, they would be safe. And yet, they were once again at the mercy of a madman. But this time, he refused to sit back and let the criminals chase him away while those he loved were hurt. He would gladly sacrifice himself if it meant that Bethany and Annabelle would be well and protected.

But the world didn’t work that way. Danger was everywhere.

He could see the man’s head now. The man still held the knife. It wasn’t touching Bethany. In fact, the knife was being held almost six inches away from her. Finally, something was going his way.

Glancing over, he knew the moment that Annabelle became aware of his presence. Her eyes widened slightly. Quickly, she jerked away her gaze. She again began to plead with the man. Good girl. Tyler knew that she was distracting the punk so he could act.

Karl was glaring. It was hard to tell if his hard stare was aimed at Tyler or at the criminal, but he would guess that the glare was pointed to him. He didn’t have time to care. Not when his daughter was in trouble.

The young man was growing angry. “Stop your crying, lady! I want you to go get this kid’s dad or there’s going to be trouble.”

Tyler took the final two steps forward. “I’m right here.”

The villain jerked around in shock. Bethany wiggled from his loosened grasp and ran to her mother’s arms. Annabelle took her daughter in her arms. Immediately, Stacy stepped in front of mother and child, shielding them from harm. Tyler saw Karl glance their way. His gaze locked on Stacy for a moment. It might have been his imagination, but Tyler was certain that fear lurked in Karl’s eyes at the sight of the female marshal in the line of danger.

The man with the knife glared in Annabelle’s direction. There was nothing he could do. Bethany was firmly out of his range. Fury crossed the man’s face. Raising his knife, he charged at Tyler.

A shot cracked out. Howling, the man dropped his knife from his bleeding hand. He didn’t pause long. Tyler was ready for him. The moment he started forward again, Tyler swung his branch like a club. The man went down, stunned.

Within seconds, the marshals swarmed over him and had him restrained. Karl pulled the phone out of his pocket and demanded extra marshals at the house. Tyler heard him say something about the safe house being compromised. Duh.

“What were you thinking, Tyler?” Karl growled. The cords on his neck were strained. He was probably fighting not to holler.

“I was thinking that I needed to save my daughter.”

Karl didn’t say anything as the dazed would-be kidnapper was loaded into the back of Rick’s car. In silence, the group watched Rick bend his tall frame down to get behind the wheel and drive off.

“Annabelle, let’s take her inside.” Stacy gathered Annabelle and Bethany and herded them toward the house. Tyler watched them go. Seeing them safe was worth any chastising he might receive from Karl. Before she disappeared from his view, Annabelle threw a look over her shoulder at him. Gratitude shone in her eyes. Tyler stood taller. Karl might have thought he acted rashly, and perhaps he had. But his wife appreciated what he had done.

The moment the women were gone, Karl turned back to him.

He was in for it now.

“Tyler. Man, I don’t even know what to say. What you did? It was all kinds of stupid. You could have gotten hurt. Bethany could have gotten hurt. It—”

“You watch your daughter being kidnapped and tell me that you wouldn’t try to save her.” Tyler tightened his jaw. The memory of that dude dragging his daughter away made his blood boil again.

Karl sighed, running his hand through his hair. “Look. I understand why you did it. I do. I get it. But, Tyler, that could have gone seriously wrong. You have to let us do our jobs.”

Tyler didn’t say anything. What was there to say? He couldn’t promise not to act if his daughter, or if Annabelle, was in danger again. Shaking his head, Karl sighed.

“Come on, Tyler. We need to get inside and get mobilized. Obviously this safe house is no longer safe. We’ll have to find a new place to hide you and your family until the details are final.”

Tyler and Karl reentered the house. Soon after, new marshals and the state police were patrolling the perimeter. No chances were being taken with the safety of his family. He did appreciate the effort they were going to for them. The marshals went into action and searched for evidence that the house had been bugged. They checked every room, the cars, even the cell phones. Nothing.

He just had to stay alive until he could testify. Would the threat disappear then? Barco seemed to have so many resources, Tyler wasn’t sure if he could ever return to normal society.

What would he do if, even after today, Annabelle decided to go into the program separately? He would have no more chances if she did that. He rubbed his chest, trying to soothe the ache that had formed. Karl disappeared into his office, his phone once again at his ear. Tyler sat by himself for the next half hour, trying to get a handle on his emotions.

He stood when Karl emerged from the office. The marshal strode with purpose down the hall. Curious, Tyler followed.

Karl marched into the kitchen. Annabelle was sitting at the table with Bethany and Stacy. The marshal motioned for her to come. Warily, she stood and went with him. Karl led them into the office. When they entered, he turned and shut the door behind them. Gesturing to the chairs in front of the desk, he seated himself behind it. Tyler had no idea what he was going to say. But he braced himself for the worst.

“Did Bethany say what happened, how he got to her?”

Annabelle bit her lip. He had to look away momentarily. He couldn’t be distracted by her right now. “She said she woke up and heard a dog barking outside. Bethany has been wanting a dog for a long time. When she went out the back door, she couldn’t find a dog. She found a man who tried to coax her into his car.” Annabelle threw a haunted look at Tyler. His gut clenched. “She knows she’s not supposed to talk to strangers. When she turned to go back inside, he grabbed her.”

Tyler shuddered as the reality of how close they had come to losing their daughter rippled through his mind. Too close. They needed to go into hiding as soon as possible. Whatever wiggle room they’d had, it was gone now.

Karl seemed to be on the same page. He turned a grave expression toward Annabelle.

“Annabelle. You have to decide what you want to do,” Karl stated. “We are running out of time. Once you are placed, you will have no further contact with anyone from your past or from your current life. Not friends or coworkers. Not even your family. That’s the only way that I can protect you. Do you still want a separate placement? I can find you one. That wouldn’t be a problem. However, if you decide that you do still want that, it means after today, you and Tyler will have no more contact with each other until the threat against you ends.”

“If it ever ends.” Tyler hadn’t meant to voice the thought. But now it was hanging in the air between them. Karl acknowledged the truth of the statement with a nod.

“Unfortunately, there is that possibility.”

Tyler held his breath. He couldn’t believe how much it hurt to have it spelled out that way.

The marshal wasn’t finished. “Or, I can place you together. If you want, I can even place you for a short trial period. If it doesn’t work out, we can consider a new placement. Whatever you decide, I will do. But you have to decide now.”

Annabelle dropped her head. From where he sat, Tyler could see her clasp her hands together tightly. The knuckles whitened. Finally, she lifted her head and leveled her stare at Tyler.

“I am so angry with you, Tyler Everson.” His heart sank. She was going to ask to be placed separately. He was going to lose his daughter. “But even though I am angry, it would be wrong for me to deny you your daughter. If I was positive you didn’t care for her, I wouldn’t hesitate. I think you do care, though. Especially after seeing you trying to save her.”

Annabelle switched her gaze to the marshal. “I will agree to our being placed together.” She held up her hand to stop them from speaking. Like he would. His emotions were too high. “I don’t want to commit. I will agree to go on a trial period.”

Karl stood. “Excellent. I need to make some calls. Get everything set up. Everything should move fast from here on out.”

“Do you have any thoughts as to where you’ll put us?” Tyler stood. Visions of a cramped apartment or a small house in mainstream suburbia rolled through his mind.

“I know exactly where I’m placing you. You’ll be going somewhere no one would ever think to look for a high-powered lawyer and his family.”

That was good, right? Just what they wanted.

“Where?” Annabelle asked.

Karl Adams smiled. “You’re going to be living with the Amish.”