by Dana R. Lynn
“I didn’t want you to come. I was hoping that you would be safe.”
Another voice joined in, ruining their reunion. “Aw, ain’t this sweet? I hate to interrupt this little party, but I have some business to take care of.”
Jim stomped over to him and took out a pair of handcuffs. Who knew where he had gotten them. By the faint light of the flashlight, he ordered Tyler to put them on himself. He didn’t dare argue, as the man was holding the gun aimed right at Annie’s head.
At first, Tyler thought he meant to kill them right then and there. To Tyler’s surprise, he merely walked over and sat down on the chair, keeping his gun trained on the pair of them. “As soon as this rain lets up, we’ll be on our way. I will collect the money for killing you, make no mistake, but I am wondering if there is a way to make this whole business more profitable for myself.”
Whatever the man was planning, Tyler wanted no part of it. He’d had a difficult afternoon. He was trying to keep his calm so that he could be cool-headed when the opportunity to escape and save Annie arose.
A clamor of voices outside caught his attention.
Abraham’s voice was calling out his name. Annie’s name.
The man holding the gun started muttering angrily. Tyler smiled in the darkness. He suddenly realized why the man hadn’t just shot them. Any shots made would immediately lead people in this direction. The man didn’t want to shoot them, then be forced to make a run for it without his proof that he had killed Tyler. He wouldn’t be able to collect any money for that.
He could just take a picture with his phone. Tyler was a little amazed he hadn’t done that yet.
Unless he planned to take them with him. That seemed like it would be more hassle. Why would Jim want to haul two grown adults across the state with him if all he needed was proof that he had killed Tyler? The men’s voices came closer. Tyler felt his hopes rise. Maybe the men would see their footprints in the mud. The hope faded as the voices continued past.
Jim laughed. Tyler felt Annie shudder beside him. He understood. That harsh bark was more of a bitter cough than a sound of humor.
He wished he could somehow comfort Annie. There was nothing he could do, though, except sit beside her in the dark and wait for the rain to stop. He still had one hope. Since Jim was waiting for the storm to break and light to return, they still had the chance that Karl or Abraham would arrive and intervene.
He held on to that hope for the next few hours. At some point, he must have drifted off to sleep. He awoke when someone kicked at his legs with steel-toed boots. The pain shot through his legs and into his hip. He didn’t give the man the satisfaction of hearing him complain, though. Nor would he give up hope.
Karl and Abraham would keep looking for them. They just had to hold out a little longer until they arrived.
The early morning light was starting to stream through the holes in the roof.
“We need to get out of here,” Jim growled. “Before people start moving around. Stand up.”
Tyler stood, then helped Annie to stand as best as could with the handcuffs on. She was moving stiffly this morning. Between her still-healing wound and sitting on the floor all night, it was no wonder.
He wished there was something he could do for her, but Jim wasn’t a man of patience. As they left the building, Annie and Tyler went ahead of Jim, who kept his gun on them the entire time. He continued to push them to move faster.
Outside the building, the ground was slick with mud. Annie and Tyler both managed to sidestep the biggest patches.
Jim slipped. As he fell, the gun hit the ground and went off. Annie and Tyler both dove for the ground. Tyler heard a thunk as Annie hit her head on a rock. Jim scrambled to his feet, wild-eyed. He aimed the gun at Tyler.
Tyler took one look at the man and knew that he was going to shoot.
* * *
Annie felt Tyler’s sudden stillness and forced herself to look up, blinking past the blinding pain in her head. Everything was blurry. After a few seconds, the blurriness faded enough for her to see the gun pointing straight at her husband.
“No!” she screamed.
A shot rang out.
Jim crumpled to the ground. Shouts and the sound of pounding feet headed their way. Arms gently lifted her. She saw that Tyler was on his feet, too.
Karl was there. His face was grim as he put a gun back into its holster. It made sense suddenly. Jim hadn’t shot Tyler. It was the marshal’s gun she had heard going off. The monster who had held her captive and had burned down her mother’s house was dead.
The darkness was swirling around in her head.
She passed out.
When Annie woke again, she knew that she was in a hospital room. She could feel a bandage on her head. That was where she had hit her head on a rock. A doctor was leaning over her, flashing a light in her eyes.
She grimaced.
“Well, Mrs. Miller, I must say you are doing surprisingly well for someone who has been through your ordeal. I think you missed getting a concussion from that fall, although you did hit your head rather hard. You have five stitches in your head.” He tapped the bandage on her left temple lightly.
Although she argued, the doctor insisted she remain overnight so that the staff could watch her for complications.
He came in to check her first thing the next morning. She wanted to dance when he said she could go home.
“Try to take it easy for the next few days, please,” he cautioned, walking toward the door. “I am going to go write up some care instructions. Then you will be free to go.”
She slumped back against the bed as he left. Five seconds after he left, the door opened again. She frowned until she saw who it was. Tyler walked in and her mood immediately picked up. He sauntered over to her bedside and kissed the tip of her nose.
“Come to spring me?”
He grinned, but she could see the shadows on his face. “Yes, ma’am. I am to bring you back to the house so that Julia may spoil you and Bethany can see that her mother is well.”
Remembering what had started the awful experience, Annie dropped her eyes in shame. “I betrayed you, Ty. I saw that picture of my mom’s house, and I called her. I needed to hear her voice, but in doing so, I led him right to us.” She explained how Jim had traced them. “Because of me, my mom was put in danger, and we were almost killed.”
Tyler tipped up her chin with his finger. Reluctantly, she met his eyes. “Sweet Annie, it’s not your fault. Who could blame you for wanting to check on your mom? I can’t. I would have wanted to do the same.”
She searched his eyes. He seemed sincere.
Her eyes widened. “We came in here dressed in our Amish clothes!”
He shook his head. “They made me change before I could enter. And they kept you covered up. No one was allowed to see you except the doctor and the marshals.”
“And Karl? Is he kicking us out of the program?”
Even with Jim out of the way, she knew they weren’t safe. Not while the trial was still in the future.
He sighed. “Karl’s not happy. But he has decided to give us another chance. Especially since that Jim character is dead. He thinks that Jim died without telling others where we were. So for now, our cover is safe.”
She closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them, she caught her breath at the intensity of his stare. “Don’t—” he brought his head closer to hers “—ever do that to me again.”
She knew he wasn’t talking about the phone call. He was referring to her getting kidnapped and almost killed. After all that had happened between them, some feelings had remained. They might have even grown stronger. She really should keep her distance. Especially since they were both feeling so emotional after all that had happened.
Annie stayed where she was, anticipation zinging through her as her husband moved nearer. He was giving her a
chance to back out, she realized. He was letting her make the choice.
Well, she’d already chosen. Looking at his face, she felt the emotion welling up inside her. The love that she had tried not to feel had grown back against her will. Only this time, the feelings were deeper, more mature than before. Knowing that danger was following them put a new perspective on things. She remembered Stacy’s words to her and understood what the woman had been saying. Love was too precious to take for granted. Annie finally admitted to herself that she loved Tyler.
Reaching up, she put her hand on the back of his neck and pulled his lips to hers. She caught his grin the moment before their lips touched. It had been three years since they had kissed. Now, as he gently pressed his lips against hers, she felt as if those years had never happened.
He lifted his head. Scanned her face. One of his hands stroked her head. Then he bent and kissed her again.
That evening, she went back to the Beiler home feeling optimistic, about her marriage, and about life in general. As the evening grew late, though, she could sense that Tyler was withdrawing into himself. And she couldn’t understand why.
She went to bed, praying that it was all in her imagination.
Even though she knew it wasn’t.
SEVENTEEN
He shouldn’t have kissed her.
Tyler was still brooding about his poor judgment the following day. Tyler had seen the look in Annie’s eyes. He knew that she was developing feelings for him again. Instead of filling him with joy, the notion filled him with dread. If she loved him, it would be difficult for her when they left witness protection and went their separate ways.
His heart ached to stay with her and Bethany. He knew that the love he had tried to deny feeling had just been dormant. Being with her, those feelings were coming to life again.
But they couldn’t be together. The image of her lying in the hospital bed flashed through his mind. He squeezed his lids shut and clenched his teeth. He couldn’t let that happen again. It was all his fault that she had been hurt. If he hadn’t been so selfish and demanded that they stay together, she and Bethany might be somewhere on the other side of the country, safe and living their lives.
He knew that Annie was aware something was wrong. She’d been watching him for the past hour. When she’d tried to talk with him, the despair had bit deep into him. What he wouldn’t give to be able to enjoy her company and tell her what was on his mind. He was done being selfish, though. As soon as he could, he had escaped to his room. Seeing that bandage on her forehead felt like an accusation. Every time he saw it, the guilt and fear cut deep into him.
He knew what he had to do. Remaining here was no longer an option. He would go. Once he was far enough away, he’d call Karl and plan to meet him. Karl could find him a separate placement.
It wouldn’t be fair just to leave, though. He couldn’t let her wonder what had happened to him. Going to the desk in his room, he pulled out some paper and sat to write a letter. His shoulders slumped. Shaking off his sorrow, he bent over the paper and wrote the hardest letter of his life.
Dear Annie,
I know that you are worried for me, and I am sorry for that. I can’t stay and let my presence continue to endanger you and Bethany. I thought we could be a family. I was a fool.
As long as I am with you, then you are in danger.
I am leaving. Not because I don’t care, but because I do.
I love you and Bethany with all my heart. I pray that you can forgive me. When she forgets me, can you remind Bethany about me? I know I have no right to ask, but I also know that your heart is too generous to deny this request.
Be well and be happy. With all my love,
Tyler
Feeling like his heart had shattered in his chest, he quickly packed a bag and let himself out the window. His mouth twisted. It was a good thing his room was on the ground floor. Hefting his bag, he started off. Alone.
* * *
When Tyler didn’t come out for lunch, Annie went to look for him. He had been acting strange all morning.
It was the kiss. He was regretting kissing her. She sighed. Tyler still felt overly responsible for their situation. She paused outside his door. It was time she told him she loved him and, just as important, that she forgave him. She had been carrying her anger and hurt around with her for so long, but it was time to let it go. It was time to reconcile with her husband.
Determined, she knocked on his door. He didn’t answer. Acting on a hunch, she opened the door.
He wasn’t there. Seeing the paper propped up on the desk with her name on it, she moved inside the room to get it, her feet feeling like they had cement blocks tied to them. She had a bad feeling about this.
Reading the letter, she felt the blood drain from her face. Shaking, she sank into the desk chair.
Oh, that stupid man! To go off and leave them without telling her, as if she didn’t have a choice in the matter! She had loved him and lost him once because he decided to play the hero. She wasn’t about to lose the man she loved a second time without fighting for their love and trying to save his life.
Clutching the letter in her hand, she ran out of the room and down the stairs. Bursting into the kitchen, she crashed to a stop in front of Abraham. Wordlessly, she handed him the letter. Honestly, she was so rattled she wasn’t sure if she could speak right now. The anger at his high-handedness mingled with her very real fear for his life.
Abraham’s face paled. “When did you last see him?”
“About an hour ago.” She clasped her hands in front of her.
Abraham looked at his stepson. “William, go and look and see if any of the buggies or horses are missing.”
Annie protested, “He wouldn’t take any of your things.”
“I know that, Annie. I need to check.”
“Mommy?” Bethany’s scared voice caught her attention. What did she tell her little girl?
“Bethany, sweetheart, eat your lunch and then I will take you and Kayla to the barn to see the kittens,” Abraham announced.
Bethany brightened. She glanced at her mother before she agreed, though. Annabelle flicked a grateful look at Abraham. “That sounds like a great idea, Bethy!”
Satisfied, the child turned her attention back to her lunch.
Annabelle turned back to Abraham.
“I am going to get in touch with Karl.” She kept her voice low. “He needs to know about this.” She rushed out of the room and back up the stairs. Once in her room, she rifled through her clothes until she found the cell phone that was buried there. It was a flip phone. The one she’d been given specifically to contact Karl if there was trouble.
Fumbling with the phone, she opened it and called the number that he had programmed into it. It rang once. Then it rang again. The anxiety in her mind spiked. When she got the voice mail, she hung up. Jonathan Mast. She would call him. Abraham gave her the number. The second ring was cut off abruptly. “Jonathan Mast speaking.”
Annie wilted and sat on the bed. She felt too heavy for her legs to hold her up.
“Hello?”
“Jonathan, this is Annabelle, Annie Miller.” Which name did she refer to herself as?
“Annie, yes. What’s wrong?” His voice came back at once. The tears she’d been holding back spilled out of her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. A harsh sob welled up and burst out of her throat. It hurt. “Annie?” His voice was sharper.
“It—it’s Tyler,” she gasped out. “He’s gone.”
A pause.
“What do you mean he’s gone? Where did he go?” Jonathan demanded.
“I don’t know. He left me a letter. He blames himself for everything that has happened and went off. He wrote that he thinks Bethany and I would be safer without him here. I’m so scared. He’s going to get himself killed.”
“Annie, I want you to lis
ten to me. I am on my way to you. I will be there as soon as I can. I am going to be calling the police near Harvest, and they will be searching for Tyler, too. If you hear from him, think of anything that will help us to find him, I want you to call me immediately. Do you understand?”
She nodded. Then grimaced at herself. “Yes. I understand.”
The small click on the other end of the phone let her know that he had hung up. He was on his way. She caught her lip between her teeth. A sharp pain made her wince. She had bitten through the layer of skin. The metallic taste of blood hit her taste buds.
How long would it take him to get there? It all depended on where he was. It could be hours yet before he arrived. Hours in which Tyler could be caught and tortured. Or killed. And she was supposed to sit here while her husband was out there somewhere risking his neck? She knew why he had gone. He thought that if he left them, the marshals would continue to hide Annabelle and Bethany. No doubt they would get a totally new placement. Tyler, though, he seemed to believe that if he weren’t with them, they would be safer. It was crazy thinking. They would be in danger no matter what as long as Barco was still a menace.
Tyler, however, seemed to be allowing his emotions to cloud his judgment. Like he’d done before. She should just let him go.
She could not do it. No matter how many times she told herself she was being foolish, Annabelle knew that she was going to have to go after her husband. No one else knew him like she did.
No one else loved him like she did.
And she had never even told him that she still loved him. She read his letter again. All the guilt, all the concern. No, she couldn’t stay here while the husband she loved risked his life for her.
But she couldn’t just leave. What about Bethany? Torn about what to do, she wavered.
Strengthening her resolve, she went downstairs and found Julia. “Julia, I need your help.”