by Hope White
He jerked his elbow into the guy’s stomach once, twice. On the third jab, the attacker’s grip loosened enough for Jack to slip out of the hold and stumble away. Sucking in air, he fought to clear the stars from his vision. He had to think, strategize.
The assailant turned, his face red with anger. He had black hair, dark eyes and an angry expression. The guy was about to charge again. Jack scanned his immediate surroundings for a weapon.
“Not happening, dirtbag!” Zoe cried.
The guy turned toward her.
Jack charged him and put a hold of his own on the attacker.
Zoe had other plans. She was aiming what looked like a canister of pepper spray at the guy. “Get down, Jack!”
He pushed off the man and hit the floor. A hissing sound was followed by the guy’s howl of pain. From his position on the floor, Jack watched the assailant stumble across the room toward the back door.
“You’d better get out of here!” Zoe shouted. She opened the front door and let Romeo inside. The dog took off after the assailant but the screen door slammed shut before the dog could follow him outside. Romeo kept barking and jumping at the back door, wanting to go after him.
“Romeo, stop,” Jack said, then glanced at Zoe. “Call 911.” He leaned against the wall, finally able to catch his breath.
She knelt beside him. “Are you okay?”
“911,” he repeated, not wanting her to waste time worrying about him when police could be in pursuit of the attacker.
She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and sat beside him on the floor. As she made the call, she scrutinized Jack’s forehead and cheeks for signs of injury. The attention made him uncomfortable.
Romeo plopped down, laying his chin on Jack’s thigh. With soulful eyes, he looked up, and Jack stroked the dog’s head. “It’s okay, buddy.”
Zoe finished giving a description to the 911 operator and ended the call. Jack glanced at her worried expression. An expression that reminded him of his failures. An expression that made him feel ashamed.
“I’m fine,” he said, starting to get up.
Zoe pressed her hand against his shoulder. “Can we wait for paramedics to confirm that?”
“I don’t need paramedics.”
“You were violently assaulted.”
It wasn’t the first time, Jack thought.
But it was the second time in one day that Zoe had been brutally attacked.
“Did he...hurt you?” Jack asked, his gut twisting into a knot in anticipation of her answer.
“Scared me mostly.”
He nodded, relieved.
“You saved me again,” she said.
He shrugged, not knowing if her remark required a response.
“Why did you come back?” she asked.
“To give you this.” He pulled the silver dove necklace out of his pocket.
Her face brightened as she took it from him. “Oh, thank you.”
“And to apologize,” he said.
“For what, being honest?”
“You were angry with me for being honest.”
“Actually, I think I was angry with myself.”
“I don’t understand, but then I don’t understand a lot of things when it comes to human interaction.”
“I should have done more to help Shannon, for one. Plus, you had a valid point. But if she were in trouble, you’d think she would have told me.”
“You live five hours away. Why would she tell you?”
“Distance shouldn’t matter. Friends confide in each other.”
“Okay.”
“What, don’t you have any friends?”
Riley came to mind, but no one else. Volunteers he’d met through SAR weren’t close friends; they were teammates, work associates.
“You shouldn’t have to think about it,” Zoe said. The left corner of her mouth turned up slightly.
“You’re making fun of me,” he said.
“No,” she said, touching his shoulder. “I’m teasing, joking around.”
When he didn’t respond, she continued, “You know, making light of something?”
He knew what she meant, yet in his experience teasing someone made them feel small and foolish. Zoe’s comment didn’t make him feel that way. This felt...different.
“I didn’t mean to offend you,” she offered.
He shrugged. “Like I said, I don’t always understand people.”
“I’ve been there, too.” She reached out to pet Romeo. Jack noticed her hand was trembling.
Although still shaken, she was down on the floor trying to console Jack. He didn’t need consoling. He wasn’t traumatized by the assault as much as disappointed in himself that he hadn’t restrained the guy for police.
“I’m going to get up now,” he said.
“Okay, sure.” She straightened and extended her hand.
Jack ignored it and stood on his own, wanting to let her know he wasn’t seriously injured, and she didn’t have to worry about him. From her wistful expression, he wondered if he’d made a mistake.
They sat at the kitchen table and Romeo trotted up to Jack, waiting for direction. Jack pointed at Zoe. “Go help.”
Romeo went to Zoe’s side and waited expectantly.
“Pet him,” Jack encouraged. It always made Jack feel better when his fingers touched Romeo’s soft, Bernese–border collie fur.
A few minutes later the tension in Zoe’s features softened. Good, it was working.
“Did you recognize the man who broke in?” Jack asked.
“No.”
“Did he steal anything?”
“I don’t think he was a burglar.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because...” she hesitated “...he said, ‘Where is she?’”
“She? As in... Shannon?”
“I guess? This whole thing is so—”
“Puzzling,” he said.
“And scary. I mean, one guy kidnaps Shannon and another is trying to find her?” As she kept stroking Romeo’s fur, Zoe’s expression grew contemplative.
“Would you like me to make you some tea?” he offered.
His question elicited a slight smile. “Tea?”
“Tea calms the soul.” He repeated the phrase he’d learned from Aunt Margaret. Whenever he’d get tied up into knots about kids taunting him, or he felt like an idiot because he didn’t know how to interact properly, Aunt Margaret would brew two cups of tea and sit with him at the kitchen table.
“You’re an interesting guy,” Zoe said.
“So, yes? You’d like tea?”
“Yes, that would be nice.”
Good. It gave him something to do, a way to make her feel better. A challenge, since his skill set did not include nurturing.
“I’m sorry about before,” Zoe said.
“Before?” He flipped the gas burner on beneath the stainless teakettle.
“Being rude when you said Shannon could have gotten involved with the wrong people.”
“I wasn’t trying to be malicious.”
“I know.”
“I’ll try to be less insolent next time.”
“Interesting choice of words.”
A word that his grandmother once claimed defined Jack.
“Why ‘insolent’?” Zoe asked.
He pulled two mugs out of the cabinet and formulated an answer, not sure how much he wanted to share.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry,” she said.
“You apologized for being rude earlier, yet I come off as rude more often than not,” Jack said. “It’s the way I am. Rude, insolent, impertinent.”
“Whoa, which adult used those words against you?”
He turned to her. How could she possibly know?
Sirens echoed in the distance. “Police will be here soon,” he said. Excellent timing. He didn’t like talking about himself, his childhood.
“You should consider relocating,” he said.
“I feel close to Shannon in her home. Besides I want to be here when they bring her back.”
Zoe would risk her own safety to be here for her friend if authorities found her? It didn’t seem like a wise choice to Jack.
“Is there anyone who can stay with you?” he said.
“No, I don’t know anyone in town other than Shannon, her friend Kelly and...” she hesitated “...you.”
Unfortunate. More people in the house would discourage the attacker from returning. But not just anyone. That gave Jack an idea.
“What is it?” she said.
“Excuse me?”
“You got...” she motioned to her face “...a look, like the gears were spinning in your head.”
Wait, she recognized a change in Jack’s features when an idea was forming? How could she read him better than most of his closest associates?
“What do you do for a living?” he asked.
“I’m a counselor for adolescents and teens, why?”
That explained why she was able to read him so easily. Counselors were trained to identify feelings buried beneath the surface. He’d have to be more careful with Zoe. He didn’t want a repeat of his ex-fiancée, who used her intimate knowledge of Jack against him in the worst way.
“I expect you’re good at your job,” he said.
“Some days better than others. How about you? What do you do when you’re not rescuing damsels in distress from a mountain?”
“IT security. I own my own business.”
“I’m guessing that’s lucrative.”
“Privacy is priceless.” He wondered if she caught on to the double meaning.
“That sounds like an ad campaign.”
He glanced at her.
“Teasing again, sorry,” she said.
“Don’t apologize for my shortcomings.”
“I don’t see it as a shortcoming. Making light of things is simply not something you do. That’s okay. So, IT security, rewarding work, is it?”
He suspected she was making conversation to distance herself from tonight’s attack. “Rewarding enough, for now.”
“And what happens after now? I mean, you seem like the type of guy who would have a plan.”
Of course, it wouldn’t take long for a woman in her profession to assess his personality and figure out his type.
“My plan is to sell my business and travel the world.”
“Sounds lovely,” she said.
Her tone belied her words. He wondered why she disapproved.
“You won’t miss people when you move away?” she asked. When he didn’t answer right away, she said, “You have to have some friends, Jack. Or family?”
“Between the business and SAR, I don’t have time for a social life.”
Now she was the one to look confused.
Someone knocked on the front door. Romeo charged across the room, and Jack ordered him back to his side.
“It’s Detective Perry,” a voice called.
Good timing. Jack was growing more uncomfortable by the minute. Sharing intimate details about his life, his future plans, was not something that came easily to him.
Zoe stood and went to let the detective in, giving Jack the breathing space he needed to process their conversation. Regardless of feeling exposed to her in a way he hadn’t felt in years, Jack had an intense need to protect her, a woman who touched things in his psyche he’d thought lost or damaged or...nonexistent.
Detective Perry entered with another officer Jack recognized as Sergeant Peterson. Jack was relieved to see the sergeant, considering Perry’s obvious dislike of Jack.
“Jack,” Sergeant Peterson greeted.
“You again,” Detective Perry said to Jack.
“I was returning something to Zoe.”
“Something that could be used as evidence in this case?” Perry pressed.
“He brought me my dove necklace.” Zoe held it out between her forefinger and thumb. “It represents the Holy Spirit and Jack knew how important it was to me.”
“Your timing was convenient.” Detective Perry looked at Jack.
“Yes, wasn’t it?” Zoe said. “I don’t know what would have happened if Jack wasn’t here. And Romeo.” She reached out and stroked the dog’s head. She motioned the two officers to the kitchen table, and they sat down. Jack remained standing. “Jack and Romeo saved me, again.” She shot Jack an appreciative smile.
He looked away. This was dangerous, something beyond his understanding. Jack didn’t like things he couldn’t make sense of or control.
Detective Perry took their statements, including a description of the intruder.
“Midforties, about my height wearing a leather jacket,” Jack said.
“He spoke with a raspy voice and had a birthmark on his neck below his jawline.” Zoe pointed to her own neck.
“Good thing you had pepper spray,” Perry said.
“Too bad I didn’t have it with me earlier on the hike.”
As they discussed the attack, Jack texted the SAR command chief and asked him to contact certain team members to put Jack’s plan into motion. The people he had in mind were perfect for his goal of protecting Zoe.
“So, he was looking for Shannon.” Detective Perry’s comment was a statement, not a question.
“It’s possible, yes,” Zoe answered. “Which means she escaped her kidnapper. That’s a good thing, right?”
“It could be,” Perry said.
“But?”
“There are too many unanswered questions.”
“At the very least, the kidnapping and tonight’s break-in are related, right?”
“We’d be speculating,” Perry said.
“Then speculate,” Zoe pushed.
Jack had considered her fragile a few minutes ago, but not right now. Right now she was challenging authorities.
Jack’s phone vibrated with a text message. Good, his plan was coming together.
“It would expedite the investigation if we had more detailed information about Miss Banks,” Sergeant Peterson said.
Detective Perry shot him a look, then redirected his attention to Zoe.
She continued to pet Romeo, who seemed to be offering comfort. Good dog.
“How about problems at work or more specifics about her boyfriend?” Perry said.
“She hadn’t heard from him since he went to visit family in Colorado. She didn’t talk much about work.”
The officers shared another look.
“What?” Zoe said.
“We suspect she was involved in criminal activity, which is the motivation behind her kidnapping,” Detective Perry said.
“No, that can’t be right,” Zoe said, glancing at Jack.
He looked away, uncomfortable at seeing the pained expression on her face.
“What...what kind of criminal activity?” she asked.
“Drugs,” Jack guessed.
“Why would you say that?” Perry countered.
“It’s logical.”
“Is it? I don’t think so. I think you know something and you’re holding back.”
“Detective,” Sergeant Peterson intervened. “Jack’s been with Search and Rescue for four years. He’s solid.”
“Everyone’s solid until they’re not. How’s it logical, Einstein?” Perry said.
“Stop!” Zoe put out her hand like she was breaking up a fight between middle school kids. “Why do you think Shannon was involved in drugs?”
“We can’t discuss an open investigation,” Perry said.
“Fine, then we’re done.” Zoe stood and pla
nted her hands on her hips.
The men hesitated before standing. “Sergeant Peterson is going to move you to a different location,” Perry said.
“No, thank you.”
“Ma’am, not only is it not safe for you here, but we need to send a forensic team to dust for prints.”
“Pointless,” Jack said. “He wore gloves.”
Detective Perry glared at him.
“You may leave now,” Zoe said, polite yet firm. “I’m capable of taking care of myself.”
“Considering what happened tonight, I would have to disagree,” Perry said.
“Well, Detective, the assailant is not here, and wherever he is, he’s in a world of hurt from my pepper spray. I am unharmed and have more spray in my possession.”
“Ma’am, I must insist—”
“Thank you for coming tonight.” She crossed the room and opened the door.
The detective hesitated as he passed her. “I can’t protect you if you make unwise choices.”
“I understand. Good night.”
Detective Perry left.
Sergeant Peterson paused by the door and handed her a business card. “My cell number. Call anytime. I can see about having an off-duty deputy watch the house, but I can’t make any promises.”
“I’ve got tonight covered,” Jack said.
The sergeant and Zoe both looked at him.
“A few SAR members will spend the night until we’re called out again tomorrow morning.”
“Wait, when did this happen?” Zoe asked.
“You shouldn’t put civilians at risk,” Sergeant Peterson said.
“Sally Frick and George Connelly are part of the group. They’ve been informed of the situation. Should be here shortly.”
“Ah,” Peterson said.
“Ah?” Zoe questioned.
“Frick and Connelly are former military,” Peterson explained. “No one’s getting in the house if they’re here.”
“We’ll take turns keeping watch,” Jack said. “Zoe will be safe.”
* * *
Zoe will be safe.
Jack’s words gave Zoe enough comfort to allow her to get some sleep. That was, until a nightmare abruptly woke her the next morning.
She struggled to calm her breathing. Glanced around the room. The six-foot-tall armoire had been moved to block the window, probably to prevent the intruder from gaining access to the room.