by Dani Pettrey
“Get on a plane and make sure Sam keeps his mouth shut.”
Yay. Another flight. Why was he the one flying everywhere? “I’m on it.”
“You’d better be, or this entire plan could come tumbling down.”
“You mean cause.” It was starting to irritate him. He preferred to view their plan as a cause—though the true intent differed greatly from what the others believed.
“What?”
“You keep saying plan, but this is so much bigger than a plan. It’s a chance to right a great wrong.”
“Why are you wasting time preaching to the choir? Now get on that plane before I’m forced to.”
Maybe it was time he got on a plane instead of playing babysitter to Meg. “How’s the girl?”
“Surviving. For now.”
“What’s wrong?” Kirra asked as Reef shifted restlessly in the seat beside her.
“I saw him.”
“Who?”
“The man who’s been following us since the race.”
Anger raked through her. “Where was he?”
“By the hangar, but he was gone in the blink of an eye.”
“So he knows we’re headed back to Seward.”
“Yes.” Reef nodded on a sigh. “Which means we need to get to Sam before he does.” He stood and moved the few feet to the cockpit.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting a call patched through to Jake.”
“Why?”
“I’m going to tell him to have Officer Hoffman pick up Matthews and hold him until we get there.”
“But if they’re watching and see us bring the police in, they said they’d kill Meg.”
“I don’t think we have a choice anymore. If whoever is in charge of all this reaches Sam Matthews before us, it could cost us our only chance at finding Meg. I’ll make sure Hoffman pulls him in on suspected vandalism or something unrelated to Meg’s kidnapping. Something that won’t tip off whoever might be watching that we are, in fact, working with the police.”
Kirra closed her eyes in prayer, needing to release the fear crushing her heart.
Please protect Meg, Father. Only you know where she is and what she’s going through. Only you can keep her safe. Please don’t let them hurt her. Please lead us to her. I hate feeling so afraid. I’ve felt this way for far too long.
Then she heard it, as if whispered in her ear—It’s time to let Me carry you past your fears.
Reef sat back down beside her and she opened her eyes. Could she trust those words? He reached for her hand, his fingers caressing her skin. “It’s going to be all right.”
“How can you sound so certain?”
“Because I trust God’s Word that says He is at work in all things for those of us who are in Christ Jesus.”
She’d heard that before. But if God was at work in even the darkest parts of a Christian’s life . . . what did that mean for the pain she’d experienced? Had God been with her during her rape? Had He allowed it? Would He ever bring the healing she so desperately desired? What about Meg? What if her abductors killed her? She wasn’t a Christian. What then? The truth of it pierced a deep, stabbing pain in her soul.
Please, Father, don’t let her die.
Why hadn’t she shared Christ with Meg every chance she’d had? She squeezed her eyes shut. The slightest thought of her cousin spending eternity in hell was beyond horrific.
“Kirra, what are you thinking?”
“That just because He’s at work doesn’t guarantee a happy ending, at least not in this life.” And that terrified her. In this life parents got Alzheimer’s, children died, couples divorced—a multitude of horrid things happened.
“No, and that’s a part I still grapple with, but God is with us through it all. He tells us we’re going to have trouble because this world isn’t paradise—because of our sin, we live in a fallen world.”
She knew that. “But how does that help with the loss and the pain?”
He looked at her, the subtle shift in his heartfelt expression saying he understood what she was really asking—he was speaking to the anguish she’d carried since William raped her.
She’d been trying to heal herself for so long. Trying to find wholeness in being a good vet, in taking care of her dogs, in volunteering. Trying to keep busy so the fear wouldn’t sink in.
She was determined to be in control. To not let what William did control her.
Her frustration flared.
But that was exactly the problem. She was trying to control what she couldn’t because she wasn’t the one in control. God was. Maybe it was time she handed her hurts and fears fully over to Him.
Reef exhaled, his voice soft as he responded to her question after a moment of thought. “This life is the blink of an eye compared with the eternity we will spend with our loved ones—with all believers. I take hope and comfort in that—and in the knowledge that God is at work even in the painful things of life—and Christ himself can empathize with our hurt. Think of the pain, betrayal, loneliness, and sorrow He endured. He understands, Kirra.”
“I know you’re right.” She did. “I know that God’s Word tells us, but I still . . .”
“Hurt?” he asked, his voice choked.
She nodded, finally releasing the fear that had dwelt inside for so very long. Tears burned her eyes, streamed down her face, bouncing off their joined hands.
“Come here.” He didn’t give her a chance to move, just engulfed her in his sturdy embrace, as she now realized Christ had done so many times throughout her sorrow. “I don’t have a perfect answer, honey. I wish I did. But I do know that God’s love is everlasting, and I truly believe He wept the day William raped you. He loves you, Kirra, and one day William will answer for what he’s done.”
She breathed in his evergreen scent, taking comfort in the coziness of his plaid flannel shirt brushing her cheek, absorbing her tears.
He caressed her back. “For what it’s worth. I love you too.”
She sniffed and pulled back in shock. “You . . . love me?”
He smiled that smile that had first garnered her attention all those years ago—the quintessential lopsided Reef McKenna grin that did funny things to her insides.
He brushed the hair matting to her tear-stained face behind her ear and dipped his head to look her straight in the eye—a deep and abiding love shining back at her. “Quite desperately, I’m afraid.” His smile widened, but there was nervousness there. Was Reef McKenna actually nervous? Over her?
“I . . .”
“You don’t have to say anything. I didn’t mean to just spring that on you, but I wanted you to know.”
“But how? When?”
“I think it started that day last summer when Rori got hurt because I’d let her off the leash while we were hiking.”
“But I totally laid into you that day.”
“I know.” His smile twitched. “But I deserved it.”
She smirked. “So . . . you’re a glutton for punishment?”
He lifted her hand joined with his and pressed it to his chest, reining her focus fully in. The gorgeous, intelligent, inspiring man sitting right beside her was in love with her.
“That day I saw your passion and love for animals, for your job and shelter, for my family. I saw your skill as a vet—which was quite impressive—and most importantly, you weren’t afraid to put me in my place.” He smiled. “Not that you ever have been shy about putting me in my place. The point is, I saw what a strong, smart, vibrant, and passionate woman you are. Every moment with you since then has only confirmed what I felt first stirring then. I love you, Kirra Jacobs.”
She bit her bottom lip, terrified to take that plunge. A plethora of what ifs danced through her mind, the fears singing loudly in an attempt to drown out her elation.
“I love you too,” she blurted out, breaking past her fears. She loved him. She’d loved him on some level since kindergarten, but it had deepened since that first kiss in the cave—her h
eart knowing way before her head. But wasn’t that always the way?
Before she could voice, let alone fully articulate, her feelings, his warm, soft lips were pressed to hers. His kiss was slow, tender, and oh, so full of promise.
26
Jake returned to the Kaltag checkpoint, his heart heavy. He only had bad news to share. Kayden spotted him first as he stepped through the door, the warmth of the building a welcome and stark contrast to the frigid temperatures outside. A handful of mushers were propped against the walls asleep—several sacked out across the kitchen floor beyond the tables—their dogs bedded down on hay piles outside.
He wiped the matted snow and ice from his boots and pulled off his hat, clutching it in his hands.
Kayden approached him, her voice low when she spoke. “I know that look, and it isn’t good.”
“Gather everyone up.” He glanced around, looking for the most secluded spot. “Probably best we talk outside.”
Within minutes he, Kayden, Gage, and Darcy were congregated out by the snowmobiles in the barn-turned-garage.
“I’m afraid to ask,” Darcy said, huddling closer to Gage—her five-foot-two frame next to Gage’s six-foot-three always made Jake chuckle, but this wasn’t the time for laughter. “We have a serious and, I believe, imminent threat.” He went on to explain what he and Andrew had discovered at the Kaltag pump station and that they feared Frank had done the same at the earlier stations along the Iditarod route.
Kayden, always the pragmatic one, asked, “How quickly can the other stations be checked?”
“Andrew’s heading back to the pump station outside of Iditarod now. If it’s also been tampered with, then I think it’s safe to assume that each one Frank’s passed since the restart has been as well.”
Gage rubbed Darcy’s arm. “How many pumps are we talking?”
“Ten total spread out from Anchorage to Nome, which”—Jake swallowed—“unfortunately means it’s going to take some time for the oil company to check them all out.”
“Time we don’t have,” Darcy said.
Jake nodded, clasping Kayden’s hand. Every living thing throughout the interior of Alaska would suffer from the resulting tainting of the water supply and ecosystem—an ecosystem many inhabitants along the interior and out west on toward Nome relied on for subsistence living.
Gage cleared his throat. “What do we do? How can we help?”
“The only thing we can do with the pump stations at this point is help prepare for the worst and pray NorthStar Oil’s mechanics figure out a solution in time. But we can continue our search for Frank and Meg.”
“We need help,” Gage growled.
Darcy leaned into him. “But the kidnappers are still watching us. If we call backup in, we’re sure to draw their attention to the fact that we’ve figured out their plans.”
“Which,” Jake said, sighing, “is why I’m praying Reef and Kirra are able to get some useful information out of Sam Matthews.”
Gage cocked his head. “Sam Matthews?”
“The ROW leader?” Darcy asked, confusion dotting her brow.
“Yeah. He—” Jake stopped midsentence at a crunching noise toward the rear of the barn. Had someone been eavesdropping? Was there a plant among the volunteers, as they had feared? He indicated for everyone to be quiet as he crept to the open doorframe and sprang through it.
Xander jumped, dropping the pile of snow goggles he’d been holding. “Jake! Man, you sure know how to sneak up on a guy.”
Jake stiffened, surveying the area. “I could say the same about you.”
“Me?” Xander bent, retrieving the goggles, shaking the snow off as he scooped them back up in his arms. “I just de-iced these bad boys.” He stood. “Was bringing them back out.” He stepped in the barn and glanced around. “What are you all doing out here?”
“Just making sure the snowmobiles are gassed and ready to go,” Gage said, holding a red gas can.
Darcy was busy checking the snowmobiles’ instruments, while Kayden appeared to be inspecting the windshields for any damage.
“Oh?” Xander’s face scrunched. “I thought it was my turn on snowmobile maintenance.”
“I just got back from a sweep and figured I might as well take care of my ride.” Jake stood beside the machine he’d recently driven.
“A sweep, huh?”
“Yeah.”
Xander dropped the goggles back into the tub. “If you say so.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jake asked, concerned at Xander’s sudden level of interest.
“I just heard one of the mushers say earlier in the day he saw you head south past Old Woman cabin.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah. And it’s strange, because the trail heads north. So what were you doing heading south?”
“We still have a missing musher who hasn’t been spotted on the trail for days, so I widened my sweep radius.” Xander worked communications not SAR. What concern was it of his?
“Ah. Any luck?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
“That’s too bad. But it looks like we’ve got another missing musher, so you won’t be expending all your effort on locating Frank Weber.”
“A second musher?” Gage set the gas can down.
“Yeah, just came in over the radio. Brad Abbott missed the Eagle Island checkpoint.”
“Maybe he’s just running behind.”
“Doesn’t look that way. He left Grayling checkpoint yesterday a little after three a.m. Even barring a rough ride, he should have reached Eagle Island by this morning. We’re twelve hours on.”
“Any sightings?” Kayden asked.
“Afraid not.”
“I’ll check with the air force. See how they are dividing up the search grids and sweeps.”
Xander linked his arms across his chest. “Probably good if you start giving all the mushers the same attention you’ve been giving Frank Weber.”
Jake’s jaw tightened. What was his problem?
After Xander finally left, Darcy asked, “Is it just me, or was that totally awkward?”
“Yeah, but my concern is another missing musher.” Jake shook his head. It happened, but something about the timing felt too coincidental. Were the men behind Meg’s kidnapping trying to distract them from Frank’s trail and their interest in the pump stations? And what was up with Xander’s attitude? “We need to find Brad Abbott as soon as possible, not just for his safety and that of his team, but so we can get back on task.”
“You don’t think they . . . ?” Gage said.
Jake sighed, knowing exactly where Gage was going. “That’s my concern, and if it’s true, I fear what may have happened to Brad Abbott.”
27
Kirra followed Reef down the metal stairs from the plane to find a police cruiser waiting for them on the dark tarmac.
A deputy stepped from the car and waved. “Kevin said you two could use a ride.”
“Thanks. That will help a lot.”
The drive to the station was short—under fifteen minutes—but it felt long and slow. Perhaps because the weariness was creeping into Kirra’s heart and mind. Weariness over Meg, over the news about the pipeline Jake had shared with them.
How could her uncle have rigged the pumps to overheat, knowing that would cause them to blow? She understood his desperation to save Meg—it clawed at her too—but threatening the lives of innocent people, as well as vast wildlife, was too much.
All of it was too much—facing Tracey, seeing William, learning it had been Meg’s idea to take off with Reef for British Columbia, leaving her in the lurch the weekend William raped her . . . And discovering her uncle’s shady past—even if he’d done it for Aunt Sarah—made everything worse. Wrong was still wrong. Didn’t he see that?
Reef clasped her hand. “You doing okay?”
“I don’t know.” It was the most honest answer she could give.
When they pulled up to the station, Reef hopped out, moving
around to get her door.
“Thanks.” Who would have thought God would have sent Reef to help anchor her, but he’d been steadfastly at her side since the whole mess started, and she knew in her heart he was a gift from God, and that he wasn’t going anywhere.
She knew the same was true of God, but why did she struggle to accept that fully? To know it not just in her head but in her heart?
Maybe it was because so many people she’d trusted and depended on had let her down, shattered her heart. But she had to let that harsh reality go, because God was different. He would never let her down. The truth of that washed over her like a cool downpour on a hot summer day, bathing her afresh in the beauty of God’s nature and promises. He was always with her.
“I have loved you with an everlasting love.”
Reef cleared his throat. “Kirra?”
She looked up to find Kevin Hoffman standing in front of them.
“Sorry.” She swiped off her hat and smoothed her hair. “I was . . . distracted.”
“No problem,” Kevin said. “You’ve got a lot on your mind.”
If he only knew.
“I’ve got Matthews in Interrogation.” He ushered them into a room. On the other side of the two-way glass, Matthews paced a tiny room, agitation spewing from his frantic hand motions.
“Has he said anything yet?” Reef asked.
“Other than to himself?” Kevin rested his arm against the glass as Matthews continued pacing. “I brought him in under the guise of questioning him about an act of vandalism we had out at the docks a few months ago.”
“Any chance he actually was involved?”
“It’s possible, which is why I didn’t hesitate to bring him in when you asked, but he claims he was nowhere near Seward at the time. I also questioned him about his involvement in the pump station vandalism up in Anchorage.”
“And?”
“Claims he was only a peaceful protestor.”
“Does he realize he can walk anytime?” Kirra asked, knowing they didn’t actually have enough to keep holding him.
“Hasn’t figured that out yet, but he did know about his right to a phone call.” Kevin smoothed a hand over his head with a sigh. “I could only stall him so long.”