Vestige of Courage

by Sara Blackard

  Trust in God and trust in yourself, my little Bumblebee. Her father’s words whispered so many times through her childhood seemed so real she glanced around. She marched into the barn to saddle Storm. Maybe God did have a purpose for bringing her here beyond just saving her. No one but Beatrice could help Chase right now, so she was going to trust God would lead her and that her skills would not fail her.

  Verne showed her how the paint can worked, telling her the best way to mark so she didn’t have to dismount was a long line with a dot in the direction she went. She finished saddling Storm and led him outside. She scanned the ground until she found the fresh four-wheeler tracks that headed north across the mountain meadow.

  She turned to Verne, whose face was scrunched in concern. “Verne, tell whoever comes to approach quietly. I don’t want to risk Eddie getting wind of their approach and forting up.”

  He nodded. “It don’t sit right to have you going off on your own.”

  “I’m never on my own, Verne. You of all people should know that.” She laid a hand on his shoulder. “God’s gonna be right there with me. He’s the best protection I could have.”

  He sniffed and handed her a rectangle box. “It’s a—”

  “Sat phone.” She interrupted, catching his shocked expression. “Hunter had one he tried to—”

  Loud music from some movie called Back to the Future Chase had put on her phone interrupted her, causing her to jump. With a huff, she prayed when she got into the comfort of the forest she’d be less twitchy. She yanked the phone out, hoping it was somehow Chase. She glanced at the screen, then touched the green circle.

  “Zeke?”

  “Hey, Beatrice. I’m heading up to see you. I wanted to show you something and didn’t want—”

  “Good. We got trouble, and I could use your help.”

  She smirked as Zeke sighed deeply. “What kind of trouble are you into now?”

  Beatrice explained what was going on and how she was heading out. She was pleased he only argued minimally with her before she ended the call. She stared at the phone in her hand, turning it over as a plan formed in her head. She nodded, silenced the phone, and set her jaw, shoving the phone back into her pocket. She’d make sure this varmint never hurt anyone again. Besides, she wasn’t about to let Eddie ruin her wedding by kidnapping the groom. She had plans of a long future with Chase, and no mad man was going to turn her off course.

  Chapter 23

  October 15, 1901

  Hey, man. I had another life-changing experience this past week. I was out hunting with Joseph at one of our hunting cabins when a freak blizzard came through and buried us in. The way the snow had blown created a wall of ice and snow over five feet thick in front of the door. We spent an entire week attempting to dig out but gained only inches each day. Praise the Lord the cabin is stocked with canned goods and firewood, and the chimney didn’t get plugged up, otherwise we wouldn’t have survived. As it was, we only burned enough wood each day to keep the chill off and keep from freezing to death. We probably would’ve died buried in that cabin, but a warm spell blew in and melted the snow enough for us to hack our way out. As I lay next to that piddly fire, curled close to my boy for warmth, I realized that whether I live or whether I die is inconsequential. I’ve had a life more abundant than I ever imagined I would. But watching Joseph die was something I wasn’t willing to do. Thank God, He sends His hope when it’s most needed.

  Chase moaned, the sound sending shards through his head. He stilled. Why did his head feel like a jackhammer drilled into it? He attempted to roll his head to the side, and pain exploded down his cheek and into his neck. He lifted his arm only to find he couldn’t. Lurching in panic, his head spun for a completely different reason.

  Pictures of Beatrice rolled through his brain, making him nauseous. Eddie. Chase had to get to Beatrice.

  He cracked his eyes open, squinting in the bright sun that threatened to burn his retinas. Eddie sat on a downed tree across the small clearing. He hummed while he whittled on a stick with a large filet knife. The pile of shavings at his feet was a testament to how long Chase had been unconscious.

  “You know, Chase, I kind of figured you’d understand the necessity for privacy.” Eddie’s words came out slow and even. “I never figured with you being a Christian and all that you’d go snooping through people’s things like some kind of thief.”

  Chase glanced down. A ratchet strap tied his arms tight to his body. He jerked, testing the hold. The strap dug tight into his arms and cut off the circulation to his hands. He could feel the metal ratchet, but couldn’t get his hands positioned right to release the tension. If he could just get the handle opened somehow, he could probably get free.

  Chase stared at Eddie, the knife he held glinting in the sun. Movement in the bushes behind Eddie caught Chase’s attention. He swallowed the burn of bile in the back of his throat at what he swore was a glimpse of Beatrice. He prayed he was imagining her ghosting through the woods but knew she wouldn’t sit at home and wait for the cavalry either. He had to keep Eddie talking, keep him focused just in case his crazy, beautiful fiancée was coming to save the day.

  “Routine room check, Eddie. You know, make sure you’re not destroying the place.” He tried to regulate his breathing so he wouldn’t pass out and be even more useless to her. “Think you went a little overboard on the tie down here, man. A simple rope would’ve done the trick.”

  He moved around, attempting to look like he was trying to get comfortable. He rubbed the handle against the tree, trying to catch it on a branch or rough spot to flip it open. He feared if he didn’t get the latch open and loosen the straps soon, his arms would be so numb he wouldn’t be able to help Beatrice anyway.

  “I’ve looked into you, Bennett. Saw those YouTube videos of yours. You’re not some weakling I’m going to underestimate.” Eddie twirled the knife in his hand and tossed the stick he was whittling into the woods. “I don’t get you. Your channel has over a million subscribers, and each video has millions of clicks. You have to be raking in the dough, yet you’re up here hiding out at a stinking sheep ranch.”

  Chase shrugged nonchalantly and tried to look bored. Rustling sounded in the leaves off to his right. Eddie turned his head that direction, a satisfied smirk upon his face.

  “You have a nice collection of pictures in that book of yours.” Chase’s voice went hard as he attempted to distract Eddie from what stalked in the brush. He knew Samara had escaped into the past, but Eddie didn’t. “What’d you do to Samara McKenna?”

  “Samara McKenna.” Eddie closed his eyes as if in rapture, rubbing the side of the knife up and down his arm. “Not what I intended to do, that’s for sure.” Eddie stared at Chase, and the frigid coldness of his stare froze Chase’s core in dread. “The little wildcat got away from me, but that just increases the thrill. You know all about thrills, don’t you, Chase? You’re all about adventure on that channel of yours. You’ve been missing out, man. There’s no better buzz than a good hunt. It’s especially rewarding when the prey is unique, like auburn hair that shines copper in the sun or say, green eyes the color of the meadow I played in as a kid.”

  Chase couldn’t breathe no matter how hard he tried. Eddie smiled, raising the knife in front of his face. An expression of glee morphed his features like some psycho in a thriller movie as his eyes roamed up and down the blade. He was a sociopath. There was no doubt about it. Chase’s body went cold with the realization that Eddie had just lured the love of Chase’s life to her death.

  Beatrice’s blood ran hot. Preying on women was just a lowdown dirty thing to do, and it appeared this vulture made a habit of it. She hadn’t missed Eddie’s comment to Chase about her. So Eddie thought he’d lured her out here? He figured that she was the prey, and he the hunter? She smiled darkly. Little did he know she’d been hunting since before she could talk, and vulture season had just opened.

  “Just how many women have you hurt?” Chase’s voice was strained, and the s
ound of him struggling against his bonds pushed through the leaves.

  “Hurt or killed?” Eddie’s amused tone made bile rise up her throat. “Let’s just say I have several more books like the one you saw.”

  “There … there had to be four women in there.” Chase’s voice was so low she almost missed it.

  “At least.” Eddie shrugged while he picked at his fingernail. “I can usually fit five or six in a book.”

  “You’re sick.” Chase’s voice dripped with disgust.

  “Now, now, doesn’t the Good Book say not to judge?” Eddie’s tone was so cold she shivered. “Maybe if the good Christian folks of Riverton had taken notice of the scrawny kid whose mom OD’d on drugs, I wouldn’t have turned out like this. If someone—anyone—had helped me, these voices wouldn’t be shouting for release, screaming at me to hurt someone.”

  Beatrice slinked through the brush as Eddie’s voice rose in anger. She prayed with every step that God would guide her hand and still her racing heart. She’d do anything to keep Chase safe, but would her conscience let her live with the guilt if this encounter went south? Eddie stomped up to Chase, the knife’s blade glinting in the sun. Beatrice rushed to the opening she was heading toward and raised her bow, nocking an arrow in one fluid motion. She gripped three more arrows in her shooting hand.

  “Take another step and you won’t be using that leg for some time.” She hoped Eddie didn’t hear the way her words shook.

  He stopped and turned to her, an unkind smile spreading across his face. “So … our little doe has come to play?”

  She chanced a glance at Chase who struggled against a thick material binding him. His look of anguish and the dried blood caked to his cheek and ear stuttered her pulse. Her hands went slick with sweat. Would she even be able to shoot straight? She took a deep breath and turned her attention fully on Eddie.

  “I think you’ll find me more a mountain lion than a doe. Drop the knife and step away from Chase.” She glared.

  His sneer was followed by a harsh bark of laughter. “That’s rich. You don’t even know how to hold that bow properly. Oh, this is going to be fun.”

  “Don’t underestimate me, Eddie … or is it Harry?”

  His eyes squinted. “It’s both and neither. How did you know I went by Harry?”

  She shrugged. “Samara told me.”

  “I knew there was something fishy about you.” He gave a quick nod and a pleased look crossed his face as he jiggled his knife her way. “I’ve been trying to figure you out. How can an old picture that looks exactly like you, and another one of Samara, show up on some dead lady’s wall? You know where she is.”

  “Yep, I do. She’s far from here, safe where you will never find her.” She smirked.

  He clenched and unclenched his fist, and his neck corded. She mentally braced herself as he looked about to break down. He threw his head back and released a guttural roar that made her flinch and take a step back. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Chase struggling to get to his knees.

  Eddie jabbed the knife in her direction. “You’re going to tell me where she is before I’m through with you.”

  “You could search every inch of the Earth and never find her.” Beatrice questioned the logic of poking someone who was madder than a peeled rattler. “Now drop the knife, or I will shoot you.”

  “I doubt it.” He took a step closer.

  Beatrice aimed and shot. The knife flew from Eddie’s hand, and his eyes widened in shock. She had another arrow nocked before the first had hit its mark.

  “Are you fond of your knee cap?” She lowered her aim to his leg.

  “You’ll pay for that.” He took another step forward.

  She released the arrow and winced when it embedded into his knee. He howled and barreled toward her. Before she could release her next arrow into Eddie’s heart, Chase exploded from the ground and slammed into Eddie. Her breath whooshed out as Eddie punched Chase in the head. With Chase’s arms tied tightly to his side, he couldn’t fight back. Chase grunted and jerked to the side. Eddie punched Chase again and forced him onto his back.

  Eddie grabbed a rock lying on the ground, clenched his hands around it, and lifted it over his head. She released the bowstring and planted an arrow into Eddie’s shoulder. He screamed loud and long and wheeled on her. Her heart beat in her throat as she nocked another arrow.

  A growl sounded from the bushes a second before Zeke burst through, taking Eddie to the ground and pinning him there. She sagged in relief, a suppressed sob wrenching from her chest. Zeke glanced up at her and nodded before pulling some kind of pigging string from his pocket and securing Eddie’s wrists behind his back with a clicking noise. She slid her arrows in the quiver and rushed to Chase.

  “Beatrice,” Chase whispered as she leaned over him.

  She touched his wound with a feathery softness, pulling her hand back when he sucked in a breath. Pain burned in the back of her throat, and she gritted her teeth to keep her tears from falling. She helped him sit up and moved around to his back to untie him. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she fumbled with the metal contraption holding the binding tight.

  “I don’t know how to open this stupid thing.” The words ended on a sob as she tugged on the metal that held the bond around him.

  “Here, let me.” Zeke clicked another string around Eddie’s ankles and came over to help.

  She moved around to Chase’s side to give Zeke room. She kept her eyes on Eddie, who shivered and moaned while he thumped his head on the ground. He sobbed words of apology about failing that didn’t make sense. Tears welled up behind her eyes with the thought that another second and she would’ve had to shoot Eddie in the heart. God had heard her plea and sent Zeke at just the right time. She wouldn’t have to don another cloak of guilt.

  Beatrice’s head whipped from Eddie as Chase groaned. His gaze stared, not once leaving her face as Zeke unwrapped the cord from him. His relief and love for her shone out of eyes brimming with unshed tears. The binding loosened, and Chase shook his arms free, digging his hands deep into her hair and pulling her close.

  “Beatrice.” His whisper teased her lips before he kissed her with an urgency and desperation that matched her own.

  The tears she tried so hard to hold in broke free, and she clutched his shirt and sobbed into his kisses. He pulled back, his cheeks tracked with his own tears. He scanned her face, his gaze drinking her in, and took a deep breath.

  His hands cradled her chin while his thumbs caressed her cheeks. “I was so worried that I’d never see you again. Then I saw you moving through the woods, and I thought I’d vomit. In my head I knew you could handle Eddie, but my heart ached not to be able to help.”

  She snuggled her face into his neck and relished the feel of his arms tightening around her. “You did help. I would have shot him dead if you hadn’t knocked him down like you did.”

  “Lot of good that did.” He huffed.

  “It was brave … and incredibly loco with your arms bound like they were. What were you thinking?” She shook her head and closed her eyes to the image of Eddie standing over Chase with that rock.

  He pulled her closer. “I was thinking I didn’t want you to have another person’s death weighing you down.”

  She pushed back, her eyes wide and throat dry. She swallowed hard. He had to have known he wouldn’t be able to do much to keep Eddie away, not when Chase couldn’t use his arms.

  “Why would you risk your life for that? I would’ve survived if I had killed him, but you almost died.”

  “Beatrice, I would risk everything I have and all that I am if it meant keeping you from something I know would tear your heart in two.” He kissed her gently on the lips. “I saw the pain and the guilt William’s death caused you. I didn’t want you to have to go through that again. Plus Eddie’s a lunatic. I just couldn’t sit there and do nothing—sit there and watch him hurt you.”

  She leaned forward and kissed him deeply. He had seen through to her heart
like no one had before. She’d been stripped of her mask of strength and action she’d forced herself to wear, her fear that always lay just below the surface exposed for him to see. Yet, he still loved her, cherished her more than his own life. The freedom she found in that love was lighter than any she experienced before. Beatrice hugged Chase close and thanked God for bringing her here to this man who led her to find herself and captured her heart in the process.

  “Come on, you two lovebirds. Let’s move out to the wheeler so the authorities don’t have to trek into the forest.” Zeke’s teasing voice pulled Chase back to reality.

  The horror of the last hour rushed from him in such relief he wasn’t sure if he could stand. With his head pounding like a million drums and his heart still stuck somewhere in his throat, he wondered if he’d lose points on the manliness scale if he just lay back and slept for a while. It might be worth it, especially if he could hug Beatrice close and hold her while he napped. She pulled away and stood, reaching her hand down to help him up. He groaned. Looked like there’d be no napping for him.

  “I’m still wondering how you got here, Zeke.” He grabbed her outstretched hand, chagrined by just how much he needed her help up.

  “That woman of yours led me straight to you.” Zeke pulled a knife out of his pocket and cut the zip tie from Eddie’s ankles. “That trail of yours was perfect, Beatrice. I didn’t have to slow down once to figure out where to go.”

  She snorted. “Of course it was. What kind of idiot would leave a bad trail?”

  “You’d be surprised.” Zeke voice held a bit of annoyance.

  “How did you get here so fast? You weren’t that far behind, Bea.” Chase leaned against her as she tucked her arm around him for support. He didn’t think he needed it but wasn’t going to protest.

  “I was coming up to show you guys something when Beatrice told me what happened.” Zeke shrugged. “The police shouldn’t be that far behind either.”