Undercover Amish

by Debby Giusti

  “It was the life I knew.”

  “It tore you apart.”

  “Then help me heal, Hannah.”

  She shook her head. “I’m staying at the inn. Fannie can always use an extra pair of hands, and I need a place where I’m accepted for who I am. A place where I don’t have to worry about the past or the future. Come with us now, Lucas. We’ll send law enforcement to save Sarah or whoever she is.”

  “I’m not leaving,” he insisted.

  With a frustrated sigh, Hannah turned and hurried to the car where the girl waited. She had to get help. Lucas was walking into a trap. A trap that would get him killed. As much as she wanted to rescue the blonde woman, Hannah had to help Belinda first.

  Sheriff Kurtz would send law enforcement, and not just Deputy Gainz, to free Sarah or whoever the woman might be.

  Lord, protect her and protect Lucas.

  Hannah had hoped that someday she and Lucas could have a future together and both become Amish and embrace the peace-loving lifestyle that had been healing for both of them, but Lucas was eaten up with vengeance that hardened his heart. He couldn’t love her when his thoughts were still on Olivia.

  Tears stung Hannah’s eyes and her heart nearly broke. She could save Belinda. If only she could save Lucas, as well.

  * * *

  Seeing the man from Savannah brought back the pain Lucas had experienced after Olivia’s death. The memories of her body lying on the pavement and her long hair matted with blood caused the anger to return.

  His leg ached, reminding him of the gunshot wound and his weeks of recovery. No telling what would have happened to him if it hadn’t been for Fannie. She had brought him back to life and to the faith she embraced. Now he was ready to discard everything he had learned about the Amish way and about himself over the past eleven months.

  The man still held the cell phone to his ear and talked excitedly to someone on the other end. Lucas turned his head, hoping to catch some snippet of the conversation.

  “Vipera.” The name of the tycoon from Savannah.

  Lucas glanced at the cottage, knowing he was outnumbered and could be easily overpowered by the guards. That wouldn’t do the blonde woman any good, nor would it bring Olivia’s killers to justice.

  Vipera had top-notch lawyers that could adjudicate his release. The tycoon would never stand trial without concrete evidence to substantiate his guilt.

  Lucas needed one of his goons to talk.

  Slowly and surely, he crept from his hiding spot and crossed the clearing. The guy was still on the phone with his back to the van.

  Lucas came up behind him.

  Just as he disconnected, Lucas wrapped his arm about the guy’s neck and cupped his other hand over his mouth.

  “Don’t move, and don’t make a sound,” Lucas whispered.

  The guy struggled to break free.

  Lucas grabbed the guy’s phone and then shoved the Glock into his back. “What don’t you understand about not resisting?”

  The man stopped moving.

  “Remember Olivia Parker, the cop you killed in Savannah?”

  The guy shook his head and tried to speak. Lucas’s hand pressed even more tightly against his mouth.

  “Don’t plead innocent,” Lucas snarled. “I know you and your buddy killed her. You had orders from Vipera, but you were the one who beat her and then slit her throat.”

  The guy tried to shake his head. Lucas jammed the gun even deeper into his back until the struggling stopped.

  “We’re going to take a little walk.”

  Lucas half dragged, half shoved him around the side of the truck, heading for the underbrush where they’d be hidden from the guards. Before they left the protective cover of the truck, the door to the cottage opened and a guard stepped outside.

  Lucas’s chest tightened. Where had he come from? There had to be a back door, which made everything much more complicated and dangerous.

  “I’ll check and see if Xavier took the Amish girls to the lodge,” the guard said over his shoulder to someone still inside. His voice traveled in the night. “Call my cell if you learn their whereabouts.”

  The guard descended the porch steps and hurried along the pavement.

  The guy from Savannah jerked. His knee hit the van. The sound broke through the stillness.

  Tightening his hold, Lucas pushed him flush against the truck.

  The guard turned. He was coming back to the cottage. Lucas had to decide what to do...fast.

  EIGHTEEN

  Tears stung Hannah’s eyes as she drove along the path leading away from the lodge. She didn’t turn on the headlights and instead followed the tree line, praying she wouldn’t snag the car on a boulder or drop into a rut. Her eyes flicked to the rearview mirror to ensure they weren’t being followed.

  Thankfully, all she saw was the dark night that swallowed them in its grasp.

  “How...how did you find me?” Belinda asked, her voice low as she started to come out of her lethargy.

  “I saw your face at the window and told Lucas Grant. He came back to look for you.”

  “What about the other girl?”

  “Sarah?” Hannah’s stomach tightened. “She’s my sister.”

  “No, another girl. I never saw her, but they talked about her. Her name was Rosie.”

  “Rosie Glick?”

  Belinda nodded. “They said they needed to find her.”

  “But...but I thought they had her.”

  “I can only tell you what I have heard.” The girl rubbed her arms. “They mentioned a basement.”

  “The basement of the lodge?” Hannah asked.

  “I am not certain.”

  Hannah stopped the car and turned to face Belinda. Even in the dark she could see her wide eyes and fearful expression.

  “Have you ever driven a car, Belinda?”

  The girl hesitated.

  “I need to go back and tell Lucas about Rosie, but I can’t leave you in the middle of the woods. So answer me truthfully—do you know how to drive a car?”

  The girl dipped her head. “Do not tell my father, but I have driven with the man who promised me nice clothes and pretty jewelry.”

  How ironic that after everything that had happened, Belinda was worried about her father finding out she had driven a car.

  “I won’t tell your dad,” Hannah assured her. “Continue on this path. It will intersect with the main road. Turn right and you’ll end up at the inn. Alert the sheriff. He’s in room three.”

  “But what about you?”

  “I need to go back,” Hannah insisted.

  “They will capture you.”

  “I have to help Lucas.”

  She climbed from the vehicle and held the door for Belinda, who quickly settled in behind the wheel. “Don’t turn on the headlights until you get to the main road. It’s about five hundred yards from here.”

  The girl caught hold of Hannah’s hand. “Gott protect you.”

  “And protect Lucas, Sarah and Rosie, as well.”

  She closed the door quietly and watched as Belinda drove away. Then, turning, Hannah ran back along the path she had just traveled. She had to get to Lucas. She had to get to Lucas in time.

  * * *

  “Hey, Josh, the boss wants to see you.” A guy cupped his hands around his mouth and called from the doorway to the kitchen.

  Lucas offered an internal prayer of thanks as the guard hesitated for a long moment and then double-timed it to the lodge. Once the kitchen door closed, Lucas shoved the guy with the limp toward the rear of the truck and opened the door.

  “Climb in, buddy. We’ll see how you like being tied up and defenseless.”

  The guy dug in his heels and shook his head.r />
  Lucas shoved him into the truck, bound and tied his hands and feet, and jammed a rag in his mouth. He tied the guy down so he couldn’t roll and then quietly closed the door and hurried to the side of the cottage. Once again he peered into the bedroom window and saw the blonde woman sitting on the chair where Hannah had been earlier.

  The delivery-truck driver wearing the Braves baseball hat and windbreaker came into the room, grunted and then left, leaving the door open. Lucas stretched to see into the main room, where a security guard stood, coffee cup in hand.

  Two men. Could he take them?

  Only if he could divide and conquer.

  He rooted in the grass and found two small pebbles.

  Glancing around the side of the cottage, he lobbed one of the small stones at the porch. Again, he peered into the window. The guard sipping coffee placed his cup on the mantel and headed for the door.

  He stepped onto the porch, walked to the van and peered through the window. Lucas slammed the butt of his weapon against the guy’s head. He collapsed without a sound.

  With swift, sure moves, Lucas bound and gagged him and tucked him inside the truck along with the first guy. Only one man remained, but when Lucas stepped from the van his heart stopped.

  The driver from Savannah—Mr. Baseball Cap and Windbreaker—was standing with his weapon raised. Only his weapon wasn’t pointed at Lucas. It was pointed at the person held in a tight hold against his chest.

  “Hannah!”

  NINETEEN

  “I’m sorry,” Hannah moaned. “I wanted to help you, Lucas, but I’ve done everything wrong.”

  The guy glared at Lucas. “Drop your weapon.”

  “Don’t hurt her.” Lucas removed the gun from the holster around his waist and placed it on the ground.

  “Hands over your head.”

  Lucas complied.

  “Who’s in the truck?” the guy demanded.

  “No one of interest.”

  “That’s not smart, Amish. Open the doors so I can see inside.”

  “You’re from Savannah. I’ve seen a picture of you on Olivia Parker’s phone. Remember her? You killed her on the dock. First you called her and told her a woman was being trafficked. Then you ambushed Olivia when she showed up.”

  The guy sneered. “I didn’t know there were Amish folks in Savannah.”

  “You didn’t think anyone saw you, but your picture has been sent to law enforcement in the city. They plan to apprehend you and Vipera.”

  “That’s Mr. Vipera to you, but you’re a fool if you think he can be taken down. Mr. Vipera is above the law.”

  “Tell me what he does with the women.”

  “If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you.”

  Lucas smiled. “You plan to kill me anyway.”

  “What about her?” the guy asked, jamming his gun against Hannah’s chest.

  “She doesn’t deserve to die.”

  “Of course not. She’ll make a nice addition to Mr. Vipera’s entourage. The Amish ladies are always so agreeable.”

  “Where’s he keep them?”

  “You’ve heard of his island? He entertains wealthy businessmen from counties around the world. The ladies are one of the extra benefits he provides.”

  “Is that what happens at the lodge?”

  “On a much smaller scale. The pleasure industry is lucrative and Mr. Vipera pays well.”

  “Is that why when a woman escaped some weeks ago everyone was upset? Someone started stalking the woman’s sister. He said he wanted information, but he really wanted a substitute for the woman who escaped.”

  “You’re talking about Tucker Davis. He had an agreement with Mr. Vipera. Once an agreement is made, the contract needs to be fulfilled. Mr. Vipera doesn’t want anyone to cheat him out of something he’s purchased.”

  “Women aren’t chattel.”

  “Some are.” The guy laughed.

  Lucas stared at Hannah, his mouth dry, his heart racing. He needed to throw the gunman off with a series of false claims. Hopefully when frustrated, the guy would make a mistake.

  “Two men are dead,” Lucas taunted. “But they told me everything about the operation before they died.”

  “They didn’t know anything,” the guy countered.

  “I called the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department and talked to the chief. He’ll make sure Vipera is arrested.”

  “Amish don’t have phones.”

  “But I’m not Amish. I’m an undercover cop. What will happen to you when the chief tells Mr. Vipera that you’re the snitch?”

  “What?”

  “I told him you blamed Olivia’s death on Mr. Vipera. I said you provided evidence.”

  Lord, let him buy into this story I’ve created, Lucas prayed.

  “I sent the chief photos of her dead body and said I got them from your phone,” he continued. “Anything is possible these days with a good computer and a little technical expertise. I also created photos that showed Mr. Vipera at the crime scene. How long will it take his henchmen to find you once they learn you provided evidence that could send Mr. Vipera to jail?”

  “Oh, Lucas,” Hannah gasped.

  “Shut up.” The guy tightened his hold.

  “No.” She struggled, kicked his shin and bit into the flesh on his arm.

  The guy growled and shoved her aside.

  He aimed his weapon at Lucas. Hannah threw herself against the gunman and knocked him off balance.

  Lucas charged. He ignored his aching leg and ran headlong into the guy, dropping him to the ground. His weapon flew into the brush.

  Lucas pummeled his chest, then landed a blow to his chin.

  The guy groaned and passed out.

  Lucas started to get up and saw Hannah, gun in hand.

  “I would have killed him to save you.” Her voice was hollow and devoid of inflection. “Maybe I understand what you were feeling with Olivia.”

  “You thought I wanted to kill him, but I just wanted to bring him to justice.”

  “What about the men in the van?”

  “They’re both very much alive.” He glanced over his shoulder. “We need to get going before the guards come back. While I tie this guy up, you go inside and free the other woman.”

  “Is it Sarah?”

  “Hannah, I don’t think—”

  He wanted to warn her but she was already gone.

  * * *

  Hannah raced into the cottage, hurried to the bedroom and pushed on the door. “Sarah,” she cried, opening her arms.

  Then she stopped short.

  The blonde woman was her sister’s age but she wasn’t Sarah.

  TWENTY

  Sirens sounded when Hannah stepped onto the porch with the young woman. Three police cars pulled up to the rear of the lodge, lights flashing. Two cars from the Willkommen sheriff’s office and two more from the Petersville police department parked at the front entrance.

  One officer in a squad car stopped at the cottage. “You folks get in. I’ll take you someplace safe. We’re not sure how everything will go down.”

  “A number of security guards are inside the lodge,” Lucas said as he helped the women into the car. “Three guys are in the back of the delivery van.”

  The cop relayed the information over his radio.

  “How did you know we needed help?” Lucas asked.

  “Ned Quigley’s the acting sheriff in Willkommen. He just got back from GBI headquarters in Atlanta and pulled us together. The guy’s good. He knows law enforcement.”

  It was over, almost over. Lucas put his arm around Hannah. She folded into his embrace and cried all the way back to the inn.

  * * *

  Hannah
wouldn’t let Lucas out of her sight. Too much had happened too fast. The sheriff and Fannie sat in chairs by the fireplace while Lucas stood next to where she sat on the couch. The hot coffee Fannie had made helped to steady Hannah’s trembling heart.

  Deputy Gainz had driven the two women home. Belinda had been reunited with her family and promised to never be so foolish as to believe an Englisch man who promised her pretty things. She wanted to talk to the bishop, to be baptized and to live within the Amish faith.

  Hannah looked up at Lucas, seeing the fatigue on his face, but she also saw the sense of purpose in his eyes. She had been wrong. He wasn’t focused on the past. He was thinking of the future. He touched her shoulder and she raised her hand to his.

  The sheriff put down the cell phone. “They didn’t find Rosie. In fact, everything in the lodge seemed legit. Evidently the trafficking was done in the cottage at the rear of the property. The Savannah police are on their way to Vipera’s home to arrest him. The coast guard is headed to his island. Federal agents are on board.”

  “I hope they find the women and reunite them with their families.” Fannie glanced at Hannah. “I am praying Sarah will be among those found.”

  That was Hannah’s prayer, as well.

  “Vipera will get the best lawyers,” Samuel continued, “but they’re confident the men Lucas hog-tied will talk. Seems that story you made up, Lucas, about being undercover and sending photos you claimed came from their phones to incriminate Vipera did the trick. Plus, the women who have been held captive will be credible witnesses. I have a feeling there will be an abundance of evidence to bring Vipera to justice.”

  The sheriff smiled with appreciation. “The chief of police in Savannah said to thank you, Lucas. He also said if you wanted your old job back—”

  Lucas held up his hand. “No way. I’m staying in Willkommen.”

  “Ned Quigley’s running things until I get back on my feet, but I could still use another deputy,” the sheriff offered.

  “And take the inn’s new manager away from me?” Fannie said with a huff.