by Emma Easter
Taylor chuckled. He leaned over Joshua and took Lily’s face in his hands. “Do you mean like this?” He kissed Lily soundly.
Josh groaned. “Dad, stop it!” He shook his head and laughed.
Taylor began to laugh as well, and Lily joined in. When they finally stopped, Josh said, “Can I go and play with those boys?”
“Sure,” Taylor grinned and ruffled his hair. “But we will soon take off, so you’ll have to be ready to sit and buckle up your seatbelt, okay?”
Josh nodded.
After he left, Taylor took the seat Josh had vacated and took Lily’s hand in his. “I am so glad you’re safe and right here with me,” he said. The smile melted off his face, and he looked worried again. “I hope Rachel and Keith will be able to get out of the House safely.”
Lily sighed. “I hope so, too.” Fear gripped her again as she remembered the gunshots and screams she had heard coming from up in the House.
“I wish we could wait for them here,” Taylor threaded his fingers through hers, “but we have to get the kids out of here as quickly as possible.”
Lily’s thoughts kept rotating between the gunshots and Mike Cadwell’s many threats. She prayed in her heart that the Lord would protect Rachel and everyone in the House.
Taylor craned his neck and looked over at the children. “I hope all of them are buckled in,” he said.
Lily went to check on the kids. She buckled in the boys. Emily and Bree were already strapped into their seats. She came back and sat next to Taylor. “They’re all seated and buckled in,” she said.
“Dave, we are ready to go!” Taylor called out.
The plane began to taxi down the runway and, once again, Lily’s mind went back to Rachel and Keith and all the people in the House. She took a deep breath and prayed silently for God’s protection. Taylor had gone through so much, losing his wife just months ago. Losing his sister too would be a disaster.
“Are you okay?” he asked, gazing at her with concern.
“Yes. I’m fine... especially now that I’m with you.”
“I love being with you,” he said tenderly.
She fixed her gaze on him and opened her mouth to tell him she loved being with him too, but he leaned in and covered her mouth with his. He kissed her slowly and deliberately, taking her breath away. When he finally pulled back, her brain was muddled and she couldn’t think properly. She finally found her words and said, “Josh will be angry if he sees us, Taylor.”
He chuckled. “Well, Josh isn’t looking, so I can kiss you as much as I want.” He claimed her lips again before she could reply, and she settled in for a long trip full of sweet kisses.
Chapter 20
About a dozen women had gone through the large hole in the wall when Mike’s voice boomed, “Your time is up! Rachel, come out of the House right now with my kids or you’ll be blamed for whatever happens next.”
Rachel gritted her teeth as anger and fear ran through her. She trembled when a gunshot exploded in the air. Women screamed and rushed into the secret passageway. She, Keith, and Daniel tried to calm them down so there would not be a stampede.
Daniel went to the window and opened the curtains. He looked back at Rachel and Keith and said, “They’re coming in.”
Rachel put her hand on her forehead as fear threatened to smother her. She exhaled and tried to put her fear away. “Mike won’t start shooting if he believes his kids are still in the house. That might buy us a bit more time.” She looked at the front door. They had tried to barricade it by not only locking it but piling furniture against it
“They have equipment of some kind,” Daniel said, still looking through the window. “I think it’s for breaking down the door. That furniture won’t be able to keep them out for too long.”
“How many men are there?” Keith asked.
“Apart from Mike, there are about four of them. I think there are three more at the back of the House.”
“We need to place more things against the door,” Keith said.
Rachel nodded. “But I still think as long as I stay in here and don’t bring out the kids it’ll buy us more time.”
Another gunshot rang through the air, and once again the women screamed. Confusion broke out, and some of the women blocked the secret passage, delaying escape. Rachel tried to bring back order, while Keith and Daniel went to gather more furniture to place against the door.
Another round of gunshots sounded, and a bullet shattered one of the windows. Daniel quickly moved away from the window for only an instant and then raised his gun, preparing to shoot.
“Don’t shoot, Daniel!” Rachel said. “It’ll cause a shoot-out and endanger everyone still in the House.”
Rachel looked back when she heard a loud pounding at the door. Daniel turned around and told her that the men were now trying to break the door open. She took a deep breath to try to calm her fears and began to breathe easier when they were able to finally get all the women out of the House through the secret door.
The front door began to crack open and all the furniture they had piled against it started to topple over. “Let’s go!” Rachel screamed as another loud bang pushed the door open further. “They’re coming in!”
The last woman went through, and Rachel rushed into the passageway, followed by Keith, then Daniel. They heard a deafening sound and then Mike’s voice inside the common room. Gunshots went off again, and Rachel sucked in her breath. “It’s like Mike doesn’t even care if his children are in here or not,” she said.
“Maybe he’s guessed that they’ve been sent off already,” Keith said.
They raced down the stairs and hurried through the tunnel. Rachel whispered harshly, her heart knocking in fear, “I think they’ve found Taylor’s secret passage.”
“They’re right behind us,” Daniel said. “We need to hurry!”
It was dark in the tunnel, but they rushed forward anyway. Rachel’s eyes began to grow accustomed to the darkness, and she saw the other women were not too far ahead. Loud footsteps pounded behind them, getting closer and closer.
“Rachel and Keith, you both can go on with the women,” Daniel said. “I’ll stay and try to delay Mike and his men.”
“No, Daniel!” Rachel shook her head. “They’ll kill you.”
He waved her off. “Go! There’s no time. Someone has to stay and stall Mike and his men.”
Keith took Rachel’s hand, and they hurried off, leaving Daniel behind. They ran faster, catching up to the women, but they couldn’t run any further as the crowd of women stretched on before them. Another round of shots sounded, followed by a loud groan of pain.
Rachel winced. “That was Daniel. I hope they haven’t killed him.”
They kept walking fast, unable to run because of the crowd of women in front of them. Rachel felt more and more helpless as the footsteps behind gained on them. If they didn’t start to run now, the men might catch up to them. And yet the women seemed too confused and frightened to move any faster.
Mike yelled, “My men are stationed all around Fallow Creek, even at the border. I have given them orders to kill anyone they see. Tell me where my kids are right now, Rachel, and I might consider sparing them.”
Rachel shut her eyes in horror and yelled, “Mike, your kids aren’t here. With all this madness caused by you, I sent them away first.”
There was silence for a few seconds, and Mike shouted again, “Then you come to me. Alone and willingly! I promise to spare everyone’s life, including your friend’s here, if you come. If not, he dies.”
Keith held her hand. “No, Rachel. Mike can’t be trusted. If you go to him, he still might harm the women and Daniel.”
Rachel wove her fingers through Keith’s. “That might be, but we can’t take any chances. There might be a chance he’ll let the women go if I go and meet him. But if I don’t, there’ll be no chance for them or Daniel at all.”
Daniel screamed again, and Rachel bit her lip.
“Come to me, Rache
l!” Mike said. “I won’t hurt you. You’re mine. You know I love you.”
“She’s not yours!” Keith shouted. “She’ll never be yours!”
“I guess, then, that the blood of your friend right here will be on both your hands. And we’ll also kill every single woman that we see. Is that what you want?”
Keith screamed in outrage, and Rachel shut her eyes. “Lord, this can’t be happening. Please help us.” She placed her hand on Keith’s cheek. She couldn’t see his face clearly, but she felt him trembling with rage and fear for her. “I have to go to him. It might save the lives of everyone.”
“No! We’ll find another way!”
She caressed his cheek. “There is no other way, Keith,” she said tenderly.
He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.
For a long moment, Rachel held on to Keith. Lord, I don’t want to leave him. I don’t want to go to Mike. But she had no choice.
Keith pulled back, cupped her cheeks, and kissed her. She tasted his salty tears as they kissed. He was crying. She felt like sobbing loudly. She wrapped her arms around her husband and kissed him like a dying woman. Which she probably was. Even if Mike didn’t kill her, staying with him would still be a living death, especially when she would be separated from the man she loved.
She finally pulled away from Keith and sighed. “I have to go,” she said and turned around.
He took hold of her hand, and she turned back to him. “I love you, Rachel,” he said. “I’ll try to find a way to get you away from Mike.”
She smiled sadly and pressed her lips together to keep from sobbing. Tears began to flow down her cheeks. She had to leave now or she never would, and then she would share the blame in whatever Mike and his men did. Slowly, she removed her hand from Keith’s and hurried away.
She walked quickly to find Mike, afraid he may have killed Daniel already. When she finally reached him and his men, she stopped. Mike had a large flashlight, and it illuminated the area where they stood. She looked down and sighed with relief. Daniel was kneeling on the floor, his hands tied behind his back. Blood streamed down his head to his cheeks, but he was alive.
She looked at Mike and spat out, “You beast! Let Daniel go. I’m right here!” She sighed and then pleaded, “Please stop this murderous pursuit and let everyone go. It’s not them you want. It’s me.”
Mike chuckled. “First, you will have to lead me to where my children are, and then I’ll tell my men not to harm any of your women.”
“I don’t know where they are, Mike! I sent them off with a friend, but I don’t know where she went with them. They’re all safe, though. I can promise you that. Once you stop this evil pursuit of yours, they can all return to you.”
Mike yanked her hair and pulled her to him. She screamed, and he grabbed her hand. “I don’t believe you, Rachel! You will lead me to where my children are right now!”
“I’m telling you the truth, Mike. I don’t know where they are.”
He looked at his men, all three of them, and said, “Rachel will lead me to my children. You three are to make sure no one gets past you. The other men are on the other side of wherever this tunnel leads, I’m sure. They’ll make sure no one escapes.” He looked down at Rachel and said, “You’ll lead me now to where Emily and my sons are, and if you try to play any games,” he raised his cell phone, “I’ll call my men and give them orders to start shooting everyone. Is that understood?”
Rachel glared at him, her stomach boiling with anger.
“Is that understood?” he repeated.
“Yes!”
“Now, let’s go.” He pulled her along with him, and they kept walking in silence until they got to the secret entrance again. They walked out into the common room. As he pulled her toward the door, sirens began to scream through the air, and she gasped. Mike jerked her back from the door. He pulled her to the window, drew back the curtains slightly, and cursed. “The police!” he spat out.
Rachel’s heart soared with hope as she stared out the window. Police cars, about five of them, were parking in front of the House of Refuge. Their sirens wailed as police officers jumped out of their cars, pointing their guns at the house. One of the officers, a policewoman, raised a loudspeaker to her lips. “Come out with your hands raised!”
Mike held the gun to Rachel’s back. “Open the door and tell them that everything is alright. Tell them it was a false alarm. That a disgruntled neighbor was the one who called them.”
She moved slowly, and he pressed the gun into her back and held out his phone to her. “Play no games, Rachel, or I’ll call my men. I just need to say a word to them, and they’ll know to start shooting. You don’t want that, do you?”
“No,” she said.
“Then do as I’ve told you… and you better sound convincing.” He stepped back slightly, hiding behind the door as she slowly opened it. She looked at him, and he held up his phone to her. He muttered, “Tell them everything is fine, with a smile on your face.”
She opened the door and stepped out of the house.
The female police officer blinked and looked at Rachel. “Are you okay, ma’am?”
Rachel pressed her lips together and nodded. “Yes.” She forced a smile. “Yes, I’m fine. Everything is fine.”
“Are you sure?”
For a brief moment, Rachel didn’t know what to say. She was not fine, and everything was not okay, but if she made a mistake now, it would end in disaster. She had a split second to make a decision. She could defy Mike and let the police know the truth and then have a calamity on her hands, or follow Mike’s orders and who knew what would happen after that? She nodded. “I’m fine. Thank you.” She blinked rapidly at the female police officer, hoping the woman would understand what she was trying to tell her.
Another officer came and stood beside the policewoman. She smiled again and backed away slowly.
“Okay, ma’am,” the policewoman said. “Since you’re okay and everything seems alright, we’ll leave. Have a good day.”
“Thank you,” Rachel said, her heart drumming. She turned around and walked into the house. Lord, I hope they understood my message. She shut the door and faced Mike. “I’ve done what you told me to,” she said.
He lowered his hand, his phone at his side, and pointed his gun at her. “Now, tell me where…?” His eyes widened in astonishment as the door flew open and the policewoman barged into the house. She pointed the gun at Mike. “Put down your weapon and raise your hands where I can see them!”
The surprised look on Mike’s face melted away, replaced by rage. Rachel screamed as Mike pulled the trigger of his gun and an explosion sounded. She gasped as pain tore through her waist, and she fell to the floor. A loud thud sounded beside her as Mike crashed down next to her. Blood oozed from his chest.
She looked down at herself and saw blood pouring from her side. She began to feel herself drifting away. “Lord, help me,” she whispered. Keith’s face appeared clearly in her mind. Overwhelming sadness settled over her. If she died, he would be devastated. “Lord, please be with Keith and protect my Emily.”
Two more police officers entered the house, and the policewoman knelt by her. She brushed Rachel’s hair from her face and looked up at another officer. “Call nine-one-one, now!”
Rachel shut her eyes as the policewoman said, “It’s okay, ma’am. I think it’s just a flesh wound. You’ll be okay.”
Rachel nodded, but fear poured through her as the darkness kept encroaching. The woman had said she would be fine, but Rachel wasn’t sure if she was saying that to make her feel better or if it was the truth. She certainly didn’t feel like she was going to be okay. She felt as though life was oozing out of her.
She tried to keep her eyes open, but she couldn’t anymore. She mustered all her strength and pointed at the secret entrance. “They’re all in there,” she said weakly. She took a deep breath as she began to slip away. “Lord, be with Keith and Emily,” she whispered again, and then eve
rything went black.
Chapter 21
Lily sat in the common room in the House of Refuge, Bree seated on her lap. Beside her on the sofa were Taylor, Rachel, with Emily in her arms, and Keith. Patricia, Dennis Hamilton’s first wife, sat on the sofa in front of them, listening intently to what Taylor was saying. From time to time, she asked him a question, but she mostly listened.
Apart from them, no one else was here, but Lily could hear the voices of the residents of the House chatting and laughing. She could not help smiling at that. One month ago, the atmosphere in the House had been totally different after the scary events that had taken place involving Mike and his men. The house had worn a dreary look for weeks, but then, gradually, normalcy had returned, and now the place was bustling with activity.
Thankfully, no one had been hurt except for Rachel, but she was fine now. The police had arrived, and everyone had been saved. The bullet that had hit Rachel had only grazed her side; she’d needed a minor surgery, but she was up and about a week later.
It wasn’t only the House of Refuge that was bustling with activity. A few of the residents of Fallow Creek had also returned, and Rachel had graciously given them their former homes back. Unfortunately, Lily’s parents were not among the people who had returned, and neither was her sister.
She looked down at Bree, who had dozed off on her lap, and sighed sadly as she thought about her family. Taylor had made calls and had followed leads that ended with nothing. She had visited the returning residents of Fallow Creek with Taylor, but none of them knew where her parents or her sister were. The fear that she might never find them constantly ate at her, but she had not given up, and thankfully Taylor hadn’t either.
He had vowed to keep looking for them with her, and she was eternally grateful to him for that. She turned to look at him as he talked with Patricia, Rachel, and Keith. His handsome face scrunched in concentration as he listened to what Keith was saying. How she loved him! He made her world better. Apart from her sadness at her parents’ and sister’s absence, she was as happy as she could ever be now that they were officially together in a steady relationship. She still chose to stay at the House of Refuge, and he’d agreed it was the right thing to do. There was no point putting themselves through all that temptation if she moved into his house. Their desire for one another was as strong as ever.