Plain Refuge

by Dana R. Lynn

  * * *

  Sophie enjoyed jogging, but not like this.

  After walking for half an hour, they were back to running. Then they walked. Then jogged. She might never willingly jog in the afternoon again. She felt bad for Celine. She could tell her sister was feeling the strain of the exercise. Her face was beet red and she was breathing in huge gulps. She raised her eyebrows at Aiden and jerked her head at Celine. He understood and called a halt.

  “I think this is a good place to rest for a bit,” he announced.

  “Finally!” Celine flopped down against a tree without looking to see what she was landing on.

  Sophie bit back a smile.

  “I know this area,” Melvin said. “There’s a store not far from here. What say I go into town and get us some food?”

  “What if someone sees you?” Celine asked, her face filled with fear.

  Melvin laughed. “People know me. They know where I live. If someone wanted to find me, they’d walk to Mamm and Dat’s haus, and there I’d be.”

  “I hate that we’re dragging you into this,” Sophie exclaimed.

  “Nee. It is gut. I had a debt to pay, and I’m paying it.”

  Sophie had no idea what he was talking about.

  “There wasn’t a debt, you know.” Aiden settled down next to her on the grass. He looked at Melvin. They were seated in a wooded area. The sun coming through the trees cast shadows over their faces. It was difficult to read the expression in his gaze. His voice, though, was warm and gentle. “Your dad talked to me. I remember you. I did what I had to do.”

  “Ja. I know. You saved my life. You saved the life of my friend.”

  “I didn’t realize you two had met before,” she commented.

  Aiden flashed her a grin. “I didn’t know we had, either. Until his dad reminded me of a couple of teens Tim and I had pulled from a fire a few years back.”

  “Nee, there’s more than that,” Melvin insisted. He turned to Sophie, his shyness forgotten in his desire to set things straight. “My friend, his grossdawdi was a bad person. He would beat him and threaten horrible things. He locked us inside a shed and set it on fire. Aiden rescued us and gave me CPR.” He looked straight at Aiden. “I’d stopped breathing.”

  Aiden flushed, but nodded. “Yeah. Your dad reminded me that I had broken a couple of your ribs.”

  Melvin waved it away. “Ach. That didn’t matter. I would have died. You saved me. I will never forget it.”

  So he was someone else’s hero, too.

  Sophie’s stomach chose that moment to emit a long, drawn-out growl.

  Melvin rose. “I will go and get some food, ja?”

  He left. Sophie looked over at Celine. She’d fallen asleep sitting up against the tree.

  “She’s been a trouper,” Aiden said.

  “I know. She’s been through things no twelve-year-old child should deal with.”

  Aiden’s hand covered hers where it was on the ground. “Hey, Sophie, don’t worry about her. She is a strong, resilient kid. She’ll pull through. You’ll see.”

  In the dim light, she could just make out his face. Suddenly, sitting so close, she remembered sitting with him on the steps of the King house. And she remembered the kiss that almost was.

  She wanted that kiss.

  They were in the middle of the woods, still running for their lives, and all she could think about was how close his lips were to hers. It would be so easy to lean over and touch his lips. So easy.

  Of course, she’d never do such a thing. No, that would be too bold for her. Instead, she’d sit here feeling the warmth of his presence and longing—

  Her thoughts stopped as Aiden bent closer and kissed her.

  A gentle kiss. Then he kissed her again. The warmth that spread through her had nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with this man.

  He backed away. Her eyes fluttered open.

  He was chastising himself for giving in to the kiss. She could tell.

  “Don’t think about it, Aiden. We’ve both wanted it.” She couldn’t believe she was so bold.

  “You’re right. But that doesn’t mean it should have happened. I’m protecting you. I think you might feel confused.”

  Okay, now she was mad. Standing up, she moved away from him.

  “Sophie?”

  “Who are you to tell me how I feel, Aiden Forster?” She stomped a few feet away, then stomped back. “I’m a grown woman. I don’t go around kissing people. It’s not my way. For you to suggest that I was swayed by the situation is, frankly, insulting.”

  He laughed and got to his feet. “Now we know you have a temper. Look, I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s not the right time.”

  “So?”

  Was he suggesting that there might be a chance for them? A second later, he dashed that hope. “But even if we weren’t in danger, Sophie, I’m not the man for you. For anyone. I have too much baggage, and my job makes my life crazy. I have no business being involved with anyone.”

  She swallowed. That was fairly clear. She needed to do a better job of guarding her heart. They sat again, but they faced each other with space between them, removing the temptation.

  She was relieved when Melvin returned. He had purchased sandwiches and water. They ate in silence. The only noise was chewing and swallowing.

  When they had completed their meal, it was a weary group that resumed walking.

  “It’s just up ahead,” Melvin called finally.

  The house itself didn’t look promising. In fact, it almost looked like it was vacant.

  She hesitated as the others started toward the steps. When Aiden quirked his eyebrow at her, she lifted her chin and strode up to the door. Silas had vouched for the man who lived here. What could go wrong?

  FOURTEEN

  The front door swung open as they approached. A man in his fifties stood watching them approach. His face was solemn, his chin covered with a full salt-and-pepper beard.

  “’Lo, Melvin. What’s going on?”

  “Ivan. Dat wanted me to bring over some guests. Seems to be we need some help. Could we come in?”

  Ivan looked them over slowly before he nodded.

  “Ja. Cumme.”

  They filed into his house. Despite its outward appearance, the interior of the home was charming. It was clean, and though the furniture was sparse, it was a comfortable spot.

  For what felt like the hundredth time, they explained the parts of their story that could be revealed. Ivan asked very pointed questions. So pointed, in fact, that Sophie was positive he was going to say, no, they couldn’t stay.

  In that event, she had no idea what they would do. They had run through their options. They were out of friends in the area, and neither she nor Aiden had family they could turn to. Plus, he still couldn’t return to the precinct.

  “Ja, you can stay.” He shrugged. She was so tired and overly emotional she thought she might cry. “Melvin, you staying the night, too?”

  “Ja. I will stay tonight, but tomorrow I need to return home first thing.”

  An hour later, she was in bed, safe and warm. Her lids were heavy. Then she heard a heavy thumping sound outside her window. It was footsteps. She walked to the window and knelt down so she wouldn’t be seen. Peering down, she saw a familiar dark head.

  Aiden was out there, alone, pacing on the porch. She was tempted to join him but decided against it. The last time they were alone together, they’d kissed. She remembered the sting of his response. He didn’t want her to kiss him. He didn’t want a relationship, period.

  That was fine with her.

  She was too tired, anyway. She needed sleep. Stumbling back to her bed, she lay awake for an hour before finally falling to sleep.

  * * *

  The next morning dawned sunny and warm. Melvin left immediate
ly after breakfast. Ivan had given him a ride home in his buggy. By the time the older man returned, the sun was already cooking the earth below. It would be a scorcher by noon. By nine o’clock, it was hot enough that Sophie commented that her skin was melting. Aiden laughed.

  He was amazed that she was so unconscious of how lovely she was. Even dressed Amish, with her glorious hair hidden, her beauty shone through. It made him wish he was a man who was fit to take a bride.

  No longer did he delude himself into believing he had no feelings for her. His comments the night before regarding her feelings not being real had more to do with protecting himself than to do with her.

  He’d been protecting himself for so long he wasn’t sure how to go about changing it. Janet, although she certainly hadn’t meant to help him, had shown him that his life was not one a woman who was worthy would accept. Janet might not have been worthy, but Sophie was. She was more than worthy.

  And then there was Celine. Celine was a precious little girl who would grow up into a beautiful woman. Any man who married Sophie would take on the role of surrogate father to her. He wished it could be him.

  Frustrated, he shoved the idea away. He wouldn’t waste his time with these absurd dreams anymore. He had duties.

  As was his habit, he walked the perimeter of the property several times that day. He hadn’t seen anything yet, but that didn’t mean anything. These guys were sneaky.

  “Hey, stranger.”

  Sophie walked toward him with her long-legged stride. She covered the ground quickly and with a confidence he found alluring.

  “Hey, yourself. What do you have there?” He indicated her hand.

  “I’m a firm believer in making lists.” She held out the pen and paper in her grip.

  “I was thinking about my uncle and this situation we’re in. So I thought, since we’re stranded here, maybe we could go over the possible moles at your precinct and make a list. I know you said the person they’ve pinpointed couldn’t be it. Maybe we can find someone who makes more sense.”

  It wasn’t a half-bad idea. And like she said, they didn’t have anything pressing to do at the moment. Wandering inside, they sat at the table and he ran through a list of the personnel at his precinct.

  When Sophie wrote the chief’s name on the list, he laughed.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “Mostly I am. But I will note that every time you’ve called her, someone has found us. It could be said that it was awfully coincidental. Plus, the fact that the mole still hasn’t been correctly identified.”

  “You have some good points, but the chief would actually want me to come back if she was. She could have me meet with an accident. And she’s the one who told me to stay away and not call often. No, I have to believe it’s someone else.”

  She shrugged. “I’m just trying to help.”

  “And I appreciate it. Really. Let’s go on to the next name.”

  Name by name, they eliminated each person. Finally, there were only three names left.

  “I need a break,” he said, standing. He stretched his arms over his head. “I’m going to walk around again.”

  “I’ll come with you. Celine is taking a nap, so I have nothing else to do.”

  “Nothing better, you mean.”

  “That, too.” He’d miss bantering with her when this was done.

  They walked around the yard, talking and laughing.

  When they returned to the house, they were startled to see a police cruiser in the yard. Ivan was there, arguing with the men. Celine was crying.

  The two cops fastened their gazes on Aiden.

  “Adam Steele.” One of them drew his gun and pointed it directly at Aiden. “You’re under arrest for the murder of Cash Wellman. And the kidnapping—”

  “He didn’t kidnap me!” Sophie stormed up to them. “And his name is not Adam Steele. It’s Aiden Forster.”

  “Ma’am, you’ve been taken in by a con man. It’s obvious he didn’t kidnap you. But as for him,” the officer jerked his thumb at Aiden, “Adam, or Aiden, whoever he is, well, we’re taking him in.”

  “Shouldn’t we take them both in?” the other cop asked.

  “No. She’s in the clear. We had someone say they saw her at the time Wellman was killed. They have her vehicle going through a traffic light. She’s good.”

  “He was with me!”

  The officers both looked at her with pity. As they started to take him away, Aiden was protesting that he was an undercover cop.

  “Fine. Prove it. Where’s your identification?”

  He didn’t have any. He didn’t want to implicate the King family. If he sent the cops there to find his identification, it could cause real trouble for them. His best bet was to get in touch with Chief Daniels. She could clear up the matter real quick.

  “Look, I lost my wallet. I could call my chief.”

  “Sure, sure, call your chief at the station. Or you can call your lawyer.”

  * * *

  Sophie watched in horror as the cops pushed Aiden into their car and drove him away.

  “Sophie, what should we do?”

  She turned to face her sister. “Let me think for a minute.”

  She paced the room. What could they do? Ivan didn’t have a phone.

  Wait a minute. He might not have a phone, but she did. Running upstairs, she grabbed the phone that Aiden had programmed with the chief’s number. With trembling fingers, she opened the phone, then found the chief’s contact information. While she waited for the phone to ring, she said a prayer under her breath.

  The phone rang once, twice. The phone was answered midring.

  “Daniels.”

  “Chief Daniels. You don’t know me, but my name is Sophie Larson.”

  “Larson. You’re Phillip’s niece.” The voice sharpened. “Why isn’t Aiden calling me? Has something happened to him?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Briefly she described the cops picking him up and him not having his wallet to prove his identity. “Ma’am, I don’t know how they knew we were here. I don’t think we’ve seen anyone.”

  “Well, clearly someone did see you. Don’t worry, Miss Larson. I’m going to go and get him out of jail. You sit tight. I’ll call this number back when I have news to share.”

  Relief poured through her. The chief believed her. She had been dreading talking with her, fearing that she would believe this was a trick or a prank of some kind.

  When the chief disconnected, Sophie went downstairs. She couldn’t sit still. Every few minutes, she glanced at the phone to see if the chief had tried to call back. How long would this take? Would the chief be able to call the other station, or would she actually have to drive there to release Aiden?

  Without his presence, she felt vulnerable.

  She missed him. He’d only been gone an hour, but she felt the hole his absence made.

  Celine seemed to be missing him, as well. The preteen had been sulking. Whenever Sophie saw her pouting face, she wanted to roll her eyes. No one did sulking like Celine.

  Sophie was completely unprepared for Celine to spring up out of her seat. “This is stupid. I can’t believe we’re just standing here doing nothing.”

  “Not nothing. I’ve called his chief.”

  Celine scoffed. “Yeah, that seems to be working. I’m done.” Celine yanked the prayer kapp off her head and tossed it down.

  She stormed out of the house. Sophie apologized to Ivan before running after her sister.

  She was nowhere to be found. Where could she have gone. She clenched her teeth. Celine knew better than to run off. Sophie called her name before remembering Celine couldn’t hear anything.

  “I can’t believe this girl.” She looked around the yard. Nothing. Twenty minutes later, she was still searching. Her anger had given way to worry. Anxiety built u
p inside her. Her sister was nowhere to be seen. Ivan and she split up to increase the likelihood of finding her.

  A bad feeling crept over Sophie. Suddenly she was sure that they wouldn’t find her here. Had she left the property in her irritation?

  Sophie set off down the road, eyes scanning the area for any sign of her sister. Her sister had been wearing a light blue dress with a white apron. Her bright red hair would be easy to spot without the kapp on it.

  As she was moving down the street, a car purred up beside her.

  She glanced over. And froze.

  Phillip Larson smiled at her from the passenger seat. Despite the smile, his eyes were stone cold. A shark, she thought again. A gun was held steady in his very capable hand. It was pointed directly at her. She had no doubt that if he decided to fire, he would hit his target.

  “Dear niece, I am so glad to see you. I’m hoping you’ll join me. Hmm?”

  If she got in that car, she was dead. What were her chances of running? Not much, but at least it would be a small chance. If she was shot, maybe she could get far enough away that someone might find her and take her to the hospital.

  “I hope you are not thinking of leaving, Sophie. I would hate for you to choose badly. And so would Celine.”

  Celine. Her blood ran cold. “What have you done with her?”

  “Nothing. Yet. It’s all your choice what happens.”

  “She’s alive? I want to see her.”

  “She’s alive. She looks charming in her Amish dress. I wonder why she didn’t have her bonnet on?”

  He knew. He knew that Celine wasn’t wearing the kapp. He did have her. Was she too late?

  When Phillip waved his gun at her, she knew she had no choice. She had to go with him. She entered the car. When he closed the door, she felt like a wild animal tossed into a cage.

  They drove for a long time, so long she lost track of the twists and turns as they continued on. A second vehicle joined them. That must be where Celine was being held.