The papers were most likely counterfeit birth certificates and social security cards that would be handed over tonight to the other part of the counterfeit ring. Why it couldn’t pass through the usual channels, such as Timothy, Adam couldn’t figure, except perhaps because Timothy wasn’t cooperating any longer. Perhaps they had so much material that it was easiest to hand it all over at once. Or maybe they were sure that they could avoid detection by law enforcement.
No matter what the reason, the counterfeiting gang’s chances for success increased greatly when they kidnapped Adam. Adam and Katie thought they had determined the location based upon Timothy’s secret encoded message. But Adam couldn’t lead his team to the location if he was a hostage.
Katie sniffed again. “What should we do?”
Adam’s heart broke for her obvious emotional anguish, being held captive in the very place where her husband had been killed. But he prayed that he could save her from that fate and that God would allow him to bring love and security back into her life. He searched the nooks and crannies of his mind for any idea of how to escape, as well as something reassuring to say to the beautiful Amish woman. “Katie—”
“No talking.” The thug whom Timothy had called Little Joe had walked up while Adam had been lost in concentration.
Vic stood behind his thug, a sneer stretched across his lips. “Okay, Super Agent, time for a few questions. I need to know what you know.”
Adam didn’t respond.
“Do you know why we’re here? How many ICE agents have you summoned? Do they know where we are? How and when will they be arriving?” Vic held his weapon to Adam’s side. “What about that incompetent local sheriff? Will he be joining our party tonight?”
Adam shifted sideways, away from the gun barrel that was jammed into his ribs, but still did not answer. He ground his teeth together as he was forced to admit to himself that he didn’t know the answers to those questions. It was better for Katie and Timothy if he didn’t assume that help would be coming. It would force him to make a way for their escape.
“That’s what I figured.” Vic shoved his face up into Adam’s personal space. “Either you don’t know anything or you’re playing tough. Both ways work for me. I’m expecting quite a party here tonight, so even if you are hoping for some reinforcements, I guarantee you they’ll be outmanned and outgunned. I’ll also get to show you off to my superior. It’s quite a badge of honor to capture a federal agent.”
Smugness radiated from the man so strongly, it was nearly overwhelming. He obviously believed he had the upper hand. And from all appearances, Adam had to admit that he did. The handcuffs cut into his wrist, and if they were hurting him, he could just imagine how they were hurting Katie and her delicate skin.
Adam clenched his jaw and refused to speak. In his peripheral vision, he could see Katie and her brother watching him, but Adam would not be the first to break the staring contest with Vic. Adam may be in handcuffs, but that didn’t mean he was giving up without a fight.
“Got nothing to say?” The man’s foul breath punched Adam in the face.
Vic was obviously a man of malicious intent, stopping at nothing to achieve his goals. Instead of stopping this counterfeiting ring, what if Adam was forced to join them? What if Adam’s goal of making some good come from the senseless deaths of his father and brother was turned against him, and he was put in a position where he had no choice but to join the very thugs he had been working to bring down?
What could be better than an ICE agent hiding their activities, so that they’re never found? Would Adam’s team get there in time? Or would the team be ambushed before they could even breach the door?
Adam couldn’t stand idly by any longer. As he continued to return Vic’s stare, he made a fist and tensed the muscles in his free arm. Vic blinked, and in that split second, Adam shoved his elbow up and smashed it into Vic’s gun hand.
Shock registered on the man’s face. Katie screamed. As Vic’s arm jerked upward from the impact, a gunshot rang out across the sawmill.
FIFTEEN
Clammy perspiration popped out on Katie’s forehead as she dropped to the floor. The handcuff jerked on her wrist, but that pain was minimal compared to what a gunshot felt like. The wound on her leg throbbed as her full skirt made sawdust billow up from the floor.
“Vic! You all right?” One of the thugs stood up at the table, peering at them.
His gun still in his hand, Vic took a quick step back, out of the reach of Adam. “Think you can fight your way out of here, Super Agent?” A hateful laugh erupted from the men at the table.
Timothy bent down to lend Katie a hand and help her up, sympathy and strength in his eyes. An artery pulsated on Adam’s temple, but he still stared at Vic. Apparently no one had been shot, and she quickly found the bullet lodged in a board above their heads and to the side. It seemed that one of the men at the table had fired a warning shot.
“You understand what we’re capable of now? This is not a training exercise, Super Agent.”
“Vic, need you to look at something.” The guys at the table sorted through a stack of papers, completely nonchalant, as if gunplay were an everyday occurrence for them. Katie’s heart grieved within her at the thought of what a desolate and violent life they each must lead.
With one last glare, Vic growled to Adam, “Next time it won’t just be a warning.” Then he turned on his heel and marched back to his cohorts.
Katie exhaled a long breath that felt like it had been trapped in her lungs all day. She wanted to sag down on the floor and just let it all be over, but the thought of her twins invigorated her to trust Gott and trust Adam with her immediate future.
They were alone again and without a guard, at least as alone as they could get with the gang at the table several yards away but still in the same area.
“Katie.” Adam kept his voice low and didn’t look at her as he continued his watch of the men at the table. “Got the straight pin?”
Ach, the pin! She had forgotten about it completely in the melee. “Jah, it is here.” As she maneuvered it in her palm in order to hand it to Adam, it jabbed her in the flesh. She winced with the pain.
“Hopefully a team will be here soon. I called them with the location, and when we didn’t arrive at the sheriff’s office, they should have assumed something went wrong.”
Timothy leaned forward. “What about guards posted outside?”
“And are there not more of their gang to arrive?”
“The team’s been trained to deal with various scenarios. They’ll be careful.” Adam took the straight pin from her and began to work on the lock of the handcuffs. “Keep an eye on those guys, and let me know if anyone looks this way.”
Katie focused on the men at the table, fighting hard to keep her lip from trembling. Adam lifted the handcuffs that bound them just slightly, and after a few moments of prying the pin into the lock, his cuff came loose. She wanted to sag with relief at their small victory, but she forced herself to stay upright and keep watch.
As Adam began to work on her cuff, Vic looked up from his papers and stared directly at her.
“Adam,” Katie whispered out of the corner of her mouth. “He is looking.”
Katie felt Adam stand upright, his arms dangling at his side, probably trying to look as if nothing had happened.
Vic looked back at the documents, seemingly satisfied, and Adam resumed his lock picking. The cuff bit into her wrist as Adam worked at it, and a few moments later her cuff also came loose.
But then Vic looked up again, and although Adam jolted back to position, Vic left the table and sauntered in their direction.
“Look normal. Be cool.” Adam whispered encouragement to her.
Katie grasped the handcuff and, with her wrist nearly twisted backward, struggled to hold it in place to make it look as if it were still locked around her wrist. Adam s
eemed to be doing the same with his cuff, since it did not dangle. Would he try to overtake Vic now that they were free from the handcuffs? Was that his escape plan?
But Vic didn’t notice the handcuffs. He just walked up to Adam and sneered at him, as if he were quite satisfied with the presence of his hostages. Katie felt all her muscles tense as she waited to see what Adam would do. But he only returned the stare, and a few moments later, Vic turned back to the table.
Katie forced her shoulders to relax as she snuck a glance at Adam. His jaw seemed softer now, not quite so grim. Did she dare to hope that he was trusting Gott a little bit more with their situation? Was he softening to a renewal of his faith? Gratitude flooded her that he hadn’t tried to overtake Vic. Of course Adam was a smart man, and he surely had factored into his thinking the fact that the men at the table had all the weapons. If it had been revealed that they were free, the others at the table would certainly have opened fire. All would have been lost.
When the men seemed engrossed in their stacks of paper again, Adam angled slightly toward Timothy to work on his handcuffs. Katie watched her brother’s face as he maintained a vigil for anyone approaching. His expression was somber and unrevealing, like she had seen many times before. But as his sister, she knew the heart for Gott that beat inside him, as well as the trust of Gott that gave him peace. Memories from the calm they had shared before the current storm, before the counterfeiters had sunk their criminal claws into their family, washed over her. Life had been normal, predictable. Even comfortable, or at least as comfortable as it could be after the loss of a husband. And despite the loneliness she had endured, and in fact continued to endure as a widow, she would return to that time in an instant, that time where none of this had happened.
As he maneuvered to reach the lock better, Adam’s shoulder bumped hers. She looked at his face, his growth of stubble because he hadn’t even taken the time to shave in his vigilant protection of her, the intelligence that shone from his light brown eyes, the handsomeness in the strength of his jaw.
Ach, would she return to the life she had had before this danger? Suddenly she did not know for sure and for certain that she would. That was before Adam had come into her life. Was he not worth knowing—and loving—even if this peril was the price she had to pay? She had already admitted to herself that she was falling in love with him. Was there any hope, any prayer, that they might survive and that he might decide that the Amish life was for him?
Before a petition to Gott could spring to her lips, Adam’s husky voice reached her. “Let’s go.”
Had Timothy been freed from his handcuffs while she had been lost in thought? She spun to her brother, and he simply nodded toward the door they had come in through.
Adam grabbed her hand and tugged her along. At first they sidestepped slowly, trying not to be noticed. But when Little Joe looked up, his eyes widened as he realized their escape plan. His weapon was out of the holster in a split second, and his movement caused the other thugs to stand in a rush. In an instant, all guns were pointed at them.
“Run!” Adam pulled on Katie, and Timothy followed closely behind. Her leg pained her, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself to put her full weight on it in order to keep up with Adam. She didn’t want to be the one to keep them from getting away.
As they passed the stacks of boards, the exit door came into sight. But a series of loud pops suddenly filled the mill. Immediately it felt as if her leg were on fire, and her flesh seared. She stumbled on the cement floor, a cry escaping as pain engulfed her. Had her leg been hit again? The entire limb burned as the floor rushed up to meet her.
“Adam!” His name was the only thought in her mind.
She landed on the cold cement, her shoulder hitting first. The mill swirled around her consciousness. Adam’s face appeared above hers, and she battled to focus on it. But the spinning only increased, a dizzying swirling and whirling, until darkness overtook her.
* * *
“Katie!” Her name sprung to Adam’s lips. As if he were caught in quicksand, unable to move, he watched her go down, her hand involuntarily clutching her leg, where the bullet had hit.
Adrenaline pulsed through him. He lunged for her, to catch her, to keep her conscious, to do something or anything to save her life, when a searing agony ripped through his biceps. In that nanosecond, a thousand thoughts flitted through his mind. He would have to turn away from Katie, ignoring her and her need of him, and face Vic. Otherwise he would be shot dead. If he were killed, he could no longer be a help to Katie or her brother. At least by obeying the thug with the gun, there was still a chance, however slight, to survive and to get Katie help before it was too late.
He turned to find the source of his pain and saw Vic pointing his weapon directly at him. Behind him, the other three had their guns drawn and pointed at the would-be escapees.
Out of the corner of his eye, Adam saw that Timothy’s face was contorted with anguish as he stole glances at his sister, his only family left, lying unconscious on the floor. Unable to stand still and do nothing any longer, Timothy moved toward Katie.
Vic took a step forward. “Don’t move, boy.” His voice growled like a threatened dog. “You stay put, and I’ll deal with you in a minute.”
Adam shook his head slightly at Timothy, cutting his eyes in the direction of where Timothy was standing before he moved. Would he get the message that he should return to his position? When he didn’t move, Adam ventured to speak, despite the risk of further angering Vic. “Best to obey the man’s orders, Timothy.”
A sneer snaked across Vic’s lips. “Yes, Timothy.” His tone was laced with malice. “It’s best to obey me.”
As Timothy inched back, forcing his gaze from Katie, Adam tried to assess Katie’s injury from what he could see in his peripheral vision. He couldn’t see much blood coming from her leg wound, and there was no puddle under her. So he dismissed, tentatively, the possibility that she could bleed out. But if she was in shock, if that was the reason for her unconsciousness, then she would need treatment fast. Her face looked pale, but was her skin clammy? Did she have a rapid pulse? If he could just examine her, lift an eyelid to see if her pupils were dilated, he could tell more about her condition. She needed an ambulance, direct pressure on her wound to stop any bleeding, elevation of her legs.
And did she hit her head on the floor? He had no way to tell from that distance. At least Vic seemed to have forgotten about her. That increased her chance of survival.
But for now he was stuck where he was until Vic looked away. Or shot him again.
“What’s your plan here, Vic?” Adam shrugged. Why not just ask a direct question? “Are you going to let her die?” He gestured toward Katie, sneaking another glance at her.
“I might. She’s not necessary anyway.” Vic leveled the weapon at Adam. “You know what? You’re expendable, as well.”
Adam refused to close his eyes in anticipation of the gunshot. He wanted to be conscious and alert to his very last moment.
One of the guys still at the table hollered, interrupting their staring contest. “Vic, got a call.”
Vic lowered his weapon slightly and half turned back, rolling his eyes at the interruption. “Can’t you deal with it?”
With Vic distracted, Adam grabbed the opportunity to shuffle backward toward the stack of boards nearby. He had noticed on the way in that there seemed to be boards stacked everywhere with different levels of sawdust coating them. That fact hadn’t seemed important at the time, but now inspiration struck him. One inch back led to another inch back as Vic and his minions argued about the phone call and who would do what. Timothy just looked at him wide-eyed and held his ground as if he knew that he should stay still to reduce the chance of Vic noticing them.
With just a few inches left between him and the stack of boards, Adam reached back, moving as slowly as an inchworm. He grabbed a handful of sawdust fro
m the top of the stack and clenched it in his fist. The more he could manage, the better his chances of success. Immobilizing Vic could buy them the time needed for an escape.
The bickering ceased, and Vic turned his attention back to Adam, not seeming to notice Adam’s fist clenched at his side or that he had edged backward. Vic stepped forward, his weapon pointed again at Adam’s heart, and sneered in Adam’s face, a malicious smile that showed a couple of yellowed teeth and emitted his foul breath. “This is it. Say goodbye.”
Adam brought his hand up to his hip. “That’s right. Goodbye.”
Confusion darted across Vic’s face. Adam seized that moment to bring his hand up, unclench his fist and blow the sawdust into Vic’s face.
The cloud hovered around Vic, clinging to his hair, his eyelashes, his cheeks. He stumbled backward, immediately dropping his weapon and grabbing at his eyes as if he could claw out the minuscule bits of wood. Vic howled with pain.
A vicious-looking tool lay on top of a nearby stack. Adam grasped the solid-wood handle, leaving the large metal hook swinging on the underside. Despite his wound, adrenaline surged, and his arms tingled with the anticipation of swinging the weapon and defending himself. Old habits usually died hard, and it was in his training to fight to defend those who needed his protection, including the woman he loved.
Yet his fingers loosened their grip on the hook as a new and unusual sensation of calm soaked through him. He honestly didn’t want to harm the man. He didn’t want to do it. But was his faith rebuilt? Was he ready to adopt the Amish idea of peacefulness with his fellow man and pacifism? Jah, definitely so.
Vic clawed at his eyes, groaning more loudly and attracting the attention of his cohorts in crime. As the other brutes approached, weapons at the ready, loud shouts sounded from the door as more men entered.
Suddenly they were surrounded.
SIXTEEN
“Drop your weapons!”
Amish Covert Operation Page 16