Dana R. Lynn - Amish Haven

“What’s going on, Tyler? You call me out of the blue, tell me you’re going into hiding, hang up on me and now you’re calling me back? Do you know what time it is? What have you gotten yourself into?”

“Annie—”

He stopped. Jonathan held out his hand for the phone. Fine. Let him deal with her. She was too stubborn to listen to him, anyway. And too angry.

“Mrs. Everson? This is US Marshal Jonathan Mast. I am in charge of your husband’s case. He tells me you thought someone was following you today?” He listened for a minute. It drove Tyler crazy not hearing her side of the conversation. What exactly had happened? Had it been an actual threat, or some freaky coincidence?

He didn’t believe in coincidences. And he doubted that the marshals would buy that theory, either.

“Mrs. Everson, I need you to listen. I am sending a marshal to come get you and bring you to a safe house. Yes, it’s necessary. I have every reason to believe that your life and the life of your daughter are in grave peril.”

Grave peril. He’d failed his family again. Despite his best efforts, he’d brought danger to their door. If Annabelle was scared, his daughter was probably terrified.

The daughter that he hadn’t seen in two years. Guilt swamped him. He knew why he’d made the choice not to be a part of her life. It had hurt more than anything he’d ever done to distance himself from his family, but he knew it had been for their own good. He was saving them from heartache and disappointment. And possibly from danger.

Except now he wasn’t sure if he’d done the right thing, because danger had found them, anyway.

Jonathan got his attention when he set the phone back down.

“So, what’s the plan?” Tyler asked. “You’re going to protect them, right?”

“Let’s bring them here first. Then we’ll decide. I will do my best to see that you are all protected.”

It was a long night, waiting for Annabelle and Bethany to arrive. His nerves were stretched tight as he paced through the house. He couldn’t eat, and he was too wound-up to relax. He forced himself to try to sleep, but it was useless. In his mind, every possible scenario played out, each one worse than the one before. Finally, he gave up trying to sleep and decided to watch a movie to help pass the time.

It was a little after two in the morning when a car pulled up the lane. He shot to the window and peered out. Was that Karl? It was too dark to see, but who else would it be? The grating noise of the garage door opening seemed overly loud in the silent house. Jonathan walked out of the office.

A minute later, the door connecting the kitchen to the garage opened up. Stacy walked in, her dark brown hair starting to escape from the bun at the nape of her neck. She held the door open. Karl walked through the open door and flashed her a tired smile as he passed her. He was carrying a sleeping Bethany against his chest. Tyler was startled by the surge of jealousy that shot through him. That should have been him carrying her. Immediately, he felt ridiculous. The man was protecting his daughter, after all. He should feel grateful, not jealous.

His attention shifted to the woman who had entered behind Karl.

Annie.

Even exhausted and scared, she was beautiful. Her hair was shorter than it had been the last time he’d seen her, brushing her shoulders in straight waves. But it was still a lustrous deep brown with hints of red in it. And her eyes... He’d never forgotten those toffee-brown eyes. Eyes that were guarded as they met his.

He’d hurt her badly during their marriage. How could he expect her to understand, much less forgive him?

“Tyler.” Just that one word, said in a voice devoid of emotion, told him that forgiveness wouldn’t come easy. As she stepped farther into the room, she swayed once.

Jonathan moved forward. “Annabelle. We can talk in the morning. I have you and Bethany in a room in the back.” He led them away, glancing back once at Tyler sympathetically.

Tyler was left standing alone. He was always alone.

But at least he could sleep now.

* * *

The next morning, Tyler was reunited with his daughter. Unlike her mother, Bethany was overjoyed to see her daddy. She was a little shy at first, hanging back. A tight sensation crept into his chest. She didn’t know him. Why should she? After a few minutes, though, her natural curiosity and her happiness at seeing her father overruled her bashfulness. His heart melted as the bright child snuggled up to him and told him all about her two best friends, identical twins who lived down the street, and her excitement to begin kindergarten.

He glanced at Annabelle. She listened, her face strained. She didn’t have to say that she wasn’t pleased with the turn of events. It was clear on her face.

Karl Adams stepped into the kitchen, a fierce frown on his face. Stacy approached Tyler and attempted to persuade Bethany to leave Tyler’s arms. No easy task. The child wanted to stay with her father. Eventually, the marshal succeeded. Holding Bethany’s hand in hers, Stacy led her from the room. Her eyes met Karl’s as she passed him. Something was going on with those two, but Tyler was too concerned about his daughter and Annie to give it much thought. Karl turned his eyes back to meet his. Tyler tensed.

As soon as the child was out of earshot, Jonathan indicated that Karl should go ahead and speak.

“Jonathan, you were right. Barco has put a price on Everson’s head. Every criminal within a hundred-mile radius will be gunning for him.” Karl shifted, his gaze sweeping over Annabelle. “He’s also offered money for Annabelle and the child. Probably to smoke Tyler out of hiding.”

“Can’t you stop it?” Annabelle blurted.

“No, ma’am. Barco has more resources at his disposal than we know about. He has managed to escape capture for years. Every potential witness has been compromised or disappeared. Evidence has disappeared. Plus, he’s always managed to have an alibi. It’s been impossible to prove his guilt. Until now. Which means he’ll be pulling out all the stops to eliminate Tyler.”

The ticking of the clock on the wall was unnaturally loud in the silence.

“What’s going to happen to my daughter and me?”

The quiet whisper from his wife made his heart ache.

Karl answered. “You’re in danger as a result of your association with Tyler. The US Marshals will help you go into the witness protection program, as well.”

* * *

“No.”

Any other time, the sight of all these big men sitting with their mouths open would have been amusing. Right now, she was just trying to keep herself from panicking. It took all her effort to keep the tremors that were making her stomach quake from showing up in her voice.

“Annie—”

“No, Tyler!” She swung back her gaze to her husband. He hadn’t changed much since she’d seen him last. Still handsome. His brown hair was on the longish side, blue-gray eyes that reminded her of the ocean on a cloudy day, and that square jaw, now covered with several days’ worth of whiskers. Once, he could persuade her to do anything. Not anymore. She was through letting him bother her. She was in charge of her life. It was by his own choice that he wasn’t a part of their lives anymore. “I understand that you are in trouble, but that has nothing to do with me.”

“Ma’am.” One of the agents stepped forward. She was so upset, she couldn’t remember the man’s name. “It would be safer for you if you came with us.”

“I’m not going into hiding. I can go on vacation for a bit with Bethany. Leave the area. Then when this all blows over, I can come back.”

“I don’t think—” the man began.

But she was done. “I don’t care what you think. Tyler and I haven’t lived together for three years. He hasn’t been to see us, including his daughter, in over two. If anyone was searching for him, we wouldn’t be the people to go to. I am not disrupting my life again for him. We’ll go to my mother’s house. She lives in Southern Illinois, five hours from where I live. My brother is a cop. He lives a little over ten minutes from her. He can protect us.”