Mary Alford - Amish Country Kidnapping

The doubt she saw in him hurt. “It wouldn’t be the first time something like this happened. Teenagers keep secrets. It’s part of the age.”

“Perhaps in the Englisch world, but not here amongst the Amish. Eva would not lie to me.”

Without answering, Noah reversed the SUV, spun around and headed down the long drive. Hitting the radio on his shoulder, he spoke to the dispatcher again. “Show us leaving the Lapps’ place, Janine. We’re heading your way.”

“Will do. See you soon.”

Once he reached the end of the drive, he stopped. “You said you think someone was following you. Did anything else happen before the incident the other day? What about with Eva? Did she mention anything strange going on?”

“No, nothing. And Eva never said a word about anything out of the ordinary happening.”

He pulled onto Spruce once more and headed toward Eagle’s Nest. “By the way, where is Beth?”

Rachel leaned against the headrest as exhaustion settled in her limbs. “ Mamm left last week to visit her sister and parents in Colorado. Aenti Deborah has not been feeling well for a while. Mamm wanted to spend some time with her to help nurse her to good health.”

Noah smiled over at her, gentleness in his eyes. “I was sorry to hear about your father. He was a good man.”

She ducked her head. “ Jah , he was.” Even though four years had passed since her daed died, at times, she still couldn’t believe he was gone.

Her mamm had become worried about him when he didn’t show up for the evening meal. She’d asked Rachel’s husband to check on him, and Daniel had found Daed passed out in the field he’d been working. He’d suffered a heart attack. Her daed never recovered.

Shaking off those sad memories, she tried to focus on Noah’s earlier question. Other than the incident with the car, she had no proof anyone was watching her, only a feeling.

A frown creased Noah’s handsome face. He watched something in the rearview mirror.

She glanced behind them. Headlights. “Is something wrong?”

“I’m not sure. That car came out of nowhere the moment we left the Lapps’ drive. I think they were waiting for us.”

Fear gathered her in its embrace. Someone was following them.

The vehicle came closer. Noah’s bad feeling doubled. The headlights were on bright. What was the driver trying to do? Noah slowed the SUV’s speed, thinking if the incident was innocent, the driver would pass them. Did they not know they were tailgating a sheriff’s deputy?

As he continued to watch his rearview mirror, he noticed something alarming. The car’s front license plate was missing. With the vehicle inches from his bumper, Noah prepared to radio for assistance, when the car rammed the rear of the patrol vehicle.

Noah lurched forward, the seat belt caught hard. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Rachel gripping the armrest for support.

The SUV slipped on the icy road and he struggled to keep it under control.

“What’s happening?” she asked, her voice unsteady and barely audible.

“They’re trying to run us off the road.” The car edged up behind them once more. Noah floored the gas pedal. The SUV fishtailed, and he held on to the wheel with all his might to keep from losing control. The car stayed with him.

“Hold on,” Noah yelled when the car slammed into them again. Before he had time to radio for assistance, the rear tire of the SUV blew. The vehicle spun three hundred and sixty degrees on the ice before heading straight for the snow-covered ditch at full speed.

Noah fought for control and lost. The cruiser hit the snow hard, launched itself through the air and slammed onto its side. Skidding some twenty feet, it plowed up snow and debris until it came to a shuddering stop on the passenger side. His head slammed against the driver’s-side window. It shattered on contact, sending glass flying everywhere. Noah lost consciousness briefly. When he came to, seconds ticked away before the fog lifted. Blood oozed from his face where bits of glass embedded.

Rachel! Below him, a barely audible moan. He glanced down to see her suspended by the seat belt. “Rachel, are you hurt?” Her lack of response was terrifying. Noah craned his neck. The dashboard lights revealed her eyes were not open. She wasn’t moving.

“Rachel!” he called to her again. Her eyes fluttered open. Breath seeped out in a sigh of relief. Still, she could have internal injuries. “Are you okay? Can you move?” he asked.

She flexed her arms and legs. “I think so.”

A flashlight’s beam swept across the windshield. Rachel’s eyes shot to Noah’s. He signaled for her to keep silent. The men who ran them off the road were still out there.

Noah’s radio hung freely from his jacket, smashed to bits when he’d slammed into the door. He couldn’t find the cell phone that he’d placed on the center console. They were on their own.

“See if you can unfasten your seat belt,” he whispered with urgency.

It took several tries before she was free.

“Stay down and don’t move no matter what,” he said in a low voice. Rachel flattened herself against the floorboard.

It took all his effort to unholster his Glock.

“Be careful, he’s a cop,” a man’s voice warned. He had to be standing right next to the SUV.

“Yeah, well, you’d better hope she’s alive because he’s going to be angry if you killed her by ramming their vehicle. We were supposed to follow them. Find out what’s going on. See if we could get her alone and nab her, and now you’ve gone and done this.”

“Shut up. I got the job done, didn’t I? We have them at our mercy,” the first man snapped.

“By running a sheriff’s vehicle off the road! You could land us both in jail. I want my share of the money. If she’s dead or we get caught, there’s nothing.”

“She’s not dead, and there’s no way I’m going to jail, not even if I have to kill him.” Rachel’s terrified gaze met his. “Besides, they’re probably both unconscious. And we’re wearing masks. Now, give me a foot up so I can grab her before he wakes up.”

Outside his door, Noah heard the men struggling to reach it. A man’s head and shoulders popped into view. In the cramped position, Noah aimed and fired. The man yelped and fell backward.

“I’m hit,” he screamed. “He shot me. Help me out, why don’t you. We need to split. There could be more of them coming.”

“What about the girl? We need her,” his partner said.

“Forget the girl. We’ll get her another time,” the first man snapped. “I’ve been shot! I need a doctor.”

Seconds slipped by. A car’s engine fired. Tires squealed as the vehicle sped away.

“Let’s get out of here before the one guy changes his mind and decides he’d rather have the money than save his buddy’s life.” Noah tried to free the latch on the seat belt, but the tension of his weight against it was too much.

He felt around on the center console, unable to open it from his angle.

“I’m going to need your help. I have a knife in the center console. Can you reach it?”

Using the seat as a crutch, Rachel managed to stand. Opening the console, she felt around until she located the knife.

“I have it.” She held it up.

He took it from her. “Once I cut through the seat belt, I’m not sure if I can control where I’ll land, and I’m afraid I’ll hurt you in the process. Can you make it to the back seat? You should be safe there.”

She glanced behind him. “I think so.” Gathering her skirt, Rachel eased between the two seats until she was tucked behind the passenger seat.