Mary Alford - Amish Country Kidnapping

Noah braced his weight against the console. Opening the knife, he began cutting away at his restraints.

It took longer than he’d expected for the final piece to fray loose and free him. His full weight slammed against the console, which blocked his fall. Wincing in pain, he breathed a prayer of thanks. He spotted his cell phone where it had landed in the passenger side pouch. Grabbing it, Noah quickly called Walker.

“Where are you? Janine said you were heading to the station a while ago.”

Drawing in a breath, Noah explained about the attack. “The SUV’s incapacitated and I’m afraid those goons might return to try and kidnap Rachel again.”

“We’re on our way. Can you two make it out of the cruiser?”

“I think so.”

“Good. Find someplace safe to hide until we arrive. We’re ten minutes out.” Sirens blared through the phone.

Ending the call, Noah pocketed the phone. He killed the SUV’s engine and peered out the shattered driver window.

“I think we can climb out this side and then scoot across to the front of the SUV and hop to the ground.” Noah eased out the window and moved a little away. He held out his hand to her.

Bracing her foot, Rachel grasped it, and he lifted her up and out of the patrol vehicle. She glanced over the side. It was a good drop straight down.

“Don’t look down, just do what I do, okay?” He held her gaze. Slowly she nodded. On his hands and knees, Noah edged to the front of the vehicle. As carefully as possible, he put one foot on the headlight and the second on the grill. He jumped down, the deep snow cushioned his landing.

Holding out his hands, he looked up at Rachel, reading all her doubts in her eyes. “It’s okay. I have you. I’m not going to let you fall.” He’d let her down once. Would she trust him this time?

“You promise?” she asked, her voice filled with uncertainty.

“I promise. I won’t let you down again.” And he meant it. No matter what, he’d do his best to keep her safe and bring Eva home to her family.

With the tiniest of nods, she placed her feet where he had. His hands circled her waist, and he lowered her to the ground at his side still holding her close. Their gazes tangled. All her doubts there for him to see. The past enveloped him once more, as did his regret.

Pushing against his hands, she stepped back, and he felt her rejection almost like a blow.

Noah cleared his throat. “We’d better get out of sight until Walker arrives.” Taking her hand, he headed up the snowbank to the woods close by, while his thoughts ground out all sorts of possibilities. I want my share of the money. If she’s dead, we get nothing. The brazen attack on a law enforcement officer along with the unveiled threat to kill Noah if necessary proved these men would stop at nothing to get to Rachel. And if what happened here tonight was any indication, Noah wasn’t so sure he could protect her if they did.

She squeezed her eyes shut. The fluorescent lights bored into her head. It throbbed with pain. All she could think about was Eva. What Anna said confirmed the truth in her mind. Eva never made it home. Someone kidnapped her like they’d tried to do to Rachel. What did these men want with them?

So far, after looking at dozens of photos of criminals for hours, the man who attacked her wasn’t among them—at least as far as she could tell. All she had to go on was his eyes, but they left a lasting impression.

Noah promised to find Eva. As the hours slipped away, she struggled to hold on to that promise.

Holy Father in Heaven, please bring my schweschder home safely.

She’d lost so much in her life. Noah. Her daed . Daniel. The baby. At times, it felt as if the pain in her heart would be there to stay. She couldn’t lose her sister, too.

Against her will, she remembered that fateful day. She and Daniel were heading home from the bulk foods store. To this day, she still didn’t know what spooked the mare. Daniel was thrown. He’d died before he reached the hospital. When her doctor visited her some time later, he delivered another blow. Losing their unborn baby was just the beginning. He’d told her the damage to her body was too great. She would not likely be able to have another child.

Something brushed against her hand. Rachel’s eyes snapped open. A Styrofoam coffee cup sat next to her. She glanced up. Noah was there.

“I thought you could use a break.” He smiled, and she noticed his facial cuts from the glass had been bandaged. He pulled out the chair next to hers.

“Denki,” she murmured and took a sip. Strong coffee. Something she rarely drank anymore. Daniel was the coffee drinker in the family. Since his passing, she couldn’t bring herself to prepare it for herself.

“How are you holding up?” he asked, keeping a careful watch on her face.

Truthfully, she was barely hanging on. “I feel so helpless. I need to be doing something. I can’t sit here looking at these photos any longer while Eva is missing.” She shook her head. “She could be hurt, Noah. Maybe a car struck her on the way home, and she’s lying out there frightened and alone. I am supposed to watch out for her. My mamm entrusted her well-being to me.” Not since losing Daniel had she felt such turmoil in her heart.

Noah covered her hand with his. “We have all our people looking for her. They’re combing the road between the Lapp place and yours. We’ll find her.” His gentle answer washed over her, and she pulled in a breath. Gazing into his eyes, she believed him. Noah was a gut man. He would do what he could to fulfill his promise and bring Eva home.

As she studied his handsome face, the past and all its shattered dreams rose in her heart like a barrier between them. At seventeen, she had been so sure her future belonged with Noah. It didn’t matter how many times her mamm tried to get her to see the differences standing between them. She’d been so foolish back then, blinded to the truth while her heart had believed that with Noah at her side they could conquer any obstacle in their way, including their differences in faith.

But the past had no place between them anymore.

She studied his handsome face. While his blue eyes were as she remembered, fine lines fanned out around them. Grooves circled his mouth. She wondered about his life now. Was he married? Happy?

“I’ve been so worried about Eva that I haven’t thought to ask how you’ve been.”

Dark blond brows shot up. Time slipped by before he answered. “I’ve been okay, I guess. Busy. This job is fulfilling in many ways.” A strange answer. He stopped, and she wondered if perhaps in just as many ways it was not.

“I meant what I said earlier. I am sorry about Ezra. He was like a dad to me for a long time. I learned a lot about farming from Ezra when I was too stubborn to listen to my father.” A hint of a smile lifted the corners of his mouth, not reaching his eyes. “And I was sorry to hear about your husband, as well,” he added quietly.

The strain between them now was something the younger Rachel could not have imagined. They were like two strangers. She glanced at his hand on hers. He didn’t wear a wedding band. Had he ever married?

Rachel thought about her years with Daniel. At times, it was hard to believe he was gone. So many things changed forever with his death. The buggy accident that took his life scarred her deeply and she still struggled to accept Daniel’s death and her injuries as part of Gott ’s plan. The future and its promises had evaporated that day.

When the silence between them grew uncomfortable, she asked the question she was curious about. “How did you know about Daniel?”