Hope White - Mountain Hostage

Zoe twisted the door handle and it opened. Small towns were so different than urban areas. She would never leave her apartment door unlocked. They entered the modest home and Kelly proceeded to turn on some lamps.

Shannon had decorated the open floor plan with simple, comfortable furniture, plenty of throw blankets and insulated drapes. Each of the two bedrooms had its own heater and thermostat, as did the main living area, although Shannon said she relied on the fireplace to warm that space.

Zoe glanced at the fireplace. She and Shannon had stayed up until 1:00 a.m. the first night she’d arrived, reconnecting, talking about their careers, sharing accomplishments and disappointments. They weren’t done. They had so much more to discuss. Would Zoe get the chance?

She felt Kelly’s hand touch her shoulder. “We need to remain positive.”

Zoe nodded, grateful for the kind words. Although she was starting to feel the drain of the day’s trauma on her body and mind, she didn’t want to be rude. “So, you and Shannon met at work?” she asked.

“Yes, we bonded over our love of hiking, volunteer work and snickerdoodles.” Kelly placed the take-out bag on the table.

Zoe sat at the kitchen table but didn’t reach for the bag right away.

“Guess this was a bad idea,” Kelly said. “I mean, it’s not like either of us is hungry at a time like this.”

Zoe thought about the colorful snickerdoodles Shannon had packed for their hike. “I should probably eat something since my last meal was breakfast.”

“I’ll get us something to drink,” Kelly said.

“There’s juice and soda in the fridge. I’m good with water.”

Kelly went to the kitchen and pulled glasses out of the oak cabinet. “How did Shannon seem today?”

“Pretty good. Happy to be going on a hike. Why?”

“I don’t know. She’d been distant lately.”

“She said she was having boyfriend problems,” Zoe offered.

“Couples always have minor bumps,” Kelly said.

“Or major ones,” Zoe muttered.

“Uh-oh. Recent breakup?”

“Yeah. It’s done. I’ve moved on.”

Kelly placed a glass of water in front of Zoe and joined her at the table. “If it was meant to be, it will work out, right?”

“How about you? Do you have a steady boyfriend?”

“Semi-steady.”

“I’ve never heard that term before.”

Kelly opened the bag of food and shrugged. “It’s still too new to define.”

“Ah.”

Zoe appreciated the distraction of sitting here chatting about life and guys, almost pretending as if there weren’t some larger crisis taking place outside these four walls.

Shannon was gone. Kidnapped by a brutal man.

“What, you don’t like the burgers?” Kelly asked.

“Sorry, kind of distracted.”

“Hey, give me your phone and I’ll put my number in the contacts,” Kelly said. “That way you can call me anytime and vice versa.”

“Good idea.” Zoe handed her the phone. “Tell me more about Shannon’s behavior lately.”

“She’d been a little withdrawn. I figured that was because of Randy.”

Zoe nodded.

Kelly handed Zoe’s phone back. “Call me anytime. I mean it.”

“Thanks.” She opened the bag and pulled out a burger.

A tinkling sound chimed from Kelly’s phone. She glanced at it. “The boss.” She stood. “I’m sorry, I have to leave.”

“No worries. Thanks for coming by and bringing food.” Zoe walked Kelly to the door.

Kelly hesitated. “Call or text if you hear anything.”

“Absolutely.”

Zoe shut the door behind Kelly and sighed. It was nice to have someone to talk to about all this, someone who knew Shannon. It was also good to know that Shannon had friends in town, people who cared about her.

Zoe put the bag of burgers in the fridge. She decided to lie down, rest her sore body and eat later.

“Let go and let God,” she whispered. She grabbed her purse off the sofa and opened it. She found the tin of tummy-soothing herbal lozenges and took one, then spotted her canister of pepper spray. If only she’d had it earlier...

She sighed. It did no good to blame herself for what had happened, even if it felt like it was somehow her fault. She headed toward the guest bedroom, gripping the pepper spray as if she could somehow rewrite history. “If only” is a diversion from grace , a minister had once said. How true.

Stepping inside the darkened guest room, she reached for the light switch.

A firm arm wrapped around her neck from behind.

“Where is she?”

The mission was on indefinite hold. Although three teams were ready to go, the weather had taken a turn for the worse. They wouldn’t be going out tonight to search for Shannon Banks.

Instead of heading back to his rented hotel room, Jack sat in his SUV eyeing the small house in the distance. When he’d left the hospital earlier, he’d gotten a call from Leslie that she’d found the silver dove necklace belonging to Zoe Pratt. He’d gone to retrieve it in the hopes it might comfort Zoe, yet now he hesitated to knock on the front door of her friend’s house where she was staying. Why?

The woman’s fragile emotional state made him uncomfortable. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing, didn’t want to upset her again. After all, she was still angry with him for speculating about her friend’s association with questionable persons.

He eyed the silver dove in his palm. There was no downside in giving her the beloved trinket. Then again, his very presence would remind her that the search had been suspended.

He was overthinking things. Nothing new.

A low growl emanated from the back seat. Romeo sensed something outside.

Jack opened his door. Listened.

He decided it was an owl discussing evening plans.

Romeo barked repeatedly. Maybe he needed a bathroom break. Jack let him out of the truck and the dog bolted past him, sniffing the ground intently. It wouldn’t be the worst idea to bring the canine along when Jack encountered Zoe again. Romeo’s presence might take the edge off their human interaction.

Romeo bolted up the stairs to the front porch.

Jack started to have second thoughts. What if Zoe thought he was bringing news about her friend? She’d be sorely disappointed and possibly more upset. Yet he wanted to offer her comfort in the form of her necklace. It also wouldn’t hurt to recalibrate their relationship with a positive interaction. Assuaging things between them could help Jack become more familiar with her missing friend. If Shannon Banks had been able to escape her captor, Jack understanding her thinking process could potentially expedite the rescue.

He knocked firmly on the front door. Waited. Had Zoe already gone to bed?

He tried again.

Romeo’s ears pricked.

Jack studied him. This made no sense. They weren’t in the field, weren’t tracking scent.

Romeo bolted around the side of the house. Jack followed and found the dog barking furiously at a side window. Jack peered through a crack in the curtains but couldn’t see much as the room was pitch-black.

“Come on, before we get arrested for peeping.” Jack commanded his dog to accompany him to the front door.

He knocked again.

Romeo anxiously paced back and forth.

Dogs know things humans don’t . Words spoken by Jack’s mentor and dog trainer, Riley Cooper.

A crash echoed from inside the house.

Jack twisted the door handle. Locked.

He shouldered the door once, twice. Decided not to dislocate his shoulder.

Another crash and a woman’s scream pierced through the window.

He scanned the porch for potential spots to hide a key.

Under a planter. No.