Hope White - Mountain Hostage

Behind the rocking chair. No.

Aunt Margaret hid hers beneath the...

He flipped over the colorful, braided welcome mat and grabbed the key.

“Romeo, wait,” he ordered, not wanting the dog to be harmed.

Jack unlocked and flung open the door. A large man charged Jack, slamming the door shut and pinning Jack against the wall. Romeo barked from the front porch.

The man slugged Jack in the gut, then spun him around and applied some kind of choke hold. Jack shoved the assailant back against the kitchen counter, hoping the pain of making contact would weaken him. Instead the guy clung tight to Jack’s neck, putting pressure on his windpipe. Swinging Jack to the right, he smashed Jack’s head against the refrigerator.

Jack was not a rag doll to be tossed around at will. He had the strength necessary to free himself. He was not that weak kid anymore.

He jerked his elbow into the guy’s stomach once, twice. On the third jab, the attacker’s grip loosened enough for Jack to slip out of the hold and stumble away. Sucking in air, he fought to clear the stars from his vision. He had to think, strategize.

The assailant turned, his face red with anger. He had black hair, dark eyes and an angry expression. The guy was about to charge again. Jack scanned his immediate surroundings for a weapon.

“Not happening, dirtbag!” Zoe cried.

The guy turned toward her.

Jack charged him and put a hold of his own on the attacker.

Zoe had other plans. She was aiming what looked like a canister of pepper spray at the guy. “Get down, Jack!”

He pushed off the man and hit the floor. A hissing sound was followed by the guy’s howl of pain. From his position on the floor, Jack watched the assailant stumble across the room toward the back door.

“You’d better get out of here!” Zoe shouted. She opened the front door and let Romeo inside. The dog took off after the assailant but the screen door slammed shut before the dog could follow him outside. Romeo kept barking and jumping at the back door, wanting to go after him.

“Romeo, stop,” Jack said, then glanced at Zoe. “Call 911.” He leaned against the wall, finally able to catch his breath.

She knelt beside him. “Are you okay?”

“911,” he repeated, not wanting her to waste time worrying about him when police could be in pursuit of the attacker.

She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and sat beside him on the floor. As she made the call, she scrutinized Jack’s forehead and cheeks for signs of injury. The attention made him uncomfortable.

Romeo plopped down, laying his chin on Jack’s thigh. With soulful eyes, he looked up, and Jack stroked the dog’s head. “It’s okay, buddy.”

Zoe finished giving a description to the 911 operator and ended the call. Jack glanced at her worried expression. An expression that reminded him of his failures. An expression that made him feel ashamed.

“I’m fine,” he said, starting to get up.

Zoe pressed her hand against his shoulder. “Can we wait for paramedics to confirm that?”

“I don’t need paramedics.”

“You were violently assaulted.”

It wasn’t the first time , Jack thought.

But it was the second time in one day that Zoe had been brutally attacked.

“Did he...hurt you?” Jack asked, his gut twisting into a knot in anticipation of her answer.

“Scared me mostly.”

He nodded, relieved.

“You saved me again,” she said.

He shrugged, not knowing if her remark required a response.

“Why did you come back?” she asked.

“To give you this.” He pulled the silver dove necklace out of his pocket.

Her face brightened as she took it from him. “Oh, thank you.”

“And to apologize,” he said.

“For what, being honest?”

“You were angry with me for being honest.”

“Actually, I think I was angry with myself.”

“I don’t understand, but then I don’t understand a lot of things when it comes to human interaction.”

“I should have done more to help Shannon, for one. Plus, you had a valid point. But if she were in trouble, you’d think she would have told me.”

“You live five hours away. Why would she tell you?”

“Distance shouldn’t matter. Friends confide in each other.”

“Okay.”

“What, don’t you have any friends?”

Riley came to mind, but no one else. Volunteers he’d met through SAR weren’t close friends; they were teammates, work associates.

“You shouldn’t have to think about it,” Zoe said. The left corner of her mouth turned up slightly.

“You’re making fun of me,” he said.

“No,” she said, touching his shoulder. “I’m teasing, joking around.”

When he didn’t respond, she continued, “You know, making light of something?”

He knew what she meant, yet in his experience teasing someone made them feel small and foolish. Zoe’s comment didn’t make him feel that way. This felt...different.

“I didn’t mean to offend you,” she offered.

He shrugged. “Like I said, I don’t always understand people.”

“I’ve been there, too.” She reached out to pet Romeo. Jack noticed her hand was trembling.

Although still shaken, she was down on the floor trying to console Jack. He didn’t need consoling. He wasn’t traumatized by the assault as much as disappointed in himself that he hadn’t restrained the guy for police.

“I’m going to get up now,” he said.

“Okay, sure.” She straightened and extended her hand.

Jack ignored it and stood on his own, wanting to let her know he wasn’t seriously injured, and she didn’t have to worry about him. From her wistful expression, he wondered if he’d made a mistake.

They sat at the kitchen table and Romeo trotted up to Jack, waiting for direction. Jack pointed at Zoe. “Go help.”

Romeo went to Zoe’s side and waited expectantly.

“Pet him,” Jack encouraged. It always made Jack feel better when his fingers touched Romeo’s soft, Bernese–border collie fur.

A few minutes later the tension in Zoe’s features softened. Good, it was working.

“Did you recognize the man who broke in?” Jack asked.

“No.”

“Did he steal anything?”

“I don’t think he was a burglar.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because...” she hesitated “...he said, ‘Where is she?’”

“She? As in... Shannon?”

“I guess? This whole thing is so—”

“Puzzling,” he said.

“And scary. I mean, one guy kidnaps Shannon and another is trying to find her?” As she kept stroking Romeo’s fur, Zoe’s expression grew contemplative.

“Would you like me to make you some tea?” he offered.

His question elicited a slight smile. “Tea?”

“Tea calms the soul.” He repeated the phrase he’d learned from Aunt Margaret. Whenever he’d get tied up into knots about kids taunting him, or he felt like an idiot because he didn’t know how to interact properly, Aunt Margaret would brew two cups of tea and sit with him at the kitchen table.

“You’re an interesting guy,” Zoe said.

“So, yes? You’d like tea?”

“Yes, that would be nice.”

Good. It gave him something to do, a way to make her feel better. A challenge, since his skill set did not include nurturing.

“I’m sorry about before,” Zoe said.

“Before?” He flipped the gas burner on beneath the stainless teakettle.

“Being rude when you said Shannon could have gotten involved with the wrong people.”

“I wasn’t trying to be malicious.”

“I know.”

“I’ll try to be less insolent next time.”

“Interesting choice of words.”

A word that his grandmother once claimed defined Jack.