Chapter 30
30
When Gunnar came back, he found Ruth putting her newfound karaoke experience to good use. The kids were taking turns singing songs, using his torque wrench as a microphone. Some of them were even dancing along. The youngest, who was probably no more than five, was asleep with her head in Ruth’s lap.
He bent to pick up the little girl, and she didn’t even wake as her head lolled onto his shoulder.
“I think my leg fell asleep,” Ruth whispered. He reached a hand to her and hauled her to her feet. She clung to his hand until she got her balance. “How did it go?”
“Excellent. If they can all pile in the back of my truck, I’ll show you.”
“Is it safe to take them outside?”
“I’ve been all over town and I haven’t seen a whisker of a Chilkoot. Anyway, it’s dark now. No one will see anything. Come on, help me round ‘em up.”
Ruth clapped her hands and instantly had all the children’s attention. Clearly they were used to obedience. Running away must have been a huge step for them.
Again, he wondered how on earth they’d managed it. How did seven little kids hide out under a tarp without being spotted? And then get out of the truck with no one the wiser?
“We’re going for a ride in Gunnar’s truck,” Ruth told the kids. “Hang on to the sides, big ones make sure the little ones are secure, and no talking until we get there. Understand?”
Gunnar helped them climb into the bed, swinging the littler ones in himself. Maybe these kids were particularly well-behaved, but he found it easy to be with them. They were fun—they laughed at his jokes and seemed to find him fascinating. They generally did as they were told, although he didn’t expect that to last. Right now they were clinging to any adult who offered safety. Once they were secure, they’d probably start acting like any normal energetic children.
When they were all in place, Ruth climbed in to keep an eye on them during the drive. That meant that he didn’t get to see her face when he pulled up in front of Granny Apple’s Boarding House. A week ago, it had closed for the season, as it catered to a summer clientele of tourists and hikers. But he knew the owner well, and had pulled out all the stops to persuade him to offer up a safe haven.
He’d roused Birdie, the grumpy caretaker, who’d gotten a fire going for the kids. Now the porch light welcomed them, smoke drifted from the stovepipe, and a select crew of Firelight Ridge residents were hard at work inside.
“Gunnar,” Ruth murmured as he helped her off the tailgate. “I can’t afford a hotel. I know what Granny Apple’s charges, it’s over a hundred dollars a night for one room.”
“No charge. And we have the whole place.”
“ What? How?”
“I might have to fix all of Darryl’s rigs for the next five years, but that’s all right. I already keep them well-maintained.” He winked at her. Darryl had a van to pick up guests at the air strip, a truck for hauling firewood, and a car that he brought back and forth from Anchorage, not to mention two snowmobiles and four ATV’s. On the bright side, Darryl was one of the few people in town who bought new vehicles, and they were all easy to work on.
“Gunnar, you can’t possibly do that.” Ruth shook her head as she helped Mercy climb off the tailgate. “I won’t let you.”
“It’s already done. Darryl would be furious if I backed out now. You don’t want to put me on his bad side, do you?” He took Mercy’s hand and led her toward the front door. “Let’s show the kids their new digs.”
“Digs?” Mercy asked. “Is it a garden?”
“That just means a place to stay.” He remembered what it had been like when he first started talking to Ruth, how many phrases and words she hadn’t ever heard before. This was going to be interesting—Ruth times seven, and all much younger than her.
Inside, they were greeted by Maura Vaughn and Ani Devi. “I reached out to Ani in case any of the kids needs a checkup,” Maura explained in a low voice.
“And I reached out to Maura because she’s already started teaching classes here,” Gunnar told Ruth. “It would be impossible for the kids to stay here without her knowing. Also, I know you’re friends. She’s been digging out sheets from storage, that sort of thing.”
Maura was already wrapping Ruth in a big hug. “Thanks for calling on me. I want to help in whatever way I can.”
When Ruth pulled away from their embrace, tears studded her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m just very touched that you guys are here.” She sniffed the air. “What’s that smell?”
“That’s Bear and Lila in the kitchen. You know this place has an amazing kitchen, right? Very…vintage.” Maura laughed a little. “As in, it’s a wood-fired cook stove. There’s a reason they only serve continental breakfast in the summers. Bear and Lila are making a big batch of chicken soup.”
“Doctor recommended,” said Ani with a smile. “It’s the ultimate comfort food for stressful situations.”
Ruth blinked away more tears. “Thank you all so much. This is just beyond anything I could have imagined.”
Gunnar wished they were alone so he could take his turn hugging her. But that would get people talking, so he kept his hands firmly in his pockets.
“Do you think I should take a look at any of the children?” Ani asked her. “I’m a licensed pediatrician, though not here in Alaska.”
“I don’t know yet. Noah has a bruise on his face, but I’m very sure he won’t talk to you about it. They’re not used to doctors. As for the others, I haven’t gotten a chance to have any one-on-one conversations with them yet.”
“I understand. I’m around, in case you or they need me.”
Ruth squeezed her hand gratefully.
Before Ani left, she pulled Gunnar aside. “Maura said you don’t want word to get out about the kids being here. You might want to think about including a few people you trust to have your back. Physically, I mean. In case…”
Gunnar knew exactly what she was talking about…in case Luke and a posse of Chilkoots came searching for the kids to drag them back to the compound.
“Nick already knows. Bear must know too, if he’s cooking dinner. If you want to tell Gil, feel free.” Gil, Ani’s fiancé, was a former diplomatic security agent. He’d be a great guy to offer backup.”
“How about Lachlan? It might be hard for Maura to keep a secret from him.”
Maura must have heard her name; she and Ruth stepped closer. “What about me?” she asked.
“I’m trying to convince Gunnar to let more people know what’s going on. Specifically, strong people who can stand up to Luke. Sam Coburn’s another one. He’s a pilot, and might be handy for a quick escape.”
Ruth met Gunnar’s gaze, then nodded. “That’s a great idea. Molly, too. I’ve been thinking that I should consult her about the legal situation here.”
“And she has the fastest car in town. Don’t forget Charlie,” Gunnar added. “She has the keys to Fire Peak Lodge. If we need to clear out of here, that lodge is my plan B.”
Ruth let out a long sigh, then threw up her hands. “Do we have any chance of keeping this quiet?”
“Probably not. This is Firelight Ridge, after all. Everyone’s connected.” Maura gave her a little squeeze around the shoulders. “But don’t worry. I think this is the kind of situation in which the more people who know, the safer you are, because we’re all going to have your back. No one is going to let anything happen to you or the kids.”
After Maura and Ani had left, Gunnar took Ruth’s hand and tugged her closer. “How are you doing? Are you all right?”
“I…I don’t know.” She shook her head. “I’m a little overwhelmed, I guess. I wasn’t expecting this. But I’m happy to see the kids. I missed them.”
She was such a kind-hearted person, like a shaft of sunlight in a deep forest. “They’re lucky to have you.” His heart ached with tenderness for her. “What did Elias say about the checkpoint?”
“Oh! Jeez, I completely forgot about that! He said Jared was there with some armed men he didn’t recognize. Jared said no one was being allowed on any of the roads in that area. Elias said that’s not fair, what about people going to Thunder Pass? It was supposed to be opened by now.”
Gunnar frowned. “Yeah, that’s what I thought too.”
“Well, Jared said climbing season is over, and Thunder Pass is off-limits until further notice.”
“That’s ridiculous. They have no right to do that.”
Ruth gave a helpless shrug. “Tell that to all their guns. Elias said that after Bear got nowhere with the Blackbear police, Sam Coburn called the state troopers. They said they’d try to come out in a few days, but they’re dealing with an ongoing carjacking spree. So for now, it’s blocked. Elias says he counted six men and twelve visible weapons, but he thought there were probably more. It would take an actual gun battle to unblock it.”
“Holy shit. I’m glad he got out of there before anything bad happened.” Gunnar rubbed the back of his neck, where tension was gathering. “So with all these armed guards, how did the kids manage to slip away?”
“I’ve been wondering the same thing. Once they feel safe, maybe they’ll open up more.”
They went upstairs to see how the kids’ bedroom selection process was going. All of the children wanted to stay close to each other, so they’d ended up choosing four rooms at the end of the corridor on the second story, two kids per room. Noah, as the oldest and de facto leader of the crew, got his own room, though he didn’t look especially happy about that.
“All right, then it’s decided,” said Ruth. She beckoned to the kids. “Everyone come with me and get some sheets to make up your bed.”
“Don’t you mean just the girls?” Noah asked.
“No, I don’t.” Halfway out the door, Ruth planted her fists on her hips and turned to face the little crew. “This isn’t the Chilkoot farm anymore. We do things differently here. I’m making the rules, and my rule is that everyone should know how to make their own bed. I’ll demonstrate once, and then you can all practice on your own bed.”
The look on Noah’s face made Gunnar want to crack up. “Don’t worry, dude, I’ll help you get the corners just right. My father taught me when I was little, and he learned it in the military.”
“What’s the military?” the littlest girl asked.
“It’s…well, it’s a group of people whose job is to defend our country.”
“Do they have guns?”
“They do, at least some of them.”
“Like the scary people at our house?”
Noah put his hand over the little girl’s mouth. “Shut up, Lilith. We’re not supposed to talk about that. I want to make my bed! Come on!” He took her by the hand and dragged her toward the door. Ruth met Gunnar’s gaze, and he saw his thoughts reflected in her eyes.
Definitely a private militia.
And then something else struck him. He should have looked up his father’s military record while they were in Anchorage. Maybe he would have learned more about his time in the Special Forces. His father had never talked much about his time in the Army.
Although there was one time…as he stared at the unmade single bed, a memory flashed through his mind.
His father was pulling the top sheet of Gunnar’s bed as tight as a drum. Gunnar kept bouncing on it, then jumping off at a glare from his father. They were making a game out of it, both of them laughing. “I’d like to see you try this in the Army,” his father said through his chuckles. “Sergeant Grant, drop and give me thirty.”
“Who’s Sergeant Grant?” Gunnar asked as he bounced one more time. This time, his father didn’t laugh. His face turned grim and gray and he growled, “Get off the bed. We don’t have time for this.”
Sergeant Grant.
The name had slipped out as if it was completely natural…as if that was a much more familiar name than Amundsen.
They’d never talked about it again, and Gunnar had forgotten about it until this very moment. But now, staring down at that empty bed, his gut twisted. If it had been a random slip of the tongue, his father’s face wouldn’t have gone all stern. He would have laughed it off. The name Sergeant Grant was significant. Now he just had to figure out why.