Unshaken

Chapter 2

2

Everything had been set in motion the moment Stephanie had realized that she had no choice but to do what Bev Anderson wanted.

While Stephanie had sipped the water Bev gave her and tried to get her bearings, Bev called her brother. Her voice was both wheedling and bossy. In mere minutes, she seemed to have enlisted him in her plan to hide Stephanie. Though it all sounded rather convoluted, Stephanie had been too afraid to voice her opinion.

Next thing she knew, they were at a supercenter parking lot, and Stephanie was under strict orders to stay hidden. Bev even made her take off her white kapp and put her hair into a ponytail.

Within fifteen minutes, Bev had returned with a suitcase, backpack, and two shopping bags full of English clothes. Not wanting to chance anyone seeing an Amish girl changing clothes in a public restroom, Bev made Stephanie change into jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt in her car.

Soon after, Stephanie was given detailed plans about what to do next. Which left her where she was now—on a bus pulling into a station in Nashville, Tennessee.

Once the bus parked and the driver opened the door, Stephanie was going to be on the clock. She was going to have twenty minutes to get off the bus, locate her bag, and navigate her way through the throng of people until she found the escalator.

Then, after she somehow managed to get herself and her bag on that thing without breaking her neck, she was supposed to go directly outside.

Once outside, she needed to open up her new backpack, pull out the cheap pay-by-the-minute cell phone Bev had bought her, and call Hardy. Hardy was Bev’s younger brother and the man who would drive her to Crittenden County. His boss had a place where she could stay in the center of Marion.

Bev had told her all these instructions multiple times. While she’d been driving. As Stephanie had been changing clothes. When she’d been sitting in the back seat removing tags and placing her new items inside the suitcase.

Bev had repeated the directions so many times that Stephanie imagined she could recite them in her sleep. Bev had made it all sound so easy. A piece of cake.

Stephanie knew this journey was anything but that.

She liked cake. She liked it a lot.

But never had she had to go through so many obstacles to have that first bite.

Instead, she was pretty sure that anything that could go wrong was going to. There were too many things out of her control.

Experience told her that it was hard to count on too many people. There was always someone who lied or didn’t follow through on their promises.

Jah. She knew all about people who didn’t follow through on their promises. Hating that her thoughts turned once again to the police officers who’d taken her to her aunt and uncle, Stephanie forced her mind to concentrate on the present. If she allowed herself to drift back into the years after her parents’ car accident, she would disappear into the shadowy world of depression again.

She’d come too far to return to that place.

This, this journey should be her only focus now. And she’d overcome hard things before and survived. She could survive this ordeal too.

After all, she had no choice. All she had to do was stay strong and keep focused.

“Miss? Are you getting off or heading down to Chattanooga?”

“Hmm?” She looked to her right. Realized the quiet woman who’d been sitting in the seat next to her was waiting on her to move.

“This is Nashville, dear. Didn’t you say this was where you were getting off?”

“Oh. Yes. This is my stop.” That was true. So why was she having such a hard time moving?

“Mine too.” The tightening of the woman’s jaw practically screamed that she was seconds away from losing p a tience.

“Sorry,” Stephanie mumbled as she grabbed her purse and got to her feet. Aware that the clock was ticking, she scooted out to the bus’s aisle and stepped forward.

“Wait!”

Fear prickling at the base of her neck, she turned.

“Don’t you need this?”

Her new backpack hung from the woman’s hand.

“Danke,” she whispered as she quickly grabbed it. Right as she realized that she’d forgotten to speak English.

When the woman frowned, no doubt trying to connect the woman dressed in jeans and a ponytail with Pennsylvania Dutch, Stephanie felt her hands begin to shake.

How could she be so stupid? It was a sign. Another example of why she was not going to survive. She might not even be able to find this Hardy. Bev had warned her to only speak English. No matter what. She’d already messed up.

Gott, help me , she silently prayed over and over as she followed the rest of the passengers down the aisle and eventually climbed down the steps of the bus. Please help me , she continued. It’ s real obvious I’m not going to be able to do this on my own.

Of course she heard no reply. But maybe He had been listening, because she found her suitcase easily. It also wasn’t difficult to locate the escalator leading upstairs to the main exit.

Now all she had to do was follow everyone else onto the thing. Quickly.

Everything inside herself protested. She’d never been one to rush. Not when she was a little girl and not as an adult. She would do her chores well but never all that fast. She often had the highest marks on her tests in school, but she was usually the last to turn her paper in. Her friend Jenny had called her maddening—usually because she’d always been the one to have to wait for her.

After her parents died and she’d moved in with her aunt and uncle, Stephanie had tried to do things at a faster pace, but the results had been dismal. She got confused and forgot things. At last, even her aunt had agreed that Stephanie needed to remain the person she was. A slow and methodical one.

Biting the inside of her lip, Stephanie watched carefully as the three people directly in front of her stepped on the moving stairs, then after adjusting her backpack’s straps on her shoulders, she stepped forward. Her right hand gripped the rail while she pulled her suitcase behind her. Amazingly—or maybe it really was God’s grace—she didn’t fall and was even able to step off the contraption without knocking into anyone.

If she ever made it to Marion, Stephanie decided to give herself a little cheer about that. She’d done real good on that moving staircase, especially since it was the first time in her life that she’d been on one.

Her momentary burst of happiness fled as she spied the electronic screen on the wall. The clock was still ticking.

She now had less than ten minutes to follow the last of Bev’s directions.

She needed to get to the exit, stand on the sidewalk, pull out her cell phone, and call Hardy. At least Bev had already programed the number in her phone. All she had to do was tap on his name. She’d practiced that during the drive too.

Swallowing hard, she ran a hand along the seam of her new jeans. The soft fabric gave her the courage to ignore the continuous stream of doubts running through her head and walk through the automatic sliding glass doors. She looked like everyone else now. No one was giving her a second look. Or, if they were, it was not because she looked Amish but likely because she couldn’t hide how nervous she was.

Immediately, she stepped into chaos. Cars lined the street. Other vehicles honked impatiently. Travelers dragged suitcases much like hers while staring at their phones. Chi l dren darted among anyone stopped for too long. A pair of homeless men were sitting against the terminal’s concrete wall holding signs. When she paused to read one, someone knocked into her back. She stumbled.

At least another two minutes had passed.

Her breath caught as she scanned the area and looked for a safe place to stand and place her phone call. Bev had told her that Hardy was honest and kind but punctual. He wasn’t going to be very patient with her if she dallied.

Stephanie hadn’t had the nerve to ask why.

Was this Hardy man really so busy that he didn’t believe in giving anyone the benefit of extra time? Even someone who was completely out of her element?

Maybe he was or maybe he wasn’t. It didn’t matter.

After carefully moving to a recently vacated spot next to the curb, Stephanie pulled her phone out of her purse, tapped the name on the screen, and held it up to her ear. Just like she’d practiced. It rang once.

“Stephanie, you ready?” The voice was heavy and deep, like each word had been pulled from his chest.

“Jah. I mean, yes.” Hating that she’d once again forgot herself, she sighed. “Sorry. I mean, is this Hardy?”

“Nobody else is going to answer my phone, girl. So, you ready?”

“Yes. I’m standing outside. I mean, I’m standing near the curb and some sliding glass doors.” Remembering what Bev had said, she added, “I have on a pair of blue jeans, a long-sleeved white T-shirt, and black tennis shoes. Oh, and I have long, dark auburn hair.”

“I see you.” A grain of amusement entered his voice. “I couldn’t miss you if I tried. Now stay put, and I’ll be right there. I’m driving a black pickup truck and have on a black baseball cap.”

He was here. She hadn’t gotten there too late. She’d done it. “Okay,” she said before she realized he’d already disconnected.

Quickly stuffing her phone in one of her back pockets, Stephanie took a deep breath.

She was now in Nashville. The temperature was warmer than in Cincinnati. The nighttime sky was cloudy and the air was thick with humidity. Looking into the distance, she spied a faint line of dark clouds. A storm was coming. A fierce one, she reckoned.

She wondered if she knew that because she’d grown up on a farm or if people in all walks of life knew such things.

All thought of rain and humidity fled as the biggest black truck she’d ever seen in her life pulled up to the curb. While she stood there, a man who easily looked like he could wrestle a bull and come out the winner hopped out of the truck’s cab. Eyes fastened on her, he strode forward.

“Hey, Stephanie.”

He had a thick scar on his face, making his serious expression look almost fierce. To her shame, she couldn’t help but stare.

When he held out his hand, she flinched.

If he noticed her rude behavior, he didn’t seem upset. Still staring at her face, he spoke again. “I’m Hardy and you’re okay.” His voice had deepened into a low drawl. All the slight traces of amusement had vanished. In its place was a seriousness and something that felt like patience.

The way her father used to speak to her when she’d complain that most of the kids ignored her on the playground.

The memory of her kind father formed a lump in her throat. Even after all this time, his loss made her want to cry. No way was she going to do that. Forcing herself to once again push his memory to the back of her mind, she exhaled. Attempted to get her bearings. “Um,” she uttered.

Her mind had gone walking. She was so rattled that she’d already forgotten what she was going to say. Boy, she was such an idiot. “I mean—”

Hardy cut her off. “Don’t worry about it none. But we gotta go, yeah?”

She noticed then he had hazel eyes and thick, dark lashes. Just like his sister.

Worry filled his gaze. “Come on now, girl. Don’t shut down. Not yet.”

Not yet. Why did that time frame make things seem worse? Memories from the last eight hours burned her mind. The things she saw. The promises she’d made to herself to stay strong in order to survive. Why did they all suddenly seem so far away and out of reach?

“Steph. Stephanie.”

She flinched. “Yes?”

“I know you’re scared, but you’ve gotta trust me.”

“I ...”

Impatience flared in his eyes before he tamped it down. “Hand me your backpack.”

She didn’t want to touch him. Didn’t want to trust him. Saliva was forming in the back of her throat. She was going to either throw up, choke, or pass out. But she shook her backpack off her shoulders and handed it to him.

Somehow, he managed to pull the suitcase from her grip. “Breathe, and get in.” He pointed to a silver step on the side of his vehicle. “That’s a running board. Use it to get yourself up. But do it now, okay?”

At last, she inhaled. “Okay,” she whispered.

He obviously didn’t hear her. He was securing her suitcase in the back seat of his truck.

She opened up the passenger door, grasped the seat with one hand and a little gray bar with the other, stepped on the running board, and pulled herself in.

“Close your door,” Hardy said as he closed his.

“Where’s my backpack?”

“I put it right behind you. It’s safe. Just like you. Yeah?”

“Yes.”

“Good. That’s real good. Now, I just texted Bev. She knows I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”

Was she really? It seemed like with every mile, things were getting scarier, not easier. “What will happen now? Do I not need to worry about Timothy anymore?”

“We’ll discuss it in a sec. For now, we’ve got to go.”

There was the reminder about time again. Forcing herself to stop thinking so much, she followed his directions. The backpack was now sitting on the floor behind her seat and the passenger door was closed. She’d done it.

“Seat belt. Come on now, pull it out and strap yourself in.”

She’d forgotten! Pulling on the black belt, she fastened the buckle just as he pulled out of the parking lot.

Hardy didn’t say a word as he switched lanes, switched again, and then turned left at a light.

She gripped the sides of her leather seat as he turned, picked up speed, and then merged with traffic on the highway. Only then did she realize she was sitting on her phone. After darting a glance at Hardy and debating a couple of minutes, Stephanie shifted, pulled the phone out of her pocket, and held it on her lap.

He glanced her way. “Don’t call anyone. Not yet.”

“I won’t.” Swallowing again, she added, “I mean, I was going to put it in my backpack, but I forgot it was in the back seat.”

“Ah.” He seemed to be waiting for her to say something else, but she had no idea what she should say.

Because she didn’t know how to act. Not right now. Not around a man like him. All the drivers she’d ever ridden with had been older. Less demanding. None of them had ever driven a giant truck like this either. Because she’d never been in another state before.

Because no matter how much Bev had told her that Hardy was a man she could trust, Stephanie didn’t completely believe it. And why should she, anyway? Bev had been a stranger too.

“Try to relax, yeah?” he murmured in a gentler tone. “We’ve got a little bit of a drive ahead of us.”

Turning around, she reached her backpack, unzipped the front compartment, and put her phone inside. Just as she was about to zip it back up, she spied the light blue slip of paper Beverly had given her before they’d said goodbye. It had her name and phone number on it. Just in case she wanted to talk.

About what, Stephanie didn’t know.

About how scared and lost she felt? Or how badly the wound in her arm felt even now?

She still felt out of sorts, and her thoughts continued to dive. Maybe Bev would like to chat about how shaken Stephanie had been by the sight of the man on the ground, or mere moments later, when her dress’s sleeve had been stained with blood?

She wrinkled her nose. It was doubtful that she’d ever completely forget how the blood’s sharp, metallic scent had seemed to engulf her.

Nee, she did not want to speak to Bev about what happened. She wished she would never have to think about it again.

But even if she wasn’t on the run, Stephanie was pretty sure that no matter how hard she tried to forget that experience, she never would. The mind was a funny thing, she rec k oned. Holding some memories tight while removing others in seconds. She had no idea why she could remember every second of the worst moment of her life but couldn’t seem to remember what she’d had for breakfast yesterday.

Shaking, she quickly pulled the zipper back up and sat straight again.

Hardy glanced her way. “You doing all right? You look like you just saw a ghost or something.”

“I’m fine. I, uh, just saw something that sparked a memory I wanted to forget.”

“Hmm. You think zipping it away is going to do the trick?”

“No,” she said honestly. “I don’t think it’s going to help me much at all.”

To her surprise, he laughed, the sound deep and rough. “Yeah, I didn’t think so. Hiding my bad doesn’t help me much either. Lord knows I’ve tried.”

Stephanie folded her arms across her chest. Thought about that. She figured Hardy was right. Ignoring a reminder of the crime she’d seen wasn’t going to help her much at all.

No matter what she did, she was never going to forget that, until eight hours ago, she’d been in a different world. And even though she hadn’t been exactly happy, she’d known what to expect. There was comfort in that, she decided. At least there was in comparison to her current situation—which was that she was heading toward the southwest corner of Kentucky in the care of a very large man in a very large truck.

She really hoped he was as trustworthy as Bev claimed he was.

She might have been able to breathe easier if she could forget the other piece of sage advice the older woman had given her—that hoping and wishing didn’t help much.

Bev had been right. Sometimes all wishing and hoping did was make a person feel worse. More alone.

She’d learned that truth over and over again.