Chapter 29
29
The house was secure. The alarm was on, and the men had driven out to see whoever had just arrived. Common sense told Stephanie that there was nothing she could do at two in the morning. She should go to bed. If the men had been really worried, they would’ve acted like it.
Instead, they’d seemed pretty calm.
Sure, there was a storm raging outside and the wind had picked up. Rain was pelting the windows. It might have even turned to sleet by now. Sleep would be difficult, but she’d feel better for it.
That was the last thing in the world that Stephanie was going to be able to do. Every nerve was on fire and every single worry that had almost eased during her time at the ranch had reared its ugly head.
Or maybe it was the feeling inside of her that she’d tried so hard to forget. The sense that something bad was about to happen.
The last time it had been so prevalent was the night her parents had died.
It had been another dark and stormy night like this one.
Decision made at last, she walked back upstairs and tapped on Beverly’s door. When there was no answer, she tapped again. “Bev? Bev, I’m sorry, but you need to wake up.”
“Come in, Steph.”
Bev’s voice was husky. She’d been sound asleep.
When she entered the room, Stephanie spied a night-light. It cast a bluish white light across the room, enabling her to see Bev fairly clearly.
Bev was wearing a sleepy, sheepish expression. “I know. I’ve always slept with a night-light. I don’t travel anywhere without it.”
“I was surprised, not judging.”
“Sorry. What’s going on?”
“Someone arrived at the gate, and Hardy and Carter went out to meet him.”
Bev frowned. “Who was it?”
“They wouldn’t tell me, but I’m pretty sure it was someone dangerous.” She swallowed, then added the complete truth. “That it is someone related to the shooting.”
Bev’s eyes widened. “Hand me that robe, would you?” She pointed to a hook behind Stephanie.
Sure enough, there was a sturdy-looking white terry-cloth robe that she’d seen Bev wear whenever she went downstairs to get a cup of coffee. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” Standing up to pull on the robe, she startled as thunder clapped outside. “Man, this is a bad one.”
“It’s strong. I fear it’s starting to sleet.”
“It’s like God decided we needed this night to be both dark and stormy, huh?” she joked. “Like we didn’t have enough scary things to worry about.”
“The Lord doesn’t do things like that.”
“I hope not. But it sure seems that way, doesn’t it?” She padded to one of the windows that faced the back of the house and looked out. “I’m sorry to report that I can’t see a thing.” Turning back to her, she smiled. “I’m officially no help.”
She was also officially far too relaxed. “You seem so calm. I don’t think you understood what I said. You see, a stranger—”
“I heard. And I’m not calm. To be honest, I hate the idea that the two of us are alone in this big house.” After a second, she added, “And I hate the idea that I’ve gotten so dependent on those guys that I’m thinking we’re lost without them.”
“I locked the door, and Hardy set the alarm.”
“Okay. That’s good. It’s a fancy, state-of-the-art security system, Stephanie. If someone breathes on a window from the outside, those sensors are going to know.”
“I think we should get dressed and wait.”
“Me too. Meet you out in the hall in five minutes?”
“Jah. I’ll be right back.” She hurried out of Bev’s room, walked down the hall, and then turned on the light in her room. With efficient movements, she put on her jeans and a sweater. Neatly folded on a chair was a pair of tights and a long, loose skirt. Both were items that Bev had brought with her. They weren’t Amish clothes, of course, but they were more along the lines of what she usually wore.
But instead of looking reassuringly familiar, they looked too confining. She was no longer the person she’d been a week ago.
After she brushed her teeth and ran a warm washcloth on her face, she pulled back her hair in a ponytail. Just as she was walking back out to the hall, her phone buzzed.
Reminding her that she hadn’t taken her phone with her like Hardy had asked her to. All this time her phone had been resting on the side table next to her bed.
Irritated with herself, she rushed over to pick it up, just as it began to ring.
She didn’t recognize the number. “Yes?”
“Where have you been?” Carter barked in her ear.
“I ... I was waking up Beverly and then we got to talking.”
“Stephanie, listen to me good. Hardy has the guy who shot you in his truck. Get Beverly and go down to the basement. There’s a room there. It’s a gun room.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want a gun.”
“No—listen. All my rifles and such for hunting are inside. It’s a good place for you to wait. It’s secure and it has reinforced walls. I was going to use it as a safe room eventually. When I had time to fix it up. Go there right this minute.”
“Is Hardy in danger?”
“Don’t worry about Hardy.”
“Carter, please.”
He sighed. “He can take care of himself. He could take care of half the county if someone needed him to. However, he is not going to be able to take care of anything if he’s worrying about you. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Her hand was shaking. “But—”
“Oh, for heaven’s sakes. Where’s Bev? Go get her now.”
Shaking—and trying to connect the kind and charming man she’d come to know with the mean one on the line—Stephanie hurried out in the hall. Bev was standing in the hallway. She frowned at Stephanie when she approached. Thrusting the phone at Bev, she said, “Talk to Carter.”
“Carter, what’s going on?” She paused. “What?” After another pause, she nodded. “Yes. I mean, yes, I understand. No, I don’t need to write it down. I can remember a code, Carter. Yes. Yes, we will. Well, we would be doing it if you’d get off the phone.”
As she clicked off, she said, “We’ve got to get inside that gun room. You take this phone, the charger Hardy gave you, and one or two things that you want.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know,” Bev muttered impatiently. “Get something that will help you get through this. Like your robe or a book. It doesn’t matter. Just go get them.”
“But—”
“Stephanie, now! We have to hurry.”
Finally, finally her legs and brain seemed to start working together. Stephanie rushed into her room, unplugged the charger from the wall, and drew a blank. And then she saw the Bible.
If there was ever a time when they needed it, it would be now. “I’m ready.”
“Me too.” Beverly was also carrying her phone, the charger, and her night-light. “Ah, good thinking about the Bible. Okay, let’s hurry before Carter calls and starts chewing us out again.”
They hurried down one flight of stairs, unlocked a door with a code, and then entered another flight leading down to the basement. Bev stopped and reset the code. “Come on.”
Down more stairs they went, then through the fancy game room and a storage room.
“Help me, Stephanie. It’s behind this rack of clothes.”
She shoved the clothes rack to one side as Bev punched in another set of numbers. A small buzz unlocked the door, and it clicked open.
“Pull the rack back so we can try to hide the door as much as we can.”
With an umph, she did just that. When Beverly closed the door behind them, it buzzed again.
“We’re locked in,” Beverly said, looking around in the small room. On one wall was a case holding at least eight rifles.
Stephanie hated that there was even one on the wall. “Do you know how to get out?”
“I think we just punch in the code, but I don’t want to risk it.” Looking around, she covered her arms with her hands. “Boy, it’s chilly in here. Let’s grab those two blankets.”
Stephanie got up on the bench across from them and pulled down a pair of thick, brown blankets from a top shelf. “They are rather scratchy,” she murmured as she got down and handed Bev one.
Running a hand along hers, Bev said, “They are scratchy, but not terrible. They look like something people might use in the military. You know, like a regulation-type blanket.”
Stephanie had no idea if the blankets looked like that or not. But as she unfolded hers and wrapped it around herself, she couldn’t deny that it was warm and plenty big. “I’m thankful for them.”
“Me too.” Sitting down on the bench, Bev arranged the blanket around herself. “This isn’t too bad, is it?”
“Not at all,” she said as she sat down next to her.
“Still, let’s hope and pray that we don’t have to stay here too long.”
Stephanie was happy to pray for that. The space was cramped and cool, making her feel as if they were in a giant refrigerator. Its walls were so thick that all sounds outside of the room would likely be muffled.
Bev might find that comforting, but since Stephanie wasn’t able to hear anything outside of the space, she found it frightening.
The only thing worse than being locked in a safe room in a strange house was not knowing when Hardy or Carter would show up to get them out.
Or if they would return.
Or if someone else was already there, combing the rooms, looking for them.
That was the worst part, Stephanie decided. She didn’t like not knowing if someone was standing right outside their door or if they were lying in wait in one of the many vacant rooms filled with nooks and crannies.
Lord, please be with Beverly and me. Give us patience and strength while we wait. Please be with Hardy and Carter too. I know You’re already watching over them and guiding their moves, but if You could try to keep them safe too, that would be so nice.
“Stephanie?”
“Jah?”
“I know your faith is strong. Do you think God is listening right now?”
She had no idea, but she sure hoped so. She wasn’t going to tell Bev that, however. Someone needed to sound confident, so it might as well be her.
After all, she was the reason all of them were in this mess.
And so, Stephanie answered as confidently as she could, even with a dash of bravado thrown in for good measure. “Yes,” she said.
Next to her, Beverly released a big sigh. “I’m so glad you said that.”
“Me too.” Because she, too, needed to hear it—and believe it. Stephanie decided to concentrate on that while they waited. She’d learned a long time ago that dwelling on things she couldn’t change never made one’s life easier.
All it did was remind her that some things could never be changed.