Ambush in the Mountains
Author
Mary Alford
Reads
16.2K
Chapters
16
Chapter 1
Something soft and wet touched her face. It was so cold. Snow. Happy memories made her smile. Just for a second, she was back on the farm with her mamm and daed. Younger bruders, Peter and Eli. Winters were always such fun in her Amish community. After chores were finished, she’d take Peter and Eli to go ice skating on the pond near their farm. Mamm would make them hot chocolate.
But this wasn’t Ohio, and those memories weren’t real any longer. At times Summer wondered if they’d ever been. Maybe her brain had created happy memories in order to deal with the nightmare.
This was real. He was real. His angry face replaced the sweetness in her mind. With a gasp, Summer’s eyes flew open. Darkness surrounded her. Waking so quickly left her disoriented. Her breath fogged the air in front of her. So cold. It had been snowing for a while—the white flakes covered her clothes and hair.
She hadn’t meant to fall asleep. Just rest her aching body for a little while. The hours of tramping through the woods, stumbling and sometimes falling, had taken their toll. She’d only wanted to take a break for a second and had ended up wasting valuable time.
“No, no, no.” Summer struggled to a sitting position, difficult with the added weight of the baby. Being eight months pregnant made it difficult to do most things.
How much time had passed? Please let it be only a few minutes. The sky above revealed nothing but pretty white flakes, yet her sweatshirt was covered in snow.
Summer shivered from the cold and listened over the panic beat of her heart. Were those voices or the noises of the woods?
It had barely been daylight when she’d slipped out of the house while Ray and the others slept. Many hours had past, and a storm had moved.
I’ll find you and when I do, I’ll kill you.
He’d warned what he’d do to her if she escaped. Ray had bragged about the ones who tried. He’d told her he’d buried them where no one would ever find them.
She had to go. Had to keep moving. With the help of the tree she’d rested beneath, Summer slowly rose, her swollen feet shooting pins and needles up her legs. The mere effort of standing exhausted her. How could she possibly go any farther?
The temptation to give up and accept her fate was great. After all, she deserved it.
“No!” She wouldn’t feel sorry for herself. She’d escaped. Summer touched her burgeoning midsection. She’d saved her baby’s life by running. Now was not the time to give up, because it wasn’t just her—she had to think about the baby.
According to Ray, Summer had aged out long ago and was all used up. She wasn’t the type of girl his clients would request anymore. They only wanted young women between the ages of thirteen and twenty. Instead of letting her go like he promised, he’d forced her to “handle the other girls’ needs” as he’d put it. That meant keeping them calm and cooperating. Ray believed that if the other girls saw her still working for him at twenty-six, they’d think the same was possible for them eventually.
But that wasn’t the case at all. Summer wasn’t working for Ray because she had any other choice. It was out of sheer survival.
She’d memorized as many of the girls’ names and faces as possible to help find them in the future. Ray had gotten so used to having her around that he’d become careless with keeping his secrets. She knew things and she’d managed to download a lot of Ray’s files onto a thumb drive, including one folder labeled simply “Barn,” which she hadn’t been able to open.
She’d promised herself that when the opportunity came, she’d escape and tell the police everything. But that was before Ray told her he had cops on his payroll. Her world had collapsed that day. There was no one to turn to for help except herself.
When Ray found out he was going to be a father, he wanted to get rid of the baby...until he’d figured out he could get money for the child.
There was no way she’d let Ray sell her baby.
He’d thought he broke her will to escape long ago, but he had no idea what she’d do to save her baby.
Drawing in a handful of breaths, Summer started walking again as fast as the exhaustion in her limbs would allow. By now, he would know she’d run. He’d send men to look for her because he couldn’t afford to let her live. She’d been part of their operation for a long time. She knew things. Terrible things.
Summer. The name he’d given her didn’t fit, but she’d been Summer for so long she barely remembered the woman she was before. Elizabeth Wyse was an innocent eighteen-year-old Amish girl who met up with the wrong person while on rumspringa, and her life had changed forever. She’d lost her family and everything she held precious, and had been plunged into a seedy world of human trafficking for more than eight years.
Tears she hadn’t allowed herself to release for so long scalded her cheeks, and she swiped them away with an angry hand.
Before escaping, Summer had hidden the thumb drive in one of the walls of the living room. It was at the house where Ray and the other members of the ring stayed along with the girls. It would be bad for her if Ray found out she’d copied his files.
More noises behind her confirmed that what she’d heard earlier wasn’t simply sounds of the woods. She jerked in that direction. Someone was coming. She’d wasted too much time resting and now they were close. There was no time for self-pity. She imagined Ray’s angry face and it spurred her on. If he caught her, he’d hurt her badly.
Gott, I need Your strength.
Her body felt lighter as she broke into a run. Up ahead the woods thinned out. Lights appeared. Different from a flashlight. They were much bigger. Car headlights. She’d reached a road. A vehicle was coming. Please let it be help and not him.
Stumbling, she kept her focus on the headlights. If she could reach the car before they found her...
She half slid, half tripped out onto the road, her breathing coming in ragged gasps. Summer turned toward the vehicle. It approached much faster than she imagined.
As she stared at the growing headlights, she wondered if the driver would see her in time. She held on to her baby as the truck continued to barrel down on her.
Her legs gave out and she dropped to her knees, unable to find the strength to stay standing. Would she and her child die here? For years, she’d prayed for death, but now she wanted to live. Wanted to be the mother her baby deserved. She didn’t want Ray to write her ending.
Axel Sterling stomped on the brake pedal and jerked the steering wheel hard to the left—away from the woman in the middle of the road. The headlights captured her frightened expression. Why wasn’t she moving?
“Don’t let me hit her.” The woman’s swollen belly had him begging God for help. He’d killed enough in his lifetime. Most had been enemy soldiers. She wasn’t.
“Hang on, Camo.” The Belgian Malinois that had been his constant companion was tossed against the door as the car skidded across the pavement. The dog whimpered. “Sorry, buddy.” Axel grabbed for him and scooted him closer. He’d do his best to protect his friend.
The brakes caught and locked. He could smell burning rubber. Axel let the dog go and grabbed the wheel with both hands, worried the truck would flip.
“Come on!” he yelled and fought to keep from barreling off the side of the mountain and to certain death. He white-knuckled the steering wheel for several more yards before it came to a shuddering stop.
Axel blew out a big shaky breath and held up his trembling hands. He looked over his shoulder. The woman had managed to stand. She’d turned toward his vehicle.
What was she doing out here in the first place with one of the worst storms of the season moving in? He had no business being out here himself. Axel’s only excuse was, he’d thought he had time to reach the store, grab his needed supplies and get home before the brunt of it hit, which wasn’t supposed to be until dark. He’d been wrong. The storm had turned the late afternoon to night before he made it home and the skies had dumped snow at an alarming rate.
Axel opened the cab door. Camo’s full attention was on the woman. He barked aggressively, as if realizing there was more to the situation than simply saving a frightened young woman.
Camo had been a scout and patrol dog for the military until he retired and Axel had taken him in. The canine soldier had experienced a lot of danger in his lifetime. The hackles raised on his back confirmed that whatever was happening here was going to be bad.
The woman’s frightened eyes went to the dog. She seemed to shrink away from the threat she perceived Camo represented.
“Stay,” Axel told the dog and because he’d seen combat himself and knew sometimes the most innocent of things were not, he tucked his handgun beneath his coat and hurried over to help the woman who was noticeably pregnant.
“Are you hurt?” he asked when he reached her side. She instinctively put space between them. The reaction made him wonder if it was because of Camo’s barking or him? What was she doing out here alone in weather such as this? She wore only a sweatshirt and jeans and no coat despite the cold. Her feet were clad in flip-flops. Not exactly appropriate attire for this weather. Was she running from someone who had hurt her?
Axel slipped out of his heavy down jacket and started to place it around her shoulders, but she backed farther away, her dark eyes filled with terror.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said gently. “I want to help. Are you lost?” She certainly didn’t appear to be a hiker in those clothes. Her blond hair was soaked from the falling snow. Her cheeks sunken. Eyes hollow and filled with a dread that went much deeper than being lost in the woods.
He took a step back. “My name is Axel.”
Past her shoulder, he spotted four flashlights weaving through the woods.
She jerked around. “Oh, no. Please, you can’t let him take me.”
Axel tugged the coat tighter around her. “Then come with me.” She hesitated only a second before following him to the truck, still keeping her distance.
Two feet from the back, a sound he hoped to never hear again had him grabbing the woman and pushing her toward the cover of the truck. Gunfire. The people with the flashlights were shooting at them!
“Get down low,” Axel warned and steadied her when she stumbled. He whipped his handgun out and returned fire, forcing the shooters to take cover.
“Hurry.” Axel grabbed her arm, ignoring the way she tried to pull free. He ushered her inside the cab before jumping in beside her. Camo, who had ducked at the sound of the gunshots, growled low immediately on alert by this new person.
“It’s okay, Camo. She’s a friend.” He scooted the dog over and glanced at the woman who he wasn’t anywhere close to being convinced was a friend. Who knew what she’d gotten herself involved in that had intruded in his peaceful existence? Yet the soldier in him wouldn’t let him leave her to those wolves.
He fired the truck engine up and shoved it into Drive before speeding away. Several shots came far too close. Axel swerved around a curve and was grateful that the roads weren’t slick enough to send them flying down the side of the mountain. He glanced in his rearview mirror, thinking they’d escaped the shooters on foot. But multiple sets of headlights assured him they had vehicles waiting near the road.
Staying alive was his only priority right now. He’d question the woman later once they were safe.
“Put your seat belt on.” The words came out a little too sharply. “There’s a small road up ahead. If I can make it without being spotted, we stand a chance at losing them.”
He glanced at Camo. The dog watched the stranger with open distrust. “Camo, get on the floorboard.”
The canine grumbled but hopped down at her feet while keeping a close eye on her.
Once she’d secured the seat belt, Axel killed the lights including the interior ones. She screamed as the world around them went pitch-black.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I don’t want them to see where we’re going.” He needed to put space between them and those headlights so their attackers couldn’t pick up the change in direction.
He rounded another curve in the road and squinted through the windshield at nothing but darkness. “The road is on the right-hand side and it’s hard to see.”
She leaned against the door as if to put as much distance between them as possible.
Axel realized he didn’t know what to call her and asked her name. When she didn’t respond, he looked her way again. She wasn’t giving away any answers, and her huge brown eyes were glued to him as if she expected him to attack her at any minute.
It was going to be difficult to get her to open up to him when she didn’t trust him. He let the questions go for now. “Can you help me watch for the road? It should be coming up soon.”
Another look confirmed she still clung to the door, but she leaned forward, searching the darkness past the windshield. Strands of her wet hair fell across her face. She tucked it behind her ear. It was then that he noticed a scar across her hand. Someone had hurt her. The men coming after her? What was going on?
“There.” She pointed to what could barely be considered an opening.
“I see it.” Axel slowed enough to make the turn. The truck slid sideways, and the woman screamed again.
Camo looked up at him without concern. They knew each other and trust had been well established.
Once he had the vehicle straightened and under control, Axel watched the rearview mirror. “So far, I don’t see anyone.” He slowed enough to traverse the pitted road without causing damage to the truck. After they’d traveled a while he said, “We should be safe enough to use the lights again.” Axel flipped them on and the countryside around them illuminated.
His mind mentally calculated what route he’d have to take to reach his place. This road intersected with one of the main county roads. If he took it, he could eventually backtrack to his home.
While Axel tried to untangle what he could possibly be dealing with that would bring armed men after this woman, a far more disturbing thought had him wondering if they had the ability to track the vehicle through his license plate. If so, his mountain sanctuary would be compromised.
Axel wasn’t one to do anything without a plan. To formulate one, he needed answers from her now.
“Who are those men back there?” He waited for her to speak but she just stared at him with those huge dark eyes.
“Look, I’m trying to help you, but I don’t understand what’s happening.”
If possible, she shrank even farther away from him.
“At least tell me your name,” he said, unable to keep his frustration out of his tone.
Camo, as if sensing her distress, seemed to accept her into his space. He licked her hand. The gesture had her staring at the dog for the longest time before a smile spread across her face.
Nice going, boy.
Camo might have been a soldier in his previous career, but he’d adjusted okay to civilian life, and he enjoyed attention on his terms. The dog had a way of sensing when Axel’s darkness came upon him, and he’d usually do something as simple as lie down at his feet or lick his hand like he had hers.
“My name is Summer.” Tears glistened in her eyes as she spoke in a shaky voice.
A small victory in Axel’s opinion. “Nice to meet you, Summer. You’re safe now.”
She scrubbed her hands across her face. “I’m not. He’s coming after me.”
“Who are you talking about?”
She set her chin and refused to answer.
Axel tried another tactic. “I only want to help.” That she didn’t believe him was clear. “Where are you from? I can help you get back home.” He wondered if he could reach out to her family to let them know she was safe before going to the sheriff to report the crime.
She shook her head. “No. That’s not possible.”
“Why not?” He looked her way when she didn’t respond.
“Because... I—I can’t go back there. Not like this.” She touched her swollen belly.
Axel sensed she wasn’t going to tell him anything more about her past.
“How far along are you?”
Summer hesitated for the longest time. She didn’t trust him. He believed there were few people she did trust.
“Eight months, I think,” she said in barely a whisper. “When he found out I was pregnant, at first he wanted to get rid of the child, but then he figured out a way to sell the baby. I couldn’t let that happen.”
Disgust rose in Axel’s throat. His hands tightened on the wheel. “Who is this man?”
She wiped at her face once more. “I don’t know.”
Was it true or was she somehow protecting this monster?
Axel let go of his misgivings. “We’ll figure it out. Right now, we need to put as much space as possible between us and those shooters.”
She turned away and stared out the side window. Her story was going to be horrendous when it came but she wasn’t ready to share it yet.
Axel’s attention returned to the bumpy road ahead. He of all people understood how hard it was to return to the life you left behind. He’d been struggling to find his place since he’d returned from the war. He’d gone home and wanted to fit back into his old life in Colorado but nothing about it felt right anymore. And so, he’d traveled around the country looking for someplace to feel like he belonged. Then Brayden told him about Elk Ridge, Montana. When he’d ended up in almost total isolation on a cabin atop a mountain in the Tobacco Root Mountains, Axel realized this was where he felt the most normal. He’d bought the place right away.
The army had given him a purpose. He’d excelled at becoming a sniper. Life was going well. He’d realized he’d found someone to love for the first time in his life...
Axel shut down that way of thinking before the darkness could set in. Summer needed his help. He had a purpose. A mission. That he understood.
The blackness in his rearview mirror made him grateful. At least for the moment, those dangerous men hadn’t caught the diversion.
Camo settled on the floorboards with a harumph and closed his eyes, content with the peace of the moment. In war, a soldier learned to take advantage of the downtimes because you never knew when they would disappear.
The woman seated beside Axel was far from being at peace. Her eyes were glued to the side mirror with good reason. Those men wouldn’t be coming after her with such force if she didn’t pose a threat.
A pit formed in his stomach. It warned him this was far from over. They weren’t going to simply let her get away and give up.
“Are you hungry?” he asked and remembered he’d purchased some snacks for the ride home. “There’s some chips and bottled water in the bag there. Oh, and a couple of candy bars.” His guilty pleasure was the occasional binge on junk food. “I realize it’s probably not the healthiest of snacks,” he said when she hesitated. “Especially for the baby.” But it was all he had.
She opened the grocery bag and dug out the chips. “I’m starving.” She tore the bag open and munched several chips before holding the bag out to Axel.
“No thanks. You enjoy.” He’d make a more nutritious meal once they reached the house.
Now that his pulse had finally returned to normal, he began working out the details of getting to his cabin without taking any of the main county roads. Unfortunately, he couldn’t avoid the one coming up.
Once they reached the cabin, he’d call the sheriff on his satellite phone. Everything would be okay. So, why didn’t it feel that way? Why couldn’t he relax?
Because of the fear written all over her face, and the truth he knew in his gut.
