Page 24 of Valor (Long Hot Summer: Christian Romantic Suspense #2)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Allen only realized what Heather was doing when he heard the gun go off. She was bleeding, and he had to get her to a hospital, now. That was the thought that kept racing through his head. If he didn’t get her to safety, she would die. While he always fought to keep victims alive, this was different. The pull was so intense he couldn’t think straight.

Heather had to be safe. His life depended on it.

He slowly shifted his grip, knowing he had to lose some control over Eric’s arms to gain control of the situation. Allen prayed the man didn’t have another weapon on him as he made his move and gripped the pistol in Eric’s hand. They fought for a second, but Eric was much more suited to business and already sweating profusely, even in the cold cave.

As he knocked Eric’s hand against the jagged rocks, Eric’s grip loosened, and Allen tore the gun from his hand. “Freeze.”

Heather screamed, distracting him for a split-second, and he took a step back as Eric swiped at the gun.

“Allen! Get Heather. He’s going to kill her!” Ed’s plea turned his gut to ice. If Ed was asking him for help, the situation was dire.

Holding the gun steadily on Eric, he quickly glanced at Micha. He and Heather were in a battle for the knife and Heather wasn’t strong enough, not with a knife wound and maybe not even in perfect health. Micha was much stronger and meaner.

“Please, help her,” Ed begged, taking a step toward the two with his hands still bound in front of him. Ed couldn’t help. It was up to Allen.

Eric laughed. “You can’t do both. If you go after her, I’ll come after you. As long as I’m alive, we’ll go after that land. I’m not alone. Aaron is preparing the paperwork to take the land after the vote. If you think you won, just because you’ve got an upper hand for a second, you’re wrong. You are so much smaller than this. We’ll get what’s ours, and I’m willing to die to make sure my family name is back on that land.”

Heather gave a shaky scream. He had to decide what to do, and he only had seconds to figure it out. Eric grinned. “Ed is right about you.” He pulled a gun from the back of his waistband and made his way around the outside of the room, then ran up the stairs, leaving Micha to face them alone.

“Eric!” Micha screamed.

Allen let the man go so he could help Heather, tearing her from Micha’s grip. While running away, he was no longer a lethal threat and shooting a man in the back would get him arrested. Micha swiped his knife at them and slowly went around them, the shining tip pointed at Allen’s chest. Allen froze with Heather at his feet, but if he moved, Micha would lunge. He knew that and he needed to be able to carry Heather.

Micha found the shadows and raced after Eric, leaving them in the cave. The moment Micha was out of sight, Allen kneeled on the ground next to Heather. Her side was hot and soaked with blood.

“We need to get her out of here,” Ed lowered himself next to his daughter. Tears ran freely down his cheeks. “She’s all I have in this world.”

“Forgive me,” Allen said to Heather as he reached behind her and tugged the phone from her back pocket where she’d hidden it. He called the ranger station and begged them to hurry to the coordinates on Heather’s phone. He then sent a text with a pin on their exact location.

“We need to get her as close to the road as possible. I don’t have a knife to help you get free. Can you walk?” He wasn’t sure how he was going to manage to carry Heather when his head was already swimming and he felt weak, but this was what men did. Men were created to push harder than they thought was possible when they cared about someone.

The reality hit him, and he stilled for a moment. He cared about Heather. He couldn’t go back to life without her. Maybe her father would never allow them to have a relationship, but he had to at least have her in his life.

Ed looked at Allen and firmed his jaw. “Thank you, and I forgive you.”

He wasn’t sure what he’d done that needed forgiveness, but he’d take it. “Thank you.” He steeled himself against the pain and fatigue, then lifted Heather off the ground. She wasn’t responding to his voice anymore, but her slow and steady breaths gave him reassurance that the rangers could help her. She would be okay. She had to be.

Taking the incline out of the cave slowly, he let Ed lead the way. The man had been up and down more often than he had, that was certain, and probably had a clearer idea of where to go. “The path to the road is outside, to the right.”

Ed nodded. “There’s a faster way. They found it when those two men escaped then found us taking pictures. If I ever get back to doing my job, I don’t know that I’ll be able to trust people ever again.” Ed held his bound hands in front of him, navigating the darkness by feel.

The rocks themselves were light and almost sparkly in the moonlight. Allen had never been so happy that the fog had cleared. He couldn’t recall if the fog had been there when they arrived or if that had only been in Wall. The weather near the Badlands could be unpredictable.

The sound of an engine in the distance made Ed move faster, and Allen did his best to keep up. Speaking was impossible under the strain. Heather wasn’t a heavy woman, but carrying her in his state was difficult.

A flashlight beam bobbed ahead of them. “Ed? Allen? Is that you?”

“We’re here!” Ed yelled in reply.

“We’ve got a canvas stretcher for Heather. Let’s get her onboard and get all of you out of here,” Ranger George ordered.

Allen hated relinquishing Heather, but if he was going to make it to the end of this, he had to trust his friends. He slowly lowered her onto the unrolled cot, then took off his coat and peeled his cotton sweater off. He tucked them around her middle to staunch the bleeding and keep her warmer. They’d been in too much of a hurry for him to do that sooner and he prayed she would be alright.

One ranger cut Ed free, then they gave a count of three and jointly lifted Heather off the ground. She didn’t shift, move, or groan, any of which would’ve been reassuring.

“Pray for her,” Ed demanded.

“I have been,” he replied, not sure what else he should say to the man who’d thought he was the worst person on earth. What he couldn’t figure out was, if Ed cared about Allen’s mother, then what did Ed have against him?

“If I’d known who my mother was, I would’ve found her. I’ve always wanted to know, but Dad wouldn’t tell me.” And as much as he cared about his father and wanted to respect the man, he’d done a lot that didn’t deserve respect.

“I’ve tried for over thirty years to forgive your father. I guess that means I’m not quite the Christian I’d like to think I am. Your mother was going in the right direction. She was headed for salvation. Then he came along and tarnished what my wife and I were trying to do. After that, she hid in shame. The only reason I knew who your father was when she got pregnant, was because your mother told my wife what happened. She came to us and asked us what she should do. She couldn’t keep you and have a life, but we begged her to let us take you.”

His stomach churned. The idea of Heather thinking of him as a brother didn’t sit well with him. “Dad needed me. He needed someone to look after so that he didn’t drink himself into the ground.” And now he wondered if Dad’s accelerated problem wasn’t partly due to a love he’d never been allowed to have. “I’ll find her.”

Ed laid a swollen hand on Allen’s arm. “I know you will. I’m sorry I thought that being raised by that man would turn you into a horrible person. You’re half of the woman we cared about, and I forgot that. I assumed, with all the hiding you do, that you were a closet drinker too.”

“Help me care about my father and maybe he can become someone you’d be proud to know. When he’s clean, he’s a good man. He watches my house, does odd jobs, and is genuinely a handyman.” If only he hadn’t let the bottle get a hold of him.

“If we make it out of all this, I swear to you that Heather and I will help.”

That was great, but that wasn’t his ultimate goal. He wanted to know Heather and see who she was when she wasn’t watching over her shoulder. He wanted to know how she liked her coffee in the morning, though he already knew she wanted it less dark than he did. The adjustment would be a blessing if he was given the opportunity.

For the barest second, he allowed himself to picture Heather with him at his house, running around the backyard with their dog, laughing and joking together. She was all the things he’d ever dreamed about. Yet, she still felt a million miles away.

The rangers loaded Heather into the truck and Allen and Ed settled in near her. The roads around the Badlands were all minimum speed because they were narrow with sharp turns and high elevations. A ranger started tending to Heather while George drove.

“Vitals are weak. You’ll have to go as fast as you can. I’ll call in an ambulance to meet us at the station,” the ranger hovering over Heather said. He got on his radio and called in their location and where the ambulance should meet them. As the ranger repeated her condition, Allen gripped her hand.

“You can do this, Heather. I know you can.” He wasn’t a man who cried, but tears burned in his chest. He couldn’t lose her now. Not when he’d just found the only woman who’d cared about him at all. Unconditionally. She’d defended him, tried to help him in the cave and everywhere else. Where would he ever find a partner like that ever again?

The next few minutes were tense and silent as Ed bowed his head and Allen gripped her hand. Ed would probably want that place if his hands weren’t in tatters, but Allen wanted to be there anyway. George pulled the truck into the lot where an ambulance with swirling lights waited for them. The truck had barely stopped when the EMTs whipped open the door and got to work.

Heather’s eyes flashed open, and she looked around her, her face pinched in fear.

“I’m here. So is your dad.” He wanted to hope she was looking for him, but she could easily be searching for Ed.

She didn’t speak, but squeezed his hand.

“We need to get her going.” The EMT pulled her hand free of his.

“We’ll be following you.” Not only to get help, but to see Heather through this.

Ed touched his shoulder. “Can I ride with you?”

He had no vehicle here, but he still had Heather’s phone. “Yes, I need to make a call first.” He remembered Rod’s number and pressed it into Heather’s phone.

“Agent Peterson,” he answered.

“Hey, this is Allen. I have Heather’s phone. We’re at the Badlands Ranger Station. We were taken captive and managed to escape. I need a ride to Rapid City, STAT.”

“I’ll be there as quick as I can. Did you get any new info?”

“I did. We’ll tell you when you get here.” He turned to the rangers helping the EMTs get Heather secured. “We have a ride coming. Can we stay here until he arrives?”

George came over and flashed a small light in each of Allen’s eyes, then checked his pulse as he looked at his watch. “You need to be looked at. If I’d realized you were in the state you are, I’d have sent you with her.”

He held up his hand to stop the ranger. “I’m fine, just need rest. I want to stay with Ed and we’ll both get help once we get to Rapid, but can we wait here?” This was George’s jurisdiction, so he couldn’t assume they could stay in a locked park.

“Yes, give the car’s description to Barker so he can let your ride in.”

“Thanks.” Now Rod had to hurry.

* * *

Heather felt the pinching pain of an IV needle shoved into the back of her hand. Muffled talking went on above her. She felt almost as if she was separate from all that was happening, even though she knew they were working on her.

Allen’s voice played through her head as he’d kneeled over her after fighting Micha saying, “I’ve got you.”

She’d been too tired to reply. Too tired to do anything but fight. Life would’ve been worth fighting for before, but now she could see her future and she wanted Allen in it. Maybe they were destined to be friends. Maybe there was more. She hoped there was more.

In her life, there had only been one man who’d ever made her dream of the future. He’d been a deputy with the sheriff’s department, and he’d broken her heart. Not only had he continually put his job ahead of her, which she’d expected since officers had to be that way, he’d also chosen to leave her behind when he took another job. Was she open to possibly getting hurt again?

Was life worth living if she never took a risk?

Being in a state where her life was literally on the line put her thoughts into perspective. She had lived through the pain. It had changed her, made her cautious. The damage to her heart may have also made her hesitant to make friends and even—as with Allen—she’d pushed people away. No more.

Heather focused on breathing, since that was the one thing she could control. Breathe in. Breathe out. In the background, words became clearer as she focused on staying alive.

“She’s going to need a transfusion. Is her father here yet and is he part of her care directive?” a man in the room asked.

“He is here, along with Sheriff Pendleton. They just arrived. I can ask him,” another man answered.

The distinct sound of a computer keyboard filled her ears. “She doesn’t have a care directive on file. We’ll have to trust his word.”

She prayed for life. She prayed for healing. God knew she wanted to live, to experience life and the beauty of His creation again. Even if she didn’t receive a miraculous healing in this moment, He would still be there with her, walking alongside her.

“Her father said to do whatever we need to. ‘Save her life,’ were his exact words,” a man said.

She had to trust the doctors to do all they could. Weakness felt like lead weight on her limbs. They were too heavy to lift. She let the medication win. For now, she would sleep.

* * *

Heather became aware of voices around her before she opened her eyes. Beeps came from all over the room, constant and steady, not quite comforting. Perhaps they were reassuring to people staring at the machines. Beeps like that meant life.

She managed to open one eye and blurred dull light met her eyes. “Hello?” Her voice was scratchy and not her own.

“Oh, you’re awake. How do you feel?” A woman in bright purple scrubs came over and hit the button on the machine above her. It whirred for a moment and the cuff on her arm squeezed tight.

“Where am I?” She remembered getting knifed, fighting with Micha, and falling to the ground. Everything after that was blocked.

“You’re in recovery. About three hours ago, you came into the emergency department with a deep slash wound to your side. Thank God our doctor was able to repair the damage.”

And praise God, she’d been attended by a believer. “Thank you. Are my father and Allen still here?” She wasn’t sure how she knew they were there, but she was confident they were.

“Yes. Both were seen for minor injuries. Whoever treated the knife wound to Allen’s neck did a good job of staunching the bleeding. Neck wounds are bleeders.” She chuckled.

“Thanks.” Her throat was so dry. “Can I have some water?”

“Sure. You rest and I’ll get a cup for you. As soon as you’re in a room, they can come and see you. I’ll let them know you’re awake.” She headed off toward the nurse’s station.

Heather closed her eyes and felt the haze of medication, knowing it was saving her from a world of pain. Allen’s father self-medicated, but for what reason? Could she help him? With God, all things were possible. She’d seen for herself how helpful Allen’s father could be. He had skills and talents.

The nurse returned with a tall cup filled and heaped above the rim with ice. “Don’t worry, there’s water in there too. I do that because your stomach will be upset from the surgery. Sip, don’t guzzle. Okay?” She smiled as she set the cup down and picked up the call button, placing it in Heather’s hand. “If you need me, I want you to press this. I’ll be here. Your doctor wants to look in on you before he sends you to a room.”

Time seemed to stand still as Heather waited for everyone to do the jobs they needed to in order to get her moved. Then there was more waiting as they got her attached to all the machines in her room. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, her father and Allen were allowed to see her.

Dad had bandages around his wrists and Allen had a thick layer of gauze and tape around his neck wound. Even in their obvious state of injury, both smiled.

“Good to see your eyes open,” Allen reached for her hand, avoiding the IV.

Dad took a deep breath. “I wasn’t sure we’d see you again. Thank God.”

As happy as she was to see them, the situation wasn’t over. They had to find Micha and Eric. “What about the cavern and finding Eric? Is anyone looking for them?” If they weren’t, she felt far too exposed sitting there in the hospital.

“Rod is looking for more information. He brought us here, and I had time to fill him in on all that happened and all we know. Your dad helped too. When he was with them, they let things slip.”

“They must have assumed there was no hope I’d ever be free,” Dad said.

She still didn’t understand why they hadn’t killed all three of them, but was thankful they hadn’t.

“Rod had one piece of information I can share with you.” Allen glanced at the door, then went and closed it. He returned to her side and took her hand once again. “Your dad gave us the name of Micha’s mother. My mother. She’s sick with cancer. If he’s arrested, she will lose the only family she has. Her only support. Rod speculated that’s why he didn’t kill us. I have to wonder how Eric fits into this puzzle. He must not know why Micha was holding back.”

Thoughts formed as Allen spoke. “If Micha killed you, he would have to admit to his mother—who needs every reason to live—that he’d killed the son she never knew,” Heather speculated. “I guess we should be thankful Eric doesn’t really know the man he hired.”

Dad looked at Allen. “One man working on this isn’t enough. They were willing to take me at gunpoint and shoot at Heather. We can’t put the doctors and nurses here in danger by staying.”

Allen clutched her hand tighter. “I’m not sure what to do besides add security by her door and move you to a safe, private location. Heather has to stay here until she’s released.”

“Is a dispatcher an officer?” Heather’s mind raced with possibilities.

“Depends on the station. Jackie is. Why?” Allen’s brows furrowed.

“She could stay in here, registered under my name. We could wait until Micha or Eric return to finish the job, then arrest them.”

“She doesn’t look like you. At all.” Allen’s brows dipped even further.

While she was glad Allen thought she was unique, Jackie was a woman, and by the time someone came to do anything, they wouldn’t realize Heather wasn’t in the bed until it was too late. “She would work, and she’d probably love the opportunity to do it.”

Allen lifted her hand and gently kissed her knuckles, sending sweet sparks up her arm and to her heart. It was their first kiss, and she prayed it wouldn’t be their last. “I’ll ask her. It’s a good idea. I’m just worried. Your dad is right. We have tonight, and that’s almost gone. By tomorrow, they’ll regroup and try to get to you. They have to silence you both before the vote.”

Allen’s phone rang, and he tugged it from his shirt pocket. They had to have gone back to the Wall Mart to retrieve it.

“This is Allen.” He continued to hold her hand, but turned slightly away.

She could hear the noise of someone talking on the other end, but not what was said.

“I understand,” Allen said.

There was a buzz in the room she hadn’t noticed before the silence of the phone call. Heather waited, wanting to know if Allen would get new information and how they could stay out of Eric’s clutches.

Allen took the phone from his ear and pressed the end button. “That was Rod. He was able to crack the other files. There’s more at stake here than we thought. Eric thinks there’s a huge deposit of rose quartz on that land. If that’s true, the current owners don’t know and won’t release it.”

“We don’t know that,” Dad said. “The owners haven’t come to any meetings or even written the paper with their concerns.”

Allen frowned and sighed. “Has anyone seen them? Is it possible they’ve been held or were killed before Micha was brought on to help? Eric seems like the type to hire whoever he wants. The two men who were found in Rapid City could’ve been the ones to take care of the owners.”

Dad paled and looked away. “I hadn’t thought of that. They live so far out of town that no one would question why they haven’t been seen.”

Allen picked up his phone and rapidly made a call. “Jackie, I need you to send Danny out to the Goddard place to do a wellness check. I need to know they are fine, STAT.” He hung up the phone. “Now, we wait.”