“Are you waiting for someone?” a nurse asked as she approached Rose in the hallway.

  “T.J. Harper. I’m...” She hesitated. Calling herself his ex-girlfriend wouldn’t give her access. “He’s a friend of the family. Is he okay?”

  “I can’t share a patient’s information, I’m sorry.”

  Rose nodded and paced the hallway. She texted Beau that T.J. was in the hospital and Noah had gone missing. Beau already knew. Yes, word traveled like wildfire in a tight-knit community like Boulder Creek.

  The door opened to the ER and a doctor exited. Rose glanced both ways and sneaked inside. There was only one area sectioned off by a curtain. She approached and listened for sounds of a nurse tending to a patient. When Rose heard nothing, she slowly pulled the curtain back. T.J.’s arm was bandaged, and he had an IV in his other arm, draped over his forehead.

  “T.J.?” she said.

  He removed his arm. “Rose? What are you doing here?”

  “I heard you were brought to the hospital. Are you okay?”

  “I’ve been better.”

  “The gossip mill is buzzing. People are saying Noah assaulted you and escaped.”

  T.J. shook his head and pinned her with dark brown eyes. “He... He saved my life, Rose. He found me cover and took off.”

  “I’m not surprised.”

  “He dived into the lake to lure them away from me. Why would he do that?”

  “He doesn’t want to put more innocent people in danger.”

  “The Feds have requested a search. If you decide to go with them, please be careful, okay? These guys are brutal and if they figure out Noah’s got a connection to you, they might use that as leverage against him.”

  * * *

  Two hours later Rose was part of the SAR team assigned to the mountainous area northwest of Juniper Lake. Simon, SAR team leader, chose the coordinates based on a report from residents who lived in the area and helped Noah out of the lake in their speedboat. The locals took him back to their cabin, where they gave him dry clothes and something to eat. He said he wanted to thank them by restocking their wood.

  He went outside and never returned.

  Which could mean he’d been found by the guys trailing him, or he’d fled his rescuers’ cabin so as not to put them at risk.

  Simon coordinated the mission and invited Rose to join the group. She’d helped Noah before, and Simon figured if they found Noah in a vulnerable state it would be good to have Rose on the team.

  A friendly face.

  Today’s team consisted of Simon, Federal Agent Doug Hart, in his fifties with graying hair, an off-duty sheriff’s deputy they called Scooter and two female SAR K-9 team members in their forties. The plan was that the SAR team would find Noah and notify base. Law enforcement officers were ready and waiting for the call to assist.

  Assist with what? T.J. had made it clear to his colleagues that Noah had saved his life, so why were they all still treating Noah like a threat?

  “Remind me, how do you know the suspect?” Agent Hart asked Rose.

  “My dog and I found him.”

  “Found him?”

  “Yes, he was being hunted by two creeps from the center where he works.”

  “Hunted. Interesting word choice.”

  “They were armed. He was not. He was also suffering from a PTSD episode, which put him at a disadvantage.”

  “And you rescued him?”

  “I protected him until it was safe to regroup with SAR.”

  “Awfully brave of you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Must be a Montana thing, putting yourself in the line of fire to help a stranger.”

  “It’s a Christian thing, you know, helping your fellow man?”

  He didn’t respond for a few seconds, then said, “You developed a connection to him from that one incident?”

  “It was more than one incident.” Rose explained how Oscar found him behind the motel after Noah had been assaulted, how they’d rescued him after he’d been taken from the hospital and then how she’d smuggled him onto her family’s ranch.

  “And you didn’t know him before that first time you found him?” the agent said, skepticism in his voice.

  “No, sir.”

  Rose suspected what the agent was thinking, that Rose had gone way beyond helping a stranger when she’d brought Noah to her family’s ranch. But then, sometimes doing the right thing came with risks.

  “If it were up to me, I wouldn’t have included civilians on this search,” Agent Hart said.

  “Noah is not dangerous. Besides, SAR is made up of civilians. You’ll find him quicker with the K-9 SAR team.”

  On cue, Simon’s Labrador mix stopped and sniffed the air. The dog took off, racing into the wilderness and out of sight.

  “What’s that about?” Hart said.

  “He caught scent,” Rose explained.

  They were close, close to finding Noah, rescuing him from this nightmare. Only to be tossed into another one? Accused of helping his friend break federal laws and betraying his country?

  The group picked up the pace. The dog returned to Simon, tugged on the toggle at his belt and took off again. The other two K-9 dogs chased after him.

  Rose said a silent prayer that Noah was not seriously injured and would be able to help authorities in order to gain his freedom.

  Erase any suspicion they had about him being a criminal.

  They caught up to the dogs, and the handlers gave them the order to step back. Simon knelt and picked something up off the ground.

  A jacket she didn’t recognize; one Noah might have borrowed from the people who’d rescued him from the lake? It was chilly out, so why would he take it off?

  “We’ll need to release a new description of clothing,” Agent Hart said to the deputy. “Find out what kind of shirt the Good Samaritan gave him. Why would Greene shuck the jacket? It’s not exactly warm out here.”

  Rose shared a look with Simon.

  “What?” Agent Hart said.

  “If he had an episode, he might get confused and do things that don’t make sense,” Rose offered.

  “Or he’s trying to throw us off his scent,” Agent Hart said.

  “Hey, Noah isn’t the bad guy here,” Rose countered.

  “It’s convenient that the detective was shot, but Mr. Greene was able to swim away to freedom.”

  “Freedom? He’s being hunted, again.”

  “We’ve got the jacket,” Simon said. “Let’s keep going and see if they pick up anything else.”

  Rose kept to herself after that, but was glad she’d decided to be a part of this search considering Agent Hart’s attitude about Noah. With Simon, the off-duty deputy and two other SAR members on the team, Rose felt confident the agent wouldn’t overstep.

  She hoped, anyway.

  As they continued, Rose decided it best not to engage with the federal agent.

  He’d obviously made up his mind about Noah. There was nothing more for her to say.

  The dogs caught scent again and rushed off. The handlers increased their pace, with Agent Hart and the deputy right behind them. Rose brought up the rear, a mix of hope and dread in her heart. Hope that the dogs had found Noah; dread that the federal agent would arrest him on the spot.

  As the group turned a corner up ahead, someone grabbed Rose and yanked her into the woods. She started to scream—

  “Shh, it’s Noah.”

  Rose looked into his blue eyes and nodded that he could remove his hand.

  “You’re okay,” she said.

  And then she hugged him.

  * * *

  He broke the embrace and pressed his finger to her lips. He led them deeper into the woods, hoping this was the right move, but then he had no choice.

  He had to get her away from the gray-haired guy.

  Noah found shelter earlier beneath a fallen tree and waited until he could distract the dogs with another article of clothing. Thankfully he’d remembered reading a wilderness survival article about masking your scent with a plant called Stinky Bob. He’d spotted it the other day when the men took him from the hospital and that observation had saved him today. The dogs caught scent of his clothes, but were thrown off by the plant residue rubbed on his skin.

  As he led Rose away from the search team, he realized she came willingly, without question.

  She trusted him that much.

  They ascended a trail up a hill and back down to the other side where they waded through a creek. Another strategy to help mask their scent.

  Rose didn’t question him, or balk at getting her clothes wet.

  Finally, when he thought they were safe, he paused and turned to her. “I’m sorry about all this.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “That man with the gray hair—”

  “Agent Hart?”

  “He was one of the guys from the hospital yesterday. He said he worked for the US government, but I didn’t believe him.”

  “He’s with the FBI and was very interested in how you and I knew each other.”

  “We need to get out of here.”

  “And go where?”

  “Not sure. I... I need to protect you.”

  “What you need to do is clear your name. Disappearing with me isn’t a great strategy in that regard.”

  “I know, but I couldn’t risk him hurting you.”

  “Look, stop.” She took his hand. “I’m okay. I’m with you and we’re both okay. But the threats will keep coming until you prove you’re not a criminal.”

  “How am I supposed to do that while protecting you from these violent men?”

  “We’ll put our heads together and—”

  “We? You’re going back to the ranch where you’ll be safe.”

  “Where will you go?”

  “I’ll disappear out here.”

  “Without a jacket, camping gear and supplies?”

  “I’ll figure it out.”

  “I’m sure you can but let me help.”

  He shook his head. “Where I go, trouble follows. I won’t allow you to be an accessory to whatever I’ll be charged with. The official story is I took you against your will.”

  She opened her mouth to protest.

  “Please?”

  “Okay, for now, until we figure out who we can trust. In the meantime, we need a safe place to hide out. I’ve got an idea about that.”

  They continued hiking, Rose leading the way to this mysterious place she said could serve as a temporary, safe refuge.

  Every minute that passed, Noah became even more on edge than the last. He was a target and Rose was standing right next to him, which made her a target as well.

  He thought about Detective Harper being shot, and how the bullet could have been meant for Noah.

  “This is going to be interesting,” Rose said.

  “What?”

  She pointed to a rope bridge in the distance that spanned across the river below. “The bridge used to be in a lot better shape when we were kids.”

  “Is there another way to get where we’re going?”

  “This bridge is a shortcut that will bring us down to the Brewer Ranch, where I’m house-sitting. Otherwise it’s another four hours, and it’s going to be dark in two. This is the best option.”

  Noah was amazed by her ability to charge into a potentially hazardous situation without much hesitancy. She would have made a good soldier.

  “I heard teenagers from Boulder Creek High had been out here,” she said as they got closer to the bridge. “Their parents would be furious if they knew the kids were playing on that thing.”

  “I suspect your parents won’t be too happy, either.”

  “I won’t tell if you don’t.” She winked.

  “How do you do that?”

  “What, wink?”

  “After everything you’ve been through, you still have a sense of humor.”

  “Wouldn’t have survived without it. Well, that and my faith.”

  “Yeah, sometime you’ll have to explain that to me.”

  “Faith?”

  He nodded.

  “You know how it works.”

  “No, I don’t. I wasn’t raised in a religious home, and the things I saw in combat, the things I did...” His voice trailed off and he shook his head.

  “Noah, God forgives. Believe that. As for the faith part, you’re committed to your faith.”

  “How’s that?”

  “You believe so strongly in your friend that you came out here to find him and help him, even when it put your life at risk. That’s faith, Noah.”

  “I never thought about it that way.”

  “It’s the same thing, but you direct your faith toward a higher power, a loving and merciful God who loves you.”

  They approached the bridge and she hesitated. “I’m going to message the SAR team leader that I’m okay.”

  “But—”

  “Otherwise, they’ll waste time and manpower trying to find me. I’ll tell him I headed back down.”

  Noah glanced both ways, scanning the area on their side of the river, and on the other side. It hit him what easy targets they would be as they crossed the wooden-planked bridge, out in the open for all to see.

  “What is it?” she said. “Is this triggering memories?”

  “No, but we’re going to be very exposed.”

  “Then let’s do it quickly. Ready?”

  “I’ll go first to check for weak or broken boards,” he said.

  “Okay. Keep both hands on the railing in case your foot falls through.”

  He glanced below at the robust river. He wasn’t frightened for himself, but the thought of Rose falling—

  “Hey, get out of your head. Let’s go,” she said, and started to go around him.

  He put out his hand, and stepped onto the bridge. The sound of rushing water grounded him, as he kept his eyes on the boards ahead, looking for damaged ones to avoid.

  “Noah!” Rose called out.

  He glanced over his shoulder.

  She was fine, walking sideways so she could keep both hands on the handrail. She nodded, encouraging him to do the same.

  He saw the wisdom in that tactic and followed her direction. He would be on the lookout for any loose boards, take a few steps and glance behind him, making sure Rose mimicked his exact moves. Heart racing, he wished he could hold on to her to make sure she was safe but knew that would come with its own set of problems, the first of which being the distraction. He needed to stay focused on his objective: get to the other side safely with Rose.

  About two-thirds of the way across, he glanced back at Rose to see if she was still doing okay. She nodded that she was.

  He held her gaze for a moment longer than necessary; thought she might have even smiled.

  She took a step.

  Gasped with panic.

  “Noah!”

  EIGHT

  Rose’s heart leaped into her throat.

  A man was heading toward them from the other side of the bridge.

  “Behind you!” she shouted.

  Noah turned as the man charged, tackling Noah on the weakened bridge. They both struggled for dominance. The bridge swayed from side to side, Rose gripping the rail with both hands for support.

  She quickly calculated how she could help Noah. Bear spray. She had bear spray in her pack. She took off her pack and pulled out the spray. Got the pack back on her shoulder, and edged closer to the men, one arm firmly around the railing.

  The attacker, a heavyset man in a dark jacket and black ski cap, had pinned Noah on his stomach with a knee against his lower back.

  She knew what it felt like to be pinned, helpless.

  “Get off!” she shouted.

  Instead, the guy wrapped his arm around Noah’s neck and squeezed. Noah gasped, digging his fingers into the guy’s arm.

  “I mean it!” she said, aiming the bear spray with one hand, while clinging to the railing with the other.

  The guy looked up, a wicked glint in his eye. He gave Noah’s neck another squeeze, and released him. Noah’s body went limp.

  He couldn’t have killed him in that short period of time.

  If he had, he certainly would have no qualms about killing Rose.

  “Rose, right?” the guy said, taking a step toward her.

  “Don’t come any closer!” She held out the spray in front of her.

  “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to help criminals?”

  He lunged as she fired the spray, but he batted it out of her hand before she could nail him. He grabbed her wrist and leaned close, too close.

  Rage bubbled up inside.

  He said something to her, she wasn’t sure what, and it didn’t matter.

  This, she had trained for.

  Hit the most vulnerable spots first.

  She kneed him in the groin. He stumbled back.

  Crack.

  A weak board gave way. The guy fell through as Noah scrambled to get to him. Rose edged toward the missing board beside Noah and saw their attacker facedown on a rock in the river below.

  He’d threatened her and nearly killed Noah, but Noah’s instinct was still to try and save him from falling to his death.

  “C’mon, before more guys show up,” she said, glancing at the other end of the bridge. There wouldn’t be only one of these creeps out here, right? It seemed like they came in pairs at least.

  Noah didn’t respond and continued to stare at the motionless body.

  “Noah?” she encouraged.

  They needed to move and fast.

  “C’mon, soldier, the enemy’s close.”

  He finally looked at her with piercing blue eyes. “The enemy?”

  “I doubt that guy was alone. Can you walk?”

  He nodded that he could. She helped him stand and they continued to cross the bridge to the other side. Rose packed away that she saw a man fall to his death. Her priority had to be getting herself and Noah out of harm’s way. Once safe, she’d call the police and let them know what had happened.

 

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