Mountain Hostage. Hope White

woman’s fragile emotional state made him uncomfortable. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing, didn’t want to upset her again. After all, she was still angry with him for speculating about her friend’s association with questionable persons.

      He eyed the silver dove in his palm. There was no downside in giving her the beloved trinket. Then again, his very presence would remind her that the search had been suspended.

      He was overthinking things. Nothing new.

      A low growl emanated from the back seat. Romeo sensed something outside.

      Jack opened his door. Listened.

      He decided it was an owl discussing evening plans.

      Romeo barked repeatedly. Maybe he needed a bathroom break. Jack let him out of the truck and the dog bolted past him, sniffing the ground intently. It wouldn’t be the worst idea to bring the canine along when Jack encountered Zoe again. Romeo’s presence might take the edge off their human interaction.

      Romeo bolted up the stairs to the front porch.

      Jack started to have second thoughts. What if Zoe thought he was bringing news about her friend? She’d be sorely disappointed and possibly more upset. Yet he wanted to offer her comfort in the form of her necklace. It also wouldn’t hurt to recalibrate their relationship with a positive interaction. Assuaging things between them could help Jack become more familiar with her missing friend. If Shannon Banks had been able to escape her captor, Jack understanding her thinking process could potentially expedite the rescue.

      He knocked firmly on the front door. Waited. Had Zoe already gone to bed?

      He tried again.

      Romeo’s ears pricked.

      Jack studied him. This made no sense. They weren’t in the field, weren’t tracking scent.

      Romeo bolted around the side of the house. Jack followed and found the dog barking furiously at a side window. Jack peered through a crack in the curtains but couldn’t see much as the room was pitch-black.

      “Come on, before we get arrested for peeping.” Jack commanded his dog to accompany him to the front door.

      He knocked again.

      Romeo anxiously paced back and forth.

      Dogs know things humans don’t. Words spoken by Jack’s mentor and dog trainer, Riley Cooper.

      A crash echoed from inside the house.

      Jack twisted the door handle. Locked.

      He shouldered the door once, twice. Decided not to dislocate his shoulder.

      Another crash and a woman’s scream pierced through the window.

      He scanned the porch for potential spots to hide a key.

      Under a planter. No.

      Behind the rocking chair. No.

      Aunt Margaret hid hers beneath the...

      He flipped over the colorful, braided welcome mat and grabbed the key.

      “Romeo, wait,” he ordered, not wanting the dog to be harmed.

      Jack unlocked and flung open the door. A large man charged Jack, slamming the door shut and pinning Jack against the wall. Romeo barked from the front porch.

      The man slugged Jack in the gut, then spun him around and applied some kind of choke hold. Jack shoved the assailant back against the kitchen counter, hoping the pain of making contact would weaken him. Instead the guy clung tight to Jack’s neck, putting pressure on his windpipe. Swinging Jack to the right, he smashed Jack’s head against the refrigerator.

      Jack was not a rag doll to be tossed around at will. He had the strength necessary to free himself. He was not that weak kid anymore.

      He jerked his elbow into the guy’s stomach once, twice. On the third jab, the attacker’s grip loosened enough for Jack to slip out of the hold and stumble away. Sucking in air, he fought to clear the stars from his vision. He had to think, strategize.

      The assailant turned, his face red with anger. He had black hair, dark eyes and an angry expression. The guy was about to charge again. Jack scanned his immediate surroundings for a weapon.

      “Not happening, dirtbag!” Zoe cried.

      The guy turned toward her.

      Jack charged him and put a hold of his own on the attacker.

      Zoe had other plans. She was aiming what looked like a canister of pepper spray at the guy. “Get down, Jack!”

      He pushed off the man and hit the floor. A hissing sound was followed by the guy’s howl of pain. From his position on the floor, Jack watched the assailant stumble across the room toward the back door.

      “You’d better get out of here!” Zoe shouted. She opened the front door and let Romeo inside. The dog took off after the assailant but the screen door slammed shut before the dog could follow him outside. Romeo kept barking and jumping at the back door, wanting to go after him.

      “Romeo, stop,” Jack said, then glanced at Zoe. “Call 911.” He leaned against the wall, finally able to catch his breath.

      She knelt beside him. “Are you okay?”

      “911,” he repeated, not wanting her to waste time worrying about him when police could be in pursuit of the attacker.

      She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and sat beside him on the floor. As she made the call, she scrutinized Jack’s forehead and cheeks for signs of injury. The attention made him uncomfortable.

      Romeo plopped down, laying his chin on Jack’s thigh. With soulful eyes, he looked up, and Jack stroked the dog’s head. “It’s okay, buddy.”

      Zoe finished giving a description to the 911 operator and ended the call. Jack glanced at her worried expression. An expression that reminded him of his failures. An expression that made him feel ashamed.

      “I’m fine,” he said, starting to get up.

      Zoe pressed her hand against his shoulder. “Can we wait for paramedics to confirm that?”

      “I don’t need paramedics.”

      “You were violently assaulted.”

      It wasn’t the first time, Jack thought.

      But it was the second time in one day that Zoe had been brutally attacked.

      “Did he...hurt you?” Jack asked, his gut twisting into a knot in anticipation of her answer.

      “Scared me mostly.”

      He nodded, relieved.

      “You saved me again,” she said.

      He shrugged, not knowing if her remark required a response.

      “Why did you come back?” she asked.

      “To give you this.” He pulled the silver dove necklace out of his pocket.

      Her face brightened as she took it from him. “Oh, thank you.”

      “And to apologize,” he said.

      “For what, being honest?”

      “You were angry with me for being honest.”

      “Actually, I think I was angry with myself.”

      “I don’t understand, but then I don’t understand a lot of things when it comes to human interaction.”

      “I should have done more to help Shannon, for one. Plus, you had a valid point. But if she were in trouble, you’d think she would have told me.”

      “You live five hours away. Why would she tell you?”

      “Distance shouldn’t matter. Friends confide in each other.”

      “Okay.”