Secret Admirer. Karen Rose Smith

through his body.

      “Rachel?” he said her name again and blinked, half expecting her to disappear. When he opened his eyes, she was still there and one thing became clear—the look of fear on her face appeared permanently embedded there. Her green eyes were huge pools of light that told a story of desperation.

      Noah couldn’t believe his past mistakes were about to reach out to him once more. He’d thought of her so many times through the years, considered reaching out to her when the heartaches of her life took place. Thought better of it. He’d hurt her badly. She wouldn’t welcome hearing from him again after the way things ended. Best to leave the past where it lay. As hard as it was to accept, their future was never intended to be together. God had other plans for both of them.

      He snapped out of his daze. “Are you hurt?” he asked, his voice anything but steady, reflecting how he felt.

      Rachel took an involuntary step back and peeked over her shoulder. Shivered visibly.

      “You have to help me, Noah. He’s still out there. He tried to kidnap me.” Her voice was little more than a hoarse whisper, the words shocking.

      Noah whirled to look in the direction she pointed, then back at her. “Who’s out there?”

      “I don’t know who he is. He wore a mask and it was dark. He came into my home and tried to force me to go with him.”

      Noah couldn’t believe what he heard. Through the headlights, he could see red marks on her cheek. Her bare feet were cut and bloody, hands scraped, flame-red hair loose and tangled.

      “Let’s get you inside the cruiser where it’s warm. You must be frozen.” When she seemed incapable of moving, he clasped her arm and gently guided her to the passenger side.

      Opening the door, he paused when Rachel didn’t budge. Her stricken gaze locked onto him, and he knew something else was coming.

      “Noah, I think he has Eva.”

      The news robbed him of his next breath. “What do you mean he has Eva?”

      “She wasn’t in her room and her bed was not unmade. Eva promised to be home by ten and she wouldn’t break that promise. He has her, Noah. You have to find my sister.”

      Eva missing? He still remembered the young blonde girl who used to follow them around. “I’ll find her, I promise. Come, get inside where it’s warm. I need to call for backup.” The urgency in his tone must have reached through her fear. Gathering the skirt of her gown, she climbed inside. Noah retrieved the blanket he kept in the SUV along with other emergency supplies and tucked it around her legs. Clicking the locks in place, he shut the door and reached for the radio attached to his jacket.

      In the distance, a vehicle fired to life. Noah swung toward the sound. It sounded close, a little ways past Rachel’s home. He peered into the dark night. No lights appeared. Had he been wrong about the distance? Noises carried in the country, the sound echoing off the mountains. Perhaps the car was farther down the road than he thought. As much as he wanted to investigate, he didn’t dare leave Rachel alone.

      “Dispatch, this is Deputy Warren requesting immediate backup for a possible 207 on Spruce Road near the Beachey farm.”

      The sheriff’s dispatcher, Janine Mills, picked up right away. “Copy that, Noah.” A second of silence followed. “Aden and Megan are en route. I’ll notify the sheriff. Is anyone hurt? Do you need an ambulance?”

      He glanced inside the patrol vehicle where Rachel watched him with huge eyes. “Yes, send a bus. The victim has cuts on her feet and she’s been exposed to the cold for a while. It would be a good idea to have an EMT take a look at her.”

      “Will do. Backup is five minutes out. Stay safe, Noah.”

      Noah ended the transmission and called Aden on his cell.

      “We’re close,” Aden assured him.

      “Good. Can you and Megan take a quick ride down Aspen Glen Road? I heard a car start up a little distance from here. It might be nothing.”

      “Or it could be our perp. We’re at the intersection now. Talk to you soon.”

      Noah shoved the phone in his pocket and clicked on his flashlight, moving to the edge of the road. He flashed the light in the direction of Rachel’s childhood home. Her bare footprints were in the snow along with a second, much larger, shoed set of prints. His gut told him the noise he’d heard was the perp escaping down the road that ran in front of Rachel’s home. There were numerous back roads intersecting Aspen Glen. The man could be anywhere.

      He’d knelt to examine the prints when voices carried his way. Noah rose and spun toward the sound. Two people hurried his way, guided by the light of a lantern. He recognized Thomas and Jane Beachey immediately. They must have heard his vehicle.

      Not knowing if Rachel’s attacker was working alone, Noah sought to warn the older couple. “Thomas, I need you and Jane to return to your house right away. Lock your doors. I’ll explain later.” Thomas hesitated before gathering Jane close. With another troubled glance behind him, Thomas urged Jane toward the house.

      Noah opened the SUV door and climbed in beside Rachel. Even visibly shaken she was still as pretty as he remembered. When he looked at her, all the things he’d once hoped for came to mind. A simple life with her as his wife. Children of their own. Things his father’s interference had robbed them of.

      “I know this is hard, but I need to you tell me everything that happened tonight.”

      She rubbed her hands down her arms, probably to ward off more than just the chill of the night. Noah cranked the heater up a couple notches while Rachel told him about waking up to find a stranger standing over her. “He had a gun, Noah. He pointed it at my side and forced me to go with him.” She gestured toward her left side. “He said, ‘He has plans for you.’ I have no idea what he meant by that. His face was covered with a ski mask and he had on gloves.”

      The attack was planned. Deliberate. Confusing. Why would someone wish to harm either Rachel or Eva? It didn’t add up in his mind.

      “We struggled. I managed to rip the mask off, but it was so dark. I couldn’t see anything...except his eyes.” She shuddered visibly. “I will never forget those dark, angry eyes for as long as I live.”

      He clasped her hand, and she turned to face him. The extent of what she’d gone through showed in her drawn expression. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and reassure her everything would be okay. Yet he couldn’t lie to her.

      On the hill behind him, red-and-blue lights strobed in the starless night. A patrol vehicle, sirens blaring, blasted down Spruce Road. The vehicle slid to a halt when the driver spotted his cruiser in the middle of the road.

      “I’ll be right back,” he told her. When she didn’t respond, Noah climbed out and hurried to his colleagues. Aden Scott exited his vehicle first, followed by Deputy Megan Clark.

      “Sheriff’s on his way. Ambo is five minutes out. We drove a good way down Aspen Glen, but there was no sign of a vehicle. What do you have here?” Aden pointed to the cruiser where Rachel waited inside.

      Noah outlined the few details he knew so far. He shined the light on the ground where retreating footsteps appeared to be heading through the woods the same way they’d come. “I heard a car’s engine start up a few minutes after I spotted Rachel. If it was him, he’s long gone.”

      Aden nodded. “Let’s hope not. We’ll follow the footprints and see what we can find.”

      Clicking on their flashlights, both Aden and Megan started out.

      Noah went back to the vehicle. Rachel stared straight ahead, showing obvious signs of shock. Her shoulders hunched defensively. She’d never looked so vulnerable before. Growing up, Rachel had always been fearless. Seeing her as a victim now just wouldn’t compute with what he knew about her.

      He’d give anything to ease her pain, but he had