In Plain View (Amish Safe House, Book 2) (10 page)

As time ticked away, one of the guards
patrolled close to her location. He walked slowly, kept alert, and
never kept his focus on one area for more than a few seconds. Kate
studied him carefully. The man walked away, but moments later
patrolled back toward her. This was her chance. Kate scooped up a
handful of rocks from under the bush and tossed them a few yards in
front of him.

As soon as the pebbles crashed into the
grass, the man reacted to the sound. Looking back and forth
furiously, he kneeled down to examine where he thought the object
had landed. Kate watched as he picked up some dirt in his right
hand before dumping it back onto the earth. Almost immediately, his
radio was making noise.

“Yo, it’s Liam. Have you guys heard anything
or seen any movement on the surveillance system? I think we might
have an intruder.”

After a brief silence and what sounded like
someone grabbing the radio on the other end, a man spoke sternly.
“Liam, what happened?” The raspy, authoritative voice boomed over
the handheld radio.

“Sir, something just doesn’t feel right. I
heard some kind of noise and when I turned toward it, it looked
like a rock or something was hitting the ground. It was like
someone was trying to distract me.” Turning around, the man stared
right into the bush where Kate was hiding. “Oh snap, I think I
found the culprit.”

“Liam, you get that intruder to me, right
now.” The fury heard over the speaker terrified Kate. Her heart
pounded as the goon reached into the bush. His hand touched her
skin and gripped tightly around her right shoulder. She stood up
and surrendered reluctantly, but only because she knew it was her
only option.

“Boss, I got her,” he reported through his
radio.

“Her? Bring that woman to my office. Do not
let her get away, or you’ll be sorry you did.” The line went silent
and the large, muscular man next to Kate took a deep gulp in
fear.

“Yes, sir!” His words were left
unanswered.

As they hurried through the yard toward the
distant mansion, the thug kept pushing Kate forward with the butt
of his weapon. Kate nearly lost her balance a few times, and took
care to keep from stumbling to the ground. The last thing she
wanted to do right now was to be completely defenseless, even
though she knew she already was.

“Let’s go. Keep yourself together.” His
words stung, but she kept on.

As they approached the entrance to the
house, two guards in black suits held even larger weapons than the
others. “Business?”

“The boss wants this intruder.”

The man on the right side of the door
stepped forward. “All right. Go back on watch and I’ll bring her to
White.” Her former captor nodded and backed away, leaving her in
the presence of another man.

When Kate entered the mansion, she was
amazed by what she saw. Beautiful paintings and portraits lined the
long halls of the first floor of the building.

“Keep your mouth closed and your eyes
forward,” the guard said. “The boss doesn’t like to be
disrespected, so I suggest you let him do most of the talking.”

Her mind drifted back to her days as an
agent, but she could hear the voice of her boss echoing in her
ears. “Play the part.” She knew White wouldn’t have a clue who she
was, but even a hint of her training and he’d sniff her out like a
bloodhound chasing after the scent of a wild boar. The plan was
laid out before her eyes: play the role of the farm girl and let
him think she accidentally stumbled onto his land.

As they continued to delve deeper into the
vast mansion, the guard nudged her toward a flight of steps. As
they ascended the stairs, they came upon a water fountain in the
center of the hallway. Kate could not help but notice the beauty of
such a violent, dangerous place. It reminded her of a volcano that
was due to erupt at any moment.

The two kept on until Kate was facing a
large set of white doors. Four men outlined the section of the
hallway. She was able to analyze the situation and noticed that
unlike the other men she had seen so far, these four were wearing
bulletproof vests under their suits. This was Logan White’s office.
It had to be.

The four guards stepped aside, and one of
them spoke into his radio. “Boss, they’re here.” The response was
difficult to understand due to the large volume of static, but the
man must have understood the order. “Yes, sir.” With those words,
the doors opened, and she was ushered into the office.

In the large room sat three desks. One to
her left, one to her right, and the biggest one lined the wall
parallel to the doorway. On the smaller desks sat two men counting
stacks of money. Kate kept her eyes straight and held back any
words that threatened to escape her mouth. Behind the central desk
was a man in his mid-fifties or so. He had what appeared to be a
scar over his left eye and he wore a very nice suit. He poked out
his cigar in an ashtray and pulled his chair closer to the
desk.

“Hello there. Do you mind if I ask what a
pretty little thing like you is doing snooping around my property?”
The tone of his voice was unnerving.

“I, um, I don’t even know where I am. I was
walking my dog and he just ran away from me. I had the leash in my
hand, but he yanked it right out. I think a truck was pulling out
or something and he got through your gate when it was open. I saw
his leash disappear around the hedges and chased after him. I
didn’t even notice the guards at first, but as soon as I did, I hid
in a bush. I was terrified.” Kate kept a straight face and even
showed sincere emotion as she spoke.

White turned to the guard. “Have you or your
men seen any dogs running around the premises?” The man shook his
head. “Very well. Have them start a search. As for you, my lady,
who are you?”

When Kate started to speak, White
interrupted, looking at her guard once again. “Did she have any ID
or anything on her when she was found?”

“No, sir. She had nothing on her at all. Not
even a cell phone.”

“Interesting.” He turned back to Kate. Do
you make a habit out of going for long walks without a phone or a
wallet?”

Keeping the fear at bay, Kate responded in
an earnest tone. “I’m sorry sir, but I’m still new to city life. I
was just visiting a friend a few blocks away and Ruffles had to go
out.”

The boss’ beady eyes felt like lasers on her
skin. “Ruffles?”

“My dog, sorry.”

“Very well. If you’re not a city girl, what
would you call yourself?”

“A farmhand. I live on a farm and tend the
crops, feed the animals. I’ve grown up doing that all my life.”

“So a little farm girl found her way into
the heavily guarded lion’s den? Sounds like a bad joke.” Logan
leaned forward, cupping his chin in one hand. “We don’t take kindly
to trespassers. Let us find your little dog and then we’ll have
another chat.”

His cold demeanor chilled Kate to her core.
Kate bowed her head and kept her focus toward the ground.

“Take her to the hold. Make sure she gets
some food and water. I might be ruthless, but I’m not a
monster.”

White’s words trailed off as the doors
closed behind her and the goon. “You did good in there, kid. Just
keep your nose down and do what you’re told like in there, and
he’ll let you go. We just have to be sure you’re not a threat.”

“A threat? To whom? What could I do that
would harm you guys?”

“Listen, I don’t know what you’ve seen or
what you haven’t, but you’re in over your head. Tread lightly, or
you might not make it out of this nightmare.”

They made their way back downstairs to an
old, wooden door that had a large metallic lock and chain on the
outside.

“You’re home,” the man said with half a
smile cracked across his face. It took the man at least two minutes
to unlock the heavily secured door. He nudged her inside.

In the square room sat a single chair that
looked to be cemented into the floor. Two long chains with cuffs
lay on the sides of the chair.

Psalm 12:3-4.
May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes
great boasts, those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail, our
lips are with us; who is master over us?”

Chapter
14
.

Darkness. That’s all there was.

After the guard had shut the door, Kate was
left shackled in a small room with no windows. She knew it would be
no use screaming. Nobody would hear her; at least nobody who would
be willing to help. The only solace she found was in the form of
the light shining underneath the heavily barricaded door. Fear
clouded her mind as panic swallowed her whole.

“What a nightmare!” she said aloud. A large
part of her was hoping that somehow Ryan would show up to save her,
but then her cover would be blown and everything would just get
even worse.

Kate figured there had to be a way out of
there. She ran her eyes across the room, surveying every inch that
the small fragment of light allowed her to see. There was nothing
around her but an empty room.

The one thing that her career had taught her
was never to let the fear take over. Just a stupid joke and a small
laugh could be the difference between giving up and overcoming the
odds. Suddenly, she thought back to one phrase that White had said.
“Make sure she gets some food and water. I might be ruthless,
but I’m not a monster.”

Kate was sure this man was a monster, but
that wasn’t the part of his statement on which she focused at that
very moment.
Water and food
- she would have a chance to
escape if she could overcome the guard who would be delivering her
meal. The only problem standing in her way, however, was the fact
that tightly bound shackles secured both her ankles.

Kate wondered what the Amish would do in
this situation. The answer came to her at once – pray, and trust in
Gott
. Kate was a Christian, but until she lived with the
Amish, she had never relied on God or trusted Him to any degree.
However, spending time in close contact with the Amish had changed
her in more ways than she had imagined. She now prayed every day,
not because it was expected of her, but because she wanted to spend
time with God, telling Him all her worries and fears.

God was always on the mind of every Amish
she knew – God consumed every Amish person’s whole existence. And
while Kate knew she would never live without electricity, the
internet, or television, she had come to appreciate the lack of
regard for self and pride, and the slower pace of life, both of
which allowed time to reflect upon one’s relationship with God
above all else.

Kate was setting her problem before God,
when the lock on the door turned.

This was it
. She had to be ready. As
the sound of metal scraping against the door grated on her nerves,
she dropped her arms to the sides of her body and rolled her
fingers into the tightest fists possible. Then, she slid backward
in the chair and pretended to be lifeless. Her head fell to her
chest, and silence engulfed the small dungeon.

The sound of the large, iron door opening
echoed throughout the chamber, and light shone on Kate, but she did
not so much as flinch. She heard the guard’s voice. “Hey, you. Wake
up!” Kate heard him as he approached her seemingly lifeless body.
“Hey, lady! What are you doing?”

Silence answered his questions. She could
feel his breath on her face as he examined her. He gently grabbed
her shoulder and carefully shook her body. “The boss is insistent
you eat and drink. Please, wake up, lady!”

Without any warning, Kate lunged to her
right, throwing the man off guard and causing him to fall forward
onto her. She raised her left hand under his chin and cradled the
back of his head with her right hand. Then, she pushed with every
ounce of strength she could muster into that left hand, pinching
his nerve and rendering him unconscious. “Always protect your
pressure points, man!” Kate uttered quietly under her breath.

Leaning forward, she searched the body for
the key to her chains. The man’s weight was painful, and he was
difficult to reposition, but she eventually uncovered the key in
one of his pockets. Once Kate had gently pushed the unconscious
guard off her, she wasted no time in unlocking the cuffs around her
ankles and searching the body once more. She found a stun-gun but
no pistol. Kate grabbed the stun-gun, tucked it into her waistband,
and exited her prison.

Kate peered cautiously around the corner,
but she saw nothing but a long, empty hallway. She needed to find
the exit, and she wasn’t even sure where to start. As Kate left the
safety of the room in which she had been locked, she heard what
sounded like two men having a conversation. She crouched close to
the floor and put her ear to the corner of the wall.

“Hey man, where’s Perry? He was just
supposed to give that girl we caught some food and then take over
my post. I need to get outta here to get home before my wife
does.”

“I don’t have a clue, bro. I’ll keep an eye
out here until you return if you wanna go see what’s up.”

Kate heard footsteps drawing near. Slowly
falling back, she used her hand to guide her as she continued along
the wall. Kate found what felt like an opening, and then she
disappeared into a broom closet. The footsteps grew even
louder.

Like a tiger hiding in the darkness, she
watched the guard as he slowly passed by, clueless that he was
about to become prey to his own victim. As his back faced her, Kate
lunged up from the closet and jabbed him in his side with the
taser, dropping him to his knees immediately. The loud thud drew
the attention of the other goon.

Retreating once more into her cubby hole,
she took out the next guy using the same technique, while he
checked his unconscious friend. Kate slowly dragged both men into
her former prison and locked all three guards in their own holding
cell.