Secret Agent Father (7 page)

“I’ve made arrangements for Shelby and me to hide out in a small hotel several miles from here,” Alex said, changing the subject. “Rafe, I want you to take Kayla, Brianna and her grandmother to the resort and then come and meet up with us afterward.”

Rafe nodded. “All right. But I think we need to get rid of Shelby’s car, in case someone used it to track her here. I can’t figure out how else they found her. I tried checking it over, but without the proper instruments, a tracking device could be anywhere. I thought I’d have some friends of mine pick it up and take it back to Green Bay.”

“Sounds reasonable.” Alex raised a brow. “Can I borrow your Jeep? There’s a storm headed this way.”

“Sure.”

They finalized their plans. Kayla offered the use of her SUV since Ellen had agreed to pick up her and Brianna to head to the resort. When they had every angle covered, they ate some quickly prepared sandwiches, more for the kids’ sake, before splitting up.

When Cody realized the puppy wasn’t coming with them, he threw a rare temper tantrum. Shelby concentrated on calming him down, and she couldn’t help wondering if she’d made the right decision. Was she being selfish? Would it be better for Cody to be at the water park resort with Kayla and Brianna?

“Did you know that Clyde is going to have a new batch of brothers and sisters soon?” Alex asked, crouching down so he was at eye level with Cody.

Magically the boy’s tears vanished. “Really?”

Alex gave a solemn nod. “Yep, the puppies are due in early May. Maybe we can get one of the puppies for you. Would you like that?”

Cody’s eyes widened in awe. “A puppy? For my very own?”

Shelby wanted to protest that Alex had no right to promise such a thing, yet hadn’t she already thought of getting Cody a puppy once this was over? Still, this was the sort of thing both parents should agree on. Alex had no idea she’d planned on allowing Cody to have a pet.

“You have to be a good boy and listen to your mother—er—your aunt Shelby. Do you understand?”

Cody nodded vigorously and the crisis was adverted.

Irrationally annoyed, the brief conversation replayed over and over in her mind as she buckled Cody’s toddler seat into the back of Rafe’s Jeep.

“All set?” Alex asked softly.

She nodded and pushed her uncharitable thoughts away. Why was she upset? This was what she’d wanted, for Cody and Alex to have some sort of relationship. She’d asked for God’s help. He’d answered. She should be glad.

She then buckled Cody in, making sure he had his animal kingdom figures to help keep him entertained on the long ride, before she climbed into the passenger seat. The time was only about three in the afternoon, but the clouds were so dark and thick overhead that the hour seemed much later.

She swallowed hard, trying not to succumb to the impending sense of doom. Being close to Alex in the car was a bit unnerving. She wasn’t afraid of him, but it felt strange for her and Cody to be alone with him. Still, she couldn’t deny she was relieved they were leaving the bed-and-breakfast and those disturbing cigarette butts, to find anonymity in another hotel far from here.

“Do you really think the bad guy put something on my car?” she asked.

He glanced at her, his brow furrowed in a deep frown. “I’m not sure how they found you, Shelby. Could be they somehow tracked either Trina’s phone or your car. Or maybe you were followed and we just didn’t catch on. But either way, we should have our bases covered now. You didn’t bring Trina’s phone, right?”

“I turned it off and left it back at the B & B like you told me to do.”

“Good. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

He sounded so certain, she believed him. Slowly she unclenched her twisted hands, willing herself to relax.

Alex had only driven for ten miles when large, fat,
wet snowflakes began to fall. The slick roads forced him to slow his speed considerably.

“Do you think we’ll get to the hotel before dinnertime?” she asked, not because she was hungry but because traveling with a child Cody’s age meant keeping track of meals.

“I hope so.” Alex’s attention was riveted on the highway. She could see from the compass in Rafe’s Jeep they were heading northeast.

The snow fell harder, covering the roads with an icy slush, forcing Alex to slow his speed even further. He glanced in the rearview mirror frequently.

“Is there someone behind us?” Shelby asked, craning her neck around.

“Yeah. For the past two miles.” Alex did not look happy and he gripped the steering wheel tightly. “As soon as I find a cross street, I’m going to pull off so we can lose him.”

Her stomach clenched. Another coincidence? She hoped so.

“What is he doing?” Alex suddenly ground out.

Before she could ask what he meant, she saw the black truck swerve into the oncoming lane of traffic, pulling up beside them even though they were in a no-passing zone, heading into a sharp curve in the highway.

“Hang on!” Alex shouted as he hit the brakes.

Too late. The black truck smashed into them, sending the Jeep skidding across the slick road, crashing up against the side rail of the highway.

“No!” Shelby cried. The metal rail gave away, allowing the Jeep to barrel down into the steep ravine below.

A
lex fought to stay conscious, even though his head pounded from the impact of the air-bag deployment. The Jeep finally came to rest against a band of evergreens, miraculously intact. For long moments he couldn’t move. The abrupt silence after listening to the Jeep crash against the rocks and trees was just as deafening.

“Shelby?” He leaned over to put a hand on her shoulder, fearing the worst. Relief overwhelmed him when she stirred and lifted her head. There was a small cut on her forehead, but her eyes were clear.

“I’m fine. Cody?”

Cody, who didn’t have the benefit of air bags to protect him from the crash. Alarm gripped him by the throat and he struggled to release the latch of the seat belt so he could turn around to check his son.

A soft keening cry from the backseat nearly made him weep in relief. Shelby got her seat belt undone first and crammed her body through the narrow opening between the seats to reach him.

“Shh, Cody. It’s all right. We’re fine. God was watching over us. He kept us safe.”

Alex paused at her words. Maybe she was right.
Maybe God had been watching over them. This accident could have ended much worse.

Except it wasn’t an accident. The black truck had stayed on his tail, no matter how hard he’d tried to put distance between them. And when the truck had pulled up alongside, Alex had glimpsed the driver through the tinted windows the moment the guy had jerked the steering wheel, sideswiping them.

There was no doubt in his mind that the driver of the black truck had hit them on purpose. Alex would have bet his pension on it. Spurred by a new sense of urgency, he unlatched his seat belt and took stock of their situation. Thankfully they’d taken Rafe’s sturdy Jeep. If they’d been in Shelby’s small compact car, they wouldn’t have stood much of a chance. He swallowed hard, trying to see out the cracked window.

The snow had cushioned their fall, minimizing the damage but they weren’t out of danger yet. The driver of the black truck could be right now coming down the ravine to finish what he’d started.

“We can’t stay here,” he rasped, using all his strength to pry his dented driver’s door open.

Shelby had gotten Cody out of his seat and was holding him protectively in her arms. “Alex, it’s cold and wet out there. He’ll freeze.”

He shared her concern. Cody’s body mass was so small he was at a much higher risk for hypothermia. Yet if they stayed here, they were too much like a beacon, drawing the driver of the truck directly toward them.

“I’ll come up with something,” he promised before he jumped out into the snow and made his way to the back of the Jeep.

Rafe worked for the coast guard. And he loved to camp and fish. Surely he had some leftover gear in the back they could use. The back window was broken open and he leaned in, thrilled to discover his gut instincts were right.

Rafe had plenty of stuff tossed back there.

As he rummaged through the gear, picking and choosing what they needed the most and discarding the items that held little value other than weighing them down, he listened to Shelby talking in a low voice to Cody.

No, not talking. Praying.

“Heavenly Father, we thank You for keeping us safe in Your loving arms. Please continue to give us Your strength and guidance, Lord, as we seek shelter from the storm. Amen.”

Cody’s young voice echoed, “Amen.”

Humbled, he finished rifling through Rafe’s things with a renewed sense of purpose. They could do this. After all, God was watching over Shelby and Cody.

And maybe, even though he hadn’t prayed or stepped inside anything resembling a church in years, God was watching over him, too.

Alex climbed back into the Jeep with his loot of supplies. He knew Shelby had doubts about the wisdom of leaving the vehicle.

She phrased her next words carefully. “Won’t it be better to stay here, until we’re rescued?”

“We don’t want just anyone to find us,” he answered, with a meaningful glance at Cody. Her eyes widened when she absorbed his hidden meaning. “Don’t worry,” he interjected when she opened her mouth. “We won’t
have to hike too far. As soon as we’re safely hidden, I’ll get in touch with Rafe.”

“Cody is too young to hike,” she protested.

“I’m going to make a sling, like this, and carry Cody against my chest. Rafe has a survival blanket which helps contain body heat. With the survival blanket and sharing my body heat, he’ll be as snug as a bug in a rug.”

He was encouraged when she forced a smile and nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

Considering it was the only plan he had at the moment, he didn’t respond. Hiking through the snow while carrying Cody’s additional weight would not be easy. He’d made the sling out of the nylon tent, but Shelby would have to carry a pack of supplies, too. When he handed her the gear, she didn’t voice a single complaint.

Soon they were ready to go.

Outside, he scanned the area, searching for any sign that the driver of the black truck was making his way to find them. But the swirling snow had a negative impact on the visibility and the only sound he could hear was the whistling wind.

As much as he would have preferred taking the easy route using gravity to head farther down the ravine, he forced himself to take a parallel path from the Jeep, going back in the direction from which they’d come.

He wasn’t crazy, he simply hoped to buy a little time, in case his worst fears were correct and the driver was brave enough or foolish enough to search for them. With any luck, by the time the guy found the Jeep, partially hidden in the evergreen trees, the wind would have obliterated their tracks in the snow. The driver
would assume that since they had Cody, they’d head down the ravine, continuing north.

It wasn’t a perfect plan, but the best he could drum up at the moment.

As if sensing the seriousness of the situation, Cody kept quiet in his makeshift sling. Alex tried to keep his gait as smooth as possible, clasping one arm securely around the boy to avoid jostling him too much. He led the way, but had insisted he and Shelby be tied together with rope found in the back of Rafe’s Jeep, since they could barely see a few feet in front of their faces.

He’d figured they’d only gone about a mile when the rope tugged sharply. He stopped and turned around to find Shelby on her hands and knees in the snow. He staggered toward her, a sense of hopelessness washing over him.

How much more could Shelby take? They’d barely gone a mile but in these adverse conditions, it seemed like ten. He was breathing hard and he was accustomed to physical labor. How much longer could they battle the storm? They needed shelter. Soon.

He helped Shelby to her feet, and clasped her hands, peering at her through the snow. “Are you all right?”

Her mouth trembled but she nodded. “Fine,” she whispered.

Encouraged, he gave her hands a gentle squeeze before letting go. He turned about to face the invisible path he’d chosen.

As he walked, his boots sinking as far as his knees in some places, portions of Shelby’s prayer echoed in his mind and he found himself repeating them over and over again.

Heavenly Father, show us the way. Give us Your strength and guidance. Keep us safe.

Shelby clenched her teeth together, trying to keep them from clattering. Alex was amazing. He’d managed to rig up the tent he’d used to carry Cody into a temporary shelter between two large fir trees. Then he’d spread out another tarp over the snow-covered ground to minimize the chill. She was grateful he’d kept the survival blanket around Cody. With the shelter overhead and the trees around them, they were safe from the snow and the wind, but she was still wet and cold.

He’d used his cell phone to contact Rafe. At first she’d been worried the storm would ruin their connection but texting worked perfectly. They’d arranged for Rafe to contact them again, once he was in the general location, so Alex could risk marking their location with a flare.

“Here, you hold Cody for a while,” he said in a low voice, noticing her shivers despite her attempts to hide the extent of her discomfort.

“No, I don’t want him to get chilled.” She stuck her icy hands under her armpits, shivering at the coldness. “He’ll be warmer with you.”

“He’ll be okay. He’s drier than we are and with that survival blanket around him, his body is literally radiating heat.” She was grateful Cody appeared to be sleeping, a natural sleep, not one from dangerous hypothermia. Alex glanced at her. “You’ll need to take him soon anyway, when Rafe arrives.”

“I’ll wait until then.” When the feeling in her fingers returned, she clasped her knees to her chest, hugging them close. She wanted to ask if Rafe would get here
soon, but there was no point in asking the impossible. In this weather, it could easily take him hours.

She closed her eyes, giving in to her numbing exhaustion.

“Shelby,” Alex said, shaking her to get her attention. “Stay awake. Here, come over next to me, I have enough body heat for the both of us.”

Gratefully, she scooted closer, leaning against him. He wrapped his arm around her, hugging her close. He was right. She could already feel some of his warmth seeping through her jacket.

“Don’t go to sleep,” he commanded softly, still keeping his voice low so as not to disturb Cody. “Talk to me.”

“Talk? About what?”

“Anything.” He rubbed her arm, helping to warm the side of her that wasn’t pressed against his warmth. “Tell me about yourself. What made you decide to open a day care center?”

Since that was actually a fairly long story, she decided to give him the abbreviated version. “I majored in education in college with a minor in business. I taught fifth grade for a while, but it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. After Cody was born, it seemed natural to open a day care center.”

“Natural? What do you mean?”

“Teaching was all right, but I wanted more. I discovered I’m able to make a bigger impact in my children’s lives through the day care center.”

“I’m sure you’ve made a huge impact on Cody’s life,” Alex murmured. “He’s a great kid.”

“Thank you.” She smiled, finding it was easy to talk in the cozy darkness. If not for being so chilled, she’d
be comfortable here with Alex. “Yes, I like to think I’m making a difference. Trina and Stephan were very busy managing the marina. I often kept Cody overnight in my apartment above the day care. I used to wonder why they didn’t spend more time with him, but now that I know Stephan knew he wasn’t Cody’s father, it makes sense. Although I still think Trina should have been more of a mother to Cody. I guess she was trying to make Stephan happy, too.”

“Stephan wasn’t—mean to him, was he?”

“No,” she hastily reassured him. “More like indifferent in a way. I just thought they were always too busy to make time for him.”

“So you really have been like a mother to him.” He paused and then added, “Didn’t you ever think about having a family of your own?”

“I’d love to have children some day.” She couldn’t hide the longing in her tone. She stared into the darkness, thinking it was funny how she wasn’t afraid to be with Alex like this. “But I guess you’ve probably realized I have issues. With men.”

“All men?” he probed gently. “Not just me?”

“All men.” She felt bad he’d taken her aversion personally. “Unfortunately, I was attacked twice. The first time was a near miss in college.” She had no idea why she was telling him all of this, when she normally preferred not to talk about the attacks at all.

“What do you mean by a near miss?” This time his tone was lined with steel. “Did some jerk hurt you? Did he—?”

“No.” She couldn’t let him think the worst, and tried to downplay what had happened, as if she hadn’t been
completely terrorized at the time. “He didn’t want to take no for an answer, but I managed to get away, mostly unscathed.”

“Mostly unscathed.” There was a strange undertone in his voice, one she couldn’t quite pin down.

“A few bruises, nothing more.” She turned her head in the darkness, trying to see him, wishing she could read the expression in his eyes.

“Bruises.” There was a tense silence. “And the second time?”

“I was attacked down at the shipyard.”

She thought he tensed beside her, but when he didn’t say anything, she continued.

“A man came up behind me and grabbed me. I thought he was going to drag me into the warehouse, but he hit me over the head. I woke up in the hospital, and they said I was only physically attacked, nothing more.” At the time she’d feared the worst, that she’d been sexually assaulted while she was unconscious. But even without that violation, the two attacks had sometimes blurred into one awful nightmare where she’d been unable to get away. Her fear colored her interactions with every man she’d dealt with ever since.

There was another long pause. “Did they arrest the man who hit you?”

“No.” She’d often wondered if that was part of the reason she remained so haunted by the attacks. She’d sought solace in God, but there was still a part of her that was worried the man who’d attacked her would find her again.

“You reported the jerk in college, didn’t you?”

She couldn’t answer. Because she had, but the entire
event had turned into a fiasco to the point where she was made to feel like the guilty one. After all, she’d agreed to meet him in his dorm room. And he had claimed that she led him on, then changed her mind. The bruises on her chest and arms hadn’t convinced the authorities to press charges.

That experience, along with the attack at the shipyard made her want to protect Cody from being a victim, too.

Alex’s phone beeped, indicating a new text message. He looked at the message, and then shut the phone.

“Rafe is on the road where we went over. Take Cody so I can set the flare.”

“All right.” She gladly took the burden of Cody’s weight. The boy roused a bit with the movement.

Alex pulled the flare out of his coat pocket and made his way to the edge of their enclosure.

“Shelby?” She glanced up at him. “We’re not finished with this conversation.”

Before she could respond, he disappeared into the cold.