Forsaken (24 page)

The girl was in danger.

Roc had that same gut-clenching instinct when he knew, without evidence, without rhyme or reason. He simply knew. This was bad. Seriously bad.

When the door to the house closed quietly and he knew Hannah was safe for the night, Roc pulled his Glock from his holster and stepped past the yellow lab and away from the barn. At that moment, Akiva turned.

It was the same face. Those same dark eyes—soulless eyes, just as Father Roberto had described.

For a moment that seemed to stretch into eternity, Roc met the cold stare with solid intention. His thoughts spiraled down to one:
I'm going to kill you.

But then a rumbling laugh filled his head, echoed around him.

And then the son of a bitch was gone.

Gone. Again. Without even a shot fired.

Everything seemed normal.

But it wasn't.

After Hannah's family bowed their heads for a silent prayer, the eggs, biscuits, bacon, and assortment of jams and honey were passed around the table. The silence made it feel like the ceiling might cave in any minute.

Hannah passed the
Englisher
the bowl of scrambled eggs across the table where he sat in Rachel's old place. Dat and Mamm had closed expressions, their gazes shuttered, their mouths thin lines. Levi too seemed excessively quiet, but Grandpa Ephraim and Katie wore big, enthusiastic grins.

Katie's eyes were alight with wonder. “What's it like in Louisiana?”

“Same as here, I guess,” the man named Roc said. “But hotter. Swampier. Muggier. Which right about now, this time of year, sounds pretty good.”

“Your blood is thin, not used to the cold.” Grandpa Ephraim nodded as if agreeing with his own assessment. “You must eat. And over time you will become accustomed to the cold.”

“I don't plan on being here that long.”

Grandpa Ephraim heaped a pile of eggs onto his plate. “I've heard there is an Amish community in Louisiana.”

Roc shrugged. “Wouldn't know. Haven't seen any.”

“You've been here a few weeks,” Dat said, “in Promise. Have you not had success in your endeavors?”

“I've made progress in finding the man I'm looking for.”

“Oh? Who's that?” Katie asked, her eagerness catching a worried glance from Mamm.

Dat cleared his throat. “Katie, it is the man's business. Not ours.”

“It's everyone's business.” Roc rested his forearms against the edge of the table. “You all should be on the lookout for this man. Akiva is dangerous.” He looked around the table at each one of them. Levi's features folded into a frown. Finally, Roc's gaze landed solidly on Hannah.

She felt her skin blanch and coldness settled over her.

“Akiva?” Grandpa Ephraim tested out the name. “Don't reckon I know anyone by that name.”

“He's here. And—”

“Who are you?” The words came out of Hannah's mouth before she realized she'd spoken.

“Hannah,” Mamm whispered a warning.

Hannah dropped her gaze toward her lap, stared at her tense fingers clutching each other, pinching the fabric of her apron. “I do not mean offense.” Then she looked up, looked straight at Roc Girouard. “But we do not know who you are, what you are about. This man, Akiva, might say the same thing about you.”

Then she stood on wobbly legs and retreated to the door, where she drew on first her sweater, then her cape and heavier bonnet.

“Shall I drive you to work today?” Grandpa Ephraim asked. “I can drop you at the bakery before I take Roc to the battery shop.”

“The scooter will be fine.” She offered her grandfather a grateful smile and avoided the solid gaze of the
Englisher
. And Levi's too.

So where are you going?” Beth Ann swept the bakery's porch, where, in pleasant weather, customers liked to sit in the cane-backed rockers and enjoy the samplings they purchased. But this time of year, more leaves congregated on the porch than customers. “And who are you going with?”

Hannah sprayed the windows on the door with cleaner and then swiped it with a rag. “I can't say.”

“Is it with Levi then? Or that man you were with the other night?”

The rag squeaked against the windowpane, and Hannah rubbed harder than needed.

“You're not doing anything crazy, are you?”

Hannah shook her head but still didn't look at her friend's inquiring gaze. “I'll tell you later, I promise. Just now…” She paused in rubbing the paned glass. “Please don't say anything.”

The scuttling of leaves stopped and the broom stilled. Then a hand settled on Hannah's shoulder. “I promise.”

Later that afternoon, after supper and cleaning the kitchen, Hannah took off her apron and wrapped herself again in her wool cape and bonnet. Mamm came to the back door and fussed with a thick, woolen scarf and wound it around Hannah's neck. “Do you want Dat to drive you over to Beth Ann's?”

“No. I'll be fine. It's not far.”

Mamm nodded, smiled, and kissed her on the cheek. “Have a good time then.”

When they were younger, Beth Ann, Grace, and Hannah would often sleep over at each other's homes, but it had been a while and Hannah sensed Mamm was glad she was returning to some normal activity after almost two years of self-imposed isolation.

“I'll see you tomorrow.” Hannah pressed a kiss to Mamm's warm cheek.

“Remember, Rachel will be here early.” For a moment Mamm held her close, her arms tightening around Hannah, and she had the sudden yearning to lean in and hold on to all that she held dear. “The good Lord keep you safe.”

With a bundle of nightclothes in hand, she stepped out into the night. A few puffy clouds overhead looked like popcorn against the black sky, and the stars were scattered bits of salt. But the moon hung as if by a delicate thread and seemed weighted and closer to the horizon. Hannah watched the ground for potholes or rocks as she headed down the road. Night came early in December, but she felt no need of her flashlight. The clomp of hooves had her sidestepping into the dried grass.

The buggy slowed, and she recognized Levi, who had a firm grasp of the reins. “Where are you going, Hannah?”

“To Beth Ann's.” The lies came so easily now. It should have made her feel ashamed but when she saw the man sitting next to Levi in the buggy—Roc Girouard—she had an urge to laugh smugly, but she refrained.

“I'll drive you then.” Levi's serious gaze, his acceptance of her lie, caused guilt to loop around her heart.

“No, thank you, Levi. I will walk.” She regretted disappointing him and saw his jaw tick with impatience, but he only sat there watching her with his
English
friend.

“I drive right past the Shetlers' place.”

She wavered in her decision. If Levi had been alone, maybe then she would have ridden with him, but not with that man next to him. “I don't mind walking. What are you doing listening to that
Englisher
?”

“He makes sense, Hannah. You should know that.”

She snorted. “It's perfectly safe.”

“Is it?” Roc's voice although spoken softly had a shuddering impact on her.

“The good Lord tells us
let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them
.”

“Hannah,” Levi said, “you should know—”

“Fear not, Levi.” She clenched her teeth against a sudden chill, against so much more.

Then she began walking. When she was a few feet ahead of the buggy, she heard the crunch of the wheels along the gravel drive as it moved forward. At the corner, she should have taken a left to meet Akiva but with Levi watching she turned right, toward Beth Ann's house. She would have to double back later.

The buggy never passed her but kept at a slow, plodding pace behind. Its lantern gave off a hazy light that lit her path, as long as she didn't hurry her pace. The horse snorted its irritation at the slow speed. Finally, Hannah stepped to the side of the road and waited for the buggy to pull to a stop beside her.

“What are you doing, Levi Fisher?”

“Following, to make sure you get to Beth Ann's safely.”

“And why wouldn't I?”

The two men just stared at her.

She shifted from foot to foot but held her ground. “And are you now taking the
Englisher
to stay with you?”

“Just helping him run an errand.”

The skin between her brows tightened. “What is wrong with his car?”

“I don't know yet,” Roc answered for himself. “It's not the battery but that's all we know.”

Scowling at him, she huffed out a breath and continued walking. She heard the click of Levi's tongue and the jangle of the reins as horse and buggy followed.

With each footfall, her irritation built, growing taller and taller like the Tower of Babel. But was it her pride or theirs hammering the pieces into place? By the time she reached Beth Ann's front gate, it was too dark to see the house from the end of the lane. She gave a quick wave to Levi and headed down the dark path out of Levi's lantern light.

“Hannah.”

She stopped and turned, only a few feet away from the buggy but Levi's face was set in shadows and she could not read his expression. “Yes?”

“Are you happy?”

His question stunned her and softened the crustiness around her heart. “Yes, Levi, I am.”

“
Gut
. If you need anything…anything at all, you can come to me.”

Her throat welled with unspoken words and tears intermingled with guilt for her deception. Levi deserved better than someone willing to lie to him. For that's what she was doing, and yet she couldn't seem to stop herself.

“Stay safe.” His voice came to her once more.

Then the buggy creaked as it moved forward and disappeared into the night, taking the last remnants of yellow lantern light with it. She waited in the dark, hearing her breath and nothing else. After several minutes passed and the cold seeped beneath her cloak, she slid her hand into her apron and folded her stiff fingers around the flashlight's handle, not daring to turn it on and yet holding on to it somehow made her feel safer.

Counting off the minutes, trying to be patient and feeling the opposite, she finally deemed it safe to walk back the way she had come. But this time, she used the flashlight, aiming it at her feet so she could watch for sticks or ruts in the road. She quickened her steps, anxious to find Akiva before he gave up on her. After she passed her own driveway, she saw twin circles of light bore through the darkness.

She froze, pausing along the roadside, not knowing what to do, where to go. Her heart thudded heavily in her chest and Levi's warnings came back to her.
It's not safe, Hannah.

And Roc's words:
I'm searching for a dangerous man. A man named Akiva.

She stood completely still, like a deer frozen in fear. Her heart thumped loudly in her eardrums, and her breathing was harsh and ragged. The sound of a car engine rumbled, and she eased far off the road, but it never passed her.

Twin beams of light shot out of the dark and she shied away from the light. Then a car door closed. Someone walked in front of those headlights, and she could see the outline of legs, a male body. Her heart pounded out its uncertainty.

“Hannah.” Akiva's voice was a welcome relief.

Moving toward him, she heard the whisperings, like sweet nothings, teasing her ears. Or was it her heart? “I'm here.”

He held out a hand, the brilliant light behind him illuminating his skin, making it look iridescent, as if rays of light were shooting outward from his fingertips. She placed her hand in his, and his warmth folded around her. “Come. We don't want to be late.”

He walked around to the passenger side of a two-door car, and he opened it for her. A light came on inside and revealed buttons and knobs that she had no idea of the purpose of. Soft music floated outward from the interior, but she hesitated. “What's the matter, sweet Hannah?”

“I've never rode in a car before.”

“Never?”

She shook her head.

“There's always a first for everything. Don't worry, I'll drive slow.”

“But…”

“Are you afraid?”

Fear not
, she reminded herself and answered, “Not of being hurt.”

“Then of what? Losing your soul by riding in a modern convenience?” His tone mocked.

She bristled. “I would not lose my soul.”

“Jacob tried to explain your ways to me, and I did not understand all those rules. They seem like a way to suppress the folks here.”

“But there are reasons. Good reasons for—”

“I'm sure there are. But where we are going…well, you'd never get there by foot or scooter or even in a buggy. Don't you want to see what I have to show you?”

She hesitated.

“It was one of Jacob's favorite pastimes,” he tempted her. “But it's your decision, Hannah. But if you're going we must hurry or we'll be late.”

“Late?” She drew her lip between her teeth and glanced over her shoulder in the direction of her house, but she could not see the farm. It was dark. Completely dark.

Trust me
. The words were not spoken aloud but pierced her heart.

Swallowing her reservations, she nodded. “Okay then. All right.”

And she slid into the warm, comfortable seat and was surrounded by the soft instrumental music, which sounded as she'd always imagined heaven did.

Do you trust her?” Roc's words were spoken carefully.

But Levi felt a jolt right through him, and his grip on the reins tightened. “Why wouldn't I?”

“Because she's hanging out with a dangerous character.”

“Not tonight she isn't.”

“You're so sure of that, huh?”

Levi nodded, keeping his gaze on the road ahead. The lantern jiggled on the dash with the rhythm of the buggy and the light danced around them; his insides felt just as crazy and loose. “You're staying at the Benders', right?”

“It's not far.”

“I know where it is.”

That ended the conversation, and Levi focused on the cold air chaffing his hands and face, the movement of the horse, the sound of the iron shoes striking pavement. With every clip and clop, he doubted his earlier answer. Not so much about trusting Hannah, but Jacob. Because
if
his brother had returned, which Levi now suspected, then he was after one thing. Explaining that to himself was difficult enough, but to this
Englisher
sitting next to him seemed impossible. But were they chasing the same person? After all, Roc was looking for a man named Akiva. Could there be another like Jacob who committed abominations?

They reached the traffic light and Levi waited for the signal before turning the buggy onto Lincoln Highway. The frosty bite in the air could mean snow by morning.

“You love her, don't you?”

The question came without preamble or warning and shocked Levi. It was not a topic discussed much between close friends and not at all with strangers. He glanced sideways at Roc, then back to the highway. His heart beat heavily in his chest, but he gave a perfunctory nod.

“So are you gonna marry her or what?”

“There is no ‘or what' here in Promise.”

Roc laughed. “Didn't mean to impugn the lady's reputation or anything. Or your own. Of course, your intentions are honorable. I just wondered if you were going to ask her to marry you or not.” He shifted on the seat. “So how does all that work here?”

“What do you mean?”

“How does an Amish man make a lady aware of his intentions?”

Levi's throat worked overtime on a hard swallow. “Same as anywhere else, I reckon.”

“Ah, no. I don't buy that. Where I come from, a fella might buy a lady a drink. Or pick up the phone and call her. But y'all don't drink or have phones.”

“True. Do these things make it easier in your world?”

“Doubt it. Y'all seem to marry sooner than folks where I come from.” He laughed, his gaze seeking out the low-slung moon. “Sounds like we're from different planets. So what do you do? Tell the gal you're interested in straight out? Ask her out on a date?”

Levi glanced at Roc again and rubbed his jaw.

“How do you say it…courtin'? Take a buggy ride?”

“There are ways.”

Roc rolled his wrist, an encouraging gesture.

“Ways.” Levi stretched a foot out and brought it back. “There are Sunday night sing-alongs.”

“Ooh, that sounds like fun.” The way Roc said it sounded like mucking out the stalls.

“Can be. Especially escorting her home.”

Roc winked. “Gotcha. Okay, what else?”

“You can visit her in her home.”

“With her folks there I imagine.”

“Sure. Then at night, some of the kids in their running around years take a flashlight and shine a light in the girl's window.”

“What's that mean?”

“Then the girl comes out—”

“Oh, yeah, well, I guess we have that custom too.”

Levi glanced at Roc. “So why are you so curious? You do not have an Amish woman in mind for courting, do you?”

Roc gave a blustery cough. “Hell no. Oh, sorry, man. I just meant…I was married…once.”

“Once?” Levi's lips flattened. “Divorced then?” But Roc didn't answer, and Levi regretted asking. It was not his business. From Roc's stony expression, Levi knew he was treading on treacherous terrain. “Do you still love her awful much?”

Roc leaned forward, braced his elbows against his knees, and cleared his throat. “Awful is a good word for it.”

Levi nodded, fully understanding the pains one could feel in the heart. “With God, all things are possible.”

For a few minutes, only the sound of the horse's hooves and the wheels against pavement accompanied their silence. Then a light flashed behind them, the light becoming brighter and filling the inside of the buggy.

“What's up with that?” Roc turned and peered out the back window. “Can't you see we're driving here?” he yelled at the driver of the truck, as if he could be heard over the throbbing bass. “Go around.” Then he waved his arm out the side of the buggy. “Go around!”

The roar of the truck's engine swallowed up the word Roc hollered at the driver.

“Do you have to put up with that all the time?”

Levi shrugged. “It's all right, I reckon. We slow them down, I'm sure. Everyone is in such a hurry.”

“So you take everything slow, especially courting?”

Levi grinned. “You have a one-track mind, Roc Girouard.”

“I've been accused of that.”

“We marry sooner than those in the
English
world, remember?”

Roc nodded. “Okay, I give you that.”

“Sometimes courting can be rather slow, and yet it doesn't necessarily take long to figure out the right one. Then if you are blessed, you have a lifetime together.”

Roc's gaze drifted toward the road. “If you're blessed…” He rubbed his hands together. “So what about you and Hannah? When are you gonna take the bull by the horns?”

Levi's eyebrow shot upward. “I may be mistaken but Hannah is no bull.”

Roc laughed. “That's just an expression. You're already there at her place all day, working for her father. You gotta do something to get the lady's attention.”

Levi nodded. “I have spoken to her father.”

“You did? Whoa. Now that's serious. Most guys don't do that anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Too scared probably. Or maybe it's indifference.”

“It's expected here. Did you talk to your wife's father?”

“Nah, he was dead. And she didn't live at home anyway. So, what did you say to Daniel Schmidt, who by the way looks formidable in his parental role?”

“He said it was up to Hannah and her preferences.” Levi glanced downward and remembered how his own heart had pounded in his chest. “But he approved the idea.”

Roc clapped him on the shoulder. “So…what have you been waiting for?”

Levi made a turn onto High Road and the buggy swung out and then straightened behind the gelding. “She has been in mourning.”

“She a widow?”

“She was in love with my brother, Jacob, but they were never married. She is only just now eighteen.” Levi stole a glance and saw recognition in Roc's eyes. Had he heard of Jacob? If so, then what else had he heard? Levi wiped a sweaty palm on his pant leg. “My brother has been dead”—his jaw compressed on the word—“two years.”

“Do you think this Akiva fella is your brother?”

There it was: Levi's worst fear laid out like a splayed field-dressed deer. Not the question he had expected but one he'd been kicking around himself. “What makes you ask that?”

“A lot of things. I looked up the name Akiva. It's a derivative of the name Jacob. Coincidence?”

Levi shrugged, but his stomach folded into a hard knot.

“Jacob didn't die a normal death, did he?” Roc stared at him while they made a turn into the Benders' parking lot.

Levi braced his elbows on his thighs to keep his arms from shaking the way his insides were. He focused on guiding the horse to the back of the parking lot where he halted. The Benders' house was good-sized with multiple rooms and entrances. They were an older couple with only one teenager left at home; the rest of their large family had married or moved off. After setting the brake, Levi finally met Roc's probing gaze.

“I will wait for you while you get what you need.”

Roc stared at him for a long moment, and in that moment Levi knew what Roc was doing, why he'd come to the Schmidt farm. All this that Levi had admitted Roc already knew. Then Roc jumped down from the buggy. “Right. Okay.”