Falling in Love on Willow Creek by Debbie Mason

Chapter Twelve

Sadie tried to put her daughter and Michael out of her head as she shut off the engine a couple hundred yards from the cottage. But the image of his handsome face smiling at her daughter, who gurgled up at him from where she was strapped to his chest, wasn’t easily dismissed. Her feelings for him even less so. It wasn’t only her daughter who was entranced by the man. And just like Michaela’s feelings for him, Sadie didn’t know where her own came from or why.

She couldn’t just put it down to him being with her the night Michaela was born. Eddie had been there too, and she didn’t fantasize about him. Or rub against him, she thought with a sigh. Not one of her best moments.

Then again, she hadn’t had many best moments these past three months. Admittedly, if she’d had any at all, the two people she was trying not to think about played starring roles. And she’d left them and that cozy family scene to traipse through the woods in the dark of night to meet with her brother, who’d caused her no end of heartache. She could only imagine what Michael would think if he knew the truth.

The last thing she wanted was to lie to him but she didn’t feel like she had a choice. He would have stopped her if he’d known what she was up to. Tried to stop her, she amended. Because there wasn’t a reason he could come up with that she hadn’t already thought of herself. It was a risk she had to take. For her grandmother’s sake, not her brother’s.

Elijah was waiting for her at the big rock they used to chip away at as kids, positive the ridges that sparkled and shone were bands of gold. Even back then, her brother was looking for a get-rich-quick scheme.

She leaned across the console to retrieve her hiking boots and flashlight off the passenger seat. She had put them in the car long before Michael had arrived so they’d be ready for her to sneak off into the night. He’d have no idea how much she would have preferred to stay at the cottage with him and Michaela.

With the flashlight on her lap, Sadie opened the driver’s-side door and swung her legs around. She slipped off her sneakers and then pulled on the well-worn hiking boots, listening to the crickets in the meadow, the bullfrogs down by the creek, and the yip of the coyotes in the woods.

She sat for a minute, taking it all in, the melodic sounds of spring, the sweet scent of the flowers in the meadow. The last thing she’d wanted was to come home to Highland Falls. So far everything, other than Michael, had proven she’d been right to make a life in Charlotte instead of here. But this—the sights and sounds and the beauty of this place she’d called home. She hadn’t known how much she’d missed it until that moment.

An owl hooted from a tree across the road, pulling her out of her reverie. She grabbed her windbreaker and her black canvas backpack and got out of the SUV. Old habits die hard, she thought as she put on the dark, lightweight jacket and then slid the straps of the heavy backpack she’d filled for her brother over her shoulders. She was still looking after him. She supposed she couldn’t be mad at her grandmother for doing the same. But she was furious at her brother for putting Agnes at risk, physically and financially.

She shut the door of the SUV, harder than was smart. Sound carried out here. The last thing she wanted was to draw attention to herself. The situation her brother had dragged them into was dangerous.

She put her hand in the pocket of her jacket, closing her fingers around the gun. It gave her a measure of comfort. She knew how to use it. Her brother didn’t. But Sadie fully intended that he’d be a half-decent shot before the night was out.

The quarter moon shining down from the star-littered sky didn’t do much to light her way through the meadow. She turned on the flashlight, keeping the beam low to the ground. She kept her ears open, listening for sounds that didn’t belong as she walked into the woods.

In the distance, she thought she heard the crunch of tires on gravel and turned, scanning the long, winding dirt road. No car lights, no other sounds. She waited a few seconds longer before continuing on the long-remembered trail to the big rock. A branch snapped, bringing her head up. She moved the beam of light through the trees. There was nothing there. Except she couldn’t shake the feeling something or someone was watching her.

You’re sleep-deprived, she reminded herself. Still, she shut off the flashlight and crouched down, letting her eyes adjust. There was a rustle of leaves. Something small, maybe a snake. The thought made her smile. She hadn’t educated Michael on the flora and fauna of Highland Falls as promised. She’d make it up to him. In the short time she’d known him, she had a lot to make up to him for. After tonight, she’d have even more.

As she straightened from the crouch, she saw a faint glow of light through the trees. She sniffed the air and sighed. Elijah. He’d started a campfire. She turned on her flashlight, once again keeping the beam low to the ground, close to her feet. Ferns erased the path she and her brother had tromped along all those years ago. They’d been close back then but time had erased the bond they shared just as easily as the ferns had erased the path.

She saw him before he saw her. His hands were cupped above the small flame, tiny embers floating around his head, turning the chestnut-colored hair they shared to red.

“If someone is looking for you, you’ve made it easy for them to find you, Elijah.” It worried her that she’d gotten this close without him being aware of her presence.

His head shot up, the fear she saw on his face turning to relief. He stood, wiping his palms on his jeans. They were worn and torn.

“You came,” he said. “I didn’t think you would.”

She opened her mouth to tell him she’d come for their grandmother, not for him. It was the truth, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the words. He looked young, and scared. The expression on his face was similar to the one he’d worn the night they realized their parents weren’t coming back for them.

She slid the backpack off her shoulders. “I don’t know why. I’ve always kept my word to you.”

He nodded, dragging a hand down the side of his face. “I messed up, Sadie. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. Honest, I didn’t. I just wanted to make a few extra bucks. I thought I could make a go of Highland Tours. All I needed was to come up with a few thousand until I made a name for myself.”

“That’s what you told me when I gave you two thousand dollars, Elijah.” Money she’d been saving to buy a place of her own. She’d invested so much of her hard-earned money into her brother’s schemes that there’d never been anything left to make her own dreams come true. That had been the last time, she’d promised herself then. It was a promise she meant to keep.

“I know, I know. But it wasn’t enough. I told you it wouldn’t be.”

“So you tried doubling it by gambling online. And lost it all,” she guessed. Although knowing her brother as well as she did, it was an educated guess. And apparently she’d guessed correctly, given the dejected slump of his shoulders.

“If you just came to remind me that I’m a screwup, you might as well go. I know I am.”

She tossed him the backpack. “There’s a change of clothes, a jacket, some food, and two hundred dollars. It’s all I can spare. Don’t ask Granny for any more money, Elijah. She’s broke.”

His eyes glistened in the firelight. “I didn’t know how bad it was. She said the store was doing well. You have to know I wouldn’t have taken it from her if I’d known.”

Sadie wanted to believe him, but she didn’t. “Now you do, so I don’t want to see your girlfriend in the store begging for cash. I’ll be there with Granny from now on.”

“Don’t blame Payton. She didn’t know where to turn. She’s pregnant. We’re having a baby, Sadie.” He smiled, like she should be happy about the news.

“Congratulations. I have a baby, you know. Her name’s Michaela.”

“Right, yeah.” He winced and then gave her a quiet smile. “You always wanted to be a mom. I bet you’re a great one.”

It would probably cheer him up to hear how spectacularly she was failing at motherhood. He’d always thought life came easily to her. “Why am I here, Elijah? What do you need from me?”

“Do you have to say it like that, Sadie? Don’t you think I feel bad enough? I tried to get out of it. I tried to do the right thing.”

“You agreed to distribute drugs and then you decided to keep some for yourself. How, in your mind, does that equate to doing the right thing?”

“You don’t know the whole story.” He shook his head. “I don’t know why I thought you’d help me.”

“Don’t pull your woe-is-me act, Elijah. Just give it to me straight. Where are the drugs?”

“I don’t know.”

“How can you not—”

“I was scared. I wanted out, and once you’re in, you’re in. The only way you get out is in a body bag. So I thought I could make a deal. They let me out, and I give them their cocaine back.” He looked away and mumbled something.

“What did you just say?”

“I got wasted. I was scared and panicked and started drinking and smoking a little weed. I don’t remember what I did with the drugs.” He nodded at a shovel leaning against the rock. “I thought it might be here but it’s not.” His voice cracked. “I don’t know what to do. They’re after me, Sadie. I told Granny I was in trouble, but it’s worse than that. They want me dead. I know too much.”

She searched his face. He wasn’t lying. “From where I’m standing, you have only one choice to make, and that’s to go to the police. Gabe is a friend of mine. He’s a good guy. We’ll—”

“No. You don’t understand, Sadie. I can’t go to the police. I already did, and that man is dead because of me.”

A chill tiptoed down her spine. “What do you mean?”

“The guy they found dead in the woods a little more than a week ago? He was a deputy with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. His name was Brodie. I was his CI—his confidential informant. He—” A gunshot blast rent the night air.

Sadie threw herself at her brother, bringing him to the ground as a bullet whizzed past their heads. She grabbed Elijah by his shirt and the backpack by the strap, dragging them with her as she belly-crawled behind the rock. Another blast of gunfire came from the opposite direction, the bullet pinging off the front of the rock.

“There’s two of them,” she whispered, taking the gun from her pocket. She didn’t bother asking her brother if he was armed so she was surprised when he lifted his T-shirt to pull a gun from the back of his jeans.

He shrugged. “Granny made me take her gun when I went on the run last summer.”

Two consecutive shotgun blasts echoed in the woods, the bullets hitting the top of the boulder, sending shards of granite onto their heads.

“Do you know how to use it?” she whispered while digging a water bottle out of the backpack.

“Yeah, I’ve been practicing,” he whispered back.

“Good. Pick up one of those rocks and toss it hard to your right.” As he did as she directed, Sadie leaned around the boulder to toss the water on the fire. The flame sputtered and then winked out at the same time one of the shooters fired where Elijah had tossed the rock.

Her heart racing, she leaned back against the boulder, taking a moment before whispering to her brother, “On the count of three, shoot once, then get off a second shot to the right of your first one.” If they gave the impression that there were more than just the two of them, maybe the shooters would back off.

She counted down and fired on three. Elijah’s gun jammed. Seconds later, she got off another shot. Her brother managed to get off one too. Bullets pinged off either side of the rock. Her plan hadn’t worked. The shooters weren’t backing off. If anything, they were getting closer.

Sadie patted the ground, her fingers closing over the rocks that had been digging into her thigh. She handed one to her brother. “I’m going to throw mine, and then you’re going to throw yours. Once you do, I want you to run low and fast, but not in a straight line, Elijah. Go to the caves.”

He shook his head. “I’m not leaving you.”

“It’s you they want. Here.” She handed him her gun. It was more reliable than her grandmother’s. Another shot rang out, the bullet shredding the bark of the tree she’d gauged the person shooting at her to be hiding behind.

A man swore and a radio crackled.

She wondered if his partner had nearly shot him. Or were there now more than two shooters? She didn’t have time to figure it out or what it meant for them. “Be careful, Elijah,” she said and drew back her arm.

They threw the rocks within seconds of each other. Elijah’s skipped along the ground. It sounded like someone was running through the woods while hers sounded like someone had run into a tree. He’d always had a good arm—and a soft heart, she thought at the sight of tears shining on his cheeks. “I love you, Sadie. You and Granny. Don’t die,” he said, then sprinted into the woods.

She didn’t have time to respond or to think about the danger they were in. She had to cover his back. She inched up and got off a shot down the middle of where she suspected the two men were positioned, ducking down when they returned fire. Only the gunshots weren’t directed at her. They seemed to be directed at the initial shooters…or had they gone after her brother? The snap of branches and crackle of leaves indicated they were on the run.

“Stay safe, baby brother,” she whispered. She should have told him she loved him. It might have been her only chance. She pushed away the dark thoughts and leaned as far to the left as she could without making herself a target. Raising the gun, she aimed it in the direction the last shot had come from and pulled the trigger. The gun jammed again.

Branches snapped under heavy footfalls. Someone was coming her way. She closed her eyes and prayed. Then she aimed in the direction of the sound. She pulled the trigger. The gun jammed.

In the distance, she heard rapid shots of gunfire. Someone returned fire, and then someone yelled out in pain. The gunfire and the cry didn’t come from her brother, she was sure of it. The caves were in the opposite direction. But the heavy footfalls had closed in on her.

She scrambled for the flashlight. Turning it on, she smothered the beam of light on her thigh, searching the ground for a good-size rock. Finding one near the base of the boulder, she hefted it in her hand. She’d let them get close enough, shine the light in their eyes, and hit them with the rock. Then she’d take off and pray she’d bought herself enough time to get away.

She shot to her feet, shining the light directly into a man’s face. She raised her hand with the rock.

“Sadie, it’s me. It’s Gabe.”

Fighting back a sob, she let her hand fall to her side. “Thank God.”

An hour later, as she sat on the couch in the cottage, she wished anyone but Gabe had found her. She hated to lie to him but she wouldn’t put him in danger. The last law enforcement officer her brother had confided in had died.

“I’m sorry. I wish I could tell you more, Gabe. But like I said, I’d barely gotten to say two words to my brother when they started shooting at us.”

“You left here at nine-fifty,” Michael said. “According to Gabe, reports of gunfire came in at ten-ten. Surely you would have had time to share more than a few words with your brother.” His intent stare hadn’t left her face from the moment she walked in with Gabe. It was like he was judging her every move, every word, and he clearly found them lacking in sincerity.

He was angry—at her. He didn’t have to say so with words; his expression told her everything she needed to know.

“You missed your calling, Michael. You should have been in law enforcement.” She tried for a flippant tone instead of a guilty one.

“I am.”

Gabe glanced at him.

He shrugged. “Park rangers fall under the purview of law enforcement.” His gaze returned to her face, no doubt waiting for her answer.

“I don’t know what you want from me. I can’t tell you any more than I already have. The people you should be questioning are the ones who shot at me and my brother.”

“They were shooting at your brother. If you hadn’t gone off to meet with him, you wouldn’t have been in danger, and your daughter wouldn’t have been at risk of losing her mother.” Michael shoved his hands in the pockets of his chinos and looked away, his jaw clenched.

Those were the words that she’d been waiting for from the moment she’d walked through the door. “I know. I’m sorry I lied to you, Michael. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Use your head,” he said, then winced. “I should probably go.”

“Me too. I’ll follow up with you tomorrow, Sadie. You might remember something after you’ve had some rest. I’m leaving one of my deputies. They’ll be outside in their patrol car.”

“Thank you.” She stood up to see them to the door. It wasn’t until she did that she realized the boxes that had filled her living room and kitchen were gone. “Michael, wait. Can you stay a minute?”

She thought he might ignore her and keep walking as Gabe opened the front door. But he stopped, murmured something to Gabe, and then turned to her.

Gabe glanced from Michael to her, a pained grimace on his face as he shut the door behind him.

“What did you want to say, Sadie?”

“I just wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done, looking after Michaela, unpacking and putting everything away. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.” She gave him a tentative smile.

He didn’t return it. “You’re welcome.” He reached for the door and glanced back at her. “Goodbye, Sadie.”

There was a coldness, a finality in his words, and her heart tumbled to her toes.

“I’m not going to see you again, am I?” she asked.

“I’m sorry. But no, you won’t.”