Although she was a country girl at heart, Sophie had also become a city girl while spending the last eight years in Seattle. Part of which meant she was alert at all times to any danger or anything that didn’t seem right around her. However, tonight through her tears and blurry mind she hadn’t been paying attention. She hadn’t realized that a van had been following her for two blocks. She’d hidden in an alleyway for a while and only come back out when she thought the danger, real or imagined, had past.
She knew all the streets of Glacier Valley like the back of her hand and had doubled back five blocks from Wade’s house hoping she’d lose whoever was trying to scare her by stalking her in the van. Why they were doing it was beyond her. Glacier Valley was one of the last places on earth where someone could walk around safely. A few folks probably still left their front doors unlocked, too. And sure some kids often pulled pranks, but if this was one of them, it wasn’t funny and yes, they’d scared her so it was time to move on. She turned the corner confident that she’d finally lost the van. She went cold from head to toe when she saw it again, and this time it was heading straight for her. There was just enough light for her to see it had Colorado plates.
It wasn’t stopping, and she guessed they were going to run her down. Sophie turned to run. Even though she wasn’t a kid any more she was still pretty quick of her feet. She couldn’t hear its engine rumbling behind her any more.
Yeah, maybe it had been kids, kids from out of town who just wanted to scare people. Nothing better to do. She’d better get a move on and run back to Wade’s house before he started panicking wondering where she was. She got a couple of feet down the street when she felt someone grab her from behind and then a hand covering her mouth before she could scream. She kicked backwards with her heel, but unfortunately she was wearing running shoes and not pumps. She struggled some more, tried her best to scream even though a large palm covered most of her mouth. She guessed it was a man by the size of the hand and the grip he had on her.
She was out of ideas about what to do. The next thing she knew a wad of cotton that had a similar smell to a hospital was placed over her nose and mouth. She tried not to breathe in its odor, but it was either that or become oxygen deprived. Taking one deep breath was the last thing Sophie remembered.
****
Wade and his dad had first driven off to Emily’s to check if Sophie had returned. She hadn’t, and now Wade, although an ex-lawman and usually calm, had all sorts of terrible thoughts running through his mind. They’d promised Sophie’s grandmother they’d keep her up to date on anything they found out. The poor woman was sick with worry herself. They’d driven back to Wade’s dad place where he’d suggested he call the police to see if they could help.
“Wade’s worried sick about his fiancée,” said Bob. “How about sending a police car just to take a look around town?”
He winked at Wade.
“I know you can’t do any favors because it would look bad, but the boy’s going crazy here. She just heard some bad news, and we’re worried she’s not thinking straight.”
Wade couldn’t hear the response.
“Nope, we’re not saying we think she’s harmed herself.”
Wade shook his head. “Sophie wouldn’t do that, but I’m thinking she might have slipped down someplace. A couple of ranchers have seen bears and cougars close to town, too.”
His dad held up his hand as he listened to the police officer respond.
“That would be great. I know my boy will appreciate you doing that. And we’ll be at my house should you find her or any information about her whereabouts.”
Bob put the phone down.
“He said he’ll drive around town, but if he doesn’t find anything we can’t do anything else until she’s been missing at least twenty-four hours.”
Wade nodded. In twenty four hours if they hadn’t found Soph, he’d be tearing the town apart piece by piece himself.
*****
Sophie had a thumping head. She felt giddy, and she couldn’t breathe properly because a rag had been placed inside her mouth and her hands tied behind her back. Her shoulder muscles ached; and she knew she was minutes away from vomiting. She knew she’d been put into the back of a van and guessed it was the same one that had followed her.
She’d been kidnapped, but why? Grans wasn’t well off, and neither was Wade, so money couldn’t be a motive.
Unless of course, this had something to do with Michael Ambrose’s murder and maybe they were going to kill her, too. But wait a minute wouldn’t they have already done that?
She heard something now. Voices, a man’s voice talking. She remained quiet and still, hoping to figure out if she recognized him or not. Wait, a woman’s voice was talking back to him.
“Just what the hell have you done? He’s going to come looking for her. They all will.”
“She’s our leverage.”
“Well you better be sure she is because I’m not going to take the fall with you over this one. Kidnapping can bring in the FBI.”
Sophie heard footsteps at the back of the van and then the catch on the back door being released. Dear god, he was going to kill her. Tears ran down her face as a man with a mask stood there with a knife in his hand.
He jumped into the van and sat beside her. He fingered her hair, but she tried to pull away.
“I can see why you’re so precious to him.”
Sophie tried to say something but couldn’t because the cloth was making her retch. He put the knife toward her and cut her cheek. It stung and smarted, even more when one of her tears slid over it.
“Please,” she tried to say. “Let me go, please.”
“That all depends on your boyfriend, or is it fiancé now?”
*****
“She couldn’t have just disappeared into thin air.”
Wade ran his hand through his hair and paced up and down in his father’s house after the police officer had called to say he hadn’t found her or seen any sign of her in Glacier Valley.
“We’ll find her. I bet by morning she’ll be home and have a simple explanation where she’s been all this time,” Bob said. “Maybe she ran into an old school buddy. You know women? They’re probably jabbering about this and that, and she’s forgotten the time.”
Wade shook his head. “I know something’s wrong, and I’m not leaving Soph out there all night,” Wade said, pointing out the window.
He headed to the door ready to leave, but his dad got hold of his arm.
“And what if anything happens to you? Then Emily and I have lost two of our loved ones. Say she comes back and you’re gone.
Then she’ll start worrying, and we’ll be back where we started.”
His dad had a valid point.
“Let’s both of us go back out one more time and look for her okay?”
“Thanks, Dad.”
He slapped Wade’s back. “She was probably in shock hearing about the baby.”
“I was in shock.”
“She’ll come around to accepting that these things happen.”
Wade shook his head. “She thinks it’s an omen that we’re not supposed to be together. What with Travis getting her pregnant and…”
Oops, that slipped out before I realized it.
“Sophie and Travis had a baby?” asked Bob.
“No, Sophie had a miscarriage. She was pregnant…that’s reason she married him, not because she was in love with him like she’d made out.”
“Well I’ll be darned.”
“Dad, we have to find her. I’ve spent eight long years without her, and I can’t do it for one single day more.”
Bob put his arm around Wade’s shoulder. “We will, son, we will, and you two will live happily ever after.”