Page 58 of Refuge for Ailsa

Dusk was creeping in,and Tavish was panicking. There was no sign, no word, nothing. He’d hoped someone would ask for ransom and they could find her and get her back, although he already knew how that usually went. It didn’t matter. He needed some kind of hope, and there was none.

By the time it was really dark, everyone was packing up to go home?everyone except Conor and Morris. When he’d gotten Tavish’s call, Harley had worked overnight, so he told Tavish he needed to go home and get a little rest so he’d be fresher, and Tavish agreed. “You need to get some rest too,” he told Tavish before he headed out.

“Yes. You do,” Conor agreed.

“I can’t stand to go back to the boat alone. I just can’t.”

Morris stood there with his arms folded across his chest. “You’re not going alone. You will not be alone. We’re going too.”

Tavish couldn’t believe it. Two men he barely knew were volunteering to stay with him and keep him company. He’d always heard about the bond between first responders, but he’d always been in a situation where he worked pretty much alone. From what he could tell, he’d been missing out all those years. These guys really did stick together, and he would be forever grateful.

Conor and Morris took the bed after covering it with a sheet so their scents wouldn’t be on it. It didn’t matter; he couldn’t bring himself to lie in her bed without her, so Tavish took the sofa. A million things swirled through his head, and he liked none of them. Sleeping was impossible. When he went into the bathroom, her hairbrush was lying there and, for some reason, it comforted him to see it, so he picked it up. Alone in the living room, he placed it on his chest, and he could smell her shampoo coming from the bristles. A hairbrush.

It was all he had. Ailsa was gone.

* * *

She heardthe latch pop and there was a sudden rush of outside air. Someone grabbed her by her hair and hauled her out. Without use of her hands, she fell from what she’d assumed was a trunk to the ground and landed with a thud. She kept being jostled, and she realized whoever had her was kicking her gently all over. Were they checking to see if she was alive? She wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of fighting it, so she lay there, still and quiet, as they walked around and around her.

Then a voice snarled, “Get up,” and hoisted her to her feet by her arms.I know that voice. Who is that?she asked herself. It was a familiar voice, but not one she heard every day. “Come on.” She was grabbed roughly by the arm and pulled forward, stumbling as she went.I lost a shoe, she realized, but there was nothing she could do about it.

They walked along, and she could hear something. It sounded like… water. The lake. And the scent of the lake water was there too. They were somewhere at the lake, but where? No familiar sounds met her ears, no noises of cars or boats, and the person with her wasn’t talking. They walked along until the voice said, “Stop.”

She stood there in horror as they cut her clothes away and left her with nothing but her bra and panties. “Kick off that shoe.” She did as she was told. “Walk.” As she stepped forward, something cut her foot, but when she hesitated, the voice commanded, “Go on.” Then her feet found something familiar.

Water. She was being marched into the water. “Keep walking.” When she was up to her chest in the cool lake water, the voice barked, “Stop.” There was some kind of movement, and then it said, “You’d better hold your breath or you’ll drown.” A split second later, she was thrust into the water, her wrists and ankles still bound, and she panicked.This is it. I’m going to die.There was the sensation of being pulled down, down, down, how far she couldn’t tell, and then of rising.

In a few seconds, she broke through the surface, but she could tell she wasn’t outside. The air was stale and hot, and she was still in the water, but there were no waves or movement of any kind. “Up you go,” the voice told her, and she found herself sitting on a very narrow ledge, still in the water from her ribcage down. Was she in a pool? It didn’t sound like a pool. There was a hollow, ringing quality to the voice, and she couldn’t hear any other sound.Where the hell am I?she wondered. “Be careful and don’t fall off. You can’t swim, so if you fall off, you’ll drown.”

Those were the last words she heard. There was a splashing sound, and she knew whoever it was had left her there. Staying on the ledge wasn’t easy. It only came to within about three inches of the backs of her knees, so the potential to slip off was huge. That meant she couldn’t sleep. If she did, she ran the risk of falling off, and she’d most definitely drown.

Ailsa sat back and tried to relax just a little while still trying to figure out a way to get away, but she came up with nothing. And then recognition hit her square in the face.

She knew exactly who that voice was. And she was pretty sure she’d never see daylight again.

* * *

The houseboat becametheir command post. Bewildered, Toby and Vince went about trying to keep the business running without its owner, and for that, Tavish knew Ailsa would be grateful. Every time he passed one of them, he thanked them again for what they were doing. At one point, a weepy-eyed Toby told Tavish, “Sir, I don’t know how long we can do this. We don’t know enough about this end of the business to take care of things.”

“I’ll get somebody in here to help you,” he promised the boys. “It’ll be fine. You’re doing great.” But it was true. They were too young and inexperienced, and he hoped that Maureen could come and help. She taught fourth grade and school was out. He knew she’d pitch in if he asked, and he had about decided it was necessary.

But he groaned when his phone rang. Instead of the usual greeting, he belted out, “Sir, I’m so sorry, but I can explain why?”

“Stewart, what the hell is going on? I had to find out from Wafford that you were nowhere to be found, and I find that highly irregular for you. Would you like to explain?”

He wondered what his expression was when Harley snatched his phone right out of his hand. “Who am I speaking with, please?”

“Uh, this is CaptainJosh Mabry, commander of KDFWR district six. Who’s this?”

“Sir, this is LieutenantHarley Wright, BoyleCounty Sheriff’s Department. Could we speak for just a moment, please?” He watched Harley nod, hold up a finger, and then turn and walk outside. What the fuck was he saying to Mabry?I’m gonna get fired. I’ll never see my girlfriend again, and I’ll never work in Kentucky again. Great. My life is going to shit and I don’t know how to fix it.Then the door opened and Harley held out his phone. “He wants to talk to you.”

Tavish took the phone, feeling timid and small, and managed to say, “Sir, I’m so, so sorry.”

“Stewart, don’t worry about it. I wish you had called me, but I can understand why you didn’t. Look, if we can help in some way, please let me know. I’ll get people from districts five and seven to come help too. Don’t hesitate to call. And Tavish?”

He was damn near in tears. “Yes, sir?”

“I’m sorry this has happened. I didn’t know you were seeing somebody, but I’ve wondered for a long time why you haven’t been in a relationship. And now this. Son, it’s gonna be okay, and if it’s not, your KDFWR family will stand with you. You hear me?”

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