“Who will hear me, Julian?” The sheriff inched closer.
He shook his head. “No one.” What was happening to him?
“Miss Lakeman has been missing since yesterday. I’m asking you again, have you seen her?”
“Stand your ground, Julian. Be tough.”
Julian nodded and met the sheriff’s gaze. “You need to leave. You can’t have her. Not yet.”
All three men in front of him drew their guns.
“Where is she?” The sheriff’s voice brooked no argument.
“Get out of my way, Julian! I’ll teach them to come here and make demands!”
“No—”
But there was no stopping Damian. “You can’t have her!”
More horses arrived. Men with shovels. He counted five.
The sheriff called over his shoulder. “Dig every last inch of it up.”
His garden!“No!”Julian lunged at the man.
Shots rang in the air.
The darkness seeped out of him as he lay on the ground, staring at the blue sky. Anna. He couldn’t let anything happen to Anna.
Why was it so cold?
She heard the voices outside. Then gunshots.
Anna pounded on the door. “Help! I’m down here!”
She pounded again. Her arm would surely be bruised after this, but she didn’t care.
“Anna? Anna? Are you all right?” Joshua’s voice was the sweetest thing she’d ever heard. They’d found her!
“I’m here. Please ... just get me out.” She leaned her forehead against the door. What she wouldn’t give to jump into his arms right now.
“Oh, thank God! We’ll get you out right away.”
“Step back, Joshua.” Another voice rang out. “Miss Lakeman, we have to shoot the lock off so move away from the door!”
“All right.” She rushed down the stairs and hid as far away from the door as she could.
Another shot rang out. Then the explosive sound of boots on wooden stairs. A lot of boots.
“Anna!”
Joshua’s was the first face she saw. She dashed straight to his arms. For several moments, he held her as she cried.
“Miss Lakeman?”
She brought her head up. It was the sheriff.
“Are you hurt?” He approached her.
