Quill’s head pounded. How could his careful planning to get Gia and her children out go so terribly wrong? And the things that went wrong were on him. He should’ve taken everything into account. Would he get another chance, or would he read in the newspaper that her ex-husband had killed her and taken the children?

He’d talked to Melanie and another contact, Constance. They both assured him he had done everything right, but he knew better. If he had, Gia and her children would be with him. But Melanie and Constance told him there was nothing that could be done right now. Gia had made her decision, and all they could do was wait to hear from her, which might not happen until her next trip to the grocery store.

He turned off the car lights, slowly exited the snowy main road, and pulled onto the narrow path on his Mamm’s property. Although the barn was closer to the house and a straight line from it to the main road was the easiest route, Mamm often drove her horse and carriage down this same path to keep it serviceable for her sons year round. In the winter she hitched the horse to an Amish snow scraper. The trail was hidden by a patch of woods that led to the double-wide doors of the old shed. He stopped the vehicle in front of the familiar dilapidated building. He hoped the roof was sturdy enough not to collapse under the thick snow. He wouldn’t mind shoring up the old structure, but doing any work on the building would be a dead giveaway that it wasn’t abandoned. That was not a message his Mamm could afford to send to the community. He put the car in Park and jumped out, leaving the vehicle running as he unlocked and opened the shed doors. He returned to the car and drove inside. After turning off the car, he closed the double-wide doors from the inside and exited through a side door. He eased along the shadows of outbuildings until he was on the porch outside his bedroom window. Using his key, he tapped on the window three times. The sound was faint enough that anyone visiting his Mamm would think the noise was just the old farmhouse, but his Mamm would hear it. She always heard it. A moment later he saw light from a kerosene lantern floating his way.

He opened the window and began to crawl through the small space. “All clear?” he whispered.

She smiled. “I don’t know when I’ve been so glad to see you.”

“Glad to hear that…I think.”

The moment he stood up straight, she embraced him, holding tight. This wasn’t normal. His Mamm gave hugs and was very open about her love, but this time she clung to him as if she were drowning, and since he felt as if he were drowning too, he held on tight. He kissed the top of her head. “You okay?”

She jerked a ragged breath into her lungs. “I’ve been thinking.” She pointed at the rug under their feet. “You picked this out about ten years ago, and you loved this rug. How about if you roll it up and take it with you for your home?”

“Strange welcome.” He looked down at the sturdy, colorful rug with the bits of melting snow that had fallen off his boots. “But I really like the plan.” He took off his coat and tossed it on the bed.

Mamm was unique. He knew no one else like her. She was steel wrapped in fleece. Maybe that was her nature, or maybe that was who she’d become since giving birth to five strong-willed sons and burying the love of her life. Sometimes he didn’t understand her actions and reactions, but he knew she’d just used a diversionary tactic to avoid answering his question about her well-being. Something was seriously out of kilter.

She raised the lantern toward his face. “You’re pale.”

He nodded. “It’s been a bad twenty-four hours. I…I planned poorly, and it could cost a victim of domestic violence and her three children their freedom. Maybe even their lives.”

Her eyes stayed on his. “I’m so sorry.”

“Denki.” Quill hugged her again.

“Have you heard from the woman?”

“No. Last night after she changed her mind about leaving with me, I stayed at a hotel close to her house just in case she made contact with someone and wanted me to get her.” He had been up all night, pacing the floor and talking to people in the organization who knew Gia. But he’d been told this afternoon that he needed to leave Camp Hill. He couldn’t live in a hotel room without getting out some, and they couldn’t afford for him to be spotted. One of the children might recognize him and blurt out that he was the man from the grocery store who tried to get their mommy to leave with him. So he came here since it was only thirty minutes from Camp Hill.

When his Mamm released him, she motioned for him to follow her. “Clearly we both need hot tea and a long conversation.”

He hovered in the dark hallway while Mamm lowered the blinds in the living room and kitchen. Then he moved to the table, and they chatted as she peeled potatoes and cooked hash browns.

After giving some details of the failed rescue and Gia’s fear of going with him, Quill was ready to change the topic. “Enough about me. How are you?”

“Today”—she stabbed a knife into the cutting board—“the ministers were taking turns preaching about different dangers of being willful, and all of it was aimed at Ariana. I walked out.”

Quill couldn’t believe his ears. “Mamm…”

“I know.” She pointed a shaky hand at him. “That was my reaction.”

“If you left in the middle of the meeting, you’re likely to get a visit tonight.”

“Ya. The doors are locked, but if someone knocks, you’ll have to move fast.”

He nodded.

She jerked the knife free and started cutting the potatoes again. “They never mentioned anyone’s name, but let me tell you what was said…” Mamm rattled on about the letter he’d given Ariana and how she’d destroyed it in front of the deacon when he’d told her to hand it over. Mamm told him about the preachers mentioning texts between him and Ariana and his meeting her at the B&B. As the list went on, Quill was tempted to grab the knife and threaten the bishop with it.

“How’s Ariana?”

“I haven’t seen her since I left the meeting. Did you know she’s not been allowed to go to her café all week?”

“Why?”

As Mamm was explaining, someone knocked on the door, and Quill disappeared down the hallway and into his room.

The ministers would have a lot of questions about his Mamm leaving the service, and he didn’t imagine she had any measured, polite responses right now, so it could be a very long visit.

Could he get out the window without being heard? He really didn’t want to hide in this house for endless hours, and he feared he might come out of hiding and tell them what he really thought.