catch me first. Come on,” he growled, giving the rope a
yank as he stepped onto the bank. “It’s a long walk to
Canada.”
Peg fel onto the ground, then scrambled to her feet when
he started dragging her after him. Dammit, she needed to
do something! Had he taken the keys out of the boat?
Where in hel was Aaron? He gave another jerk when she
apparently wasn’t moving fast enough, the rope chafing
against the cuff on her left wrist. Yes, the magic! Surely it
could help her get away. Or maybe she could at least use it
to rattle Chris enough to get him to make a mistake.
“Um, do you believe in the magic, Chris?” she asked,
only to bump into him when he suddenly stopped and
turned to her.
“What in hel are you talking about?” he growled, looking
as if shewere insane.
So Peg gave him the best insane smile she could
muster. “You know, magic; the kind that moves mountains
and turns lakes into inland seas like what happened here a
few months ago? The scientists stil haven’t been able to
explain it, so people are starting to think this entire area
might be … cursed,” she whispered. “You believe someone
can put a curse on a place or a … person?”
“What in Jesus kind of question is that?”
Peg dropped her gaze and shrugged. “I was just
wondering if you believe in stuff like magic and curses and
bad karma.”
He turned and started walking again, giving the rope
another violent snap.
Peg let out a loud, exaggerated sigh. “It doesn’t matter,”
she said, adding an insane little laugh, “because I’ve been
told the magic goes about its business whether you believe
in it or not, and that it especial y likes to sneak up and
surprise a person.”
Chris glanced over his shoulder at her, and yup, he was
definitely looking a little rattled. Okay, husband,Peg silently petitioned; it’s time to use your mountain’s magic to save
me like you promised—after you save Peter and Jacob.
Duncan stopped in midsentence and turned away from the
blasting contractor he was talking to and opened the door
on his truck. He reached in for the radio mike and ordered
al the men driving machinery in and around the pit to shut
off their engines, then tossed down the mike and walked
toward the beach. But he changed direction and started
running up the knol to the tote road when he heard barking
and screaming coming from the fiord, and spotted Pete
and Jacob and Hero in the strange boat heading into the
cove.
Realizing the boat was going too fast for the engine only
being at an idle, Duncan ran into the water and caught it just
as he saw Leviathan back away from the far side and slip
under the surface—only to have to catch the twins when
they threw themselves at him, sobbing loudly and both
talking at once.
“You gotta save Mom!” Jacob cried as he hugged
Duncan’s neck.
“A bad man stole her!” Pete added in a wail, also
clinging to his neck.
Duncan waded out of the water onto the road, Hero
jumping out of the boat and fol owing. He shook his head at
Paul when the contractor tried to take one of the boys from
him just as several of his crew ran up to them. “Slow down
and tel me what happened,” he said calmly, kneeling to
stand the boys on their feet and hug them so they wouldn’t
see his own terror. “Where’s your Mom?”
“A man smashed right into our boat and jumped in with
us,” Jacob said. He leaned back to look at Duncan. “H-he
hit Mom real y hard, and he throwed Hero in the water when
he tried to bite him. Then he tried to grab Pete and he
kicked me.”
“Then he threw me in his boat,” Pete added.
“And he hit Mom again,” Jacob continued with a shudder
that racked his whole body. “And he threw me at his boat,
too. But I fel in the water ’cause it was too far, but Pete
pul ed me inside.”
“And he tied up Mom to the seat and left in our boat,”
Pete said as he started crying again. “And she hol ered to
us to sit down, ’cause someone would find us.”
“But no one was f-finding us,” Jacob said with huge sobs.
“And we pul ed and pul ed but we couldn’t get Hero in the
boat.”
Duncan rubbed their tear-splotched cheeks with his
thumbs, saying nothing so they could get it al out.
“But then Leviathan helped,” Pete said. “He just floated
beside the boat so Hero crawled right up his back and got
in with us.”
“And we pul ed the handle on the rope like we seen you
do on the old boat,” Jacob continued in a rush, “and the
motor started and … and we started going.”
“In circles,” Pete added, swiping his puffy eyes with a
trembling hand. “But Levi bumped us and we started going
straight.”
“W-we tried to go after Mom,” Jacob said, valiantly
trying to suck up his sobs. “But Levi kept pushing us this
way. And when we got close, Hero started barking so we
started screaming.”
“I heard you,” Duncan said, pul ing them against him and
kissing each of their foreheads. He held al three of their
heads together with Hero having pushed between his
thighs. “You did good, boys, and so did your pup. You’re al
rescue heroes for staying calm and brave and coming to
get me. So ye don’t worry now, because I’m going to go
save your mom.” He kissed them again, then leaned away
to pat his hind pocket with a reassuring smile. “I’ve stil got
my badge in my wal et to show the bad man.” He folded the
twins back against him and looked up at his crew. “Jason,
get on the radio and have Robbie and Alec get down here,
but tel them to pick up Jeanine and Bea on their way out
the road.” He looked back at Pete and Jacob. “Can ye tel
me where the man took your mom? Did he go toward
Bottomless or farther up the fiord?”
“U-up it,” Jacob said, pointing north.
“He went so far we couldn’t see them no more,” Pete
added in a whisper.
Duncan scooped them up in his arms and started toward
the house. “Jon, you and David catch that boat and pul it
onto the beach.” He stopped and looked at the other men.
“Do Charlotte and Isabel know any of you on sight?” he
asked, only to start walking again when several of them
shook their heads. “Jim, cal the Trading Post and have
Ezra meet the girls when they get off the school bus. Then I
want you to drive Bea into town to get them and bring them
home.”
“We need to cal the sheriff,” Paul said, walking beside
him. “And the warden and forest services; they can have a
plane and chopper in the sky in an hour.”
Duncan sat the boys in the front passenger seat of his
truck after motioning for Paul to open the door, then let
Hero jump in on the floor in front of them. “Jacob, Pete, did
you recognize the man who took your mom?” he asked
softly. “Or did she cal him by name?” he added when they
shook their heads.
“Yeah,” Jacob said even as Pete nodded. “Mom cal ed
him Chris.”
Duncan gave them each another kiss, then turned to the
contractor. “You cal the sheriff and let him know that Chris
Dubois has my wife, Peg MacKeage. But you tel him I
don’t want anything in the air as long as she’s stil with
Dubois. After I get her away from him, then they can go
after him with everything they’ve got.”
Paul’s jaw slackened. “How in hel … You expect to go
after him al by yourself?”
Duncan turned at the sound of a truck racing down the
road and into the yard and watched Robbie pul to a stop
directly behind his pickup. Al four doors opened; Alec and