Harlequin intrigue novem.., p.41
Harlequin Intrigue November 2013 - Bundle 1 of 2, page 41
Maya glanced at Evan. Then at Slade. And she knew she had to do everything to protect the precious baby in her arms. Everything, including accepting temporary help from this man.
“All right,” Maya said.
That was apparently all the confirmation Slade needed, because he put out his hand. “I’ll drive, but I need your keys.”
Maya first leaned over the seat and strapped Evan back into his carrier, and then she retrieved the keys from her bag on the floor. She reached out to hand them to Slade, but movement caught her eye.
It caught Slade’s, too.
His head whipped toward the back of the parking lot. Maya followed his gaze and saw the green SUV. The same one that she’d noticed at the traffic light earlier. But it was no longer at the light.
There was a squeal of the tires, and the green SUV came right toward them.
Chapter Four
“Get down!” Slade shouted to Maya.
He drew his gun and pushed her lower onto the seat. It wasn’t a second too soon, because the green SUV slammed into their front bumper, jolting not just Maya’s vehicle but the two of them. Evan, too.
The baby immediately started to cry.
Slade had tried to brace himself for something like this, but bracing obviously hadn’t done a darn thing to stop it. Here they were right in the middle of what had to be a kidnapping attempt.
Or maybe even something worse.
After all, the kidnapper had already tried to kill one of the adoptive parents, so it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to guess that he would attempt murder again.
The green SUV shot past them, the back end clipping Maya’s car, but the vehicle didn’t speed away as Slade hoped it’d do. With the tires squealing, the driver did a doughnut in the parking lot. He didn’t bolt forward, but Slade heard the driver rev up the engine. The revving wasn’t nearly as much of a concern as was the SUV’s position.
It’d blocked the exit.
“I need the keys,” Slade insisted. And despite her hands shaking like crazy, Maya somehow managed to give them to him.
Slade started the engine, kept his gun ready, but that was all he could do. There was no way out unless Slade tried to bash the vehicle from the front of the exit. Not a wise choice since the SUV was bigger than Maya’s car.
His other option was to stay put and hope the sheriff would arrive in time to scare this guy off, because Slade wasn’t sure he could drive over the foot-high concrete barrier that divided the parking lot from the sidewalk. He’d wreck for sure, maybe even collide with other cars traveling on the street.
And even if they weren’t hurt in all of that, it’d make them sitting ducks.
Besides, he needed to be able to aim in case this guy started shooting. With the other customers in the parking lot and the wall of glass at the front of the grocery store, Slade didn’t want this bozo firing shots.
The fear crawled down Slade’s spine. He’d hoped to have had the baby in a safe place before confronting this kidnapper, but it was too late for that.
The kidnapper was here.
And the stakes were sky-high.
Even if that baby in the backseat wasn’t his, Slade couldn’t let the newborn be taken. God knows what this SOB had done with the two children he’d already kidnapped.
Maya didn’t stay down. Despite the fact that Slade was practically on top of her, she fought to get away.
“Evan,” she repeated.
Slade knew that her every instinct was probably screaming for her to get in the backseat with the baby. His certainly were, and while it was a risk for her to move, it was an even bigger risk for him to have to struggle with her when he should be getting them away from the danger.
But the danger came at them again.
The driver jammed his foot on the accelerator just as Maya crawled over the seat. Slade didn’t bother to check and make sure she was using her own body to protect Evan. She would be.
“Hold on,” he warned her, and Slade threw the car into gear.
He didn’t completely manage to avoid a collision with the other vehicle, but he stopped them from taking a direct hit. Still, he heard Maya’s sharp gasp of surprise, and he felt her slam against the back of his seat. Thank God the baby was strapped in and semiprotected. But Slade wasn’t sure how much longer Maya’s car could hold up with this battering.
The green SUV backed up, and just like before, it came at them again. Slade jerked the steering wheel to the right, but there wasn’t enough space for him to get them away from the impact. He grazed a van with what was left of the front bumper, and the driver plowed right into the passenger’s side of Maya’s car, crushing it in so far that the door ended up near the gearshift. So did the sheet of safety glass that was knocked from the window.
“Stay as low as you can,” Slade shouted out to Maya. “And if you can, call 911.” Though someone had no doubt already done that. Still, the sheriff needed to know what he’d be up against when he came rushing to the scene. “Tell them the person in the SUV is attacking us.”
Evan’s screams were louder now, but Slade tried to tune out the sounds and focus on what he had to do.
And what he had to do was stop this idiot.
Yeah, it was a risk, but anything was at this point. With the glass gone from the window, Slade had a direct shot at the SUV.
He took it.
The bullet he fired was deafening, even over Evan’s cries and the roar of the engines, and it tore through the front windshield. The safety glass cracked and webbed, but it didn’t give way, and that meant Slade didn’t even get a glimpse of the driver.
The guy was no doubt armed.
And that’s why Slade threw the car into Reverse and got out of the line of fire. He figured the kidnapper wanted the baby alive and that he wouldn’t shoot. Still, Slade wanted to put as much distance as he could between them and the SUV. Backward he flew across the parking lot and tried to dodge as many cars as he could.
“Someone’s trying to kidnap my baby,” he heard Maya relay to whoever had answered her 911 call. She gave the info about the SUV and the location and then begged the person to hurry.
She sounded many steps beyond frantic, on the verge of all-out panicking. No surprise there. This was probably the first time in her entire white-picket-fence life that she’d been attacked. But Slade hoped she could hold it together. The last thing he needed was her to be hysterical.
Slade finally heard a welcome sound. Sirens. Thank God the sheriff was on the way. Better yet, the kidnapper must have heard it, too, because the driver turned the SUV. Not toward Maya’s car...but in the opposite direction.
He was trying to escape.
Hell.
That definitely wasn’t good. Slade wanted to stop him. Wanted to drag him from the SUV and beat some answers out of him. There were two missing babies, and this same moron had just tried to take another.
“Wait here,” Slade ordered Maya.
He reached to open the door, but reaching was the only thing he managed to do before he caught the movement from the corner of his eye.
Not the SUV.
But there was someone seated in a black two-door sedan parked in the corner of the lot. He’d noticed the vehicle, of course, when he’d first arrived at the grocery store and spotted Maya’s car.
But he darn sure hadn’t seen anyone inside.
Well, he saw that someone now—the shadowy figure behind the steering wheel—and an uneasy feeling snaked through Slade. He’d been a marshal for nearly ten years, and that was more than enough time for him to sense something was wrong.
Slade kept one eye on the SUV as it sped out of the parking lot, but he turned his weapon toward the sedan.
Mercy.
Was this some kind of trap?
If so, he’d nearly fallen for it because he had been within a split second of running after the SUV. If he’d done that, it was possible that he would have left Maya and the baby completely vulnerable to an attack.
Slade stayed put. Not easy to do. His body was in the fight mode, but he also felt something else. That overpowering instinct to protect this child. He’d never considered himself father material. And maybe he wasn’t. But that didn’t seem to matter to whatever was firing the emotions inside him. If necessary, he would die to protect the baby.
Slade glanced at the green SUV as it disappeared out of sight. The sirens got closer, and thankfully the cruiser didn’t pull into the parking lot. The driver went in pursuit of the SUV. Good. Maybe the locals would manage to collar the guy—alive—so that Slade could question him.
But that left the person in the black car.
Maybe it was just a case of wrong place, wrong time, but Slade wasn’t taking any chances.
“What’s going on?” Maya asked. She would have no doubt lifted her head to look over the seat if Slade hadn’t pushed her back down.
“There might be a second kidnapper.”
Her breath rattled in her throat. “What do you need me to do?” The question rushed out with a rise of breath.
“You’re doing it. Just stay down.” Maya had already plastered herself over the baby again, and thankfully Evan’s cries were now just soft whimpers.
Even though the windshield of the black car was heavily tinted, Slade detected some movement inside. The driver started the engine but didn’t move. He just sat there as if daring Slade to come and get him. Slade figured if he did that, he’d be instantly gunned down.
The moments crawled by, and though it seemed to take an eternity, Slade figured it was less than a minute before he heard a second siren. Backup. This cruiser, too, might go in pursuit of the SUV, but if it turned into the parking lot, that would free up Slade to check out his theory about the second kidnapper.
Except the kidnapper obviously had a different plan.
The black car inched forward, and Slade cursed. Because he thought the guy was about to bash into them again. Slade took aim at the driver but held back pulling the trigger just in case this turned out to be nothing.
But it sure didn’t feeling like nothing.
The driver didn’t come toward them but instead turned toward the exit. He didn’t screech out as the SUV had done. He simply drove away as if he’d finished whatever routine business he had.
“You recognize that car?” Slade asked, and he made a mental note of the license plate.
Maya lifted her head just a fraction and looked over the seat and Slade’s shoulder. “No. But if he’s the kidnapper, he’s getting away.”
Slade was well aware of that. “Call 911 again and give the dispatcher a description of the vehicle. I want this guy followed.” Slade rattled off the license plate that he hoped wasn’t fake.
Maya made the second call, but this time she didn’t stay down when she finished. She watched the black car drive out of the parking lot. Again, not hurried. The driver was doing nothing that would draw attention to himself, but the fact that he’d been there during the kidnapping attempt drew all of Slade’s attention.
Two vehicles, two drivers. And it could be just the tip of the iceberg. Maybe the kidnapper wasn’t working alone, and if so, it only proved just how determined this guy was.
But why?
If someone was kidnapping babies for emotional reasons, then an attack like this didn’t make sense. The person in the SUV had been determined. Desperate, even.
And that brought it all back to Slade.
“What’s wrong?” Maya asked. “You’re breathing funny.”
Slade hadn’t noticed any change in his breathing, but he immediately tried to fix it. He didn’t want to have to give Maya an explanation that the kidnappings could be connected to him.
But they could be.
Yeah, it had crossed his mind, but it was something he’d tried hard to dismiss. Well, he couldn’t dismiss it now. There were some criminals he’d arrested who would no doubt like to give him a dose of revenge. What better way to do it than to kidnap his child and use the baby to get back at him?
Slade mumbled more profanity. He needed answers. About Deidre. About her death. About everything. Because if this was indeed connected to him, he had to stop it.
And learn if one of these three baby boys was his.
In fact, the kidnapper might already have his child. That only made his stomach knot even more, but Slade couldn’t dismiss the punch of emotion he’d gotten when he looked at Evan’s face. He wasn’t the sort of man to believe in woo-woo junk, but he couldn’t deny that he’d felt...something.
Something he pushed aside when the police cruiser came flying into the parking lot.
Maya lifted her head again. “It’s Sheriff Monroe.” And she might have bolted from her vehicle if Slade hadn’t caught onto her and held her in place.
Her eyes widened, and she shook her head as if considering the impossible. “You think someone else is out there?” But she didn’t wait for his answer. Her gaze fired all around the parking lot.
“We don’t know how many people this kidnapper could have hired to help him,” he settled for saying.
Slade kept hold of her until Sheriff Monroe and a deputy exited the cruiser. Both lawmen had their weapons drawn, and like Maya, they were looking for any sign of danger.
Unfortunately, the danger had driven away.
Slade stepped from the car but motioned for Maya to stay put. “Please tell me you have someone in pursuit of the SUV and the black car,” he said to the sheriff.
Monroe nodded. “I’ve called for backup and roadblocks.”
Slade hoped that would be enough. If they got lucky, the missing babies might even be in one of the vehicles. Though it was an unsettling thought to consider the babies—any babies—going through that kind of danger.
“Did you get a good look at either driver?” Monroe asked.
“No.” And Slade knew that would be the first of many questions he’d have to answer the same way. On the surface the attack might have looked sloppy and unplanned, but Slade figured the opposite was true.
The deputy stayed diligent, looking around, and Sheriff Monroe hurried past Slade and made his way over to Maya. “Are you okay? Were either of you hurt?”
Maya shook her head, but she was far from okay. Slade could see the terror and the wildfire adrenaline on her face and in her eyes.
Slade went closer, too, and was relieved when he saw that the baby had not only stopped fussing but had fallen asleep. He wasn’t sure how that was possible, but he was grateful for it.
“My truck’s over there.” Slade tipped his head to the side of the grocery store where he’d parked. “I can drive you to the sheriff’s office, and we can wait there until we figure out the next step.”
“Not home,” she mumbled.
And it wasn’t a question. Yeah, the impact of the danger was really starting to settle in now, but she still managed to give him a look that Slade had no trouble recognizing.
She didn’t trust him.
Too bad. He hadn’t exaggerated when he’d told her that he was her best shot at keeping the baby safe.
Slade took her by the arm and helped her stand. Good thing he didn’t let go, because Maya wobbled and landed with a smack against him. Despite the hell they’d just been through, Slade felt another jolt. Not from the danger this time but from the realization that Maya was a damn attractive woman.
And she was in his arms.
She quickly remedied that. “Sorry.” She pushed herself away from him but not before Slade caught another look in her eyes. Not distrust.
Oh, man.
He had to be wrong, but it seemed as if there was that little spark. Well, he had too much on his mind and plate to be dealing with that, and he told his body, and hers, to knock it off.
Maya reached for the baby, wobbled again and Slade stepped around her to unstrap the carrier so he could lift it and the car seat. He didn’t have anything resembling a car seat in his truck, and the baby had already been put in enough danger.
Clearly, Maya didn’t like him handling her baby even while Evan was in a carrier, but even she couldn’t argue that she wasn’t steady enough on her feet to make the short trek across the parking lot.
Slade kept his gun ready in his right hand, shifted the carrier to his left and gave Maya a nudge to get her moving. However, they only made it a few steps before the sheriff’s phone rang.
“Sheriff Monroe,” he answered, and Slade saw the immediate change in the lawman’s body language.
That stopped Slade in his tracks. Maya, too. Hell, Slade hoped this wasn’t bad news, because they’d already had enough of that today. Him and Maya and waited and fortunately didn’t have to wait long.
“We got him,” the sheriff announced the second he ended the call.
Maya made a sound of sheer relief. But not Slade. He just waited for the sheriff to continue.
“Well, we got one of them anyway,” Monroe explained. “My deputy just cuffed the driver of the black car and he’s taking him to the sheriff’s office now.”
“Is he talking?” Slade immediately asked.
The sheriff shook his head.
Slade got Maya moving again. “I’ll do something about that.”
One way or another, Slade would get answers. And not just about the kidnappings but about the baby’s paternity. The moment he had Maya and the baby inside his truck, he took out his phone and started a text to send to one of his brothers.
“Please tell me nothing else is wrong.” Maya leaned over as if trying to see what he’d typed.
But Slade fired off the text before she could see it. At least he thought he had.
Maya looked up at him with suddenly accusing eyes. “Why...?” That was all she managed to say for several seconds. “Why did you ask for a DNA kit?”
