In Need of Protection

by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

  Lara released the infant seat from the car carrier and handed the child to him. He accepted charge of little Maisy and stood aside while she grabbed the diaper bag and her go bag and got out.

  She paused, gazing around the area. “This is so picturesque. I could do a great vlog episode set right here.”

  “Maybe after this is all over, Rogan and Trina will agree to the photo session.”

  “That would be great.” She offered him a full-blown smile. “It feels good to think about something other than this trouble swirling around us.”

  They went into the house, and Lara made appreciative comments about the tastefully rustic interior decor.

  Ethan set the baby seat on the sturdy wooden coffee table in front of a large leather sofa. “I’ll start carrying in the groceries.”

  “You do that while I get Maisy squared away. I’m sure she’ll be delighted to get out of that infant seat and maybe have some tummy time on a blanket on the floor.”

  “Go for it.”

  Keeping his eyes and ears open for any hint of trouble, he grabbed a few grocery bags from the bed of the truck and returned to the house. Lara was already on the floor with Maisy, but her attention wasn’t on the little girl. Her frowning gaze was focused on a rattle she held in her hand.

  She waved the item in the air and made a frustrated noise in her throat. “This toy is defective. Why does this rattle not rattle?” She wagged the toy in the air again, and sure enough, it gave no sound.

  “Let me have a look.” He deposited the grocery bags on the coffee table next to the infant seat and accepted the item from her.

  Ethan sat down on the sofa, turning the object over and over in his hands. No sound came from within. The toy was made of heavy-duty plastic designed to withstand a baby’s teething habits. It had a long thick handle and a large orb on the end. He didn’t know much about baby toys, but presumably, the orb was intended to be hollow and contain smaller objects that would create the rattling sound when the handle was shaken. Clearly, the toy was broken or—he took a closer look—had been tampered with.

  He pulled his folding knife from his pocket and sliced through a glued seam that held the orb together. With a wrench, he broke the toy open. A rectangular black object lay jammed into the hollow of the orb.

  Chills raced up and down Ethan’s spine. A GPS tracking device. So much for their safe haven. Their enemies likely had a read on exactly where they were.

  SEVEN

  “What is it?” Lara jumped to her feet and stepped over to where Ethan sat. She sucked in a breath. That rectangular object embedded in the toy didn’t bode well. “Tracking device?”

  “Looks like it to me.” Ethan’s words came out clipped as if his vocal cords were strung tight. He pulled the device apart and removed the tiny battery. “Not transmitting any longer.”

  “But we still need to get out of here.” Lara began stuffing items into the diaper bag. “They might already be on the way.”

  “I wish you weren’t right about that.” Ethan scooped up Maisy and planted a kiss on the child’s forehead.

  Despite the scary situation, Lara’s heart warmed at Ethan’s spontaneous display of affection. Not that it would be any of her business, but he’d make a great daddy one day, paired up with a happy woman. If they survived this danger. She prayed he would get the opportunity—and that she would one day be a mom, also.

  He handed the baby to her. “Get her buckled in while I hurry up and call Amy and Jim on the landline to let them know we’ve been tracked and to watch out for potential hostile visitors.”

  Lara’s stomach clenched. How she hated that others were put in danger because of their situation. Wordlessly, she nodded and got Maisy ready to go while Ethan made the call. He was fast about it and soon they were headed out the door—she with the baby and the diaper bag and he with her go-bag and the groceries. Wherever they went, they were going to need provisions. They trooped back out to the truck. Lara scanned the road for any approaching vehicles. None in sight yet. So far, so good.

  The tires spurted gravel as they tore away from the ranch. A giant fist squeezed Lara’s chest as she looked over her shoulder for pursuers. The road remained empty as the home of Ethan’s friends faded in their rearview mirror.

  At last, Lara faced forward and allowed herself a full breath. “How did our enemies plant that device in the diaper bag?”

  “Good question.” Ethan’s tone was dark. “We found evidence someone had been in Isabelle’s Chicago apartment. The intruder—probably Ronnie Drayton—could have planted the tracker before struggling with his estranged wife. Drops of blood that matched her husband’s type were found on the floor and a heavy lamp with the same blood on it. Evidently, Isabelle clobbered him and escaped with Maisy and the diaper bag that contained the tracker.”

  “Makes sense. When Izzy showed up on my doorstep, she was sporting a bruise on her cheek and one on her forehead and walking with a limp.”

  “Ronnie must have come to and called in Seton to follow up. Since our people spotted the hired killer near Isabelle’s apartment, we assumed he had found evidence there as to her destination. Now it makes more sense that he followed the transmission from the tracking device to your house.”

  Lara hugged herself against an inner chill. “The tracking device is also a better explanation as to how those thugs picked up our trail and found us at the convenience store.”

  “It is that.”

  “But why kidnap your computer technician if they had a tracker on us?”

  Ethan’s shoulders rippled. “They weren’t getting results with the tracker alone. We were holding them off successfully. Finding out where we were going before we got there gave them the opportunity to get ahead of us.”

  “Thankfully, we survived that attempt, also. I hope your technician recovers. I’ll be praying for him. What a horrible experience for him and his family.”

  “Yes, he has a wife and two young children. I’ll join you in your prayers.”

  Maisy started whimpering and sucking her fist.

  Lara caressed the reddish fluff on top of the child’s head. “You’ve been so patient with this bedlam in your life, especially all this time spent in your child seat. I can’t help that, but I can feed you.”

  She rummaged in the diaper bag and came up with the can of powdered formula and an empty bottle. “Oh no! I forgot to fill the bottle with purified water,” she told Ethan. “Could we pull over somewhere for just a flash so I can get a water jug from the groceries in the truck bed?”

  “I’d like to put on a few more miles first.”

  “Okay, but we’re going to do it to the tune of some healthy crying.” She looked down at Maisy, who was beginning to fuss in earnest. “I’m sorry, sweet girl. We’ll get you fed as soon as we can. But staying out of the hands of criminals is the priority.” She turned toward Ethan. “Where are we headed now?”

  “Rock Springs is the nearest city of any size. We should be able to find an obscure motel there. I apologize, though. The accommodations won’t be as nice as Rogan and Trina’s place.”

  “Like I told Maisy, keeping away from the Draytons and their hirelings is the priority.”

  Ethan suddenly let out a growl. “Tighten your seat belt. We’ve got company.”

  “Company?” Lara whipped her head around to look behind them. A dark blue sedan was rapidly catching up with them. Heat sparked through her chest. “Maybe they’re just people driving down the same road we are, and they’re in a bigger hurry.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “But you don’t think so.

  “Call it a hunch, or maybe it’s the lack of a front license plate.”

  “I didn’t notice that.” Lara gulped. “How did they find us already? We disabled the tracker.”

  “We did, but I imagine they were already on the way, and whe
n we weren’t where they lost the signal, they kept on coming down the road. I was hoping we’d get far enough away that they wouldn’t be able to pick up our trail. Wyoming is beautiful for wide-open spaces, but it’s a little sparse on getaway routes, so here we are.”

  “What are we going to do?” Her heart was pounding in her throat.

  The enemy car drew near enough for her to make out silhouettes of male figures in the front seat. Armed to the teeth, no doubt.

  “Let them catch up to us,” he said, tone casual.

  She turned and glared at Ethan. “What kind of a terrible idea is that?”

  * * *

  Ethan sent a grim smile over his shoulder toward her. His gambit better work, because it was the only thing he could come up with. Whether he was convinced the plan could succeed or not, he needed to help Lara believe it.

  “This truck is built for power, not speed,” he said. “We can’t outrun them. They may have superior numbers, and they may even wave their guns around a bit, but they’re going to be hesitant to shoot into the cab because of the baby’s presence. However, we have the advantage in vehicular muscle.”

  “They won’t be able to shoot us or shove us off the road. So far, so good. How does that get them off our trail before they call in all kinds of reinforcements?”

  “It’s going to be up to me to find the right opportunity to force them off the road or to wreck their car so badly they can’t follow us.”

  “Sounds dangerous.”

  “Far less than letting them pull us over.”

  “Agreed, but whatever you’re going to do, you should do it quickly. They’re gaining on us.”

  “I see that.” Ethan was keeping an eye on the status in the side and rearview mirrors as the enemy vehicle loomed ever nearer. “Are you two buckled in extra tight back there?”

  “We are.”

  The passenger-side window of the pursuing car rolled down, and a man leaned out, gripping a gun. All doubt as to the identities of the people in the vehicle disappeared.

  A shot rang out.

  “I thought you said they wouldn’t fire at us,” Lara cried out.

  “They’re aiming for a tire in order to force us to stop. I can’t let them hit one. Hang on.”

  He slammed on the brakes. In the next split second, the pursuit car rammed the truck’s rear end. The jolt carried up Ethan’s spine and rattled his brain but not enough to keep him from letting up on the brake and pressing the gas to shoot away from the enemy vehicle. With a throaty growl, the truck surged ahead.

  “Everyone okay back there?”

  He had to raise his voice because Maisy’s crying had ramped up a notch. Now the poor kid was hungry and scared, but a least she wasn’t in the clutches of ruthless killers.

  “We’re fine, Ethan. That car may have a crumpled front end, but it’s still coming.”

  Ethan’s heart dropped into his toes. These guys didn’t know when to quit. Plan B, then. Good thing traffic was nonexistent at the moment. As the car crept toward them and swung out to pull up beside them, Ethan jerked the wheel and cut them off. Tires screeched and metal ground against metal. The car backed off.

  “You did more damage,” Lara said, “but they’re still coming. And that shooter is starting to stick his head out the window again.” Her voice hitched.

  “I know, hang on.”

  Ethan rammed the brakes, and the pursuing car must have done the same, because there was no collision. However, the shooter jerked and fell back inside the car.

  “Temporary reprieve,” Lara announced. Her tone had gone high and tight.

  Heat flared deep in Ethan’s chest. What right did twisted people like this have to inflict such threat and terror on decent folks who wanted only to do the right thing? He hit the brakes again and was rewarded by a metallic crunch.

  “How are we doing?” he asked his adult passenger.

  “That car must have nine lives. Still coming, though I think I see a hint of steam coming from under the buckled hood.”

  “Progress, then.”

  “Yes, but what if that shooter tries again and succeeds?”

  Plan C, then. Ethan pulled his service weapon from its holster.

  “Stop!” Lara snapped. “There’s no way you’re going to be able to safely control this vehicle and take potshots at our pursuers at the same time. Give me the gun.”

  “You know how to shoot?”

  “I hike wilderness trails as part of my living. Often alone. What do you think? I’m going to pop their tire.”

  Without another word, Ethan handed her his pistol, but his gut went tense as a bowstring. What if she missed her shot, and the gunman in the car did not?

  “Thank you,” she said. “Now let them get a little closer.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do.”

  Taut silence fell over the vehicle. Even Maisy’s crying had cut back to a few whimpers. Was he making a huge mistake yielding the shot to Lara? What choice did he have? She was right. He couldn’t safely operate the truck and shoot at the bad guys at the same time. He had to trust God and trust Lara.

  The pursuit car crept up on them once more, the driver displaying extra caution in the gradual approach.

  “That’s it!” Lara’s voice was a hissed whisper as her window swooshed down.

  “Be careful.”

  Ethan’s words of caution were drowned out by an angry feminine growl. “I’ll teach you to go around slinging bullets at a vehicle with a baby on board.”

  Gritting his teeth and praying, Ethan kept an eye on the rear-and side-view mirrors. Lara poked her torso out the window, aiming even as the shooter in the car leaned out, pistol brandished.

  A shot sounded.

  Who’d fired? Lara or the thug in the car?

  EIGHT

  Lara’s muscles went weak as a half-drowned kitten’s, and she melted against her door. She’d hit the enemy’s tire with the first shot. Her jaw dropped and her heart lifted as the pursuit car fishtailed all over the road. Finally, the vehicle plowed into a ditch and smacked up against a tree. The threat of Draytons’ thugs faded in the rear window.

  “That was some shooting.”

  Ethan’s appreciative words roused Lara from her slump.

  “I surprised myself,” she answered a bit breathlessly.

  “At first, when you went limp, I was afraid you were hit.”

  “Sorry to scare you. I was just so astonished and grateful to have hit what I aimed at. I do well at the gun range, but I’ve never had to shoot at a moving target. Not even an animal in the woods, much less a vehicle with people inside it.”

  “You continue to amaze me. Not many people ever have to do something like that, so now you’ve had a unique experience you could have done without.”

  Lara hauled in a deep cleansing breath. “You can say that again.”

  “I’ll refrain.” His brief chuckle held a wry flavor. “We need to get off this road and head somewhere they’ll never guess. Any ideas?”

  Lara blinked at Ethan. This law enforcement professional was humble and secure enough to ask her for ideas? If she’d needed any further proof that Ethan Ridgeway didn’t share any of her ex-fiancé’s control issues, here it was. But that didn’t mean she could regard this man as an eligible bachelor, despite her reluctant attraction to him. Their relationship was protector to protectee, period.

  “We-e-ell,” she drawled as her thoughts sought to organize themselves. “There are lots of side roads. Most of them are gravel, though many have magnificent views at their dead ends. I know that from some of my explorations.”

  “No side roads, then. I’m seeing signs for Highway 189. You seem to know the area. Where should we go?”

  “Yes, 189 is good. Let’s do it.”

  “That’ll take us down to the Big Piney area.�
��

  “Then if we swing west on Highway 350, we’ll come to Bridger-Teton National Forest. I know a forest ranger named Jake there who will gladly help us hide out in a ranger cabin deep in the woods. You up for roughing it?”

  “Can’t get much rougher than it’s been.” Ethan shook his head as he took the turn onto Highway 189. “Your friend, is he a romantic interest? Not trying to be nosy. Just trying to gauge how strongly he’s going to react to us showing up with you in danger.”

  “Romantic? Not at all.” Lara laughed. “We met when I did a vlog about the national forest last year. He was very helpful and very much in love with his girlfriend.”

  “That’s good then.”

  Did she detect a note of relief in Ethan’s tone? What was that about? Was he glad that Jake and she weren’t a couple, or was she reading something personal into Ethan’s reaction that was intended to be purely professional? They guy was so hard to read sometimes when he waffled between warm friendliness to all stiff and businesslike from one moment to the next.

  Shaking her head, Lara settled into her seat and gave her attention to Maisy. The little girl was screwing up her face again for a big wail.

  “I know, I know, little one,” she told the child. “Soon now.”

  “Here’s a wayside rest,” Ethan said. “I’ll pull over but just long enough for you to grab water for the baby.”

  “Consider it done.”

  Soon they were on the road again, and Maisy was happily feasting on her formula.

  “Should be a quiet trip now.” She smiled at the little girl.

  “I hope so. I could use some peace and quiet.”

  Lara added a silent Amen. Heaviness settled over her body and mind. As soon as Maisy finished her bottle and drifted toward sleep, Lara laid her head back against her seat. She wouldn’t close her eyes, of course. Slumber beckoned, but she’d have to resist until they landed in their safe place in the forest.

  “Lara!” Something brushed her arm.

  Ethan’s urgent tone and gentle touch jerked Lara awake. She sat up with a start. She’d let herself fall asleep. Time had passed and dusk had closed in around them. They were stopped in a wooded area. Nearby stood a low-slung log building illuminated by a single bulb over the small stoop. The truck engine was idling, but Ethan had got out, opened her door and was gazing at her with furrowed brow.