Nate felt the rush of panic as he tried to check his daughter to make sure she hadn’t been hurt. She was still wearing her pink overalls, and there were no signs of bruises or trauma.
“Da Da,” Kimmie babbled, and she smiled at him.
That nearly broke his heart and filled it in the same beat. His baby had been through so much—too much—and yet here she managed a smile. Nate didn’t even attempt one. He just pulled Kimmie deep into his arms and held her as close as he could while he kept an eye on the goon standing behind them.
Beside him, Darcy was doing the same to Noah, and there were tears streaming down her face.
“I tried to stop them,” Marlene said, shaking her head. She backed away from them as if she might try to bolt through the window.
“She did,” the boss verified. “And she might have a few bruises because of it.”
Nate had to stop his hands from clenching into fists. He wanted to break this guy’s neck for hurting Marlene and putting them through this nightmare. But he had to hold on to his composure. He would do battle with him, but it wouldn’t happen now. First, he had to figure out how to get Kimmie, Noah, Marlene and Darcy out of there.
“Why did you do this?” Nate demanded. He tried to keep the rage out of his voice for Kimmie’s sake.
The boss met Nate’s glare. “I’ve been instructed to offer you and Ms. Burkhart a deal.”
“What kind of deal?” Darcy snapped. Noah was still fussing so she began patting his back.
Nate waited for what seemed an eternity for the boss to respond, and the dangerous thoughts kept going through his head. All the things that could go wrong. His brothers might not know Darcy and he were inside, and if they didn’t, they could be about to put their plan in motion.
A plan that might cause these SOBs to fire shots.
Nate brushed a kiss on Kimmie’s forehead and prayed nothing would go wrong.
“It’s a simple request.” The boss didn’t continue until he leaned against the doorjamb. What he didn’t do was lower his gun. “You’re to transfer two million into an offshore account.”
This was about money?
Of course, Nate had considered it, but then why had they taken Noah? Darcy was doing okay financially, but he was pretty sure she wasn’t rich.
“Two million?” Nate verified. He could transfer that amount with a phone call.
“Yeah,” the boss said. “For starters. Part two of the deal is slightly more…complicated. You’re to make sure Wesley Dent is not only arrested for his wife’s murder. He’s also to be convicted.”
Nate heard Darcy pull in her breath. He had a similar reaction, including disgust. Yeah, he thought that Dent might be guilty, but he wasn’t a dirty cop, and he didn’t fix investigations.
So, why did this bozo want him to fix this one?
His first guess was that these gunmen worked for either Sandra Dent’s son, Adam, or her ex-husband, Edwin. Both had motives for wanting Dent behind bars.
Which meant Dent might be innocent, after all.
“Wesley Dent is my client,” Darcy clarified. “I’m supposed to defend him to the best of my abilities.”
“Admirable,” the man snarled. “But being admirable won’t get your son back.”
“What do you mean by that?” Nate demanded.
“I mean we’re holding your children until we have the results we want for Dent. If you want to speed things up, I suggest you get Dent to confess. Or create a confession for him.”
“That can’t happen.” Nate turned, adjusting his position so that Kimmie wouldn’t see the anger on his face. “And you can’t keep our children for what could turn out to be months.”
Another shrug. “Well, we can’t keep them here, of course. We have to move them as soon as you leave.” He checked his watch. “And your time is up. You have to go now.”
“No!” Darcy tightened her grip on Noah.
“This could all be over by tomorrow,” the boss calmly explained. “Talk Dent into confessing and then arrange for his suicide because he feels so guilty for killing his wife.”
“No,” Darcy repeated, and she looked at Nate and shook her head. “I can’t leave Noah here.”
Nate was about to assure her that they weren’t leaving, but the sound stopped him cold. Not a shot.
But a thud.
The boss’s expression changed immediately. He was no longer calm. “See what’s wrong,” he barked to the young gunman behind him. The boss reached out, latched on to Marlene’s hair and pulled her in front of him.
And he put the gun to her head.
Hell.
They didn’t need that. Nate had figured he could give Kimmie to Marlene so his hands would be free, but that option was out now. Instead, he handed her to Darcy, and he was thankful that his baby seemed to enjoy being in the arms of this stranger, who cuddled her as protectively as she was cuddling her own son.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” the boss warned Nate.
There was another sound. Not a thud. But the noise of a tranquilizer gun.
Mason.
His brother was out there. The Ryland plan was in motion.
Nate moved closer to Darcy and the babies, positioning himself between them and the gunman. It wasn’t much, but it was the best he could do for now. He braced himself in case he had to lunge for the guy. What he didn’t brace himself for was the crash that came through the window behind him.
Darcy tried to move away from the breaking glass. And the boss let go of Marlene. The man took aim at the window and probably would have fired, but Nate dived at him, knocking both the man and his weapon to the floor. His body was still stinging from the fight with the last guard, but he had adrenaline and need on his side. His baby’s life was at stake.
“Mason?” Darcy called out. There was relief in her voice, which hopefully meant his brother hadn’t been hurt.
Nate continued the struggle, trying to pin the boss to the ground. But the guy just wasn’t giving up, and he was fighting hard.
“Stay back,” he heard Mason say, and a moment later, his brother was there. The tranquilizer gun was in the waist of his pants, and he’d drawn his sidearm.
Mason reached into the scuffle, and he grabbed the boss by the throat. He dragged him away from Nate and put his gun directly under the man’s chin.
“Move and I’ll kill you now,” Mason warned. “Less paperwork for me to do.”
Nate thought that was a bluff. But then, maybe not.
“Get Darcy and the babies out of here,” Mason told Nate. He hauled the boss to his feet and muscled him toward the front. “Marlene, too. And hurry.”
Nate took Kimmie from Darcy. “Is the outside secured?” Because he didn’t want to bring the children out of the house if the gunmen were still out there.
“Kade’s people found some explosives,” Mason informed him. “They disarmed the ones they found, but they might not have gotten them all.”
“Explosives?” Darcy asked. There was no relief in her voice now.
“Yeah,” Mason verified. “We must have tripped a master wire or something because they’re all set to detonate in about five minutes. Get out of here now.”
Chapter Seven
Run!
The word kept racing through Darcy’s head as she, Nate and Marlene rushed out of the house with the babies cradled in their arms.
Mason was behind them, dragging the boss along, but Darcy concentrated only on her own steps. Running in high heels put her at a huge disadvantage, but she couldn’t fall. Couldn’t stop. Even though her lungs were already burning.
She had to get her baby away from a possible explosion.
“This way!” someone shouted.
It was Dade, and he was motioning for them to follow him onto the road. Beside him, on the ground, was one of the gunmen, and he was either unconscious or dead because he wasn’t moving. There was no sign of Grayson or Kade.
Nate dropped behind her and used his free hand to latch on to
her arm. Good thing, too. Because she stumbled, and if it hadn’t been for Nate she would have fallen.
“I’m taking genius, here, this way,” Mason let them know.
And he started in another direction through the woods where Darcy had last seen Mel. Maybe because Mason didn’t want the boss anywhere near the children. Darcy was thankful for that, but she also hoped the gunmen wouldn’t attack again and help their boss escape.
The sound that came from behind them was deafening, a thick blast. Darcy just held her son closer and didn’t look back, but it was clear that something had blown up. She prayed Nate’s brothers, Mel and the FBI agent hadn’t been hurt or killed.
Both Noah and Kimmie were crying now, and their sobs tore at her heart the way nothing else could.
Mercy, what they’d been put through.
And for what?
To rig the investigation so that her client would be arrested and convicted of his wife’s murder. Once they were safely away from this place, Darcy wanted answers about who had orchestrated everything. No one was going to get away with endangering these children.
Dade led them back toward the start of the path, where they’d left the vehicles. It seemed to take forever, and each step was a challenge.
“Get in the SUV,” Nate ordered, and he jerked open the door and shoved Darcy into the backseat. He pushed Kimmie into her arms and looked behind him.
“Where’s Marlene?” Nate asked.
Dade, who was breathing hard, looked behind them, as well. He only shook his head and cursed.
Marlene was nowhere in sight. God, no. Had she fallen? Darcy certainly hadn’t heard her, but then she hadn’t been able to hear much over the roaring in her ears.
“Go ahead,” Dade insisted. “Get them away from here. I’ll look for her.”
Nate didn’t argue. He ripped the keys from his pocket, jumped into the driver’s seat and started the engine. He gave Dade one last glance before he hit the accelerator and sped away.
Darcy held a crying baby in each arm, and she pulled them to her and tried to soothe them. “Shhh,” she whispered, brushing kisses on each of their heads. “It’s okay. Mommy and Daddy are here.”
Kimmie looked up at her, the tears spilling down her cheeks, and she glanced at Nate, whose attention was fastened to the road. For a moment Darcy thought the little girl might sob again, but Kimmie rubbed her eyes, smearing the tears on her little hands, and she settled her head against Darcy’s shoulder.
All right.
That required a deep breath. Darcy hadn’t expected to feel this, well, attachment to Nate’s daughter. But Kimmie felt as right in her arms as Noah did. Strange. It had to be a reaction to the fear.
Darcy didn’t have time to think about it because there was another blast. It was so loud, so strong, that it shook the SUV.
“Hell,” Nate mumbled.
Terrified of what she might see, she looked back and saw more of the nightmare that had started when she’d first learned someone had kidnapped her son.
The house was a fireball. The barn, too.
And so were the woods where she’d last seen Mason.
“CALL ME THE MINUTE you know anything,” Nate said to Grayson.
Nate pushed the end-call button on his cell and released the breath he’d been holding. Finally, he had some good news to go with the not so good. Of course, the best news was in his arms.
Kimmie was asleep, her head resting right against his heart, and they were safely back at the Ryland ranch.
Nate had already said prayers of thanks, but he intended to add a lot more. Having Kimmie safe was the most important thing in his life, but his brothers were a close second.
He looked across the foyer and saw Kimmie’s nanny, Grace Borden. The petite woman with graying red hair was studying his face. “Well?” she asked in a whisper.
“My brothers are okay,” he relayed. Grayson had just let him know that. “And they found Marlene hiding in some bushes. She’s shaken up but all right.”
Grace nodded and walked to him. “Why don’t you let me take Kimmie and put her in her crib for the night?”
Nate wanted to hold her. Heck, he didn’t want to let go, but his baby would sleep much better in her own bed than in his arms. Besides, he had to check on Darcy and Noah. He didn’t want to wake Kimmie doing that.
Grace eased Kimmie from his arms. “I’ll take good care of her,” she assured him. It wasn’t necessary. Nate trusted her completely, but it still tugged at him to see his daughter being whisked away. It might be a lifetime or two before he started to forget that she’d been stolen from him.
Someone would pay for that.
He felt the anger boil inside him. A lethal mix, but he pushed that powder keg of emotion deep inside him. Soon, he would get the men responsible for what had happened.
Nate went to the bar in the living room and poured himself a shot of whiskey. He took it in one gulp, even though he preferred beer to the fireball of heat that slid down his throat. Still, he needed something to settle his nerves.
He made his way to the family room, where he’d left Darcy as soon as they’d gotten back from the Lost Appaloosa. He had to tell her that Bessie, the housekeeper, had fixed a room for Noah and her.
Before he even got there, he heard the voices coming from the family room. Not Darcy’s voice. But Kayla Brennan’s, Dade’s fiancée, who had already moved into the ranch. Good. Maybe talking with Kayla had managed to calm Darcy down because Nate didn’t want to tackle that job.
“Yes, that was an obstacle,” Kayla said. “Dade’s family hated me.”
Nate groaned silently and stopped. This didn’t sound like a calming-down kind of conversation. He peered around the corner and saw both women seated on the leather sofa. Darcy held a sleeping Noah in her lap. Kayla had her sleeping son in her arms.
“I was Charles Brennan’s daughter-in-law,” Kayla continued. “The man who ordered Nate’s wife to be killed.”
“But Dade and his brothers obviously got past that,” Darcy pointed out.
Yeah. But it hadn’t been easy. Just a short time ago, Kayla had been the enemy.
Much as Darcy was now.
And that gave Nate a jolt. A nasty feeling in the pit of his stomach.
“That’s true.” Kayla shrugged. “I fell in love with Dade, and everything else fell into place. The Rylands and my son are my family now.” Her gaze flew to the doorway, where he was standing. “Nate,” she greeted. She stood, slowly. “You have news?”
“They’re all okay,” Nate said as quickly as he could. “Dade doesn’t have a scratch on him, and he’ll be home soon.”
Kayla made a sound of relief and blinked back tears. “Thank you.”
Darcy mumbled a thank-you under her breath, and she closed her eyes for a moment.
Kayla glanced down at her son. Then, at Darcy, before her gaze went back to Nate. “It’s time I put Robbie to bed.” There was an inflection in her voice, an implied so you two can talk.
Yeah, they needed to do that. And Darcy probably wasn’t going to like what he had to say. Nate waited until Kayla was out of the room before he started what was essentially a briefing.
One with a bad twist.
“Are your brothers really okay?” she asked.
“They are. Kade has a few cuts and scratches because he was close to one of the blasts, but his injuries are minor.” He took a deep breath and rested his hands on his hips. “And they found Marlene. She said she got separated from us when we were running, and she hid in some bushes.”
“That’s good.” Darcy stared at him, waiting.
“Come on.” Nate motioned for her to stand. It might be better to finish this if he didn’t have to see her face. There was concern, and fear, written all over it. “Bessie made up a bed for you. Noah, too.”
She stood, not easily. Her legs were wobbly, but Nate didn’t move to help her. He’d been doing too much of that lately. Instead, he led her out of the family room, across the foyer
and into the hall that fed into the west wing of the house.
“Okay, what’s wrong?” Darcy asked.
Well, the woman was perceptive. “Only one of the kidnappers survived. The boss, aka Willis Ramirez. And he’s not talking. Plus, I’m not sure how long we can even hold him.”
“What?” It wasn’t a whisper, either. Noah jolted, and Darcy frantically started rocking him. She also stared at Nate. “The man kidnapped our children.”
“Yes, but Mexico has an extradition order for him. He worked for one of the drug lords and gunned down six people, including a high-ranking police officer.”
The color blanched from her face, and he got her moving again so she could put Noah down. She looked too shaky to be holding anything right now, especially a baby.
“How much time do we have to interrogate him?” Darcy wanted to know.
“Not much. A day or two at most. Grayson is with him now and will keep pressing until the federal marshals arrive and take custody.”
Darcy shook her head, mumbled something. “Grayson has to get a confession. We have to find out who hired him to kidnap the children.”
“We will,” Nate promised.
He opened the door to the guest suite and took her through the sitting area and into the bedroom where Bessie had prepared the crib. Bessie had also left Darcy a loaner gown, a robe and some toiletries.
Darcy laid the baby down, kissed one cheek and then the other. She lingered for several moments, and Nate didn’t rush her. He understood her reluctance to leave her baby.
Finally, she stepped away, keeping her eyes on Noah until she was in the sitting room. She groaned softly and leaned against the wall. “I don’t know how I made it through this day,” she whispered.
Nate was right there with her on that. He’d faced down armed criminals before, had even been wounded in the line of duty. But only Ellie’s death came close to this.
“Tomorrow I’ll have someone drop by your house and get some things,” he told her. “If you need anything specific, make a list.”
The weariness didn’t fade from her eyes, but they did widen a bit. “I’m not going home?”
Nate Page 6
