She could hear Dakota groaning. The deputy was still on the floor, still trying to catch his breath. But if he managed that, he might be able to pick up his gun that had fallen to the floor and use it to stop the man before someone got killed.
“Did Tori send you?” she managed to ask the man.
Jordan didn’t expect him to answer, and he didn’t. That didn’t mean Tori was innocent, and the timing of her visit was certainly suspicious. The woman could have used her arrival as a distraction so that her hired gun could break into the house. The goon might not have tried something like that if Egan had been inside. And Jordan was certain that Egan was cursing himself about that.
“I’ve already called for backup,” Egan told the man. “Let Jordan go.”
“Not a chance. She’s coming with me.” And with the choke hold even tighter now, he started backing up toward the rear door that was just off the kitchen.
Maybe the man had someone out there waiting to help him. Or he could have a vehicle he could use to escape with her. Yes, the hands had been keeping watch, but that didn’t mean someone couldn’t have gotten past them.
Egan continued to make glances around the door. No doubt looking for an opening so he could shoot. Jordan doubted the hired gun was going to allow such an opening, so she looked around for anything she could use to help fight him off. There was a wooden block with knives on the kitchen counter, but they were out of her reach. The only other thing was a coffee cup.
So, that was what Jordan grabbed.
She figured she had only a few seconds at most, so the moment she had it in her grip, she threw her weight against the man. In the same motion, she raised the cup and bashed it against the side of his head.
He cursed her and immediately tried to jostle her back into his choke hold. Jordan dropped down, sliding right out of his grasp. She didn’t take the time to get her footing. She just started running toward the front door, and the moment she reached it, she went out and ducked to the side as Egan had done.
Egan was crouched down with a tight grip on his gun, but he used his left hand to sling her behind him. So that he was in front and protecting her. Jordan didn’t want his protection, though, if it meant he was going to take a bullet for her.
And the bullet came, all right.
It bashed into the door frame, tearing off a chunk of the wood. The second one did even more damage.
“Keep watch behind us,” Egan told her.
That sent her pulse skyrocketing. Of course, she’d known this thug might not have come alone, but she didn’t want Egan and her to be ambushed.
Egan took out his backup weapon from the sliding holster in his jeans and handed it to her. Good. At least now she had a way to try to defend them. Thankfully, though, there didn’t seem to be anyone else around them, though she could see the CSIs peering around the side of the main house. They’d no doubt heard the shots and were looking to see if they could help.
Jordan motioned for them to stay back, and she turned, ready to help Egan with the hired gun. But the shots stopped. Egan cursed again, and since she couldn’t see into the guesthouse, she wasn’t sure what had caused his reaction. Or why his muscles suddenly went even stiffer than they already were.
“Backup plan,” the thug growled. And he laughed.
She risked peering around the jamb then, and her stomach went to her knees. That was because Dakota was no longer on the floor. Just as the thug had done to her, he now had Dakota in front of him.
“You’ll be coming with me,” the thug said, looking directly at Jordan. “Or else Deputy Cowboy gets a bullet to the head.”
* * *
FROM THE MOMENT that Egan had seen the gunman and the situation in the guesthouse, he’d known it could come down to this. He’d just hoped, though, that he could stop the snake before anyone got hurt.
But someone was already hurt.
Dakota had a chest injury probably from a bullet that this jerk had fired into his bulletproof vest. Jordan’s face was bruised and bleeding, and she was clearly in pain. Enough pain that forced Egan to rein in his temper. If he didn’t, he was going to rush inside and tear that idiot gunman limb from limb. He couldn’t risk doing that because he could be shot. That would leave Dakota and Jordan even more vulnerable than they already were.
And they were already plenty vulnerable enough.
He didn’t even know what they were up against. If his theory was right about the gunman getting onto the ranch in the ME’s van, then he could have brought several hired thugs with him. Maybe the person behind this had come as well, with the plan to finish them all off.
Egan glanced behind him at the CSIs. They weren’t armed, so hopefully they’d stay behind cover. Maybe Court would arrive soon, too. Egan had texted him right before he’d unlocked the guesthouse door. But even if Court did get there in record time, he didn’t want his brother walking into the middle of what could easily turn out to be a gunfight.
“Well?” the thug snarled. “Are you just gonna cower there and let the deputy die?”
The question and the attitude were no doubt meant to draw Jordan out. And it just might work, too. That was why Egan stayed in front of her. He considered asking her to use her former hostage-negotiating skills, but he didn’t want her to engage in conversation with his moron. Jordan was almost certainly thinking about her last hostage situation. One where Shanna had been killed. This thug would play on that grief and use it to try to kill her.
“If you shoot the deputy,” Egan tossed back at him, “you’ll lose your human shield, and I’ll blow your brains out. You’re sure you’re ready to die for your boss?”
Egan glanced around the doorjamb and saw that the guy’s jaw had turned to iron. Good. Egan wanted to keep pushing at any hot button he could find.
“Did your boss pay you enough to die?” Egan added. He adjusted his stance in case he had to fire. No way could he surrender or give in to this guy’s demands. Because Egan was certain the thug’s orders were to kill Jordan and him. Then he’d kill Dakota so there wouldn’t be any witnesses.
“I can match whatever your boss is paying you,” Egan went on. “And give you a sweet deal to cut down on your jail time.”
The last part was an out-and-out lie. Even if he could have, he wouldn’t have made that kind of deal and let a killer or would-be killer walk. Egan suspected, though, that this guy fell into the killer category. He’d likely been the one to kill at least one of the recipients.
But why?
Egan still didn’t have an answer to that.
“Shut up,” the man finally snapped. “And get the woman out here right now.”
He jammed his gun even harder against Dakota’s head, and the deputy winced. Dakota also made direct eye contact with Egan, maybe a way of letting him know that he’d regained enough of his breath to do something to stop this.
“The woman’s not going anywhere.” Egan made sure there was no doubt whatsoever about that in his tone.
The guy’s jaw got even tighter, and he began to fire some nervous glances around the room. Maybe trying to decide if he should just cut his losses and try to escape with Dakota. But obviously Dakota had a different notion about having that play out. The deputy lifted his left eyebrow, and even though Egan didn’t know exactly what he had in mind, he got ready.
Just as Dakota jabbed his elbow into the guy’s gut.
Coughing and cursing, the man staggered back. And he pulled the trigger of his gun. Egan wasn’t sure where the shot went, but he didn’t waste any time. He charged into the guesthouse and tackled the thug before he could get off another shot.
The momentum of his body and speed sent both the thug and him crashing against the fridge. Egan managed to hold on to his gun, but so did the thug. He tried to bring it up so he could shoot Egan, but he put a stop to that by head-butting the idiot. He’d have a helluva headache la
ter, but it’d be worth it because the impact knocked the guy against the fridge again.
This time, Egan disarmed him. And he punched him.
“That’s payback for what you did to Jordan and Dakota,” Egan growled. “I need some plastic cuffs,” he added to Dakota.
While Dakota was getting those from his pocket, Egan turned the thug, shoving him face-first against the fridge. He wasn’t easy with him when he put on the cuffs, but then this idiot hadn’t been easy with Jordan or Dakota.
Once he had him restrained, Egan put him belly-down on the floor, the best position to make sure he didn’t try to escape. Egan wanted him alive. And talking. He wanted to know the name of the person who’d hired him to create this hellish nightmare.
But the nightmare wasn’t over.
Egan’s heart slammed against his chest when he looked in the doorway to check on Jordan.
Damn.
She wasn’t alone. There was a man wearing a ski mask directly behind her. And he’d taken her hostage.
Chapter Sixteen
Jordan couldn’t breathe. The man holding her was choking her as he moved back from the door with her.
But she didn’t need her breath to silently curse herself for getting into a position like this. She should have been paying closer attention to her surroundings, but instead she’d been focused on keeping her gun aimed at the thug whom Egan was arresting. She hadn’t wanted him to try to fight his way out this situation and hurt Egan or Dakota in the process.
Now she was paying for her lapse in judgment.
Unfortunately, though, Egan and Dakota might have to pay, too.
Both of them immediately took cover, which meant they were out of the line of fire, but she doubted that would last. Egan probably wouldn’t just stand by while she was in danger. But she wished he would. Jordan wished that he would stay put and save himself and his deputy. Because if he came out after her, he’d be an easy target for this snake who had her.
Unlike the hired gun who’d shot Dakota, this one didn’t say anything to Egan. He just started dragging her toward Egan’s cruiser. It wasn’t far, only a couple of yards away, which meant it wouldn’t take him long to get her there and inside.
His choke hold was so tight that Jordan wasn’t even sure she could speak loud enough for the goon to hear her, but she tried anyway. “How did you get on the ranch?”
In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t important for her to know the answer, but she wanted to hear him speak so she could try to recognize his voice. If he was a stranger, just another hired gun, maybe then she could try to bargain with him by offering to pay him more than his boss was paying him. That hadn’t worked with the goon inside the house, but she had to try.
“He came in the ME’s van,” she heard Egan say. He was no longer in the kitchen but rather to the side of the doorway. “He knew the van would be coming to the ranch, and he used it to sneak onto the grounds.”
The man certainly didn’t deny that.
Egan stepped out even farther into the doorway, and she prayed if this man turned his gun on him that Egan would at least get down.
“Take me instead of Jordan,” Egan bargained. Jordan shook her head to nix that. Or rather she tried. But the man held on, and he didn’t stop until he had her right next to the cruiser.
“You think it’s smart to start driving off with Jordan?” Egan continued. With a firm grip on his gun, he came out into the yard. “She’s a former cop. She’ll fight you. And if you wreck, it could kill both of you.”
For the first time since the man had taken her, she felt some hesitation. He didn’t reach for the door. He stood there a moment staring at Egan.
“Get behind the wheel,” the man said. Like the phone calls, it wasn’t a normal voice. He was using some kind of scrambler. Maybe a small one hidden beneath the ski mask.
“No,” Jordan managed to say. She definitely didn’t want Egan coming with them because it would be a death sentence. But her “no” didn’t do a thing to stop him.
“Drop your gun on the ground,” the man ordered.
Now it was Egan’s turn to hesitate, and she knew why. She had his backup gun. Or rather she’d had it before this thug had knocked it from her hand and taken her captive. Now, if Egan surrendered his primary, he wouldn’t have a weapon that he could use to fight back.
Egan’s hesitation didn’t last long, and her heart sank when he tossed his gun on the ground and started for the cruiser. She braced herself in case the goon tried to kill him, but he didn’t. With her neck still in his tight grip, he stepped back so that Egan could open the door, and he got behind the wheel. The man then shoved her into the back seat and followed right behind her. He didn’t waste any time putting the gun back to her head.
“Drive,” he told Egan.
Dakota came to the door of the guesthouse, and the deputy looked ready to come after them, but Egan waved him off and started the engine. Even though Jordan didn’t want to be at the mercy of this snake, she also didn’t want the deputy hurt or killed. If Dakota tried to get to them, that would almost certainly happen.
Egan’s phone rang. Perhaps it was Court or one of the hands or CSIs trying to figure out what was going on, but Egan didn’t answer it.
“Where to?” Egan asked as he put on his seat belt.
He met her gaze in the rearview mirror, and it wasn’t hard to tell what he was thinking. Egan was blaming himself for this. But it wasn’t his fault. Nor was it hers. Jordan put the blame for this solely on the shoulders of the man who now had them at gunpoint.
Since she’d been a cop, she knew how plenty of situations like these played out. If their captor could manage to get them to a secondary location, it would be easier for him to kill them. Probably the only reason he hadn’t done that at the guesthouse was because he wouldn’t have had an escape. This way he did, which meant he probably intended to kill them as soon as he had them off the ranch.
“Just drive,” the man snarled. “When you get to the gate, make sure your hands back off or they’ll die. Then get the gate open.”
Egan had a remote to do that, but maybe the man didn’t know that. A remote would just get them off the ranch faster, and maybe Egan could claim he needed to get out of the vehicle to open it. Of course, he wouldn’t use that opportunity to get away, but maybe he could at least get himself out of the line of fire. That might give Court time to arrive so he could help them put a stop to this.
When Egan started driving, Jordan looked back at the CSIs. They were armed now, maybe with weapons they’d gotten from the house. But like the ranch hands, they were unable to do anything for fear their captor would kill them. Or rather one of them anyway. Jordan figured she was the expendable one now, and it sickened her to think that she might die and not even know the reason why.
The person under the ski mask could be another hired gun. One working for Leeroy or even Kirk if his thugs had indeed gone rogue. Or the man’s boss could be Tori, who was working on behalf of Drew. She couldn’t rule out their other suspect, either—Christian.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked.
He didn’t answer, of course. He just kept the gun on her while he watched every move that Egan made. She felt his hand tense, though, when Egan approached the gate. That was probably because of the two armed hands there.
“Call them,” the man said to Egan. “Tell them to stand down.”
Egan took out his phone and did that, and she watched as the hands hesitantly lowered their guns and stepped back off the road and away from the gate. Egan looked at her again in the mirror, and it seemed as if he was trying to tell her something. Exactly what, though, she didn’t know, but Jordan tried to brace herself for whatever it was he was about to do.
She didn’t have to wait long.
Without warning, Egan slammed his foot on the accelerator, crashing the cruiser into the
iron gate.
* * *
EGAN HAD KNOWN the crash was a huge risk, but everything he did at this point would be. But the biggest risk of all would have been to allow this thug to get Jordan and him off the ranch. This way, he at least had some backup if he managed to get her out of the cruiser.
That was a big if, though.
Egan was wearing his seat belt, and when he’d made the call to the hands, he’d turned off the airbag so that it wouldn’t punch him in the face. But Jordan and the thug holding her weren’t strapped in so they went flying into the back of the seat. Exactly what Egan had wanted. Now he only had to hope and pray that Jordan didn’t get hurt worse than she already was.
The man cursed, the words still filtered through the scrambler, and he regained his balance a little sooner than Egan had wanted. He also managed to hang on to his gun. Still, Egan came over the seat after him. He needed to pin the guy long enough for Jordan to escape.
“Get out of here,” Egan shouted to her. “Run!” And he launched himself at the man.
Egan tackled him, trying to pin him to the seat, but he didn’t manage to do that before the idiot pulled the trigger. The shot blasted through the cruiser, and Egan prayed the sound of pain that Jordan made was because it hurt her ears and not because she’d been shot. He couldn’t check on her, though, because Egan was suddenly in the fight for their lives.
The man bashed his gun so hard against Egan’s head that he was certain he’d have a concussion. Still, that didn’t stop him. Egan swung his fist and managed to connect with the guy’s jaw. His head flopped back, but he managed to get off another shot.
Worse, Jordan was still in the cruiser.
Egan wanted to shout at her again to get out, but she started hitting the thug on the head. It wasn’t doing much to deter him, though, because he fired a third time, and he latched on to Jordan, dragging her against him. He was going to use her as a human shield again if Egan didn’t do something to stop it.
Lawman with a Cause Page 15
