The Baby Assignment

by Christy Barritt

  Macy reached the first floor and tiptoed toward the kitchen. She gasped when she spotted someone standing in the living room.

  It was one of the FBI agents who was staying here.

  Of course.

  Macy grasped her fluttering heart, and her shoulders sagged with relief. The agent was blond and twentysomething with an honest-looking face. He’d seemed nice enough when they’d spoken earlier.

  “Sorry,” Macy muttered. “I should have known someone would have night duty. You just startled me.”

  He remained stiff and on guard. “That wasn’t my intention. I’m standing guard while everyone rests.”

  “I’m going to grab some water,” she said, nodding toward the kitchen.

  “Help yourself.”

  “Agent Armstrong, right?” She stepped into the kitchen.

  He shrugged. “Just call me George, since we’ll be working together closely for a while.”

  “George, it is.” She paused and shifted her weight. “How long have you been with the FBI, George?”

  “Only a year. This is my first assignment like this.”

  “Oh, yeah? Have you worked with Agent Wilson a lot?” She was just trying to make small talk, but suddenly it felt invasive. She wanted to take the question back. Tanner was none of her business.

  “Several times. I’ve never met a more dedicated agent.”

  His words caused her to think a little too much. “Is that right?”

  Armstrong nodded. “Some agents just live for this stuff. He’s one of them.”

  “It’s a good thing he’s not married, huh?” Her words were tinged with a touch of bitterness.

  “I’d say. It’s good for the people he works to find justice for, at least. Some agents just aren’t cut out for a family.”

  Macy grabbed a glass from the cabinet and walked to the sink, not wanting to continue this conversation anymore. It just confirmed what she already knew: Tanner wasn’t the family type.

  She flipped the faucet on and let the clear liquid fill the cup. As she did, her gaze wandered out the window in front of her, and she scanned the black landscape outside.

  Darkness stared back at her. Of course. It was 1:00 a.m., and they were in the country. There were no streetlights out here. Not even a full moon tonight.

  Suddenly, her muscles jerked with surprise. She blinked, clearing her vision.

  There was a light in the distance. Two lights. Moving. Bobbing.

  Like someone walking through the forest with a flashlight.

  Macy dropped the glass into the sink, and it shattered into a thousand tiny shards. She hardly noticed as she slowly backed away from the window. Memories of the earlier attack filled her thoughts. Caused panic to take root inside her.

  Had someone followed them here? Would they finish what they had started?

  The image of the injured man at the psychotherapy center filled her thoughts. The blood. The near loss of life. The fear that hung heavy in the air.

  “George,” she whispered. She raised a shaky finger toward the window and continued to back away.

  The agent appeared at her side, his hand reaching for the gun at his waist. “What’s wrong?”

  “Someone’s out there,” Macy said, her voice trembling and thin.

  When would this nightmare end? Macy had thought they were safe. That maybe she could breathe for a moment. That she could take some time to sort her thoughts and gather her wits until this blew over.

  It seemed that wasn’t going to be happening any time soon.

  “What do you mean someone’s out there?” He rushed to the window.

  “I saw a flashlight in the distance. In the woods. Two of them.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Macy nodded, unable to get the image out of her mind. “Positive.”

  He pulled out his phone and made a call, suddenly all business. “Move to the center of the room, away from the doors. And stay down.”

  His voice was marked with a definitive sense of urgency.

  Five seconds later, Tanner rushed down the stairs.

  He paused by her, and she could feel the adrenaline pumping off him. “Are you okay?”

  Macy nodded, unsure if she was okay at all. Her limbs were a trembling mess, and she could hardly breathe as anxiety tried to close in.

  “Tell me what you saw, Macy.”

  She swallowed hard, desperate to compose herself. “It looked like flashlights bobbing in the distance. Like people were out there. Like they followed us here.”

  “How many?”

  “Two.”

  His jaw flexed, and his gaze narrowed. “We’re going to check it out.”

  She nodded and pointed behind her, wishing her head would stop swirling. “I should keep an eye on Addie.”

  “Go upstairs. Wait with her. Stay there until we know what’s going on. I’ll leave Armstrong here to stand guard.”

  Not this again. The waiting. The anticipating. The wondering. It would be a replay of what had happened earlier at the therapy center.

  Her nerves couldn’t take it.

  Before she hurried up the stairs, Tanner grabbed her arm.

  “I’m not going to let anything happen to you or Addie, okay?” His voice left no room for argument or disagreement.

  Warmth flushed through her. The reaction was illogical, considering how much Tanner had hurt her. But, for a brief second, she’d believed him. Even appreciated him. And that was something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Five years long.

  Before Tanner could see the clashing emotions inside her, she rushed upstairs.

  She darted into her room and over to the baby. She peered into the portable crib and released her breath. Addie was still sleeping peacefully with a blanket covering her lower half, and her hands thrust high above her head.

  Thank you, Lord.

  Macy locked the door. She paced, unable to sit still. Unable to stop picturing those lights. Unable to stop thinking about worst-case scenarios about what might happen next.

  Against all logic and good sense, she crept toward the window. She had to know what was going on. Remaining in the dark was a hard spot to be in. A spot she didn’t want to be in.

  Careful to remain at the edge of the window, Macy peered through the crack between the curtain and window frame. This room faced the same direction as the kitchen—so she could see the woods behind the house.

  But she saw nothing. No lights. No movement.

  What did that mean? Had she imagined it? No. She was sure she hadn’t.

  She clenched her jaw. Preparing herself for anything. Because Macy would fight with every last ounce of her being to keep this baby safe.

  * * *

  Tanner stepped outside and onto the front porch, his gun locked and loaded.

  Cool nighttime air surrounded him. It was a typical March night in Texas. All was silent except for some crickets and a light breeze that rustled the leaves. He glanced up. Stars twinkled overhead. The piney scent of the forest drifted up to him.

  Had someone managed to follow them here? Impossible. Tanner and his men had taken every safety precaution possible. They hadn’t been trailed.

  But what if someone had found them anyway? Tanner didn’t see how that was possible, but he couldn’t rule it out yet.

  He flanked the perimeter of the house. At the edge of the house, he paused and observed the woods surrounding them. He listened.

  Agent Kyle Manning was on the other side of the property doing the same. Meanwhile, Agent Armstrong stayed inside to protect Macy and Addie.

  Tanner heard nothing. The crickets had gone silent. The breeze had died.

  He saw nothing. Not even a squirrel. A bird.

  All was still.

  But Macy wasn’t the type to make stuff like this up. She’d alway
s been even-keeled and reliable. If she’d said she saw something, then she had.

  Tanner darted toward a tree between the house and the woods, his gun still raised and ready. He listened again.

  Nothing.

  Was someone lying in wait? Did they want him to think no one was here so they could launch a surprise attack? He wouldn’t put it past these guys.

  He had to remain on guard.

  Just then, something snapped in the distance. “Was that you, Manning?” he said into his mic.

  “Not me.”

  He moved closer toward the woods. He knew that whoever these guys were, they were ruthless. They wouldn’t blink an eye at harming someone to get what they wanted. The situation at the therapy center today had been proof of that.

  Tanner stared out into the haunted-looking trees in the distance. He couldn’t use a flashlight right now because that would be a dead giveaway as to where he was. But without one, it was nearly impossible to see until his eyes adjusted properly to the darkness.

  “I’ll go to the left,” Manning said into his earpiece.

  “Be careful. I don’t like this.” Everything about the situation put his senses on alert. He was used to dealing with major crimes. Serial killings, drug busts, grisly homicides. On paper, this shouldn’t be so difficult. It was simply protecting an innocent baby who had been left at the FBI field office. But this felt like his toughest assignment to date.

  Maybe it also had to do with the fact that he was trying to keep safe the woman he once loved.

  Six

  Tanner traveled deeper into the woods, looking and listening for any sign that someone was out here. But all was silent.

  Finally, after searching for two hours, he and Manning decided to call it a night. If there had been someone out there, he was long gone by now.

  “Anything?” Armstrong asked, meeting them at the door he’d been left to guard.

  Tanner shook his head. “Not a thing. You?”

  “No, I didn’t see anything out there. Maybe Ms. Mills was seeing things.”

  “She’s not the type,” Tanner said, his hands going to his hips.

  Armstrong stared at him, looking like he’d lost his mind.

  “She’s not,” Tanner said. “She doesn’t make things up. Maybe we scared whoever was out there away. We’re going to need everyone on duty tonight just in case”

  Tanner headed upstairs, taking the steps by two. He had to make sure Addie and Macy were okay and no one had slipped past them.

  He remembered that second doorway into the office where he’d stashed Macy and Addie at the therapy center. He grimaced. He wouldn’t let that happen again. He wouldn’t naively believe that someone was safe when they weren’t.

  He knocked softly at the door. “Macy, it’s me. Tanner.”

  A split second later, the door opened and a breathless Macy stood there. She wore her black leggings and an oversize shirt. She still looked like she could be in college, especially with her dark hair hanging loose over her shoulders. It was a contrast to the well-put-together look she had at the office. Something about her now screamed innocent and vulnerable.

  It took every ounce of his self-restraint not to pull her into his arms and try to offer just a touch of comfort and reassurance. He hated that scared look in her eyes.

  The last time he’d seen it...he pushed the memories away. He couldn’t go back in time. He couldn’t relive those hard, impossible days. He didn’t want to.

  The beautiful woman in front of him was the same one who’d crushed his heart and altered his plans for the future in a way he hadn’t seen coming.

  When Macy raised her chin, he saw her inner strength again. “Well?”

  He shook his head and leaned in the doorway. “We couldn’t find anyone.”

  She hung her head and squeezed the skin between her eyes. “I saw something out there, Tanner.”

  “How many lights did you see?”

  “Two. At least two.” She released a long breath. “What if someone followed us here?”

  “I don’t see how they could do that, Macy.” He kept his voice low in order to not wake up Addie. “But it’s a possibility we’ll explore. Nothing is off the table at this point.”

  She rubbed her arms as if she were chilly, but Tanner would venture to guess her chill had come from deep within.

  “Do we stay here?” She drew her gaze up to meet his.

  Again, the vulnerable look in her eyes made Tanner feel off balance for a minute.

  Why did this assignment have to involve Macy? Maybe the good Lord wanted them to finally have some closure. That was the way Tanner was going to have to look at this because nothing else made sense.

  “We have to figure that out. As of now, Armstrong, Manning and I are pulling an all-nighter. If anyone comes up to this house, we’ll know.”

  “I’m scared, Tanner.”

  He broke his resolve and reached forward to squeeze her arm. “Anyone would be.”

  She relaxed—but only for a moment—and then she pulled back. She made it look like she had to find her footing. But Tanner knew the truth. She didn’t welcome his touch.

  He’d been expecting the rejection, but it still hurt in a way it shouldn’t. He needed to be more careful and guard himself more closely in the coming days.

  Macy cleared her throat. “What now?”

  “You get some rest. We’ll handle the rest of this.”

  “I’m not really good at letting other people take care of my problems.”

  “But these aren’t really your problems. Unfortunately, we pulled you into them.”

  “So now they are my problems. These guys know who I am. They’ve destroyed my workplace and turned my life upside down. I’d say I’m involved.”

  He released a breath. He’d had no clue any of this would happen when he stopped by to see Macy today. Things had unfolded quickly. Dangerously.

  “You’re right,” he said. “And I’m sorry. I wish you weren’t in the middle of this. I really do.”

  “Of course you couldn’t have known,” she finally said. Just then, Addie began stirring. “I’d better get her a bottle.”

  Tanner nodded and took a step back. “Yeah, I guess so. We’ll talk later.”

  * * *

  As soon as the sun began to rise the next morning, Tanner and Armstrong headed outside to search the woods for clues as to what had happened last night. Tanner stepped carefully through the forest, looking for any footprints, fibers, broken branches or trampled underbrush.

  The whole property was surrounded by an eight-foot fence. There was a gate near the entrance, which was set off from the house by at least a quarter mile. The cabin wasn’t even visible from the street.

  To get through the gate, one had to punch in a special code. Tanner would have been alerted via his cell phone if someone had done that.

  That only left the possibility of someone climbing the fence. If they’d done that, there most likely would be footprints on the soft ground. It had been down pouring only a day ago, so the soil was still soft. And most likely, there would be tire tracks outside of the fence.

  Tanner saw nothing, no proof at all that someone had been in these woods last night. That was both a relief because it meant no one had found them, and it was disturbing because Macy seemed so adamant about what she’d seen.

  Macy was already downstairs and feeding Addie a bottle when they got back. Her eyes were warm on Addie, as if she’d already decided it was her personal mission to keep the baby safe. Macy’s hair had been pulled back into a ponytail this morning and her face was absent of any makeup.

  She looked beautiful. She’d always been beautiful. Though it had been the first thing that had drawn Tanner to her, she was much more than a pretty face. She was intelligent, compassionate, even witty. He’d been proud to have her
on his arm and to be able to call her not only a friend but his fiancée.

  The sight of Macy with the baby twisted his insides in a way it shouldn’t. It stirred up memories of his plan to spend forever with her. Of hopes of forever. Of a future outside of law enforcement and instead with a family.

  He quickly shoved those thoughts aside before they turned bitter and churned like bile inside him. He’d wrestled with those feelings for a long time. They’d kept him awake at night. Had infected his thoughts until he built up a wall around himself.

  Macy straightened when they walked in. “Well? Did you find anything? Any clues?”

  He and Armstrong exchanged a look.

  “There’s nothing out there.” Tanner pulled out a seat across from her at the kitchen table.

  She blinked as if she hadn’t heard him correctly. “What do you mean?”

  “We searched the grounds, looking for any signs that our location had been breached,” he said. “There were no footprints, other than our own. There was no evidence that the fence surrounding this place had been climbed. No tire tracks outside of the fence. Nothing.”

  “But I saw something.” Her voice left no room for doubt, and her gaze was unwavering.

  “I’m not saying you didn’t see anything. I’m only saying we couldn’t find any evidence.”

  “What does that mean? Are we staying here?” She rocked her body back and forth, soothing Addie who was becoming agitated as she finished her bottle.

  “It’s far riskier to try and move again. We’re more likely to be spotted.”

  She frowned and leaned back, her gaze clouding. “So, you don’t believe me. Because if you did, we’d be out of here.”

  He tried to keep his defensiveness at bay. “It’s not that simple. I believe that you believe you saw something.”

  She looked away, her jaw locking. “I understand.”

  She clearly didn’t understand and seemed to somehow take it personally that they’d found no evidence. She’d always been stubborn once she set her mind to something.

  But Tanner’s job wasn’t to convince her. She wasn’t even supposed to be here. He wasn’t supposed to be in charge of watching a baby, for that matter. How all of this had fallen into his lap was unreal. Maybe God was trying to teach him some kind of cosmic lesson. He had to face his past hurts and failures head-on.