by Kat Martin
Cassidy felt a wave of relief that the woman wasn’t trapped in the house with a killer. “Josie, this is Cassidy Jones. Beau and I are on our way to Pleasant Hill. A problem’s come up. We need you to wait for us in the café.”
“What? We’re closed. I’m just leaving for home.”
“You can’t leave, Josie. Beau will explain everything when we get there.”
“Oh, God, something’s wrong. What is it? What’s going on?”
Cassidy glanced over at Beau, who was gripping the wheel as if he might tear it off the steering column, forcing himself to keep the Ferrari at a speed just above the limit. They couldn’t afford to be stopped for a ticket.
“We need to talk in person,” Cassidy said. “Promise me you won’t leave the café until we get there.”
“Oh, Lord Almighty—has something happened to my babies? What is it? Please, you have to tell me.”
Cassidy’s chest went tight. She didn’t want to tell the woman the two people she loved most in the world were in danger, but whatever Josie was imagining might be worse than the truth.
“They’re okay, Josie. There’s a man in the house with them. He hasn’t hurt them. He just wants money. Beau is bringing it. As soon as he gets it, the man will let Missy and Evie go.”
Josie sobbed into the phone.
“We’re coming, Josie. In the helicopter. It won’t take us long to get there. Just stay calm and everything will be okay. You hear me?”
“My girls. My sweet babies.”
“Josie, listen to me. Beau’s going to take care of everything. He won’t let anyone hurt them. You know that, right? He loves them. You just stay there. And whatever you do, don’t call the police.”
Josie whimpered.
“Promise me, Josie.”
“I’ll stay here. I won’t call the cops or nobody else.”
“Good, that’s good. We’ll see you soon.” Cassidy ended the call, wiping her eyes with the tail of her flannel shirt. When she looked at Beau, his jaw was locked tight.
“She’s okay for now,” Cassidy said. “We just need to pick up the money and get there.”
Beau sliced her a look. “There’s a chance the money won’t be enough. No way to know with a guy like that.”
“Missy said he was wearing a ski mask. That means he doesn’t want to be recognized. He wouldn’t care about that if he was planning to kill them.”
Beau’s iron grip on his jaw eased a little. “You’re right. We just need to get there.” But he didn’t sound completely convinced.
The money was waiting when he pulled the Ferrari up in front of the Dallas State Bank. The manager, sleepy-eyed and disconcerted, was there to personally hand over the heavy black canvas bag.
“This is highly unusual, Beau. Some of the bills are larger than you wanted. We didn’t have much time. Is everything okay?” The bald, officious-looking manager shifted nervously from side to side.
“It will be. Thanks for handling this, Jim. I knew I could count on you. I’d appreciate your discretion.”
“No problem. You know you can rely on Dallas State, Beau.”
Beau grabbed the bag, popped the trunk, which was small but big enough to hold the bag of money, jumped back in the car, and they shot off down the street. The chopper was sitting on the roof when they reached the top floor of the Tex/Am building.
The elevator door slid open and Cassidy spotted Frank Marino, red hair glinting in the lights around the helipad. The rotors spun gently as Frank ran over to help her climb in. Beau tossed the bag of money into the chopper and followed. Frank climbed in behind them and slid closed the door.
“You sure you’re ready for this?” Frank asked as they strapped themselves into their seats. “Like I said, might be smarter to bring in the police.” Frank, a former police officer, had wanted to call in the authorities, but until they knew more, Beau refused to take the chance.
“No police,” he said as he had before. “Not until we’re sure they’re safe.” The roar of the engine and the whir of the rotors ended the conversation. They put on their headsets, but there wasn’t much more to say.
Cassidy looked at Beau and her heart went out to him. Beau had adopted Missy and Evie as part of his family. Aside from Linc and Carly, they were all he had. Beau felt responsible for what was happening to them, though it wasn’t really his fault. All he’d wanted was justice for his father. But Beau didn’t see it that way.
The eighty-mile, twenty-five-minute flight was the longest of Cassidy’s life, even with the chopper zooming at a hundred and seventy miles an hour over the darkened landscape. The blur of city lights faded to occasional pin-dots below as they traveled farther and farther into the rural countryside.
At Beau’s instruction, the pilot headed straight for the park across the street from the house on Shady Lane. The bad news was, when they got there, the outside of the house was lit up like a giant summer carnival. Red and blue lights flashing, half a dozen patrol cars were parked at various angles in the street around the house, uniformed officers crouched next to their vehicles.
Beau swore softly. Marino made a hissing sound between his teeth. And Cassidy flat-out cursed.
Adrenaline pumped into Beau’s veins, speeding up his heart rate. The last thing he wanted was for the guy in the house to panic. Crossing the grass toward the residence, he walked next to Cassidy while Frank covered from behind. He had just reached the opposite side of the road when a small group of uniformed officers stepped out of the shadows, blocking his way.
Beau recognized police chief Eric Warren, his solid jaw tight, clearly all business. Detective Tom Briscoe stood next to him, looking more worried than Beau had ever seen him.
“We’ve got a situation here, Beau,” the chief said. “Which apparently you’re aware of or you wouldn’t be here.”
“Are the girls all right? Missy and the baby?”
“Far as we know. The guy in there—he won’t talk to anyone but you. Told us he was waiting for you. Said you’d be here any minute.”
“How’d you know what was going on?”
“Neighbor saw a man wearing a ski mask through one of the windows and called 9-1-1. Neighbor said there was a woman and a baby in the house. We checked, found out Missy Kessler and her daughter had just moved in.”
Beau looked over at the house. All the shades were drawn, and only a single lamp cast dim light into the living room.
“We’re bringing in a hostage negotiator from Dallas,” Chief Warren said. “Might be a while before he gets here.”
“We don’t need a hostage negotiator. I’ve got the money he wants. I’ll talk to him, see if I can convince him to come out and get it.”
“You’re a civilian, Beau. You need to let us handle this.”
Beau shook his head. “No way. I want those girls safe. I’ll do whatever I have to in order to make that happen.”
“Take it easy, okay? We all want the same thing here.” The chief surveyed his men. “We’re a little shorthanded. We’ve got some kind of stomach bug going around. County sheriff handles SWAT. They’re putting a team together now. Might take a while.”
“Jesus. The sheriff handles SWAT? Howler’s in charge?”
“Look, Beau, I know you and Sheriff Howler have some bad history, but SWAT falls under his jurisdiction. Like I said, we’re all shorthanded, so I don’t know how many men he can muster.”
The last thing they needed were more men. Beau couldn’t begin to imagine what was going on inside the house. And once Sheriff Howler arrived, he’d be in charge. Emmett Howler was the man who had arrested Beau the night he, Linc, and Kyle Howler, the sheriff’s son, had tried to rob that convenience store. Even though it had been Kyle’s idea, Howler still carried a grudge against Beau and Linc.
His stomach knotted. This was turning into a giant clusterfuck and Missy and Evie were going to be the ones to pay.
A feminine hand settled on his shoulder. He looked at Cassidy and the strength and resolve he saw in he
r pretty green eyes steadied him.
“They’re going to be okay, Beau. We won’t let anything happen to them.”
He swallowed and nodded. He’d find a way to get them out of there. He had to.
“Is that bulge beneath your jacket what I think it is?” the chief asked.
“We’re both armed, both permitted.” In his case, carrying was probably not a good idea at the moment, seeing as he was currently under suspicion of murder. But the chief didn’t press the issue.
Beau’s phone rang. He dug it out of his jeans and looked at the screen. It was Missy’s cell number. “It’s him.” Warren moved closer and Beau held the phone so the chief could listen.
“I’m here,” Beau said. “Just landed in the park across the street.”
“I thought I told you no cops.”
“I didn’t call them. One of the neighbors spotted you through the window and dialed 9-1-1.”
“You got the money?”
“I’ve got it. Let Missy take the baby and leave, and you can have it.”
A harsh laugh came over the line. “Yeah, like I’m gonna do that. What, you think I’m an idiot?”
Beau took a calming breath.
“Ask him his name,” the chief quietly suggested.
“Who are you? What’s your name?”
“None of your business. The money in the chopper?”
“Yes, it’s waiting for you there. So what do you want me to call you?”
“I guess it don’t matter. Since we’re gonna be such good friends, you can call me Franco.”
“All right, then, Franco.”
“Leave the money where it is. We’re getting ready to come out. I’m bringing the girl and the kid with me. Tell the pilot to get the chopper ready to go. Anybody tries to interfere, I shoot the girl.”
The phone went dead and the knot in Beau’s stomach tightened to the point of pain.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The baby was fussing, sensing her mother’s fear. Missy held her gently, twirling from side to side, bouncing her a little, trying to comfort her. “It’s all right, sweetheart. Mama’s right here.”
“Get the kid ready. We’re leaving.” After the police arrived, the man who had broken into their home had removed the ski mask he’d been wearing. He was average height, with olive skin, heavy eyebrows and a long, pointed nose. He’d told her to call him Franco.
“You’re letting us go?” Hope rose inside her. She knew Beau had just arrived in his helicopter. Maybe everything was going to be okay.
“Not yet. Once we get to Mexico, I’ll let you go.”
A jolt of fear tore a strangled sound from her throat. “Mexico! You can’t take us to Mexico! How will we get home?”
“Look. I wasn’t gonna take you, okay? But now the cops are here, so I don’t have any choice.”
“Please. I’m begging you. Evie’s too little for a trip like that. She might get sick. She might even die.”
His black eyes swung to her face, taking in her long blond hair and blue eyes, slid down over the curve of her breasts beneath the robe and nightgown she was wearing, took in her slender bare feet.
A shiver ran through her. She’d had a boyfriend in high school. She’d slept with Stewart. She knew when a man looked at a woman that way, he wanted to get between her legs.
“So . . . if you want,” Franco said, “we could leave the baby in the house and you could come with me. Just you and me, you know? With all that money, we could have some real fun in Mexico.”
Missy bit back a whimper. She couldn’t imagine leaving her baby. She was too tiny, still breastfeeding. She needed her mama. But if Franco took them to Mexico, Evie could die. Missy’s eyes filled. No matter what happened, her mom would take care of Evie. And Beau would make sure she had everything she needed. He was protective of Evie. Protective of both of them. She had to put her baby’s safety first.
She pretended to smile but her lips trembled. “Okay, I’ll go with you. I’ve got to get dressed. Then I’ll just put Evie in her crib and get my things.”
“Make it snappy. We don’t have much time.”
Missy started shaking. She fought not to cry as she left the room, but tears streamed down her cheeks. She swallowed against the thick lump clogging her throat and tried not to think she might never see her tiny baby daughter again.
* * *
“Try to stall him,” Chief Warren said. “We aren’t ready. We need to wait for SWAT, get men in position, be ready for this guy when he comes out.”
“I don’t think you’re going to have time for that,” Beau said. “I’m going in there and talk to him.”
Warren clamped a hand on Beau’s shoulder, stopping him before he could move. “You’re a civilian, Beau. I can’t let you do that.”
Beau shook off the chief’s hand. “Let me help you, dammit. This is my fault. They wouldn’t be in trouble if I hadn’t been digging around, trying to find my father’s killer.”
“Sorry, that’s not the way it works. We wait, hold our positions. We’ve already replaced your pilot with one of our men, in case gunfire breaks out. Once SWAT arrives, we can put a sniper in place, take him out if we have to.”
At least his pilot was safe. One worry less. Beau’s cell started ringing. He brought up his phone and held it so the chief could hear. “I’m listening.”
“You’ve got five minutes to get the cops to back off. If I see even one of them when I open the door, I shoot the girl.” The line went dead and Beau cursed. He thought of the young woman and her baby trapped in the house with a killer, and his mouth went dry.
He looked at Warren. “You heard what he said. You need to pull your men back. Get them far enough away that he can’t see them.” Movement off to the left caught his attention. A tall, broad-shouldered man materialized out of the darkness, moving toward him with long, confident strides. A rifle case hung from one of his big hands.
Joshua Cain. Linc’s brother. Ex-military, former Marine special ops sniper. Beau had never been so glad to see anyone in his life.
“Linc thought you might need some backup,” Josh said.
“How did he—”
“Guy named Marino called him, explained what was going on. Linc’s in New Mexico or he’d be here with me.”
Beau flicked a glance at Frank Marino, who shrugged but didn’t apologize. At the moment it was impossible to be mad at the guy for overstepping his bounds.
“You’re Cain,” Chief Warren said to Josh. “Everybody in town knows what you did to protect our soldiers.” Josh was a war hero. He was currently living at Blackland Ranch, trying to get his life back together after a brush with death that had ended his military career.
According to Linc, Josh wanted to leave his soldiering days behind and start over. Beau felt another stab of guilt for dragging Linc’s brother into this.
“Your timing couldn’t be better,” Chief Warren said. “We’ve got a woman and baby held hostage in that house. The subject’s just about to come out and head for the helo. SWAT isn’t here yet and we’re out of time. We could really use your help.”
Something flickered in Josh’s deep blue eyes. “That’s why I’m here.”
“Good. Joshua Cain, you’re hereby deputized as an officer of the Pleasant Hill police force.”
Josh just nodded. He turned to study the house, looked at the position of the helicopter sitting on the grass in the park, rotors spinning. He appeared to be drawing a mental line from the front door to the aircraft.
Without a word, he walked off toward the trees, moving as soundlessly as a ghost in the night. Beau blinked and Josh was gone.
“Where is he?” Warren asked.
“He’s out there,” Beau said. “Wherever he’s supposed to be.”
Chief Warren didn’t argue. They had less than sixty seconds until the five-minute deadline was up. Warren checked to be sure his men, weapons drawn, were out of sight. The last police officer had just disappeared when Beau’s phone rang.
/> “We’re coming out,” Franco said. “I better not see any police.”
“No police,” Beau said. “The chopper’s ready to go just the way you wanted.” He doubted the police officer at the controls was actually going anywhere. This would be resolved one way or another before the helo left the ground.
“I need to see the money,” Franco said. “The girl’s with me. I’m leaving the kid in the house.”
Beau felt a trickle of relief. “That’s good. Now you’re being smart.” At least the baby would be safe. Unfortunately, the money was in the bag on the floor of the chopper. The guy would have to board the aircraft to see it.
“Ready or not, here we come.” Franco’s voice held an odd lightness, almost a note of excitement. Then the line went dead.
The front door opened and a man with shaggy black hair stepped out on the porch, Missy in front of him, his arm clamped around her neck. A gun was pressed into the side of her head. In the moonlight, her face was as white as the sweater she was wearing. Her eyes were wild and tears streamed down her cheeks.
Guilt swamped him. She was just a kid. The mother of a newborn baby.
He felt Cassidy’s presence beside him. She reached for his hand, laced her fingers with his. The warmth of her touch centered him, gave him a moment’s peace. He squeezed her fingers, then he let go and started walking.
* * *
Cassidy’s heart nearly stopped beating when Beau stepped out of the shadows, his hands in the air. Positioned behind a tree, she drew her weapon and went into a shooting stance, her gun aimed at the hostage taker.
“I’m Reese,” Beau said, walking into the moonlight where Franco could see him as he approached the house. A few feet away, Chief Warren quietly cursed. Cassidy’s palms went damp. She tightened her hold on the pistol.
“I’ll get the money out of the chopper,” Beau said, “show you it’s all there. But you can’t leave till you let the girl go.”
“Fuck you, Reese. I’m taking her with me. She’s going of her own free will. Right, baby?”
Missy made a strangled sound in her throat, and Cassidy’s chest clamped down. She kept her gun pointed at Franco, but she was too far away to risk any sort of shot.
