Colorado Abduction

by Cassie Miles

  She grabbed his hand and let out an earsplitting screech. From the middle seat, Silverman coached her. “Hang in there, Sunny. You can do it. Do you know the breathing? Hee-hee. Hoo-hoo.”

  The screech continued. Nothing hee-hee about it.

  “She’s not having the baby now,” Burke snapped.

  “She could,” Silverman said.

  “Oh. Hell. No. She’s waiting until we get to the hospital.” In the meantime, she was crushing his fingers into pulp. “Hold it in, Sunny.”

  “Doesn’t work that way,” Silverman said. “When it’s time, it’s time.”

  “Since when are you a midwife?”

  “I helped my sister give birth. I know all about this stuff.”

  Sunny went quiet, breathing heavily. Her grip on his hand relaxed. “Barbara wanted to leave the SOF. She never really wanted to be there in the first place. She only stayed because of her sister. Lisa has a drug problem.”

  “What about you? Drug problem?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I never got into drugs.”

  Sunny seemed like a decent kid, even though she was kind of a mess with her blond hair growing out at the roots and her baggy dress with long woolen leggings. “Are there drugs at the Circle M?”

  “Some kind of supposedly herbal supplement. I never took it. Because of the baby.”

  “Good for you,” Burke said. “Tell me about Barbara.”

  “She found out she was pregnant, too. We talked about leaving together. When we told Logan we wanted to go, he got really mad. He reminded us what it’s like on the outside for a single mother. No friends. No money.”

  “There’s always someone,” Silverman said. He maneuvered around and stretched out his arm to dab her forehead with a red kerchief. “Somebody who will step up and—”

  “Do something useful,” Burke ordered. “Call the Delta hospital and tell them we’re coming.”

  “Sunny needs to know there’s a support system.”

  Agent Mike Silverman was usually an efficient operative who had no problem with following orders. Something about being around a pregnant woman had messed with his head. “Make the damn call.”

  Glaring at Burke, he pulled out his cell phone. Since Carolyn was driving at about a thousand miles an hour, they ought to be at the hospital in minutes. “Okay, Sunny. Both you and Barbara wanted to leave. Then what?”

  “Her baby’s daddy was Pete Richter. A real bastard. She made the mistake of talking to him. I saw him slap her really hard. She was unconscious. I wanted to help her. Really, I did. But I was scared.”

  “You’re safe now,” Burke assured her. He wanted to get the whole story before her next contraction. “What happened next? Give me the short version.”

  “Richter and Logan dragged Barbara off into the barn, and I never saw her again. Logan told us she ran away.”

  “But you didn’t believe him.”

  “She never would have left without saying goodbye to Lisa. A couple of days later, I was out walking. Not far from the trees where you came and got me, I found a plot of fresh-turned earth. I know that’s where they buried her.”

  It would have been neater if Sunny had actually witnessed the murder. Finding the body would be useful, but it wouldn’t tell them who killed Barbara Ayers.

  “New topic,” Burke said. “Can you tell me anything about the woman who was kidnapped? Nicole Carlisle?”

  “I never saw her.”

  “Is there a place at the Circle M where they could hide her?”

  “Plenty of places. Root cellars. Trailers.” She shrugged.

  Burke pressed for a more definitive answer. “If Butch and Richter were holding Nicole captive, where would they be?”

  “There’s a trailer behind the bunkhouse where a lot of couples go to make love. Butch didn’t like it. He wanted more privacy. He took me to this place. We had to ride on the Indian Trail to get there.” Her voice broke. “It was springtime, just starting to warm up. It felt like he loved me. Everything was so beautiful.”

  “Where was this place?”

  “A shallow cave that looks out over the mountains and valleys. Right above the Cathedral Rocks with all the spikes and spires.”

  She grabbed his hand. “Here comes another one.”

  “So soon?”

  “Four minutes apart,” Silverman announced.

  “How far are we from the damn hospital?”

  “Not far,” Carolyn yelled over her shoulder. “We’re almost in Delta.”

  Sunny let out a long wail. Her knees drew up and separated as if she was ready to shoot out the baby.

  Silverman held out his hand, and she latched on to him, too.

  “Don’t push,” he said. “We’re almost to the hospital.”

  “Did you hear that?” Burke whispered in her ear. “No pushing.”

  Sunny ended the contraction with short, huffing gasps. “I need my mom.”

  “Absolutely. No problem.” Burke waved his cell phone. “You can call her. Where does she live?”

  “Mom,” She sobbed, “doesn’t even know I’m pregnant.”

  Burke held the phone in front of her. “Tell me the number.”

  “No time. I want this baby out of me.”

  Carolyn whipped into the emergency entrance for the hospital and leaped from the car. In seconds, two guys in scrubs had loaded Sunny onto a gurney. Silverman went with them into the hospital.

  Burke leaned against the van and exhaled a long breath.

  Carolyn stood beside him. In the harsh light outside the E.R. entrance, he saw her smirk. “That went well.”

  In spite of her sarcasm, he was pleased with the way his team had extracted Sunny—a witness who had given them useful information against Logan.

  While they were at the hospital, they’d checked on Jesse Longbridge. Burke hoped for a lucky break. If the bodyguard was out of his coma, he could identify the men who kidnapped Nicole.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Hospital visiting hours had, of course, ended much earlier. And the nurses didn’t seem pleased about the after-midnight exception they made for Carolyn and Burke after he showed his FBI credentials.

  Walking beside him down a clean corridor, she tried to keep her sneakers from squeaking on the tile floor. Her hands were washed, but the black clothes she’d worn for the meeting with Sunny were filthy and sweaty. She felt like a germ invading sterile territory.

  Hospitals made her uncomfortable, especially this one—it was where her father had passed away. She shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t really be involved in anything like a hostage extraction. She was a CEO, not part of the CIA. But the alternative was doing nothing, and she had to admit that rescuing Sunny had been a rush. Escaping from pursuit and racing to the hospital made her feel like she was accomplishing something. And it looked like there would be a happy ending to that story. Sunny was already in the delivery room with Silverman. If only they could rescue Nicole so easily, Carolyn could get back to her regular life—a life that didn’t include Special Agent J. D. Burke.

  She wasn’t exactly sure how she felt about never seeing him again. Like her, he was dressed in black—a color that should have made him appear smaller. But he looked huge and dangerous. His jaw was tight. His dark eyes burned with a purposeful intensity that fascinated her.

  Perhaps she’d miss him.

  At the end of the hall, they entered Jesse Longbridge’s private room. Wentworth and another guard from Longbridge Security greeted them with a handshake and stepped aside.

  Dim night-lights gave the room an ethereal quality. Jesse lay motionless and unconscious under a white sheet. IV lines ran into the veins in his right arm. The left was bandaged. A large dressing covered his left shoulder. A nasal cannula delivered oxygen to his lungs, but he was breathing on his own. His chest rose and fell steadily. The heart monitor made a regular beep.

  As Carolyn approached his bed, she felt a strong connection to this man who was, in fact, a stranger. They’d never been
introduced, but his blood had flowed through her fingers and stained her clothing.

  She gently brushed his thick black hair off his forehead. He was rather handsome. She’d heard that Jesse was half Navajo and could see his heritage in his strong features. His eyelashes flickered, and she thought for a moment that he would waken. But the slight movement faded into stillness.

  Concentrating, she sent positive thoughts from her brain to his. You’re going to get better, Jesse. You will be well again. He’d risked his life trying to protect Nicole. Frankly, he was the answer to all their questions. When he woke, he’d be able to identify the kidnappers.

  Seeing him lying there—so still and quiet—saddened her. He didn’t deserve these injuries. He was one of the good guys, someone who tried to do the right thing. And how was he repaid for his efforts? Damn it, this wasn’t fair.

  Burke stood close behind her. “He’s expected to make a full recovery.”

  That knowledge didn’t assuage her anger. “What if he doesn’t?”

  “He will.”

  She turned her head. In Burke’s expression she saw strength and determination, but he couldn’t affect Jesse’s medical condition. Some things were simply out of his control. And hers, too.

  Quietly, she stepped away from Jesse’s bed. Wentworth accompanied her and Burke, leaving the other guard in the room to keep watch. He led them past the nurse’s station into a private office with file cabinets, a computer and a couple of chairs. Wentworth closed the door.

  Burke asked, “What’s the update on Jesse’s condition?”

  “Same as before. No broken bones. No organ damage. All his systems are functioning and he’s got brain activity. A couple of times, he’s opened his eyes, looked around and then zonked out again. The docs say he’ll be okay.”

  “I’m sure he will be.” Burke took his cell phone from his pocket, checked the caller ID and excused himself. “Sorry, I have to take this call.”

  “Thank you, Wentworth,” Carolyn said, “for all you’ve done.”

  “It’s my job, ma’am.”

  “Can you explain to me why Jesse isn’t awake?”

  “There’s no medical explanation, ma’am. But I’ll tell you this. Jesse’s no slacker. When he decides to wake up, I guarantee he’ll be raring to go.”

  Though Wentworth was obviously concerned, he kept his fears to himself. His stoicism reminded Carolyn of the cowboy ethic. Never show emotion.

  She wanted to scream, to jump up and down and rail against the bastards who had put this good man in the hospital.

  “Is there anything I can do?” she asked. “Should we call in a specialist?”

  “Jesse’s getting first-rate care,” Wentworth said. “It helps to have two of us here, 24/7. We’re also keeping tabs on your ransom money.”

  Swept up in concern for Jesse, she’d almost forgotten that the ransom had been delivered here to the hospital so the traitor at the ranch wouldn’t know the money had arrived. A million dollars in cash! How could she forget? “It’s in a backpack?”

  “Yes, ma’am. A real big backpack.”

  Burke completed his call and rejoined them. Without missing a beat, he said. “We’ll be taking the ransom with us.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Burke slipped easily into the leadership role. Though he wasn’t Wentworth’s boss or his client, he still commanded respect. The only time she’d seen that fierce composure slip was with Sunny. Handling a woman in labor had dumbfounded Special Agent Burke.

  He turned to her. “That was Corelli on the phone. Logan has called the ranch twice, looking for you. It’s worth finding out what he wants.”

  “It’s probably about Sunny.”

  “Most likely,” Burke said. “If he tries to contact you again, Corelli will patch the call through to my phone.”

  “Okay.” She didn’t want to talk to Logan, but Burke was right. She might learn something useful.

  “Wentworth,” Burke said, “I’ve got another assignment for you. We have another witness at the hospital who needs a full-time guard. She’ll be in the maternity wing.”

  Though Wentworth nodded, he said, “Could be a problem, sir. There are only two of us, and we need to take turns sleeping and watching Jesse.”

  “I’m leaving an FBI agent here with you.”

  “Silverman?” she asked.

  “He might as well stay here,” Burke said. “You saw how he was fawning all over Sunny.”

  “I thought he was sweet,” she said.

  Burke turned to Wentworth. “Can you manage with three guards?”

  “I’ll work it out, sir.”

  “Actually,” Carolyn said, “you’ll be watching three people. Jesse, Sunny and a newborn baby.”

  Burke’s cell phone rang. He checked the ID and handed it to her. “It’s Logan. Don’t tell him anything about Sunny.”

  She took the phone from him and answered, “What do you want?”

  “I knew you’d be awake,” he said. “There are probably a half dozen feds monitoring the phones. Did they get you out of bed? Are you wearing one of those skimpy little nightshirts? I remember a blue one with butterflies.”

  A shudder of revulsion went through her. She hated that he knew what she wore to bed. “Why did you call?”

  “Where’s Sunny?”

  “Who? What are you talking about?”

  “Sunny,” he repeated. “She was one of the women you were talking to today. She ran off, and I’m pretty damn sure she came to you for help.”

  From the way he was talking, she didn’t think he’d actually seen them rescuing Sunny. It would be useful to know if any of those people with flashlights had spotted them. “Why would you think she came to me?”

  “Because you put ideas in her head. I know how you are.”

  He knew nothing about her. And, apparently, nothing about their hostage extraction. She gave a short laugh and said, “You think I poisoned her mind? Convinced her to leave you?”

  “That’s right.”

  “In case you hadn’t noticed,” she said, “I kind of have my hands full. Why would I care about some woman who was dumb enough to join up with you in the first place?”

  “Like you,” he reminded her. “You used to be with me.”

  “Thank God I came to my senses.”

  “Where else would Sunny run to? She came to your ranch,” he said. “You should know that she’s a liar. A runaway that I picked up off the streets. You can’t believe a word she says.”

  “She’s not at the ranch, Logan.”

  “Don’t mess with me.”

  “Or else?” She laughed again, harshly. “What are you going to do?”

  “You think you’re untouchable. You’re the high-and-mighty Carolyn Carlisle. But I know how to bring you down.”

  Was he talking about Nicole? Would he hurt Nicole to get back at her? “Are you threatening me? Again?”

  “Take it any way you want.”

  The phone went dead.

  AN HOUR LATER, sitting in the passenger seat of the van, Carolyn had pushed aside her sadness about Jesse and her frustrated anger at Logan. Her mind filled with happier images as she thought about Sunny’s beautiful baby girl. After their wild ride to get her to the hospital, the actual delivery—assisted by Silverman—had been uncomplicated and fast. And the result?

  Carolyn grinned. Sunny had given birth to a perfect little being with wise, curious eyes and rosebud lips.

  She sighed. “Babies are so miraculous.”

  “Yeah,” Burke said. “Bundles of joy.”

  “Come on, tough guy. I saw your face when you were holding the baby. You liked it.”

  “Don’t confuse me with Silverman.” He frowned at the road ahead. “I don’t know what the hell’s gotten into him. He’s single, never married. What does he know about babies?”

  “More than you,” she teased.

  The atmosphere between them was different tonight—more intimate. In the dark, when she couldn’t see cl
early, her other senses were heightened, as if she could hear him breathing and feel the warmth emanating from his body. His voice seemed more resonant; the tones vibrated inside her.

  They’d experienced so much in one day. The emotional high of rescuing Sunny. And the low point this morning when she broke down in tears. In some ways, Burke knew her more thoroughly than men she’d dated for years. But she still didn’t have much of an inkling of his background. Now—when they were finally alone—was her time to find out about him.

  “Did you have siblings?” she asked.

  “I was an only child, raised in Chicago by a single mom.”

  She was surprised that he’d offered so much biographical information—a whole sentence. Usually, he answered her questions with a question of his own. She pressed for more. “You grew up in the city?”

  “Mostly.”

  Pulling answers from him was like sucking on a bent straw. “Does that mean you also lived somewhere else?”

  “I spent a lot of summers in rural Wisconsin with my grandparents. That’s where I learned how to ride.”

  He yawned. She knew that his defenses were down. “After high school, what did you do?”

  “Is there a point to your questions?”

  “I’m trying to get to know you,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “Because I like you, Burke.”

  As the words left her lips, her heart took a little jump. She wasn’t usually so direct; Carolyn knew how to play the dating game. But there wasn’t time for them to do the traditional get-to-know-you dance. For them, there would be no candlelit dinners or long walks in the park. They didn’t even have time for a first date.

  If anything was going to happen between them, it had to be as fast and furious as a tornado. Is that what I want? To be swept up in a wild vortex? She reminded herself that tornadoes were generally looked upon as disasters.

  “You like me,” he said.

  Lights from the dashboard showed a grin that was a bit too arrogant for her taste. She backtracked, not wanting to give him an edge. “Maybe I do.”

  “Maybe?” He turned his head and gave her a cocky look—a challenge that made her want to raise the stakes.

  “When I first met you,” she said, “I thought you were an insensitive, domineering jerk.”