The night was fraught with danger, their plan definitely not infallible. Olivia’s heart banged hard against her chest as she realized some of the people sitting at this very table might not survive the mission.
CHAPTER 12
The plans were made. When the church bell tolled the hour of eight, the action would begin. At seven-fifteen Micah left his room in the cave and headed for the exit. His progress was halted by Olivia, who was clad in black pants, a long-sleeved black shirt and even had her shiny blond hair tucked into a black stocking cap.
“What are you doing?” he asked. “Playing ninja?”
She flashed him a look of annoyance. “I’m not playing at anything. I’m going with you.” She raised her chin as if prepared to battle whatever protest he might throw her way.
He didn’t disappoint her. “The hell you are. You’re going to stay right here out of the range of danger.” He motioned for her to step aside so he could continue, but she held her ground before him.
“I can either go with you or without you, but nobody, not even you, is keeping me here while you go after my son. You need me, Micah,” she said desperately. “These are children and they’ll be frightened by the sight of you storming in the room dressed all in black and grabbing them up. Besides, how can you use your gun if necessary if you have Devin in one arm and Ethan in the other?” She flushed, as if she were aware that she was talking too much, too fast, but he also saw the fierce determination shining from her eyes.
She reached out and placed her small hand in the center of his chest. “Please, Micah. I’m the one who left him behind and if I don’t participate in trying to get him back, I’ll go absolutely insane.”
“What about Sam?” Surely she wouldn’t want to leave Sam here without her.
“Darcy has agreed to stay here and watch him. She’s good with him so I know he’ll be fine.” She pulled her hand away from him, but continued to hold his gaze intently.
Although the last thing he wanted to do was place her in any danger, part of what she said made sense. The plan required Micah to get into the tunnel, get the kids and then get out of there with as little noise as possible. If Ethan screamed and cried as he dragged him from the room, then it was possible all hell would break loose. And the last thing he wanted was any chaos in or around town until those kids were out safe and sound.
“Okay,” he finally said. “You can come with me on one condition. You listen to every order I give you and you instantly obey. I don’t want you putting yourself or anyone else in danger.”
She nodded. “I can follow rules.”
He hesitated another moment, but he could see in her eyes that she hadn’t been bluffing. With or without him, she intended to leave the safe house tonight.
“Okay, come on. We’ve got to get moving now.” He turned and headed for the exit, hoping this all wasn’t a mistake. As they stepped out into the night air, Micah was grateful that it was a night with thick clouds across the sky, obscuring not only the millions of stars that were normally visible, but also any sight of the nearly full moon.
As he began his trek down the mountain, he was pleased that Olivia moved quickly and lightly, making little noise as she followed directly behind him.
His muscles had tensed the moment they’d left the safe house, prepared for success…and afraid of failure. This was it. He knew they’d only get one chance at this and if they didn’t get it done right, then the kids would disappear from Cold Plains forever.
He knew Olivia must feel the same way…the tensed muscles, the frantic beat of her heart, the knowledge that failure was a distinct possibility.
The plan was for Micah to get the kids to safety and then the FBI intended to move in and make arrests. There would be bedlam in the perfect little town tonight and it would take months for the FBI to clean up the mess, figure out who to charge with what and who to release or hold on charges.
Of course by that time, his hope was that Olivia and her two boys would be relocated someplace where they would be safe and happy and Micah…? He hadn’t quite figured out what his next move would be. Once Samuel was behind bars, Micah would have time to figure out what he intended to do for the rest of his life.
He couldn’t think about that now. He had to stay focused on the next thirty to forty-five minutes when everything was at stake for the investigation…and for Olivia. This was the most important mission he would ever attempt and never had he wanted success as much as now.
Neither of them spoke as they continued through the forest. Micah knew that in all areas of the town, men were getting into position, awaiting word from him that the children had been saved and they could move in.
The closer they got to the exit of the tunnel that Micah had found, the harder his heart banged inside his chest. Olivia remained just behind him, stepping where he stepped, mirroring his movements in an effort to be completely silent.
Micah had given Hawk the coordinates to the exit and the FBI man was to meet Micah there, along with a couple other men.
For backup.
For unexpected trouble.
He stopped suddenly, Olivia bumping into his back as he caught the sound of something moving to the left of them. Whatever it was sounded big and didn’t seem to attempt to hide the noise it was making.
With his finger firmly on his gun trigger, he flipped on his flashlight and caught sight of a moose in the distance. A small gasp escaped Olivia at the view of the magnificent creature. The animal shied away from the light and Micah and Olivia moved on.
That’s what should be in these mountainous woods, elk and deer, moose and bear, not killers and survivors of the human kind, Micah thought.
They finally reached the bush behind which the tunnel existed, but nobody else was there yet. He pointed Olivia toward a thick tree trunk and together they stepped behind it to hide and wait for Hawk and his men.
He wrapped an arm around Olivia, hugging her tight against his body, aware of the raging emotions that had to be rushing inside her. She had more to lose than anyone else in the town at the moment. In the next few minutes she would either have her son back or she would be forever broken by the loss of her little boy.
He also couldn’t help but worry about Olivia’s personal safety. If things went bad, there was a possibility she might catch a bullet as well as any of them.
She shivered slightly against him and he tightened his arm around her shoulder. It had been incredibly brave of her to leave the safe house, to leave behind the one child she had in her possession and come here. It was the kind of bravery that assured him that somehow, someway, no matter how this night turned out, she would survive. He’d have to make certain of that fact.
He tensed as he heard the faint whisper of footsteps approaching. “Micah?” His name was a mere whisper, but he recognized Hawk’s voice.
He peeked out from behind the tree. “We’re here,” he whispered in return and motioned them to come closer. Hawk was with Agent Randy Avery. They had all agreed that the fewer people involved in this particular part of the operation the better.
The underground corridor that Micah had found had been empty and silent and he hoped to keep it that way. In and out, no trouble, no noise and definitely no drama. Get the kids to safety and then let the entire town explode apart as the FBI moved in to take over.
By the end of this operation, Olivia should have her son back, Samuel should be in custody and the town could begin the healing process it desperately needed. It would take months, potentially years, before the town returned to some semblance of normal.
“We’ll wait for the bell to ring,” Micah said in a soft whisper. “And then I’ll go in. The tunnel is long and the place where I saw the room and heard Ethan cry is about halfway between here and Samuel’s house. It will take us a few minutes to reach the room.”
“Us?”
In the tiny glow of a penlight, Hawk looked from Micah to Olivia.
“I’m going in with him,” she said, her soft voice holding a steely strength that brooked no argument. “He’ll need help with the children.”
Hawk hesitated a moment and then nodded, apparently finding it wise not to argue with a desperate mother.
“I’ll radio you if we find anything or anyone unexpected,” Micah said. “Hopefully we execute fully with nobody being the wiser.”
“Everyone else is in place,” Randy said. “We have men ready to move in the minute Hawk or you gives them the command.”
“Just make sure that Samuel doesn’t somehow slip this noose,” Micah replied, his blood hot as he even considered the possibility of Samuel evading their snare.
The church bell ringing halted all conversation. A surge of adrenaline filled Micah as he looked at Olivia. It was time to go in.
He motioned to Olivia that he’d go in first. With his gun in one hand, he used his other hand to move the bush aside, revealing the earthen stairs that led down. Drawing a deep breath, praying that this went as planned, Micah began down the stairs.
* * *
Olivia followed Micah down the stairs, the scent of the earth pressing in all around her. This wasn’t the lit corridor that Micah had told her about. This was a mole’s tunnel, small and dark with just Micah’s penlight to penetrate the darkness.
She imagined her heartbeat crashing in the silence, alerting anyone in the area that she was near. She drew deep breaths through her nose in an effort to calm her nerves, to slow the beating of her heart. She had to remain cool and collected. The last thing Ethan needed was a hysterical, out-of-control mommy riding to his rescue.
It seemed as if they walked forever amid the scent of dank earth when finally ahead Olivia saw a faint glow of light.
The corridor! Just like Micah had explained, and in that corridor was a room that he’d believed held the children. Ethan! Her heart cried out his name, her arms ached with her need to grab him to her, to feel him against her heart.
What if the children had been moved? What if they burst into the room and there was nobody there? No, she couldn’t think that way. This had to be the place. She had to get her son back right now.
As they reached the wider corridor, Micah motioned ahead where she could see the door on their right. Despite her attempt to control her excitement, she couldn’t halt a rush of adrenaline that filled her. She suddenly felt strong enough to break open a locked door, to face a giant and beat him down to get to Ethan.
Micah reached back and touched her arm, as if he felt the energy that rolled off her and needed to calm her. Step by step they approached the door.
There was no window, no way to tell who or what lay behind, but as they got close enough for Micah to touch the doorknob, Olivia heard the faint cry of a child.
The sound shot straight to her womb, the piercing ache of maternal need. She couldn’t be sure that it was her son that she heard, but the mournful cry threatened to break her heart.
As Micah opened the door and entered the room in a crouched position, his gun held in both hands in front of him, Olivia moved right behind him, her brain working overtime to take in the scene before them.
The room was definitely a nursery, with a playpen, a crib and a small toddler bed along the walls. In the center of the room was a child-sized table with crayons and paper and a bowl of what appeared to be applesauce.
There was a dark-haired, dark-eyed little boy in the crib and next to him was a familiar woman who jumped to her feet at their entrance.
“Wilma,” Olivia exclaimed in stunned surprise. She assumed the child in the crib was Devin Black, but there was no sight of any other child. Oh, God, where was Ethan?
“Are you alone?” Micah asked, his gun not wavering from the older woman.
She nodded, but her gaze slid to a second doorway in the room. Micah muttered a curse beneath his breath, advanced on the closed door and disappeared into the other room.
“Wilma, how could you?” Olivia asked the woman who had worked at the day care center, the woman she had trusted to take care of her children each day that Olivia went to work. “How could you be a part of this?”
Before Olivia could say another word, Wilma flew across the room, slammed her into the wall and wrapped her skinny fingers around Olivia’s neck.
The shock of the old woman’s action momentarily rendered Olivia helpless and, as the air was squeezed out of her lungs, her knees buckled beneath her.
Olivia couldn’t make a noise as the surprisingly strong hands pressed tighter against her throat. “I’m getting paid a lot of money for my work,” Wilma hissed as her fingernails bit into Olivia’s flesh.
Black dots began to dance in front of Olivia’s eyes and she realized if she didn’t do something fast, she’d never get the chance to see Ethan again, to hold his little body close, to see his beautiful smile.
Tears blurred her vision as darkness began to creep in and suddenly Wilma was gone, plucked from her like a piece of unwanted lint by a silent, but raging Micah. He whirled the old woman away and she hit the wall and slumped down, obviously dazed.
In that instant a wave of despair swept over Olivia. Although she was happy that apparently they’d found Devin Black, where was her Ethan?
Suddenly his little blond head peeked around the corner of the room where Micah had gone. “Ethan!” Olivia gasped and crouched as he ran to her and slammed into her arms. She hugged him tight, weeping quietly with a combination of both joy and relief.
“Come on, we’ve got to get out of here,” Micah said.
She nodded and stood and hurried to the crib where she lifted out Devin and then grabbed Ethan by the hand. “We have to be very quiet,” she told the boys as Micah hurried them from the room in front of him.
Devin clung to her like a frightened little monkey as Ethan squeezed her fingers painfully tight. They raced toward the exit as fast as possible with the two kids in tow.
“Hey…hey, you! Stop or I’ll shoot!” The deep voice came from just behind them.
They turned to see Chief of Police Bo Fargo racing toward them, his broad face bright red with rage. Olivia gasped as instead of running for the exit, Micah raced toward the chief of police.
“Micah!” she screamed just as Bo fired his gun. The shot went wild, missing Micah who kicked the gun out of Bo’s hand. At the same time Bo threw himself on Micah and the two tumbled to the floor.
Olivia froze as she saw Micah’s gun skitter out of his hand and along the corridor floor. Should she grab the gun? Run and get the children to safety? Love for Micah exploded inside her. She didn’t just want her son back, she wanted Micah to be safe, as well.
At that moment Micah threw a flurry of punches that stunned Bo and left him inert on the floor. Micah grabbed Bo’s handcuffs, rolled the big man on his stomach and cuffed his hands behind his back.
“Go,” he said urgently to Olivia as he grabbed his gun and raced toward her. They left the corridor and raced toward the earthen womb that would eventually take them up to the surface, up to safety.
Devin cried softly, clinging to her in frantic desperation as Ethan scampered bravely next to her. She breathed a sigh of relief as they reached the stairs that led upward.
Hawk was there and immediately took Devin into his arms, while Olivia grabbed up Ethan and hugged him tight, tears streaming down her face.
“We heard a gunshot,” Hawk said.
“Chief of Police Fargo is currently cuffed on the floor. He got off a shot that fortunately didn’t connect,” Micah said as he exited the hole in the ground. “Now, get them to the safe house. Keep them safe, Hawk.”
Olivia looked at Micah in surprise. “Aren’t you coming with us?”
“Not yet. I’ve got to be sure that Samuel doesn�
�t get away,” he said.
“Leave it for the other men,” Olivia said, her fear for him all consuming.
“I can’t. I’ve got to see this through.” He looked at Hawk. “Take good care of them for me, Hawk. Hopefully I’ll see you later.”
Randy took Devin from Hawk and Hawk took Ethan from Olivia’s arms. “Come on, we’re going to be moving fast,” Hawk said.
“Olivia.” She turned to look at Micah, his face lit with Hawk’s small penlight. His eyes shone with a softness she’d never seen before, a softness that was like a whisper inside her heart, a caress in her soul. “I’ll never forget you,” he said. And then he was gone.
CHAPTER 13
The minute Micah hit the town’s main street, he knew the raid was in full progress. People ran wildly from the Community Center as men wearing jackets identifying them as FBI attempted to round up as many as possible.
Gunfire resounded in the air, along with frantic screams that created the kind of chaos everyone had hoped to avoid. Micah ran to one of the blue-jacketed agents who had a seemingly bewildered Mayor Rufus Kittridge under arrest. “Did they get Samuel?”
“Last I heard he went down his rabbit hole, but don’t worry, we have a guy on the other end of the tunnel waiting for him to pop up.”
Micah cursed, angry that Samuel had managed to slip through the initial raid and not trusting a single agent to be able to keep Samuel down in his hole.
With his adrenaline pumping, he took off running. He’d fulfilled his promise to Olivia. She had Ethan back and Dr. Rafe Black and Darcy would get the happy ending they’d dreamed of if the other little boy proved to be Devin. And Micah couldn’t imagine the child being anyone else.
Now it was time for Micah to take care of his final business and a reckless energy carried him along the mountain where he knew the tunnel from the Community Center came up behind a large rock structure.
He wanted to be there before Samuel came above ground and disappeared into the forest. He needed to be there to stop Samuel from somehow managing to escape.
Perfect Wyoming Complete Collection: Special Agent's Perfect Cover ; Rancher's Perfect Baby Rescue ; A Daughter's Perfect Secret ; Lawman's Perfect Surrender ; The Perfect Outsider ; Mercenary's Perfect Mission Page 107
