Maybe. But they still had a good ten miles to go before they reached town, and they hadn’t reached the most isolated part of the road yet. At the halfway point there were no farms or ranches in sight. No one to witness an attack.
Or so the kidnapper might think.
Cooper breathed a little easier when he saw the first sheriff ease onto the road behind Colt. He now had two lawmen as backup, but they still had a long way to go. It felt even longer with each mile just crawling by. Every shadow looked like a waiting killer.
His phone buzzed, the sound shooting through the truck. Through him, too. And he went on instant alert. Jessa did as well, because she sucked in her breath loud enough for him to hear. When he took it from his pocket, she darted across the seat to see the name on the screen.
Rosalie.
Hell, he hoped nothing had gone wrong with Liam. Cooper hit the answer button fast.
“I’m so sorry,” Rosalie immediately said. “God, Cooper, I didn’t see him before it was too late.”
* * *
JESSA’S HEART SLAMMED against her chest, and she grabbed the phone away from Cooper. She prayed this was some kind of bad joke, but she knew Rosalie wouldn’t joke about something like this.
“What’s wrong, Rosalie? What happened?” Jessa demanded.
But Rosalie was no longer on the line.
That sent a jolt of terror and adrenaline through her. Through Cooper, too, because he hit his brakes and, with the tires squealing and smoking, made a U-turn to take them back in the direction of the ranch.
Jessa pressed the redial button, but Rosalie didn’t answer. She tried again and got the same results.
Oh, God.
What was going on?
Jessa didn’t like any of the possibilities that came to mind, especially since Rosalie had said she would stay with Liam while they were gone.
I didn’t see him before it was too late.
Him.
That had to be the kidnapper or one of his or her henchmen. But that didn’t make sense. Cooper and she had taken plenty of security precautions to make sure no one got near Liam. So maybe Rosalie was mistaken. Or maybe Jessa had misheard her. She held on to that hope and prayed that her little boy and Rosalie were all right.
The phone buzzed again. Still no Rosalie. This time it was Colt. Both he and the sheriff had made the same U-turns and were following behind Cooper’s truck, but Colt no doubt wanted to know what was going on. Jessa answered it, and because she didn’t trust her voice, she held it out so that Cooper could respond.
“There’s a problem at the ranch,” he told Colt. “Rosalie might have been taken hostage. Maybe Liam, too.”
Those words had not come easily, and they nearly sent Jessa into another panic. But she forced herself to stay calm. Well, as calm as she could manage, but they couldn’t get back to the ranch fast enough.
“Call the others,” Cooper added to Colt. “Find out what the hell’s going on.”
Cooper snatched the phone from her, ended the call with his brother and tried to contact Rosalie again.
Still no answer.
Cooper was already going way too fast, but that caused him to speed up, and he called Tucker next. Thankfully, he answered, but Tucker’s hesitation put Jessa’s heart right in her throat.
“I’m not sure how it happened,” Tucker finally said. “But someone got into the house...and into the room with Liam.”
There was no holding back that panic now. Jessa’s breath vanished, and her heart started slamming against her ribs. This was her worst nightmare come true.
“Where’s Liam?” she practically shouted.
“We’re not sure, but we’re looking for him.”
That didn’t make sense. None of this did. “How did this person get in the house?”
“I don’t know yet. We didn’t hear anything. Didn’t see anyone. There were no indications that we had an intruder. Even the security system didn’t go off.” Another hesitation from Tucker. “The kidnapper hit Rosalie with a stun gun, and he took Liam and your mother.”
It’s a good thing she wasn’t standing, or her legs would have buckled. This monster had her son and her mother. A monster who’d already murdered at least two other people.
For several moments Jessa had no choice but to give in to the terror. To allow it to paralyze her. But then the image of her son popped into her head, and she knew this fear wouldn’t help. She had to think. To do something. Anything. To get Liam and her mother back.
“Did they leave the ranch?” she asked Tucker. “If they did, please tell me you’re in pursuit.”
But Tucker didn’t get a chance to answer. Another call came through on Cooper’s phone. No name or number.
Just unknown caller on the screen.
Jessa knew what that meant. Knew that it wouldn’t be good, and she tried to brace herself. Hard to do, though, with her baby and mother missing.
“The kidnapper’s calling us,” Cooper told his brother, and he switched over to the new call.
Nothing.
For several snail-crawling moments. That didn’t help her tamp down the panic, either.
“Cooper,” the caller finally said. He or she was using some kind of voice scrambler so Jessa couldn’t tell who it was. It could be any of their suspects.
Or none of them.
“You’d better not hurt my son,” Cooper said through clenched teeth. Jessa shouted out the same.
“Well, that all depends on you two. Both Liam and his grandmother will stay safe if you do as you’re told.”
“What do you want?” Jessa asked.
“The DNA test results. I know that Cooper has the original, and it’s the only copy. I also know it’s somewhere at the ranch.”
It was. She’d seen it on Cooper’s desk in his office.
“Bring it to the old hay barn on the back-east corner of the ranch, and I’ll exchange it for Liam and Linda. You’ve got fifteen minutes. And if you’re late or if you bring anyone else with you, the deal’s off. You’ll never see either of them again.”
The kidnapper hadn’t shouted the threat, but it certainly shouted through Jessa’s mind. She had to do something to stop this now.
“Let me speak to my mother,” she insisted. “I need to know they’re okay.”
But she was talking to the air because the kidnapper had already hung up.
“Hit Redial,” Cooper told her, and he took the final turn back to the ranch.
He was going so fast that the truck skidded. For several heart-stopping moments, Jessa thought they might crash, but he managed to keep the truck on the road and sped toward the house.
Even though her hands were shaking almost uncontrollably, Jessa managed to hit Redial. The terror skyrocketed with each unanswered ring.
Finally, she heard the voice.
“Unless you’re calling to say you already have the DNA results, we have nothing to discuss,” the kidnapper said.
“But we do. Let me speak to my mother. If you don’t prove she’s alive, you won’t get that report.”
It was an empty threat, but maybe the kidnapper wouldn’t hear that in her voice. Even if he didn’t let her talk to her mother, Cooper and she would still take the report to the barn. They’d still try to negotiate with the devil to get Liam and her mother back.
“Put my mom on the phone now,” Jessa insisted, sounding a lot stronger than she felt.
It seemed to take an eternity, but she finally heard some movement. Then a voice.
“Jessa?” her mother said.
There was a split second of relief knowing her mother was still alive. Followed by the terrifying realization that the kidnapper hadn’t lied. He actually had them. He had her son and her mother.
“Is Liam okay?” Jessa immediately asked.
“Yes, he fell back asleep. He doesn’t know what’s going on.”
Jessa was beyond thankful for that and had to figure out how to get to this monster before he harmed her family. “Who kid
napped you?”
But this time there was no answer. Jessa only heard a shuffling sound and knew her mother had been moved away from the phone.
“Time’s ticking away,” the kidnapper said, coming back on the line.
“Who are you?” Cooper demanded.
“You’d better hope you don’t have to find out. Best if I keep my identity out of this, because not knowing who I am will ensure all of you stay alive.”
Jessa desperately wanted to believe that. She wanted to hang on to the hope this could all be resolved in the next few minutes and she could once again hold Liam in her arms. However, she kept going back to the reminder that they were dealing with not just a kidnapper.
But a killer.
“Get me that DNA report,” the kidnapper added. “And remember the part about you coming alone—just Cooper and you. I’m using a thermal detector so I’ll know if you try to bring somebody with you.”
Sweet heaven. That meant Colt wouldn’t be able to follow them to help. No one could.
“We’ll get you the report,” Jessa said, “but there’s no reason to hold Liam and my mother. You’re obviously already on the ranch, and you can come after us then if we don’t hand over the report.”
She knew she was grasping at straws, but she had to try something. Anything.
The kidnapper laughed and made a tsk-tsk sound. “I’d rather not face down a bunch of cowboy lawmen tonight. No, you and Cooper will come alone. If I see anyone else with you, your mother dies and Liam disappears forever.”
Like before, the line went dead.
It took Jessa a moment just to get control of her voice so she could speak to Cooper. “What are we going to do? How do we get them back?” Because she refused to consider the alternative.
“For starters, I give this snake the DNA results,” Cooper said. “Then I figure out a way to make him pay for this.”
He brought the truck to a quick stop in front of the house. Tucker and his father were already on the porch, but Cooper barreled right past them. No doubt headed toward his office.
“He needs the DNA report,” Jessa explained. They obviously knew what she was talking about because no one questioned her.
Rosalie stepped out of the house, and despite Tucker trying to hold her back, she hurried to Jessa. “I’m so sorry,” Rosalie repeated.
Jessa nodded, and because she looked as if she needed it, she gave Rosalie’s arm a pat. “Are you okay? Did the kidnapper hurt you?” she asked, eyeing the bruise on Rosalie’s head.
“I’m fine.” A hoarse sob left her mouth. “I’m so sorry,” she repeated. “When I went to check on your mother and Liam, the kidnapper was already there in the dark room.”
“Who was it?” Jessa demanded.
Rosalie shook her head and wiped away tears from her already red cheeks. Her eyes were red, too. “I don’t know. The person was wearing a ski mask and used a stun gun on me. By the time I was able to get downstairs, the kidnapper already had them out of the house.”
Her voice was shaking so hard it was difficult to understand her. This was no doubt bringing back horrible memories of the time her daughter was stolen.
“How did they get in?” she asked, and when Rosalie only shook her head again, Jessa looked up at Tucker.
“It looks as if someone tampered with the security system. Probably the person who broke in earlier.”
Oh, God. Jessa hadn’t thought that was anything more than just another failed attempt to take Liam. But the intruder had done exactly what he’d come to do.
To prepare the way for a real kidnapping.
It made her wonder what else he’d done and what he’d managed to get into place so he could get that DNA report and take Liam for good.
“So this person could have been in the house for hours,” Jessa mumbled. “He could have heard everything we said about the fake trip to the hospital.”
Tucker nodded, and she saw his jaw muscles at war with each other. “I’ll go with you to the barn. I can hide in the truck—”
“No,” Cooper said hurrying back to the truck. He had the DNA report in his hand. “He’s got infrared, and he’ll know if we’re not alone. Plus, he’ll probably have someone search the truck before we can get near him.”
Tucker cursed. “You can’t go out there. This is a trap and you know it.”
Cooper only nodded. “Once I’m in the barn, I’ll try to keep the kidnapper distracted. Use the Mylar blankets to make your way there, but put something dark over the silver so it won’t be easy to see. Go on foot. The heat from another vehicle or horse could be detected.”
He didn’t wait for Tucker’s answer. Probably because he knew his brother would do exactly as he’d said. Cooper threw the truck into gear, and the moment that Jessa was inside he hit the accelerator.
“This is a trap,” he said, repeating Tucker’s warning to them. He stayed on the dirt road that coiled around the various outbuildings on the ranch. “And this SOB will want us both dead. Probably your mother, too.”
Jessa swallowed hard. She didn’t want to die. Didn’t want Cooper or her mother to die, either. “Liam has to come first,” she insisted.
“Yeah.” The emotion was there, clogging his voice. Cooper reached over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “No matter what happens, we get Liam out of there.”
Ahead, on the horizon, Jessa saw the barn.
Chapter Seventeen
Cooper didn’t have time to stop and think if this was a mistake or not. He was dead certain that it was. But he was also certain he didn’t have any other choice.
Thanks to a full moon, he had a decent view of the barn. It was a good mile from the house and at the back part of the ranch. These days, the only time it got used was during hay-baling season, but since it was summer and the cattle still had fresh grass to graze on, the barn would practically be empty.
Well, except for a kidnapper, Jessa’s mom and Liam.
There might be plenty of gunmen inside, too.
Cooper didn’t see any sign of them. In fact, there was no sign of anyone. There didn’t appear to be a light inside either, and there were no vehicles parked nearby. Of course, the property-line fence was only about fifty yards away, so it was possible the kidnapper had parked there and walked to the ranch.
The fact that no one had noticed him or her meant that the kidnapper had blended in—again. It also didn’t rule out Peggy, since she could have disguised herself as one of the ranch hands.
Beside him, Jessa leaned closer to the windshield, her gaze combing the barn and surroundings. Her breath was still way too fast, and she had the same bleached-out look on her face as the day of Liam’s surgery.
Yeah, she was terrified.
So was he, but along with that fear for his son, Cooper also had a massive amount of rage that he hoped he had a chance to aim at the idiot who’d set all of this in motion. Liam was in danger, again, and someone was going to pay and pay hard for that.
“See anything?” Jessa asked, and she moved her hand to the door handle. She was no doubt planning to bolt the moment he stopped.
That wasn’t going to happen.
“You’re to stay in the truck,” he insisted. “And no, that’s not negotiable, so don’t argue.”
She looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “But it is negotiable. The kidnapper said we both have to come. If we don’t, he said he’ll kill my mother and Liam will disappear forever.”
Cooper remembered the threat verbatim, and it would give him nightmares for years to come. However, he had to be a little sensible here and try to minimize the risks for Jessa. Even if she didn’t want them minimized.
“He didn’t say we both had to go in there and give him the DNA report,” Cooper clarified, “only that we had to come.”
At least that wasn’t part of the demand that’d been spelled out. Cooper intended to use that loophole to try to buy some time for Tucker and the others to make their way to the barn. He figured they’d need at least tw
enty minutes, since they were traveling on foot and would have to cut through the pastures and then some wooded areas.
“We have to get Liam and my mom out,” Jessa mumbled, her voice all breath and nerves, and she just kept repeating it.
Inside, he was doing the same thing.
Cooper came to a stop in front of the barn. He kept his headlights on bright and aimed them right at the closed double wood doors. Anyone peering out from the cracks might be blinded enough that they wouldn’t be able to see his brother and the others. Plus, the lights gave Cooper enough illumination to see anything or anyone coming from the sides of the barns.
“Remember, you stay put,” he warned Jessa. He started to open his door, but she grabbed his arm.
She opened her mouth but didn’t say anything. Not right away. “Please be careful,” she finally whispered.
Cooper nodded, and because he thought they both could use it, he leaned over and brushed a kiss on her mouth. He kept it brief and tried not to notice the tears shimmering in Jessa’s eyes. Those tears only ripped at his heart, and right now he had to focus on Liam and Linda.
He reached for the door again, but reaching was as far as he got. His phone rang, and he saw the now-familiar unknown caller on the screen.
The kidnapper obviously wanted to chat.
“You barely made it on time,” the kidnapper snarled. “Hope you weren’t talking to your kin about planning some kind of attack. FYI, that wouldn’t be a smart thing to do.”
Maybe not smart, but Cooper figured it was the only way he would get his son safely out of there. Yeah, it would put his brothers at risk, but if their situations were reversed, he would do the same for them.
“I’ve got the DNA report,” Cooper said, putting the call on speaker. “And I’m bringing it to you now. Once you have it, you’ll turn over the hostages to me.”
The kidnapper laughed, and even though the voice was still scrambled, that laugh managed to sound intimidating. Of course, anything at this point was unnerving since this sick dirt wad had Liam.
“Now that we’ve got your little fantasy scenario out of the way, here’s how it’s really going to work,” the kidnapper said. “You and Jessa will get out of the truck and walk toward the barn. Put your weapons—all of them—on the ground.”
Maverick Sheriff Page 15
