“Sounds like your fantasy isn’t workable with mine,” Cooper snarled. “What guarantees do I have that you just won’t gun us down when we get out?”
“None. But that’s a chance you’ll have to take. In fact, I’m betting you’ll do whatever I say for a chance to get your son back.”
It was the truth. Cooper knew it. So did the kidnapper. But Cooper wasn’t about to say the words out loud. Jessa was already close to the breaking point, and there was no need to spell out that this could go wrong. Fast.
“Now get out of the truck,” the kidnapper continued. “And if you broke the rules and brought someone with you, I’ll know.”
Cooper heard the whirring sound, and he spotted the camera on the eaves of the barn. It certainly wasn’t something his family had installed, so the kidnapper had likely brought it with him. The camera turned slowly, no doubt so the kidnapper could see the truck bed and what was inside.
“Good. You listened to that come-alone part,” the kidnapper said several moments later.
“We’ve done everything you asked,” Cooper reminded him. “Now let them go.”
“All in due time. Maybe I’ll give you a gold star for following the rules. Now, don’t forget the really big rule about putting the guns on the ground,” the kidnapper added.
Cooper had every intention of doing that. Well, one of his weapons, anyway. He had another in the back waist of his jeans, and he hoped he’d be able to get to it in time if he needed it.
And he figured he would need it.
Jessa was another matter. Even though there were some other weapons in the glove compartment, Jessa only had one gun. One that he wasn’t even sure she could use, and in her case, being armed might turn out to be a detriment. If the kidnapper just planned to shoot them on sight, then Jessa wouldn’t get a chance to draw, anyway. And if she tried to keep the gun on her and the kidnapper saw it, then Jessa could be shot just for breaking a rule. They could be damned if they did or damned if they didn’t.
Cooper held his hand over the phone so the kidnapper wouldn’t be able to hear what he was about to say to her. “When we get out, toss your gun toward the barn and then stay behind the truck door.”
It wasn’t ideal protection, but along with the body armor, it might be enough. Might.
“You’ll stay behind the truck door, too,” Jessa insisted.
Maybe. But Cooper doubted this SOB would allow that. It was going to be hard enough just to get that concession for Jessa.
He took his hand from the phone. “We’re getting out of the truck now,” Cooper informed the kidnapper.
With the DNA report tucked under Cooper’s arm, he and Jessa opened their doors together and both stepped out. Almost at the same time, they tossed their guns in front of the barn.
And they waited.
“Move out so I can see you,” the kidnapper said.
Cooper huffed. “Give me proof that my son and Mrs. Wells are all right. And if they aren’t, don’t expect to get out of this alive. Because I will kill you.”
Another laugh. It made Cooper wish he could tear through the barn wall and beat this idiot senseless. He still might get a chance to do that before this was over.
“Proof of life,” the kidnapper continued after the laughter had died down. “Still think you’re the one calling the shots here?”
Cooper’s phone dinged, and he looked down at the screen. It was a text from Tucker.
Found a gunman near the house. He’s been neutralized. Am on the way.
Cooper didn’t want to risk texting back because he didn’t want to take his attention off the kidnapper, but it was good news. One down and heaven knew how many to go.
“You don’t get the report, or us, if we don’t have proof that Liam’s alive,” Cooper argued with the kidnapper. “Or maybe you should consult your henchmen to make sure you have plenty of help keeping me under control.”
Silence.
Cooper wasn’t sure the kidnapper would actually hear the veiled threat, but the silence could mean the person was trying to get in touch with the gunman. The one Tucker had already neutralized.
“What’s the matter?” Cooper asked. “Is your hired gun not answering?”
More silence. He didn’t want the kidnapper to get desperate and start shooting, but he also wanted the idiot to understand he was on his own here.
Well, maybe.
Maybe there was only one other gunman, but if there were more, Cooper hoped his brothers would find them. He wanted to focus just on the jerk in the barn and not worry about being ambushed.
“I want some proof of life,” Cooper reminded him.
“Okay,” the scrambled voice finally said. Maybe it was his imagination, but the kidnapper didn’t seem nearly as confident as when they’d first arrived. “You’ll get that proof. And since I don’t want to stand around here and nitpick, you and Jessa step away from the truck at the same moment that the barn door opens. My advice? Don’t shoot, because it won’t be me standing there.”
Cooper heard some movement, and it didn’t take long before he heard the creaking sound of the hinges. The barn door eased open.
“Don’t go out there,” Cooper whispered to Jessa.
Maybe, just maybe, he could keep her hidden away enough to find out what they were up against. He still didn’t know how much backup the kidnapper had in there with him.
Thankfully, Jessa did as he told her. She stayed hidden behind the door, but Cooper moved as fast as he could. He still had his phone in his left hand, but he wanted to have his shooting hand clear in case he had to fire.
“Jessa?” someone called out.
It was Linda, and a moment later the woman appeared in the doorway. She had Liam bundled in a blanket in her arms.
“Mom,” Jessa said, but thankfully she stayed put.
The truck headlights blazed on Linda like a spotlight, and while she didn’t appear to be injured, she was pasty white and shaking. She had clearly been through an ordeal since she’d been in the barn with a killer for the past half hour.
Cooper couldn’t see Liam; the blanket completely covered him. Nor could he see the kidnapper. The person remained in the shadows near the door, but Cooper could see enough of the outline that he knew where to aim if he got the chance to take out this moron.
“Tell Linda to move now,” the kidnapper said to Cooper from over the phone, and Cooper relayed that to her.
Linda gave a shaky nod, and she walked out of the barn. Not far, though. Just a few steps away from the front of the barn and directly in Cooper’s path. Whoever this jerk was, he or she knew what to do by keeping Linda in the line of fire. No way would Cooper risk taking a shot when Linda or his son could be hurt.
“Now, Jessa, it’s your turn,” the kidnapper said, his voice taunting through the phone. “You want to see your baby boy, don’t you? Well, have a look and you’ll see that he’s as right as rain.”
Still trembling, Linda shook her head just a little. Just enough for Cooper’s stomach to twist into a knot.
And that was when he saw the glint of metal from the kidnapper’s gun. Aimed not at him.
But right at Jessa.
* * *
“DON’T GO OUT THERE,” Cooper warned her again.
Even though he’d only whispered it, Jessa heard Cooper’s warning loud and clear, but the last thing she wanted to do was stay put.
She had to get to her son.
“If you go out there, he’ll kill you,” Cooper told her when she started away from the truck.
That wouldn’t have stopped her, but the sound of the kidnapper’s voice did.
“Your son and mother aren’t in any real danger, yet,” the kidnapper said through the phone scrambler.
“Yet,” she repeated.
The threat was clear—the danger would be worse if she didn’t cooperate. It chilled her. Angered her. And sent a dozen other emotions through her.
Part of her wished she could hurt this person the way he was hu
rting her while another part of her only wanted to shout for her mother to start running so that Liam and she could maybe get out of there.
“Well?” the kidnapper prompted. “I’ve kept my part of the bargain, and you two need to keep yours by coming out from behind that truck.”
Jessa glanced at Cooper, and she knew from his expression that they were on the same wavelength here. The kidnapper would almost certainly gun them down when they stepped out.
And Liam and her mother would be caught in the middle.
She had no idea what they could do to defuse this, but Jessa gasped when Cooper stepped out.
Right into the line of fire.
Jessa nearly went after him, but Cooper shot her a stay-put glare, and he made his way toward the barn doors.
“Where should I put this DNA report?” Cooper asked.
She saw the gun in the back waist of his jeans, and Cooper kept his right hand by his side so he could hopefully get to it in time.
“Bring it to me,” the kidnapper insisted. “Jessa and you together.”
“Why do you need Jessa for this? Don’t you want to see the report first?” Cooper asked. “To make sure it’s the real deal.”
“It is. You wouldn’t be stupid enough to bring me a fake.”
Cooper lifted his shoulder. “I might if I didn’t trust you. Or if I thought you didn’t have any backup gunmen with you.”
What the heck was Cooper doing? He shouldn’t be antagonizing this person. Or did he have some other plan up his sleeve that she didn’t know about?
Cooper cautiously walked to the doors and positioned himself between her mother and the kidnapper. Cooper turned his head a little and whispered something to her mother. Something that Jessa didn’t catch.
“Here,” Cooper said, holding out the report.
“Come closer,” the kidnapper snapped.
And Cooper did. Jessa held her breath, praying and waiting. Her mother appeared to be praying, too, and she had her attention fixed not on Jessa, but on something over Jessa’s shoulder.
“Now,” she heard Cooper say.
Her mother ducked down, and with Liam still cradled in her arms, she scrambled to the side of the barn. Cooper quickly followed them. Out of the line of fire.
Maybe.
But Jessa was terrified the kidnapper would just start shooting and that the bullets would go through the wooden-plank siding on the barn.
The kidnapper didn’t shoot, but he let out a string of profanity. Definitely male, but his voice was still partly muffled. He no longer sounded like the cocky person who’d first spoken to him. He was quickly coming unhinged, and that could be bad news for them. Of course, not much about this was good news, except that maybe her mother and Liam were now in a better position to get away.
“What’s the matter?” Cooper called out. “Where’s your backup?”
There was only one reason that Cooper would keep bringing that up—someone had managed to find the kidnapper’s henchman and had stopped him. That explained the message Cooper had gotten right before her mother had stepped out of the barn.
“You think I don’t have someone else out there who can help me handle this?” the kidnapper said. But he didn’t sound confident about that, either.
The kidnapper was no longer using the scrambler, but she thought maybe he had a cloth or something over his mouth. No doubt still trying to protect his identity.
While keeping her head low, Jessa looked around, hoping to see if she could spot any of henchmen or Cooper’s family, but the only thing she saw was the darkness.
“Time’s up,” the kidnapper barked. “If Jessa and you don’t come out now, this is over.”
“You haven’t even looked at the report yet,” Cooper said immediately. “Why have me bring it all the way out here if you’re not even going to look at it?”
“Oh, I think you know why you’re here. I could have broken into the house and stolen that report at any time.”
That chilled her to the bone. Because she knew it was true. “You were watching the place,” she said, and even though she was scared, there was plenty of anger in her voice.
“Watching through cameras. You people really should have given the house a good once-over after the break-in. My assistant managed to put a few bugs and cameras in place.”
The chill turned to a sickening feeling. This monster had spied on them.
“I think your mom might be surprised to know that you’re sleeping with the sheriff,” the kidnapper went on. “Do you think that’ll maybe convince him to let you keep Liam? I think not,” he said before she could speak.
In fact, she didn’t get a chance to do anything.
“Time’s up,” the kidnapper repeated.
And the person stumbled out of the barn.
Chapter Eighteen
Cooper saw Peggy the moment she came out, and he also saw the gun she had gripped in her hand. He shoved his phone in his pocket and nearly fired, but something caused him to hesitate.
It was the dazed look on Peggy’s face.
Something was wrong.
However, Cooper didn’t get a chance to figure out exactly what before the shot zinged through the air.
“Get down!” Cooper shouted to Jessa, and he prayed she would do just that.
He pushed Linda farther back and leaned out, ready to return fire.
But there wasn’t another shot.
Peggy stood there, still dazed, her gun pointed at the ground. She certainly hadn’t been the one to fire. Cooper could see that even though she was indeed holding a gun, her hands were tied with clear plastic cuffs. Maybe the kidnapper had figured Cooper would shoot her first and ask questions later.
If he had, Peggy would have been dead, and he might have killed an innocent woman.
Jessa was still crouching behind the truck door, but she glanced at Cooper, her expression asking if he knew what was going on. He only shook his head and motioned for her to get down. As long as they stayed out of range, the kidnapper wouldn’t be able to get to them. Not all at once, anyway. And if he started shooting at Jessa, Cooper was in a position to return fire.
At least he would be if Peggy got out of his way.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Peggy said, her words slurred. It sounded as if she’d been drugged. “Please help me—”
Another shot blasted through the air. Again, not from Peggy’s gun. Cooper could see that her trigger finger hadn’t moved.
But Peggy certainly did.
The woman made a raspy sound that came deep from within her throat, and the gun slipped from her hand and to the ground. A second later, Peggy crumpled in a heap next to it.
It was only then that Cooper saw the dark stain spreading across her shirt. Blood. She’d been shot in the back. If she wasn’t already dead, she soon would be. He had to get an ambulance out here, but even that was too risky.
“Told you time was up,” the kidnapper taunted. He was still inside the barn.
“You didn’t have to kill her!” Jessa shouted.
“Yeah, actually, I did.” His voice was shaky now. Maybe because killing a woman had gotten to him or maybe he was coming to realize that his plan was falling apart. “She could have maybe linked me back to Liam.”
Maybe.
And if he would kill on a maybe, then he’d damn sure kill Jessa and him if he got the chance. Not just Jessa and him, either, but anyone who might connect him to the crimes, including Linda and even Liam, since Liam’s own DNA proved that he’d been stolen and put up for adoption.
“I want you to run,” Cooper whispered to Linda. “Stay on this side of the barn, away from that camera. Keep Liam close to you and stay low.”
Linda gave a shaky nod, and the moment she took off running, Cooper leaned out from the corner of the barn and hoped the sound of his movements would cover any noise that Linda was making during her escape.
“So are you Hector or Donovan?” Cooper asked. He figured any distraction would help right n
ow. Help Linda get to cover and give his brothers time to arrive.
“Come in here and you can see for yourself,” the kidnapper growled.
Cooper watched as Linda ducked behind a tree. It wasn’t ideal cover, but it got her away from the barn, and the tree might be able to stop any bullets fired in that direction.
His phone dinged again, and Cooper ducked back around the side of the barn so the kidnapper wouldn’t notice what he was doing. He saw the text that he’d been waiting for.
Second gunman caught, Tucker wrote. I can see your truck lights from where I’m standing, and there are no other gunmen around.
Get Linda and Liam out of here, Cooper texted back. He would have loved to include Jessa in that rescue, but it was too risky.
Liam had to be rescued first.
Plus, Jessa was still too close to the shooter. If Tucker tried to get to her, Jessa and he would just be gunned down like Peggy.
“I want you to give me that DNA report now!” the kidnapper yelled.
Yeah, the guy was definitely losing it, probably because he knew both of his hired guns were out of commission. Were there more? Maybe. But if so, Cooper hoped this idiot called his backup to the barn so it would give Tucker a safer path to escape with Linda and Liam.
Without warning, a shot rang out and blasted into his truck.
Cooper’s heart went to the ground, and he quickly looked to make sure Jessa hadn’t been hit. He saw her scramble back into the truck and across the seat. Good. He hoped she’d stay there.
But she didn’t.
When the kidnapper fired again, Jessa stuck her hand out from the open door. Cooper saw the gun she held. One that she’d no doubt taken from the glove compartment.
Jessa pulled the trigger. The bullet slammed into the barn door, and she didn’t stop there. She fired another shot. Then another.
“Big mistake!” the kidnapper yelled, and he called her a name mixed with some raw profanity. He made a sound of outrage, the kind of sound a crazy man would make, and the shots started coming.
Nonstop.
Maverick Sheriff Page 16
