Not easy to do under the same roof.
And especially since his body was still attracted to her. Sawyer mentally told that part of his body to take a hike. His life was already complicated enough without adding Cassidy to the mix.
Cassidy walked closer to the baby and peered down into the basket. It hadn’t been that long since she’d last seen her because Cassidy had given Emma her 2:00 a.m. bottle. Sawyer wasn’t sure if he should be surprised by that or just confused. Because for a few brief moments, it felt just a little too right having both Cassidy and Emma in his kitchen.
Sawyer’s computer dinged to indicate he had an email just as Cassidy helped herself to a cup of coffee. She snapped toward the screen, obviously hoping for news about her brother, but it was news of a different kind.
“Gage is helping me look for Monica Barnes,” he said, reading through the message his cousin had just sent him. “That’s the woman I met at a party last year.”
“Oh.” And that’s all Cassidy said while she took a long sip of her coffee. “The woman who may be Emma’s mom.”
Sawyer settled for a shrug. If Monica was indeed Emma’s mom, then that meant he was almost certainly Emma’s dad. It would explain why the kidnappers had wanted a photo of him holding the baby. However, it wouldn’t explain what they’d planned to do with the picture.
Or the baby.
Unless they’d planned to blackmail Monica and him in some way. Monica had told him she wasn’t married, and she hadn’t worn a ring, but maybe there was some other reason she would want to hide a pregnancy.
“Did you find this woman?” Cassidy asked.
Sawyer finished reading the message and groaned softly. “Gage managed to track down her former boss. Monica quit her job about five months ago, and the guy hasn’t heard from her since.”
Her forehead bunched up. “Was she pregnant?”
Sawyer had to shake his head. “If she was, she didn’t say anything about it to her boss.” He paused. “But if she was carrying my child, why wouldn’t she have just called and told me?”
Cassidy made a sound to indicate the answer was obvious. “She probably figured a bad boy like you wouldn’t be the diaper-changing type. Sorry,” she added in a mumble. “That wasn’t a nice thing for me to say.”
But it was true. Unlike his brother, Sawyer had never wanted marriage and kids. Never wanted the kind of life that could be shattered by a bad divorce. Like his parents’. But he darn sure wouldn’t have turned his back on his own child.
The way his mother had.
Yeah, this was digging at some old wounds, but those wounds would never allow him to step away from parenthood, even in a situation like this.
“So, what will you do? How will you find Monica?” Cassidy asked.
“I’ll keep searching for her. In the meantime, the baby’s DNA is already at the lab, so finding Monica might not even be necessary. Since April and Emma have the same blood type, she might be her biological mother.”
Which would leave them to find out the father’s identity. Because Sawyer was positive he’d never been with April.
“Want some breakfast?” Sawyer asked, though Cassidy didn’t have time to answer him because his phone vibrated.
He’d turned the ringer off so that it wouldn’t wake the baby, but the phone rattling on the wood table did it anyway. She started to fuss, and Cassidy put her coffee aside and picked her up while Sawyer took the call from Mason. Since Mason’s wife was due any day now, Sawyer expected this to be the call, saying they were headed to the hospital.
It wasn’t.
“We might have a problem,” Mason said. “Something or someone tripped the security sensor on the fence gate at the back of the property.”
That instantly put a knot in his gut. “The fence near my house?”
“Yeah.” There was a lot of concern in Mason’s one-word response.
The fence was a recent addition. It had been added to block off an old trail that coiled around that part of the ranch. Sometimes the hands used it to get to livestock that had broken fence or to drive to some of the better hunting spots.
But Sawyer figured they weren’t that lucky.
Especially since it hadn’t been that long since someone had used that very trail to launch an attack on his brother and his wife. That’s the reason the fence had been put up in the first place.
“It could be nothing,” Mason added, “but as soon as I get a visual on one of the security cameras, I’ll let you know.”
Sawyer thanked him, ended the call and shoved his phone into his pocket. In the same motion, he slapped off the lights so it wouldn’t be easy for anyone to spot them in the house. He also took his gun from the top of the fridge and hurried to the window over the kitchen sink. That would give him the best view of the trail and the fence.
The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, but it was still dark enough that he couldn’t see much. It didn’t help that beyond the gate were some trees that would make easy hiding places for anyone trying to get onto the ranch.
“Is it the kidnappers?” Cassidy asked. She was already breathing through her mouth. Already terrified. And she had the baby clutched protectively in her arms while she rocked her.
Sawyer had to shake his head. “It might be nothing.” And he prayed that was true.
He kept watch, but the only movement he saw was the wind rifling through the tree branches. Still, that didn’t mean someone wasn’t out there.
Sawyer had no idea how long it had been before Mason or someone in the house had noticed a triggered sensor. Maybe minutes. But even seconds were plenty long enough for someone to break the lock on the gate, get onto the ranch and take cover so they wouldn’t be spotted.
Because he had his attention nailed to the area by the fence, he got a serious shot of adrenaline when his phone vibrated again. Without taking his eyes off the fence, he answered the call.
“Bad news,” Mason said. “Two men dressed all in black. They’re hard as hell to see, but they’re out there. I got several hands on the way now to help you.”
“Thanks,” Sawyer mumbled, and he glanced back at Cassidy. There were too many windows in the kitchen. Too many in the bedrooms, as well.
“Take Emma into the hall bathroom,” Sawyer instructed her. “Get in the bathtub with her and stay put.”
“But what about you?” she asked.
“I need to stay here. Don’t worry. Both the front and back doors are locked. Windows, too. Plus, the security system is still turned on. If anyone tries to get in, the alarm will sound.”
The assurance had barely left his mouth when he heard a sound he didn’t want to hear. A soft thump. Not at the back of the house but at the side where there was a line of bedroom windows.
And the bathroom.
“Change of plan,” Sawyer told Cassidy. “Get on the floor on the other side of the fridge.” It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than sending Cassidy anywhere near those windows.
She hurried to the fridge and sank onto the floor with her back against the wall. The baby started to fuss even more, and Cassidy continued to rock her while she mumbled something. A prayer, from the sound of it. Good. Because Sawyer wouldn’t mind a little divine intervention. Anything to keep Cassidy and the baby safe.
The waiting began, and Sawyer tried to tamp down the adrenaline that was already sky high. His body was in fight mode, but it wasn’t a fight he wanted. Not with these stakes.
Even over the baby’s fussing, Sawyer heard another sound.
Breaking glass.
Followed by the frantic beeping of his security system. A warning that one of the windows had just been opened.
The intruders were in the house.
Sawyer didn’t take the time to call Mason. Backup was already on the way, but i
t might not arrive soon enough. He had to take measures now to protect Cassidy and the baby.
“This way,” he mouthed to her and tipped his head to the laundry room just off the kitchen. It had a door that led to the side yard, but he wasn’t sure he could move her there just yet. Not until he figured out the position of the two men.
Sawyer kept Cassidy behind him, and he hurried to the keypad on the wall and pressed in the buttons to stop the alarm from sounding. It would only make the baby fuss more, and the noise would make it impossible for him to pinpoint the location of the men. He definitely wouldn’t be able to hear footsteps and movement.
Even without the steady beeps of the security system pulsing through the house, Sawyer still didn’t hear the intruders. They certainly hadn’t come in with guns blazing, which told him this might be another kidnapping attempt.
But why would they want Cassidy when she’d already agreed to give them the ransom money?
“Ryland?” a man called out. Judging from the sound of his voice, he was either in one of the bedrooms or the hall.
Way too close.
Sawyer didn’t answer because he didn’t want to give away their position. He only hoped that backup would arrive before this turned even uglier than it already was.
“Agent Ryland?” the man repeated. “We know you’re there. We know you have the kid, too.”
“It’s one of the kidnappers who took Bennie and me,” Cassidy whispered. “I recognize his voice.”
Not much of a surprise that the kidnappers would come after them again, but it did make Sawyer wonder— where the heck was Bennie?
“Hand the kid over to us,” the man shouted, “and you can keep Cassidy.”
It was an interesting demand, one that Sawyer wouldn’t even consider. No way would he turn over the baby to these goons. Still, it added another question to this dangerous situation.
Why did they want the child?
Unfortunately, Sawyer could think of a reason.
If Emma was indeed his daughter, they could use the baby to get money from him. He wasn’t nearly as rich as Cassidy, but his grandparents had left him and his brother a good nest egg. Plus, his Ryland cousins were well off. Maybe the kidnappers figured they could milk Sawyer and his extended family in addition to the ransom that Cassidy would be paying for Bennie.
“You’ve got ten seconds to make up your mind,” the kidnapper warned him.
Heaven knows what these men planned to do, and Sawyer didn’t want to find out. He looked over Cassidy’s shoulder and into the side yard. No sign of any backup. Going out there with Cassidy and the baby could be risky, but it might be safer than staying put.
Sawyer watched and listened for any movement of the kidnappers. He finally heard footsteps, cautious and slow. They were making their way toward them.
He reached around Cassidy, unlocked the side door and then quickly changed positions with her so he could go outside first. Sawyer’s gaze flew all around, and when he didn’t see anyone, he pulled Cassidy into the yard with him.
They’d barely had time to take a step when a man came barreling out of the bedroom window. Sawyer took aim, fired, but he didn’t hang around out in the open to see if he’d hit him. He pushed Cassidy and the baby around the corner and to the back of the house.
Just as the shot came his way.
Sawyer had hoped these bozos wouldn’t fire around the baby, but obviously he’d hoped wrong. That shot was quickly followed by another one, and it took off a chunk of limestone siding.
“Get down on the ground,” Sawyer told Cassidy.
She did, and unlike the gunmen, she wasn’t putting the baby at risk. Cassidy sheltered Emma with her own body, and Sawyer did the same for both of them.
“Sawyer?” he heard Mason shout.
Backup, finally, and from the sound of his voice, Mason wasn’t that far away. Somewhere near the front of the house. The kidnappers must have realized that, too, because he heard one of them curse.
“Here,” Sawyer called out to Mason. And he leaned out to take another shot at the guy by the window.
Except he was no longer there.
It had only been a few seconds since Sawyer had last seen him, and since he was nowhere in the yard, that meant he’d gone back inside.
“Stay down,” Sawyer whispered to Cassidy, and he angled his body so he could keep watch on the side and back of the house. He braced himself for the two kidnappers to come rushing out the door.
But there were no sounds of footsteps. No more shots. However, there was something.
Smoke.
It started to seep beneath the back door, and the morning breeze blew it right toward them. This had to be some kind of trick to get them to move out into the open, and Sawyer had to make sure it didn’t turn deadly.
His phone vibrated, but he didn’t want to take his eyes off their surroundings to answer it. Instead, he tossed it down to Cassidy.
“Mason’s covering the front of your house,” she relayed to him a few seconds later.
Good. That meant these idiots wouldn’t have an easy getaway. But Sawyer needed to capture them alive so he could force one of them to tell him what the devil was going on.
The seconds crawled by, and he could have sworn he heard each one tick off in his head. Every muscle in his body was stiff, primed for the fight, but nothing happened. Well, nothing other than the smoke that continued to billow right at them. It was just thick enough to make it hard to breathe.
Cassidy coughed and tried to cover the baby’s face with her hand. It was only a temporary measure though. They couldn’t stay much longer because the smoke could harm the baby. Unfortunately, moving came with its own set of risks since he didn’t know which door or window the kidnappers would use to escape.
Sawyer glanced behind him at the SUV he’d driven from the main house. It wasn’t an ideal location, but it would get Cassidy and the baby a little farther from the smoke, and he’d still be able to keep watch for the kidnappers. The men must have brought gas masks with them or they’d only set the fire by the back door.
Sawyer caught onto Cassidy’s arm, helped her to her feet and got them moving in the direction of the SUV.
“Look out!” Mason shouted. Sawyer couldn’t see his cousin, but he could hear him loud and clear. “They’re on the roof.”
Hell. Sawyer hadn’t thought to look for them there, but he should have. There was access to the attic in the hall ceiling, and once there, the men would have been able to break through a wooden ventilation duct to get onto the roof.
And then escape.
Sawyer needed to stop that from happening.
He got Cassidy and the baby to the side of the SUV, maneuvering them onto the ground so he could crouch in front of them.
A shot cracked through the air.
Sawyer braced himself for it to come his way, but he realized it had been fired toward the front of the house. Maybe by Mason. Or at him. Sawyer wanted to help his cousin, but he couldn’t leave Cassidy. Especially since the baby was the kidnapper’s primary target.
Another shot.
Sawyer still couldn’t see Mason or the two men, but he heard the footsteps. Someone was running, not toward him. But away from the house.
The sun was up just enough for him to see the shadowy figure running toward the ranch trail. That was no doubt where the men had left their vehicle. But before Sawyer could get off a shot, the man ducked behind the side of the barn.
There was movement on the other side of the house. More footsteps. And the sound of someone cursing. It wasn’t Mason’s voice, and that meant it was the kidnapper’s.
The man bolted out from the side of Sawyer’s house and tried to make a beeline for the fence. However, this time, Sawyer did have the shot.
He didn’t go for the kill
. He wanted this guy alive, so he fired a shot into his leg. The man cursed again, growling in pain, but he dropped to the ground.
“I’ve got him covered,” Mason said, hurrying toward the downed man. He pointed his gun at him and kicked the man’s own weapon from his hand. His cousin then took out his phone and called the fire department.
Maybe they’d get there in time to save his house.
Sawyer’s attention shifted to the barn, toward the other man, but he was already too late. In the distance he heard the sound of someone starting a car engine. The kidnapper, no doubt. By the time Sawyer could get to him, he’d be long gone.
But not his partner.
“Stay close to me,” Sawyer told Cassidy.
He didn’t want to leave her by the SUV in case the other kidnapper backtracked, and he didn’t want her too close to the burning house. However, he did need to get a better look at the kidnapper to see if he recognized him.
The guy was heavily muscled and bald. He looked like a thug. But not a thug that Sawyer knew. The guy was a stranger.
“Start talking,” Sawyer said. He, too, pointed his gun at the man on the ground. The guy was bleeding. Cursing, too.
However, he didn’t appear to be on the verge of confessing anything. That wasn’t a look of surrender he gave Sawyer. Just the opposite. He grimaced and smiled at the same time.
But his attention didn’t go to Sawyer.
It went to Cassidy.
“You have no idea what you’ve just done,” the man growled. “You just signed your brother’s death warrant.”
Chapter Eight
The kidnapper’s words kept going nonstop through Cassidy’s head.
You just signed your brother’s death warrant.
She prayed that wasn’t true, but so far neither Sawyer nor she had been able to figure out if it had been an empty threat. That’s because the kidnapper had lawyered up as soon as they had all arrived at the sheriff’s office, and while he was waiting for his attorney to show up, the man had refused to give them his name or say anything else.
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