RENEGADE GUARDIAN

by Delores Fossen

  It took several heart-slamming moments before Maya could see the man who’d caused Slade and Declan to go on full alert. And even after seeing him she had no idea who he was until Slade mumbled his name like profanity.

  Randall Martin.

  Declan took out his phone and pressed some buttons. “We just got a visitor. How the heck did he get in, and was he armed when he went through the metal detector?”

  She couldn’t hear the answer, but Declan looked at Slade, shook his head and put his phone away. “The dispatcher’s new, and when Randall said he was a visitor, she processed him through. He didn’t set off the alarms, but he could have some kind of nonmetal weapon on him.”

  “I don’t. I carry a gun, usually concealed, and yes, I have a permit to do that,” Randall volunteered. “But I left it in my car. Didn’t figure I should give you boys any more reason for concern.”

  “We’ve been looking for you,” Slade said. His voice was all lawman, and there was zero trace of the heat that had been there just seconds earlier.

  “I heard.” Randall walked closer, and she got a better look at him. Late thirties, pasty white skin and hair that seemed way too black to be natural. He wore an expensive-looking linen suit, not at all what she’d expected from the owner of a bowling alley. Judging from the clothes, the business was very successful.

  “I also heard that you plan to accuse me of trying to kill you,” Randall added. He was a big man, even bigger than Slade, and he met their stony glare with one of his own. “I didn’t.” He reached in his pocket, causing both Declan and Slade to draw their guns.

  Randall rolled his eyes in a dramatic fashion. “It’s a copy of the surveillance footage from the parking lot of the bowling alley.” He pulled out a disk and offered it to Slade.

  Slade took it, but he didn’t reholster his gun as Declan did.

  “When you watch the footage,” Randall went on, “you’ll see that I was telling the truth about someone stealing my SUV. It’s not my primary vehicle. I use it mainly for employees to do pick-ups and deliveries, so I didn’t notice it missing right away.”

  Declan and Slade exchanged glances before Slade looked back at her. “Stay behind me.”

  She had no intention of facing this man head-on, not with Evan in her arms. They went up the hall to an office, Slade staying between Randall and her, but that didn’t stop the man from peering around Slade to look first at her.

  Then at Evan.

  “Glad he’s safe,” Randall told her. “I’ll bet this has you rattled. Sorry about that, but I didn’t have anything to do with it.”

  Maya wasn’t certain she believed him. Judging from Slade’s body language, neither did he.

  Declan put the disk into a laptop on the desk in the office, and it didn’t take long before the images appeared on the screen. A dimly lit parking lot at night with only two vehicles—a BMW and the green SUV. She could see the neon sign for the Perfect Strike bowling alley.

  “Fast-forward to just past midnight,” Randall instructed. “The place was closed, but I was still there working in my office.”

  Declan moved the footage to midnight, and a man appeared on the screen. He walked—no, he skulked—from the back of the building and straight to the SUV. She couldn’t see the device he used to unlock the door, but it took him only a few seconds to get in.

  “I don’t use my car alarms,” Randall explained. “I got tired of having to turn them off when someone would accidentally trip it just by getting too close. Wish it’d been on in this case, though, so I could have caught this moron.”

  Declan zoomed in on the car thief’s face, and even with the grainy texture of the footage, Maya had no trouble recognizing the guy.

  “Clifford Atwood,” Slade and she mumbled in unison.

  Of course, they’d known Atwood had been in the vehicle because he’d been found dead behind the wheel. She also didn’t have any trouble believing Atwood had attacked them.

  Or rather had been hired to attack them.

  “Atwood has a connection to Nadine Collier.” Randall paused and looked a little smug after tossing that out there. “I’m sure you would have found it soon enough, but I hired several P.I.s to get to the bottom of this. And to do something else,” he added in a mumble. The smugness vanished, and he didn’t volunteer any more about that “something else.”

  “What connection?” Slade snapped.

  “He was her bookie for a lot of her horse betting. And I’d rather not say how I came by this information, but if you ask around, you’ll eventually find someone who’ll squeal.”

  Declan cursed. “But not you?”

  Randall gave him a flat look. “Someone put a bullet in Atwood’s head, and I’d rather not meet the same fate.”

  Maya couldn’t fault him for that, but Randall was holding something back. “You think Atwood and Nadine are connected to the kidnappings?” she asked.

  He shifted his position so that he could better see her. But he didn’t answer. He looked at Evan again, squeezed his eyes shut and groaned.

  “I don’t know about Atwood and Nadine,” Randall finally said. His attention shifted to Slade. “But I got something to tell you that’s going to make me look guilty.”

  Maya certainly hadn’t expected that, and she held her breath, waiting.

  “My girlfriend, Gina Blackwell, and I split up a few months ago.” He paused again, cleared his throat. “She was pregnant, and I told her when she had the baby to contact me. If the kid turned out to be mine, I was more than willing to pay child support. But she didn’t call me. I found out a few days ago that she’d delivered a baby boy.”

  Oh, mercy. Maya didn’t like where this appeared to be going.

  Slade eased his gun back in his holster. “Are you saying one of the kidnapped adopted babies is your son?”

  Randall dragged in a long, weary breath. “It’s possible. That’s why I hired the P.I.s. I’ve been looking for both Gina and the baby, but then I just found out this morning that Gina had given the child up for adoption.”

  “How’d you learn that?” Slade pressed.

  He handed Slade a business card that he took from his pocket. “From a waitress friend of Gina’s. Her name and contact info are on the back of the card. According to this woman, she and Gina worked together, and she was with Gina when she went into labor. She claims she drove Gina to the hospital but that both Gina and the baby were gone when she went back later to check on them.” Randall stopped again. “I’m pretty sure the birth date of Gina’s kid matches those of the kidnapped babies. And him.”

  Maya dropped back a step when Randall’s gaze snapped to Evan. She pulled the bottle from her son’s mouth and put him against her chest and shoulder so that Randall couldn’t see his face.

  “You have a strong motive to be the kidnapper,” Maya managed to say.

  The anger was instant, and it shot through Randall’s already dark eyes. “Would I have told you all of this if I was guilty of kidnapping those babies?” He groaned again, scrubbed his hand over his face. “Besides, Gina might not have even been pregnant with my kid. She slept around a lot.”

  “Any chance Gina ever used a fake name? Like maybe Crystal Hanson?” Slade asked.

  Randall shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  Despite the dread and fear rushing through her, that gave Maya some hope. Maybe Evan wasn’t Randall’s. Or Slade’s, for that matter. Maybe when the danger was over, no one but she would have a claim to this child whom she loved more than life itself.

  “Who would have known any details about Gina’s baby?” Slade asked.

  “I don’t know. But I intend to find out. Finding Gina and the baby is the fastest way to clear my name. That’s why I need your help.” Randall tipped his head to the business card he’d given Slade. “My numbers are on there.
Call me the second you find out anything.”

  Randall started to walk out but then stopped. “May I leave, or do you plan to arrest me?”

  Slade met him eye-to-eye. “No plans. Yet.”

  The anger returned to Randall’s eyes, but Maya only saw a flash of that before he strolled away.

  “I’ll call in some favors to get someone started on finding Gina Blackwell,” Declan said. He looked at her. “You need to get the baby ready to leave.”

  Just like that, it felt as if her heart were being crushed in her chest, and she might not have been able to move if Slade hadn’t helped her. He led her by the arm back to the break room, and together they took the blanket off Evan. Slade wrapped him in a jacket that he took from the closet.

  And he kissed Evan’s cheek.

  Just as a father would kiss his son.

  That crushed her heart, too, not just because Slade was obviously growing closer to Evan. But because Maya was already starting to spin a fantasy that shouldn’t be spun. Of Slade and she raising Evan together.

  As a family.

  It was a dangerous fantasy, and she reminded herself that Slade could crush her dream world by being Evan’s father and taking him from her.

  Just as he was doing now.

  He eased Evan from her arms when his brothers Declan, Clayton and Dallas and then Caitlyn came into the room.

  “Harlan and Wyatt are still doing the interviews,” Clayton let them know. “They’ll call us if they get anything.”

  That was a glimmer of good news in what would be a horrible next few minutes. Maybe even hours, since Maya had no idea how long it would take them to get to the ranch.

  “I’ll take good care of him, I promise,” Caitlyn said softly to her.

  Maya hated trusting these strangers with her baby’s safety, but there were few choices here. They couldn’t live at the marshals’ office, and this way they might even catch the kidnapper. After all, this was essentially a trap.

  Slade took Evan’s blanket and grabbed another jacket from the closet. Maya didn’t have time for a long goodbye. Just a kiss and a prayer before Slade handed Evan over to Caitlyn and put the blanket and jacket in her arms. Maya used the two items to make the fake baby.

  “Move fast and keep watch,” Slade said to Declan. “We’ll do the same.”

  “The windows of the vehicles are bullet resistant,” Slade told her. He took her arm again and headed to the front of the building. Clayton followed along right behind them.

  Maya tried to give Evan one last look but she couldn’t see him, because the coat was wrapped around him. Slade led her down the stairs and to the door. He looked out, his lawman’s eyes combing over the area before they went outside. They moved fast to the black four-door car. Clayton got behind the wheel, and Slade and she climbed into the backseat.

  “Pretend you’re strapping the baby into the car seat,” Slade instructed.

  Somehow Maya got her hands to move, and she put the bundle into the seat as Clayton sped away.

  And the waiting and watching began.

  She glanced around but didn’t see Declan and the others. That probably wouldn’t happen until they reached the ranch.

  Without taking his attention off their surroundings, Slade reached over and slid his hand around the back of her neck. It was such a simple gesture, but it gave her far more comfort than it should have.

  Clayton’s phone buzzed, and while he took the call, he drove them out of town. Maya tried to make sense of the nightmare. She wanted to think about anything but Evan and how much she missed him.

  “I feel lost without him,” she mumbled, looking at the empty car seat.

  “Yeah.” Slade gave her a quick glance, and she realized it wasn’t just a response. It was the truth. In this short period of time, he’d become attached to Evan. Maybe even more than attached. He might even love her son. Maya knew that was possible because she’d loved Evan the first time she’d seen him.

  Clayton kept driving, taking one turn right after the other while he talked on the phone that he had sandwiched between his ear and shoulder. Each car around them got Slade’s attention. Hers, too, but no vehicle seemed to be following them as they meandered away from town.

  “That was the initial report on Gina Blackwell,” Clayton relayed to them the moment he ended the call. “She’s twenty-four, a waitress and she worked at Randall’s bowling alley until about four months ago, but she’s been off the radar since.”

  “Any confirmation that she was pregnant?” Slade asked.

  “Yeah. She used one of those free medical clinics, so her name’s in the database. She was seeing an obstetrician, but he didn’t deliver the baby. Saul’s sending someone over there now to try to get her records and interview the doc. Her former coworkers, too.”

  “Saul Warner,” Slade explained to her. “Our boss. You talked to him on the phone yesterday.”

  She remembered. Maybe the head marshal would get somewhere, but she knew from experience that doctors were often bound by law and privacy acts. Still, they might learn something they could use to find the woman.

  “You think Randall was lying about being the kidnapper?” she asked.

  Slade lifted his shoulder. “He could have volunteered all that info about his ex just so he wouldn’t look guilty.”

  Yes, and maybe he faked his lack of emotion for the child who might be his. Randall had certainly seemed more concerned about clearing his name than finding the babies.

  Clayton continued to drive, and even though he didn’t have on the GPS, Maya sensed they were circling Maverick Springs. The minutes just crawled by, but no car came into view. Which meant their plan had failed. The kidnapper hadn’t come after them.

  “Maybe the kidnapper went after Evan,” she mumbled.

  “No,” he quickly assured her. “Declan would have called us if that’d happened.”

  The words had no sooner left his mouth than his phone rang, and her heart slammed against her chest. Maya moved closer, trying to hear what the caller was saying. Thankfully, the call was short, and as soon as he finished it, Slade turned to her.

  “They made it safely to the ranch.”

  The relief was instant and overwhelming, and even though Slade didn’t make a sound, his fingers tensed slightly on the back of her neck, reminding her that he was there. Of course, she hadn’t needed such a reminder. Slade had a way of making sure his presence was known.

  Clayton took several more turns, both Slade and he checking the mirrors, but no one was following them when he made the turn for the Blue Creek Ranch. Maya had been worried about going to Slade’s home. Like walking into the lion’s den. But now that Evan was there, she couldn’t wait to arrive.

  The place was huge, with acres of pastures still green despite it being late fall. They passed by two houses; one looked decades old and the other was much newer.

  “Harlan and Caitlyn live there.” Slade tipped his head to the older house. “Dallas and his wife, Joelle, live in the other. Clayton and Lenora’s house is on the back part of the property.”

  “How secure are the grounds?” she asked.

  “The ranch hands are keeping watch for anyone. Plus, we’ve moved Lenora to the main house with my foster father, Kirby.”

  Lenora, the pregnant sister-in-law, and Kirby, who was apparently battling cancer. Maya hated that both could be in danger, and she prayed all the security measures would be enough to keep everyone safe.

  Clayton pulled into a circular drive and stopped directly in front of the sprawling house. Maya didn’t wait for Slade. She got out and practically ran up the porch steps to the front door. It was locked, but before she could ring the bell, Slade came up from behind her and punched in some numbers on the keypad.

  The moment she was inside, Maya heard the voices, and s
he followed them through the foyer and toward the back of the house to the huge eat-in kitchen. She immediately spotted Declan, Caitlyn and another man wearing a badge.

  But Evan wasn’t there.

  “The baby’s upstairs with Stella,” Caitlyn jumped to say, probably because Maya looked on the verge of panicking.

  “Stella?” That wasn’t a name she’d heard before.

  “A friend of the family,” Slade supplied. “This way.” He led her to some back stairs and to the second floor.

  There seemed to be dozens of rooms, but Slade took her to one toward the center. A woman with graying auburn hair was standing in front of a crib, and she put her finger to her mouth in a be-quiet gesture.

  Stella, no doubt.

  Maya probably made more noise than the woman wanted when she raced to the crib. She wanted to scoop him into her arms and kiss him, but Evan was sound asleep, snuggled beneath a pale blue blanket.

  “He was just tuckered out,” Stella whispered. She smiled when she looked at Maya. “You appear to be, too. I’m Stella Doyle.”

  “Maya Ellison.” She shook hands with the woman. “You have children of your own?” Because she’d obviously done a good job putting Evan to bed. Her baby was on his side and with nothing near his face to interfere with his breathing.

  Stella shook her head, and some kind of pained look went through her eyes. “Wasn’t blessed with ones of my own, but I did enough of caring for this lot when they were at Rocky Creek. I was the cook there.”

  The horrible place where Slade had been raised. But apparently she hadn’t been responsible for any of that horror or she wouldn’t be here. Yet more family. And Maya was beginning to feel as if she was up against an entire united clan who could challenge her for custody of Evan.

  Stella hitched her thumb to the king-size bed on the opposite side of the room. “You could probably do with a nap yourself. If you need to freshen up a bit, you’ll find everything you need in the bathroom. The housekeeper, Loretta, keeps this room all fixed up for guests.”

  Obviously, guests with children. Maya hadn’t expected the ranch to even have a crib, but she was thankful for it. Especially since she wasn’t sure how long they’d be staying.