by Rebecca Deel
“Did he win points for that?”
“Major points. Dad said it was a win-win for him. She’s happy and he gets the benefits of eating food prepared in a gourmet kitchen with a content chef.”
She smiled. Simon’s parents reminded Zoe of her own. “Same with mine. Mom owns a bakery and invested her money in a to-die-for kitchen at her shop. The one at home was old fashioned and cramped with very little counter space. Dad worked as much overtime as he could for a year to pay for the remodel of her home kitchen. According to him, the smile on Mom’s face every time she walks in there was worth every penny he paid for it.”
“Do you think you can work in here?”
“Let me wash my hands and I’ll show you.”
They gathered the ingredients she needed for the cookies, preheated the oven, and mixed ingredients. Soon, the scent of freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies filled the kitchen. Because Simon’s family was so large and his teammates also loved the sweet treats, she tripled the recipe. If they didn’t eat all the cookies tonight, she would take some to Don and Lisa tomorrow.
By the time the last batch of cookies cooled on the wire rack and the cookie sheets were washed and dried, Bravo had arrived and laughter filled the dining room and kitchen. Soon, chaos reigned in the house when Simon’s siblings arrived with their families.
The women found paper plates and napkins, set out cold drinks, and opened pizza boxes. They let the kids eat in the den with a movie playing since the adults didn’t want their conversation to upset the young ones more than they already were.
Following dinner while Simon, Cassie, Tracey, James, and B.J. plus Cassie’s and Tracey’s husbands sat in the dining room and talked about the risk of Don leaving the hospital too early, Zoe and Simon’s sisters-in-law straightened the kitchen and stored the leftover pizza. As they cleaned, the kids wandered in and out of the kitchen, grabbing cookies and drinks, and taking them outside to eat and play while it was still daylight.
Since the Murray siblings were still enmeshed in the debate and on alternatives if Don’s doctor released him from the hospital early, Zoe, Andrea, and Emily went to the patio to talk and keep an eye on the children.
Fifteen minutes later, one of Andrea’s daughters fell and skinned her knee. She and Emily insisted the rest of the children come inside.
“I don’t mind watching them,” Zoe said.
“The sun’s down anyway.” Andrea glanced around, frowning. “Where’s Naomi?” she asked an older boy.
“She went around the side of the house to get her ball. She said she’d be right back.”
Zoe rose. “I’ll find her.”
“Thanks, Zoe.”
When Zoe rounded the corner of the house, she slowed, surprised at the lack of light on this side of the Murray home. Maybe the security light had burned out.
She frowned. Would Naomi search for her ball in the dark? “Naomi?” A quiet sob reached Zoe’s ears. “It’s Zoe. Are you hurt?”
Nothing.
“Naomi?”
“If you want her to stay alive, keep walking,” a deep male voice said.
She froze. “Who are you?” Her gaze scoured the darkness.
“Your worst nightmare, lady. Do what I told you or I’ll hurt this pretty little thing.”
Another quiet sob.
“Don’t hurt her.” Zoe moved in the direction of the man’s voice. Was this Blake Barone or one of the ranch hands the Barones had turned against Simon and his family?
Five feet, ten, twenty.
“That’s far enough.” A dark-haired man moved forward. Naomi, B.J.’s daughter, struggled to free herself to no avail. “Come with us, nice and quiet. If you don’t, I’ll kill you both. It’s only fair since your boyfriend killed my cousin.”
Blake Barone. Ice water coursed through Zoe’s veins. “Leave Naomi here. If you want Simon, I’m your best leverage. You don’t need a defenseless child. Leave Naomi here and take me.”
Blake tilted his head. “You’ll go with me willingly?”
“If you promise to release Naomi unhurt, I’ll go with you.” Where were the ranch hands or one of Bravo? Simon’s teammates were supposed to be stationed close to the house.
“You don’t have any bargaining power, Zoe.” An ugly smiled curved his mouth. “If you don’t do what I say, I’ll hurt you and enjoy every minute of it.”
“If you harm Naomi, I won’t cooperate and I won’t go down easy. I’ll raise such a ruckus, the hands will come running. You won’t be able to escape. These cowboys don’t appreciate a coward who hides behind women and children.”
Blake’s eyes narrowed. “She comes with us until we’re out of sight. Walk to the trees to your right. No more negotiating. I don’t want to hurt a kid but I will.”
The man had no honor, but refusing wasn’t an option. She couldn’t take the chance that he would carry out his threat to harm B.J.’s daughter.
“Move,” Blake hissed as he gestured at Zoe with the gun clenched in his hand. “Last warning.”
She walked where he indicated. Fifteen feet from the house, she stumbled over an object on the ground. She sucked in a breath. Cade. Oh, no. “Is he…?”
“Stun gun. He’s fine as long as you cooperate.”
When Blake shifted the weapon toward the fallen operative, Zoe moved forward, forcing the thug’s attention back to her. In the heavy tree shadow, Zoe almost fell over another body, a man she didn’t recognize. Must be one of the ranch hands.
Just inside the tree line, Zoe stopped. “I’m not going one more step unless you release Naomi.”
Blake pointed the gun at her. “You’ll do what I say unless you want a bullet in the gut.”
“You won’t shoot me. The gunshot will bring Simon, his friends, his brothers, and the ranch hands. You can’t escape that many angry men.”
He was silent for a beat. “Fine. I’ll let her go after you strip every bit of jewelry from your body.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Simon glanced up as the back door flew open and slammed into the wall. Naomi ran into the house, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Daddy!”
B.J. shoved back from the table. He hurried to his daughter and knelt in front of her, scanning her small body for evidence of injury. “What’s wrong? Did you fall?”
She shook her head as she wrapped her arms around her father’s neck. “You have to help her. The bad man took her.”
Adrenaline poured into Simon’s veins, dread coiling in his gut. “Help who, Sprite?”
“Zoe.”
Blood drained from his face. “Who took Zoe?”
“The bad man. He grabbed me and Zoe came. She made him take her and let me go. You have to get her back, Uncle Simon. You have to.”
He grabbed his phone and logged into his email to pull up the picture of Blake Barone that Zane had sent him. How had Barone made it to the house without one of the ranch hands or a member of Bravo seeing him? The “bad man” had to be Barone or one of his cronies. Who else would kidnap Zoe? “Do you know where he took her?”
“To the trees. That’s where Zoe made him let me go.”
No way would that clown stay there. He had to suspect that Naomi would head straight for the house and tell him and her father what had happened. Simon turned his phone around and showed his niece a picture of Blake Barone. “Is this the man who took Zoe?”
She looked at the screen and nodded. “You have to get her back.”
“I will. I promise.” He kissed her forehead. “Are you sure the bad man didn’t hurt you?”
Naomi shook her head. “He’s scary.” Her lip quivered.
“Yeah, sweetheart, he is.” And he had Zoe. Simon ruthlessly controlled his anger at Barone and fear for Zoe’s safety.
“You said you and your friends had security covered. Find this guy and take him down,” James snapped. Accusation and fury shown in his brother’s eyes.
“That’s the plan. Stay in the house and keep everyone else in he
re.” He rose and headed toward the back door, activating his comm system. “We have a security breach. Barone has Zoe.
“Bravo, check in,” Trent ordered. Everyone but Cade responded.
“I’m headed to his post now.” His post was on the way toward the tree line. Simon stepped outside, weapon in hand, and headed to the right side of the house. He noticed the security light was off and scowled. If Cade was down, no doubt he’d noticed the same thing and been ambushed while checking it out.
Simon searched that side of the yard and found Cade’s prone body in a pocket of deep shadow. Oh, man. He closed the gap between them in a few strides and crouched beside his teammate, checking for a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found a steady beat. Thank God. Simon activated his comm system again. “Cade’s unconscious twenty feet from the house on the west side.”
“On the move,” Matt said. “Injuries?”
“Unknown. The security light’s out.”
“Copy.”
“My niece said Barone took Zoe toward the tree line. I’m also calling Zane to have him activate her trackers.” Thank goodness he’d arranged for her to have the jewelry.
He called the Fortress tech guru.
“What do you need, Simon?”
“Activate Zoe’s trackers. She’s been kidnapped by Blake Barone.”
“Hold.” A moment later, Zane said, “Done. Coordinates have been sent to your phone, but you should be able to see her. The trackers are showing that she’s one hundred feet to the north of your position. Her phone’s been turned off.”
Simon’s head snapped up. Zoe was still in the trees? Fear gnawed at his gut like a deranged rat. Had Barone hurt her, possibly kill her? Breath strangled in his lungs. No. He couldn’t go there. He wouldn’t be able to function for the blind rage and driving need for revenge. “Copy that,” he murmured and ended the call.
Activating his comm system, he reported in to Trent as he brought up the GPS coordinates on his phone.
“Copy. Wait for me. Two minutes.”
Staying put took every ounce of discipline he had. His gaze remained locked on the tree line at the back of the house. True to his word, Trent arrived in two minutes.
Together they approached the tree line and discovered another man on the ground. A glance told Simon the man was one of the ranch hands. Again, this man was unconscious. Trent notified Matt who promised to check on him once he moved Cade inside the house.
After Simon gave Trent the GPS coordinates, the two operatives split up and infiltrated the woods twenty feet apart. Simon chose his footing carefully to mask the sound of his approach. Still no movement from Zoe.
He and Trent moved in on the coordinates from opposite sides. In the middle of a small clearing sat a large flat gray stone that Simon and his siblings had enjoyed playing on when they were young. Zoe and Barone were nowhere in sight.
As he and Bravo’s leader zeroed in on that rock, the clouds cleared and a shaft of moonlight lit bits of metal on the rock’s surface. “No.” Simon’s voice came out choked. He shoved a hand through his hair. Barone had forced Zoe to remove her jewelry. Simon had no electronic way to track her location.
When they were certain that Barone and Zoe weren’t in the vicinity, the operatives grabbed their penlights to hunt for tracks. Aside from a few tracks in the dirt near the rock, they couldn’t find signs of their passage.
Simon crouched near the last tracks and carefully studied the area. He could understand Barone being able to conceal his tracks, but not Zoe. She wasn’t trained. She should have left some sign. The knowledge that she hadn’t stoked his fear for her safety.
“We can’t track her in the dark, Simon,” Trent said softly. “We might destroy the very signs we’re hunting for and not know it.”
Simon stood, grim determination filling him. “I’m not leaving her in his hands for one minute longer than I have to.”
“We’ll go after her at first light.”
“Not good enough. We can’t track her in the dark, but I know someone who can.” He looked at Trent. “Ethan.”
“By the time we fly him out here, it will be daylight.”
“He’s in Texas on a search for a five-year-old girl.”
“And if he hasn’t found the child?”
“It won’t hurt to ask. If he isn’t available, maybe he knows someone close who can do what he does.” Except no one was as good as Ethan Blackhawk.
Simon also knew it was probable that Barone had a vehicle stashed nearby and any tracks would lead to a dead end. He prayed that wouldn’t be the end result. He wanted the upper hand in the negotiation sure to come. Zoe’s life might depend on it. “What about one of the satellites?” He needed a contingency plan in case Ethan was unavailable.
Trent shook his head. “I checked. They’re not in the right position.”
Grabbing his phone, Simon called the one man who might be able to give him an edge. He placed the call on speaker for Trent to hear the conversation.
“Yeah, Blackhawk.”
“It’s Simon. You’re on speaker with Trent.”
“How can I help?”
“Barone kidnapped Zoe.”
“I’m on my way.”
“Ethan, what about the little girl?”
“She’s currently on her way to the hospital to be checked out, but aside from a few cuts and bruises, she looked good to me. I’m already heading your direction. I’ll be in Hanover in an hour. Where do you want me to meet you?”
Simon gave Ethan the address of the ranch. “Barone probably had a vehicle stashed somewhere close.”
“Maybe. We’ll find out. In the meantime, gather supplies and gear up. We may be in for a long night.”
He slid the phone into his pocket. An hour would seem like an eternity.
Trent clapped Simon on the shoulder. “Come on. You heard the man. Let’s find out what supplies your parents have that we can use. We need to create a Go bag for Ethan.”
The corners of Simon’s mouth edged upward. “Ethan just completed a hunt. He might need to replenish his supplies, but he has his own gear with him.”
The two men retraced their steps to the ranch house. All conversation ceased when they entered through the back door.
Naomi’s lips quivered and tears pooled in her eyes. “Where is Zoe? You said you would bring her back.”
“I will,” Simon vowed, no matter what it took. “It’s going to take me longer than I’d planned.”
Liam scowled. “What happened?”
“Barone forced Zoe to remove her jewelry.”
“What’s the big deal about that?” Cassie asked.
“The jewelry had GPS chips embedded in the pieces. We found the jewelry, but not Zoe.”
Matt frowned. “You didn’t find tracks?”
“We found some that ended a few feet from the jewelry. After that, nothing.”
Matt, Liam, and Cade exchanged grim glances.
“How did Barone get the drop on you?” Trent asked Cade.
“When I checked out the blown security light, he hit me with a stun gun. Never mind about me. How are we going to find Zoe?”
“We called the best tracker in the business.”
A blink. “Ethan will take hours to get here.”
“He should arrive in 45 minutes,” Simon said. “He was in the area on a search-and-rescue mission. He found the child and was on his way to Hanover to see Dad.”
“Who is Ethan?” Tracey demanded. “Another of your workmates?”
“He’s the Otter Creek chief of police and one of the best trackers in the world. If anybody can find Zoe, it’s Ethan.” Although not being able to do the job himself galled Simon, he’d take any help he could get. He just wanted Zoe back in his arms.
Trent looked at Cade. “You up to the task?”
“By the time Ethan arrives, I will be.”
With a nod, he turned to Matt. “How’s the ranch hand?”
“Same as Cade. A little shakier than Sup
erman here.”
“Good enough. Simon, we need the rest of the hands to set up a perimeter close to the house and station two inside with your family.”
“We don’t need them inside,” Tracey said.
Trent frowned. “Ma’am, I need Simon focused. He’s already distracted because Zoe’s been taken. Having you and the rest of the family inside this house without protection isn’t an option.”
“Listen, Trent, I appreciate your concern for the helpless women and children in the family, but let me clue you in. My father taught me and Cassie to shoot as well as my brothers. I know Simon has more training than we do, but we can hold our own. We have guns and we’re not afraid to use them.”
“The man we’re after has Special Forces training. He’s far beyond a gun-toting cowboy. I’m not questioning your ability to shoot. Two ranch hands will be inside this house because you’ll need every bit of firepower you can get if he slips past the rest of the hands and breaches the house.”
Silence fell on the Murray siblings and spouses.
“This guy is that dangerous, Simon?” Cassie asked.
“Do you want to chance it?” he countered.
“Is he as good as you and your friends?”
“No, but he’s dangerous enough to be a serious threat to your safety. He doesn’t have a conscience, Cass. Barone will do whatever he has to do to achieve his objective.”
“Which is?”
“He wants me dead.”
She scowled. “Why?”
“I killed his cousin earlier today at the hospital’s parking lot. He was going to shoot Zoe.”
“I don’t understand. He was just some random shooter?”
Simon shook his head.
“How did you become involved with this guy?”
“The head of the Barone family tried to kill my wife,” Liam said. “Simon and I helped put him in prison.”
“We all had a part in it,” Matt reminded him. “By your logic, Blake Barone will come after the rest of us eventually.”
“That’s why we’ll stop him here.” Trent eyed his team. “We have families to protect. We can’t allow Barone anywhere near Otter Creek again. I won’t leave my wife vulnerable to attack while we’re deployed.”