Rachel’s body made its own preparations. Her heart pounded. Her breath became rapid. She refused to let the fear paralyze her, but it definitely had her by the throat. Instead, she tried to channel her energy to her fists in case it turned physical. All that Shaolin training might come in handy, after all.
“I don’t see the suitcase,” someone called out. A man.
But she didn’t recognize the voice. It definitely wasn’t Brewer or Meredith.
“Don’t worry about it right now. We can look for it later.” A woman that time.
Rachel had no doubt that it was Agnes McCullough.
There was a sudden shuffle on the stairs overhead. Followed by more footsteps down the hall. Nothing frantic. Just two people going about some routine business. The footsteps trailed off to silence.
The seconds crawled by.
Jared eased open the door. Paused for a moment. Listened. Apparently satisfied, he motioned for her to follow him. They made it halfway up the steps before she heard the sound. It was soft. So soft. And yet Rachel knew exactly what it was.
A baby crying.
Her breath stalled in her throat, and she froze. Jared didn’t, thank God. He seized her arm and got them moving. They made it to the landing.
Another sound.
Faint but definitely a cry.
Even over the pounding of her own heartbeat, Rachel managed to follow Jared and that sound to a room at the end of the long hall.
The door was open several inches. Like a beacon, pale yellow light seeped out and bled onto the carpet. Jared flattened his back against the wall and inched toward the light.
When they were closer, he braced his right wrist and held the gun in front of him in case he had to fire. Crouching low, he pivoted so he could peek around the doorjamb. Rachel had a look, as well.
No one was there.
Cautiously, they went inside. Jared eased the door shut behind them and locked it. Immediately, he began to search the closet and beneath the bed to make sure they were alone. Rachel didn’t help him. She spotted the white wicker bassinet in the corner and raced toward it.
She saw the movement of the blanket. Tiny squirms and kicks against the pale blue fabric. And then she saw his face. He was sucking on his fist and apparently not very happy that it wasn’t a bottle.
“Jared,” she somehow managed to whisper. “He’s here. He’s really here.”
Too many emotions went through her to try to sort them all out. Besides, it didn’t matter. The weight of the world just seemed to melt away.
With her hands trembling and her heart in her throat, Rachel carefully lifted him up, and for the first time held her son in her arms.
Chapter 18
Okay.
Jared took several deep breaths and he watched the miracle unfold in front of him. He’d had a lot of expectations about this moment, but not once had he prepared himself for his mouth going dry and his stomach landing on the floor.
The transformation in Rachel was equally startling. The smile. The look in her eyes. The light in her face. The way she brushed her mouth over the tiny forehead. The simple gesture must have been comforting, because their son stopped crying immediately.
Their son.
This child was their son.
Unsure of what he should do, Jared reached out and gently ran his fingers over the thin mat of brown hair. There was an instant connection. Unconditional love so strong that it nearly brought him to his knees, and it was all aimed at that little bundle who was suddenly studying them with inquisitive gray-blue eyes.
“Welcome to the world, Ben,” Rachel whispered. “We’re your parents, and we’re very happy to meet you.”
It was a moment too precious to cut short, and yet Jared had to push what he was feeling aside and get them the heck out of there.
“Let’s go,” he insisted.
Rachel seemed to be in a daze, so he wrapped his arm around her waist and urged her toward the door. The baby whimpered, the sound loud in the otherwise silent room. Before Jared could worry if the noise would alert Agnes, Rachel put the tip of her thumb into their son’s mouth. It soothed him instantly.
“Good idea,” he told her. Thank God for maternal instincts. So far, his paternal impulses were only focused on one area: escape.
They made it all the way to the stairs before Jared heard something he definitely didn’t want to hear. Footsteps and voices. Since they already sounded too close for comfort, he pulled Rachel and the baby into the nearest room and locked the door. The lock wasn’t much, but if necessary it might buy them a couple of extra seconds.
Unfortunately, those extra seconds could soon become necessary.
When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see that it was some kind of large storage room, stuffed with old furniture and such. He hid Rachel and the baby behind a stack of boxes, reholstered his gun and went to the window to disarm the security wires.
“Hell,” he mumbled, looking out.
There was only a thin lip of roof and then a twenty-foot plunge to the ground below. If that was their only escape route, they were in trouble.
Trouble came a lot sooner than he’d anticipated.
“He’s gone!” someone yelled. A woman. Agnes, probably. It hadn’t taken her long enough to figure out that the baby was missing.
They didn’t have much time now. She’d no doubt alert the guards and God knows who else.
There was sudden movement in the hallway. Footsteps. Harried whispers. Then nothing. Jared continued to work on the window, which was no easy feat. Unlike the one in the dining room, this one had double sensor points on each side, which he had to work his way through.
Several seconds passed, before someone touched the doorknob. Just a touch. Followed by another frantic female whisper. Jared heard the baby fret. A sound so quiet that no one would have heard it unless they were listening closely.
Which someone apparently was.
The knob twisted. A fraction. Then, another. The lock held under the gentle pressure, but it wouldn’t hold long.
He managed to cut the last wire of the security system and throw open the window. Not wasting any time, he drew his gun and motioned for Rachel to hurry toward him. She did.
But it was too late.
The door suddenly flew open, bits of wood pelting them. Rachel automatically sheltered the baby by turning her back toward the debris. Jared ignored the splinter that slashed across his cheek and tried to shove Rachel behind him.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a man called out. Jared saw him out of the corner of his eye. It was Sergeant Colby Meredith. Agnes was right by his side, and she was armed, as well.
“Drop your gun, Dillard,” Meredith ordered. “And put your hands in the air so I can see them.”
Rachel gasped and buried her face against the baby’s blanket, terrified at the sight of the guns aimed at her. Jared could feel her tremble. He hoped she could stave off a panic attack until they were out of there. Now, the real question was—how were they going to get out of there?
“Take deep breaths,” Jared whispered to her. “And focus. I really need you to focus.”
Staring at Meredith, Jared quickly ran through his options. Rachel might have a chance if he could somehow push her out onto the roof while he fired at Meredith. But it was a huge risk—she could easily fall. Neither she nor the baby would survive something like that.
“Drop the gun,” Meredith repeated, and he aimed his weapon. Not at Jared. Not even at Rachel. But at the ultimate bargaining tool—the baby.
Jared tossed down his gun immediately. “Play along,” he whispered to Rachel. “We’ll get out of this. I promise.”
This was a plan B kind of moment. Evade and escape. He would have to wait until he was close enough to Meredith and Agnes, and then he’d try to overpower them.
&nb
sp; All without getting Rachel or the baby hurt.
Of course, he had to make sure that Meredith didn’t kill him first. His fellow officer was probably more than willing to pull the trigger and permanently take Jared out of this equation.
Without taking his attention from them, Meredith reached behind himself and turned on the lights. “Agnes, go put on some tea or something.”
That simple order was all it took—the woman quickly scampered out of the room.
However, Meredith obviously wasn’t done. He looked at Jared and then Rachel. “Come on. Let’s all go back downstairs and have a little talk.”
A man in charge. Or maybe that was just what Meredith wanted them to think. Either way, Jared had to wonder if he was finally looking at Esterman’s accomplice.
Rachel spoke up. “It’s me you want. Let Jared take the baby and leave. You can take me back to San Antonio, and I’ll make sure my testimony exonerates your boss.”
Jared tried to push her behind him, but she wouldn’t let him. She thrust the child into his arms, lifted her hands in the air and started to walk toward Meredith. He also noticed that she closed her eyes. It was probably the only way she could approach the man while he was armed.
The baby whimpered and squirmed against his chest. Jared didn’t let it distract him. “Rachel, I don’t want you to do this.”
Her eyes fluttered open and she glanced at him over her shoulder. And what Jared saw in the depths of those eyes wasn’t exactly a look of surrender.
Hell! She was going after Meredith herself.
“Rachel!” he tried again. Jared stooped to lay the baby on the floor. He couldn’t let Rachel take on Meredith. It would be suicide.
“You should hold your son a little longer,” he heard someone say. “It might be the last time you have a chance to do that.”
Jared’s gaze flew to the door. It was Donald Livingston. Smiling.
And armed.
He wasn’t alone. There were two other guards with him. Since the infrared had indicated only three adults in the building, these were probably hired guns that had been guarding the bridge. However, it didn’t matter where they came from. There were too many of them to fight head-on.
The warden shouldered Meredith aside and strolled into the room. Meredith didn’t protest. Sentry-like, he took his position near the door, no doubt to await further orders. Livingston wouldn’t have to kill anyone, not when he had Meredith around to do the job.
“Rachel, come and get the baby,” Jared insisted.
She did. She must have realized that there was no way she’d get past Livingston, Meredith and the guards. When she finally picked up the baby, Jared eased her behind him. If bullets started flying, he didn’t want her in their path.
“How are you this evening, Lieutenant Dillard?” Livingston calmly asked. He motioned toward Jared’s weapon on the floor, and Meredith hurried to retrieve it.
Livingston walked closer. Just a few steps. And from that arrogant swagger, Jared knew he was facing the real boss. Meredith was simply a henchman.
“We figured we’d find either you or Lyle Brewer here,” Jared said.
“Brewer? Not likely.” Livingston made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “He’s a peon, even though he has been invaluable at passing me vital information from Clarence. Of course, Brewer wasn’t really aware of that. He’s one of those Boy Scouts like you, Dillard.”
Jared ignored the comparison. Maybe if Livingston came closer, or if Jared could distract him, he could grab him and use him as a human shield so he and Rachel could get past Meredith.
“So, all of this was your plan?” Jared asked.
“You mean the whole stolen embryo thing? No. Definitely not my idea. Too messy for me. I prefer a simpler approach, but Clarence put all of this into motion before I could stop him. He’s a very determined man when he sinks his teeth into something. He got, well, obsessive about getting back at Rachel. When he couldn’t find her to have her killed, he figured the baby was the way to do it.”
It wasn’t an easy thing to hear. His baby and his wife were merely pawns in one very sick game. “Let Rachel and the baby go.”
“Touching, but not possible,” Livingston said quickly. “I need her alive.” He snapped his fingers at Agnes when she came back into the room and motioned for her to take the baby.
Rachel stepped back, but both Meredith and Livingston aimed their guns at the baby. She looked at Jared, fear and worry in her eyes. He nodded for her to hand the child over. This wasn’t the time for a fight.
But soon.
Definitely soon.
Agnes walked closer, cautiously, and took the baby. Rachel didn’t make a sound, but Jared heard the rough intake of breath and saw her hands clench into fists.
“Don’t hurt him,” Rachel said softly. “I’ll cooperate. I’ll do whatever you say.”
Livingston placed his hand over his heart. “Definitely touching. But kill him? No. Well, not at this moment, anyway. Later, perhaps. I doubt any of this will surprise you, but you, my dear, are going to go to the courthouse and exonerate my good friend and partner, Clarence Esterman. You will clear him of any and all charges. I want no doubt in the jury’s mind that nothing illegal ever went on. And you’ll do it convincingly, or else your baby will pay the price. The child might not have been in my original plan, but now I intend to make good use of him.”
The warden came closer but stayed just out of Jared’s reach. Jared prayed for him to take one more step, and he might be able to get to him.
“And you, Lieutenant,” Livingston continued. “I have a mission for you, as well. After Rachel’s finished giving her award-winning performance on the witness stand, and after Clarence walks out of the jail as a free man, you’ll be right there to meet him.”
Jared shrugged. “Okay, I’ll bite. Why would I want to do that?”
Livingston smiled. “So you can kill him, of course.”
Chapter 19
Rachel barely heard what Livingston said. She kept her attention on her child. On Agnes. The woman hovered in the doorway, the baby clutched in her arms. Agnes was obviously waiting for her boss to tell her what to do.
“Why would you want me to kill Esterman?” she heard Jared ask.
Only then did Livingston’s comment sink in. She glanced at Livingston and saw that he was serious. He really wanted Esterman dead.
“Let’s just say that he has the potential to become a liability. He’s been chatting with the DA about possibly cutting a deal. I don’t approve, and I’d rather not sully my own hands in ridding the world of Clarence Esterman—after your wife has cleared him, naturally. I don’t want anyone digging in my direction because of Clarence.” He checked his watch. “And without further ado, I’ll send you two on your way. When your mission is done, your son will be returned to you. You have my word on that.”
That gave Rachel no hope whatsoever. His word was worthless.
It was as if an iron fist took hold of her heart when Agnes turned to leave the room with Ben. She couldn’t lose her baby.
Rachel started after them, but Jared stopped her. “Not now,” he whispered.
And just like that, the baby was gone.
Other than choking back some tears, Rachel didn’t have time to react. Livingston moved quickly. He gave the nod to two guards, and one of them ordered her and Jared out of the room. They got behind her with those guns so she didn’t have to look at them, but it was paltry consolation. No panic attack, but her heart was breaking.
God, what was Livingston going to do with her baby?
They went down the stairs. Quickly, thanks to the guards shoving them in that direction. No sign of Agnes. She’d probably taken their son back to the makeshift nursery. Maybe Livingston wouldn’t try to take him off the island.
“What do we do?” Rachel whispered to Jared.
He didn’t answer until they were outside and headed toward a boathouse. “On the count of three, drop down. If you can, grab some sand and throw it in their faces. I’ll take it from there and try to overpower them.”
Rachel nodded and fought to keep control of her breath. It wasn’t much of a plan. A lot of things could easily go wrong. Still, it was a chance, and she’d take it.
“Quit yapping,” the guard snarled.
Jared ignored him. He did, however, give her a reassuring look when they were only a couple of yards from the boathouse. “One. Two...”
With the roaring in her head, Rachel didn’t even hear Jared say the final number, but she saw the critical word form on his mouth.
Rachel fell to the ground, landing on her knees, and scooped up handfuls of sand. The guard on the left shouted something, and she saw him take aim just as she launched the sand into his face.
He cried out. Dropped the gun. And clutched at his eyes. She didn’t stop. Rachel just kept tossing as much sand at him as she could.
Jared used the distraction to go after the other guard. He delivered a judo kick to the man’s chest. His rifle went flying, and Jared retrieved it. He turned, and in the blink of an eye, had both men covered.
It had worked. The plan had worked!
“Get in the boathouse,” he said to the guards. Jared kicked the other man’s fallen weapon aside.
Rachel didn’t have time to ask Jared what to do next. When the four of them were inside the boathouse, he ordered the guards to get facedown on the narrow deck next to a boat. The boat that was to take them back to shore so the guards could do Livingston’s dirty work.
“Move and you’re dead,” Jared warned them.
And from the tone of his voice, he meant it.
“Rachel, see if you can find some rope so we can tie them up.”
She looked around the area, but the best she could do was some fishing twine that she took from a tackle box on the deck. While Jared held the rifle on the men, she trussed their hands to their feet. When she finished, Jared stuffed some rags into their mouths, tested the twine, and then tossed them into the boat.
Sinister Intentions & Confiscated Conception Page 34