He had to get Dani and Simon out of there before that happened. Letting this turn into a hostage situation and dragging it out with negotiations that would go nowhere wasn’t going to work. Not in this case, not with Joseph Duncan.
Joe had inside information. He knew the game plan and playing by the rules wouldn’t work with him. Joe would expect them to do so and would figure he could outsmart them in some way. He wasn’t aware of Adam’s feelings for Dani and Simon. He didn’t know about the desperation racing through his veins.
And Adam planned to use that to his advantage.
Dani stayed in her chair as Joe paced and muttered in front of her. His uncontrolled anger had resulted in a wild spray of bullets that littered the far wall, but thankfully he hadn’t turned the weapon in her direction. Her gaze flitted from one corner of the house to the other, probing the shadows, wondering where her son had gone and how he was managing to be so quiet.
Simon hadn’t been outside. At least she hadn’t seen him from the window. When she’d encouraged him to “go,” she’d been praying out loud. Joe had misunderstood and thought she’d actually seen Simon. But her whispered prayer had sent Jenny outside. Now she just had one of them to deal with. The kitchen was bare. Nothing stood out to her that could be used as a weapon.
A shadowy figure slipped past the window and Dani blinked. Stared. The blinds were open just enough to let a bit of light in. With one eye on Joe, who now spoke into his cell phone and had his back to her, she reached for the rod and gave it a twist. The kitchen brightened, but Joe didn’t appear to notice.
She looked out and saw nothing.
No more shadows, no Simon. Just a vast expanse of rolling brown land.
Joe grew even more agitated, spitting and cursing. He’d unwrapped the plates. Or what were supposed to be the plates. Instead, he’d found bricks engraved with the words “Gotcha.” Just like the paper.
She thought he might just have a stroke. Dani stood, the door across the room her goal.
He whirled and caught her in the face with a backhanded punch. She went down, ears ringing, head throbbing.
“Stay there!”
Pain spiked through her head and she lifted a hand to wipe a trickle of blood from her lip. Anger and fear boiled within her.
“Find the kid and find him now!” He slapped the phone onto the counter and glowered at her. “I need to know where those plates are.”
“I have no idea.”
He swung his weapon around and aimed it at her head. “Then I have no more need of you.”
Adam’s face appeared in the window behind Joe. For a moment, she thought she might be hallucinating.
Adam had his weapon raised, looking like he desperately wanted to pull the trigger. But she saw his problem immediately. She was in the direct line of fire. If Joe moved unexpectedly at the wrong moment, Dani would take the bullet.
Then a high-pitched squeal reached her ears the same time it reached Joe’s. He spun. Adam disappeared.
Dani bolted to her feet. “Fine! Then just shoot me! Just do it! I don’t even care anymore.”
Joe spun back. “What is that?”
The squeal continued and Dani felt her heart stop. Simon. And he wouldn’t realize his hearing aid was whistling. “How would I know?” Joe started toward the sound and Dani followed. “What if I know where the plates are?”
He spun back. A cruel grin crossed his lips. “Do you?”
“Maybe.” The whistling continued. Dani nodded. “But you have to let me get Simon some help first.”
“Not a chance. I’m going to kill that kid when I see him. I don’t need him, just you.”
“Then you might as well kill me too. I’ll never tell you where they are.” She spoke the words with deadly intent. Her eyes never left Joe’s and he blinked. Then swore. “Where is he?” he shouted.
“Where’s Jenny?” Dani countered.
“Good question.” He got on his phone and Dani waited, tensed and ready to move as soon as she got the opportunity.
Jenny didn’t answer and Joe let out another string of curses that blistered her ears.
She moved toward the door. “I’ll take you to the plates, let’s go.”
“This isn’t the way this was supposed to go down,” he muttered.
The whistling never stopped.
Joe growled and moved toward the sound, his determined footsteps slamming terror for Simon into her very soul.
She started to follow and stopped when Simon stepped from a room around the corner, finger to his lips. Simon grabbed her hand and they raced for the door.
Dani threw it open and came face-to-face with Jenny.
And the gun now jabbed into her midsection.
Adam froze. He’d seen Dani, but not Simon. Had wanted to take the shot, but had hesitated. If he missed, if Joe moved, the bullet would have gone straight into Dani. He couldn’t take the chance.
And then Joe had whirled and Adam had to duck to avoid being seen. The shots fired spurred him on. He was out of time. He raced up the front porch steps and kicked the door in. It slammed back against the wall. He went in low, gun held ready. He heard Isaac behind him. “Clear.” The SWAT team flowed through the house, clearing it. The door to his right slowly opened toward him. He moved to the side and waited. No one on the other side. Someone had pulled the door shut and it hadn’t latched. Now, unbalanced, it swung back open.
He nodded to Isaac, who moved opposite him. Adam reached for the knob and pulled it. MP5s pointed toward the now fully open door.
Adam motioned for the other cops to go around him. The gunshots had come from the back. The large open area stood empty. Three officers moved to the back. Adam went for the stairs.
At the top, he rounded the corner and came face-to-face with Joseph Duncan. The man stood, weapon in hand, eyes flitting wildly from one window to the next.
Adam kept his weapon trained on Joe. “It’s over, man. Don’t make me pull this trigger.”
“It’s not over.”
“Of course it’s over. Cops are all over this place. You of all people know how this is going to play out.” He held his gun steady on Joe’s chest. “Now put the weapon down.”
“I can’t go to prison. I’ll rot there.”
“And I can’t let you go.”
Joe moved the barrel of his weapon to his chin in one smooth move. “I’d rather be dead.”
“No! Don’t do it, Joe. That’s not the answer.”
Joe met his gaze. Adam lunged.
Joe pulled the trigger.
Adam hit his knees and rolled. His heart heavy, he had to push Joe aside and focus on Dani. He whirled back through the house and bolted back to Isaac’s side. “What do you have?”
Isaac held up a mirror. “From what we can see, there’s a woman with a gun on Dani and Simon.”
Dani felt hopelessness sweep over her. So close. They’d been so close. The back door had been almost within reach. She’d cried out for Adam, and instead, Jenny had shoved the barrel of the gun into her stomach. “Back, get back. Move.”
Dani had done as ordered, keeping Simon behind her. Her son who trembled and shook. Jenny shoved them through another door, down the stairs, and into the basement. Where was Joe? What had he been shooting at?
In the basement, Simon slumped to the floor and placed his head against his knees. Dani went to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. He looked up. “I’m sorry,” he signed.
She stroked his cheek and watched Jenny from the corner of her eye. The woman paced.
“What are you doing?” Dani asked. “The cops are here. It’s over.”
Jenny shook the gun in her direction. “It’s not over until I say it’s over.”
Would this never end?
Dani heard running footsteps above. “Adam!”
“Shut up!” Jenny screamed. “Shut up!”
The basement was one big concrete room that ran the length of the house. A storm shelter of sorts with an outside entrance.
Dani hovered next to Simon, praying Adam had heard her cry. The door flew open and light spilled down the steps. Dani sucked in a deep breath as her eyes fell on a two-by-four inches from her fingers.
Before she had time to think about it, she grabbed the board and swung it around in one smooth move. The side of it caught Jenny on the forearm. The woman cried out and the gun dropped to the floor.
She scrambled for it as footfalls landed heavy on the steps. “Freeze! Police!” It wasn’t Adam’s voice, but it was a sweet sound to Dani’s ears. She dove for the weapon even as Simon moved faster than both of them. His small hands wrapped around the butt of the gun and he brought the weapon up to center it on Jenny’s chest.
Fear latched itself around her throat. “No, Simon,” Dani signed. “Put the gun down.”
“Not yet,” he said. He panted, the fever flushing his cheeks. His glassy eyes darted from Jenny’s stunned face to the bottom of the stairs where Adam held his hand up to the others on the way down. “Stay there,” he ordered.
He looked at Simon, gesturing as he said, “Simon, I need you to put the gun on the floor.”
“No.” His jaw jutted. Jenny moved slowly, scuttling sideways toward the door centered on the opposite wall. Simon followed her with the gun held exactly how Adam had taught him to hold it.
“I’m going out the door,” Jenny said. “I’m going to disappear. You’ll never see me again.” Her hand fumbled for the doorknob behind her.
Simon didn’t speak, he simply tracked her with the weapon.
Jenny found the knob, turned it.
And stepped outside into the waiting arms of the SWAT team.
Simon’s eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped to the floor, the gun skittering across the concrete.
Dani ran to his side and grabbed him up in her arms.
Adam waited for one of the SWAT members to cover the gun, then slid to his knees beside Dani and Simon. He felt Simon’s pulse and placed a hand on his forehead. “We’ve got an ambulance upstairs. Let me carry him.”
Dani didn’t even realize she was crying until she nodded and felt the tears drip from her chin. “What about Joe?”
“He’s not a threat anymore. He’s dead.”
Adam gathered her son in his arms and carried him up the stairs.
36
FRIDAY EVENING
Three hours later, Adam found Dani dozing in the chair next to Simon’s hospital bed. Even the creaking of the door didn’t rouse her. She looked innocent. Vulnerable.
Kissable.
He didn’t want to wake her. She needed to sleep. He took a step back and his rubber sole squeaked on the tile floor. She jerked. Blinked. And immediately her gaze went to Simon. He watched her relax at the sight of her son sleeping peacefully. She finally turned her attention on him. “He’s going to be all right.”
“Yes.”
“The doctor said his appendix was ruptured, but that the antibiotics should take care of the infection.” She swallowed. “Thank you for coming after us.”
He moved closer and touched Simon’s hand. “I was scared for him,” he whispered. “And you.”
Dani went still, her gaze searching, curious … disbelieving. Then tears filled her eyes. “You really were, weren’t you?”
He nodded. “I really was. He’s a great kid.”
She looked back at Simon. “Yeah. He is.” She took a deep breath and thanked God once again for sparing her son. And herself. “Have you seen your mother?”
Pain darkened his eyes. “I tried. My father told me she didn’t want to see me.”
Dani gasped. “Adam, I’m so sorry.”
He shrugged. “I guess she just needs more time.”
Dani stood and gripped his hands, then she leaned in to kiss him. A deep heartfelt kiss through which she did her best to convey her compassion, her need to comfort him. And he let her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. When he lifted his head, she offered him a smile.
“I want to be there for you, Adam.”
She saw his eyes darken. And a measure of peace fill them. “I want that too, Dani.”
Simon stirred and Dani turned her attention to him. She lifted her hands to sign. “Hey, darling, how are you feeling?”
Simon lifted a weak hand and drew a finger down his throat. Adam handed Dani the cup with the straw. She blinked and smiled. “You’re getting good.”
Adam shrugged and held up his iPhone. “I’ve been watching sign language videos when I can.”
Dani helped Simon take a sip of the ice water. When he lay back against the pillow, he let out a breath. “Thanks.”
“Go back to sleep, hon.”
He closed his eyes and Dani rubbed hers. Adam placed a hand on her shoulder and she realized the relief she felt in just his presence. It felt so good not to be alone, to share the burden of her sick child with someone else.
“You need to get some rest yourself,” Adam said.
“I know. I slept a few minutes, but feel thickheaded and groggy.”
“You look great.”
She felt the heat climb up her neck and into her cheeks. “Ah … well. Thanks.”
He stuck his hands in his pockets. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
Dani let her gaze meet his. “I just laid a kiss on you, Adam. You didn’t make me feel uncomfortable.”
“Did too.”
“Did not.”
They fell silent, then burst into laughter. Adam kissed her, then Dani looked over at Simon and caught him watching them. His eyes bounced between them, then he smiled and let his lids flutter shut.
37
SATURDAY MORNING
Dani pushed the door open and stepped inside. An older man who looked a lot like Adam glanced up. Confusion creased his brow. “Hello.”
“Hi.” Dani cleared her throat and ran her damp palms down her jean-clad thighs. “Hi.”
“Can I help you?”
“Are you Adam’s father?”
“I am.” Confusion turned to curiosity. “Who are you?”
“I’m Danielle Harding. Adam’s latest client.”
The man’s jaw tightened. “What are you doing here?”
Dani glanced at the woman in the bed. She slept, her deep, even breaths barely raised the sheet. “I wanted to talk to you. To both of you if you would be so kind as to hear me out.”
A brow raised. “Adelle’s sleeping right now.”
“I see that. So maybe I can just talk to you and see what you think?”
He waved a hand toward the window seat. A bench that was also used for family members staying overnight. Dani sank onto it, wishing she had her purse so she would have something to do with her hands. But she’d left it in Simon’s room. She cleared her throat and clasped her fingers together in front of her. “I wanted to meet you because Adam and I have grown close over the last week.”
“Close?”
“Yes. He kept a killer from succeeding in his quest to kill me and my son.”
That got his attention. “You don’t say.”
“I do say. We spent a lot of time together when we weren’t running for our lives or fighting off attacks from people who were supposed to uphold the law instead of take advantage of the fact that they could circumvent it and get away with their illegal activities.”
He blinked and Dani hauled in another fortifying breath. “Adam was coming to be with his mother when he got a call from Tori that someone had found us. It’s my fault he wasn’t here when Mrs. Buchanan had her surgery. But he wanted to be here, he really did.”
“But he put you first.”
Dani nodded. “He said she would understand. That she wouldn’t want me or my son to die because he chose to be with her.” Mr. Buchanan seemed to be at a loss for words, so Dani pressed on. “He misses you. You’re keeping him at arm’s length and it’s killing him slowly. Please forgive him for whatever it is that’s keeping you apart. He needs you.”
“A
nd we need him.” The soft voice behind her had Dani swiveling to find Mrs. Buchanan awake with tears streaming down her cheeks. “Of course I understand. He has a dangerous job, one of those jobs that demand much of him.” She lifted her wet eyes to her husband. “Much like a politician who has to miss certain events in his child’s life, Adam’s had to choose what he can and can’t do according to the demands of his job. He’s had to make some very difficult decisions over the past year and I’m going to have to stop wallowing in my self-pity if I want to have a relationship with him again.” She sniffed and Dani handed her a tissue. She took it, but kept her eyes on her husband. “I want to see my son.”
“He’s a wonderful man, your son.”
Adam’s mother’s eyes narrowed and then her lips rose in a small smile. “Well, well,” she whispered.
“What?” Dani asked.
“Nothing.” She lifted a brow at Mr. Buchanan. “Well?”
Dani caught her breath as hope rose. She looked at Mr. Buchanan, almost daring him to refuse.
Instead, she watched his eyes fill as he nodded. “It’s time.”
“Well, thank goodness you guys have finally come to your senses.” Dani turned to find a woman in the doorway holding two bags from a local fast-food chain. Sarah, Adam’s sister. She had to be. The resemblance was uncanny. She looked back at Dani and simply said, “Thank you.”
38
ONE WEEK LATER
Dani still couldn’t shake the feeling that she was missing something. She frowned as she loaded the dishwasher and put the soap in. Simon was still in the hospital, but she’d left him in good hands. Her mother had flown in from California and the two of them were getting to know one another. Simon was thrilled to have his grandmother at his side.
Her mother had encouraged her to take a break, so Dani had decided to go home. She’d been sleeping at the hospital with Simon, rarely leaving his side.
Yesterday, Adam had presented her with the keys to her new home. She’d found it online and said she thought it would be a great fit for her and Simon. Ron had insisted on helping with the rental expenses and Dani promised him when her house sold she’d pay him back. She really wasn’t comfortable with the arrangement, but it was what it was and Ron had insisted.
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