JOSH

by Delores Fossen

  “Gotta go,” Josh told his cousin. “Let me know if anything turns up in the search at Sierra’s place.” He paused. “And I’ll let you know if anything comes of the meeting I’m about to have with someone claiming to be an escapee from one of the baby farms.”

  Now it was Kade’s turn to pause. “You need some backup?”

  Jaycee released the breath she’d been holding. Kade could have just threatened to nix the meeting, claiming that this was a federal matter now. Technically, it was. But his offer was the opposite of nixing it.

  “I wouldn’t say no to backup,” Josh answered.

  “When and where’s the meeting?” Kade asked.

  Josh rattled off the details, his gaze coming back to her again. “This woman says if Jaycee doesn’t show up, then neither will she.”

  Kade cursed. “I’m guessing you’re more than a little hesitant about that, and Jaycee wants to do it?”

  Boy, did he hit the nail on the head.

  “Yeah,” Josh finally said.

  “Okay,” Kade continued. “There’s an agent in the area taking one last look at the baby farm that was blown up. I’ll get him over to the cemetery right now to secure the perimeter, and I’ll meet him there. If we see anything suspicious, you can get Jaycee out of there fast.”

  “Thanks.” Josh ended the call and snapped toward her. “The way I see it, I’ve got three choices. With Grayson and the others tied up with finding Sierra, I could leave you here with Gage and Bree. Take you back to the ranch. Or Gage and Bree can come with us and guard you during the meeting.”

  “You know which option I want. And it’s the only one that’s going to get us answers from Miranda.”

  He stood there, jaw muscles stirring and his forehead bunched up. “I don’t want to regret this,” he said under his breath.

  “Neither do I.” She touched his arm, rubbed gently, hoping it would soothe him. “But I also don’t want any other women held captive if I can do anything to stop it.”

  The muscles kept stirring, and she wondered if he was thinking about another rogue investigation. The one that’d nearly gotten him killed before she’d been taken captive.

  She wanted to tell him that it wouldn’t happen again, but any reassurance she could give him would only be wishful thinking on her part. Jaycee only knew this was something she had to do.

  Without saying anything, Josh went to the front of the building. She couldn’t hear what he told Gage, but it prompted Gage to make a call. Then Gage went back to talk to Bree.

  “They’re coming with us,” Josh informed her. “Another deputy will be here soon to cover the office.” He took her by the shoulders and met her eye to eye. “I only want Miranda to get a glimpse of you. You won’t get out of the vehicle. And you won’t take any unnecessary chances. Agreed?”

  She nodded.

  Josh still didn’t jump to say she could go, but he surprised her when he leaned in, popped a kiss on her cheek.

  “Take one of the guns,” he instructed.

  Jaycee did. A Glock and some extra ammo. She prayed they wouldn’t need it, but they might not just run into Miranda at the cemetery. The guards could be there, too.

  It didn’t take long for another deputy to arrive, and Josh, Bree, Gage and she got into an SUV parked behind the sheriff’s office. By her estimations, they weren’t supposed to meet Miranda for at least another hour, but maybe the woman would arrive early so they could learn the truth, put Miranda in protective custody and get the heck out of there.

  With Josh behind the wheel, they drove out of town. And all of them kept watch. She didn’t see any signs of Valerie and Bryson. Nor the guards. She hoped it stayed that way.

  The sun was blinding. Already too hot considering it was still spring, and despite the AC running, Jaycee felt the beads of sweat pop out on her forehead. Nerves, maybe. She wasn’t having second thoughts about doing this, but she was afraid. Not just for her baby, but for everyone involved in this tangled mess.

  Josh’s phone rang, and without taking his eyes off the road, he pressed the answer button. A moment later, she heard Kade’s voice.

  “We’re in place,” Kade said. “I’m on the east side of the cemetery. Agent Seth Calder’s on the west. I can see the road, and he’s got a good view of the woods that aren’t that far away.”

  “Any sign of a woman we’re supposed to meet?” Josh asked.

  “No sign of anyone right now, and I’m using thermal-imaging binoculars so I’ll be able to see her or anyone else if they come from the woods. I’ll let you know when or if she gets here.”

  “Thanks, we’re about five minutes out.” Josh ended the call and met her gaze in the mirror. “If she doesn’t show soon, we’re leaving. I don’t want to sit out here in the open for too long.”

  Maybe Miranda would call. Because Jaycee didn’t want to be sitting ducks, either.

  Josh took a turn onto a rural road, then another, and she saw the cemetery just ahead.

  “Mercy,” Jaycee mumbled, “why the heck would Miranda pick this place?”

  It wasn’t the pristine church cemetery that Jaycee had expected. In fact, there was no church at all. No buildings. Just some bleached headstones on a weed-infested hill. There were a few large oaks dotting the area and thicker woods farther away, but even they looked dark and sinister. Like the setting for a horror movie.

  No vehicles in sight. Of course, there were likely trails nearby where she could have hidden a car. Maybe Miranda had stolen a vehicle along with the phone she’d used to call them.

  Or maybe this was all a ruse.

  Josh didn’t drive all the way up the hill. He pulled onto the narrow shoulder about thirty yards from the cemetery, and both Gage and he took out binoculars. Bree turned in the seat to keep a watch on the road behind them, so Jaycee took the right side. There were some trees in that area, too.

  An ideal place for armed guards to hide.

  But Jaycee was hoping Kade would be able to pinpoint anyone before the person got in a position to shoot at them.

  “Nothing,” Josh said several moments later, and Gage echoed an agreement.

  Josh’s phone rang, the sound knifing through the SUV and through her. “It’s that woman again,” the emergency dispatcher said, and he put Miranda’s call through.

  “They’re after me,” Miranda blurted out. Her words ran together, and she seemed out of breath. “Did you send them to kill me?”

  “I didn’t send anyone. But there are two FBI agents by the cemetery. They won’t hurt you.”

  “These guys aren’t agents, and they’re definitely trying to kill me.”

  Oh, God. Miranda was in trouble. She thought of Valerie and Bryson outside the office door, listening to the conversation. Had one or both of them alerted the guards?

  If so, they were no doubt connected to the baby farms.

  “Who’s after you and where are you?” Josh demanded.

  “The guards. They’re chasing me.” And that’s all Miranda said for several moments. “I’m near the cemetery, but the meeting is off. If I go out there now, they’ll kill me.”

  The last word had no sooner left her mouth when the sound of a shot cracked through the air.

  Chapter Twelve

  Josh didn’t have to tell Jaycee to get down. She was already headed that way before he glanced back at her. Like the rest of them, though, she kept her gun ready.

  His phone rang again, and when Josh saw Kade’s name on the screen, he answered it right away. “Do you see Miranda?” Josh asked.

  “No. But I just picked up someone on the thermal scan. A person in the woods directly ahead of me. He or she appears to be running.”

  “You see just one person?” Josh pressed. “Because she says someone’s chasing her.”

  “If
they are, I’m not seeing them yet.”

  That didn’t mean they weren’t there. Josh knew there were ways to fool a thermal scan, including special clothing or simply hiding behind a pile of rocks that had been warmed by the sun. Still, Miranda had made it seem as if the guards were right on her heels.

  Another shot.

  It had come from the woods, but he couldn’t pinpoint it beyond that.

  “I need to go after her,” Josh told the others. “I can’t leave her out there to die.”

  “No.” Jaycee took hold of his shoulder to stop him from opening the door.

  “It’s my job,” he reminded her, and he eased her hand away. “I’ll be back.” He glanced at Gage and Bree. “Make sure Jaycee stays put.”

  But he figured she wouldn’t go out there. Too risky for the baby. Josh knew it was risky for him, too, so he texted Kade for an update.

  See the attackers? Josh asked, and he didn’t have to wait long for an answer.

  Whoever’s out there, the person just went down to the ground. They’re not moving.

  Mercy. That meant Miranda could have been shot.

  I’m going closer to check on her now, Kade texted a moment later.

  I’ll be coming in right behind you. And Josh started up the hill.

  He soon caught sight of Kade and the other agent. They were moving toward the woods. Josh kept low. Kept his gun ready. And he followed them, cutting across the cemetery. Just ahead, a few yards into the woods, Kade stopped, stooped down and touched something while the other agent stood watch.

  Hell. Had Kade found blood?

  Josh hurried, running now, and he saw Kade take out his phone. “I’m calling an ambulance. She’s alive.”

  Thank God.

  But Josh did a double take when he saw the woman on the ground. Not Miranda.

  But Sierra.

  She was moaning and had a cut on her head, and blood was trickling down to her eyebrow. It didn’t look serious, but a blow to the head was never good—especially since she was pregnant.

  “What happened to you?” Josh asked, kneeling down beside her. He also continued to keep watch around them. “Why are you out here?”

  “I was supposed to meet Miranda.” Her words were barely a whisper and slurred. She moaned again. “She called and asked me to meet her here, but there were men with guns. Those guards,” she added, and the tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “There’s no sign of them now,” Josh told her.

  But that didn’t mean they weren’t close by. He hoped it didn’t take long for the ambulance to get there because he didn’t want Sierra or Jaycee in the middle of another gunfight. And as long as those guards were in the area, a gunfight was likely.

  Josh was about to ask Sierra why she’d run away from the hospital, but she lifted her hand. She had something clutched between her fingers.

  A small piece of torn paper.

  “Miranda was going to give me the address of the baby farm,” Sierra continued. “And the person who’s in charge. She tried to hand me the note, but then the guards came and we had to get away from them. I lost sight of her.”

  Using just the tips of his index and middle fingers, Josh eased the paper from her fingers. The ink was smeared, maybe from the perspiration on Sierra’s hand, but he could just make out a name.

  Valerie.

  Oh, man.

  Did she have something to do with this?

  Josh wasn’t sure how reliable Miranda was, but since Valerie was already a suspect and had those suspicious cash withdrawals from her bank accounts, this moved her to the top of his suspect list.

  There was something else on the paper, but the writing was smeared and Josh couldn’t read it. He needed to have it analyzed.

  “We’ll wait with her for the ambulance to arrive,” Kade offered. “Why don’t you go ahead, take the note and get Jaycee out of here?”

  It was a generous offer, and Josh took him up on it. “Thanks. But keep an eye on her. The last time she was at the hospital, she ran.”

  Though he doubted Sierra would pull that stunt again. The head injury had clearly shaken her.

  Josh went back to the SUV, where Jaycee, Gage and Bree had a dozen questions, but he didn’t have many answers. “It was Sierra out there.” He rummaged through the SUV and found an evidence bag for the piece of paper.

  Bree and Gage just looked ready for more questions, but Jaycee leaned across the seat and hugged him when he got behind the wheel. It surprised him a little.

  All right, it surprised him a lot.

  Those walls he’d built between them were crumbling fast. No doubt because she was the mother of his child. And Josh was having a hard time figuring out how to stop it from being anything more.

  That hug sure didn’t help.

  “Thank God you’re all right,” she whispered. “How’s Sierra?”

  “I think she’ll be fine, but Kade called an ambulance.” He started the engine and got them out of there in case the guards made a return appearance, and he passed his phone to Jaycee. “Scroll through the numbers and call Valerie.”

  Her eyes widened. “Why? You think she had something to do with this?”

  “Maybe.” And he waited until Jaycee had the woman on the line before he said anything else. “Who did you tell about the meeting with the woman who escaped?” Josh asked Valerie.

  “I don’t know what you mean. I didn’t tell anyone.”

  “Well, someone did, and because of the snitch, your sister was attacked.”

  “Oh, my God. Is she all right?”

  “No.” That was stretching the truth, but he didn’t want to give Valerie any reassurances. “When we found her, she was clutching a piece of a note that the escaped woman had given her. The note had your name on it. Care to tell me why?”

  Valerie’s gasp came through loud and clear, but whether it was genuine or not was anyone’s guess. “I have no idea.” She muttered something Josh didn’t catch. “I handle adoptions sometimes, but I swear none of them have any connection to this black-market operation.”

  “Then why did you withdraw a small fortune right about the time this operation started up?” And he didn’t bother to make that sound civil. By God, he wanted answers, and he wanted them now.

  “Withdrawals?” Valerie repeated. “I took money out, yes, but not for anything illegal. My law partner had some huge medical bills that his insurance didn’t cover, and I gave him a couple of loans, that’s all.”

  “I want proof of that. Get down to the Silver Creek sheriff’s office so I can take your statement, and bring copies of your bank records with you. While you’re at it, I want proof of these loans. Medical records, statements, whatever you have that could possibly convince me you’re not guilty.”

  “Of course I’ll come. But I won’t be treated like a criminal.”

  “You will be if you are one,” Josh fired back. “Be there in one hour.”

  “Wait,” Valerie said when Josh was about to hit the end-call button. “What about my sister? Is Sierra on the way to the hospital?”

  “Yeah. In an ambulance, and she’ll have FBI escort. In other words, if Sierra says she doesn’t want to see you, then you’re not getting close to her.” Josh punched the end-call button.

  “You believe she’s telling the truth about the withdrawals?” Gage asked.

  But Josh just shook his head. It would be so much easier if Valerie was guilty. Then they could arrest her and maybe dangle a plea bargain in front of her so she’d give them details of the entire baby farm operation. But so far, everything had been circumstantial.

  What they needed was proof.

  Or a confession.

  Now, that was something he could maybe make happen if he pressed Sierra hard enough. And he intended to pre
ss her hard.

  Josh met Jaycee’s gaze in the rearview mirror. The nerves were still there, right at the surface. And he silently cursed what this was doing to her. Too bad there wasn’t much he could do about it. The danger just kept coming no matter how hard he tried to keep her safe.

  He drove back to the sheriff’s office, grabbed the evidence bag and hurried Jaycee inside. However, they hadn’t even made it to his office before his phone rang. Hell. He couldn’t deal with any more bad news right now, but it was his cousin Nate.

  “You okay?” Nate asked the moment that Josh answered. “Just got off the phone with Kade and he told me what was going on.”

  “I’ve been better.”

  Jaycee took the evidence bag from him. Ready to examine that note again. So despite everything, she was clearly still an FBI agent looking for the truth.

  “I just got a report back on the search at Sierra DeSilva’s apartment,” Nate continued. “The place had been trashed, and I’m pretty sure a lot of stuff was removed before we got there. Including her computer and the copies of those bank records that were supposedly there.”

  Great.

  “There’s more,” Nate went on. “I’m sending you a photo of it now.”

  Judging from Nate’s tone, this wouldn’t be good, either, so Josh tried to brace himself. The photo loaded slowly, but pretty soon he saw the words that’d been scrawled on what appeared to be her bedroom wall.

  Talk and you die.

  “It was written with her lipstick,” Nate explained. “I’ll have the place processed for fibers, prints—anything—and I’ll call if we find anything else.”

  Josh mumbled a thanks, ended the call and took a deep breath. Jaycee was right there, and pulled a bottle of water from the fridge. She opened it, had a sip and then passed it to him. It wasn’t a shot of whiskey, but it’d have to do.

  “Today, I really hated the job,” Jaycee said. “I didn’t like you going out there after those shots had been fired.”

  He lifted his shoulder, had some more water. “You hugged me.”

  “Yes.” She dodged his gaze. “Sorry about that. It was another ‘getting caught up in the moment’ reaction.”