by KaLyn Cooper
“Right there with you.” Logan made a spur of the moment decision and drove by his house slowly.
“Pennsylvania plates,” Micah announced. “Do you recognize that van?”
“No.” Logan pulled into a driveway several doors down. He reached to his side and pulled his gun out of his holster, checking it before shoving it back in.
The base had been put on high alert nearly a week ago. Since his battalion dealt with the highest-level information, he had increased security measures to include keeping the gate to their exclusive area closed and guarded as well as all officers carrying weapons.
If someone was inside Teagan’s house, threatening her to get to him, this wasn’t going to end well for the intruders. “I’ll go to my house, master bedroom, jump deck to deck and sneak in through her bedroom. You take the front door.”
Fuck. Logan wished he had some kind of communication unit with him.
Micah pulled out a pair of earbuds. “You have some?”
“No,” he said with disgust. An idea dawned and he opened the back door. The kids were always plugged in, so Teagan kept extra pairs around all the time. He checked the multiple pockets in the thingy that hung over the back of the front seats, so the children had everything they needed within reach when they traveled.
Seeing what he was doing, Micah did the same on Anora’s side. Grinning across the back seat, his friend dangled pink earbuds from his fingertips.
Logan wanted to roll his eyes, but it was better than nothing. He wiggled his fingers and Micah tossed them. After plugging them into his phone, and running the cord up his back, he called Micah to test it. They worked.
Logan dashed along the dunes, noting the tide seemed to be coming in faster and higher than normal. He remembered his training officer mentioning they had to reschedule a swim due to the rip tides caused by a higher than usual spring tide. He was glad the children were nowhere near the beach.
As Logan approached his home, he crawled to the far side of one dune. Nearly crawling on the ground, he soundlessly made is way to his door. On silent feet – to his bedroom, out the sliding door and leaped like a monkey from balcony to balcony. Ten seconds later, he was standing with his back against the wall next to her bedroom door.
“In position,” Logan spoke in a low tone into the sparkly pink microphone hanging from his ear.
“Hall closet,” Micah replied. “Downstairs clear.”
“This doesn’t look like the computer we saw in DC. It’s all girly and glittery,” a gruff voice scoffed.
“I made it mine.” Teagan’s voice may have been convincing to the other men, but he heard a tinge of fear. He also knew that it was her computer. Is that what they were after? “I gave you what you want. Now you need to call Ashley and tell her to bring my children back home.”
Ashley? Who the hell…Ashley Helms? Was Marsha’s sister involved in this?
“We need to make sure this is the right computer and backup drives.” Anger wove through this second man’s voice. “Downstairs, bitch.”
“Stairs,” Logan said under his breath.
He heard Teagan’s soft steps followed by two distinct sets of pounding boots. Through the crack of the door, he watched Teagan walk across the second floor landing to the stairs leading to the main floor. Two men followed her. He waited to be sure he didn’t hear any more footsteps before silently stepping out of the room.
Both men carried guns pointed at Teagan.
Anger burst through Logan. He came up silently behind the last man in line and wrapped his arm around the man’s neck. It was thicker than any he’d come across before. Snapping it was out of the question. He pulled tight and attempted to choke him out but the man stiffened his neck and lowered his chin. The guy pulled his gun hand up to shoot, but Logan kicked it from his hand.
Logan saw the second man turn around to help his friend.
Micah emerged from nowhere grabbing the second guy and dragging him down the steps.
“Run!” Micah screamed.
“No fucking way.” Teagan scrambled past Micah and his tango, to the steps where she grabbed the fallen gun. She kicked the first man square in the crotch then took a perfect shooting stance, pointing the gun at his balls. “Freeze fucker.”
The man continued to writhe, and she shot him in the knee.
He howled in pain.
“Lay still or with the next shot you’ll lose your precious dick. I should shoot it off just because you touched me,” she threatened.
Logan’s gaze lifted to the bravest woman in the world. “He touched you?” Anger tightened his grip around the struggling man’s neck. He lowered his head so his mouth was next to the man’s ear. “I should kill you for that alone.”
“Don’t. We need them to get back Brann and Anora.” When she glanced over her shoulder at Micah, Logan looked down the stairs at his friend. His tango was trussed with zip ties, blood dripping from his crooked nose as his eyes swelled.
“If you two are done playing with your bad guy, what do you need to do get the kids back home?” Micah kept at the man on the floor. “And what the fuck are we going to do with these two?”
Teagan strode over to Micah’s tango. “What were you supposed to do after you retrieved the computer and backups? Did you ever intend on bringing the children back home?”
He curled his upper lip exposing bloody teeth. “I’m not telling you a fucking thing, bitch.”
“Why don’t you use his phone and call Ashley?” Logan suggested. “She should answer since it’s coming from his number. See if she’ll just bring the children home. If she refuses, show her that we have her friends.”
“Excellent idea.” Teagan had the man’s phone out of his pocket and hit the redial. She put it on speaker.
“Is it over?” Ashley’s voice was anxious. “Are they both dead?”
Young voices crying could be heard in the background. The sound shot straight to Logan’s heart. Those were his children and that bitch had made them cry.
“Ashley, yes, it’s over. We have taken the two men into custody.” She glanced up at Logan and held his gaze. “If you bring the children back to us, right now, we won’t press kidnapping charges against you.”
Logan knew the love of his life was lying.
“Fuck you, bitch. These are my children, now. They promised me that I would keep the children and all their money.” The woman sounded crazy. Logan could barely hear her voice over the crashing waves. She must be right next to the ocean. But where? She must be on foot. There was nowhere to get a vehicle that close because of the dunes.
A tear ran down Teagan’s cheek and Logan wanted to kiss it away. He couldn’t. He was still holding the tango.
“Ashley, do the right thing. Bring Brann and Anora back to the house. Their home. This is where they belong.”
“They belong with me, their real aunt. They’re mine now and you can’t have them.” The line went dead.
“Let’s try this one more time. New question. Where did Ashley park her car?”
“I’m not telling you anything.” The man spat blood onto the hardwood floor.
She ran her gaze the length of his bound body. “What do you think, my Navy SEAL friend, shoulder?”
At the mention of Navy SEAL, the man’s eyes grew wide.
“Knee?” Teagan continued her verbal torment. She squatted down and placed the gun barrel next to his head. “Maybe I should just kill him, and we can take our chances. Ashley had them at the ice cream shop down the beach. Topsail Island isn’t that big. You ready to talk, yet?”
“Fuck, you.”
“No, thanks.” She dramatically pulled up her arm and stared at her watch. “I’ve got all the time in the world, but your friend over there is bleeding out.”
Logan watched her eyes light up as she stared at her wrist. “We don’t need them.” She stood. Pulling out her cell phone, she started tapping the screen. With a huge smile she turned to Logan. “I’ve got them. Well, at least I know where Brann
is and I’m hoping they’re still all together.” She headed toward the door.
“Whoa. Ice-T.” Logan called out. “You need to wait for us.”
“What are we going to do with these two?” Micah asked and booted the man at his feet.
“I don’t want to call the cops, or an ambulance, until the kids are home safe with us.” The man in Logan’s arms went totally limp. He took his pulse. He still had one, so he was still alive. “Micah, do you have some more of those zip ties?”
A minute later, tango number one had his hands tied behind his back. Logan felt sorry for him and bandaged his knee using one of his field first aid kits.
Headlights flashed across the living room.
“Someone just pulled in,” Teagan and Logan said at the same time.
“You think someone heard gunshots and reported it?” Teagan sounded a little worried.
“No flashing lights, so I doubt it’s the local cops.” Micah moved toward a window facing the street and peered through the crack. “It’s Elizabeth and Matthew.”
Teagan turned toward Logan. “I’ll have Elizabeth take the kids next door to your house. Maybe Matthew can help with this mess. We need to go get the kids.” She dashed out the door.
“Micah, help me get this asshole off the steps. I’ll never get the blood out of this carpet.” Logan ran his gaze down the steps. He’d have to replace the carpet anyway after he fixed the bullet hole.
His friend took the stairs two at a time and past him. “Grabbing a shower curtain.”
Just as they were setting the man on the foyer tile, Matthew strode in. He looked at the two constrained men. “Good work. You’ve just captured two terrorists.”
“How to hell can you tell that?” Logan said as he let go of his corner of the shower curtain.
“They were looking for Gabe’s computer. Gabe worked for the CIA. They must have been looking for national secrets.” His fake grin dropped. “I don’t give a shit if they are really terrorists or not. These fuckers kidnapped my friend Teagan, but there’s no way in hell I’m going to turn them over to the FBI. These assholes are mine. I have some people on the way right now to clean up this mess. Now, let’s get the kids.”
Teagan stepped through the door, cell phone in hand. “They’re twelve houses down on the beach side, and have been stationary for the past two minutes.”
Logan looked out the back door toward the ocean. The surf was really high. It was lapping between the dunes in front of their home. Although the children could swim, this tide was extremely strong with several rips. They could be carried out to sea in less than a minute.
“Micah and I will take the beachside. Teagan, you sneak along next to the houses. Matthew, you stay here and deal with this.” Using the same communication method as before, Logan called Micah’s cell phone. He then conferenced in Teagan tossing her a pair of earbuds from the coffee table. Last, he added Matthew to the call.
Logan strode over to Teagan and placed his palm on her cheek. She was magnificent. Fierce. Determined. And his. He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “I love you.” Pulling back slightly, he gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “Let’s go get our children.”
He turned to step away, heading for the deck off the back of the house. Teagan grabbed his bicep and whirled him around. She stuffed her gun in her belt and cupped his face in both hands. “Be careful out there. She’s crazy.” She leaned up and kissed him, soft then harder. When she broke the kiss, she remained a breath away from his lips.
“I love you, too.” Stepping back, her gaze bounced between all three men. “I’m ready, now.” She walked past them and out the door.
Logan and Micah were on the beach within thirty seconds. He had the GPS app open on his phone and could see the small blue dot about four hundred feet ahead. Teagan’s pink dot was one hundred feet to his right and moving in tandem with him. They had to hug the dunes, often running several feet up the side to avoid the water, afraid their splashing would warn her. Surprise was always best.
“I’m just passing the yellow duplex,” she whispered into the phone, but he heard her perfectly.
When they were about thirty feet away, Logan had an idea. “Ice-T, hold your position. Let’s give her another chance to surrender.”
Logan indicated for Micah to climb over the top of the dune and check things out. As soon as his friend disappeared around the side, Logan called out, “Ashley. Ashley Helms. Walk out with your hands in the air and we won’t press charges. We just want the children returned.”
“You can’t have them. They’re mine.” Logan could barely hear the words. The wind was carrying them away.
“I see them.” Teagan’s voice was excited. “They are about halfway up the inside of a dune that’s surrounded by water. This GPS is good, but it’s not precise. Micah, move down to more dunes. Logan, you can move a little further down. There’s no way she can see you. I’m moving in closer. Going silent.”
“No. Teagan. Stay where you are.” Logan was afraid she would move into their line of fire. She was trained. She knew what she was doing. He had to trust her and her skills.
“Ashley Helms, we have you surrounded. Walk toward the ocean with your hands in the air.”
“She’s headed your way,” Micah announced. “I have her in my sights. Ice-T, you can move in and retrieve your children.”
“I don’t see her, yet.” With his gun raised, Logan was scanning the dunes. He heard splashing and zeroed in on the spot. “Got her.”
The woman walking into view was a replica of the one on the video from the day Marsha was murdered. Haggard, thin to almost emaciation. She looked tired and worn.
Logan was concerned that she did not have her hands in the air. In the shadows of the dune, he couldn’t tell if she had anything in her hands.
“Ashley.”
She lifted her head when he called her name.
“Hands in the air above your head,” he ordered.
“I’ve got the kids. We’re heading back to the house the way I came.” Teagan’s pronouncement sent waves of joy through Logan. The children were safe. Teagan was safe.
Ashley hadn’t moved her hands, but she was walking toward the ocean, sloshing through water up to her knees.
“Hands in the air, Ashley.”
She shot up her left hand and flipped him the bird. “Fuck you.”
She kept going into deeper water rather than turning toward him.
“Ashley, you can see me now. Walk towards me.” What the hell was the woman doing?
“Fuck you. You’re going to shoot me. They’re going to shoot me. I’m going to drown in the ocean. No matter what I’m going to die.” She stopped in water nearly to her waist, waves touching her shoulders, and turned to face him. “I have nothing left to live for.”
“Ashley, walk over here right now and surrender. I’m not going to shoot you.” Logan did not want to shoot this woman. She was crazy. She needed help.
“That bitch, Teagan, stole my life. I was Marsha’s sister and sisters are supposed to be close. But, no, Marsha chose her over me. I should’ve had custody of the children, but, no, Marsha chose Teagan.” She pounded her chest and declared, “I should’ve been in charge of all that money, not her. But Marsha chose her.”
Logan was so glad that Teagan was not there to listen to this insane tirade.
A wave nearly knocked Ashley down. She stumbled forward but continued, “My parents always loved Marsha more. All I ever wanted was the same thing that she had; a husband, a nice house, two kids, and a great career. Oh, and lots of friends.”
In the distance, Logan could see Micah had circled around behind Ashley, but was staying out of her line of sight, and his line of fire.
“Ashley. Walk over here so we can talk about this,” Logan suggested.
“I’m done talking about my sister. And I’m done talking about me. I’m not going back to rehab, ever. It doesn’t matter anymore.” Her gaze wandered down the beach. “They didn’t get what t
hey wanted so they’re going to kill me, anyway.” She raised her other hand.
Gun.
How the hell had they missed a gun?
She pointed the weapon at Logan.
He pulled the trigger at the same time as Micah.
Chapter Twenty-Three
At the sound of gunfire, Teagan’s heart stopped.
She’d heard every word through her earbuds. When Micah and Logan started talking, she let out a long sigh of relief. Neither had been hurt.
“Let’s keep moving, kids. Our house is only down a few more.” She hoped her voice was reassuring. Ever since climbing up the dune and hugging her children, neither had let go of her.
Crossing the tidal water had given her a scare. The additional weight of carrying Anora made her sink down nearly to her knees in the water-soaked sand between the dunes, but she had righted herself and trudged through.
She'd chosen to dash between two houses and bring the children back on the paved road, as far away from the scene taking place in the rising ocean.
“We’re going to stay at Uncle Logan’s tonight,” she announced as she steered them to the far stairway and his door. “Guess who’s already here?”
“Liza and Austin?” Brann answered through chattering teeth. Teagan knew it wasn’t just because he had gotten wet in the cool ocean water, he was in shock.
As soon as she opened the door, Elizabeth ran toward her. “You’re all right,” she said giving her a big hug. “Let’s get these kids out of the wet clothes.”“Clothes,” Matthew said through her earbud. “I’m on it. Cleanup crew ETA six minutes.”
“We have a third body for them,” Micah announced. “We’ll bring her to you.”
“I can’t find the fucking gun.” Logan sounded angry. “She had one. I saw it.”
“I saw it, too. It was a clean shoot.” Micah sounded calmer than Logan. “We were justified.”
“Fuck. I’ll call some of my men to bring dive equipment and we’ll find it.” More resolved, he added, “I think we have an underwater metal detector in the equipment locker. I’ll get the master sergeant to bring it.”