Tanner felt in the man’s pocket. There was no ID. He hadn’t expected to find any, but he had to at least try. Maybe they’d get a match off his fingerprints.
The man moaned on the ground, beginning to stir slightly. Tanner knew that trying to talk to him would be useless. If the man came out of this alive, they’d interrogate him until he gave up all the information they needed. But right now he was useless.
“Come on. Let’s get you out of this room.” He took Macy’s arm, knowing the emotional effects caused by seeing a wounded man. He didn’t want to put either Macy or Addie through it.
They stepped into the waiting room, but it also looked like a war zone. Windows were broken. Furniture was overturned. Pieces of drywall littered the floor. Water trickled from the broken edges of the aquarium.
There was also that trail of blood, left by at least one of the men Tanner had shot. They were long gone now. Law enforcement would search for them, but most likely they’d had a getaway vehicle waiting outside.
The way those men had fired showed they were professionals. Maybe former military. Either way, they were skilled. No doubt that they’d thought through their escape plan in case things went wrong.
And things had gone wrong for them—thankfully.
Macy pulled Addie closer, hugging the innocent baby to her.
“Backup should be here any time now,” Tanner said, glass crunching beneath his feet.
As the last word left his mouth, a siren sounded outside. He pulled Macy into the corner, desperate to ensure her safety. A moment later, EMTs rushed inside, along with his backup team.
Rick Saul, his boss, hurried toward him. “Tanner, you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. How about Frank? We saw him go down.”
“EMTs are evaluating him. It doesn’t look good, though.” Saul’s gaze flickered toward Macy and Addie, and he nodded at them.
Saul was like a rock: emotionless, immovable and strong. He was nearly bald, but had a salt-and-pepper beard, and icy blue eyes. He was a good man, and he’d never let Tanner down before.
“There were at least two gunmen who got away,” Tanner said. “They went through the back door, and I can only assume a car was waiting for them there.”
“The police are on the lookout for any suspicious-looking vehicles now,” Saul said. “There was a camera outside, and we’re hoping to find some video footage. There are tire marks by the back door that we can assume belong to the gunmen. We’ll do everything we can to locate them.”
Tanner wasn’t sure why, but he felt certain these guys wouldn’t be found. And that would be a shame. At this point, the only way of knowing who sent them was to bring those guys in or get the guy in the other room talking. Because it was obvious these were hired guns someone had sent.
“That baby is the key in all of this,” Saul said. “We need to figure out why before anyone else is hurt.”
“I agree.”
The EMT wheeled the gunman away, two FBI agents flanking either side of him.
Tanner turned to Macy. “We need to get you out of here and to a more secure location.”
“But—” she started.
He squeezed her arm again, desperate to get through to her. “It’s becoming obvious that nowhere is really safe. The sooner you’re tucked away out of sight, the better.”
“Me? Why me? I’m not a part of this.”
“You are now.”
Her walls came down a moment, and he could see the fear on her face. But when she blinked, she’d plastered on that self-assured image again, the one that made it seem like she was in total control.
The realization squeezed his gut. When he’d known her before, she’d reserved that façade for strangers. But never him. She’d let him see the rawest parts of herself.
This was just another reminder of how things had changed.
Tanner led her toward the door.
“You’re coming too, right?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yes, I am.”
“But you’re bleeding.”
“I can have an agent stitch me up once we’re somewhere safe.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s just a surface wound. I’ll be fine.”
Before they reached the door, Tanner looked at the ground and frowned.
A picture of Macy that had once been hanging on the wall now lay on the ground. The glass was shattered, and two bullet casings rested atop it.
He swallowed hard. That wasn’t a sign of things to come.
He would make sure of that.
Three
Everything happened in a whirlwind. One minute, Macy was waiting for a client, the next moment, she was whisked inside an FBI sedan, secure and snug in the back seat with Addie screaming beside her in a car seat.
If only she could cradle the child. Give her a warm bottle. Change her diaper.
She could do none of that right now.
Macy hadn’t had time to ask questions or process anything. Not really. Too much was happening all at once, with little time to breathe even.
Just then, Tanner hopped into the back seat beside her. He tapped the seat in front of him, and the driver—Special Agent Williams, as he’d been introduced—took off.
Macy tried to ignore just how close Tanner was to her. She wished she couldn’t smell his leathery scent. She wished any other FBI agent had shown up at her door today, for that matter. But no, it had to be Tanner. Her life insisted on coming back full circle.
Addie wrapped her tiny hand around Macy’s finger, and Macy murmured in an attempt to soothe her. She whimpered then cried then tapered the sound into another whimper.
Meanwhile, Tanner spoke to Agent Williams in the front seat, their mishmash of words barely discernible to Macy as Addie continued to wail.
All Macy cared about right now was getting away and keeping this child safe.
Her gut clenched as she replayed each moment in her mind. She remembered the cold fear that had trickled inside her. The battle-heavy smell of ammunition. Each heart-pounding second that had ticked past at a painstaking pace. They were all stark reminders that death could show up at a moment’s notice.
Her day had started so normally yet had turned into this one with an edged desperation.
Addie quieted for a moment, and Macy released her breath as the city landscape blurred past. Maybe she could finally think clearly. She just needed a few minutes of quiet.
She tried to sort her thoughts, but it felt impossible. Instead, she watched the road as they turned off the highway and onto a more rural street.
Talk to Tanner. Find out what’s going on.
As she opened her mouth, she noticed him look over his shoulder. His facial muscles tightened, and the air around her changed from semirelaxed to super charged. She felt the subtle shift.
Tanner exchanged a look with Agent Williams in the rearview mirror. Williams gave a barely perceptible nod to Tanner before speeding up.
Something was going on.
“Tanner?” Her voice came out like a croak. She tried to keep calm, fearing that Addie might sense any unease and begin wailing again.
“It’s nothing to worry about.”
“What’s nothing to be worried about?” she rushed. “Are we being followed?”
The thought startled her. She glanced behind her and saw a black sedan with tinted windows there. How long had it been there? And why was the driver following so closely?
Before Tanner could answer her question, the sedan suddenly sped until it was right on their bumper. Agent Williams pressed the accelerator, and they charged down the highway, easily topping ninety miles an hour.
Macy closed her eyes and lifted a prayer. Dear Father, protect us. Protect Addie. Please. This baby doesn’t deserve this.
“Hold on!” Tanner drew his gun from his s
houlder holster and looked out the back window.
Macy had hoped the danger had passed and the worst was over. This was only getting more dangerous by the moment.
Macy flung her arm over Addie’s car seat, determined to use as much of her body as possible to cover and protect the baby from whatever danger might come.
As if Addie sensed what was happening, she let out a whimper that quickly turned into a wail. Macy had been able to protect her from the danger earlier, but as peril surrounded them once again, no amounts of smiles or baby talk could reassure the child right.
Agent Williams made a sharp turn onto a side road.
There were fewer people to get hurt here, she realized. Fewer casualties if things turned ugly during this car chase.
And things were most likely going to turn ugly.
Macy wanted to glance behind her, but she couldn’t. She could hardly breathe, hardly remain calm. People always said she could keep her head in emergencies. Right now, panic was desperately trying to claw its way to the surface.
Just then, the car lurched.
The other driver had run into them. Was he trying to run them off the road?
Anger burned inside her. How could someone put a child’s life in danger like this? Why were they going to such extreme lengths?
The car swerved again, followed by the sickening sound of metal crunching into metal.
“Hold on!” Tanner yelled.
He put his window down and snaked his body through the opening until his hips rested on the door. He angled himself toward the other car and pulled out his gun.
The blood drained from Macy’s face. Tanner was going to get himself killed!
Macy prayed even more fervently and crouched down farther over Addie. She didn’t know what was going to play out over the next several minutes. She wasn’t sure she wanted to find out, yet she had no choice.
A pop sounded.
Tanner had fired his gun. Her ears rang at the sound, fading to a dull hum. Addie screamed.
She glanced behind her. The car behind them turned abruptly, brakes squealing uncontrollably as the driver tried to right the vehicle.
Tanner ducked back inside.
But just as he did, there was another pop.
Their own vehicle began to veer all over the road. Their tire must have been shot out. It was the only thing that made sense.
As the car careened into a ditch, Macy was pulled forward. She closed her eyes and prayed harder than she ever had before.
* * *
Tanner gave his head a moment to right itself as the car jerked to a stop with a sickening thud. They’d crashed into the ditch and now the engine hissed, as if angry about it. Smoke escaped from the hood. Otherwise, things were strangely silent.
He glanced at Macy and Addie. Both looked dazed but fine. Addie screeched, but the sound let Tanner know that she was alive and well enough to object to the situation. That had to be a good sign.
“Are you okay?” He touched Macy’s shoulder, trying to pull her out of shock.
She flinched at his touch but nodded stiffly. “I...I think so.”
“Addie?” He needed to confirm his initial thought.
She glanced down and nodded again. “She’s as mad as a hornet, but she doesn’t appear injured.”
Tanner’s gaze shot forward. Shawn—Agent Williams—slumped over the steering wheel, and blood trickled from his forehead.
“Shawn,” he muttered, reaching forward.
The agent didn’t respond. Tanner put a hand to his neck. His pulse throbbed there. Thank God. No more injuries. Please.
Quickly, Tanner grabbed the phone from his pocket and called for backup. As he did so, he looked behind him in time to see the other driver dart from his car. Tanner had managed to shoot out his front tire, and now that car wasn’t drivable.
The bad guy would try to either escape on foot or would continue his mission of trying to hurt them from the safety of the woods.
Tanner knew that the danger was far from being over. He had to protect Addie and Macy, whatever the cost. The whole scenario went much deeper than he could have ever guessed.
He grabbed Addie’s carrier. The baby was safer in her seat than she would be without the added protection it offered.
“Come on!” he told Macy. “Use the car as a shield.”
She scrambled from the back seat and joined him outside. Tanner tugged her to the ground and pulled out his gun.
The woods across the street. That was where the other driver had run. Tanner had a feeling the man would make another grab for Addie and was simply gathering his wits right now. He had to stay a step ahead of him.
“How about Agent Williams?” Macy asked, her breathing more shallow than it should be. “Should we get him out?”
Tanner glanced at Shawn Williams as he slumped against the steering wheel. To try and get him out now would put his life in danger. Tanner needed to be alive in order to protect Addie and Macy.
Instead, he opened the passenger door and released Shawn’s seat belt. The agent slumped into the passenger seat.
Out of sight from a potential shooter.
Just as the thought entered Tanner’s mind, one of the windows shattered. Another bullet had exploded across the air.
“Give it up!” Tanner yelled, gripping his gun and remaining behind the car. “This isn’t going to the end the way you want.”
Silence answered back.
There must have been someone else at the psychotherapy center. Someone who’d been waiting outside and had followed Tanner and Macy when they’d fled. Maybe this had all been a part of their plan.
He briefly glanced down. Macy was huddled near the sedan. She rocked Addie back and forth in her car seat. The baby’s eyes were as wide as saucers and watery. She was fighting tears. Fighting wails.
Thank goodness Macy was here to help him with the baby. He wouldn’t be able to handle all of this on his own. Despite the hard feelings between the two of them now, they’d always been a good team. They’d even been able to finish each other’s sentences at one time. They’d been that in tune.
Another bullet smashed the stillness around them.
Addie let out a loud wail at the noise, and Macy began trying to shush her, speaking in gentle, calming tones to the baby.
Tanner had to see if he could spot the shooter. He could tell from the bullet trajectory in what general direction the man was located. But that didn’t mean he was standing still in one spot.
Tanner rose ever so slightly and scanned the woods.
There!
The barrel of a gun reflected in the sun.
Tanner aimed and took a shot.
Someone yelped.
He’d been hit! Tanner’s aim had found the shooter.
Addie screamed more adamantly at the loud noise.
“Macy, stay here,” he instructed. “And stay down.”
This was his chance to catch the man—provided he was still alive. And Tanner hoped he was. If he could question the man, maybe they would obtain some answers and get to the bottom of this.
Macy nodded, fear drawn in the depths of her eyes. But he could see the strength there also. “I’ve got this.”
With that last assurance, he took off in a run toward the woods. He reached the tree where he’d last seen the man. He was gone. But a faint trail of blood stretched across the ground, along with some subtle boot prints.
Careful to remain shielded and on guard, Tanner followed the tracks through the woods.
How much farther could the man make it? He was losing a significant amount of blood. Certainly, he’d pass out soon, when his adrenaline wore off.
Tanner paused and listened. Was that a twig breaking?
He crept forward, still bracing himself for whatever may come.
Just as h
e took another step, a man burst from the underbrush ahead. He darted away from Tanner.
Tanner raised his gun, but the man wove between trees. There was no way he could shoot him. Besides, he didn’t want to kill the man. He needed to capture him.
He took off after him instead.
Just as he reached a clearing, the man dove into a waiting car, and they squealed away.
Another car? Had the man called for backup?
He must have.
This was a bigger, more elaborate operation than Tanner had guessed. Multiple gunmen. More than one vehicle. An intricate plan.
Then another thought hit him like a slap in the face.
What if these guys turned around and went back to Macy and Addie? They were alone right now. Alone and vulnerable.
He couldn’t let anything happen to them. He should have never left them alone, but he’d never imagined a second vehicle.
He couldn’t risk making any more assumptions.
He darted back toward them and prayed they were okay.
As he reached the highway, he spotted the empty FBI sedan. Blood rushed to his ears.
Please, let them be okay.
He jetted around the car and froze.
Macy and Addie were still there, huddled at the side of the car.
They were safe...for now. That was all he could guarantee because this whole situation was becoming more and more dangerous by the moment.
Four
Two hours later, Macy, Tanner and Addie pulled up to a house in the middle of the Texas countryside. It may have only been an hour from Macy’s suburban Houston home, but it felt like a foreign land. And Macy felt like an uninvited guest who didn’t belong here.
Everything still felt hazy, like a dream. A nightmare, for that matter.
The FBI had arrived at the roadside scene. They’d questioned her. Tanner had come back from the woods without the shooter, who’d apparently gotten away. Agent Williams had been taken away in an ambulance. He was still breathing and, from what Macy gathered, they thought he would be okay.
Meanwhile, Addie had cried. Longing for her mom, maybe? Hungry? Tired? Scared?
Tanner got them all moved in to the safe house. There was already a crib set up there and numerous baby supplies. Two other agents stood guard, one at each door.
The Baby Assignment Page 3