Hostage Pursuit

by Jenna Night

  “Where’d he go?” Daisy asked Leon since he was closest to her.

  The bounty hunter shook his head. “No one’s left the scene since I got here.”

  In the front seat, the woman started to laugh. It was a harsh, belittling sound that made Daisy’s skin crawl. “You’re marked for assassination,” the woman said. “There’s not a thing you can do to stop it.”

  Daisy took a step back and looked around. Where could he have gone?

  Where would she have gone if she’d wanted to escape in the confused aftermath of the car wreck? She’d have headed toward the darkened side of the street opposite where Martin and a few good Samaritans were helping the civilians in the car that had been struck.

  Daisy began to jog in that direction, wincing at the pain. Her injuries hurt, but she wasn’t going to let them stop her now. She had her pistol drawn and her senses on high alert, sharpened by the awareness that the man she was now tracking on foot was a professional hit man. He knew how to lure a pursuer into a deadly trap.

  A narrow alleyway cut between two buildings. Daisy thought she saw a flicker of movement over there and she headed in that direction, attempting to set a pace between a foolhardy chase and a slow trek that could cause her to lose him.

  The alley was dark, but a little bit of illumination from the main street spilled over in this direction, and there were a couple of single bulbs burning by the back exits of businesses. That still left plenty of shadow draped across steps, stoops, belowground entrance wells and garbage cans.

  She scanned the area as best she could as she continued moving. The alley wasn’t very long. She could see where a street intersected with it a few yards ahead. A couple of cars drove by on that street. If she were a mob assassin determined to avoid arrest, she’d run for that street and steal a car. Maybe shove a gun in the face of a driver and force them to drive away from the hot spot where the cops were now converging. Once safely away from capture, an assassin wouldn’t think twice about killing the driver to keep them from contacting the police.

  Fueled by fear for the innocent person Beau Daltrey might come across and use for his own selfish, criminal ends, Daisy sped up.

  Crack!

  She heard the sound of the gunshot behind her at the same time that pain seared her right thigh. She staggered forward and fell into a pile of busted-up wooden pallets. She’d dropped her gun. As she stretched out her right hand and grasped it, she heard footsteps coming up behind her.

  Still lying on the ground, she whirled around and raised the pistol. Only to have a black-booted foot kick it out of her hand.

  Beau Daltrey stood over her with a triumphant smile on his face and a pistol pointed at her head.

  Behind him, back toward the street where the car chase had happened, she could see bits of flashing red and blue light. She could hear sirens. Law enforcement had arrived. But with all the noise that came with their arrival, they probably hadn’t heard Daltrey fire his gun. Which meant help was not on the way.

  “I could have shot and killed you as you jogged by,” Daltrey said, his voice eerily emotionless and measured, as if he were giving a critique to a student. “But then I thought, I’ve earned the right to see your face when I pull the trigger. I’ve always looked forward to that. It’s my favorite part of the job.”

  * * *

  “Daisy!” Fear had such a stranglehold on Martin that he was surprised he could make a sound. He ran down the street, searching for her, knowing that she’d gone looking for Daltrey after Harry told him he and Leon had seen only two people in the mobster car when they’d approached it.

  “Daisy!” Martin yelled again, desperate for her to hear him over the sounds of sirens and car engines and the blare of police radios.

  He should have never left her side. He should never for a minute have thought that she’d stay in the truck. He knew her better than that.

  He knew her and he loved her and what was happening right now was proof that he’d been an idiot for playing it safe, for keeping his distance. He’d been holding back from declaring his true feelings and pursuing a future together with Daisy because... Why? Foolishness. What he had with Daisy was precious. The love and the connection were real.

  It didn’t matter that he was clueless about how to make a real romantic partnership work. The whole idea that it was even possible for anyone to have things figured out ahead of time in such a dangerous and uncertain world was ridiculous. He and Daisy could make it through whatever it took to work things out, like they’d already done so many times before. So they could form their own strong and happy family.

  They could do that if he hadn’t already blown it with her.

  What he’d grown up with didn’t have to be his future. Words from a Bible verse formed in his mind. I will even make a way in the wilderness. Martin could lean into his faith for that pathway. Those weren’t just frilly words. They pointed toward a practical solution.

  All of his thoughts and feelings came together and focused on one single goal. He had to find Daisy alive. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. And didn’t want to spend another minute pretending they were just friends when they were so much more.

  At least for him they were. How she felt after he’d spent so much time acting like an idiot was still an open question.

  He stood on the sidewalk and spun around, looking for her. Had she actually seen Beau Daltrey and chased him? Or had she tried to guess which way he’d gone?

  Trying to mimic the reasoning Daisy would have used was the only option he had. She would have gone toward the shadows and the darker side of the street. He headed in that direction, and as he got closer he saw the alleyway. That would be the fastest way for Daltrey to get out of sight. And that was probably the way Daisy went.

  He ran into the alley. “Daisy!”

  It was mostly filled with shadow, but in the small section of light several yards ahead he saw some kind of movement. He saw the flash of something swinging in an arc. It looked like a wooden plank. And then he heard the splintering sound of the wood connecting with something. Or someone.

  Martin was already sprinting forward when he heard a gunshot and the ping of a bullet ricocheting off the asphalt.

  Daisy! He could see her! She was on the ground, twisted to one side, a broken wooden plank in her hand.

  Beau Daltrey was on his knees nearby, a fragment of the plank beside him where Daisy had apparently hit him. He was getting to his feet. Martin could see the assassin lifting a gun and aiming it toward Daisy at point-blank range.

  Never one to quit, even facing impossible odds, Daisy reached for the gun right in front of her face.

  At the same time Martin yelled, “No!”

  Daltrey turned toward Martin. As Martin tackled him, Daisy knocked the gun out of Daltrey’s hand and managed to clench her forearm across the hit man’s neck, increasing the pressure and making it impossible for him to fight until Martin was able to land a knockout blow.

  Daltrey slumped to the ground. Martin quickly rolled him over so that he was facedown and slapped a set of cuffs on his wrists.

  “Are you okay?” Martin asked Daisy as he slid his phone out of his pocket.

  “I’m fine.”

  He got to his feet and called Harry. He told him where they were and what had happened, and then told him to send the cops. After he disconnected, he saw the blood soaking Daisy’s jeans on her lower thigh near her knee. His heart nearly leaped out of his chest. “You’ve been shot.”

  “I think the bullet just grazed me,” she said, still sitting on the ground. “But it does sting a bit.”

  Two cops ran down the alley toward them, with Harry and Leon alongside them. The first cop ran straight to Daltrey and made certain the hit man was secured. The second cop turned on a flashlight and quickly shined it around, likely making certain the scene was safe and there were no further threats.


  Daisy slowly began pushing herself to her feet.

  Martin reached for her arm to steady her. “Maybe you should just stay sitting until we can get a paramedic over here.”

  She shook her head. “No. It’s not life-threatening. I can get to a clinic on my own and get it checked out.” She stood and gestured toward Daltrey, who was moaning and starting to regain consciousness. “When he opens his eyes, I want him to see that he’s in custody and I’m still standing.”

  “You are one tough woman,” Martin said. He was feeling nearly giddy with relief and realized he was smiling despite the grim situation.

  “You’re pretty tough, too.” Daisy mirrored his grin. “I think you might be getting the hang of this bounty hunter business.” She nodded. “I’ve taught you well.”

  He laughed and it felt good. There weren’t many things that lifted his spirits as much as being teased by Daisy.

  More cops arrived in the alley. Daltrey regained consciousness and was arrested and walked out to a patrol car. As he passed by, he glanced in Daisy and Martin’s direction, barely lifting his head. He looked defeated.

  They walked side by side down the alley, back toward Martin’s truck. It was still in the middle of the road, along with several cop cars. The mobster car was also still there, but it was empty now that the Miami mob couple had been arrested and driven away.

  Daisy and Martin were going to be spending a lot of time talking with law enforcement tonight, giving their statements on the car chase and shootings, the attack in the alley and the murder of Ivan Bunker. That meant it would be a long time before the two of them were alone and Martin could tell Daisy all the things he wanted to say to her. Things that he should probably say in a setting much more romantic than a major crime scene in the middle of the night with icy drizzle still falling.

  But the fact was Martin had already waited way too long. And he didn’t want to wait a minute longer.

  When they got to the sidewalk, he reached for her hand and stopped. Daisy stopped alongside him, and they turned to face each other. Martin looked into those big brown eyes of hers, so full of spirit and honesty, and a little bit of fire. Even after all she’d been through, there was still that spark that made her so fascinating and, yes, challenging at times. He sighed and smiled, thinking of the little things about her that drove him crazy. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “Just before I found you here in the alley, I was afraid I’d lost you,” he said.

  She made a scoffing sound. “It’s not that easy to get rid of me.”

  “Yeah, well, you’re about to realize that it’s not that easy to get rid of me, either,” Martin said. His throat was beginning to burn a little. Maybe it was the icy weather. Maybe it was emotion. He cleared it and started again. “I love you, Daisy Lopez. I’ve loved you for a long time.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to dig into the past and try to explain what I was thinking or what I was doing. Other than to tell you that I was afraid that if you and I got too close, I’d mess everything up.”

  He reached for her other hand, so that he was now holding both of them. “I think we’ve wasted too much time. And I hope you haven’t given up on me.”

  Daisy raised her eyebrows and lifted her chin, and Martin found himself laughing nervously because he knew from experience that that look meant she was getting ready to tease and torment him a little bit.

  But then her dark eyes began to fill with unshed tears. “I’ve tried to give up on you,” she said. “But it never would stick.” She sniffed loudly and a couple of fat tears rolled down her cheeks. “I love you, too.”

  Martin leaned toward her and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss, soft and warm, felt every bit as good as he’d ever imagined. He let go of her hands and slid his own hands toward the small of her back, drawing her closer to him. Holding her in his arms, he felt as if he’d gotten everything he’d ever wanted. As if every dream he’d ever had was finally coming true. As if he finally had the home he’d always longed for.

  Slowly and reluctantly, they broke off the kiss and each of them took a small step back.

  “Will you marry me?” Martin asked, the words coming straight from his heart and out of his mouth as easy as breathing.

  “Yes,” Daisy nodded, grinning broadly. “I believe I will.”

  EPILOGUE

  One month later

  “Your dad would be so proud of you.” Shannon Lopez beamed at her daughter.

  Daisy smiled in return, feeling like she was beaming, too. Warm, sunny happiness flowed through her as she leaned into Martin, her husband, who’d wrapped his arm around her shoulder and now held her close to his side.

  “I think Joe would be proud of you, too,” she said to Martin. “He only knew you for a short time before the accident took him, but he liked you. He would have appreciated what you’ve done with your life. And I know he would have been happy to see you and Daisy fall in love.”

  Daisy glanced at Martin and saw the hopefulness and vulnerability in his eyes. She knew it was hard for him to open his heart, and to deal with the fragile uncertainty of a heartfelt moment without making a joke to create some distance.

  “Thank you,” he said, his voice husky with emotion. “That means a lot to me.”

  His own parents had not shown up for the small wedding ceremony at the church earlier this afternoon. Whether they would show up for this relaxed, open house–style reception at the Peak Bail Bonds office remained to be seen. There was nothing he and Daisy could do about the family dynamic that Martin was born into. But they could do a lot about the life they lived now and the future as they fashioned their own family.

  Martin’s Rock Solid Bail Bonds family had shown up for both the wedding and the reception, and from what Daisy could tell that had been enough to make Martin happy. And that made her happy.

  “If you lovebirds would scoot over a bit we could slide this couch over here.” Ramona Orlansky, wife of bounty hunter Harry Orlansky, smiled broadly at Daisy. Ramona worked at her family’s diner in Stone River and she’d graciously brought a selection of homemade pies to be served in lieu of wedding cake. To say the pies were a hit with the guests and the wedding party was an understatement.

  Daisy and Martin stepped out of the way. They had wanted to get married as soon as possible rather than scheduling a fancy wedding several months into the future. They figured they’d already waited long enough to be together. Millie had offered the use of the first floor of the Peak Bail Bonds office for their reception, and after discussing it for a few minutes, Daisy and Martin had come to the conclusion that it would be perfect. They just hadn’t counted on so many people wanting to stop by late on a snowy afternoon to offer their congratulations, so extra chairs and couches had needed to be brought down from the upstairs apartments.

  Shannon gave Daisy a quick kiss on the cheek before walking toward Millie and Alvis, who were already chatting with Sheriff Russell and her husband. Daisy and Martin stepped out of the way so Ramona and Harry could slide the couch into place.

  “I suppose we should mingle with our guests,” Martin said to Daisy.

  That would be a little bit hard to do. Daisy looked around at the packed office. Despite the humble potluck-style food offerings—other than the towering whipped cream–covered pies that did not look at all humble—everybody who had dropped by seemed to want to stay for a while.

  The sounds of laughter and easy conversation swirled around them. As did the scents of tacos and enchiladas and fresh salsa.

  Daisy’s stomach growled.

  “Why don’t you two sit down,” Ramona said. “This is supposed to be your day. Harry and I will go get you something to eat.”

  “And while we’re at it, we can get ourselves something to eat, too,” Harry said to his wife as they walked away, wrapping an arm around her waist as they went.

  Daisy sat on the s
ofa and Martin sat beside her. Daisy’s pearl-white dress was ankle length with an off-the-shoulder neckline. She looked at her matching pumps with spiked heels. There was no way she could chase down a bad guy in those. She turned to her brand-new husband, who wore a dark gray suit, a tie the same pearl-white color as Daisy’s dress, and cowboy boots.

  Martin took her hand and squeezed it. She gazed into his eyes and thought about how much she looked forward to being with him for the rest of her life.

  “Here, Harry said to give these to you and to tell you your food would be here in a minute.” Cassie Wheeler, Martin’s boss at Rock Solid Bail Bonds, had carried glasses of fruit punch and handed them over to Daisy and Martin.

  Leon Bragg, who was also her employee, stood beside her holding punch for the two of them. As soon as Cassie’s hands were empty, he handed her a glass and they both sat down in chairs that faced the couch. It seemed to Daisy like nearly every time she saw the stylish, strawberry blonde bail bondswoman, the big bounty hunter was nearby.

  “So,” Cassie began, “things have been so hectic for the last month that I haven’t had time to get caught up with everything. I know that you got paid the recovery fee for capturing Beau Daltrey since you did actually apprehend him before the cops did. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks,” Daisy said. She exchanged a smile with Martin.

  “What happened to everybody else involved in the case?” Cassie asked. “What did you learn after everything was wrapped up?”

  “Well, Beau Daltrey was sent back to Miami to face his original murder charges,” Daisy said. “At some point he’ll face charges for all the things he did while he was here in Montana. His fellow mobsters who came to Jameson, including the one who shot and killed Ivan Bunker, are all locked up and facing charges, as well.”

  Millie had drifted over and Cassie glanced at her. “I can’t imagine how it felt to find out your own employee, Justine, was secretly working against you.”

  “Justine and Robbie have a lot to answer for, including the fact that Robbie was selling drugs with Tony Valens.” Millie sighed. “Apparently, when Daltrey and Bunker first hit town, before Daisy got the case and started hunting for them, they thought they might stay awhile. They needed a source of income, and they decided that since they’d seen drug dealing in the mob they could do that. They went to the university campus assuming they’d find people buying and selling drugs who’d be willing to work with them. Unfortunately, they were right.