by Angi Morgan
He hoped Alicia couldn’t see what was happening. If he could, he’d cover her ears to keep her from hearing, too. What if Lauren cried for her again?
“Let me up,” Alicia mumbled, twisting violently under him and moving until she could whisper clearly. “It’s over. Lauren’s safe. We caught them with those kidnappers. They can be arrested. All we have to do is give ourselves up.”
“Nothing’s over,” John whispered. “Surrendering is not an option.”
“I don’t understand. You can’t let them— I’ve got to get to Lauren.” She spoke strongly into his ear.
“We still don’t have any proof you’re innocent.”
“Nonsense. You can’t keep me here, John Sloane. She needs me.”
“Your daughter needs you for longer than it takes to put you in handcuffs.” He replaced his hand over her mouth. “I’m not letting you go. Period. The younger one is so skittish, he may shoot us on sight.”
Her body went limp in defeat, not moving, with the exception of the silent crying. Good. He needed to find a safe way back to the car. They were too close to Tory’s body to make a run for the fence line. They’d be heard or seen before they could get out of sight. If either officer walked the perimeter of the circular driveway, they’d be discovered before they got to their knees.
The extraction route would be the back of the main house, then the barn and out through the far pasture. It would take longer, but it was the only way.
Shauna pivoted from the dead woman, meeting the younger officer at his car. “I agree with you. Alicia and Brian need to be found and caught. Are you really not going after them? They can’t be far. They were just here when you pulled up. If you don’t hurry, they’ll get away.”
Her daughter fought Shauna just as hard as Alicia fought for her own freedom while pinned beneath him. As difficult as it must be for her to draw a breath with his two hundred pounds on her back, she gathered strength and tried to throw him off several times. He jerked a little when she tried nipping at his fingers. He ignored it and kept her snug to the ground, not trusting her to break free and take off after Lauren.
“Orders, ma’am.” The young officer holstered his weapon and leaned into the car, grabbing the radio.
“I want my mommy!”
Alicia’s body jerked under him. She bucked violently trying to get free.
“But they’re getting away,” Shauna whined, and returned her attention to the older officer still at the side of Tory’s body. “You have to go after them. This little girl isn’t safe. None of us are safe.”
“Stand back, Mrs. Weber. I’ve told you we have to wait here.” The older officer spoke loudly over Lauren’s cries.
“You’re just going to let them escape?” Shauna harped.
“Don’t worry about that. We’ll set up road blocks and get them before they leave the county,” the officer in charge said. “So you got a good look at them?”
“It was them, Brian and Alicia. Oh, my God, he just shot that woman. I can’t believe it. She...she... I think she worked at Lauren’s day care, and must have helped them, but she didn’t deserve to die. Brian just turned the gun and shot her point blank when she tried to get away.”
“We’ll find them, Mrs. Weber.” The older officer spoke loudly over the cries of the four-year-old. “Weren’t you instructed when you phoned earlier to wait for our arrival before approaching the kidnappers?”
Shauna should have gone to Hollywood after graduation. She never skipped a beat. “If you hadn’t taken so long we wouldn’t be in danger now.”
Lauren pulled Shauna’s hair.
“Ow! You stup— Don’t be a bratty child.” She said the words, but looked at the officer as she held Lauren as far from her body as possible.
The officer in charge stood and placed a hand on Lauren’s back, patting her, then held out his arms. Lauren went to him without any coaxing. He walked in circles, trying to calm her sobbing.
“When they turn their backs to us, we’re going,” John whispered. With all the distractions in front of the house, they could crawl safely to the back side of the barn.
“No.” He felt her mouth form the word beneath his palm and felt the defeat rip through Alicia’s torso. She struggled to push him from her.
John couldn’t lessen his grip around her waist. There was no way he’d let her go. Gargantuan hadn’t left by the front door and was probably in the woods by now. Weber hadn’t told the cops he’d seen the big guy in the house, so the police wouldn’t be looking for him. But the giant would definitely be looking for them.
With the death of the young woman who had taken Lauren, it was evident the Webers had no intention of leaving anyone alive who stood between them and the money. Until the money was legally in their control, Lauren was safe.
No one faced their direction.
John stood, tugging Alicia farther into the darkness, and she lashed out at him the entire way. He had to throw her over his shoulder before running behind a hay bale near the barn. He let her slide down his chest, back to the ground.
She took a step toward the circular drive. John clamped his arm around her thin waist and tugged her face into his shoulder. He’d watched the artificial way Lauren was being held. It broke his heart, but not half as much as Alicia’s if he let her see it. There was nothing he could do.
“Now’s not the time. It’s suicide if we go back there.”
It would be easier if she was unconscious. He’d had to do that once before on a rescue. It had been absolutely necessary and had saved six lives. But John had never forgiven himself for hitting the hysterical hostage to knock him out. No way could he hit Alicia.
Shauna’s show of hysterics continued as she ranted to the younger officer, telling him not to listen to his superior. The officer issuing orders still held a crying Lauren. It was enough of a distraction without any help. Then she ran to Weber demanding he do something or chase them himself. When he stood, both officers raced to the tailgate.
They’d be in the clear for a solid couple of minutes, with the argument commencing. So long as they could make it behind the barn and possibly across the field. He caught Alicia’s attention and pointed to the next hay bale, then gave a hand signal that they’d run in three, two—
“I can’t leave her,” she pleaded. “John, please. You have to get Lauren. Do something.”
“Don’t argue with me.”
He ordered his heart to ignore her pleas. He didn’t know how much time they had before the police backup arrived. He’d get Lauren. He just couldn’t at this particular moment. There were too many unknown variables. Only one gun, one clip, one chance at their vehicle. And if a cop discovered the rental on their way to the scene, they’d be stuck in the backwoods. Even if they managed to make the main road and call for an extraction, the rental would be discovered and they’d know John was in Texas via his best friend’s name on the agreement.
Bottom line—he needed that anonymity edge to ensure Alicia was safe whether she liked it or not. He dragged her along with him until they were far enough away for her to concede. She ran next to him—silent, quick, physically okay. He knew she’d have a hard time forgiving his failure.
“We’ve got to get out of here before additional cops show up.” He said it sternly. Whether for her benefit or to ease his conscience about leaving Lauren behind, he didn’t know. He would assure her somehow that he’d rescue her daughter soon.
The car was where they’d left it, key in the ignition, phone on the seat. He went to remove the cut fence and she latched on to his arm.
“You’re really not going back for her?”
He shook his head, unable to utter the word no, which had stuck in his throat. The defeat washed over her like a spray from a water hose, drenching her belief in him faster than that dousing in the lake.
“I thought you were a hotshot navy SEAL. You can help strangers all over the world but not my daughter.” She shoved him away, covering her face to hide the silent tears.
The dig caught him unaware and right in his vulnerable spot. Around the world, but never at home. Same opinion Brian had of him.
She ran to the wire and yanked it back while he moved branches out of the way. He started the ignition and crept the car from the field. Once around the corner, he bolted down the dirt road, constantly watching for an approaching vehicle.
Their luck held and they were on the main road in less than three minutes.
“She begged me to help. How could you just leave her? What am I going to do now?” Alicia pressed her palms to her eyes, turned to the window. “How will she ever forgive me?”
John asked himself the same question about Alicia.
It took all his restraint not to turn the car around, rush onto the scene and remove Lauren by force. He wanted to swear he would—right then—or swear that he’d bring Lauren back no matter what. But he’d taken that oath before and been unable to keep it. She’d find out sooner or later that he wasn’t the hero she needed.
John drove around the corner and continued another mile before turning on the headlights and calling Brian.
His brother answered Mabel’s cell on the first ring. “Did you find Lauren?”
“Mabel’s with you?”
“Why?”
“You need an alibi,” John stated, thinking the same four-letter words his brother muttered into the phone.
“Did something happen to Lauren or Alicia?”
“No. We prevented whatever they had planned. We were also close to getting caught. There was a confrontation and I underestimated the opposition.”
“Explain.”
He recounted everything he’d seen, even that he had no idea why Alicia had followed him to the house. A vague idea that she’d never keep her promise to follow orders. Not that it mattered to the way he’d messed things up. But she might not be shutting down if she hadn’t seen just how close he’d been to Lauren without rescuing her.
“Shauna identified us. Naming you and Alicia as the kidnappers. I need to find a place that’s safe while I clear Alicia’s name. You need to delete Mabel’s call history. The police can access it eventually, but it’ll take a warrant instead of just a glance. It’ll slow them down awhile. Give us some time to finish this thing.”
“Got it. I’m assuming this is the last call for a while. I activated Dad’s cell this afternoon. Use that number to call or text. You know, if Tory worked at the day care, I should be able to check her out. Maybe I can find out who this giant is. You said he stunk like horses? Only twenty or more horse ranches in the area.”
“Alicia seemed to know her, but stay clear of it, Brian. I’ve got someone who can handle searching for info.” He glanced at his silent passenger. Still crying. She hadn’t uttered a word.
“That huge monster beat the girl up. Regularly. Fresh bruises on her face.”
“Does Alicia recognize him?”
“I don’t think she got a look at him.”
“Did anyone actually see you?” Brian asked.
“If anyone did, it was Weber, but you shouldn’t—”
“I was at the diner until it closed. Plenty of witnesses to back that up. No way I could get to the McKinney area to fight Weber’s man. Mabel’s here to verify what time I got home.”
“I was so close, Brian.”
“Do you need help? I’ve got a place where I stay in Fort Worth they don’t know about.”
“They’ll be all over you even with the alibi.” He watched Alicia out of the corner of his eye, wishing he knew what to do. “We should be fine. I need to make a call and will get back to you with details or if something else happens.”
“Gotta go. Looks like the police chief is pulling up.”
Alicia hadn’t moved. He reached across her and snapped her seat belt. He needed to call Dev soon. That had been the plan. But he was disappointed in his personal failure. He’d let this woman down, badly.
“What’s going to happen now?” she asked and sniffed, wiping her face.
“I’m not sure. We need to see what the locals do and regroup.”
“You should have let me go to her.”
“The police wouldn’t have treated you well, Alicia. There was nothing either of us could do. You understand that, right?
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said with another sniff.
“But we have to.”
“Did you shoot Tory?”
“Do you think I’d shoot her?”
“I... I’m— I didn’t think you’d walk away and leave Lauren there, either.” She shook her head, dropping her face in her hands again. “I don’t know what to think. You’re not the same man I knew twelve years ago.”
“I hope I’m not. I was just a kid without a good head on my shoulders, who took advantage of his brother.” Not for the reasons everyone believes, but I still took advantage of his admission. “Dammit, I didn’t want to leave your daughter with those people.”
He had no more explanations. Excuses, you mean. Better word choice, more accurate. Poor planning. Caught with his pants down. Disbelief when the woman sitting on him fell to her side, shot in the head. The strong emotions associated with this op overpowered his ability to think straight.
“For the record, I didn’t shoot anyone. My weapon hasn’t been fired. Check it.” He leaned forward, pulled it from his back waistband and held it out to her. She’d been cleaning handguns since she could pull a trigger and knew what to do without any instruction, but she didn’t take it from him. “It’s a safe bet that Weber used one of Brian’s or even Dwayne’s.”
“Patrick shot her? But when I heard the shot, he was holding Lauren. You mean she heard, maybe even saw him?” She tugged on his arm. “Turn around. Now. I’m begging you not to leave her with them. Oh, dear God. What are they going to do to her?”
“She’s safe.” For now, at least.
They couldn’t go back. She acknowledged that in a matter of seconds with a deep, hurtful roar of hopelessness. It didn’t matter that he was the person who’d made the decision to leave her little girl behind. It didn’t matter that they needed to leave the area as fast as possible.
From here, he could keep them off the main roads and away from the search that would ensue. None of it mattered as much as the pain he heard next to him. He swung the car onto a dirt road, yanked the keys and jumped outside.
Right this minute, Alicia needed him as a friend, someone to hold her as she grieved. He’d never comforted a civilian before. It would be a new experience for him, but it was necessary. They weren’t exactly touchy-feely in the navy. He’d compensate his lack of know-how with sheer willpower to take whatever she dished out without a negative response. Surely she’d get it together before he needed to say anything. Right?
Hoping any effort from him would help her, he opened the door, knelt awkwardly with a knee on the floorboard and pulled her into his arms. She resisted at first, grabbing the steering wheel with one hand and the seat belt with the other. When his strength won out, she collapsed against his chest.
“I don’t want you to touch me,” she said as her arms contradicted her, landing on either side of his neck. “Oh, God, Johnny. How could you let this happen?”
The words she muttered changed to giant sobs. He just held her. None of her dislike of how he’d handled the extraction mattered. The physical stress mixed with the emotional upheaval of the past few days. She just needed someone to hang on to. And he was her only choice.
As her crying shuddered through her body, the strain tightened his muscles. He held her closer, skintight to keep her from breaking free. His jaw cracked with his own apprehension. If he had done some
thing differently, would Alicia be holding Lauren instead of him?
Did she believe the failed rescue was his fault? She didn’t really want an answer about how it had happened. Right? He could provide it. He’d written a hundred reports answering the hard question of how the best-planned op had detoured into a nightmare.
He didn’t know what to say—if he should say anything at all. He’d never dealt with failure in a good way. It didn’t sit well in his gut. But other botched operations didn’t hold a candle to this one. Her crying shuddered to a stop as she pounded on his shoulder. She continued to chant, “Why, why, why,” again and again. He could always push the doubt aside and eventually lock the memories in a place they didn’t surface.
Very few ever involved children.
Not this. Not Alicia.
Someone as caring and giving as she was deserved to be protected, pampered. Deserved something to go right in her life. There was a long list of how he’d underestimated his opponent tonight. Another list of what he’d done wrong afterward. But there was only one promise he could make.
“No matter what it takes.” No matter what it cost him—family or career. He’d give anything and everything. “I’ll reunite you with your daughter.”
She drew a deep, shuddering breath and tilted her questioning eyes in wonder at him. Instead of wanting to gently set her away and get back on the road, he wanted to keep her tucked close or kiss her into oblivion.
Damn it to hell, he was falling in love with her all over again.
Chapter Sixteen
Straighten up and fly right. Her dad’s phrase from one of his favorite songs.
Why the words were in Alicia’s mind at this particular moment, she had no idea. Was she ready to sit straight and stop lamenting over what had happened?
But John had left her child in the hands of murderers. Could she forgive him long enough to accept his help? She had to. She had no choice. She would rescue her daughter no matter what it took. No matter what it took. That was her answer.