by Barb Han
“I can’t allow anything to happen to you,” he said, his eyes pleading. “You don’t understand how deeply I mean those words.”
“But I’ll be safe.”
“I can’t guarantee that. If they get a clean shot, they’ll kill you. Once you’re taken care of, they’ll do the same thing to your father. The entire trail leading back to Alcorn would be erased and my daughter will be killed in the process.”
“There is no other choice. If I’m not there, Maribel and my father will be killed anyway.” She stood her ground. “I’ll take whatever risk is necessary if it means getting my father and Maribel back. I don’t see any other way around it.”
“What if I can’t agree to this? Would you do it anyway?”
“This won’t be over until the man behind these crimes is locked behind bars forever. You need me. They have to see me.” She paused, waiting for a response. When none came, she added, “Do you have a better plan?”
“Send in someone for you. Make them believe it’s you. Lure Alcorn to the drop and then take our families back.”
“Fine. I’ll stay with Brody and Rebecca. But you have to let me be there. I’m just as vulnerable here alone as I would be with you guys.”
He didn’t voice an argument but she could see the battle going on inside his head. She could also tell that she was getting to him.
She pressed up on tiptoe and kissed him. “We can finish this, figure out what this is when my father and Maribel are safe again.”
He blew out a breath and held her tighter, his arms looped around her waist. He pressed his forehead to hers. “I meant it when I said nothing can happen to you or my daughter, Samantha. I couldn’t survive losing either one of you.”
* * *
DYLAN WENT OVER the mission in his head for the fiftieth time in the past half hour. There were three roads that merged at the fork, the meet-up spot, so they formed three teams aside from Dylan’s. Each team would stake out a road. If they had an opportunity to intercept the “packages,” they would.
If the package made it to the drop, then their friend Lisa would stand in for Samantha. Lisa would ride with Dylan. If Alcorn and his men got too close, they’d easily see that they were being tricked.
Samantha would be in another car with Brody and his team, and Rebecca would ride with Dawson. Ryan was on his own but all teams would be in constant contact.
Minutes ticked by like hours until it was time to trade Samantha for Lisa.
Dylan and his companion waited at the place where all roads merged.
The only comfort was that Dylan knew everything was being recorded on video, so even if the situation went to hell, Alcorn wouldn’t get away with it. His operation would be shut down and he’d spend the rest of his life in jail.
Of course, Dylan preferred to have Maribel home, Samantha and her father safe and Alcorn in prison.
At the site, noon came and went and Dylan had a sinking feeling in his chest that Alcorn had outsmarted them. He and Lisa stayed put and waited anyway.
Twenty minutes later, word arrived from Ryan that he could confirm a car with a car seat and young child in the back had just passed him.
A few minutes and Maribel would be close enough to grab.
After what felt like an eternity had passed, Dylan’s phone rang. He could see by the number that it was Brody.
“They got her,” Brody said breathlessly.
“Who?” But Dylan already knew the answer to that question. His entire world caved in all at once and his knees buckled.
“Samantha. They got her. I’m so sorry, man. We headed over to assist Ryan and they came up like a swarm around us. There had to be at least a half dozen of them.”
Dylan couldn’t breathe. His entire world crumbled around him. Lisa was beside him, trying to comfort him, but there were no words that could take away this pain. He’d lost the two people he loved most in the world.
“They came from every direction. I shot at least one of them but they snatched her. I couldn’t shoot again without possibly hitting her. There was nothing I could do, man. I’m so sorry.” Brody’s voice relayed his anguish better than his words.
“Where are you?” Dylan popped to his feet.
“I’m on Benton Road.”
“Which way did they go?” he asked, but he already knew, because if they went north, they’d cross paths with him. No way would Alcorn allow it.
“South. Away from town.” Brody paused, heaving into the phone. “They shot out my tires so I couldn’t follow.”
Dylan had been so close to Maribel, so close to bringing her home. He glanced in the backseat at her stuffed animal, Rofurt. Agony bore down on him, cutting him to the core. His phone beeped. He had another call. “I gotta go. I’ll pick you up.”
He was already in his SUV, barreling toward Brody’s drop spot.
Dylan one-handed the phone while watching the road and answered the next call with Bluetooth.
“I’ve got eyes on a vehicle heading toward County Road 83.” Jorge’s voice was rife with fresh adrenaline. “I saw Maribel in the car. She’s okay.”
For now. Dylan knew they’d use her to get away. As soon as they were clear, they’d dispose of her and Samantha’s father. Samantha didn’t have long, either.
“That’s toward Alcorn’s private airstrip. We can’t let him leave with them,” Dylan said.
“Let me call the feds, bro. Tell them what’s going on.”
“Okay. I’m heading there myself, though.” Dylan ended the call before Jorge tried to talk him out of it. His friend would only be wasting his breath anyway.
Dylan spotted Brody running on the side of the road. Dylan roared toward his friend and stopped quickly.
Brody hopped into the backseat. Lisa, who had been quiet up to now, filled Brody in. He pulled his weapon and replaced the clip. “Let’s get those sons of bitches.”
With the exchange a total disaster, Dylan prayed they’d get there in time. He had to be a good ten minutes behind Alcorn but if he made it to his plane, it would be all over. He could illegally hop over the border in hours and disappear until he bought the judge or influenced a congressman to give him pardon.
Samantha would be dead. Maribel would be...
Just as Dylan feared all hope was lost, he saw an older man running toward the road while holding a little girl. In fact...that was not just any child...it was Maribel. Dylan’s heart could have exploded for how much joy he felt.
He angled the SUV toward the pair and pulled close to them. The old man held Maribel protectively as he turned toward the woods.
Dylan put the SUV in Park and hopped out.
“Mr. Turner. It’s Dylan,” he shouted, running toward the man holding his little angel.
Maribel turned at the sound of his voice.
“Da-da!” She smiled and cried at the same time.
Dylan held out his arms and she practically flew into them. There were no words to describe how good it felt to hold his daughter again.
Keenly aware Samantha was still missing, Dylan turned to Mr. Turner. “We need to go. I have a tip on where they’re taking Samantha.”
The old man looked as though he’d aged ten years since Dylan had last seen him. Worry for a child, no matter how old, would do that to any parent.
“Thank you.” Mr. Turner limped toward the SUV.
“Here. Lean on me.” Dylan offered his shoulder.
At the vehicle, he climbed into the backseat with Brody’s help.
“You drive,” Dylan said to Brody, unable to let go of Maribel. He placed her in her safety seat and buckled her in, holding on to her the whole time. Her grip around him was viselike. He gave her Rofurt and her Brave doll and she immediately hugged them both to her chest.
Dylan was all too conscious o
f the danger of taking this group toward Alcorn. He had Mr. Turner and Maribel. It was a calculated risk he had to take in order to save Samantha.
“How did you get away from them?” Dylan asked Mr. Turner as Lisa phoned Ryan and filled him in.
“I wouldn’t have without Samantha. They were trying to put us into one car when she got hold of someone’s gun. She shot two of Alcorn’s men before they subdued her. One had a beard and the other one was a redhead. The second one had a brother there, as well.”
Bearded and the brothers. Dylan knew exactly who they were.
“She told me to grab Maribel and run.” Anguish turned down the corners of Mr. Turner’s lips. His eyes were burdened. “The one with the beard didn’t stop me.”
“We’ll get her back. And when we do, I need to have a conversation with you,” Dylan said, keenly aware of the sacrifice Samantha had made to save his daughter.
Maribel was crying softly, fighting sleep.
“Hey, Bel,” Dylan soothed. “Da-da is here. You’re okay.”
He noticed that she’d placed her Brave Barbie doll over her heart. He was thankful the last gift from her mother was safely in her arms.
Dylan said a silent prayer of thanks and hoped that her mother was an angel watching out for Maribel.
He thought about Samantha’s unselfish act of trading herself for Maribel and her father. He was beginning to realize just how brave and devoted she was. Samantha was nothing like his own mother. All women didn’t bolt when times were tough.
Damn, he also realized just how much he’d fallen for Samantha. He wouldn’t rest until his family was complete—which meant Samantha being home with him, where she belonged.
“This is all my fault. I saw him that night near where the children were kidnapped. I could put him at the scene moments before it happened. Then I went to talk to him about what he might’ve seen and I overheard someone ask him about the kids. He told them to ‘find Kramer and take care of those brats.’ They discovered I was listening but not before talking about how Kramer might jeopardize their entire operation,” Samantha’s father said. “I should’ve told on him before when I had the chance. I’d been drinking too much and was scared of him.”
“You aren’t responsible for a criminal’s actions.”
“He saw me and then threatened me, my family. The only reason he didn’t kill me right then and there was because of all the heat on the town. I never wanted the money but I was afraid if I didn’t take it, he would hurt Samantha. He knew how much I loved her, all of my kids. He held their safety over my head for years. Doesn’t excuse what I did.”
That explained why he’d been so overprotective of her, made sure one of her brothers was with her at all times.
“I wanted to make it right all those years ago and failed. When Shane showed up, I figured it was only a matter of time before the truth came out. I was ready to face the consequences of what I’d done and tell the law what I knew. But Alcorn has eyes everywhere and figured me out. You can’t trust anyone. The sheriff is too friendly with Alcorn,” he said. “And now that he has my baby, he’ll kill her.”
“Your daughter is strong. I will bring her home. You have my word.” Dylan couldn’t ignore the ache in his chest at the thought of losing Samantha. His heart didn’t feel divided between her and Maribel. Instead, it had grown to make room for both.
He could only hope that he would get there in time.
“Do you know the shortcut through the Hatters’ land that’s coming up?” Dylan asked Brody.
“Yeah. I sure do.” Brody cut the wheel right and the SUV bounced as he took it off road.
“If we stop before the clearing, then you guys can stay here while I hit the hangar.”
“You’re not going by yourself.”
Dylan texted Ryan the plan as Brody parked the SUV near the tree line. The clearing was twenty-five yards ahead of them.
“I need at least one person who knows how to handle a weapon to stay back.” Dylan motioned toward Maribel.
Lisa seemed to take the cue and moved to the backseat as Dylan, heartbroken at Maribel’s tear-soaked face, slipped out. Luckily, his daughter felt at home with Brody and Lisa. Otherwise, no way would he have been able to leave.
They were engaging her in a game of peekaboo when he cleared the back of the SUV and moved toward the trees.
Dylan, staying low, spotted his buddy Ryan on the east side of the hangar as he came up on the west.
Dust was still kicked up from the cars that were already parked in the lot. Four men surrounded Samantha, who was fighting every step of the way. Alcorn led the pack toward the hangar.
Dylan’s chest filled with pride. Keep fighting, sweetheart. I’m almost there.
Five against three, counting Samantha, wasn’t bad odds. The men closed rank. If Dylan fired, he risked hitting Samantha.
Damn.
No way could he take that chance. Come on, sweetheart. Give me something to work with.
Another twenty seconds and they’d have her inside the building. If Dylan ran full force, he still wouldn’t make it in time.
Samantha reared back and kicked the guy in front of her, then dropped down.
Dylan charged toward them. Ryan fired, creating a distraction.
The men’s heads turned in the opposite direction of Dylan, searching the east side.
Dylan launched forward as the second group disappeared into the building. He was closer than Ryan and, therefore, had the best chance of getting there first. It went without saying that Ryan would have his back.
By the time Dylan reached the hangar, Samantha was being forced inside an airplane. There was a pilot in place and ready to go.
Dylan couldn’t allow that plane to get off the ground. He took aim and shot the wheels. The pilot ducked, and then disappeared into the back of the aircraft, closing the door to the cockpit.
“You think you got us? You think you’ve figured this all out?” a male voice shouted from behind the aircraft. “You don’t know anything.”
Alcorn.
He forced Samantha in front of him as a shield. “You’re going to let us walk out of here or she dies.”
Dylan held up his hands in surrender. Where was Ryan?
“Okay. I’m setting my weapon down on the floor. See.” Dylan did.
“Step back!”
Dylan complied.
Alcorn stepped into view, a struggling Samantha still held in front of him, a gun pressed to her temple.
“It’s okay,” Dylan soothed, taking another step back to allow Alcorn passage. “I’m nowhere near my gun.”
Alcorn forced Samantha to the door and then pushed her toward Dylan and ran.
Dylan dived, rolled and plowed into Alcorn’s legs. Where were the other men? He already knew Bearded had been shot and at least one of his companions. Dylan couldn’t worry about that now.
Alcorn tried to get up, but Dylan was sitting on his chest. Alcorn managed to point his weapon. Dylan grabbed the guy’s hand and spun just as a shot fired.
Alcorn spun, fighting his way next to Dylan. A kick landed in his groin and he bit back blinding nausea in order to keep fighting. His hesitation gave Alcorn the space he needed to break free, push up to his feet and run. He kept going, unaware of the red dot flowering on his right shoulder. A few steps before reaching the vehicle, he crumpled to the ground.
Ryan entered the hangar slowly, his weapon drawn. “I got three of them outside, trying to get out the back.”
“Come out of the plane. Leave your hands where I can see them,” Dylan shouted to the pilot.
He complied. Dylan found rope and Ryan tied him to a chair.
Samantha was already in Dylan’s arms.
“Everyone okay in here?” Ryan asked through heavy breaths as he finished
his work with the pilot and called the police.
“We’re good,” Dylan replied, pulling Samantha into his chest, kissing her forehead. “We’re more than good. Let’s check on the SUV.”
“I’ll sit on Alcorn until the cops arrive,” Ryan said.
All three moved to check on him.
“He’ll live,” Dylan said. “If that shot had been a little to the left, he’d be going to the morgue. I hope you enjoy prison.”
Alcorn didn’t respond.
The sound of sirens moved closer.
“You two get out of here so you can be with Maribel when you give your statements. I’ll make sure this guy sticks around,” Ryan said, digging his knee into Alcorn’s back.
It took every bit of Dylan’s self-control not to walk over to Alcorn and beat the man until he took his last breath.
But his daughter waited, and she’d made Dylan a better man than that.
He and Samantha made it back to the vehicle, where everyone waited. Brody let Maribel down and she launched herself toward Dylan.
He scooped her up just in time to stop her from tripping and held on to her.
With Samantha, the missing piece of his heart, there, he felt whole for the first time in his life.
Samantha hugged them both and his heart lurched when Maribel leaned over and rewarded Samantha with a kiss.
Mr. Turner made his way toward Samantha. Maribel hugged him, too.
Dylan’s cell phone vibrated, breaking into the moment.
“Hey, bro. You okay?” Jorge asked, worry in his voice.
“We’re all good.” Dylan paused to kiss the two most important people in his life again. “We’re safe.”
“I made sure the feds have the footage from today and Alcorn’s account information.”
“I can’t thank you enough,” Dylan said. “It’s over.”
Dylan repeated those two words.
He thanked Jorge again before hanging up.
After statements were given to the feds who showed up, Dylan loaded up the SUV and asked Brody to drive them home.
Dylan kept one arm around Maribel and the other around Samantha as he filled her in on his earlier conversation with her father. “I’d like you and your father to stay over tonight, if that’s okay.”