OUTLAW LAWMAN

by Delores Fossen

  “Harlan,” he finally heard Declan say.

  Relief flooded through him. Fear, too. His brother was alive, and now he had to figure out how to keep it that way. “What happened?”

  “I’m sorry. So sorry.” Declan sounded drunk. Or rather drugged. “I was in the parking lot at work and someone hit me with a Taser.”

  Just as the killer had done to Caitlyn and him. “Are you okay?” And now it was Harlan’s turn to hold his breath.

  “He gave me something, some kind of drug, and I don’t even think I can stand up.”

  Harlan knew the exact feeling. “Who took you?”

  “None of our suspects. This guy’s a hired gun, and the person who hired him is staying out of the picture.”

  Or maybe was elsewhere so he could attack. After all, Declan wasn’t the primary target. Now the question was—had the killer used Declan to draw them out to Rocky Creek, or was this some kind of distraction to launch another attack? Or maybe a break-in at the morgue?

  “I’ll kill him.” From the other end of the line, the voice tore through the silence, and it wasn’t Declan or Billy. In fact, Harlan didn’t think he’d ever heard that voice before.

  “Who are you?” Harlan demanded.

  “Someone who’s going to kill your kid brother if you don’t do as I say. And I’ll keep killing until Caitlyn and you are out here. You’ve got forty-five minutes.”

  His heart dropped. “Not enough time.” And Harlan didn’t mean just distancewise either. It wasn’t enough time for him to think up a way around this.

  “Then you’ll have to hurry, won’t you?” the man taunted. “And remember, don’t bring anyone with you or the bullets start flying. Just Caitlyn and you.”

  “Wait.” Harlan tried to think. “It’d be suicide for me to take Caitlyn in there. What kind of assurance do I have that you won’t just kill us all?”

  “None,” the man readily answered. “But if you don’t come, people are going to start dying.”

  Harlan had no trouble recognizing the next sound. The blast of a gunshot. Even though the sound came through the phone, it was still deafening, and it rocketed through him.

  “Declan?” he shouted.

  But Harlan was talking to himself, because the line went dead.

  * * *

  CAITLYN HAD TO make Harlan understand what needed to happen here. “There’s no way I’ll let you sacrifice Declan for me.”

  Even though her voice was shaking like the rest of her, she left no room for argument. Still, she saw the argument in Harlan’s eyes.

  “Declan’s a lawman.” He sounded as if he was trying to convince himself along with her. “I can figure a way out of this.”

  “And if you show up without me, you could all be dead before you have time to think of it.” In fact, someone might already be dead.

  That possibility twisted everything inside her.

  She tried to reassure herself that the kidnapper wouldn’t kill Declan, because he was the bait. The bargaining tool, as well. But it was possible that Billy had been shot or was already dead.

  Unless, of course, Billy was behind this.

  “We’re wasting precious time,” Caitlyn reminded him. “Start driving to Rocky Creek.”

  But he didn’t. Harlan sat there, his attention volleying between her and the ranch house, where he’d intended to leave her.

  “Look, we’ll work out the details as we drive,” she added. “And if by the time we get there you don’t think you can make it safe, then you can drop me off at the sheriff’s office in Rocky Creek.”

  That caused him to belt out some really bad profanity, but he threw the truck into gear and started driving. Thank God. Caitlyn certainly wasn’t eager to rush to a showdown with this monster who’d made their lives hell, but she couldn’t live with herself if she got Declan killed.

  Harlan took out his phone and sped down the dark country road away from the ranch. “Slade,” he said when his brother answered. “There’s been a change of plans. Caitlyn and I are driving to the Rocky Creek Children’s Facility.”

  She couldn’t hear Slade’s response.

  “No, it’s probably not a good idea,” Harlan added to whatever Slade said, “but if I leave Caitlyn at the ranch, she’ll try to follow.”

  She would, no doubt about it, and it was scary that Harlan knew her so well.

  “Keep someone on the morgue,” Harlan continued, “but we’ll need backup. Quiet backup,” he amended. “You remember how to get to Rocky Creek from that old ranch road?” He paused. “Good. Take that route and try to come up from behind. I don’t know where they’re holding Declan, but it’s probably either inside the main building or close to it.”

  He finished that call and immediately made another to Dallas so he could ask about how tight the security was at the ranch. “Just a precaution,” Harlan said to her when he no doubt saw the renewed concern in her eyes.

  The next call was to his brother Clayton. After Harlan gave him a quick update, he asked him to do a quiet approach to the facility using the east side of the property. The woods where Sherry’s body had been found. Harlan also reminded Clayton that Slade would be nearby, probably so they wouldn’t accidentally shoot each other.

  There was a lot of potential for things to go wrong.

  “What about me? What do you need me to do?” she asked the moment he ended the call with Clayton.

  But Harlan didn’t answer. He kept driving and punched in another number. This time he put the call on speaker. However, the person who answered didn’t say anything either.

  “Billy?” Harlan greeted. “Are you there?” Nothing. But Caitlyn thought she could hear someone breathing on the other end of the line. “Billy, I need to talk to the man who kidnapped Declan.”

  “What the hell do you want?” The man’s voice was so loud that Caitlyn jumped before she could stop herself. And it wasn’t Billy. It was Declan’s kidnapper.

  “I need to work out some kind of deal,” Harlan said.

  “The only deal you’re going to get is the one I already gave you. You and Caitlyn need to get out here and come alone. Nothing about that needs to be worked out.”

  “But it does.” Harlan glanced at her, and even though he didn’t say anything to her, he shook his head. “Caitlyn’s sick, throwing up all over the place. I don’t even think she can stand up.”

  That explained the headshake. He didn’t want her jumping to say that she’d be there. Still, Caitlyn doubted the lie would work, especially since this guy likely had plans to kill them.

  “She’s pregnant,” Harlan added. “We started seeing each other a couple of months ago. In secret. I didn’t want to tell my family or anyone else because of this Webb investigation hanging over us. Talk to your boss, because I don’t think he’d want to put a pregnant woman in the middle of a mess like this.”

  She figured the guy would just laugh that off, but he stayed quiet for several moments. “I’ll get back to you on that.”

  Harlan punched the end-call button. “If he agrees, you’re going to the sheriff’s office.” He mumbled something she didn’t catch. “And if he doesn’t agree, then it’s probably Farris who’s behind this.”

  Oh, yes. Because a pregnancy would only make Farris want to kill her even more. But if it was Billy, Devin or Curtis, why did they even want Harlan and her?

  “Why would the killer want us dead if he still believes there’s an incriminating fingerprint on Sherry’s body?” she asked.

  Harlan shook his head. “I’m not sure how any of this fits. Or if it fits at all. It could be just Farris playing a sick game.”

  For a moment Caitlyn thought she might indeed throw up. Her stomach was churning. “And if so, then you just made yourself a target, because Farris will think you fathered this make-believe
baby. He’ll be so enraged that he’ll want to tear you apart.”

  “Hopefully. Anything to make him come after me and not Declan and you.”

  That turned her blood to ice. No way did she want Harlan to take the brunt of this, but how could she stop it?

  How?

  Maybe if she had a chance to speak to Farris, she could bargain with him. Maybe even make him believe that she’d go with him if he’d just call off this stupid plan. Of course, she couldn’t go with him because he’d likely just kill her the first chance he got. But she might be able to buy them some time so that Harlan could rescue Declan, and maybe even Billy.

  Harlan swore and looked at the phone screen as if trying to will the kidnapper to call back. The minutes and miles were just dissolving, and Harlan’s mood got worse when the headlights landed on the sign ahead of them.

  Rocky Creek Children’s Facility.

  He took the turn, but he switched off his headlights.

  “I want a gun,” Caitlyn insisted.

  Harlan tipped his head to the glove compartment. “There’s one in there.”

  Caitlyn opened it and pushed aside some plastic handcuffs and papers so she could grab the .38. She prayed she wouldn’t have to use it, especially since she wasn’t that good a shot. If it came down to her having to take out the killer and the kidnapper, then she and Harlan would be in deeper trouble than they already were.

  Harlan pressed the redial button on his phone and again put the call on speaker.

  “No deal,” the kidnapper said the moment he answered. “You bring Caitlyn here with you.”

  Thanks to the moonlight, she got a glimpse of Harlan’s jaw muscles that had turned to steel. “I want to talk to your boss, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”

  Harlan took the final turn, and ahead Caitlyn could see the silhouette of the sprawling facility. It looked even more menacing in the dark, and even though she didn’t have second thoughts about coming here, Harlan apparently did.

  He stopped the truck.

  “You’ll have to take no for an answer,” the kidnapper insisted. “My boss is, well, indisposed right now.”

  Maybe because he was at the morgue trying to destroy evidence that didn’t exist. If so, it was possible that whoever Slade had watching the place would capture him. And if not, that meant someone had to nab this kidnapper and get him to confess the name of the person who’d hired him.

  Not exactly an easy night’s work.

  “Call him,” Harlan insisted. “Tell him I’m not bringing Caitlyn unless he speaks to me.” With that line drawn in the sand, Harlan hung up.

  And the waiting began.

  So did Caitlyn’s renewed attempts to get Harlan to budge. “Stating the obvious here, but I don’t want you to risk Declan’s life for me. Besides, Farris won’t just kill me once I step from the truck. He’ll want...some time with me,” Caitlyn settled for saying.

  There went her stomach again. Another lurch. Mercy, she didn’t want Farris within a hundred miles of her, but using herself as bait was the only way to reason with him.

  “And if it’s not Farris?” Harlan’s question hung in the air, and he turned his head so their gazes met. “This person could want us dead simply because he thinks we’ve uncovered something that’ll incriminate him as Webb’s killer.”

  Yes, she’d considered that, but she could almost feel Farris nearby. It didn’t make sense, and she wasn’t the sort to rely on gut feelings or intuition, but she couldn’t dismiss the feeling that Farris had some part in this.

  She checked the time on the dash clock. Time was almost up. Well, it was if they were to believe the kidnapper’s ultimatum that they had to arrive within forty-five minutes.

  “What happens if he doesn’t call back?” she asked.

  Harlan opened his mouth to answer, but then he stopped. His gaze slashed to her side of the truck. Except his attention didn’t land on her, but outside the window.

  “Get down!” he shouted, and he drew his gun.

  He didn’t wait for her to move. Harlan caught the back of her neck and shoved her down onto the seat.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Harlan braced himself for an attack, for bullets to come bashing through the truck. He kept his gun aimed and ready while he pinned Caitlyn beneath him.

  But nothing happened.

  It was hard to hear over his own pulse pounding in his ears and Caitlyn’s ragged breathing, but he damn sure didn’t hear any bullets. He lifted his head so he could try to get a better look at the shadowy figure that he’d seen just seconds earlier.

  “Stay down.” Caitlyn latched on to him and tried to pull him back onto the seat with her.

  “I think he’s gone,” Harlan let her know.

  “Who was it?”

  He had to shake his head, but it wouldn’t have been Slade or Clayton. If they’d somehow managed to get out here ahead of him, they wouldn’t be in this area of the grounds. Maybe it hadn’t been the kidnapper either, because there was a huge possibility that the killer had hired more than one henchman. God knew how many hired guns Caitlyn and he would have to face, and that was the biggest reason of all for him to throw the truck into gear and haul her butt to the sheriff’s office. It had been a huge mistake bringing her here.

  “Declan,” she reminded him.

  He wasn’t about to let his kid brother die, but he was pretty sure Declan and he were of a like mind on this. Neither would want to sacrifice Caitlyn to save themselves. Of course, Caitlyn was insisting the same thing about them.

  Harlan waited, and the seconds seemed to be flying by. He took out his phone again to call the kidnapper, but he also moved off Caitlyn so he could put the truck in gear. He spared her a glance to see how she was holding up—not well—but then he kept his attention pinned to their surroundings. Hard to do with the moon creating some eerie shadows over the trees and shrubs.

  He pushed the redial button. And waited. Waited some more. Until he thought his heart might beat out of his chest. Everything inside him yelled for him to get Caitlyn out of there, so he threw the truck into Reverse. Maybe the kidnapper would see that he was leaving and answer the damn call.

  Or not.

  Harlan had barely touched his foot to the accelerator when the blast came. He didn’t see the shooter, but he felt the impact, all right. The bullet slammed into the front windshield, taking out the safety glass and zinging past his head.

  Caitlyn screamed for him to get down, and he did. Harlan also gunned the engine and tried to put some distance between them and the shooter.

  More shots came.

  Not just one either, but bullets began to pelt the truck. Whoever was shooting at them was almost directly ahead, maybe behind one of the trees that was close to the road.

  Since Harlan couldn’t lift his head enough to see where he was going, he tried to do the best he could to keep the truck on the road. He also fired a blind shot in the direction of the shooter in the hopes that he’d get lucky. Or at least get the guy to duck behind cover.

  It didn’t work.

  The shots didn’t slow down one bit, and it didn’t take long before the truck jolted. And Harlan knew why. The gunman had shot out the front tire. Maybe both of them. Harlan lost what little control he had of the steering wheel, and they slammed into the ditch.

  With the impact, both Caitlyn and he flew into the dash. His shoulder hit the steering wheel, and by some miracle he managed to hang on to his gun. However, Caitlyn wasn’t so lucky. He heard the heavy jolt her body took, and even though she immediately tried to scramble to get her gun, Harlan didn’t think it would be easy to find in the darkness and with all hell breaking loose.

  More bullets came, and even though he tried to steer the truck, things went from bad to worse when he realized they couldn’t move. The
y’d landed in a ditch filled with several inches of water. Just enough to bog down the tires on the driver’s side of the truck.

  A bullet crashed through the passenger’s window, and even though Caitlyn was still searching for her gun, the sheet of safety glass crashed against her head.

  Hell. The shooter had moved, maybe closing in on them from the right. He couldn’t just sit there while they were gunned down. The metal exterior of the truck wouldn’t keep them safe much longer. Maybe his brothers would arrive soon, hear the shots and give him some backup.

  Harlan fired a shot in the direction of the shooter, and in the same motion he threw open his door. Not easy, because he had to push the bottom of the door through the boggy ditch. However, he finally got it open wide enough that he could get Caitlyn out of there.

  “This way.” He reached across the seat and hauled her closer.

  Caitlyn continued to fumble for the gun and grabbed it just before Harlan dragged her out with him. Both of them stepped into the ditch. Definitely not dry. It was filled with stagnant water and clotted mud, and he sank all the way to his knees.

  He used the door for cover and kept track of the angle of the bullets. They were still coming from the other side of the truck. Good. Maybe they’d stay that way at least for a few more seconds.

  “Move fast,” Harlan warned her, and he stepped out of the ditch, pulling her along with him.

  He didn’t even try to stay on his feet, because it would make them too easy a target. With Caitlyn in tow, Harlan dove behind the nearest tree. They hit the ground hard, and he landed right on the same shoulder that had slammed into the dash. The pain shot through him, but he ignored it and came up ready to fire.

  Harlan pulled the trigger, the bullet landing somewhere in the direction of the shooter. He waited to see if the guy would move and come after them.

  But nothing.

  No more shots.

  Harlan drew Caitlyn even closer until he had her pressed against the tree. She, too, had her gun aimed across the road where the shooter had fired his last shot, but all that either of them could do was keep their aim ready and listen for any sound of movement.