“I know you didn’t.”
Sean walked over to them. “Peter helped me escape, and he paid the price for it.” Sean motioned to the bruise on his jaw. “I’m going to put that in my statement. Maybe it’ll help.”
“Thank you,” Joe said, holding his brother.
“It’s my fault,” Juan said. He was near tears. “Where’s Michael? What happened to Michael?”
“He was captured out front. He’s okay. What happened, Juan? How did you get into this mess? Michael?”
“He didn’t know—he just thought it would be something quick and easy and we’d be home by midnight. And then—it just got weird.”
“You’re both going to give your statements. You’re going to be arrested, but I’ll do everything in my power to get you probation. If you lie, all bets are off, understood?”
They nodded. Sean became distracted when he heard shouting on the other side of the barn.
“You have to let me go!”
It was Gomez.
“Hold still, sir,” one of the SWAT officers said.
“He took my son! He took my boy!”
If SWAT was in here so fast, they had to know that Juarez left with the kid.
Sean walked over to where Kane was talking to a guy with the name JONES on his breast.
“Eddie Jones, commander of this SWAT unit,” he said. “You must be Sean Rogan.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Your wife is following Juarez and the hostage. You need medical.”
“I’m fine.”
“You look like shit,” Kane said.
“So do you.”
“Just get looked at, okay? An ambulance is already here, we had them standing by. I say this is a success. One hostile dead, no injuries to my men, and you two look like you’ll survive.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Thank your wife and her brother.”
“Brother?”
“Jack,” Kane said with a half smile.
“You knew Jack was here?”
“No, but I knew when Lucy called JT that he’d call in the cavalry.”
“Yes, sir. I even had a call from Assistant Director Rick Stockton. That doesn’t happen every day,” Jones said.
“What time is it?” Kane said.
“Just about seven,” Jones said.
“We need to get to my ranch. That’s where Juarez is headed.”
“We have visual on him.”
“I’m leaving. Sean?”
“I’m with you.”
“You’ll need a ride,” Jones said. “Lucy left your truck here when she went with my number two to follow the target.” He handed Kane the keys. “Be careful. Neither of you is one hundred percent.”
* * *
Juarez didn’t go to the ranch, but went to a small house across the main road that was in line with three other small houses.
“Who lives there?” Lucy asked Jack.
“It’s owned by the Dickersons—they own everything north and west of us—but that’s not their primary house. Those would be for ranch hands, the foremen. I know the Dickersons—they’re good neighbors. They would never be in league with someone like Juarez.”
“Where are they? Could they be hostages?” Lucy prayed not. It was bad enough to have the boy, but an entire family . . . what if they were already dead? Cold spread through her veins.
Dez spoke up. “The Dickersons left before Christmas to visit their kin up in Amarillo. They won’t be back ’til after the new year. They have a caretaker, but he lives on the other side of the property. The rest of the staff is off, though I can’t say for certain no one is in any of those houses.”
“He could have found out which were empty through Gomez,” Lucy said.
“He’ll have line of sight to the main driveway,” Jack said.
“There’s a squad car there, and two agents at the house,” Lucy said. “They won’t get close. But we need to know when he’s talking to Hazel. That’s our window.”
“I know how to get in through the back,” Dez said. “We’ll go in on foot, the storage barn will help block our approach.” He looked at his phone. “The raid was successful,” he told Lucy and Jack. “One hostile down, no other casualties. The Commander says that the Rogan brothers are headed our way. But it’ll take them twenty, twenty-five minutes even if they haul ass.”
Lucy was relieved, but she wished they would stay away—they had to be dehydrated and injured and if Juarez saw them, he would know his plan had failed.
That put Bobby at greater risk.
She called Andie’s cell phone. It was almost seven.
Andie answered immediately. “Walsh.”
“Kane and Sean are fine. They’re on their way to the ranch.”
“Good.”
“Is the call set up?”
“Yes, we’re waiting.”
“Juarez is in an empty bunkhouse north of Kane’s property line. He has a ten-year-old boy hostage. I’m with a small SWAT unit and we’re going to go in hot while Juarez is distracted. I need to know exactly when he calls.”
“Stay on the phone.”
Lucy put Andie on speaker. “Dez,” she said, “what’s your plan?”
“Seems like you already figured it out. We go in hot, like you said. You’re in the rear, ma’am. No offense, it’s not because you’re a girl—one of my best team members is a girl, beats my ass at the range nearly every time—but because you don’t have the training.”
“Understood. I’m going for the boy.”
Jack stared at her. He didn’t want her to do it.
“Don’t play my big brother on this.”
“I am your big brother.”
She almost smiled, and if she hadn’t been so tense she would have laughed. “I can do this. They’re not going to be expecting us, so we have to be fast.”
“I agree,” Dez said, “but we’ll get in position and first identify the location of the hostage. Those bunkhouses are small and functional with identical floor plans.”
“I’ll follow your lead.”
“Grab a vest, both of you,” he said. “There should be one that fits in the back. And a helmet. No one leaves here unprotected.”
Andie said, “He’s calling.”
Dez said, “On my count.”
Chapter Sixteen
Siobhan’s hand was shaking when she answered the phone. She willed it to stop. She had two FBI agents here, her sister, and they didn’t even need the equipment to track Juarez because he was right across the street. And she knew that Kane was alive and well.
Yet, she was still scared that something was going to go wrong.
“Hello,” she said. She cleared her throat. “Felipe?”
“My daughter.”
“I have her here. But you can’t talk to her until I have proof of life. I have to know that Kane and Sean are okay.”
“Check your phone.”
She did. She saw a picture of Kane and Sean tied against a beam. Kane looked more than a little angry, but there was blood on his shirt and his face was swollen and bruised. Her heart ached. She couldn’t make out Sean behind him, but assumed that second man was him.
“Hestia. Now.”
“You won’t get away with this,” Siobhan said.
He laughed at her. “I already have, you foolish woman. Three. Two. One.”
“She’s here! Stop!”
He laughed again.
Siobhan took a deep breath, then another, and realized she was practically hyperventilating.
“Hazel,” she said.
“Hestia!” Juarez screamed. “You can’t change who she is. She’s Hestia Maria Louisa Juarez, and she belongs to me!”
“Papa,” Hazel said, “my name is Hazel Lopez, and I belong to no one.”
Silence. Complete and total silence and for a second Siobhan thought that the call had been dropped, or something happened and Juarez heard the click that merged the calls. “Tell me something to prove it’s you. The
dog you had.”
“Blanca? The sweet mutt that you kicked when she barked at you? Or Pal, the dog Mom fed and you ran off?”
“You will come home with me.”
“Never.”
“Do you know what you did to me? How I suffered?”
“I’m sorry, Papa, but you should never have sold me to that man. He was awful.”
“You would have been a princess.”
“I would have been a prisoner.”
“So? That’s what you were born for! Your mother couldn’t give me an heir, just a girl, and that’s what you could do for your family, marry and join two families together. Yet you were selfish, selfish like your mother.”
“I know you had her killed, Papa. I followed Ricardo to the river where he drowned her. And I knew that would happen to me when I no longer served my purpose. Siobhan gave me freedom.”
“And she will die for it. Just like Gino. Just like Rosita. They are dead because of you.”
“N-no,” Hazel said, her voice cracking. “They are dead because of you.”
Siobhan wished she could hold Hazel as she suffered through her father’s diatribe. She knew she was with Sonia and Dean in Sacramento, that they would care for her, but Siobhan wanted to fix it. She wanted to fix everything, which is how they got into this mess in the first place.
“I will come for you, daughter, and you will suffer for your dishonor—”
The call suddenly ended.
“Hello?” Hazel said. “Is anyone there?”
One of the FBI agents said, “The call disconnected on his end.”
“I’m here, Hazel,” Siobhan said. “Don’t listen to that man.”
“I’m okay,” she said. “I’ll be okay.”
Hazel was a strong young woman, and Siobhan was glad she had saved her.
She prayed for Lucy and her team. Because Juarez was on the warpath.
* * *
Lucy took the cue from Dez, who had a calm, almost joking, command presence. Paul had reconned the building—two guards outside in the front, which meant Juarez, two guards, and Bobby in the house. Paul had them all located in the main room. There were two entrances—front and back through the kitchen. The house was filled with durable furniture, which could be a help or hindrance.
Paul said, “The boy is on the couch in the living room, up against the south wall.” He drew on a piece of paper. “The kitchen is here on the north—this door opens into the eating area. The living room runs the length of the kitchen plus the nook. The couch is dead center on the wall. You won’t be able to see the boy when you first enter, until you go through the nook.”
Dez said, “I’ll go left through the kitchen, you go right through the nook. Take the shield, Lucy—it works.”
She hadn’t wanted to carry the shield. It wasn’t that it was too heavy—sixteen pounds, Dez had told her—but it was awkward because she hadn’t trained with one before.
But she took it without argument.
They approached the house from the back. All the blinds were drawn; Paul had observed the layout through a broken slat.
Jack didn’t want to leave Lucy, but he did, because Dez teamed him with Paul to take out the two guards at the front. Lucy was relieved he hadn’t argued. He was lucky he was being included as it was, considering he wasn’t a cop—military training notwithstanding.
For a big guy, Dez was soft on his feet. He was listening through his earpiece to Paul’s report from the front and as soon as the external guards were contained, they entered through the back door. Dez broke the lock and pushed in, Lucy right behind him.
The set up was exactly as Paul described.
Juarez was shouting, “ . . . you will suffer for your dishonor . . .”
Lucy saw Bobby as soon as she stepped to the edge of the breakfast nook.
Juarez was distracted, his back to the kitchen, but his guard saw or sensed movement and turned. He fired at Dez, who came in larger-than-life from the kitchen. Dez dropped him before he could get off a second shot.
“Police! Hands where I can see them!” Dez shouted.
At the same time, Lucy ran to Bobby, her shield up. She felt and heard a loud ping, then more gunfire from the kitchen.
She threw her body over Bobby, the shield covering their heads and most of Bobby’s body.
There was a grunt, then three gunshots in rapid succession. Lucy didn’t dare move. Bobby was frozen beneath her. She could feel his hot breath on her neck.
He was breathing.
He was alive.
“All clear, Agent Kincaid.”
Slowly, she lowered the shield. Juarez and his two goons were dead on the floor. Paul had handcuffed the two men outside. Jack came in, looked from Dez to Lucy, then nodded.
Lucy said, “Bobby? Are you okay?”
“I-I-I want my m-mom.”
“We’ll get you home to her right away.”
He hugged her tightly. He was shaking, but he was alive and uninjured. And that, ultimately, was all that mattered.
* * *
Kane walked into his house and the first thing he saw was Siobhan. He walked over to her and kissed her hard. He didn’t give a shit that Andie was there or two FBI agents or his brother; all he needed was this woman.
She was muttering something, but he didn’t know what it was.
He kissed her again, and she stepped back. She was crying.
“I’m okay,” he said. Why was she crying?
“I was so stupid, Kane. I’m so sorry. When Hazel emailed me—I should never have gone. You could have died. You and Sean and—”
“Shut. Up.” He kissed her again. “I never want to hear you say you’re stupid. That conversation is over.”
“But—”
He took her hand and pulled her to their bedroom and shut the door. He didn’t need an audience right now. He was surprisingly emotional. While his life had been at risk, he hadn’t truly believed that he would die. Maybe because his life had been at risk a multitude of times, and death didn’t scare him.
What scared him was Siobhan’s fear. Which he felt rolling off her, even now, when she knew they were all safe.
He kissed her, because physical connection was how he showed he cared. He didn’t have the words. He wasn’t like his brother Sean, who always seemed to know what to say. Kane was a man of action, and kissing Siobhan said more than any word he could think of.
And she was still crying. He felt her tears on his cheeks and he sat her down. “Please don’t cry, I can’t—I don’t know what to say.”
“I’m so relieved. I thought—I thought there was no way out of this. That a spontaneous decision nine years ago took you from me today. I love you so much. I can’t—I don’t want to think about losing you. And today—I just—I just—”
“Shh. Why talk? You should never feel guilty for doing the right thing. And Hestia reached out to you because you gave her hope, something she hadn’t had for years. I don’t blame you, and you damn well better not blame yourself. This was all on Juarez, don’t forget it.” He paused. “I talked to Jack right before I walked in. Juarez is dead. He pulled a gun on SWAT and he went down. It’s over.”
“Oh, thank God. And that poor little boy?”
“They’re taking him home to his mother right now.”
He kissed her again, even though his face hurt. Hell, his whole body ached.
He forced her to look at him, smiled, though it felt like he was scowling. That hurt, too. “One more thing, Red. No secrets. You should have told me about Hestia—Hazel—whatever her name is. I would have handled security if you really wanted to see her.”
“No more secrets.” This time, she kissed him. “We were supposed to get married today.”
“At two. We can do it.”
She stared at him and shook her head. For a minute Kane thought she was calling it off.
“Tomorrow. At sunset. I already talked to Padre. You need to sleep, you need to eat, and I need—I need my heart to slow down
.”
“Tomorrow. I’m holding you to that.”
* * *
An hour later, Lucy walked into the house. The FBI agents had left, Andie was in the bunkhouse sleeping, and Kane and Siobhan hadn’t emerged from their room. Sean sat there knowing Lucy was okay, but desperately needing to touch her.
She and Jack had taken Bobby back to his mother. Bobby hadn’t wanted to let go of Lucy, and Lucy couldn’t bear to put him in the back of a police car for the ride to Santa Maria. They’d talked, but Sean had to wait an hour to see the woman he loved.
At least he’d had time to shower and put on clean clothes. He threw his clothes away—they still smelled like mold from the trailer he’d been held in.
She looked exhausted. Sean got up, ignored his sore muscles and the pain in his head, and hugged her.
She hugged him back tightly, then maneuvered him to sit down on the couch. “I know now that you were in the truck that crashed. You have a concussion.”
“Mild.”
“You’re in pain.”
“Just sore.”
She stared at him. “Sean, this was a close one.”
He didn’t have an answer to that, because there were a few minutes back there at the barn where he didn’t see a way out.
“I love you, Lucy. God, I love you.”
She put her head on his shoulder and a minute later, she was asleep.
Sean kissed her head and closed his eyes.
Yes, it was too close.
Chapter Seventeen
Padre never married anyone on Sundays, but today he made an exception.
It was late, at sunset, an absolutely gorgeous evening for the last day of the year.
Kane said he didn’t need anything official. That he was tired and just wanted to have some peace and quiet with the woman he loved.
Padre simply looked at him, and he was silent.
Because this—this sacrament, this promise, whatever they called it—was important to the woman he loved. Siobhan would happily share his home and bed for the rest of their lives, but for her he would make the final commitment. For her, he would declare in front of his friends and family—and the God Siobhan firmly believed in—that he would be by her side now and forevermore.
And maybe he had a little more faith today than he’d had for the first forty-five years of his life. Maybe today be believed in miracles. Because even luck and training and police work couldn’t explain everything yesterday. Even the heaven and earth Lucy had moved wouldn’t have found them in time. It was a combination of so many different factors. Lucy’s investigation, Padre’s faith and intuition, Sean’s escape and recapture, and Hestia—Hazel—taking the call at the right moment for them to act in unison—when no one knew that the other pieces were in place.
No Way Out Page 12