Mountain Man''s Secret Baby (Mountain Men of Liberty)

by K. C. Crowne

  I tried to hear Mason’s side but could only get bits and pieces. Not enough information to know what was going on, but from the look on Graham’s face, it wasn’t good. He listened intently for a few moments.

  “You’re right. Get out of there. Get everyone to safety, and we’ll meet up and formulate a plan.”

  Again, I asked, “What happened?”

  “I need to talk to Jack, Mason. I need to tell him what’s going on. Keep me in the loop,” Graham said. He hung up the phone and let out a deep sigh. He ran his hand over his face. I swear I saw tears in his eyes.

  “They—they got Owen,” Graham said.

  My heart stopped. It felt like the entire world crumbled around me. “No, no, you said they were safe.”

  “Apparently, someone managed to climb up to the fourth-floor balcony and broke in.” He looked at me. “I’m really sorry Jack.”

  “No, no, no.” I clenched my eyes shut; my jaw was tight and firm. My fists balled in my lap. I wanted to punch something, anything. But it wouldn’t bring my son back.

  “You should call Cassie. She’s not doing well,” Graham said. “She could really use your voice right now, Jack.”

  I nodded. Pull yourself together, Jack. If you think you’re hurting, imagine what she’s going through. Imagine the pain and heartache she must be feeling.

  “We’re going to get him back,” Graham said.

  I scowled at him, my rage burning. “You also said you’d protect them.”

  “I know, man. I know,” he said, sorrow in his tone. “But we won’t fuck up again.”

  He handed me his phone. I dialed Cassie’s number, and she picked up on the second ring.

  “Graham?” I could hear the tears in her voice, and it broke me. Nothing had ever broken me than the way her voice sounded at that moment.

  “No, it’s me,” I said, my voice barely coming out at all.

  “Jack? Oh Jack—” Now she was sobbing. Full out sobbing. “Are you okay? You’re with Graham. You must be safe, right?”

  “I’m safe,” I said. I knew this wasn’t the end of anything, as I’d hoped. It was only the beginning, and things were even worse than before.

  “Jack, Owen…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.

  “I know, Graham spoke to Mason,” I said. I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly before adding, “But I promise you, we will get him back. I will do anything to get him back, Cassie. Anything. They want me, not Owen. I just need to make sure to give them what they want.”

  I couldn’t even look at Graham. Maybe they would have gone after Owen regardless, but I doubted it. If they’d gotten me, Owen would be safe right now. Graham was trying to save me, but his heroics could have cost us our son, and it would take a very long time for me to forgive him.

  Graham had started driving. I had no idea where we were headed, or what our next moves would be. All I knew was that no matter what, I would get Owen back.

  There was no other option.

  I knew that if I didn’t, it would kill Cassie. And it would kill me too.

  “Stay safe, Cassie. I need to talk to Graham to figure out the next steps, but I love you. I need you to stay safe while we try to figure this out.”

  I heard a gasp on the other end of the line. “I love you too, Jack. Let’s get our baby boy back.”

  We hung up the phone, and I turned to Graham. “What are we doing to get Owen back?”

  “We’re going to wait for Hank to call. Because he will call. He will have demands. He’s not gonna kill a baby - it would do no good. He’ll use the child as leverage to get to you. Once we hear from him, we’ll figure out a plan to get him back.”

  “What if he doesn’t call?”

  “He will call, Jack. You and I are too dangerous to him. He’ll call, trust me.”

  It made sense, it really did. But I didn’t like leaving the ball in Hank’s court. I wanted to be proactive, to do something – to rush in and save my son as quickly as possible.

  But Graham was right. We had no idea where to look.

  “What are we gonna do while we wait?” I asked.

  “Cassie and the others are being moved. Once I know where they’re headed, we’ll meet up with them. Safety in numbers.”

  “I’m not worried about what happens to me,” I muttered.

  “I know, Jack. But there are people who do care what happens to you. We’re gonna get everyone out of this alive.”

  The phone in my pocket buzzed, and Graham looked at me. We both had a good idea who would be calling. The number was blocked, of course, which was all the answer I needed.

  I answered it, putting him on speakerphone so Graham could hear him as well. Before I said anything, Hank’s voice came through the other end of the line. “Things are about to get real here, Jack. Really fast.”

  “Let the baby go,” I said through gritted teeth. “Let him go, and then we can talk. He did nothing - I’m the one you want.”

  “Yes, you are, but you continue to fuck this up, and now it’s gonna take more than just handing yourself over to protect your family.”

  “What do you want? I’ll do anything.”

  “It’s not just about you anymore,” he mused. “Others know about me. Others are involved. They need to be taken care of as well.”

  I looked at Graham. He kept his eyes on the road, but he was listening. He didn’t react to Hank’s request. His face remained stone cold and unflinching.

  “You want both of us?”

  “Not just the two of you, no. All five of you. You’re all too close, and I obviously can’t trust you,” he said, sounding satisfied. “So, until everyone is out of the picture, I can’t let the boy go.”

  Graham responded before I could. “We’ll be there. Give us a time and a place, and we’ll be there.”

  I was speechless. Graham had just offered up himself and all of his brothers in order to save my son. I knew he was one cocky son of a bitch. He seemed to think no matter what, we would come out ahead. But there were no guarantees. None whatsoever.

  “I’ll call back with more details soon,” Hank said.

  “Wait!” I exclaimed. “I need to see him. I need to know he’s okay before we agree to anything.”

  “I’ll send a video as soon as we get off the phone.”

  The line went dead.

  I held the phone in my hand, waiting for the message. I needed to see Owen. I needed to know my son was still alive, and that he wasn’t hurt. A few minutes later, I got the notification. I opened the video and instantly, a lump formed in my throat.

  Owen was in what appeared to be a bed. He was awake, fussing. His cries ripped a hole in my heart. He was so tiny and fragile, and likely so scared. He had no idea what was happening to him. I choked up as a voice off-screen said, “Is that enough proof for you, Jack?”

  He was alive and unharmed. And I would do anything to make sure he stayed that way.

  Cassie

  As soon as the hotel door opened and Jack entered, I ran to him. He wrapped those strong arms around me and held me close. Our lips met, and I wasn’t sure if it was only my tears or his mixed with mine. I was shaking, but thankfully he was there to hold me up, to keep me on my feet.

  “Have you heard anything?” I choked out.

  “We did. He called. We’re still waiting on more information, but we’ll formulate a plan once we know where to go,” Jack said quietly.

  He rested his forehead against mine and stared into my eyes. “What does he want?” I asked. My heart hadn’t stopped aching since Owen was taken. It had only been a few hours, but it felt like years had passed. I felt like I had missed so much of my son’s life, and I wasn’t about to miss anymore.

  “We’ll talk about that with the others,” Jack said, and I knew it wasn’t good news. “But for now, just let me hold you.”

  I rested my head against his chest, the sound of his heartbeat and breath calming me slightly. Jack was here. He was alive. And I trusted him to brin
g back our son.

  “Owen’s alive,” Jack said, relieving some my deepest fears. “He sent a video to verify.”

  I pulled back. “I need to see it.”

  Jack nodded and reached for his phone. He pulled up the video, and I covered my mouth to stifle the sobs as I watched my sweet boy fussing. He was surrounded by strangers, men who had no idea how to care for a baby - who probably couldn’t care less whether he lived or died. He was still so little, so he couldn’t comprehend what was happening. He wouldn’t be able to remember any of it, but the fact that he was scared broke my heart even more.

  “He’s alive,” Jack reminded me. “He’s gonna be okay.”

  I nodded again, wiping the tears from my eyes. He was scared, but we would get him out of this.

  Graham and the guys were talking in hushed tones. I turned toward them, wanting to know more about the plan. How were they going to get my son back? No, scratch that. How were we going to get my son back? Because I wasn’t going to sit back and put all my trust in others. I was going to be part of this.

  Teddy had joined the group, talking in whispers.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, raising my voice loud enough for them to hear me. “I need to know what we’re doing.”

  Graham glanced at me, pain in his eyes. He felt terrible. I could see it in his face. But feeling bad about this wasn’t good enough for me. We needed to act, and we needed to act fast.

  Graham and Jack shared a look.

  “I’m going to be part of this,” I said. “So, I need to know what’s going on.”

  Jack took my hands in his, giving them a firm squeeze. I turned to him, staring into his eyes. “They want me and the other guys to turn ourselves over,” he said. “Then, they’ll release Owen.”

  My knees felt like jelly. “You’re going to hand yourself over to him again, Jack? There has to be a better way—”

  Jack placed his fingers against my lips. “The guys and I are working on a plan. If it goes well, everyone will make it out alive.”

  “And if it doesn’t?”

  No one answered my question. They didn’t have a chance to.

  Jack’s phone rang, and the sound cut through the silence, nearly deafening us all.

  “It’s go time,” Jack said, answering the call.

  I stepped closer to him, holding onto his arm as a man’s voice came through over the speakerphone. “I will send you coordinates in a few moments, Jack. I want you and the four other men to be there. This is your last chance to make this right.”

  Jack looked at Graham and spoke. “Who will get Owen and make sure he’s safe? I won’t agree to anything until we have a plan in place for him to get to safety.”

  “Your girlfriend will be the only person who can come with you,” the man said. “We will hand the child to her, allow her to leave, and then you’ll turn yourselves over to us. No weapons. No more games. Or we will kill everyone you have ever loved before we finally get you, Jack.”

  His words sent a chill through my body. How anyone could harm a baby was beyond me, I didn’t understand it. We were dealing with someone truly evil and sadistic, and I didn’t trust him one little bit.

  “Is that clear, Jack?”

  Graham nodded his head.

  “Yes, it’s clear. We’ll be there.”

  “Good. I look forward to the exchange.”

  The line went dead.

  No one in the room so much as breathed for a solid minute. But as soon as Jack put his phone away, Graham went to work.

  “Teddy, can you get access to wires?”

  “Of course I can, but it might require me talking to some people in the department,” he told us. “They’re gonna ask what I’m using them for.”

  Graham nodded. “Do you have folks you trust in the department?”

  “I do.”

  “Reach out to them. But tell them to keep this under wraps. Do you think they’ll do that?”

  Teddy pondered for a moment but nodded. “I think there’s a few of them that trust me enough to do what needs to be done, yes.”

  “Good. We can use all the help we can get,” Graham said. Even though he sounded confident, the words themselves filled me with dread.

  Jack’s phone buzzed again. “Got the details. The address is two hours from here, and he’s giving us three hours to get there.”

  “We better get moving then,” Graham said. “We only have an hour.”

  Jack pulled me aside. The place was filled with people, well beyond capacity, but he took me into the tiny, cramped bathroom and shut the door.

  “I know he said you could come, Cassie, but—”

  “No buts, Jack. He said he’d hand me our son. I’m going.”

  “Cassie, I can’t lose you.”

  “And I can’t lose Owen. I’m doing this, Jack. I have to. We have to do everything he says if we want to get our son back.”

  Jack closed his eyes and leaned forward. We rested our heads together. I sensed he was on the verge of tears, but he held them back. He was a strong man, but I knew he was struggling as much as I was with all of this.

  We were in this together.

  “I just worry it’s a trap.”

  “It might be, but not doing as he said risks Owen’s life. I’m not willing to do that.” A lump formed in my throat, but I held myself together. For my son’s sake. Nothing would break me as much as losing him. It would literally destroy me.

  So for him, I had to be strong.

  Jack stroked my hair but no longer argued with me. He kissed me and said, “I love you, Cassie. You’re the strongest woman I know.”

  I kept my lips pressed to his for a moment longer before answering. “I love you too, Jack. And no matter what, we’ll be with our son again.”

  We took two vehicles to the meeting location. Theoretically, I would be driving Teddy’s car back with my son. Jack and I rode in the car, with Elijah joining us. Just in case we got ambushed, I supposed.

  The ride was mostly quiet. I couldn’t bring myself to talk about anything but Owen’s rescue, and we’d already been over the plan countless times already. I stared out the window at the passing landscape, counting down the minutes until I would be reunited with my son.

  I was emotionally exhausted but too anxious to sleep. I wished I could sleep. At least the time wouldn’t move so slowly if I could take a nap. But every time my eyes closed, I saw the image of the masked man dropping from the patio with my baby in his arms.

  Jack reached over from the driver’s side and held my hand, squeezing it as if he could read my mind. I’m sure he had a lot of the same thoughts and fears. We were in this together, and I knew he loved Owen as much as I did.

  I also knew we would both do whatever it took to save him. If we failed, well, it was over for us too, surely. That would mean things would be too bad, and there would be no escape. But that part scared me the least out of all this. Because leaving the location without my son was scarier than anything those men could do to me.

  I understood exactly why Jack had tried to sacrifice himself for us. I would gladly do the same if it meant Owen could grow up healthy and happy.

  “We’re almost there,” Elijah said from the back seat. “Make a left here on this dirt road and drive to the end of it.”

  Jack didn’t even make a sound to acknowledge Elijah’s words. He simply followed the directions to a tee.

  The trees overhanging the road blocked out all the sunlight. It was a cloudy day, so it felt almost like dusk even though I had no idea what time of day it was. I wasn’t looking at clocks; I didn’t want to know how much time had passed. How long Owen had been in the clutches of evil. I couldn’t tell you what time it was or how long we’d been on the road without looking at the GPS. It had felt like an eternity since I lost my son, and each passing minute felt like a year or more.

  The wheels of the car hit the gravel, and Jack slowed down as the road narrowed. Graham and the others were in the truck following us. I glanced back
to make sure they were still there, and they’d made the turn with us.

  There had been very little traffic on the road leading here. The last town was miles and miles away. We were practically in the middle of nowhere, which was easy to do in many of these mountainous areas.

  I longed for the familiarity of Liberty. I kept imagining what life would be like when it got back to normal - if it ever got back to normal. I pictured taking Owen out for breakfast at Felicity’s diner before heading to the park across the street. In my ideal world, Jack would be by my side. Maybe we would have another child at some point - a little brother or sister for Owen.

  All of that felt so far away, though. We drove down the unfamiliar road, and I was forced to face the reality of the situation. We might never get to have that experience in Liberty. I might never be back in Liberty again.

  Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them away. I had to keep reminding myself to hold it together. For Owen’s sake, I told myself.

  The road ended abruptly. The only thing in front of us were trees as far as I could tell.

  Elijah read from the directions we were given. “There’s a building about half a mile from the road. We're going there.”

  I removed my seat belt with a sigh.

  Jack looked at me. “Are you sure you want to do this? We have backup. They can make sure Owen is safe, and you can drive away right now.”

  “You’re delusional if you think I’m not going with you. I’m getting my son,” I said defiantly.

  I knew that look on Jack’s face. He understood it was a lost cause to continue arguing with me. It would be a waste of time - and we had very little of that left. Preparing for the trip took longer than we’d thought. We were in a bit of a time crunch, and the clock was ticking down.

  The three of us got out of the car, and I stood there for a moment, waiting for the others to park behind us. I stared into the woods. My son was out there, in a building somewhere, and I was going to hold him again. I would have him in my arms shortly.

  Graham and Samuel took the lead, while Jack and I walked side-by-side behind them. He held onto my hand as we walked, and even though he was holding it together, I knew he was scared. Not for himself. No, neither one of us was scared for ourselves. But there was more at stake than just our lives now.