by Terri Reed
Chase, on the other hand, was grateful for the Delaneys’ help and their safeguards. Anything to keep Ashley safe. And he refused to analyze why she’d become so important to him.
Today would be a big one for Ashley. Right now the Los Angeles district attorney was waiting at the Bristle Township courthouse. And the sheriff had nudged the US Marshals Service to hasten their timeframe for when they would secure Ashley into the WITSEC program. It was all coming together. So why did Chase’s heart sag heavily with something akin to sadness?
As they neared town, the chime of a cell phone rang loud inside the cab. Nick pushed a button on the steering wheel and connected via Bluetooth to the call. “Nick Delaney here.”
“Mr. Delaney, this is Sheriff Ryder.”
“Hello, Sheriff. I have you on speakerphone with Kaitlyn, Chase and Ashley. We’re almost at the courthouse.”
“I need you to step on it. I need them at the station right away.”
Something in the sheriff’s tone sent alarm bells ringing inside Chase’s chest. “What’s up, boss?”
“We have a situation. I need all of you here. Now.” The call ended.
A fist of dread slammed into Chase’s gut. What was going on? Was there a problem with the LA district attorney coming to town?
“Well, that was mysterious,” Nick said as he maneuvered his way through town and to the end of the main street where the Sheriff’s Department sat. The two-story brick building had been repaired and enlarged thanks to the Delaney family after last year’s blaze. More specifically, Ian Delaney. The man had expressed his remorse that his father’s treasure hunt had fueled the arsonist.
“Pull around back,” Kaitlyn instructed.
“As you wish.” Nick drove down the side alley into the back parking lot and halted next to one of the official sheriff department vehicles. They piled out and hurried inside.
Chase’s throat closed up as his mind registered that the sheriff and Daniel were dressed in tactical gear. Daniel, a former marine recon sniper, held a Barrett M95 manual bolt-action sniper rifle at his side.
Tension bunched Chase’s shoulder muscles, but he didn’t say anything, waiting for an explanation. Whatever was happening had to be serious. They didn’t normally bring out the specialized equipment unless something bad was going down. A band around his chest tightened with anxiety.
Sheriff Ryder pointed to the two chairs off to the side. “Miss Willis and Mr. Delaney, take a seat.” There was no arguing with the command. Ashley and Nick settled on the chairs.
“What’s going on?” Kaitlyn asked with a frown. She bounced on her toes, a habit that Chase had noticed when his fellow deputy grew anxious.
Before the sheriff could answer, Alex stepped out from another room, also decked out in full body armor complete with riot helmet and two sidearms strapped to each thigh. His grim nod strained Chase’s nerves.
“Kaitlyn, we need you to stay here and guard our witness,” the sheriff said.
“Against what?” Chase reflexively demanded. He couldn’t take not knowing what sort of situation required full-scale assault equipment in their small town. But he had a dreadful foreboding in the pit of his stomach that this had something to do with Maksim Sokolov and Ashley.
The sheriff shifted his attention to Alex and gave a nod.
The empathy in Alex’s eyes slammed into Chase. “Lucinda has been taken hostage.”
The bottom of Chase’s world fell away.
* * *
“Oh, no.” Ashley’s heart sank. She jumped up from the chair and rushed to Chase’s side, gripping his arm. “She’s in danger because of me.”
Alex nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. They are demanding we trade you for her.”
Stomach knotting with horror, Ashley stared at Chase. His jaw worked but no words came out. Lucinda was his family. Like a mother to him. The only person he was close to. He had to be devastated. Ashley’s chest ached.
“You have to do it,” she said despite the terror flooding her veins. “Trade me.”
Chase’s gaze whipped to meet hers. The dark blue of his eyes turned stormy. “No! Never. Not going to happen. Lucinda wouldn’t want that to happen.”
“But Chase—” Didn’t he understand? She’d do whatever was necessary to ensure Lucinda was released unharmed.
He gave a sharp shake of his head and abruptly turned from her. The dismissal cut deep.
“Where is she?” Chase asked the sheriff.
“She called from her cell phone and Hannah traced the call back to your place,” Alex supplied.
For a second Chase was silent, then he nodded. “Okay. We can work with that. Let me gear up.” He sprinted out of the room without waiting for permission.
Ashley sank back onto the chair. Fear for Lucinda drained her of oxygen. Her lungs contracted painfully, and panic fluttered in her chest. Ashley remembered what it was like when the man posing as the detective had been about to throw her off the cliff. She hated to think Lucinda was experiencing the same terror. If those men hurt Lucinda, Ashley would never forgive herself.
When Chase returned, he was dressed in a similar fashion as the other deputies. A shudder of alarm worked over her limbs. They were expecting the situation to turn deadly. Why else would they be wearing such intimidating outfits? Nausea roiled through her stomach.
Chase headed for the door. “Let’s roll.”
“Wait!” Ashley scrambled from her chair. “Take me with you. If worse comes to worst, you trade me. We might as well get this over with. Gregor died for me. I can’t let Lucinda pay the ultimate price, too.”
Skidding to a halt, Chase whirled to face her. The anger on his handsome face should have scared her but it only made her want to weep with despair.
Chase’s voice was hard and unyielding. “No one is going to die at the hands of these thugs. We will rescue Lucinda. You need to remain here.”
Aggravated with a potent mix of terror and anguish, she shook her head. He couldn’t make that kind of promise. “I can’t let them hurt someone else.”
She had to do the hard thing and sacrifice her life to save another life. She would not let Lucinda pay the price for her. She bolted for the door. Kaitlyn blocked her path, hands raised.
“Ashley, no.”
“But you can use me to draw them out,” Ashley argued.
“That won’t be necessary,” Chase said. A muscle ticked in his jaw. He shook his head and trained his focus on his boss. “There’s a root cellar in the basement that has an opening about ten yards from the house. I doubt these LA henchmen of Sokolov’s would even know to look for it.”
“We can split up,” the sheriff said. “Daniel and I will work from the front of the house while you and Alex go through the back access point.”
“What about me?” Kaitlyn asked.
Before the sheriff could respond, Nick stood. “I can keep Ashley safe inside the Humvee.”
Kaitlyn turned to him, her expression startled as if she’d forgotten he was there. “You’re not a part of this.”
He stepped past her to address the sheriff. “I am a part of this community. I can help.” He turned to Kaitlyn. “Ian is not the only one with skills. Plus, Ashley will be safest in my vehicle. Being armored and all.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Alex interjected. “We may need all hands on deck here.”
“Gear up, Kaitlyn,” the sheriff said, apparently agreeing with Alex. “We’ll get the car ready.”
Ashley recognized the way Chase’s jaw clenched. He wasn’t happy with the decision, but the longer they debated, the more likelihood that Lucinda would end up hurt.
Heart pounding in her chest, Ashley hurried out to the Humvee and slid in the back. Chase left with Alex in a separate vehicle. A few moments later, the sheriff drove away with Daniel and Kaitlyn. Nick pulled in behind them and followed them t
hrough town toward Chase’s house.
Ashley sent a desperate plea heavenward. Lord, please don’t let anything happen to Lucinda. I couldn’t take it if she died when I could’ve done something to save her. Losing Gregor had been awful, but Lucinda would be worse because of what it would do to Chase.
* * *
Chase parked a few blocks away from his house. His heart hammering in his chest and a prayer on his lips for Lucinda’s safety, he and Alex hoofed it through Chase’s neighbors’ backyard to the fence separating the properties. Through the earpiece jammed in his ear, he heard the sheriff trying to negotiate Lucinda’s release. Thankfully his boss was keeping the men holding Chase’s former nanny hostage busy. Chase and Alex had a better chance of gaining access to the house unseen.
In the shadow of a full maple tree, Chase slipped over the fence and dropped down next to the tree’s trunk. Alex joined him a moment later.
Daniel’s voice came through the earpiece. “We have two suspects. I have a clean shot.”
“No,” Chase quickly replied, knowing Daniel could only take out one at a time, which would give the remaining one an opportunity to hurt Lucinda. “We can’t take the chance with her life on the line.”
“Let us get inside and neutralize them both,” Alex said softly into his own headset.
Chase gave his superior a grateful nod.
“Copy,” Daniel said.
Lifting a scope to his eye, Chase surveyed the back of the house. He didn’t see anyone at the windows or any movement within. What were these goons thinking? What was their plan? How did they intend to escape once they completed their goal of eliminating the threat to Sokolov?
A horrifying thought flittered through his brain and made sweat break out on his neck. Was this a suicide mission? Did they plan to take Ashley out along with themselves and anyone else who got in the way? Could anyone be that loyal to a crime boss? Then again, it probably wasn’t loyalty that motivated them, but fear. They likely had families of their own they were protecting.
“We need to be alert for explosives,” Chase murmured into his headset.
Alex tapped him on the shoulder once to indicate he heard.
The sheriff’s voice came through the earpiece. “Take care. Godspeed.”
Chase lifted another prayer for guidance, then motioned for Alex to follow him. In a low crouch, they moved along the fence line until they were close to the place where the root cellar doors were visible. With another hand gesture, Chase indicated the entrance. Alex tapped his shoulder again one time in acknowledgment.
In tandem, they quickly moved from the fence, across the yard to the metal door. There was a combination lock that Chase quickly undid. He lifted one half of the door and Alex slipped inside the dark root cellar with his weapon at the ready.
Chase quickly followed, easing the door back into place as quietly as possible. The clank of the metal latch settling into place reverberated through him and ratcheted up his tension.
Sudden light from Alex’s flashlight dispelled the total blackness and revealed the rows of canned goods, baskets of vegetables and the incline ramp Chase had built for Lucinda, which led into the basement via a wooden door.
Calming his breathing, Chase retook the lead and opened the basement door. He swept the large space, determining it was clear, before stepping inside with Alex on his six. Another homemade ramp would take them into the kitchen. He and Alex positioned themselves on either side of the door, preparing to breach the house, when Chase heard Ashley’s voice in his head. Or rather his headset.
“Sheriff, tell them to send Lucinda out and I’ll go in.”
Ashley’s raised voice sent fear sliding through Chase. “No,” he ground out as softly as he could, but loud enough for the sheriff to hear.
“Miss Willis, you are to stay back.” Frustration vibrated through the sheriff’s voice. “I will put you in handcuffs if I have to.”
Forcing himself to stay focused on the job at hand and not on Ashley’s stubborn refusal to keep herself safe, Chase turned the knob and slowly opened the door. Alex moved past him, turning to the left while Chase entered to the right. The kitchen was clear.
From the other side of the wall separating the kitchen from the living room, Chase heard Lucinda’s soothing tone.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Lucinda asked. “Why ruin your lives when you don’t even know why you’re here?”
Chase had to smile. Leave it to Lucinda to pull out the men’s story.
“Listen, lady, the boss gave us a job to do and we have to do it or—” The man’s voice shook with agitation and sounded familiar to Chase.
“Shut up!” a second man barked out the command.
This man’s voice also rang a bell. These were the same thugs who had found them at the cabin.
Where was the third man? Probably watching the sheriff’s station.
Alex and Chase stacked up at the edge of the wall. With a quick tap on the shoulder from Alex, Chase and Alex stormed into the living room, Chase going to the left and Alex to the right. Two men stood on either side of the front plate glass window. The one on the left held a semiautomatic pistol while the other had a Glock, similar to what Chase used, tucked into his waistband. Lucinda was in her wheelchair in the middle of the living room.
“Hands in the air,” Chase yelled.
“Drop your weapons,” Alex shouted.
Surprise marched across both men’s faces. The man closest to Alex held his hands up. Alex rushed forward and disarmed the man and cuffed him.
Chase advanced on the other guy holding a weapon. “Set it on the ground.”
Slowly, the man complied, putting the pistol on the rug at his feet.
Chase rushed forward and kicked the gun aside. “Turn around.”
For a moment the guy hesitated, then finally turned. Chase holstered his weapon and took out his cuffs, slapping them around the guy’s wrists. Once he had the man secured, Chase knelt beside Lucinda, visibly searching for signs of abuse. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
“I’m not hurt,” she replied.
Hanging his head with overwhelming relief, Chase sent up praise to God for the blessing.
“Suspects secure,” Alex said into his headset.
“Chase.” The urgency in Lucinda’s tone brought Chase’s gaze up.
“There’s another one. In the—”
A loud crash reverberated through the house.
“What in the world?” Alex exclaimed.
A black SUV broke through the garage door and shot out onto the street, tires squealing.
Through the front window, Chase watched the sheriff jump out of the way as the SUV sped onto the street, barely missing the sheriff’s vehicle. Then a streak of green roared past. Nick Delaney’s Humvee rammed into the getaway vehicle, sending the Escalade sliding into a telephone pole. A flash of blond hair in the back seat sent Chase’s stomach plummeting. Ashley was in the Humvee.
Both automobiles came to an abrupt halt.
Fear galvanized Chase into action. “You got these two?”
“Yes,” Alex replied. “Go.”
Running out the front door, Chase couldn’t help the litany of words streaming from his mouth. “Please, Lord, don’t let her be hurt.” Chase couldn’t bear the thought he’d let Ashley down...again.
ELEVEN
As Nick rammed his vehicle into the escaping black SUV, the inside of the Humvee rattled from the vibration of the impact and shuddered through Ashley. The echo of metal colliding, twisting and bending as the two vehicles locked in a forceful battle rang in her ears.
Thankfully, the seat belt strap pulled tight, locking her in place in the middle of the back seat. She would probably have a bruise from the wide piece of heavy fabric, but that was such a minor thing, considering all she’d been through in the past few days. Her mus
cles already protested after bracing herself for the crash and made any movement painful as she shifted on the seat, trying to see out the front window.
Now that the black SUV was pushed up against a telephone pole, metal falling off it and steam rising from the engine, the rush of adrenaline ebbed but did little to ease the flutters in her tummy or slow her heart rate.
From what Ashley could discern, the Humvee had sustained minimal damage.
In the front seat Nick fought with the air bag, pushing it out of the way. Then he unclipped his seat belt and turned around to face her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m good. What about you? Did the air bag hurt you?”
He grinned, his dark eyes dancing. “Nope. You were right to have me push the front seat back as far as it would go. The air bag barely touched me when it deployed. And the seat belt kept me from flying out the window.” He touched his chest. “I’ll be sore, but it was worth it.”
“We got him!” Jubilantly, she held up her hand for a high five and winced with the movement. Her whole body contracted and protested. She needed more pain relievers and some ice packs.
Nick slapped his hand against hers. “It was quick thinking on your part.”
She dismissed his praise with a smile. When she’d seen that SUV smash through Chase’s garage door and zoom past the sheriff, clearly intending to escape, all she could think about was stopping the men inside. And the only way to do that was for Nick to hit the gas and ram into the other vehicle.
Just then the door to the back passenger seat opened with a jerk and Chase ducked his head inside, his wide-eyed gaze frightened. “Ashley! Are you hurt?”
She unbuckled the seat belt and slid carefully toward him along the bench seat. “I’m fine. We’re fine. But we got them.”
“Him,” Chase corrected. “There was only one person in the vehicle.”
Through the front windshield, Ashley watched Daniel checking on the occupant of the SUV. A distant siren heralded the approaching ambulance.