Protecting Her Daughter

At the front door, he paused, placed a hand on the knob and twisted slowly. Nothing happened, so he cracked it enough to see inside. The foyer, the living area to the left, dining to the right. The den was straight ahead. He slipped inside and shut the door behind him.

He listened, ear tuned to the slightest sound, muscles bunched and ready to act. Sounded like Jed was on the phone. He glanced out the window and thought he saw a vehicle down the drive. Cody coming back?

Heart racing, he moved until he could see Lance still on the couch with Zoe. Sophia sat between them. He caught Lance’s eye. Lance blinked but made no other indication that he’d seen Aaron.

“Fine. I’ll take care of it. I’ll deliver them both tonight. And you’d better have the rest of my money.”

Aaron raised the gun.

Lance shifted. “Hey, when are we going to get something to eat? Sophia needs some food even if you’re not going to feed the rest of us.”

Jed stepped into view, the back of his head toward Aaron. He pointed to Zoe. “Go fix something.”

Zoe moved to stand when Aaron stepped up behind Jed and placed his gun against the man’s head. “Move and you die.” The man froze. “Put the weapon on the counter.” Jed did. With his free hand, Aaron took the gun and held it. He nodded to Zoe. “Cut Lance loose.”

She raced into the kitchen and came back with a knife. She cut the tape and Lance stood. Jed twitched like he wanted to try something. Aaron pressed the gun harder. “Don’t.” The man stilled.

“Hey, Jed, Pete? I got the part,” Cody called as the back door slammed behind him.

FOUR

Zoe froze, but didn’t have time to stand there for long. Jed started to call out, but Lance’s fist shot out and caught him in the jaw. Aaron brought the gun down on the back of his head for good measure and the man crumpled to the floor. Lance took the gun from Aaron. “Get them out of here. I’ll deal with Cody.”

But Cody appeared in the small hallway between the kitchen and the den before Lance could get there. Cody stood for a brief moment, his jaw swinging as he took in the scene, but Zoe didn’t stop in her rush to get Sophia out of the house. She reached the large bookcase next to the front door and pulled Sophia next to it praying it was out of the line of fire. She could feel her child’s body trembling, but she never made a sound.

“Hey!” She saw Cody’s hand lift, the gun aimed at Lance. Lance dropped and rolled in front of the counter and out of sight. Aaron fired his weapon and she saw Cody spin into the wall then hit the floor. Zoe moved away from the bookcase and toward the door, pulling Sophia with her. She looked back to see Cody roll and bring his weapon up again, firing even as Lance aimed at him and pulled the trigger. She dropped to the floor covering Sophia’s body with hers. The loud cracks made her ears ring.

“I’m going to kill you! All of you! I don’t care about the money anymore, you’re all dead!” Pete’s bellow came from the kitchen somewhere behind Cody. She heard the door slam once again. Lance leveled his weapon toward the kitchen and fired back. She wanted to get Sophia out, but was afraid to move. Afraid it would be the wrong direction and one of them would catch a bullet. She heard a curse and saw Jed move, shake his head then sit up.

Then Aaron was beside her grabbing Sophia from her and pushing her toward the door. “Go, go, go.”

Zoe, Aaron and Sophia raced through the front door. Aaron snagged Sophia’s heavy coat as he passed it. Bullets pelted the doorframe, and Sophia screamed. Zoe just followed expecting to feel the slam of a bullet at any moment. Lance was backing out behind them, firing back, keeping the three men at bay.

“Head for the trees!” Aaron urged her. “Don’t look back, just run. I’ve got Sophia.”

“Go!” Lance hollered as he whipped around and fired his gun once again. She heard a harsh scream from one of their pursuers but didn’t turn. Five more steps and they’d be in the shelter of the trees. The house had been built with a plan to utilize the wooded area for shade during the summer months. Even stripped of most of the leaves, the trees would offer them the most protection. The frigid wind made her flinch, but she couldn’t stop now.

Zoe raced into the thicket and turned to find Aaron carrying Sophia in his arms. Lance brought up the rear. He continued to look over his shoulder as they ran. “They’re still coming.”

“At least they’re not shooting,” she panted.

“I got one of them, I think. The one they called Jed. Just winged him, though.” Lance stayed close. “Keep going. We’re going to follow the tree line all the way around and head up to the store on the hill. Hopefully Michael is there and will have a phone we can use.”

“Won’t they think of that?” Zoe asked.

“Yeah,” Aaron grunted. “I basically told Pete about the place when I was trying to convince him to let my hands free. If we head up there, we’ll just put Michael in danger.”

Zoe kept casting glances at Sophia. “You okay honey?”

“Just scared,” came her small voice.

They kept moving in the direction of the store. “I don’t want to put Michael in danger,” Zoe said. A shot cracked a tree in front of her.

“Run,” Lance ordered.

“Run where?” Aaron grunted, but picked up the pace. “The caves.” He answered his own question.

“Yeah, good idea. The caves,” Lance said. “Go.”

Aaron didn’t hesitate, just made a forty-five degree turn and forged a trail for Zoe to follow. Lance brought up the rear. Aaron sloshed through a shallow creek, and Zoe followed, gasping when the cold water hit her legs, but she didn’t stop. She could get warm later. Prayers winged heavenward. Weakness wanted to invade her, and she stumbled. Aaron snagged her elbow with one hand even as he kept a grip on Sophia with his other.

Aaron passed the first cave they came to, skirted around brush and trees then simply disappeared. Zoe skidded to a stop. Lance passed her, grasped her hand and pulled her behind him. When he stopped, she found herself in a cave. And cold. So very cold. She couldn’t feel her feet anymore. Shivers racked her as Lance stayed at the entrance, his weapon ready. Aaron set Sophia on her feet then helped her into her coat. Sophia let him, but when he stepped back, she moved to Zoe and wrapped her arms around her waist. “I’m scared, Mom,” she whispered.

“I am, too, honey, but God’s taking care of us.”

Sophia looked back and forth between Lance and Aaron. “Yes, I think you’re right.”

“Now we just have to find a way to call for help,” Aaron muttered.

Sophia slipped a hand into the front pocket of her jeans and pulled out a cell phone. “Will this help?”

* * *

Aaron stepped up to them, took the phone from Sophia’s small hand and looked at the screen. It had about a half battery life, but only one bar. Once out of the cave, he knew there would be a better signal. “Where did you get this?” he whispered.

“That really mean man you called Pete left it on the end table after he tied up Deputy Lance,” she said, keeping her voice as low as his and pointing to Lance.

“So you snagged it, huh?”

“Yes.” She shrugged. “I was going to try and call 911, but I couldn’t do it without someone seeing me so I was just waiting until I could either do it myself or give one of you guys the phone. But that never happened so I just held on to it.”

Aaron blinked. “Nice job,” he whispered. “Are you sure you’re nine?”

“Pretty sure,” she whispered back and shot him a weak grin.

Zoe lifted a hand to push Sophia’s hair out of her eyes. He noticed the fine tremors racking her and figured she was just as cold as he was.

He punched in the number of the police department and held the phone to his ear on the off chance it would work. The call dropped. He looked at Zoe. “Need a signal.”

She nodded and shivered. “Try a text. Sometimes a text will go through when a call won’t.”

Aaron did. He shrugged. “It says it went, but I don’t know if it did or not. We need to make a call. Lance,” he whispered.

“Yeah?” Lance turned to face him.

Aaron slipped up beside him and handed him the phone. Lance’s eyes went wide. “Thank Sophia,” Aaron said.

Lance blinked then gave a tight smile. “Good going, kid.”

Sophia nodded. “You’re welcome.”

Lance went back to the entrance of the cave, and Sophia snuggled next to her mom. Zoe shuddered and pulled her closer. Zoe hadn’t had a coat on inside the house and she hadn’t had time to grab it before their dash for safety. Now she just had on a sweatshirt over a black turtleneck, and her jeans were soaked to the knees. Aaron shrugged out of his heavy down coat and draped it around her shoulders. She frowned at him. “Thanks, but don’t you need it?”

“I’m fine. I worked up a sweat running with Sophia in my arms.”

She hesitated then nodded. “If you’re sure, I’ll just use it to warm up a bit then give it back.”

“I’ll let you know if I need it.”

Their whispers barely sounded in the darkness. The chill of the cave hit him hard, but he wasn’t going to let her know that. He hoped they wouldn’t be staying put very long anyway. Lance walked back to them. “I think they’ve passed us. I’m going to slip out of the cave and see if I can get a signal.”

Aaron nodded, and Lance again returned to the entrance then disappeared outside. Sophia snuggled in between him and Zoe, and Aaron wrapped his arms around them, pulling them close to share body heat. The cave wall was cold, and the chill seeped through his sweater.

Within seconds, Sophia’s head rolled against his chest and her breathing became even. “She fell asleep,” he whispered in Zoe’s ear.

“Unbelievable. Well, it’s been an ordeal between the attack and the diabetes. She’s feeling the effects.” She froze. “I don’t have her medicine,” she whispered. “I didn’t have time to grab it.”

“In the right-hand pocket of my jacket. I snagged it from the office after I knocked Pete out.”

Zoe let out a low breath. “Thank you so much.” She turned toward him, but shot a glance over her shoulder. “Do you think Lance is all right?”

“I hope so. I don’t think he would have left the cave if he thought the men were still out there. It looks like all three of them managed to survive the shots. I think I winged the one called Cody, but it wasn’t enough to stop him.”

“So it’s still three of them.”

“Looks like it.” He gently shifted Sophia until she rested against Zoe. “Hold her. I’m going to check on him.”

“Be careful,” she whispered. “Oh, you need your coat.”

“I’ll be fine. Stay put.”

He moved before she could voice the protest he saw on her lips.

As he moved to the entrance of the cave, a shot rang out, and Lance dove inside.

* * *

Sophia woke with a jerk, and Zoe held her even as her own heartbeat picked up speed. “Why are they shooting again, Mama?”

“I don’t know, honey, just be brave.”

Lance knelt on the floor and looked back at her then Aaron. “I got a call out, but help’s a good ten minutes away. Even then I’m not sure they’ll be able to pinpoint our location.”

“Even with the cell phone?” Zoe asked.

“Possibly, but the bad guys are heading this way.”

“Were they shooting at you?” Aaron asked.

“They left Pete behind to cover the area where they lost us. Just in case we found a hiding place. Smart,” he murmured then shook his head. “Just as I hung up with dispatch, Pete shot at me. He’s not too far away. We’re going to have to come up with a plan. If the others come back to join him, we’re going to be sitting ducks.”

Zoe sucked in a breath while Sophia tensed.

“Then we’ll have to play a little game of hide-and-seek,” Aaron said.

Lance lifted a brow. “What do you have in mind?”

“You and I are going to leave the cave and pin down where Pete is. Then I’m going to distract him while you sneak around and tackle him.”

Lance grunted. “That sounds great in theory. I don’t know that we should leave Zoe and Sophia in here alone.”

“We’ll be fine,” Zoe said. “We have to do something. A plan of action is better than waiting for them to come shooting.”

Lance slid his gaze to Aaron. “You have a plan to avoid getting shot while distracting him?”

Aaron nodded and removed his hat. “Oldest trick in the book. I just need a stick.”

Zoe stood and stomped her feet trying to get some feeling back into them. Finally they started tingling and then hurting and she just prayed that none of them had permanent frostbite damage. But that was the least of her worries. She’d be happy with all of them getting out alive.

Aaron slipped out of the cave with Lance right behind him. Zoe positioned herself near the entrance so she could see—and help somehow if possible. Aaron wasn’t a police officer, but that didn’t seem to faze him as he prepared to face down a killer.

Ducking low, he searched the ground, and she saw him close his hands around a stick that suited him. Still keeping himself as small a target as possible, he placed the hat on the end of the stick then slowly raised it. Lance, hunched over and cautious, moved into the trees then stopped.

Zoe’s nerves vibrated. Would it work? Would they be able to carry out such a dangerous and risky plan?

* * *

Another crack echoed through the trees and Aaron’s hat flew from the stick.

Aaron hissed when his hat landed on the ground beside him. He picked up the hat in case he needed to use it again and hoped Lance was paying attention to the direction the bullet had come from. He moved a bit up the hill. As far as he could tell the bullet had come in at a downward angle. That meant the shooter was above him. He caught Lance looking at him. Aaron pointed upward.

Lance nodded and started moving. Slowly, quietly. Where were the other men? Why hadn’t they shown yet?

Then he remembered. Sophia had taken Pete’s phone. He didn’t have a way to contact the other two who’d gone ahead of him.

But they’d no doubt heard the shots.

Which meant he and Lance had very little time to take Pete down. Aaron moved carefully, using the trees as shields, doing his best to stay invisible. Just up ahead, he thought he saw movement. But was it Lance or Pete? Or someone else?

He stayed still, feeling his heart pound in his chest. He wasn’t a hunter, but he’d grown up with three brothers and knew his way around a game of hide-and-seek in the woods. Granted, his brothers hadn’t been shooting at him, but still...

More movement. Aaron lifted the hat. Nothing. He moved it to the right, away from his body. A shot sounded. The bullet whizzed by but missed the hat. Then a thud and a yell. Aaron moved faster and found Lance on top of Pete wrestling for control of Lance’s weapon. Pete rolled. Lance’s gun flew from his fingers, and Pete dove back into Lance and landed a solid punch on his cheek. Lance howled and struck back. Pete took the hit on his jaw, but Aaron saw him reach back to his ankle. And pull a gun from his ankle holster.

Aaron moved, kicked out. But Pete moved unexpectedly and instead of getting the man’s wrist, Aaron’s boot landed on Pete’s forearm. Pete yelled, but didn’t drop the gun, instead he turned it toward Lance and fired. Only Lance was rolling and the bullet slammed into the ground beside him. Lance rocked to his feet and went head first into Pete’s gut. They both went down, Lance’s hands wrapped around Pete’s wrist, holding the gun away from him. Aaron couldn’t get in a good kick without possibly usurping Lance’s tentative advantage in the fight.

Aaron dove for Lance’s weapon, got it in his hands, pulled the slide to chamber the bullet and spun to find Lance losing his grip on Pete’s wrist. Pete landed a punch to Lance’s midsection, and the deputy lost his hold. Pete lowered the weapon to Lance’s head.

Aaron fired. Once. Twice. Center mass. Pete jerked but didn’t go down. He turned the gun toward Aaron. Before he could pull the trigger, Lance knocked the gun out of his grasp. Aaron snagged it, held both guns on the bleeding, screaming man while Lance rolled him to his stomach and fastened the cuffs around his wrists.

Lance sat back on his heels and swiped at his bleeding face. He looked up at Aaron. “Thanks,” he gasped.

“Yeah.” He stuffed the weapon in the waistband of his jeans. “Yeah.”

The sirens finally reached their ears. Aaron pulled his sweater off, leaving his long-sleeved T-shirt still on. He dropped beside Pete and pressed the material against the man’s wounds. “We have to keep him alive,” Aaron said.

“You work on him. I’m going to keep an eye out for the other two while I get back to the cave to check on Zoe and Sophia. I’ll call Clay to tell him exactly where to come.”

“Good.” He glanced around. “Hopefully, these trees will be enough cover for the time being.”

Aaron felt for a pulse and found it relatively strong. He must have missed anything vital. Relief flowed. As much as he hated what Pete was, he didn’t want to be responsible for the man’s death.

“I don’t know where the other two went, but I’m guessing if they heard the sirens, they took off.”

Aaron nodded. “They might be gone for now—” he looked up and caught Lance’s eye “—but I don’t doubt they’ll be back.”

FIVE

Zoe settled herself in front of the fire Aaron had finished building about thirty minutes ago. Once the authorities had arrived on the scene near the cave, things had gone quickly. They’d been ushered to the local hospital, they’d given their statements, answered a zillion questions, been examined and finally released. Sophia’s sugar levels were slightly elevated, but not enough to admit her. Zoe would keep a close eye on her throughout the night.

Although it was only six o’clock in the evening, it was dark outside, the sun setting early this time of year. She stared at the dancing flames and considered the day. One day. Half a day, actually. Not even twelve hours and she felt as though she’d just lived a lifetime. She ran a hand down her cheek and decided it was probably better not to think about it. She knew things could have ended far differently, and the only thing she knew to do was be grateful it had ended the way it had—and try to figure out the why of it all.

Aaron came back into the den, two sodas in his hands. She looked away from the fire as he took the seat on the couch next to her. “It’s over,” he said.

She accepted the offered drink and popped the tab. “No, I don’t think it is.” She met his gaze, thinking how kind his eyes were. Deep blue and filled with an ocean of compassion, caring...and strength. To match the rest of his well-muscled physique. He really was a handsome man. She looked away and took a sip of the sugary drink. She didn’t drink colas often, but tonight she wanted one while she wrestled with the fact that she was attracted to him. Which was the last thing she needed. “And neither do you.” She wasn’t staying in Wrangler’s Corner. Being in the small town was merely a necessity right now. She would be going back to Knoxville and her life as soon as possible.

“No, I don’t.” He took her hand, and she let him in spite of her misgivings. “How’s Sophia?”

“She’s in her room cuddling with her favorite stuffed animal and watching TV, a comedy she’s seen a dozen times, but never seems to tire of.” She gave him a small smile. “She needs something to laugh about. Tickles, the cat, is sleeping at the foot of the bed, too.”

“And she’s all right staying in her room by herself?”

“For now. When it’s time to go to sleep I have a feeling she’ll be keeping me company.” She looked back at the fire. “Have you heard from the hospital?”

“Lance called while I was in the barn with the horses. Pete survived surgery.”

She squeezed his fingers. “I’m glad.”

“You are?”

“Yes. It’s true I’d feel safer if he was dead, but aside from living with the regret that I already see in your eyes, Pete is our only chance to find out why the men are after Sophia. But whatever happens, you shot him to save Lance, Aaron. To save us all. You’re a hero as far as I’m concerned. I imagine Lance feels the same way.”

He flushed and cleared his throat. “I’m no hero, Zoe.”

“Maybe not in your eyes.”

He took a swig of the soda then set the can on the coaster on the coffee table. Then his eyes lifted to the painting above the mantel. “That’s beautiful. Who did that?”

“I did.” She turned to look at the painting she’d done shortly after Sophia’s seventh birthday. “It was a lovely day at the park that afternoon. So peaceful and serene. Sophia was on the swing, and I was pushing her. Trevor took the picture, and I turned it into an oil. It’s one of my favorites. I couldn’t leave it behind when we left Knoxville.”

“Of course not.”

“I was in such a hurry when we left Knoxville that I’m surprised I remembered to grab most of what I needed to continue to work.”

“You’re very talented. Have you been painting all your life?”

“No, just since high school. I started during a very tough time in my life. My parents were going through a pretty messy divorce and I needed an...escape. I found it in painting...and some other not so productive things.” She twisted her fingers together. Now why say that? Because she wanted to confide in him? Trust him? Did her heart know something her mind didn’t? He’d put his life on the line to keep her physically safe, that was true. She wasn’t sure she was ready to trust him emotionally, though. And until she was, she’d better keep comments like that to herself.

“What are you going to do now?” he asked. His question surprised her. She figured he’d push for more information, more details. Moments from her past better forgotten for everyone.

She gave a slight shrug. “I don’t know. I’m thankful there are deputies outside that are willing to stand guard tonight, but they can’t do that every night. I guess I’ll have to run again.”

“Run? Again?”

She blinked. They’d been through so much over the past few hours she’d forgotten he didn’t even know why she was in Wrangler’s Corner. “I’m originally from Knoxville. About a month ago someone tried to kidnap Sophia while she was walking home from school.”

“What?”

She nodded. “We just lived five houses down from the school. It’s a pretty busy street, but she liked to walk so I let her because there was a crossing guard. The day of the incident I was standing on the front porch watching for her. The crossing guard made sure she got across the street, then when she was almost to our house, a gray sedan pulled up beside her and the back door opened. I immediately had a bad feeling and yelled at her to run. Thankfully, Sophia didn’t hesitate. I guess she heard the terror in my scream. The person in the vehicle was already getting out when Sophia took off, but he managed to grab her backpack. She slid out of it and ran as fast as she could toward me. The person drove away. I was so scared I didn’t even think to get a license plate.”

“What did the police say?”

“There were a lot of witnesses and confirmed it was definitely an attempted kidnapping. The police took it very seriously and looked into it. They had officers patrolling the school before and after hours for about a week and it was all over the local news, of course. But when nothing else happened, they decided whoever it was had moved on. They alerted everyone in the area to be on the lookout for the gray sedan, but truly, there are a lot of gray sedans out there. They said it was probably just a random thing and it wouldn’t happen again, but I couldn’t stop looking over my shoulder. I didn’t want to leave Sophia with anyone, didn’t want to take my eyes off her.”

“I can understand that,” he said softly. “So you came here?”

She hesitated. “Yes, but only after someone tried to run me off the road.”

He stilled. “Run you off the road?”

“It was late at night. I’d finally been able to leave Sophia with my sister-in-law, Nina, for a few hours to go to a Bible study. On my way home, I was on one of the back roads between my house and the church. I passed a side road and headlights came on. A car pulled behind me and rammed my back end. I managed to avoid a wreck and get my car under control. The person was coming back for a second hit when several vehicles came from the opposite direction. The car drove off and I drove to Nina’s house. Sophia and I just stayed there for the night. I called the police, reported it and—” She shrugged. “That’s it. I’d had enough. So I emailed Amber.” She gave him a flicker of a smile. “My old college roommate.”