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Rosalie shook her head. “I made all the arrangements through the criminal informant. He said word on the street was the operation was looking for nannies and nurses. I’m an RN. So I had a fake ID made. Created fake work and a computer bio, too.”
Austin tried not to groan. Lefty Markham was a piece of slime who’d sell his mother for a quarter.
“The job interview, if you can call it that, was done over the phone,” she added. “Along with transportation arrangements. This morning, a truck arrived at an abandoned gas station just off the interstate to pick me up, and the driver made me put on a hood so I couldn’t see where he was taking me.”
That was standard practice for this operation. So, the fake bio and ID must have fooled the person in charge of hiring her. Still, that didn’t mean anyone trusted her.
Nor him.
The camera proved that, and Austin was well aware that he was constantly being watched. Even now.
“You said your daughter was taken eleven months ago?” Austin whispered. He kept them walking at a slow pace toward the house.
Rosalie nodded. “Why? Do you know something about her?”
She sounded hopeful, but Austin would have to crush those hopes right off. “No. I’m here looking for my nephew. He’s a newborn, and someone kidnapped him.”
Rosalie pulled in a hard breath, and even though it was dark, he thought he might have seen some sympathy in her eyes. “So we can find them both.”
“No.” He stopped, turned her so she could see that this wasn’t up for negotiation. “I’ll find them, and you’re getting the heck out of here. I don’t care how. Pretend you’re sick or something. I just want you off the grounds tonight.”
She was shaking her head before he even finished. “I can’t leave. I have to find my baby.” Her voice broke, and he saw the tears shine in her eyes.
Austin huffed. “Look, I know you have no reason to trust me, but you won’t be doing your baby any good by getting yourself killed. These men are dangerous, Rosalie, and they’ll do whatever it takes to keep this operation secret and profitable.”
He could tell by the little sound she made that he hadn’t convinced her, so Austin would have to do more than talk. “Then I’ll make the arrangements,” he added. “But one way or another, you’re leaving tonight.”
Before she could respond, or argue, the back door to the house creaked open, and the guard staggered onto the porch. Unlike the other two, Austin knew this one. Walter Ludwig. Not very bright but trigger happy.
A bad combination.
Walter had a rifle in his right hand and aimed his left index finger at Rosalie. “She drugged me and stole my gun.” And even though he was still staggering, the man pointed the rifle at her.
Austin stepped between them, held up his hands in a calm-down gesture. “Everything’s okay,” he lied. “It was all just a misunderstanding.”
Not the best excuse, but Austin didn’t want to say too much. Every word now could be risky.
“She drugged me,” the guard repeated, and he came down the steps, closer to where they stood. “And now she’s gonna pay for that. Get out of the way, boss.”
“Not happening. Just put down the rifle, Walter, and we’ll talk about this.”
“Don’t wanna talk.” His words were slurred, and he had to lean against the porch post to steady himself. “I just want her dead real quick.”
Austin cursed under his breath. He had to figure out a way to diffuse this now, or else the other two guards would hear the raised voices and come running. They were already suspicious of Rosalie and him. Which meant the pair just might encourage Walter to commit murder.
“Move away from her!” Walter growled, and despite his unsteady footing, he came off the porch. Charging right toward them.
Austin pushed Rosalie to the side so he could latch on to the rifle and turn it away from her. Walter’s finger was on the trigger. Poised and ready to fire.
“If you shoot, a bullet could ricochet and hurt one of the babies,” Austin tried again.
His attempt at logic didn’t work. Walter was in a rage. Every muscle in his body primed to fight, and it was obvious he wasn’t going to listen to reason.
“I’m gonna kill her!” Walter snarled, and when he tried to bring up the rifle to do just that, Austin knew he had no choice.
He bashed the Beretta against the side of Walter’s head. It wasn’t a hard enough hit to kill the man, but it caused him to drop like a bag of rocks to the ground.
“What’s going on?” someone asked, and a moment later, the nanny, Janice Aiken, looked out from the kitchen door. She gasped, pressing her fingers to her mouth.
But that wasn’t the only voice that Austin heard.
The barn door opened, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before both guards came out to see what was wrong. This had plenty of potential to end in the worst possible way.
“What should we do?” Janice asked. “I’ll help.”
“She’s on our side,” Austin explained to Rosalie.
Well, maybe.
He didn’t have time for details and especially didn’t have time to make sure that he trusted Janice. So far, it appeared the nanny was ready to put an end to the black market baby operation, but he wasn’t a hundred percent sure of that. He definitely hadn’t counted on trusting her this soon. But one thing he did know: the babies were worth a lot of money, so even if Janice was in on the scheme, she would indeed protect them.
For now, that had to be enough.
Austin turned to Rosalie, took out one of the keys and handed it to her. “It’s for the truck. Use it in case something goes wrong. For now, go inside and help Janice get the babies ready to move.”
Rosalie gave a shaky nod and hurried into the house with the nanny. They’d barely gotten the back door closed when Austin reeled around and faced the pair of guards who were storming toward them.
“What the hell happened?” one of them demanded.
“Personal dispute. Walter here wanted to sample my lady friend, and I didn’t want to share.”
Walter moaned, twisting on the soggy ground. “She drugged me.”
And despite the moans, that accusation came through crystal clear.
Austin smirked at the man. “I think Walter just had a little too much to drink.”
Yeah, it wasn’t much of an explanation, but Austin didn’t think he could say or do anything at this point that would convince the guards that this was nothing that concerned them.
The guard on the right glanced at Walter. Then, Austin. And finally at the house. “Get the woman out here now so we can talk to her.”
That put a hard knot in Austin’s stomach. “And then what? You kill her and leave us without a nurse? What happens if one of the babies gets sick, huh?”
The man lifted his shoulder, took aim at Austin. “Nurses are replaceable. And so are you. Drop your weapons.”
Oh, man. He really hadn’t wanted it to come down to this because the guards likely knew some critical information that would help him find his nephew. And Rosalie’s baby. That wouldn’t happen if he had to kill all three of them.
Or if they managed to kill him first.
Austin adjusted the grip on his gun so he’d be ready in case the bullets started. He’d have to shoot the one on the right first, dive to the side and hope he got lucky enough to take out the second before the guy got off a shot.
Risky at best.
But his only option now.
Austin brought up his hand, ready to fire, but it was already too late.
The guard pulled the trigger.
Chapter Three (#ulink_0c000b1f-9a74-5fcb-ba3e-0bc3baabf818)
Rosalie and the nanny barreled up the stairs toward the nursery, but the sound of the blast stopped Rosalie in her tracks.
Oh, mercy.
Had the guards killed Austin?
It didn’t matter that he was essentially her enemy. She didn’t want him shot, especially since he’d been trying to cover for her.
Rosalie hurried into the nursery, running past Janice to get to the window. She braced herself to see a dead Austin lying on the ground, but the only person she saw was Walter. He was crawling back toward the porch. No sign of Austin or the two other guards.
“What’s happened?” the nanny asked, and she scooped one of the sleeping newborns into her arms.
Rosalie shook her head just as she heard another shot. It was so loud that it seemed to shake the entire room.
She managed to get a glimpse of Austin. He was still armed, but he was pinned down near some shrubs on the side of the house. The guards had taken up cover behind what was left of the tractor and hay baler.
“We need to get out of here,” Janice reminded her.
Yes, they did. But Rosalie watched as Austin had to scramble away from yet another shot. He was doing this to give them a chance to escape, but it could turn into a suicide mission for him.
“Let’s go,” Janice pressed. She put both of the tiny babies in a single carrier seat and looped the handle over her left arm.
“Is there another gun in the house?” Rosalie asked.
Janice’s head jerked up. “There’s one on the top of fridge. It’s in the way back, so it’s hard to see and reach. But you can’t be thinking of helping him.”
Yes, that’s exactly what she was thinking. Rosalie wasn’t sure she wanted to trust this woman with the truth about what she was really doing there, but the bottom line was that Austin might be her best bet in finding her daughter. Because it was personal for him, too, since he was on a mission to find his nephew.
Plus, there was the part about his owing her for Eli’s death.
It wasn’t exactly fair to play the guilt card, but she was many steps past being desperate. She’d do anything to find Sadie.
“Here,” Rosalie said and pressed the truck keys into the nanny’s right hand. Too bad she didn’t have a phone to give her, as well, but the guards had taken those from them. “The truck’s out front, away from the gunfire. Get the babies out of here.”
“But what about you? The boss said we should leave,” Janice reminded her.
Rosalie ignored that and got Janice moving. Thankfully, the sound of more shots caused the woman to hurry, and they made their way down the stairs and to the front of the house.
“Drive toward the interstate,” Rosalie instructed. “And stop at the first police or fire station you see.”
Janice gave a shaky nod and one last look before she raced out the door and to the truck. Rosalie didn’t wait to watch her leave. She figured the moment the guards heard the roar of the engine that they’d try to stop the nanny from fleeing with the babies.
That couldn’t happen.
Rosalie hadn’t been able to protect her own child from being taken, but she could do something about these two. She went to the kitchen, slapped off the lights and stood on her tiptoes so she could search the top of the fridge.
She found the gun.
It didn’t take long, just a few seconds, before she heard the truck start. The guards heard it, too, and one of them lifted his head, ready to bolt toward the vehicle.
Austin stopped him.
He fired a shot, sending the man back behind the tractor. But he didn’t stay put. The guard and his partner started firing. Nonstop.
All the bullets were aimed at Austin.
Walter kept crawling, coming closer to the house, and Rosalie saw him lift his rifle toward Austin. She wasn’t sure Austin would be able even to see the man, and it was a risk she couldn’t take.
Rosalie didn’t think beyond giving the babies the best possible chance at escape. She opened the kitchen door, and the fridge, as well, so she could use it for cover once she fired.
Walter spotted her right away and pointed the gun at her. However, she pointed her gun right back at him.
And she got off the first shot.
She hadn’t aimed for any particular part of him, but the bullet slammed into either his chest or his shoulder, causing him to drop back to the ground.
God, had she just killed a man?
As horrible as that thought was, it would be worse if Walter had managed to shoot Austin, Janice or the babies.
The other guards cursed at her, and both fired into the house. Even over the sound of those shots and her own heartbeat crashing in her ears, she heard Austin.
“Get down!” he yelled.
Rosalie didn’t do that. She fired another shot at the guards. Austin did the same, and it kept the men pinned down long enough that they weren’t able to stop Janice from escaping. Rosalie caught just a glimpse of the truck taillights as the nanny sped away.
The relief flooded through her.
And the fear.
What if the guards had already managed to call someone to get them out there to the road? And what if they managed to stop the truck? She doubted they would hurt the babies. There was too much money to be made from them.
But they’d kill Janice.
“You’re both gonna die!” one of the guards shouted.
The threat had no sooner left his mouth when Austin fired again. Two shots. One for each guard. And both men dropped to the ground.
