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Leah Nichols closed her eyes for a moment, silently thanking God for keeping her safe. But she couldn’t understand why the masked man had tried to kidnap her in the first place. What was going on? She had no idea, but couldn’t shake the idea that whoever the guy with the gun was, he’d be back.
She had to get Ben out of here now! She needed to get someplace safe and to call her brother. Shane would protect her and her son.
Leah shoved away from the cop, trying to pull herself together. “Thank you,” she murmured before turning back to the car, where Ben was still crying in the backseat. “Hey, Ben, I’m here. It’s okay. We’re fine.”
“Leah, you and Ben should come with me.”
She spun toward the cop, shaken by the fact that he knew their names. “Who are you?” she demanded. “And why are you here, anyway?”
“Don’t you remember me? Isaac Morrison? I’m friends with your brother, Hawk, er, Shane. He sent me here to look after you.”
Leah narrowed her gaze and shook her head. She vaguely remembered Hawk’s friend Ice, also known as Isaac, but hadn’t seen him in years. Since her husband’s funeral? Maybe. Yet could she really be sure this cop was who he said he was? She had only a vague memory of Shane’s friend, but his height and his military-short, sandy-brown hair did seem familiar.
On the other hand, it seemed strange to her that Shane wouldn’t come to help her himself. Or send one of his buddies, such as his partner from the force. This cop’s uniform wasn’t at all similar to the type that her brother used to wear. A fact that put her on edge.
“I appreciate your help, really, but I’ll be fine on my own. Thanks anyway.”
She slid back into her vehicle, intending to leave, but the cop grabbed her door before she could get it shut. “Leah, I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s pretty clear you need protection. I swear I’m not going to hurt you or your son.”
Leah battled a wave of helplessness. Should she really trust this guy?
“Here, listen to this message.” The cop hunkered down next to her, playing with his phone. Abruptly, a brief static-filled message blared from the speaker.
Ice...cover blown...danger...help Leah and Ben...
The words sent a chill down her spine. She recognized Shane’s voice, and the fact that her brother was clearly in trouble concerned her. “You need to help Shane,” she blurted out. “I’ll go to a hotel or something, but you need to help my brother.”
But the cop was shaking his head. “No, I’m not leaving you and Ben alone. Don’t you understand how much danger you’re in? How long do you think it will take the bad guy to track your car? He was waiting here for you when you got home, and I’m sure he knows what type of vehicle you’re driving. He probably even has the license-plate number.”
Shiver after shiver racked her body and she knew with certainty the cop was right. Leah had taken Ben to a birthday party for one of his classmates at the Fun Zone. How had the masked man known what time to expect her? And why hadn’t her garage door opened?
Belatedly, she realized that the light she’d left burning over the kitchen sink was also out. Had the gunman cut the power? She couldn’t think of any other explanation.
“Leah, please.” The cop reached out to gently cover her hand with his, and she forced herself to meet his intense gaze. “Do you want to see my ID to prove I’m Isaac Morrison? I know it’s been a long time, but you have to believe I’m not going to hurt you.”
She knew he was right and tried to calm her frayed nerves. “I’m sorry to be so paranoid,” she murmured apologetically. “I’m just a bit rattled after everything that’s happened.”
Isaac smiled, and the expression softened his features, making her realize how handsome he was. Had he always been? Or had she just not noticed until now?
“You’re entitled to be rattled,” he assured her. “Let’s get you and Ben someplace safe for tonight and then I’ll see if I can get in touch with your brother. We’ll discuss our next steps in the morning.”
Tears pricked her eyes at his obvious concern. He’d saved her life tonight, and instead of saying thank you, she’d snapped at him. Of course they needed to leave, and right away. If the gunman knew what she was driving, she and Ben weren’t safe.
She sniffed, blinked back her tears and nodded. “Sounds good. Thank you, Isaac. For everything.”
“No problem.” He rose to his feet. “Why don’t you grab Ben and I’ll take care of his booster seat?”
She slid out of the car and tucked her keys in her jacket pocket before heading around to the opposite side to get Ben. The cop followed and waited patiently until she had lifted her son in her arms before reaching for the car seat.
“Is that your Jeep parked on the road?” she asked.
“Yes. Wait for me, though.” He tucked the booster seat under his arm and then lightly grasped her arm, escorting her down the street, sweeping his gaze over the area as if ready for anything.
The idea that the gunman might not have been alone made her stomach twist with fear. Although if he’d had help, wouldn’t that person have come forward to even the odds?
Maybe, maybe not. Killing a cop was something most criminals tried to avoid, at least according to what Shane was always telling her. But then again, her brother often downplayed just how dangerous his job was, especially since he worked in a district that handled the highest rate of violent crime. Shane knew that she’d purposefully chosen a man who wasn’t a cop for a husband because of the fact that their father had been killed in the line of duty. Not that marrying a lawyer had helped her any. Elliot had been killed by a drunk driver, despite his safe job.
She pushed aside a wave of despair over losing her husband, knowing this wasn’t the time to think about the past. She needed to concentrate on keeping her son safe.
Where was Shane now? She couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to her brother. He had to be all right, he just had to be. Her son had already lost a father he didn’t even remember.
Surely God wouldn’t take his uncle, too?
She stumbled and would have fallen if not for Isaac’s hand beneath her arm.
“Leah?”
His low, gentle voice helped keep the panic at bay. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It had been a long time since she’d leaned on a man for support, and she couldn’t deny appreciating the fact she wasn’t alone. “I’m fine.”
Isaac opened the Jeep door and quickly threaded the belt through Ben’s booster seat. He stepped back, giving her room to get her son settled inside.
“I love you, Ben,” she whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.
“I love you, too, Mommy.”
Tears threatened again, and since she wasn’t the crying type, she had to assume that they were a delayed reaction from the horrific experience of being held at gunpoint. Her son was only five years old, but she was afraid he might have nightmares from seeing the gunman grab her. She brushed the dampness away as she climbed past her son so that she could sit in the back, next to him.
If Isaac was annoyed with her choice to stay in the rear rather than next to him, he didn’t let on. He shut the door behind her and then jogged around to get into the driver’s seat. He started the engine and glanced back at her. “Buckle up.”
She reached for the seat belt a bit embarrassed that she hadn’t remembered. As an E.R. nurse, she’d seen more than enough car-crash victims and normally the gesture was automatic. But nothing about this night was normal.
She rested her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. Almost instantly the memory of the masked man grabbing her from behind the wheel flashed in her brain, so she pried her eyelids open and stared out the window, willing the image away.
When Isaac slowed down to turn onto one of the main highways leading away from town, she frowned and leaned forward. “Where exactly are you taking us?” she asked.
“There’s a hotel that isn’t too far from our SWAT headquarters,” he said, meeting her gaze in the rearview mirror.
“Why do we have to go all the way across town?” she asked. “There are plenty of hotels closer to my house.”
“Yes, but I don’t think staying close to your house is a wise thing to do right now.” He was using the same calm, reasonable tone that he’d used with the gunman, and for some reason that irked her. “The guy knew where you lived and what time you were coming home. Trust me, the farther away we can get from your place, the better.”
“I know, but what if Shane comes looking for me?” She couldn’t understand why they had to go so far away.
“We’ll let your brother know where we are,” Isaac assured her. “Did that guy say anything to you before I arrived?”
She didn’t really want to relive those moments, but understood that Isaac was only trying to get information. And she’d do whatever necessary to help her brother. She licked her dry lips. “He told me that if I screamed he’d shoot.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
The sincere note in her rescuer’s voice made her eyes fill with tears, which she rapidly blinked away. She had to be strong, for Shane’s sake as well as Ben’s. She tried to recall every detail of her brief encounter. “The garage door wouldn’t open and the light I left on above the kitchen sink was out, too. Do you think he cut the electricity?”
“Very possibly, but unfortunately, I didn’t see him do anything like that. I only saw him hiding behind your big oak tree. Is it possible you were followed? I can’t help wondering if he might have cut the power earlier.”
The thought that she might have been followed to the birthday party at Fun Zone only put her more on edge. How could she not have noticed?
Although why would she even look for someone following her? Being an E.R. nurse was hardly dangerous. And suddenly Leah was overwhelmed by a wave of helplessness. She closed her eyes again and prayed.
Please, Lord, thank You for saving me and Ben from the gunman. I ask that You keep Shane, Isaac, me and Ben safe in Your care. Amen.
Her emotions calmed down after her prayer, and for the first time since pulling into her driveway, she felt as if she was on the right path.
If her brother had sent Isaac to keep her and Ben safe, then Leah needed to trust his judgment. And to trust in God. She couldn’t do this on her own.
“The place I’m taking you and Ben is called the Forty Winks Hotel.” He captured her gaze in the rearview mirror. “It’s a cute establishment. We’ve used it before. You and Ben will be safe there.”
Safe. She liked the sound of that. Oddly enough, she was glad Isaac was here, protecting her and Ben.
But abruptly, the Jeep jerked sharply to the right, causing her to cry out in alarm. Isaac wrestled with the steering wheel in a vain attempt to stay on the road, but it was no use.
What was going on? Leah swallowed a scream and grabbed her son’s hand, praying for God to watch over them and ignoring the way her seat belt bit sharply into her shoulder as the vehicle plunged into a ditch.
TWO (#ulink_9f2617f9-5f28-5196-9610-682826fcf0ba)
“Leah? Ben?” Isaac fought to get free of his seat belt so he could make sure his passengers were safe. “Are you both all right?”
Ben was crying and Leah was trying to console him. “Shh, Ben, we’re okay. Everything’s fine. Don’t cry, sweetie. Please don’t cry.”
Hearing Ben sob ripped at his heart. Yet there wasn’t time to waste. “We need to get out of here.”
“What? Why?”
He didn’t want to scare Leah more than she already was, but he believed someone had taken a shot at them. “Try to keep your head down and don’t get out of the car yet, okay? I don’t think this was an accident.” He quickly called the dispatch center, giving the code for officer needing assistance. “We’re not far from Highway 22,” he informed them.
“Ten-four.”
He hung up and then called Caleb’s number. Thankfully, his teammate answered on the second ring. “You interrupted our family time,” Caleb mumbled. “This better be important.”
“I’m sorry, but I need backup,” Isaac said. “I’m fairly certain someone caused me to crash my Jeep.”
“All right, I’ll grab Deck, too.” Caleb didn’t hesitate to come to his aid, and Isaac knew he was lucky to have friends like them. “Where are you?”
Isaac gave his location and then disconnected from the call, feeling better knowing the two men he trusted the most would be there soon. Of course, the dispatcher would send someone out as well, but Isaac needed members of the SWAT team to help him figure out exactly what they were dealing with.
“So you think someone made us crash?” Leah asked fearfully.
He glanced back at her, trying to figure out how much to say in front of Ben. “It’s just a hunch, but yeah. The tires on this Jeep are brand-new and I didn’t see anything on the road that could have caused this. Just stay down. I’m going to go out and make sure there isn’t someone out there.”
“Wait!” she cried as he was about to open his car door. “Don’t go. Stay here with us.”
He was torn between two impossible choices. If someone had shot out the tires on purpose, he couldn’t just wait for that person to come and finish them off. Nor did he want to leave Leah and Ben here alone.
So far he wasn’t doing the greatest job of keeping Hawk’s sister and her son safe. If he’d been wearing his bulletproof gear he would be in better shape to go out to investigate.
Isaac peered out the window, trying to see if anyone was out there. Sitting here was making him crazy, so he decided doing something was better than nothing.
“I’m armed, Leah, so don’t worry about me. I promise I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you and Ben safe.”
He could tell she wanted to protest, but she bit her lip and nodded. She pulled her son out of his booster seat and tucked him next to her, so that he was protected on either side. Then she curled her body around him. The fact that she would risk herself to protect Ben gave Isaac a funny feeling in the center of his chest.
Leah’s actions were humbling. He hadn’t been attracted to a woman in a long time, not since his wife had left him for a guy who turned out to be mentally unstable. A man who’d shot Becky, Jeremy and then himself in a fit of depressed anger.
But this wasn’t the time to ruminate over the past. Isaac’s ex-wife and son were gone and nothing in the world would bring them back. So Isaac would do the next best thing—protect Leah and Ben with his life if necessary.
Isaac hadn’t replaced the bulb in the dome light, so he wasn’t too worried about broadcasting his movements. He pushed open the driver’s-side door and used it as a shield as he swept his gaze around, searching for any sign of danger. The country road he’d taken was deserted, which wasn’t at all reassuring. He had to assume that someone had hidden in the trees along the opposite side of the road, waiting for his Jeep to show up so they could take a shot at him. The last thing he wanted to do was sit here and wait for yet another gunman to show up.
He was positive he hadn’t been followed, which left only one option. The masked man must have known he was a sheriff’s deputy, maybe by recognizing the uniform, and he’d come this way hoping to ambush him, since this was the main road leading to the sheriff’s-department headquarters.
How much time did they have before there was another attempt to take Leah and Ben? Probably not much.
Isaac had to decide right now if they’d be safer outside or waiting in the Jeep. Normally he didn’t have trouble making decisions.
But for some reason, he couldn’t seem to get the image of the gunman holding Leah hostage out of his mind. The personal responsibility gnawed at him.
Outside the Jeep, he abruptly decided. For sure, they needed to get outside to hide, so they weren’t sitting ducks.
He climbed back in and closed the door. “We’re going to get out on the passenger side, okay? I’ll go first and then you and Ben will follow.”
Leah lifted her tearstained face and nodded. Her silent tears made him feel bad for her, but he forced himself to concentrate. Awkwardly, he climbed over the gearshift and then pushed open the passenger door. Staying behind the protection of the car, he opened the door to the back, taking the booster seat out first, to give Leah and Ben room to maneuver.
“Come on out,” he said in a low voice.
Leah lifted Ben and handed him over. Isaac moved to the side, keeping the boy in front of him so that Ben was sandwiched between him and the car. Leah climbed out, too, and immediately reached for her son.
“Stay down,” Isaac said, moving so that he was directly behind her.
“Where are we going?” she asked in a whisper.
Good question. There weren’t streetlights, but the scant amount of lingering snow on the ground reflected the moonlight, making it brighter than he was comfortable with. “See that small cluster of trees?” He indicated an area directly behind him. “We’re going to hide there.”
Fear shimmered in her eyes, but she gave a jerky nod of agreement.
“You and Ben first. I’ll protect you from behind. Ready? Let’s go.”
Leah clutched her son close and ran up the slippery embankment toward the trees, moving faster than he’d anticipated. Then again, adrenaline had a way of giving the body a boost when needed the most. He held his weapon ready and kept pace behind her.
When Leah and Ben were safe in the grove, Isaac gave a little sigh of relief. He was about to join them when his foot slipped on a patch of melting snow. He fell to his knees and felt something whiz past his head.
