RENEGADE GUARDIAN (3 page)

“You ran the plates?” he asked.

“I did,” Todd Freeman, the dispatcher, confirmed. “The owner’s Randall Martin from San Antonio. He owns a bowling alley and has a record for assault eight years ago but nothing recent.”

“Ask someone to run a deeper check on him. I want to know if this guy has family or business in Spring Hill. Then check and see if he has a girlfriend or a wife who recently lost a child. It might have even been a miscarriage or fertility problems. I also need to know if he has any connection whatsoever to Maya Ellison or the other two families of the missing babies.”

Todd confirmed he would get someone right on that, and Slade ended the call.

“You have a lead?” Maya asked.

He lifted his shoulder. “Just checking all angles.”

There was a sound from the backseat. First it was a whimper. But within seconds it changed to a full-fledged cry.

The baby was awake.

“He’s hungry,” Maya announced. She dug down into the shoulder bag and produced a bottle filled with formula. “I need to feed him.”

Slade volleyed glances between their surroundings and Maya while she leaned over the seat. She unhooked the safety belts that held the baby in the carrier and car seat, and she scooped him into her arms.

“Hi, sweetheart,” she murmured, kissing the baby’s cheek. She returned to a sitting position and cradled Evan in the crook of her arm. He latched on to the bottle the second it touched his mouth.

Despite the horrible news Maya had just learned about Evan possibly being in danger, she smiled at the baby and continued to mutter things to him.

But Slade didn’t hear what she said.

That’s because his heartbeat suddenly got the best of him, and he couldn’t hear over the sudden roar in his ears. He could only sit there, watching. Staring.

And wondering.

Maya pulled off the little blue cap and Slade’s heart pounded even harder. He saw Evan’s dark hair. He saw the baby’s eyes.

Blue.

All babies had blue eyes, didn’t they?

He couldn’t let his mind run wild. He darn sure couldn’t jump to conclusions.

But that was exactly what he was doing.

Maybe all babies had blue eyes, and plenty had dark hair. However, Slade thought that maybe he could see himself in that tiny face. His features. His blood.

His baby
.

God, was this his son?

Chapter Three

Maya was glad she was holding Evan. Just having him in her arms steadied her and reminded her that she couldn’t fall apart. She had to face this danger head-on because she didn’t have a choice. She had to do everything within her power to keep her baby safe.

She glanced up from Evan to see the sheriff’s white cruiser pull into the parking space next to her car. The tall, lanky lawman stepped out and he tucked a manila folder beneath his arm. Hopefully, he hadn’t come there to tell her there was a problem with the security at her house.

And then Maya caught Slade’s gaze.

He wasn’t looking at Sheriff Monroe. Or even at her. He had his attention fastened to Evan. As he’d done in the parking lot, he examined Evan’s face, with his forehead bunched up as if he was trying to figure something out.

“Maya,” the sheriff said, approaching her car. He stooped down so he could see inside and looked past Maya and at Slade. “Marshal Becker. I’m Sheriff Wilbert Monroe.”

Slade nodded, acknowledging the introduction, but he was still staring at Evan. And that wasn’t alarm he was showing. Too bad Maya couldn’t figure out exactly what was behind the marshal’s intense expression.

“I checked your house,” the sheriff said to her. “No sign of anything out of the ordinary, but none of your neighbors was home. Would have been nice if they’d been able to tell me if there’d been any unusual vehicles in the area.”

Maya nodded and gave Evan’s bottle an adjustment. “But there might have been a suspicious vehicle near here.” She leaned closer to grab Slade’s attention so he’d quit looking at Evan.

He did, and for a moment he seemed as if he’d been pulled out of a daydream.

“Marshal Becker’s having someone look into it,” she explained. “But after we have answers about that, I’d prefer someone else guard Evan and me.”

The silence was instant, and Maya glanced at both of them. The sheriff looked a little surprised, but it was Slade’s reaction that she noticed most. Was that anger she saw in his eyes? Whatever it was, it was powerful stuff.

“I see,” the sheriff finally said. “I’ll make some calls—”

“You don’t have time to hire anyone else,” Slade interrupted. He turned his attention to Maya. “This kidnapper isn’t going to wait for you to put security in place. He’ll probably hit today.”

Today? God, so soon?

Maya had to tamp down her nerves so she could speak. She also had to loosen her grip on Evan’s bottle. The hard plastic felt ready to snap. “I’m sure the sheriff will assign a deputy for protection until I can get a bodyguard out here.”

“A deputy.” Slade repeated it like profanity, and he turned toward her so they were facing head-on. “Look, I know you have a problem with me. My hair’s too long. I don’t look like a marshal. Heck, I think you’re even scared of me. But I don’t want any of that to stop you from getting the best protection for that baby.” He rammed his thumb against his chest. “And I’m the best.”

“He’s right,” Sheriff Monroe agreed, apparently taking up his cause. “My deputies have been trained, but according to his file, Marshal Becker has more experience than all of them put together.”

Maya didn’t doubt that, but she doubted she’d be comfortable with this man. But she immediately rethought that. One of the main reasons for her discomfort was this tug she felt deep within her belly. Slade was attractive, and she was attracted to him. But she was also smart enough to know he was hands-off.

Plus, there was the way Slade had looked at Evan. That was unsettling, too. It was almost as if this case was personal to him. And maybe it was. Maybe he, too, had lost a child.

Still...

Maya shook her head, but she didn’t get to repeat that she wanted another bodyguard, because Slade spoke before she could.

“I’ll protect Evan with my life,” Slade insisted. “I won’t fail at this.”

Maya stared at him. And despite all her other concerns, she knew what he was saying was the truth. He would protect her son at all costs.

Later she wanted to know why.

But for now she’d settle for answers that would help her make a decision about whether to keep him as a temporary bodyguard.

“What makes you think the kidnapper will strike today?” Maya asked Slade.

“The first kidnapping happened day before yesterday. The second, twenty-four hours later. At five p.m. another twenty-four hours will have passed.”

Maya checked her watch. That was only about three hours from now. Not nearly enough time to find a bodyguard and get him out to her house. Heck, it might not even be enough time for the sheriff to assign her a deputy and have him in place, since that would no doubt involve juggling some schedules.

“The police and FBI don’t have anyone in custody,” Sheriff Monroe continued. “They’re narrowing down suspects, but it could take precious time for them to get close to making an arrest. What we need is for the marshal here to capture this person so the danger will be over and the kidnapper can tell us where the other babies are.”

Of course. The families of the missing children would be well past the point of waiting on pins and needles. They’d be in panic mode.

“But Slade has no idea who might come after us,” Maya pointed out. “This could turn dangerous, and I don’t want Evan used as bait.”

“He’s already bait.” Slade’s mumbled words seemed to echo through the car.

Worse, Maya couldn’t deny that it was true. The kidnapper might already have Evan in his line of sight.

“According to the info the marshals sent over, they’re looking into several possibilities as suspects,” the sheriff continued, drawing Maya’s attention back to him. “There’s a woman, Andrea Culberson. She’s a nanny who might have kidnapped her employer’s baby. He was the first child taken who shares Evan’s birthday.”

“Andrea Culberson,” Maya repeated. The name meant nothing to her. “They’re sure she took the baby?”

“Not sure at all. She’s missing, and someone burned the Colliers’ estate to the ground. If she’s not the kidnapper, then it’s possible the real kidnapper did something to make her go on the run. Or maybe just did something to
her.
” The sheriff extracted a three-by-five photo from the file and held it out for Maya. “That’s Ms. Culberson. Have you seen her before?”

Maya studied the photo of the woman with spiky blond hair. She was young, mid-twenties at most. “No. I don’t think so.”

“The police don’t know where she or the baby is,” Slade provided. “She disappeared, and since then her former employers have discovered that she had some problems.”

“What kind of problems?” Maya asked, afraid of the answer.

“Depression, for starters. Andrea Culberson had a miscarriage exactly a year prior to the first kidnapping. It’s possible she’s taking the children to make up for the one she lost.”

Extreme measures, but they might not seem so extreme to someone who was desperate for a child. Maya understood that desperation. To a point anyway. She’d wanted a child with all her heart, but she wouldn’t have resorted to kidnapping.

Maya studied the photo, committing the woman’s image to memory. She prayed she didn’t come face-to-face with Andrea Culberson anytime soon.

“Plus, there’s another possible suspect,” Slade continued. “The person who’s behind the wheel of the green SUV that circled the parking lot.”

“Yeah, I got a call from the marshals about that SUV on the drive over,” the sheriff added. “We’re trying to get a photo of the owner, Randall Martin.”

A photo would help. Well, maybe. It would at least alert her if she saw someone who looked like Andrea Culberson or Randall Martin. But there was the frightening possibility that it was neither of them.

Evan stopped sucking the bottle, and when Maya looked down at him, she realized he’d fallen asleep. Not good. He would spit up if she didn’t burp him, so she eased the bottle from his mouth and placed him against her chest so she could pat his back. The motions weren’t routine yet, but she was far more comfortable with her mothering duties than with what she had to do next.

She had to make a decision about accepting, or declining, the marshal’s help.

The sheriff checked his watch. “I need to head back to the office and bring everyone up to speed on what we’ve learned.” He glanced at Slade, then Maya. “I hope you’ll allow Marshal Becker to go with you to your house, at least until we can make other arrangements.”

Maybe. The verdict was still out on that. Maya couldn’t dismiss the way Slade had looked at her baby. “I’ll think about it.”

The sheriff gave a frustrated sigh, aimed another glance at Slade that smacked of
Convince her
and walked back toward his car.

Slade shifted in the seat so he was facing her again. “What part didn’t you understand when I said it was dangerous for us to sit here in the parking lot?”

“Oh, I understood all the parts. I’m just not sure I can trust you.”

She didn’t know who was more surprised. Maya, for actually speaking her mind, or Slade, for being on the receiving end of it. Something went through his eyes. Hurt feelings, perhaps? Or maybe it was something deeper than that.

“Did you lose your own child or something?” Normally that was a question she wouldn’t ask, either, but this was far from a normal situation. She needed to understand Slade’s response to Evan.

Slade didn’t look at her. He started surveillance of the parking lot and traffic light again. “Yeah.”

So that explained the long look he’d given Evan. Well, maybe. “There’s more,” Maya insisted.

She waited for him to deny it or to tell her that it was none of her business, but he sat there silently for several moments before he spoke.

“I had a relationship with a woman that ended, well, pretty bad.”

There was no good way to respond, so Maya just waited for him to continue.

“Months after things were over between us, I found out she was pregnant with my child.” Slade paused, and even though he didn’t move even a muscle, she could feel the storm brewing just beneath the surface. “She disappeared before I could find her or the baby.”

Maya automatically pulled Evan closer and kissed his cheek. “I’m sorry.”

Well, that explained why he’d volunteered for this case. Now, the question was—did she intend to let him help her?

Maya glanced at Evan. Then at Slade. And she knew she had to do everything to protect the precious baby in her arms. Everything, including accepting temporary help from this man.

“All right,” Maya said.

That was apparently all the confirmation Slade needed, because he put out his hand. “I’ll drive, but I need your keys.”

Maya first leaned over the seat and strapped Evan back into his carrier, and then she retrieved the keys from her bag on the floor. She reached out to hand them to Slade, but movement caught her eye.

It caught Slade’s, too.

His head whipped toward the back of the parking lot. Maya followed his gaze and saw the green SUV. The same one that she’d noticed at the traffic light earlier. But it was no longer at the light.

There was a squeal of the tires, and the green SUV came right toward them.

Chapter Four

“Get down!” Slade shouted to Maya.

He drew his gun and pushed her lower onto the seat. It wasn’t a second too soon, because the green SUV slammed into their front bumper, jolting not just Maya’s vehicle but the two of them. Evan, too.

The baby immediately started to cry.

Slade had tried to brace himself for something like this, but bracing obviously hadn’t done a darn thing to stop it. Here they were right in the middle of what had to be a kidnapping attempt.

Or maybe even something worse.

After all, the kidnapper had already tried to kill one of the adoptive parents, so it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to guess that he would attempt murder again.

The green SUV shot past them, the back end clipping Maya’s car, but the vehicle didn’t speed away as Slade hoped it’d do. With the tires squealing, the driver did a doughnut in the parking lot. He didn’t bolt forward, but Slade heard the driver rev up the engine. The revving wasn’t nearly as much of a concern as was the SUV’s position.

It’d blocked the exit.

“I need the keys,” Slade insisted. And despite her hands shaking like crazy, Maya somehow managed to give them to him.

Slade started the engine, kept his gun ready, but that was all he could do. There was no way out unless Slade tried to bash the vehicle from the front of the exit. Not a wise choice since the SUV was bigger than Maya’s car.

His other option was to stay put and hope the sheriff would arrive in time to scare this guy off, because Slade wasn’t sure he could drive over the foot-high concrete barrier that divided the parking lot from the sidewalk. He’d wreck for sure, maybe even collide with other cars traveling on the street.

And even if they weren’t hurt in all of that, it’d make them sitting ducks.

Besides, he needed to be able to aim in case this guy started shooting. With the other customers in the parking lot and the wall of glass at the front of the grocery store, Slade didn’t want this bozo firing shots.

The fear crawled down Slade’s spine. He’d hoped to have had the baby in a safe place before confronting this kidnapper, but it was too late for that.

The kidnapper was here.

And the stakes were sky-high.

Even if that baby in the backseat wasn’t his, Slade couldn’t let the newborn be taken. God knows what this SOB had done with the two children he’d already kidnapped.

Maya didn’t stay down. Despite the fact that Slade was practically on top of her, she fought to get away.

“Evan,” she repeated.

Slade knew that her every instinct was probably screaming for her to get in the backseat with the baby. His certainly were, and while it was a risk for her to move, it was an even bigger risk for him to have to struggle with her when he should be getting them away from the danger.

But the danger came at them again.

The driver jammed his foot on the accelerator just as Maya crawled over the seat. Slade didn’t bother to check and make sure she was using her own body to protect Evan. She would be.

“Hold on,” he warned her, and Slade threw the car into gear.

He didn’t completely manage to avoid a collision with the other vehicle, but he stopped them from taking a direct hit. Still, he heard Maya’s sharp gasp of surprise, and he felt her slam against the back of his seat. Thank God the baby was strapped in and semiprotected. But Slade wasn’t sure how much longer Maya’s car could hold up with this battering.

The green SUV backed up, and just like before, it came at them again. Slade jerked the steering wheel to the right, but there wasn’t enough space for him to get them away from the impact. He grazed a van with what was left of the front bumper, and the driver plowed right into the passenger’s side of Maya’s car, crushing it in so far that the door ended up near the gearshift. So did the sheet of safety glass that was knocked from the window.

“Stay as low as you can,” Slade shouted out to Maya. “And if you can, call 911.” Though someone had no doubt already done that. Still, the sheriff needed to know what he’d be up against when he came rushing to the scene. “Tell them the person in the SUV is attacking us.”

Evan’s screams were louder now, but Slade tried to tune out the sounds and focus on what he had to do.

And what he had to do was stop this idiot.

Yeah, it was a risk, but anything was at this point. With the glass gone from the window, Slade had a direct shot at the SUV.

He took it.

The bullet he fired was deafening, even over Evan’s cries and the roar of the engines, and it tore through the front windshield. The safety glass cracked and webbed, but it didn’t give way, and that meant Slade didn’t even get a glimpse of the driver.

The guy was no doubt armed.

And that’s why Slade threw the car into Reverse and got out of the line of fire. He figured the kidnapper wanted the baby alive and that he wouldn’t shoot. Still, Slade wanted to put as much distance as he could between them and the SUV. Backward he flew across the parking lot and tried to dodge as many cars as he could.

“Someone’s trying to kidnap my baby,” he heard Maya relay to whoever had answered her 911 call. She gave the info about the SUV and the location and then begged the person to hurry.

She sounded many steps beyond frantic, on the verge of all-out panicking. No surprise there. This was probably the first time in her entire white-picket-fence life that she’d been attacked. But Slade hoped she could hold it together. The last thing he needed was her to be hysterical.

Slade finally heard a welcome sound. Sirens. Thank God the sheriff was on the way. Better yet, the kidnapper must have heard it, too, because the driver turned the SUV. Not toward Maya’s car...but in the opposite direction.

He was trying to escape.

Hell.

That definitely wasn’t good. Slade wanted to stop him. Wanted to drag him from the SUV and beat some answers out of him. There were two missing babies, and this same moron had just tried to take another.

“Wait here,” Slade ordered Maya.

He reached to open the door, but reaching was the only thing he managed to do before he caught the movement from the corner of his eye.

Not the SUV.

But there was someone seated in a black two-door sedan parked in the corner of the lot. He’d noticed the vehicle, of course, when he’d first arrived at the grocery store and spotted Maya’s car.

But he darn sure hadn’t seen anyone inside.

Well, he saw that someone now—the shadowy figure behind the steering wheel—and an uneasy feeling snaked through Slade. He’d been a marshal for nearly ten years, and that was more than enough time for him to sense something was wrong.

Slade kept one eye on the SUV as it sped out of the parking lot, but he turned his weapon toward the sedan.

Mercy.

Was this some kind of trap?

If so, he’d nearly fallen for it because he had been within a split second of running after the SUV. If he’d done that, it was possible that he would have left Maya and the baby completely vulnerable to an attack.

Slade stayed put. Not easy to do. His body was in the fight mode, but he also felt something else. That overpowering instinct to protect this child. He’d never considered himself father material. And maybe he wasn’t. But that didn’t seem to matter to whatever was firing the emotions inside him. If necessary, he would die to protect the baby.

Slade glanced at the green SUV as it disappeared out of sight. The sirens got closer, and thankfully the cruiser didn’t pull into the parking lot. The driver went in pursuit of the SUV. Good. Maybe the locals would manage to collar the guy—alive—so that Slade could question him.

But that left the person in the black car.

Maybe it was just a case of wrong place, wrong time, but Slade wasn’t taking any chances.

“What’s going on?” Maya asked. She would have no doubt lifted her head to look over the seat if Slade hadn’t pushed her back down.

“There might be a second kidnapper.”

Her breath rattled in her throat. “What do you need me to do?” The question rushed out with a rise of breath.

“You’re doing it. Just stay down.” Maya had already plastered herself over the baby again, and thankfully Evan’s cries were now just soft whimpers.

Even though the windshield of the black car was heavily tinted, Slade detected some movement inside. The driver started the engine but didn’t move. He just sat there as if daring Slade to come and get him. Slade figured if he did that, he’d be instantly gunned down.

The moments crawled by, and though it seemed to take an eternity, Slade figured it was less than a minute before he heard a second siren. Backup. This cruiser, too, might go in pursuit of the SUV, but if it turned into the parking lot, that would free up Slade to check out his theory about the second kidnapper.

Except the kidnapper obviously had a different plan.

The black car inched forward, and Slade cursed. Because he thought the guy was about to bash into them again. Slade took aim at the driver but held back pulling the trigger just in case this turned out to be nothing.

But it sure didn’t feeling like
nothing.

The driver didn’t come toward them but instead turned toward the exit. He didn’t screech out as the SUV had done. He simply drove away as if he’d finished whatever routine business he had.

“You recognize that car?” Slade asked, and he made a mental note of the license plate.

Maya lifted her head just a fraction and looked over the seat and Slade’s shoulder. “No. But if he’s the kidnapper, he’s getting away.”

Slade was well aware of that. “Call 911 again and give the dispatcher a description of the vehicle. I want this guy followed.” Slade rattled off the license plate that he hoped wasn’t fake.

Maya made the second call, but this time she didn’t stay down when she finished. She watched the black car drive out of the parking lot. Again, not hurried. The driver was doing nothing that would draw attention to himself, but the fact that he’d been there during the kidnapping attempt drew all of Slade’s attention.

Two vehicles, two drivers. And it could be just the tip of the iceberg. Maybe the kidnapper wasn’t working alone, and if so, it only proved just how determined this guy was.

But why?

If someone was kidnapping babies for emotional reasons, then an attack like this didn’t make sense. The person in the SUV had been determined. Desperate, even.

And that brought it all back to Slade.

“What’s wrong?” Maya asked. “You’re breathing funny.”

Slade hadn’t noticed any change in his breathing, but he immediately tried to fix it. He didn’t want to have to give Maya an explanation that the kidnappings could be connected to him.

But they could be.

Yeah, it had crossed his mind, but it was something he’d tried hard to dismiss. Well, he couldn’t dismiss it now. There were some criminals he’d arrested who would no doubt like to give him a dose of revenge. What better way to do it than to kidnap his child and use the baby to get back at him?

Slade mumbled more profanity. He needed answers. About Deidre. About her death. About everything. Because if this was indeed connected to him, he had to stop it.

And learn if one of these three baby boys was his.

In fact, the kidnapper might already have his child. That only made his stomach knot even more, but Slade couldn’t dismiss the punch of emotion he’d gotten when he looked at Evan’s face. He wasn’t the sort of man to believe in woo-woo junk, but he couldn’t deny that he’d felt...something.

Something he pushed aside when the police cruiser came flying into the parking lot.

Maya lifted her head again. “It’s Sheriff Monroe.” And she might have bolted from her vehicle if Slade hadn’t caught onto her and held her in place.

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head as if considering the impossible. “You think someone else is out there?” But she didn’t wait for his answer. Her gaze fired all around the parking lot.

“We don’t know how many people this kidnapper could have hired to help him,” he settled for saying.

Slade kept hold of her until Sheriff Monroe and a deputy exited the cruiser. Both lawmen had their weapons drawn, and like Maya, they were looking for any sign of danger.

Unfortunately, the danger had driven away.

Slade stepped from the car but motioned for Maya to stay put. “Please tell me you have someone in pursuit of the SUV and the black car,” he said to the sheriff.

Monroe nodded. “I’ve called for backup and roadblocks.”

Slade hoped that would be enough. If they got lucky, the missing babies might even be in one of the vehicles. Though it was an unsettling thought to consider the babies—any babies—going through that kind of danger.

“Did you get a good look at either driver?” Monroe asked.

“No.” And Slade knew that would be the first of many questions he’d have to answer the same way. On the surface the attack might have looked sloppy and unplanned, but Slade figured the opposite was true.

The deputy stayed diligent, looking around, and Sheriff Monroe hurried past Slade and made his way over to Maya. “Are you okay? Were either of you hurt?”

Maya shook her head, but she was far from okay. Slade could see the terror and the wildfire adrenaline on her face and in her eyes.

Slade went closer, too, and was relieved when he saw that the baby had not only stopped fussing but had fallen asleep. He wasn’t sure how that was possible, but he was grateful for it.

“My truck’s over there.” Slade tipped his head to the side of the grocery store where he’d parked. “I can drive you to the sheriff’s office, and we can wait there until we figure out the next step.”

“Not home,” she mumbled.

And it wasn’t a question. Yeah, the impact of the danger was really starting to settle in now, but she still managed to give him a look that Slade had no trouble recognizing.

She didn’t trust him.

Too bad. He hadn’t exaggerated when he’d told her that he was her best shot at keeping the baby safe.

Slade took her by the arm and helped her stand. Good thing he didn’t let go, because Maya wobbled and landed with a smack against him. Despite the hell they’d just been through, Slade felt another jolt. Not from the danger this time but from the realization that Maya was a damn attractive woman.