Sawyer (7 page)

“Mason’s covering the front of your house,” she relayed to him a few seconds later.

Good. That meant these idiots wouldn’t have an easy getaway. But Sawyer needed to capture them alive so he could force one of them to tell him what the devil was going on.

The seconds crawled by, and he could have sworn he heard each one tick off in his head. Every muscle in his body was stiff, primed for the fight, but nothing happened. Well, nothing other than the smoke that continued to billow right at them. It was just thick enough to make it hard to breathe.

Cassidy coughed and tried to cover the baby’s face with her hand. It was only a temporary measure though. They couldn’t stay much longer because the smoke could harm the baby. Unfortunately, moving came with its own set of risks since he didn’t know which door or window the kidnappers would use to escape.

Sawyer glanced behind him at the SUV he’d driven from the main house. It wasn’t an ideal location, but it would get Cassidy and the baby a little farther from the smoke, and he’d still be able to keep watch for the kidnappers. The men must have brought gas masks with them or they’d only set the fire by the back door.

Sawyer caught onto Cassidy’s arm, helped her to her feet and got them moving in the direction of the SUV.

“Look out!” Mason shouted. Sawyer couldn’t see his cousin, but he could hear him loud and clear. “They’re on the roof.”

Hell. Sawyer hadn’t thought to look for them there, but he should have. There was access to the attic in the hall ceiling, and once there, the men would have been able to break through a wooden ventilation duct to get onto the roof.

And then escape.

Sawyer needed to stop that from happening.

He got Cassidy and the baby to the side of the SUV, maneuvering them onto the ground so he could crouch in front of them.

A shot cracked through the air.

Sawyer braced himself for it to come his way, but he realized it had been fired toward the front of the house. Maybe by Mason. Or
at
him. Sawyer wanted to help his cousin, but he couldn’t leave Cassidy. Especially since the baby was the kidnapper’s primary target.

Another shot.

Sawyer still couldn’t see Mason or the two men, but he heard the footsteps. Someone was running, not toward him. But away from the house.

The sun was up just enough for him to see the shadowy figure running toward the ranch trail. That was no doubt where the men had left their vehicle. But before Sawyer could get off a shot, the man ducked behind the side of the barn.

There was movement on the other side of the house. More footsteps. And the sound of someone cursing. It wasn’t Mason’s voice, and that meant it was the kidnapper’s.

The man bolted out from the side of Sawyer’s house and tried to make a beeline for the fence. However, this time, Sawyer did have the shot.

He didn’t go for the kill. He wanted this guy alive, so he fired a shot into his leg. The man cursed again, growling in pain, but he dropped to the ground.

“I’ve got him covered,” Mason said, hurrying toward the downed man. He pointed his gun at him and kicked the man’s own weapon from his hand. His cousin then took out his phone and called the fire department.

Maybe they’d get there in time to save his house.

Sawyer’s attention shifted to the barn, toward the other man, but he was already too late. In the distance he heard the sound of someone starting a car engine. The kidnapper, no doubt. By the time Sawyer could get to him, he’d be long gone.

But not his partner.

“Stay close to me,” Sawyer told Cassidy.

He didn’t want to leave her by the SUV in case the other kidnapper backtracked, and he didn’t want her too close to the burning house. However, he did need to get a better look at the kidnapper to see if he recognized him.

The guy was heavily muscled and bald. He looked like a thug. But not a thug that Sawyer knew. The guy was a stranger.

“Start talking,” Sawyer said. He, too, pointed his gun at the man on the ground. The guy was bleeding. Cursing, too.

However, he didn’t appear to be on the verge of confessing anything. That wasn’t a look of surrender he gave Sawyer. Just the opposite. He grimaced and smiled at the same time.

But his attention didn’t go to Sawyer.

It went to Cassidy.

“You have no idea what you’ve just done,” the man growled. “You just signed your brother’s death warrant.”

Chapter Eight

The kidnapper’s words kept going nonstop through Cassidy’s head.

You just signed your brother’s death warrant
.

She prayed that wasn’t true, but so far neither Sawyer nor she had been able to figure out if it had been an empty threat. That’s because the kidnapper had lawyered up as soon as they had all arrived at the sheriff’s office, and while he was waiting for his attorney to show up, the man had refused to give them his name or say anything else.

Unlike Sawyer.

He’d had plenty to say, but most of it had been to berate himself for not taking more security precautions to keep the baby and her safe. Cassidy wasn’t sure more precautions would have helped since the men seemed hell-bent on kidnapping her again.

Or maybe they’d only planned to kidnap Emma.

If that was true, then it wasn’t safe for the baby to be placed in foster care. And that’s why Sawyer had been on the phone most of the morning, arranging for a safe house and a nanny-bodyguard for the little girl.

For now, though, they were in wait mode.

Waiting for the safe house to be ready. Waiting for the kidnapper to talk. And waiting on a call about Bennie’s ransom.

Cassidy figured the last item was a long shot since they had one of the kidnappers in custody, but it was possible the second kidnapper would still make a ransom demand while adding a condition that his partner be released, as well. She seriously doubted that Sawyer would give in to a demand like that.

And it put her brother in even more danger.

That cut her to the core, and she tried to steady her nerves to stop herself from panicking. The baby helped. With Sawyer and his cousins busy with the investigation and safe-house arrangements, Cassidy had been the one to feed and change Emma. And even though the child had fallen asleep again, Cassidy continued to hold her while she paced and worried. Just having Emma in her arms stopped her from falling apart.

Sawyer finished his latest call, and he blew out a weary breath before his gaze came to hers. “The bodyguard will be here soon to take Emma and you to the safe house.”

Cassidy was so exhausted that it took her a moment to realize what was missing from his comment. “And what about you? You’re not coming with us?”

Sawyer paused, got up from his brother’s desk, where he’d been sitting, and walked to her. “I need to stay here and try to coax our friend into confessing.”

He hiked his thumb toward the interview room across the hall where the bald kidnapper was waiting for the D.A. to charge him with assorted felonies. Once his lawyer showed up, they could continue to press the man for info about her brother’s whereabouts and any other details about the case. And it wasn’t unreasonable that Sawyer would be the one who’d do the pressing. After all, he was a federal agent, and this was part of his job. Still, it didn’t feel reasonable to her right now since it would mean going to the safe house without him.

Sawyer gave another of those weary breaths, and ran his hand down her arm. It was soothing but not nearly enough.

“What if the kidnappers come after Emma and me again?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. “If that happens, I’d rather you be there.”

“Yeah.” And that’s all he said for several moments, though their gazes continued to hold. He leaned in, gave her another arm rub. “I’ll finish up here and may be able to get out to the safe house before nightfall.”

Even though he probably hadn’t meant that to sound intimate, it did. Of course, everything he said and did fell into that category. This heat between them wasn’t cooling down much.

“Yeah,” he repeated, and she figured from the sizzle in his eyes, they were having the same bad thoughts.

He tore his gaze from hers and looked down at the baby. “You won’t have to tend to her—”

“I want to,” Cassidy interrupted, obviously surprising Sawyer. Surprising herself, too.

“Just don’t get too attached,” he added. “If she’s not mine, we’ll need to find her parents.”

“Too late. I’m already attached.”

He mumbled another “yeah” and brushed a kiss on the baby’s cheek.

Then Cassidy’s.

Sawyer pulled back as if to hurry away to make another call, but he didn’t. He leaned in and this time brushed a kiss on her mouth. There it was again. The trickle of heat that went from her lips to her toes. It was potent stuff, and it made her head even fuzzier than it already was.

“This can’t go anywhere,” he mumbled seconds after delivering that mind-blowing kiss.

“I know.” And she did know, but Cassidy was having a hard time remembering that Sawyer was never going to believe that she hadn’t slept with him only to get information. Repeating the mistake would only make matters worse.

There was a rap at the door a split second before it opened, and Grayson stuck his head inside. He opened his mouth but didn’t say anything at first. Instead, his attention landed on the close contact between them.

Sawyer quickly stepped away.

“We took the kidnapper’s prints and got a match,” Grayson said. “His name is Chester Finley.” He looked at her as if he expected her to recognize the name.

She didn’t. “Who is he?”

“A career criminal, for one thing. But he also worked for you a few weeks back. He was part of a landscaping crew.”

Cassidy still had to shake her head. “I was away on business looking at some ranch properties when the crew did the work.” But it sickened her to think this monster had been so close to Bennie and her. “You think Finley was there so he could spy on us?”

Sawyer made a sound of agreement. “Who hired the crew?”

“Kevin Amerson. He’s been my household manager for years, and I trust him completely. Kevin wouldn’t have knowingly hired a criminal. Especially one like Chester Finley.”

Still, Grayson jotted down Kevin’s name and would no doubt question him. It likely wouldn’t lead anywhere, but maybe Kevin would remember something about the man. Something they could use to find out the name of his partner. Also, Grayson would need to rule out for certain that Kevin wasn’t involved in the kidnappings.

When Grayson finished with his notes, he looked up as if to ask her another question, but the bell jangled over the front door, and he turned his attention in that direction. His eyes widened, and he shoved the notepad into his pocket and hurried toward the reception area.

Grayson also drew his gun.

That put her heart right in her throat, especially when Sawyer pulled his, as well, and practically jumped in front of her. Cassidy braced herself for the sounds of shots and prepared for another attack. Had the second kidnapper come to try to rescue his partner? If so, this could turn deadly fast.

But there were no shots.

“Call an ambulance,” Grayson shouted.

“Stay here,” Sawyer told her, and he, too, headed for the reception area.

When Sawyer and she had come through there earlier, Bree had been manning the desk. She hoped the deputy was still there in case Sawyer and Grayson needed backup.

Cassidy pulled the baby close to her, held her breath and waited. Still no sounds of an attack, but she heard a voice. Someone moaning as if in pain.

“My sister,” someone said. “Where is she?”

Even though the man had spoken in a broken whisper, Cassidy had no trouble recognizing the voice.

Bennie
.

She bolted from the room, and the moment she was in the hall, Cassidy saw him. His face was bloody and bruised, and his gaze connected with hers.

Before her brother collapsed.

* * *

S
AWYER
MANAGED
TO
CATCH
Bennie before his head hit the tile floor.

Bennie’s breathing was shallow, and his face looked as if he’d been on the receiving end of a good beating, but Sawyer couldn’t see any obvious life-threatening injuries. That didn’t mean there weren’t any, because Bennie was also clutching his chest.

“Cassidy,” Bennie said, his voice weak and practically soundless.

Still, Cassidy managed to hear him just fine, because she bolted from the office and hurried toward her brother. As soon as she handed Bree the baby, she knelt on the floor and touched her fingers to her brother’s bloodied face.

“What happened to you? Who did this?” Unlike Bennie, Cassidy’s voice had plenty of sound, and Sawyer could hear the tears threatening. It didn’t take long before one of those tears spilled down her cheek.

“The kidnapper...” And that’s all Bennie said for several snail-crawling moments. “He was furious when Sawyer arrested his partner, and he beat me. Tried to kill me, too.”

So, Finley’s threat about signing her brother’s death warrant had partially come true. But obviously, the kidnapper hadn’t succeeded.

“Who’s the kidnapper?” Sawyer demanded.

Bennie shook his head. “I don’t know. I never got a look at his face. I’m glad they didn’t take you and the baby,” Bennie continued, looking straight at Cassidy.

“But why did they want us?” Cassidy asked. “I told them I’d pay the ransom.”

Bennie gave a weak nod. “They said the baby was their insurance to make sure you paid.”

Well, it would have been good insurance, all right. Cassidy hardly knew the baby, but she hadn’t lied about the attachment to Emma. She would no doubt pay anything to keep the child and her brother safe. Still, a kidnapping attempt seemed a big risk just to get some insurance.

“How’d you get away from him?” Sawyer asked.

Cassidy shot him a back-off glance and slid her hand behind her brother’s head to cradle it. But Sawyer had no intention of backing off. A woman was dead, and Bennie had been kidnapped. Plus, there was the baby. Sawyer needed answers, and the most likely person to have those answers was Bennie.

“When the kidnapper got a call,” Bennie said, “he was distracted, so I got up and ran.” He shook his head, pulled in some labored breaths. “I didn’t have a phone and was afraid to go on the roads for fear he’d find me. So I just kept walking until I got to town.”

Later, Sawyer would want more details about that escape and where Bennie had been held, but he had to do this pseudointerrogation fast since he could already hear sirens in the distance. The ambulance was on its way. Once Bennie was at the hospital, it might be hours before Sawyer could question him again, especially if the man had serious injuries.

“What about April Warrick?” Sawyer pressed. “Why did the kidnapper take her, and is this baby hers?”

“I don’t know.” A moment later, Bennie repeated it. “The kidnappers were already holding April and the baby hostage by the time they grabbed me.” Bennie turned his head and stared at Sawyer. “I heard them say that April’s baby is yours, and they were going to use the kid to extort money from you.”

Well, that explained the kidnapping attempt. Maybe the men hadn’t come to take Cassidy at all. Emma could have been the sole target. That didn’t help with the knot in Sawyer’s gut.

“I never slept with April,” Sawyer insisted.

But Bennie only shook his head. “The kidnappers were certain you had.”

Well, they were dead wrong. Still, he wasn’t sure people would believe it. Those DNA test results couldn’t come back fast enough. Of course, they might just prove the baby was his, but even so, that would mean the test would prove April wasn’t the mother.

Monica Barnes would be.

And if she was, then Sawyer had to wonder what had happened to her.

Had the kidnappers murdered Monica, too?

It turned his stomach to think that could have happened because of her involvement with him, but at least they had one of the kidnappers in custody. Too bad Sawyer couldn’t beat the truth out of him.

“Who killed April?” Sawyer asked, though he figured the answer was obvious.

The kidnappers had.

Still, Bennie didn’t get a chance to respond because the wail of sirens got louder, and the ambulance braked to a stop directly in front of the door. The medics got out and brought a gurney in with them.

“You’ll be fine,” Cassidy said to her brother. “You’ll get the medical treatment you need, and then we can talk when you’re feeling up to it.”

A medic moved between Cassidy and Bennie, but Bennie craned his neck so he could see his sister. “Talk? About what?”

Her gaze drifted back to the interrogation room. “About the kidnapping. And the man they have in custody. Chester Finley. He worked for us for a while.” She shook her head. “But all of that can wait.”

Yeah, it could, but not for long. Cassidy didn’t come out and say it, but it sounded as if she might have some doubts about her brother. And with good reason. Maybe Bennie knew Finley and had done something that had prompted Finley to kidnap him.

But what?

With Bennie’s history of illegal deals, Sawyer figured money had to play into the motive.

The medics took Bennie’s blood pressure and examined his eyes. “Are you hurting anywhere?” one of them asked Bennie.

“Just my face and chest. They hit me pretty hard.”

They had, but maybe his injuries weren’t life threatening. The medics lifted Bennie onto the gurney and were about to take him outside to the ambulance, when the door flew open and trouble walked in.

Willy Malloy.

“I was at the diner across the street,” Willy snapped, and his narrowed eyes went to Bennie. “I thought it was that low-life scum, Bennie O’Neal, and I was right.”

Cassidy shook her head and looked at Sawyer, no doubt for answers as to why Willy had that dangerous look in his eyes. A look aimed at Bennie.

“What do you want?” Sawyer demanded from Willy.

But Willy didn’t answer. He reached past the medic and caught onto the front of Bennie’s shirt. “I’m not letting you leave until you tell me the truth about April’s death,” Willy growled.

Bennie’s eyes widened. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yeah, you do,” Willy insisted. “I know it was you who killed her, and I sure as hell can prove it.”