amount with a phone call.
“Yeah,” the boss said. “For starters. Part two of the deal is slightly more…complicated. You’re to make sure Wesley Dent is not only arrested for his wife’s murder. He’s also to be convicted.”
Nate heard Darcy pull in her breath. He had a similar reaction, including disgust. Yeah, he thought that Dent might be guilty, but he wasn’t a dirty cop, and he didn’t fix investigations.
So, why did this bozo want him to fix this one?
His first guess was that these gunmen worked for either Sandra Dent’s son, Adam, or her ex-husband, Edwin. Both had motives for wanting Dent behind bars.
Which meant Dent might be innocent, after all.
“Wesley Dent is my client,” Darcy clarified. “I’m supposed to defend him to the best of my abilities.”
“Admirable,” the man snarled. “But being admirable won’t get your son back.”
“What do you mean by that?” Nate demanded.
“I mean we’re holding your children until we have the results we want for Dent. If you want to speed things up, I suggest you get Dent to confess. Or create a confession for him.”
“That can’t happen.” Nate turned, adjusting his position so that Kimmie wouldn’t see the anger on his face. “And you can’t keep our children for what could turn out to be months.”
Another shrug. “Well, we can’t keep them here, of course. We have to move them as soon as you leave.” He checked his watch. “And your time is up. You have to go now.”
“No!” Darcy tightened her grip on Noah.
“This could all be over by tomorrow,” the boss calmly explained. “Talk Dent into confessing and then arrange for his suicide because he feels so guilty for killing his wife.”
“No,” Darcy repeated, and she looked at Nate and shook her head. “I can’t leave Noah here.”
Nate was about to assure her that they weren’t leaving, but the sound stopped him cold. Not a shot.
But a thud.
The boss’s expression changed immediately. He was no longer calm. “See what’s wrong,” he barked to the young gunman behind him. The boss reached out, latched on to Marlene’s hair and pulled her in front of him.
And he put the gun to her head.
Hell.
They didn’t need that. Nate had figured he could give Kimmie to Marlene so his hands would be free, but that option was out now. Instead, he handed her to Darcy, and he was thankful that his baby seemed to enjoy being in the arms of this stranger, who cuddled her as protectively as she was cuddling her own son.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” the boss warned Nate.
There was another sound. Not a thud. But the noise of a tranquilizer gun.
Mason.
His brother was out there. The Ryland plan was in motion.
Nate moved closer to Darcy and the babies, positioning himself between them and the gunman. It wasn’t much, but it was the best he could do for now. He braced himself in case he had to lunge for the guy. What he didn’t brace himself for was the crash that came through the window behind him.
Darcy tried to move away from the breaking glass. And the boss let go of Marlene. The man took aim at the window and probably would have fired, but Nate dived at him, knocking both the man and his weapon to the floor. His body was still stinging from the fight with the last guard, but he had adrenaline and need on his side. His baby’s life was at stake.
“Mason?” Darcy called out. There was relief in her voice, which hopefully meant his brother hadn’t been hurt.
Nate continued the struggle, trying to pin the boss to the ground. But the guy just wasn’t giving up, and he was fighting hard.
“Stay back,” he heard Mason say, and a moment later, his brother was there. The tranquilizer gun was in the waist of his pants, and he’d drawn his sidearm.
Mason reached into the scuffle, and he grabbed the boss by the throat. He dragged him away from Nate and put his gun directly under the man’s chin.
“Move and I’ll kill you now,” Mason warned. “Less
“Yeah,” the boss said. “For starters. Part two of the deal is slightly more…complicated. You’re to make sure Wesley Dent is not only arrested for his wife’s murder. He’s also to be convicted.”
Nate heard Darcy pull in her breath. He had a similar reaction, including disgust. Yeah, he thought that Dent might be guilty, but he wasn’t a dirty cop, and he didn’t fix investigations.
So, why did this bozo want him to fix this one?
His first guess was that these gunmen worked for either Sandra Dent’s son, Adam, or her ex-husband, Edwin. Both had motives for wanting Dent behind bars.
Which meant Dent might be innocent, after all.
“Wesley Dent is my client,” Darcy clarified. “I’m supposed to defend him to the best of my abilities.”
“Admirable,” the man snarled. “But being admirable won’t get your son back.”
“What do you mean by that?” Nate demanded.
“I mean we’re holding your children until we have the results we want for Dent. If you want to speed things up, I suggest you get Dent to confess. Or create a confession for him.”
“That can’t happen.” Nate turned, adjusting his position so that Kimmie wouldn’t see the anger on his face. “And you can’t keep our children for what could turn out to be months.”
Another shrug. “Well, we can’t keep them here, of course. We have to move them as soon as you leave.” He checked his watch. “And your time is up. You have to go now.”
“No!” Darcy tightened her grip on Noah.
“This could all be over by tomorrow,” the boss calmly explained. “Talk Dent into confessing and then arrange for his suicide because he feels so guilty for killing his wife.”
“No,” Darcy repeated, and she looked at Nate and shook her head. “I can’t leave Noah here.”
Nate was about to assure her that they weren’t leaving, but the sound stopped him cold. Not a shot.
But a thud.
The boss’s expression changed immediately. He was no longer calm. “See what’s wrong,” he barked to the young gunman behind him. The boss reached out, latched on to Marlene’s hair and pulled her in front of him.
And he put the gun to her head.
Hell.
They didn’t need that. Nate had figured he could give Kimmie to Marlene so his hands would be free, but that option was out now. Instead, he handed her to Darcy, and he was thankful that his baby seemed to enjoy being in the arms of this stranger, who cuddled her as protectively as she was cuddling her own son.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” the boss warned Nate.
There was another sound. Not a thud. But the noise of a tranquilizer gun.
Mason.
His brother was out there. The Ryland plan was in motion.
Nate moved closer to Darcy and the babies, positioning himself between them and the gunman. It wasn’t much, but it was the best he could do for now. He braced himself in case he had to lunge for the guy. What he didn’t brace himself for was the crash that came through the window behind him.
Darcy tried to move away from the breaking glass. And the boss let go of Marlene. The man took aim at the window and probably would have fired, but Nate dived at him, knocking both the man and his weapon to the floor. His body was still stinging from the fight with the last guard, but he had adrenaline and need on his side. His baby’s life was at stake.
“Mason?” Darcy called out. There was relief in her voice, which hopefully meant his brother hadn’t been hurt.
Nate continued the struggle, trying to pin the boss to the ground. But the guy just wasn’t giving up, and he was fighting hard.
“Stay back,” he heard Mason say, and a moment later, his brother was there. The tranquilizer gun was in the waist of his pants, and he’d drawn his sidearm.
Mason reached into the scuffle, and he grabbed the boss by the throat. He dragged him away from Nate and put his gun directly under the man’s chin.
“Move and I’ll kill you now,” Mason warned. “Less
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