Page 33

TWENTY-SEVEN

Daniel’s vision swam and nausea threatened to unmoor him.

The gun barrel pressed to his temple was an immediate cause for concern, but he barely noticed.

All he could focus on were Ellie and Owen.

In this desperate moment, he knew the whole truth.

He didn’t just love them. They were his life. His future. The reason he breathed.

That’s why he’d deviated from the plan after Ellie’s frantic phone call and driven out to the coordinates she’d provided ahead of his backup.

Daniel had been trying to figure out a way to sneak into the house when he’d been jumped.

Four men, overseen by Mike, had beaten him senseless.

He hadn’t gone down without a fight though. He’d given as good as he got.

Coming here alone had been reckless, a move born from desperation and panic… and a fierce need to protect them. Now, he lay on this cold tile floor, with a gun pointed at his head, and all he could think about was that he’d put the woman he loved in an impossible position.

His throat was dry, his body aching, and it hurt to breathe. Still, he managed to say, “Don’t do it, El. He’ll kill us both anyway.”

“True.” Mike hovered over him, a sinister smile on his face. “But we can end things mercifully or…”

He rose and delivered a swift kick to Daniel’s gunshot wound.

White-hot agony exploded, along with a primal scream.

He smothered the cry behind gritted teeth but couldn’t control his breathing.

It was shallow and ragged, each draw of air sending pain pulsing through his entire body.

He forced his good eye open and leveled it at Mike. “I’m going to destroy you.”

“You can barely stand.” Mike turned to Ellie, who had tears shimmering in her eyes. “What’s it going to be, Elizabeth?”

“Don’t, El.” Daniel dragged himself upright through sheer strength of will.

She looked down at him, her expression saying everything she couldn’t out loud. I love you. I’m sorry.

It ripped him to shreds, causing more pain than the wounds on his body.

He wanted to haul himself up off the floor and tackle Mike but knew he would only get himself shot before he even rose to his feet.

He frantically searched for a way out of this.

For Ellie and for Owen, if not for himself.

His backup was probably still twenty minutes away, and it would take time for them to get into position.

Too late to save them. At this point, Daniel needed a miracle.

God, please. If this is my time, then I succumb to Your will, but I pray You will bestow grace on Ellie and Owen. Save them, Lord.

Ellie held a protective hand over Owen’s head. The baby, thankfully, was sleeping straight through this nightmare. “What about Owen?”

“As you pointed out, I’m not a monster. Owen will be returned to his foster family by tomorrow morning.”

"You swear it?"

"I give you my word." His tone turned impatient. “Enough stalling. Give me the password.”

Daniel reached up and used the island to pull himself to his feet. Each move sent waves of pain through him. He was powerless to stop this, but he wouldn’t be silent. “You've betrayed everything you swore to protect."

Ellie reached out and touched his arm. The warmth of her hand seeped straight through his torn shirt, past his wounds, and right down to his bones. He longed to pull her into his arms. To stop her as she drew in a breath.

“The password is?—”

A thunderous blast shook the entire foundation, and an inferno erupted outside the kitchen window. On instinct, Daniel grabbed Ellie and yanked her down with him under the shelter of the island. Owen’s small form was nestled between them. Shouts and panicked cries were punctuated by gunshots.

“We’re being attacked!” Mike bellowed into a handheld radio.

“Rangers?” Ellie whispered.

Daniel shook his head. This wasn’t protocol.

Another detonation sent tremors through the floor beneath them.

Smoke filled the house. He frantically scanned for a safe exit.

Hiding somewhere in the house could get them killed.

Going outside could do the same. Staying here, however, wasn’t an option.

He started to rise when a swift kick to his gunshot wound caused his knee to crumble.

Fresh torment blazed through every nerve ending.

Daniel's body went slack with the agony, and he tumbled to the ground.

Smoke clouded his vision as Mike dragged Ellie from underneath the island. He grabbed the flash drive from the countertop. “Shoot him and let’s go!”

Daniel’s heart pounded as the guard stepped around the island, weapon raised.

He took a breath and rolled.

Bullets punched the tile where his body had been.

Shards flew up, spitting into his face. Daniel kept moving until he was safely sheltered by the other island.

He barely heard the other guard’s footsteps as the man ran away.

Desperation had him clambering to his knees in time to see the guard disappearing down a hallway on the far side of the kitchen.

Muscles screaming in protest, blood running down his injured leg, Daniel forced himself to his feet. He was outgunned and outmanned, but that wouldn’t stop him from saving Ellie or Owen.

Gritting his teeth, he raced for the hallway.

Clutching Owen close to her chest, Ellie was forced to keep pace with Mike’s frantic steps as he raced down a long corridor leading to God knew where.

Hazy smoke hung in the air. If she slowed down an iota, the guard behind her jabbed her kidney with the barrel of his automatic weapon. She feared he’d accidentally shoot her.

Had he shot Daniel? Was her love dead?

The thought threatened to cripple her. Only the weight of Owen in her arms kept Ellie moving forward. She needed to find a way out of this for his sake.

Gunshots and screams echoed down the hallway.

It was terrifying. The closest thing she could imagine to a war zone.

Her heart thundered against her chest, and she struggled to remain calm.

God, lay Your loving hands over me. Owen is a helpless child who needs Your help.

Please keep him safe. And please protect Daniel.

I don’t know… She couldn’t finish the thought.

God knew the plea that was in her heart.

Mike stopped abruptly at a door and punched in a number on a keypad.

The guard panted. “We aren’t going to the safe room, sir?”

“It’s on the other end of the house,” Mike snapped. “Feel like fighting your way through bullets to get there?” He yanked the door open and automatic fluorescent lights flickered on, revealing a garage containing several vehicles.

The guard jabbed Ellie in the back to spur her on.

Mike led them past the sports cars, their footsteps echoing off the concrete.

The room was chilly, and goosebumps broke out on Ellie’s skin.

Her gaze skipped over a wall of professional-grade tools.

To her surprise, there was a section of guns.

It was tempting to snag one, but with Owen in her arms, she had no way to do so.

Escape had to be carefully calculated. Right now, she didn’t know who was outside or why the house was being attacked. She did trust that Mike wanted to live. Her best option was to stick with him.

“We’ll take the Jeep.” Mike seized Ellie’s arm. His grip was bruising and his stare deadly as he shoved a handgun under her throat. “Get in and don’t cause any trouble for me, or I’ll make sure you regret it. Do we understand each other?”

“We do.”

He released her with a shove. Ellie stumbled into the guard behind her, who already had the rear door open and waiting. She tightened her hold on little Owen, and using the running board, lifted herself into the back. “There’s no car seat.”

Mike shoved a key into the ignition. “Are you serious right now?”

She was actually. They were about to tear through explosions and gunfire. Ellie had no intention of doing so with an unsecured baby in the back seat.

She laid Owen down on the bench. His skin was sweaty after being pressed up against her for so long.

Her heart stuttered. Or maybe it was the fever returning?

He was supposed to be on antibiotics and surely had missed his last dose.

The thought sent a fresh wave of panic through her, but with the more immediate threats on their doorstep, she shoved her worry to the side.

She needed to figure out a way to securely strap in Owen.

The guard loomed over her, one foot on the running board as he hefted himself into the Jeep.

Gunshots erupted in the cavernous space.

Ellie threw herself on top of Owen as the guard clutched his chest and then dropped away from the door.

Through the strands of her dirty and smoke-filled hair, she registered two things at once.

Daniel. He stood in the garage next to the wall of tools.

Blood soaked his pants leg, and he looked unsteady on his feet, but it didn’t affect the way he wielded the handgun.

And Mike. The criminal was already shifting into position to fire at Daniel.

“NO!” Ellie launched herself over the rear seat and attacked Mike from behind, knocking the arm holding the gun upward with one hand as she scratched at his face with the other. Her nail jabbed his eye, and he howled like a wounded animal. Footsteps pounded over the cement.

“El! Release him!”

She immediately heeded Daniel’s command, and he yanked Mike from the vehicle before delivering a stunning blow to the other man’s head. Mike slumped to the floor, unconscious. Ellie climbed out of the Jeep just as the injured guard bolted for the garage exit.

She threw her arms around Daniel, nearly toppling him over. He caught himself on the door of the Jeep, wrapping his arms around her and planting a toe-curling kiss on her mouth.

“I thought you were dead.” Tears threatened to stream down her face, but she battled them back. Gunshots in the house brought the reality of their situation crashing down. They weren’t out of trouble yet. “We have to get out of here.”

She quickly bent down and retrieved Tyler's phone from Mike's pocket, handing it to Daniel, before pocketing the flash drive.

“Get in,” Daniel ordered. “I’ll drive.”

“I’ll drive. You can barely see.” Ellie quickly undid her belt and pulled it from her waist. “Owen’s in the back. Get in there with him. Second bench seat.”

To her relief, Daniel didn’t argue. Maybe he realized how close he was to passing out.

He cradled Owen in his strong arms as Ellie quickly used her belt to secure the baby to Daniel’s seat belt, similar to how a child under the age of two was secured in an airplane.

Daniel grinned at her, his busted lip painfully swollen. “Smart.”

“It’ll hold in an accident. Let’s pray we won’t need it.”

She stole one more kiss from Daniel and ran her hand over Owen’s sweet curls before jumping into the driver’s seat. She pressed the biggest button on the built-in visor and was relieved when the garage door in front of them rumbled open.

And then she got a look at the world outside.

Fire and smoke poured from the woods and into the house.

Gunfire erupted from the front lawn as men in camo raced toward the burning inferno.

They were caught in a turf war. Momentary panic stole Ellie’s breath as she realized the gravel drive she’d taken to get here was blocked.

The estate was an unknown to her. “I don’t know where to go. ”

“There’s a road to the north,” Daniel said. “I used it to approach the house. It’ll mean going off-road, but the Jeep can handle it.”

Ellie shoved the vehicle into Drive and hit the gas. “Hang on!”

The Jeep shot out of the garage. Stones spun as she whipped around the corner with the skill of a race car driver. Muzzles flashed as men began firing at them. Ellie ducked, pressing harder on the gas, and then realization dawned. None of the windows were shattering.

The Jeep had bulletproof glass.

She raced toward the north side of the property as men scattered to get out of the vehicle’s way.

More gunfire followed. The path ahead was clear for exactly thirty seconds.

Then she saw the roadblock. A wall of flames spreading rapidly across the grounds, the inferno fed by wind that pushed it hungrily toward the house.

The blazing barrier was too wide to circumvent.

They had to go through it.

Ellie gritted her teeth and gripped the steering wheel. “Daniel, hang on tight to our boy.”