Would this nightmare never end? Lara shrugged her shoulders out of her bulky go bag, tossed it on the floor and then bounced and snuggled a crying and kicking Maisy.
Moments later, a set of flashing lights zoomed toward them from the other lane ahead. The vehicles passed each other, but the other car did a swift U-turn and came up on them to form a rear guard. Then a second law enforcement vehicle, lights strobing, entered the highway ahead of them from a side road. Now they had a complete escort.
“Can we slow this circus down a little?” she asked Ethan.
“Sorry.” He shook his head. “We need to be sure we’ve broken through whatever dragnet our enemies have spread, as well as pick up another protection vehicle, before I’ll feel comfortable doing that.”
“I get it.” Lara sighed. “But at least can we do without the siren?”
“You heard the lady.” He tapped the driver’s shoulder, and the din faded away. “Let’s douse the bubble lights, too,” he added. “Let your people know.”
“Roger that,” the deputy answered and got on the radio.
As the vivid reds and blues ceased searing her eyes, Lara slumped against her seat. What was causing her hand to start feeling numb? She looked down to find the diaper bag strap twisted around her wrist. In all the excitement, she’d hung on to Maisy’s tote—or, rather, the tote had hung on to her. She dug out the baby’s pacifier, and the child immediately settled down.
A rumble began to draw near overhead. Helicopter? Lara exchanged a glance with Ethan. Friend or foe?
The ringtone on Ethan’s burner cell began to play. Frowning, he pulled the item out of his shirt pocket and stared at the screen. Lara’s insides clenched like a fist.
Ethan tapped the screen. “Partner?”
“I’m in the chopper overhead—” Terry’s voice came out of the speaker “—along with a couple of our best sharpshooters. Anyone from Drayton’s crew tries to get close, and we’ll take them out.”
The breath Lara had been holding gusted out. Friend. Finally.
“Welcome to the party, buddy,” Ethan said with a laugh.
“We’ll keep you company all the way to Cheyenne,” Terry answered. “Along with your vehicle escorts. I don’t know what your status is in that car down there, but unless someone is injured, we don’t recommend you stop anywhere until we arrive at our destination.”
Lara leaned toward the phone. “We’re all right, Terry. Thank God!”
“Amen to that,” Ethan added. “Little Maisy is pristine, and Lara and I collected nothing but minor scrapes and bumps during our flight through the forest. No thanks to the goon squad trying its best to take us out.”
“Speaking of goons,” Terry said, “we arrested a few this afternoon who were getting out of line with forest staff and patrons. One of them even exchanged gunfire with a ranger.”
“That must have been the shots we heard this afternoon,” Ethan said.
“Likely.”
“Was anyone hurt?” Lara put in.
“The ranger winged the attacker.”
“What about my friend Jake?” Lara asked, heart beating a little faster.
“Is that the ranger who put his truck in the path of an SUV full of the hard cases who tried to attack you on the road?”
“That’s the one.”
“I’m told he’s in the hospital for observation. Suspected mild concussion from the collision, but I hear he’s doing fine.”
Lara smiled at Ethan, and he reached over and grasped her hand. She gladly left it resting in his possession.
“I’m putting that guy’s name in for a commendation, for sure,” Ethan said, “and Deputy Cherise behind the wheel here deserves some sort of expert-driving award.”
The woman up front laughed and gave them a backhanded wave. “Think nothing of it. My privilege.”
“How is my mother doing?” Lara asked Terry.
“Fine and feisty at last check-in,” he answered.
“Sounds like my mom.” A giggle escaped her throat. The tone was a bit high and giddy, but relief after a long day of terror had that effect on a person’s vocal cords.
“How are we doing on the hunt for Ronnie and Vinnie?” Ethan asked.
“We’re currently squeezing every drop of intel out of those thugs we arrested today. I’ll let you know what we find out.”
“Do that.” Ethan ended the call and turned his head toward Lara.
She met his gaze with a stern stare. “I’m praying we catch a break because we can’t go on being chased like sheep. I won’t do this anymore. We have to settle on a plan, no matter what the danger.”
“You mean some version of the scenarios we’ve been discussing where you feature as the lamb staked out as bait and the Draytons come to us?”
“Yes, one of those plans. And don’t worry, I can shed my wool in a hurry when it’s time to get fierce.”
“Don’t I know it. But what we haven’t come up with yet is some ploy that doesn’t smell like a trap to bring the Draytons themselves out of the woodwork.”
Lara pressed her lips together and turned her head away. Always, those vital details had been sticking points in their discussions. She agreed that being used as bait would be a pointless exercise unless there was a strong probability of drawing out the father-son team behind all this mayhem. However, she didn’t have a solution to the problem.
God, help us see our way. The simple, desperate prayer was the best Lara could muster.
Ethan gently deposited a sleeping Maisy in the play pen bought for her use in the Wyoming headquarters of the US Marshals Service and stood quietly observing the child’s utter relaxation. The infant was the embodiment of innocent sweetness and ought to be raised in an atmosphere of loving kindness and integrity. Bottom line: both Maisy and Lara deserved to be happy and safe and Ethan had to give them that opportunity. Failure was not an option.
Firming his jaw, he left the small office that had been set up as a temporary nursery and joined Lara in the staff break room. Savory scents wafted from takeout containers sitting on the table. Ethan’s stomach rumbled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten anything since he and Lara had inhaled energy bars while they’d been on the run in the forest.
Lara saluted him with the chopsticks she was using to scoop food into her mouth from one of the containers. “Kung pao chicken. My favorite. I think there’s beef and broccoli, sweet-and-sour pork and pot stickers in these other containers.”
Ethan grabbed the beef and broccoli and settled across from her. “Maisy’s down for the count, I think.”
“That’s good. I don’t believe I’ll be far behind her.” A yawn smothered against her wrist punctuated her words.
“Food and rest are probably the best things right now. You can sleep secure. Armed guards are stationed all over this building. Tomorrow, we can think things through with fresh minds.”
She sent him a mild frown. “I’m okay with that answer for tonight, but we need to have some serious discussions tomorrow and make decisions. If running and hiding, then being found and running and hiding again is your version of playing it safe, I’m all for taking some risk by going on the offensive, as long as Maisy isn’t a part of the plan.”
Ethan bottled a sigh. She was right about needing to make decisions but wrong that taking a greater risk was the only option. Now was not the time to explain the play-it-safe alternative, though. By now he knew Lara well enough to anticipate she wasn’t going to like the idea going through his mind. But for this moment, the better part of wisdom was devoting himself quietly to his Chinese takeout.
An hour later, Lara had retired to her cot in the same office where Maisy was sleeping, and Ethan was still in the break room nursing the dregs of a cup of tea. Soon, he would seek out one of the cots that had been set up for him and Terry in another office. This was truly a temporary arrangement because they couldn’t go on disrupting HQ functionality indefinitely. But at least for now, he was thankful for a safe sanctuary, however temporary it might be.
Ethan rose and rinsed his cup in the sink. He turned to find Terry sauntering into the room...cradling Maisy? No, it was a baby doll that resembled the real infant. The limbs were even soft and loose, like a human baby’s arms and legs.
“Playing with dolls now, are we?” Ethan let out a soft chuckle. “Or maybe it’s your bedtime teddy bear substitute.”
“Very funny.” His partner shot him a mock scowl. “No, I went to the mall and bought this while you and Lara were eating.”
“What for? Maisy’s too small to play with it.”
Terry grabbed a bottled water out of the fridge, turned and closed the door with his foot. “While you were being all fatherly by feeding, changing and putting Maisy to bed, I had a long chat with Lara. She told me you’ve been brainstorming plans to draw the Draytons out of hiding by using her as bait. All versions of the idea require a doll that resembles Maisy enough to be mistaken for her at a distance, so I got started rounding up the props.”
Ethan crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “I’m going to have to nix those plans. Every version of the bait scenario is too dangerous. Besides, we haven’t come up with one that assures us Vinnie and Ronnie will show up in person. If we initiate something, they’ll smell a trap a mile away and not show up.”
“Then we need to keep on brainstorming. There are a lot of sharp minds in this office.”
“I’m game for continuing to bounce ideas around, but I’m not hopeful we’ll come up with a scenario Lara and I haven’t already discussed.” Ethan spread his hands with a shrug. “I mean, how would we let Vinnie and Ronnie know where Lara’s going to be at any given time without making it obvious we’re laying a trap?”
“If we even figure out how to contact them in the first place.” Terry set the doll on the table and twisted open the cap on his bottle.
“Right. And Lara can’t just pop up into the open somewhere and hope the Draytons will come running. They’ll only send more hired thugs, and we’ll be back on the same run-and-hide treadmill.”
“Back to square one with no progress.” Terry took a swig of his water. “You’re thinking permanent witness protection, then?”
“New identity. The whole nine yards. At least until we succeed in bringing down this vicious father-son team.”
“But who knows how long that will take.”
“Exactly, which is why we need to settle Lara and Maisy in somewhere for the long haul. I think Marshal Teague will go for the idea as long as Lara is on board to testify to everything the Draytons put her through.”
Ethan ignored the wrench in his gut at what this long-haul scenario would mean for him. Lara and Maisy would be taken as far out of range of Drayton influence as possible—somewhere the crooks wouldn’t have eyes and ears. And Ethan couldn’t be allowed to know where that was. Nor would he ever be able to go near them, because he was now a known associate of theirs. To save them, he’d have to give them up.
But he was prepared to make the sacrifice. Their survival was more important than seeking his own happiness by pursuing a relationship with Lara. Even though they might never be together, it was about time he admitted to himself that he truly wanted that relationship. More than anything except her and Maisy’s safety.
“Earth to Ethan,” Terry said, waving a hand in his face.
“Huh?” Ethan took a step backward.
“You went somewhere, buddy, but don’t worry, I get it. I see how you two look at each other.” The warm compassion in Terry’s eyes sent thickness to Ethan’s throat.
“Let’s hit the sack,” he said, voice a little raspy. “Tomorrow’s another day.”
Quite likely the day he’d say goodbye to beautiful Lara and precious Maisy. If he’d needed another lesson about the dangers of developing personal feelings for those he was protecting, he was receiving it now. A lesson he’d never forget. Just like he’d never forget the pair who’d stolen his heart.