Lady Luck was on his side today. First, he’d gotten the info of where Beth was hiding. He wasn’t surprised she was shacking up with one of the lousy Boudreaus, but then again, Beth was an opportunist, and beautiful to boot. She’d managed to twist him around her little finger at the beginning of their relationship too. Why wouldn’t she do it to another man? She’d use him and abuse him, toss him out like yesterday’s trash the minute she found something bigger and better.
Evan’s luck continued when he’d found an isolated road, practically depositing him on the Boudreaus’ back doorstep. It looked like something used for loading and hauling ranching stuff. He didn’t care; it worked for his purpose, an unobserved spot to stay out of sight and provide a quick getaway if he was spotted. Dame Fortune continued shining down on him when he’d spotted Jamie from his hiding place, skipping out the back door, headed toward the barn. After that, it had been too easy.
“Daddy, you promised Mommy could come with us to get ice cream.”
Evan rolled his eyes at Jamie’s words. She hadn’t shut up from the minute she gotten in the car. When she’d spotted him in the trees, crouching hidden out of sight from those nosy Boudreaus, she’d raced across the grass, flinging herself into his arms. It was a true miracle nobody spotted her, practically doing cartwheels on her way toward his hiding place. He’d squeezed her tight, felt her tears against the skin of his neck as she blubbered about how much she’d missed him, and why had he stayed gone so long. Apparently, that was one thing in Beth’s favor—she hadn’t told the brat about him being behind bars. He’d love to know what story she’d concocted for Jamie about his long absence.
“I’ll call her again in a little while, okay? She can meet us and we’ll go get your ice cream.”
“We have to go back, Daddy. I’m supposed to help take care of the kitties. The mommy cat had babies!”
“Kitties—you mean kittens? Why should you take care of them? Don’t they have people to do that?”
Jamie squirmed around in the back seat, wiggling as much as the seatbelt allowed. “I like playing with the kitties. They’re little, and they squirm a lot when I pick them up, and they kiss me all over my face. And I get to chase them. It’s fun.”
“Later, Jamie. You can play with them later.”
“Where are we going? I’m not supposed to go any place without Mommy. I don’t want her to get mad at me. Maybe you should call her again.”
It’s okay. I’ll let Mommy know where you are, baby. We’re going to stop in a minute, and I’ll call her.” Does this child ever stop talking?
“Did you know I got to play with Otto?”
“Who’s Otto? Does he work for the Boudreaus?” Evan maneuvered around a slow-moving truck pulling a trailer. Something inside reeked, and he held his breath. The stench was enough to bring tears to his eyes. How could people stand living with the stench? He punched the accelerator, speeding away from the truck, continuing north and east. According to his map, it shouldn’t be too much farther until he hit one of the big interstates. He’d have a much better chance of putting some distance between him and Shiloh Springs once he hit civilization again.
“Daddy, is it time to call Mommy yet? She’s gonna be really mad at me. I wasn’t supposed to leave.” Jamie’s voice quieted, and he could barely hear her. “I disobeyed her, and went outside even though she told me to stay in the house. I wanted to see the kitties, but Nica told me to wait and she’d go with me, but she had to chase Otto. That was funny. I think Otto was laughing at her.”
Right, Otto the donkey.
A convenience store loomed up ahead in the distance, and within a few minutes, Evan pulled into the parking lot, easing the car around the side where no other cars parked. Jamie’s eyes darted around, taking in everything, but at least she’d stopped talking for the first time since she’d gotten in the car. He’d never realized how much the brat droned on and on. Then again, he’d stayed gone as much as humanly possible, so this might actually be normal behavior for her.
It was now or never. If he made the call, the state would tack on a half dozen or more charges to his record, including kidnapping, felony escape, and a laundry list of foul deeds. Didn’t matter the brat was his, he was an escaped convict, no longer a custodial parent. He shook his head. Why was he even debating the situation? His path was set the second he’d climbed in the back of Axel’s girlfriend’s car. No turning back.
Reaching onto the front seat, he picked up the cell phone and dialed. He’d been fortunate when he’d picked this car to steal. The owner’s cell phone must’ve slid out of her purse and wedged between the seats when she’d gotten out and got the groceries. He’d only found it when it rang. Scared the spit out of him, before he realized what it was. So, he had wheels and a means of communication. And now he had a hostage—his own daughter.
Steeling his nerves, he dialed Beth’s number. He knew she had the same cell number she’d had when they were married. His attorney had listed it on some papers in his briefcase, and Evan had spotted it, making a mental note.
He said a silent prayer Beth would cooperate—because there was no turning back now.
Beth jumped when her phone rang, and she snatched it from her jeans pocket, and answered, not even bothering to look at the caller ID.
“Mommy!”
“Baby, where are you? I’ve been so worried.”
“We’re going for ice cream. Daddy said it was okay, because he hadn’t seen me in a long time, and he wanted us to have a special treat. Are you coming, Mommy?”
A cold sweat broke out across her skin at her daughter’s words. Evan had Jamie! Her worst nightmare had come true. She watched Nica motioning wildly, trying to get her attention, but Beth ignored her, focusing all her concentration on her daughter.
“Of course! I want to have ice cream too, sweetie. Where are you? I’ll come meet you.”
“Um, I’m not sure, Mommy. It looks like—”
“Hello, Beth.” Evan’s voice was devoid of any emotion, monotone and cold.
“Where’s my daughter?”
“Our daughter.”
“You have no rights to Jamie. You signed the custody agreement voluntarily when you went to prison, remember. You relinquished all parental rights without a single regret. Those were your words, Evan. Remember? Just tell me what you want.”
“What do you think I want, Beth? I want what I should have had from the very beginning. Money. I worked hard for it. I’m the one who did all the research. I’m the one who figured out the bond was still valid. I’m the one who realized its true worth. I deserve every penny, and I intend to get what’s coming to me.”
“Oh, trust me, Evan, I’ll make sure you get everything coming to you.”
“Daddy, I think I want to go home now. We don’t need ice cream. I wanna see Mommy.” The confusion and fear in Jamie’s voice sent Beth to her knees. Her precious baby, in the hands of the man who’d tried to murder her sister, and had planned Beth’s own demise, had her daughter.
Muffled in the background, she heard the sound of footsteps racing inside the house from outside, but refused to focus on anything but the phone plastered against her ear. The dead silence on the other end terrified her.
“Jamie, sweetheart, can you hear me?”
“She’s fine. I haven’t hurt a single hair on her head, and I won’t if you do what I tell you.”
“Evan, so help me, I’m going to rip your eyes out with my bare hands. Give me back my daughter.”
“I want my money.”
“I don’t have it. Every dime went back to the county. You know Tessa and I donated the bond back to Crowley County. And you, you left me in debt up to my eyeballs. Mortgages on the house. Credit cards in my name I didn’t open. Bank accounts empty. Even Jamie’s college fund’s gone. What more do you want from me?”
Brody knelt in front of her, his eyes searching her face. With his finger pressed to his lips, he mouthed the word, “speaker.” When she stared at him blankly, he eased the phone away from her ear and tapped a button, putting the phone on speaker.
“You better figure out a way to get your hands on some cash fast, Beth, if you want me out of your life for good. I don’t intend to spend another day in prison.”
“How much do you want, Evan?”
“A million dollars.” Though his answer didn’t surprise her, the amount still had her heart rate kicking into high gear, and her breath caught.
“I don’t have a million dollars. Where do you think I can come up with that kind of money, Evan?”
“I’ll pay it.”
The strong, deep voice from behind Beth had her head whipping around, and she stared into the eyes of Douglas Boudreau, her mouth open in surprise. “Douglas?”
“Who’s there?”
“Douglas Boudreau. I can get your money. No cash though, not on a Sunday. No banks are open.”
Evan’s surprised curse was clear through the receiver.
“Daddy, you said bad words. Mommy doesn’t like bad words. She says they’re in-a-something.” Beth bit back a strangled laugh at her daughter’s admonition. Jamie had picked up a couple of not-so-nice cuss words around some of the hands since being at the ranch, when they hadn’t known she was around. More than once Beth had to talk to her about their inappropriateness. Guess she was rubbing off on her daughter.
“Douglas Boudreau? The one who owns the construction company, right?” Evan’s chuckle was pure evil. A shiver ran down Beth’s spine at the sound. “Don’t worry, Mr. Boudreau, I wouldn’t expect you to have a million dollars in cash laying around. Then again, I don’t know anything about most of you Boudreaus, though I’ve met two of your sons.”
“Get to the point, Mr. Stewart. The sooner we do this, the sooner Jamie can be back with her mother.” Beth had never heard Douglas’ voice sound so—commanding. Without conscious thought, she found herself standing straighter, almost at attention, before she caught herself. Brody mentioned his father had been in the Army, something to do with Special Forces, but with everything going on, she’d forgotten that fact. Now his superior training was evident within every syllable the older man spoke. He’d taken control of the situation, letting Evan know he no longer had the upper hand.
“The point, Mr. Boudreau, is simple. Money. This transaction can be accomplished simply and efficiently, with nobody getting hurt.”
“Before I give you one single penny, Jamie will be returned to her mother. No exception.”
“I can’t do that. How do I know you’ll fulfill your end of the bargain if I give you my only bargaining chip?”
“Because you’ll have me in Jamie’s place. Trust me, I’ve worth far more than your daughter, Stewart. You said you know who I am. Then you’ll also know I’m a man of my word. Trade Jamie for me, and you’ll get exactly what’s coming to you.”
There was silence, Beth’s nerves tight, her body on edge, waiting for Evan’s answer. She didn’t want Douglas putting himself in Jamie’s place, but her daughter was so little. She didn’t understand what a monster her father had become, and she was terrified of what Evan might do if his demands were thwarted.
“I agree to your terms, Mr. Boudreau.”
Beth’s body collapsed into Brody’s arms, relief swamping her. Her baby was coming home. Things weren’t settled yet, not by a long shot, but they were one step closer to ending Evan’s reign of terror. Because she knew Brody wouldn’t allow Evan to walk away from this unscathed. He’d make sure Evan ended back behind bars. And he’d have backup, because he had his family to watch his back.
“Where do you want to make the exchange?” Douglas glanced toward Beth, his gaze steady and reassuring. He gave a brief nod in her direction before turning his attention back to Evan.
“I’ll call you back in an hour. There are arrangements that need to be in place before I’ll meet you. Be ready.”
“Evan, let me talk to Jamie. Please.” Beth pulled herself out of Brody’s arms and raced over to stand by Douglas, her eyes glued to the cell phone. “Please,” she choked out again.
For another long stretch, there was silence, and she wondered if he’d let her speak to their daughter. Putting herself in Jamie’s place, she knew her baby had to be terrified. Evan was her father, but she hadn’t been around him in months. And now she knew her ex’s true colors, leaving Jamie with him for even a minute seemed an eternity.
“Mommy! Where are you? Daddy said you were gonna have ice cream with us, but then you never came. Now I want to come home, and Daddy said no.”
“Hey, baby girl! We’ll have ice cream soon, I promise. We’re going to come and get you, and you’ll be home soon. Then you can eat anything you want, okay?”
“Anything?”
“I promise. Just be a good girl until we get there. You can do that, right?”
Beth fervently wished this was a video call, so she could see her daughter’s face. She sounded unharmed, unfazed by the drama of what was going on around here, but how long would that last?
“Can you hurry up, Mommy? I don’t like this car. It smells funny.” Her voice lowered into a whisper, “And Daddy’s being mean. I want to come home.”
Tears spilled down Beth’s cheeks, and she felt Brody’s arms slide around her waist, felt the warmth and safety of being within his arms. She shook her head, trying to speak but unable to get the words to come.
“Honey bear, we’ll be there soon. Ms. Patti will fix you some frozen waffles and we’ll put ice cream and chocolate syrup on them. Even whipped cream. How’s that sound?”
“Uncle Brody! Are you coming to get me?”
“Absolutely.”
“Enough.” Evan’s voice came through the phone. “I’ll call you with instructions, and make sure you bring a laptop, Mr. Boudreau.” With that, the call ended.
Pandemonium ensued the second the call stopped. Everyone was talking at once, and Beth couldn’t follow a single conversation, all her thoughts focused on Jamie. She spun around to face Douglas.
“Thank you. I’ll figure out a way to pay you back.”
Douglas reached forward and took her hand, squeezing it gently. “Darlin’, you’re part of this family now. Not like I’m going to let somebody like Evan Stewart get away with hurting you or Jamie. Don’t worry about the money, Jamie’s the most important thing, and we’re gonna get her back. She’ll be in your arms in no time.”
“I’m going with you.” Brody’s voice was a simple statement of fact, but she heard the underlying steel layering each word. “I promised her I’d be there, and I’m going.”
“Me, too.”
“Beth—”
“You’re not going to talk me out of coming, Brody. She’s my daughter!”
“And what’s to stop Evan from trying to grab you too, and take you both out of the country?” She could almost hear his unspoken or worse.
“You are.” She cupped his cheek, gazing into his brown eyes. “You and Douglas and Rafe and whoever else you drag into your rescue plan. I know we’re your first priority.”
“My only priority.”
Glancing around, she noted they were the only two people still standing in the living room. Everyone else had cleared out, giving them the illusion of privacy, though knowing her sister, she probably had her ear pressed to the opening of the kitchen, listening to every word.
“Go. I know your dad, Rafe, and the others are meeting someplace, coming up with a plan to capture Evan and rescue Jamie. Help them. But know this, I’m going with you. If you try to stop me, I’ll simply follow you.”
He chuckled. “I know you would.” Brushing a soft kiss against her forehead, he turned her toward the kitchen, giving her a nudge. “Go talk to your sister. I’ll be back.”
Taking a deep breath, she headed for the kitchen, the heart of the Boudreau home, and prayed like she’d never prayed before her baby stayed safe, and Brody didn’t end up killing Evan.