Nick didn’t say anything for several long moments. “You really think Eric would take the bait?”
“He wants Durham bad,” Todd explained. “And the theory is that Eric won’t be able to resist if you invite him to the party as well. Of course, you’ll have to tell Eric to come alone so that he won’t send one of his hired guns to do his dirty work.”
She saw Nick’s shoulders stiffen, and he shoved his thumb against his chest. “You want
me
to invite Eric here?”
“Yes,” Paula snapped. She dropped down into the chair nearest Nick. “I told you I didn’t like the plan. Our boss thinks you can convince your brother that you want to bury the hatchet. I don’t think you can.”
“It doesn’t matter what we think. This directive came down from above. The director thinks Eric will be more than willing to come once he learns that Durham will be here,” Todd interjected, giving Paula a cool look. “Eric wants to kill Durham himself. He’s said so to his inner circle of friends. This would be a perfect opportunity. And it would also be the perfect opportunity for us to catch Eric red-handed for attempted murder.”
“Durham has agreed to this?” Nick asked.
“Reluctantly,” Paula provided. She folded her arms over her chest. “He knows how important it is, but he’s being cautious because he knows this could all backfire.”
“What about Kelly and the babies? I wouldn’t want them anywhere near Eric if we could somehow pull this off.”
Again, it was Todd who answered. “We could move them to a safe house.”
Oh, God. Nick was actually considering the plan.
And Kelly knew why he was considering it. It could be the chance to put Eric away so that Joseph and William would be safe. But the risk. Mercy, the risks to Nick would be astronomical.
“I’ll do it,” she heard Nick say.
Paula jumped to her feet. “Nick—”
“I have to try,” he interrupted. “I have to do whatever I can to keep Kelly and the boys safe.” Nick paused and aimed his attention at Todd. “But this stays in this room. I don’t want Kelly to know about anything we’ve discussed. She has enough on her mind without adding this.”
Kelly’s stomach tightened, and she automatically moved closer to the monitor. Had she heard Nick correctly?
“I think that’s wise,” Todd concluded. “No reason to tell her. It would only make her worry.”
Paula huffed. “Then you better say your goodbyes now, Nick. Because once this party gets started, there’s no assurance,
none,
that we can keep you alive.”
Kelly stood there in her suite. Stunned. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.
Nick was going to use himself and that other man as bait.
And he was going to lie to her about the danger.
That stung. Nick didn’t believe she was strong enough to handle the truth. Or maybe he just thought he was doing her a favor by keeping her in the dark. His life would be on the line, and if she hadn’t overheard that conversation, she never would have understood why he’d shipped her and the babies off to a safe house.
She groaned. Obviously, Nick and she weren’t making much headway in a relationship if he didn’t trust her with the truth.
Kelly threw open the door to her room. She wanted to confront Nick. Actually, she wanted to yell at him. And the two Justice Department agents. But then Kelly saw Greta coming down the hall with both boys in a double stroller.
“I just had it delivered,” Greta said motioning toward the stroller.
“It’s really nice,” Kelly said. And she hoped she sounded sincere, because it was nice. Both the stroller and the fact that Greta had ordered it.
“I was about to take them to the solarium,” Greta explained. “I thought they might like a little sunshine.”
“Would you mind if I did it?” Not only would it mean being with Joseph and William, Kelly could use the time to try to figure out what she was going to do about Nick. She definitely needed a cooling-off period.
Smiling, Greta passed the stroller to her. Since Kelly couldn’t quite manage a smile, she hurried away. Thankfully, the babies wouldn’t notice her sour mood.
She followed the hall to the east side of the house and the massive solarium. The room was filled with greenery and flowering plants in richly colored terracotta pots. It was a stark contrast to the winter landscape outside.
There was a circular path of sorts made of beautiful Mexican tiles, and Kelly pushed the stroller along it so the babies could see the flowers. Joseph pointed to a pot of scarlet roses and babbled something. He turned to her and smiled.
With a smile forming on her own lips, she heard the sound of footsteps. She reeled around and saw Zeke, the ranch hand.
“You doing okay in here?” he asked.
Greta had no doubt sent him to check on her.
“I’m okay.” It was almost true. Almost. “Is it safe to go to the stables?”
“Afraid not. Did you want to go riding?”
“No.” She couldn’t say that quickly enough. “Actually, I’m scared of horses. I just thought if I managed to see one up close that the fear might go away.”
She was babbling. Sheez. Since Nick had jokingly made that comment about not getting involved with a woman with a fear of horses or cows, she’d been obsessed with the notion of becoming more comfortable around livestock.
The corner of Zeke’s mouth hitched. “Maybe I can teach you to ride when things settle down around here.” He tipped his head to Joseph. “That’s Nick’s boy, isn’t it? Don’t bother answering. I can see it. Of course, the problem is Nick’s snake of a brother can see it, too.”
Yes. Eric no doubt could. And that made her realize something. Nick was desperate to keep the babies safe. She certainly was. That desperation had likely caused him to agree to Todd’s plan to have this dangerous party. Nick was doing it again. He was risking his own life for theirs.
Kelly suddenly felt lower than dirt.
Here she’d had thoughts about yelling at him for another lie when she knew in her heart that the lie was for the best of reasons. Nick hadn’t buried his head in the sand over his brother. He was taking action.
“Enjoy your stroll, Ms. Manning,” Zeke said, giving both boys’ tummies a goose. Joseph and William giggled.
As she watched Zeke stroll away, Kelly had to admit that her mood had improved significantly. Strange. There was still so much hanging over them that she wasn’t sure a good mood was the safest attitude to take.
She stopped by some potted trees and realized the small fruit growing on them were lemons. She auto matically smiled. There was something amusing about a Texas cowboy who grew lemons.
She glanced down at the babies to make sure they were okay, and time seemed to freeze. Kelly heard a deafening crash.
She turned, saw the glass flying right toward her, and automatically dove forward to shelter William and Joseph. She landed hard against the stroller, not a second too soon.
The dangerous shards of glass spewed over the solarium and pelted her.
Even then her mind didn’t register what’d happened. Not until there was a second blast, and a second storm of flying glass.
That’s when she knew someone was shooting at them.
N
ICK WAS ON HOLD WAITING
for an update about Cooper when he heard the sound.
A sound that shot terror straight through him.
He dropped the phone on his desk, grabbed his gun and started to run. He’d barely made it out of his office when he heard the second crash.
Hell.
He prayed that the sound of shattering glass didn’t mean that someone was trying to break in.
He raced down the hall, looking in each room. There was no sign of Kelly, the babies or Greta. And that did nothing to calm his fears.
“They’re in the solarium,” he heard Zeke yell. The man was armed with a rifle.
Nick rushed past Zeke and made a beeline for the solarium. However, he didn’t immediately see Kelly because there was another thick blast, followed by yet more spewing glass.
Sharp pieces of glass that could do some serious harm.
“Kelly?” Nick called out.
“Over here.” Her voice sounded strained and muffled. God, he hoped that didn’t mean she was hurt.
Nick followed the sound of her voice and realized she was in the far corner of the room. There was at least fifty feet of glass and plants between them. That didn’t stop him. Nothing would. One way or the other, he was getting to Kelly and their sons.
“Stay down,” Nick yelled. He glanced at Zeke. “Call the sheriff and try to see who the hell is trying to kill us.”
Zeke nodded and hurried off. Nick turned his full attention to getting across the room. He took a deep breath, said a prayer and, while crouching as low as he could, he began to make his way toward Kelly.
There was another shot.
And another.
Nick figured the bullets had been fired from a long-range rifle. The shooter was probably either perched on a barn or else in a tree in the heavily wooded area just beyond the fence. Either way, the person was in a position to keep firing.
Bullets crashed through what was left of the east wall of the solarium. But the glass wasn’t all the bullets hit. The terracotta pots were smashed, as well, and dirt, plants and jagged clay pieces exploded in the air. Nick had to duck his head to protect his eyes.
Both boys were crying, shrieking with terror.
“Are you hurt?” he asked Kelly.
She didn’t answer, and with each passing second, Nick’s heart pounded harder.
“I think we’re okay,” she finally said.
Think.
Which meant she wasn’t certain. And that sent his fears and heart racing out of control.
The shots continued, a barrage of deadly gunfire. Nick ducked the flying pottery pieces and continued his race to get to Kelly. When he finally spotted her amid the debris and chaos, she was hovered in the corner, on the side of two lemon trees, and she was using her body to shield the babies.
“I’m here,” Nick let her know.
He maneuvered himself between her and the east side of the house where the shots were coming from. And he turned so he could try to do something about that damn shooter.
Nick frantically searched the barn tops but didn’t see anyone, especially not a gunman armed with a scope rifle. He kept looking. Until he finally spotted what he thought might be sunlight dancing off metal. A glimmer, that’s all it was. And it was indeed coming from one of the massive oaks just on the other side of the pasture fence.
Though it was useless, Nick moved slightly away from Kelly, took aim and fired. He wished like hell that he’d taken the rifle from Zeke. It would have been a lot more effective than his handgun.
“I need to get you out of here,” Nick told her. Though there was no way he could safely do that. Still, he had to try. Each shot had the potential to kill them.
Nick positioned himself in the line of fire, and he reached behind him to grab the stroller handle. “Keep as low as possible,” he instructed Kelly.
“The sheriff’s on the way,” Zeke shouted.
Thank God. But the sheriff’s arrival was still minutes away. A lot could happen during that time.
“Zeke, the shooter’s on the other side of the pasture fence. Fire a few shots in that direction so I can get Kelly and the babies out of here.”
Zeke used the door frame for cover, aimed the rifle through the shattered glass and fired. The loud, thundering blast only caused the boys to cry even harder.
Nick hurried Kelly and the babies toward safety while Zeke continued to fire. Nick cursed when a ceramic pot shattered right in front of them. He glanced back at Kelly to make sure no one was hurt. He didn’t see any blood, but he did see the look of terror on her face. She was ashen pale, trembling, but there was also some fierce determination in her expression.
And just like that, the gunman’s shots stopped.
“Y
OU’RE NOT GOING
out there,” Sheriff Cross insisted, catching Nick’s arm to stop him from leaving.
That didn’t please Nick one bit. He wanted nothing more than to grab a Glock and a hunting rifle and go after the SOB who’d just attacked Kelly and their sons.
“That whole area is now a crime scene,” the sheriff continued, releasing the grip he had on him. “I want a chance to look for footprints and other evidence. And I can’t do that if you’re out there with guns blazing.”
Nick couldn’t deny that he’d do just that. If he saw the shooter, he would definitely try to take him out.
Kelly stepped in front of him. “Let’s make sure Greta got the boys settled down.”
Her voice was still shaky. Because she was so close, he could feel her every muscle trembling. With reason. They’d all come damn close to dying.
This was Eric’s doing. Well, probably. But Nick couldn’t discount Denny Russell.
“You said your two visitors left just about a half hour ago?” Sheriff Cross asked before Nick and Kelly could leave to check on the boys.
Nick nodded. “Paula Barker and Todd Burgess.”
“After I’ve gone over the crime scene, I’ll want to talk to them.”
So did Nick. And he wanted to talk to Cooper, as well. “Their phone numbers are in the Rolodex in my office. One of the housekeepers can get them for you.”
Nick didn’t explain that Paula and Todd were federal agents. He’d let them tell Sheriff Cross that particular detail. That way, the Justice Department could decide how much they wanted the local authorities to know.
“Have Greta stay put in the panic room,” the sheriff continued. “You two might want to stand guard outside just in case.”
“You think that gunman is coming back?” Kelly touched her fingers to her mouth.
“There’s always a chance of something like that. Lock yourself in and stay put. I’ll call you on your cell phone and let you know when it’s okay to come out.”
Cross didn’t have to say it twice. The panic room was safe, but the rest of the house obviously wasn’t. Someone could get in. Someone that Eric had hired to get Joseph. Nick had to make sure that didn’t happen.
Kelly and Nick hurried to the nursery, and he got her a weapon from the safe. Nick threw open the closet door that led to the panic room. Rather than rush in and frighten the babies and Greta even more than they already had been, he used the tiny monitor next to the keypad for the panic room entrance. The image quickly popped up on the screen. Not an image of chaos or pandemonium. Both boys were asleep on quilts on the floor, and Greta was in the rocking chair next to them.
He pressed the intercom button. “Kelly and I are at the top of the stairs,” he whispered to Greta. “We’re keeping the door locked. And we’re standing guard until the sheriff gives us the okay. If you need anything, just ask.”
Greta nodded, and in just that simple gesture, Nick could see the tension and the fear. It was a good thing that the babies seemed calm and happy.
Kelly touched the screen, running her fingers over the image of first Joseph and then William. “It’s a miracle they weren’t hurt.”
Yeah. And Nick hated to rely on miracles when it came to their safety.
“I was so scared when the bullets were flying,” Kelly said, her voice choppy now. She had a gun in her right hand, but she fisted her left one and pushed it hard against her forehead. “I thought the boys were going to die. I thought
you
were going to die.”
The only light was coming from the monitor, but Nick had no trouble seeing the tears in her eyes. Not surprising. She’d just survived a trip to hell and back.
“We have to stop Eric,” she added.
“We will.
I
will,” Nick corrected, putting his arm around her.
She choked back a sob and threw herself against him. Nick had braced himself for that to happen. The adrenaline was no doubt still racing through her, and she probably felt ready to explode. He certainly did. He was primed and ready for a fight, and there was no one or nowhere he could aim that dangerous energy.
“No one was hurt,” Nick reminded her. “The babies are safe.”
“But for how long?” It wasn’t the question of a defeated woman. She was furious. “I want to kill Eric for this. I want to make him pay for what he tried to do to William and Joseph.”
Her breath broke. A hoarse moan came from deep within her throat. She jammed her fist against his chest.
Nick kissed her before she lost it and before her tears could spill down her cheeks. It definitely wasn’t the time for a kiss, but he didn’t know what else to do. He figured Kelly would push him away or yell at him, anything to redirect that energy.
But she didn’t. Kelly returned the kiss with a vengeance.