Protecting Their Child (13 page)

The chopper topped the trees over their heads. The wind stirred the snow in a circular pattern; the running lights gave the white flakes an eerie glow as they swirled faster for a few seconds. Fortunately, the evergreens they were standing under protected their location, but they were out of time.

“Don’t, Cord. I know that look.” She already knew he would go back and make a stand alone. There was nothing she could do to stop him. His mind was set on one plan of action.

“It’s the only way.” He handed her the pack to hold while he took all the ammunition. “And don’t double back and try to help me.”

“It’s better when we’re together.”

He raised his eyebrows, clearly thinking of their time together that morning. Then his lips flattened, all serious. “Don’t be afraid, babe.”

She was terrified. How could she be anything but? “What do you want me to do?”

“You’ll be hidden in the trees all the way up the south side to the telescope. It’s a longer haul. Steeper, harder, so take your time.”

“Won’t the observatory people come to see who’s in the helicopter landing on their lawn? Take your coat back and don’t argue. You need it.”

“I’ll do my best to keep them safe.” He tugged the sleeves off and slipped back into her father’s coat.

“If they’re here, then why in the world are you sending me up the hill to fetch them?”

“My turn to fight.” He pulled the collar up on her coat and tucked the scarf inside. Once again, he squashed his huge Stetson on top of her head. “No matter what you hear going on, Kate, I can’t do what I need to do if you come back. I need you safe.”

She kissed him. Or he kissed her. It didn’t matter. None of their problems mattered. It would be a miracle if they got out of this alive. So she kissed him again. Long and hard, then soft and sweet.

“I’m sorry I went through with the divorce, Cord. I should have stood by you.”

“Come on now, Kate. There’s nothing in our song about failure. I got this covered.” He gave her cheek a sweet caress and left his footprints in the freshly fallen snow as he returned to face their demons.

Chapter Nineteen

“Ranger McCrea. Let’s get this over with. No reason to hide longer. I know you are here.”

Jorje Serna.

So the drug-running bastard had come himself. If they were in the same chopper that had been at the cave, that meant an additional two men, the pilot and the two already here. Six against one.

Really bad odds.

Cord listened to Serna taunt him through a bullhorn or something like it. He couldn’t see the chopper from his position, but from what he could hear he assumed they’d landed in the open field or lot just east of the visitor center.

“You are surprised to see me here, I think? Your friends, they were too late and did not find a thing. I have friends of my own. Just think, all this trouble could have been avoided if you had played along like your partner.”

Sad, old ploy trying to get him to give away his position by shouting back a reply. Serna wanted him dead as much as he wanted Serna
taken care of
. He might be tired, but he’d never believe Shane was on Serna’s payroll.
Now, how do I take this scum down without getting killed in the process?

He’d made it to the parking lot without being seen. Thing was, he had no clue where Serna’s men were. The snow wasn’t his friend making his tracks visible on a moonless night. Serna must want him bad to force a pilot to risk flying in this soup. The snow was falling steady and might even ground that chopper for a while.

Excellent for him. Not good for Serna. Serna’s pilot would be antsy to take off. Hanging around to kill Cord wouldn’t be worth leaving that chopper for law enforcement to confiscate. Being in a hurry might cause mistakes, work to Cord’s advantage.

“Are you waiting for a rescue? No one will come,” Serna continued to taunt. “Your efforts are useless. Just give up and save us trouble.”

Serna was attempting to distract him. Hard to do when he didn’t have any plan to be distracted from.
Think!

He wanted to walk up to Serna, defend himself and have it all done. If he really thought that would save Kate and their baby, he’d be willing to do it in a heartbeat. But Serna wasn’t an honorable man. His vendetta was to make Cord suffer and the only way was to hurt Kate.

Don’t think about her. Idiot. She’s fine. She. Will. Stay. Safe.

You need to go Rambo on these guys. Cull them from the herd and take ’em out one by one.
He heard her voice in his head. That concept was actually his only option. Separate. Disarm. Take them out one at a time.

Two minutes and he hadn’t seen anyone near the car or on this side of the visitor center. It was worth checking out. His hot-wiring skills were rusty, but might be worth the effort. If not, he’d take the car out of commission, forcing Serna to leave in the chopper. And in this weather, that didn’t give them a helluva lot of time.

No one was watching the car. He kept low, approached from the trees and lifted the handle. The door opened and he slid onto the seat. He popped the casing with his knife, dug for the wires and felt cold steel at his throat.

“You the bastard that shot me?” a shaky voice asked from behind him.

There had been three men in the car? Damn. “Is that a rhetorical question?”

“Hand me the knife and then the gun. You’re lucky Jorje wants to kill you himself or I take pleasure slicing your throat.”

“Yeah, real lucky.” He flipped the knife around and, quicker than planning what to do, he plunged it into the fleshy part of the man’s arm. Once. Then twice.

The threatening blade at his neck dropped onto his lap as the howl of pain from the backseat grew loud enough to wake the mountain.

* * *

I
T
WAS
AMAZING
how fast a tired, pregnant woman could climb another hill—even in a light snow—when her family was threatened. Kate ignored the soreness and shortness of breath. The air cooled her cheeks as she jogged to one of the highest peaks in the mountain range.

God, please let me get inside and call for help. And please keep Cord safe.

He’s got to be safe. She heard Serna’s voice echoing through the hills. As long as he was shouting for Cord to come out of the woods...she could only assume the madman didn’t have him. Right?

If she could only go to the road and see if someone on duty had heard the helicopter or Serna’s constant drivel. Warn them. Keep them from driving into Serna’s thugs. Hopefully, whoever was in the observatory had already called the sheriff. Hopefully.

Her thighs on fire, she ached to stop with each step upward. She stepped on the high side of a small tree, put her hands on her knees and used the trunk to keep herself from falling backward. Wedging the butt of the rifle next to her for easy access, she wrapped the scarf tighter around her neck and covered her mouth, breathing the warmer air to keep her lungs from hurting as much.

A little flutter in her belly made her catch her breath. The baby moved. It gave her strength for the rest of the climb to the telescope. A powerful reminder to keep moving as fast as she could. Serna’s yelling ceased and she stopped. She heard a light crunching of the snow. It could possibly be an animal scavenging for food. More likely, it was a two-legged animal hunting for her and Cord.

She stayed calm and brought the rifle to her hip. She couldn’t see anything. Cloud cover and no moon equaled little visibility. What she had was blocked by the trees and darker patches next to them. She slowly raised the rifle to her shoulder. Ready.

Don’t move. Steady. Aim. Don’t hesitate. Cord can’t rescue you this time.

Three or four trees over, she saw a puff of frosty breath. Then another. She waited. What was he waiting for? They wanted her alive!

Partner!

She turned just in time to see a body leap at her from her left. She pulled the trigger. The man stopped, his hands covering the wound in his stomach. In that split second she looked into his surprised eyes and saw the worry that his life was over.

Oh, my God!

She wanted to drop the rifle and help him. Didn’t want him to die no matter what he’d done. Then that second was gone and she turned back around. The second man was running at her. Twenty feet. Fifteen. Ten.

The crazy-wild screams and curses let her know without a doubt that he had no intention of taking her back to Serna. The knife raised high in the air would slice through her and the baby with little effort.

She didn’t have enough time to raise the rifle. She swung the barrel in front of her and fired from her hip. The man took another step forward, pulling the knife back to his shoulder, ready to plunge into her when he was close enough.

Five feet.

She pulled the trigger.

* * *

T
HE
REVERB
FROM
a second rifle shot echoed and faded, causing Cord to jerk as if he’d been the one hit. He couldn’t let not knowing what had happened to Kate stop him or even slow him down. He couldn’t allow himself to dwell on it.

After a couple of minutes of fighting, one whack with the back of his head had dazed the young kid long enough for Cord to completely subdue him. There were zip-tie handcuffs in the backseat—most likely to be used when they caught him. Now they were around the gang member, securing hands and feet to the floorboard seat frame.

“Ya gotsta help me, man. I bleed to death. You cut me bad.”

“The gashes are deep, but I wrapped your jacket around the wound. If you don’t move around, the bleeding will stop.” He hoped. “So answer my question. Where did Serna move the drugs?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know.”

“Then you’re rather useless, aren’t you?” He searched over his shoulder again, watching to see if this guy’s partners were returning. He hated to do it, but he sliced and yanked electrical wiring under the dash to disable the car. Serna and his men couldn’t use it to escape, but neither could he or Kate. Then he noticed what sat in the passenger seat, another fully loaded machine pistol. Thank God something was going right.

He had to find out what was going on. Serna had stopped jabbering. Two separate shots had been fired farther up the hill. Probably Kate since the gang members had been packing the automatics. A weapon he was now thankful to have in his hands. He closed the door, swung the strap of the pistol over his shoulder and ran to the north end of the parking lot. His only cover was the drainage ditch under the road where he’d intended for Kate to hide.

He ducked inside and crawled.

* * *

S
WIPING
THE
FRUSTRATING
tears that wouldn’t stop, Kate had to admit that no one was inside working this particular telescope. The dome structure wasn’t very large, but she’d walked around the entire thing twice, pounding on the outside with a rock.

She was so exhausted she couldn’t imagine a level of tiredness above this. All she could think was that Cord was facing Serna alone and she couldn’t do anything to help. There was no way to break inside. No car to borrow. She leaned against the door and slid to the ground. If she didn’t stop crying soon, she’d end up with the hiccups.

“Idiot!” She’d come to the large telescope, but why would anyone be here on a night with so much cloud cover? Dormitories. “Where? Where? Where? There!”

She followed the path leading past a small brick building. Lights. She ran down the steps to the road.
Please, please, please be there.

* * *

T
HE
SLUSH
SEEPED
through his jeans and coat sleeves. Cord glanced at his watch as he crawled through the remainder of the pipe. It had only been twenty-two minutes. Just went to show how much could happen in a short time. He listened.

Nothing. Still no chatter from Serna.

Engines he hadn’t noticed before. Chopper starting back up? No, a car. But who? Too soon for the sheriff. Staffers. Had to be the staff checking out who had landed on their lawn. Took them long enough.

He ducked behind some tall grassy plant and searched for the remainder of Serna’s men. Movement caught his eye. One of the men was playing sentry on the roof of the visitor center.

If he hadn’t been cold before the wet had soaked through his clothes, the wind hitting him did it big-time. He waited until the man disappeared, then he stayed low and used the plants to block him from view. There was an opening at the bottom of the brick wall, and he crawled through. The headlights were closer, almost to the field. And plain as you please, two of Serna’s men were waving their arms to get the car’s occupants to see them.

Hostages.

What could he do? The sentry would take him out. He had no cover on either side of the brick wall. No buildings. No trees. Nothing. The car headed directly at the two men. All the driver would see was straps across their chests. The guns were hidden behind them and could easily be pulled forward.

“Damn.”

Serna would use them to coax him out in the open by threatening to kill the driver. Even if the murderer didn’t shoot him dead on the spot, he wouldn’t need a hostage any longer and would kill them. Either way, the observatory staff would be dead.

The only choice left to him was to go out with a fight and take Serna with him.

Chapter Twenty

The headlights went off just before the curve at the top of the hill. The car stopped out of gun range, out of sight of the men standing in the field. Kate! She must be trying to come to his rescue and he couldn’t allow that.

Very little cover in the open field. The only thing between him and that sentry/sniper was an evergreen at the corner of the building. Thin, but it might give him enough time. He needed to eliminate the threat closest to Kate first. Then the biggest threat of all—Serna.

Machine pistol on his back and knife in hand, Cord waited for the sniper to disappear to the far wall then ran toward the men. He had to disarm them both before they realized what happened. First and only priority—keep Kate safe.

He stayed as low to the ground as possible but couldn’t stop to find out if the sentry sniper had seen him or not. No shots. He was in the clear until one of these yahoos yelled out. He dug deep for the energy to run. Drew on his training and memory to attack. He threw his shoulder into the back of the man nearest to him and kicked his legs to the side, knocking the second guy to the ground.

Neither of the men had their guns at the ready. Both started cursing and talking to each other in rapid Spanish. So rapid he couldn’t keep up. It was clear the guy partially under him wanted help. Cord used the knife hilt on the back of his head, close to his neck. He stopped squirming.

One down, one to go.

The second man had rolled in the snow and was on his feet, weapon ready. Predictably, the man poked the barrel at him and when he did, Cord sliced his forearm. The man dropped the machine pistol and Cord body slammed him with everything he had left.

A shot hit the snow close to his left. Then another to his right. The sentry had seen the fight and drew a bead on him. Cord raised his hands behind his head, got to his knees and let the knife slide up his sleeve.

“Before you pull that trigger, I’m Cord McCrea. I think your boss wants to see me.”

“Drop your gun.”

Cord gestured that he needed to use his left hand, working the knife back into his palm.

“Slowly and carefully.”

Cord pulled the strap over his head and watched the car back slowly the way it had come. He dropped the machine pistol and received a hard blow to the side of his head.

“On your feet. Now. Move.” He pointed the barrel of the gun toward the chopper. “You are right,
amigo.
Serna wants to kill you himself and that pretty
chica
of yours.”

Keep his attacker’s mind off that car and keep Kate safe. No matter what—keep Kate safe. He wouldn’t look to see where the car was, just kept working the hilt into his palm while he hid the action with his left wrist.

“Too bad. Kate’s safe in the hands of U.S. Marshals by now,” he said with a light shrug, faking that it mattered if the man believed him.

“That’s for Jorje to think on. Get going.”

Convince Serna that Kate wasn’t with him. This minion hadn’t seen her. Maybe it was possible. Then Serna would leave with the threat of the observatory staff calling the sheriff.

“Ah, Ranger McCrea,” Serna tooted into the silence. “Bring him to the picnic area. Get the chopper ready, we can finally leave like you’ve wanted.”

The slow whine of a chopper engine jerked his head away from the back of the visitor center where Serna waited for him. This was it. His only chance to stop the man who was terrorizing his family. One shot. Or blade.

Keep Kate safe.
How? If they stayed here, she was at risk of being found. What if it wasn’t her in the car? What if she was still in the trees, waiting for the right moment to take a shot. Then the sniper would take her out. He might be better than the last guy. His brain was taunting himself with the phrase “this is it” over and over again.

The shove in the middle of his back struck a sensitive nerve and made him stumble, but he managed to keep his hands in place behind his neck and the knife unseen. The trek to the picnic area was twice the length of a football field he used to run so easily and a lot farther to walk with a gun in his back.

He could use the blade on Serna if he could get close enough. But as the area where the drug lord was seated became clearer, there was a brick wall between them. His only option was to get Serna in close quarters and use the knife then. Get the enemy away from Kate.

He had time to slit the back of his jacket and get the knife inside the lining. Risky, slow, but he had the time. Deliberate movements, a few uncomfortable twists with his back to hide the drop. Now if they didn’t make him leave his coat behind, he would be armed wherever they took him.

Of course, Serna could pull his gun and shoot him in the head. But, more likely, he’d enjoy beating him first. He’d want Kate’s location, but Cord would never say. Besides, he didn’t know and by the time he was asked it would definitely be the truth.

“This should be fun, I think,” Serna said, walking toward him from the protection and warmth of the chopper.

Cord saw the left coming and braced his feet wider for the impact. Square in the jaw, the punch snapped his head to the side so fast he heard his neck crackle. Not only had he successfully stood his ground, he kept his hands behind his head instead of blocking or returning. The one to his gut put a catch in his breathing. But it was the hit from the rifle butt behind him that did the most damage.

He dropped to his knees in agony from the old back injury, the pain so fierce it made his head swim. Then a crack on his skull made it impossible to open his eyes. He could feel the blackness of unconsciousness taking hold of his senses.

Stay safe, Kate.

* * *

“W
HAT
ARE
YOU
WAITING
FOR
?”
Kate screamed at the young co-ed she’d woken from a dead sleep. “Go. Go. Go!”

“But the helicopter’s gone, ma’am.”

“Do you think I’m going to wait here to be rescued? Drive me or get out. Every second I sit here he gets miles away.”

“But the sheriff said to stay put and not move. We don’t know who else is down there. They have guns.”

“Can I borrow your car?”

“No. I’m driving back to the quarters and we’re waiting.”

The young woman put the car in Reverse and turned her little car around to head up the road again. Kate couldn’t blame her. She doubted she’d believe the fantastical story of the past three days if she hadn’t actually lived it.

Oh, my God, Cord, what did you do?

The young college student beside her had binoculars. Even in the low light she’d seen Cord run deliberately up to the two men in the field. He’d made a decision to get close to Serna. Probably trying to protect her. Not knowing for certain that she’d made the phone call to the Rangers, who should be headed this way in their own helicopter by now.

“May I borrow your phone again?”

The student handed her the cell from the seat next to her. “Sure, but it won’t work until we get back to the house. Too many trees.”

“Can you hurry?” She needed to call Cord’s unit and tell them that Serna had one of their own. Maybe they could track him or something.

The woman—Kate couldn’t remember her name at all—drove carefully through the snow. On a normal day, Kate would sit back and commend her for being so careful. Today was anything but ordinary.

Kate kept punching Redial even without the reception bars, hoping and praying the call would go through even seconds earlier. Her heart was racing and her palms were sweaty. And then a wave of dizziness hit her so hard she had to put her head back on the seat.

“Are you okay, Kate?”

“Just dizzy. I haven’t had much to eat or drink today.”

“I’ve got lots of food.” The student parked the car in the bare spot she’d left pulling out earlier. “Sit there and I’ll be around to help you inside.”

Kate was past hungry, but knew she had to eat. But first, the phone was finally dialing.

“Sheriff Barber, this is Kate McCrea.” She waited, her door was pulled open and she held up a finger, too afraid to move and lose the connection.

“Are you safe, Kate?”

“They left in the helicopter, flying southwest. They have Cord. It looked like they dragged him unconscious onto the seat and then took off.”

“But are you safe?”

“Yes, or I wouldn’t be calling you. Get someone tracking that helicopter. You’ve got to do something. Please. If anything happens to him, I don’t— Oh God, he gave up. He did that to save me and all I did was watch.”

“We’re doing our best, Kate. Stay put and calm down. I’ll contact the Rangers and see if they have any choppers available.”

“How long?”

“I just passed the state park, sixteen miles away. Are any of Serna’s men left?”

“I really don’t know. I think so.”

“Listen to me, Kate. Get inside, lock the doors and protect yourself. I’m at least twenty minutes out.”

They disconnected and Kate was suddenly exhausted.

“The sheriff said to make certain everything’s locked up tight. We don’t know how many men were left behind.” She accepted the help from the young woman to get inside the building. “What did you say your name was again?”

“I’m Sharon. Did your husband kill that guy? He fell to the ground and didn’t get up. The guy from the roof ran to the helicopter just before it took off. Are you sure you’re okay?”

There was no reason to correct her earlier mistake of calling Cord her husband. It was easier than explaining why her ex-husband was sacrificing so much to protect her. She’d convinced Sharon to drive her down the hill. It might take a long time to change how she thought about Cord.

“I’m just very tired and hungry.” Kate turned the main light off. Leaning on the wall to close curtains, she looked around the room for the best spot to defend them.

“Hey, you better sit down. I can do all this.” Sharon scooted one of the sofa chairs into the hallway, away from the windows and doors.

“I’m sorry you’re in danger because of me.” Kate could barely walk another step, but she made it and rested on a thick sofa arm. Her mind wouldn’t stop. She could barely listen to what the young woman said about it being okay and probably saving her. Kate’s head was imagining all the horrible things Serna would do to Cord. She was stuck on that flying death trap with him, sending all her energy, telling him to survive, praying and then praying again.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Sharon in the kitchen, chattering the entire time about normally loving her job. She accepted the cold sandwich while she waited on anyone to come through that door.

“Is the gun necessary?” Sharon eyed the rifle resting across Kate’s lap.

One look and a nod of her head later, Kate fingered the safety off and waited. The sheriff had reminded her that Serna’s men were still out there. She didn’t know how many had come and didn’t know how many would still be looking for her.

“I see headlights. The sheriff made great time. It’s only been ten minutes.”

“Get behind me, Sharon. Stay down and don’t say a word.”