Taking Aim at the Sheriff (3 page)

“What’s wrong?” he demanded, and he pulled her to the floor to get her out of the path of those shots.

Laurel frantically shook her head, fighting to get away from him. “They went after Maddox.”

That handful of words sent his stomach straight to his knees. “Who did?”

“Kidnappers.” Her answer rushed out with her breath, and Laurel scrambled to her feet again. “We have to get to him. Sandy said the kidnappers broke into her house, and they’re trying to take Maddox right now.”

Chapter Four

Laurel tried to push Jericho aside so she could run to her car. It didn’t work. He held on, cursing at her to stop.

“Is your friend alone in the house with Maddox?” Jericho asked. “Has she called the Sweetwater Springs’ cops?”

Laurel nodded to both his questions and tried to break free again. Everything inside her was spiraling out of control, and she was within a breath of a panic attack—something that wouldn’t do her or Maddox any good—but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.

“Getting yourself killed won’t help Maddox,” he snarled.

That helped with the panic. Well, it helped enough so that she could level her breathing and try to fight through the need to run.

Jericho took her by the arm and maneuvered her toward the kitchen. He slapped off lights along the way, pausing only long enough to put on his jacket and grab a set of keys before they went to the back door.

“Keep low and move fast,” he ordered.

The relief flooded through her. They weren’t going to hunker down and wait. They were going after Maddox. But that relief was short-lived when they stepped outside, and the bullets came. Not directly at them. The shooter was still firing into the front and side of the house, but without the walls to buffer the sounds, the shots were deafening.

And worse.

The shots started coming toward them.

“They’re using infrared,” Jericho said under his breath.

Someone obviously wanted them dead, but Laurel couldn’t give in to the fear and panic that was snapping at her like the bitter wind. She had to get to Maddox.

Obviously, Jericho felt the same way because despite the shots, he practically dragged her onto the porch with him. With his hand on her back, he kept her low. Kept her running, too, toward his truck that was parked between them and the barn. That’s when Laurel spotted the other damaged truck by the side of the house.

Soon, very soon, she’d need to find out if her father was responsible for that attack and this one. But for now, she had more pressing matters.

Jericho threw open the driver’s side of his truck, shoving her inside and onto the floor. He shut the door, and in the same motion, he started the engine.

“Call Jax again.” He tossed her his phone and hit the accelerator. “Tell him what’s going on. And stay down.”

Despite her shaking hands, Laurel found Jax’s number in the recent calls and pressed it. “I’m almost there,” Jax greeted her.

Laurel was about to tell him they were on the run, but the bullet blasted through the side window. The safety glass held, but it wouldn’t for long.

“We’re on our way to Sweetwater Springs,” she said to Jax. “You need to get all the help you can out to 225 Anderson Lane to stop a kidnapping.”

“A kidnapping? What’s going on there?” Jax asked. At least he didn’t hesitate, or curse her, after hearing her voice.

“Someone’s trying to take...my son.” Not exactly a lie, but Jericho would have to explain the full truth later: that Maddox was his son, too.

Now Jax cursed. Maybe because he’d already filled in the blanks or maybe because he had a child of his own and knew that this was a parent’s worst nightmare.

“I’ll make the call and get every available lawman in the area out there.” And Jax cursed some more when another bullet slammed into the truck. A bullet that he no doubt heard. “Tell Jericho to be careful,” he added before he ended the call.

She relayed all of that to Jericho, emphasizing the last part. Did he listen? Of course not. And she was partially thankful for that. She didn’t want Jericho hurt, but she also didn’t want to waste any time getting to Maddox.

“Hurry,” she said purely out of frustration.

Jericho was already hurrying, because she heard the tires squeal against the asphalt as he took a turn. Likely the one to the main road that would lead them to Sweetwater Springs. It was cold, just below freezing, and it was possible there was some ice on the roads. That didn’t help the panic, either, but she was thankful that Jericho didn’t slow down.

“Are they following us?” Laurel asked.

A muscle flickered in his jaw. “Yeah.”

They couldn’t lead the gunmen straight to Sandy’s house. Of course, it was highly likely that both the gunmen and the kidnappers were working for the same person.

Her father.

“This is all my fault,” she whispered. “I should have never left Maddox with Sandy.”

“Herschel knows who Sandy is?” Jericho asked without taking his attention off the road.

“No, my father doesn’t know her, but he must have found out about her.” Laurel hadn’t expected that. Especially not so soon. She’d only left Maddox with Sandy a little over two hours ago, and she hadn’t thought anyone was following her.

She’d clearly thought wrong.

And her precious son could suffer because of her mistake.

“If Herschel’s the one behind this,” Jericho said, “then he won’t hurt Maddox. Will he?” His jaw muscles tightened again, and there was a low, dangerous tone to that question.

“No. Not intentionally.” But her baby was in the middle of an attack, and plenty of things could go wrong. Especially since both Sandy and the kidnappers would be armed, and Sandy wouldn’t just let the kidnappers take Maddox without putting up a fight.

Oh, God.

Those hired guns could hurt Sandy. Or kill her. Her father would have given them orders to keep Maddox safe, but he wouldn’t have extended such an order to the woman hiding his grandson.

Even though Jericho didn’t say anything to her, Laurel could almost feel him trying to work out some kind of plan. Good. Because they needed something—anything—to save their son. No, her father wouldn’t hurt Maddox, but if he got his hands on Maddox, he would hide him away so she could never find him.

“Hold on,” Jericho warned her. “I have to do something about these SOBs behind us.”

He slammed on the brakes, turning the steering wheel and bringing the truck to a stop sideways on the road. Laurel couldn’t see the men following them, but she heard the squeal of their brakes as they approached. Felt the cold blast of air when Jericho lowered his window. He took aim.

Then, nothing.

Jericho just waited. The seconds crawling by. Precious time that they should be using to get to Maddox. Laurel knew they didn’t have a choice. They couldn’t arrive at Sandy’s house with gunmen on their tail, but the waiting only caused the panic to smother her again.

Her heartbeat was already crashing in her ears. Her chest so tight that she couldn’t breathe. But she could think, and her mind was coming up with all sorts of worst-case scenarios.

Even though she knew Jericho wouldn’t approve, she lifted her head just enough so she could see out the side mirror. Laurel immediately spotted the black car. The passenger’s door opened, and a man leaned out. He had a gun, and he pointed it right at them.

The shot blasted through the air.

It took her several heart-stopping moments to realize the gunman hadn’t fired the shot. Jericho had. And their attacker dropped, falling out of the car and onto the ground.

Jericho fired another shot, this one slamming into the windshield right in front of the driver. The glass was tinted and there wasn’t much of a moon, so she couldn’t tell if the bullet hit the guy or not. Jericho maybe couldn’t tell, either, because he sent two more shots in the same spot.

Nothing.

“Which word of
stay down
didn’t you hear me say?” Jericho snarled. He didn’t even spare her a glance, but he threw his truck into gear and got them moving again—fast.

She’d heard every word just fine, but Laurel had to see for herself if the gunmen were going to follow them. They didn’t. Much to her relief, the black car didn’t move when Jericho sped away.

Laurel got back down but gasped when another sound shot through the truck, and for one terrifying moment she thought the gunmen had returned fire, after all. But it was just Jericho’s phone that she still had gripped in her hand.

“It’s Jax,” she said, glancing at the screen. Laurel answered the call and put it on speaker.

“I’m not far behind you—” Jax started.

“Look out for the black four-door car that’s maybe still in the middle of the road near the creek,” Jericho interrupted. “The guys inside are the ones who attacked Laurel and me.”

“Did you kill them?” Jax asked.

“Maybe. But even if I didn’t, I doubt they’re in any shape to drive.”

Good. It seemed wrong to celebrate anyone being shot or killed, but the men were another obstacle they didn’t need.

“If they’re alive,” Jericho continued, “arrest them. Get answers from them and get them fast. But be careful. I don’t know what kind of orders they have.”

Neither did Laurel, but she did know that wounded men could still kill, and she didn’t want that happening to Jax and Dexter.

“I’ll keep an eye out for the men and the car,” Jax assured him. “I just got off the phone with Sheriff Cooper McKinnon over in Sweetwater Springs. He and two deputies are at the residence. Two men fled on foot, and the deputies are in pursuit.”

“Did they take Maddox?” Laurel couldn’t ask fast enough.

“They didn’t have a baby with them, but Cooper said he’d call me back once he was sure the residence was secure. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything.” And Jax hung up.

Her stomach tightened. It wasn’t over. Just because those would-be kidnappers were running, it didn’t mean there weren’t other hired guns inside the house. Maybe holding Sandy and Maddox hostage.

Or worse.

“Don’t go there,” Jericho warned her. The glance he gave her this time let her know that he didn’t want to deal with a hysterical woman. “You said your friend was a former cop, and I’m guessing she can handle herself or you wouldn’t have left Maddox with her.”

Laurel managed to nod. Sandy could indeed handle herself. But that didn’t mean something couldn’t have gone wrong. She should have hired a team of bodyguards to help, but there hadn’t been time.

Maybe still wasn’t.

“Any chance we’ll be able to link any of these hired guns to your father?” Jericho asked.

“No chance whatsoever. My father is thorough.” Among other things. She’d always known he was capable of breaking the law, but Laurel hadn’t realized until recently just how far he would go to make sure he got what he wanted.

And what he wanted was Maddox.

“Now that I’ve defied him,” she said, “my father will stop at nothing.
Nothing
,” Laurel repeated.

Jericho stayed quiet a moment. Kept driving, the tires squealing when he took the curves too fast. “And you really think marriage will stop him?”

“No,” Laurel readily admitted. “He’ll put me in jail or a mental hospital. But what the marriage can do is prevent him from taking Maddox.”

She hoped.

Still, it was a long shot. And judging from the way Jericho’s forehead bunched up, she hadn’t convinced him this was the way to go.

“Hang on,” he said just as he took another sharp curve. The truck went into a skid, but Jericho quickly regained control.

Laurel was far enough down on the seat that she couldn’t see out the windshield, but she did see the lights filtering in. No doubt from the town of Sweetwater Springs. That meant they were only minutes from Sandy’s parents’ house. However, it seemed to take an eternity for those minutes to pass.

She finally saw the swirl of blue lights from a police cruiser. Red lights, too. Probably from an ambulance.

That put her heart right back in her throat.

Laurel sat up, her gaze firing all around while she tried to spot Maddox and Sandy. No sign of them, but she’d been right about the cruiser and the ambulance. Both were in front of Sandy’s parents’ house, and there were several lawmen milling around in the yard.

Before Jericho even pulled the truck to a full stop, Laurel tried to bolt out, but as he’d done at the house, he caught onto her arm and stopped her.

“I have to get to Maddox,” she insisted.

“No. You have to wait here,” he ordered. “And I mean it.”

With his gun already drawn, Jericho threw open the door and made a beeline toward the tall, lanky man on the porch. Laurel recognized him—Sheriff Cooper McKinnon. Like Jericho, Cooper had had some run-ins with her father, but she hoped that wouldn’t prevent him from doing his job and saving Maddox.

Laurel did wait in the truck. Several painful seconds. As long as she could manage. And then she got out, running toward the two sheriffs. Another lawman in the yard, a deputy, tried to stop her from getting closer, but she batted his hands away.

“My son is in there!”

“It’s okay,” Cooper assured the deputy. “Let her through.”

Laurel didn’t take the time to thank him or to respond to the glare Jericho was giving her for disobeying his order. She rushed past the men and hurried into the house. The room was dark, only a corner lamp for illumination, so she needed a moment for her eyes to adjust and take everything in.

Some of the furniture and a Christmas tree had been toppled over. Things were strewn around. Evidence of the struggle that’d taken place here.

Then her heart bashed against her ribs.

Because she saw the blood. On the floor. And on the front of Sandy’s white T-shirt.

“Oh, God.” Laurel’s gaze flew past her friend and to the medic.

Who was holding Maddox.

“He’s all right,” Sandy quickly told her. The medic repeated a variation of the same thing.

Laurel didn’t believe either of them. She hurried to her son, praying there’d be no blood on him. There wasn’t. She took him from the medic’s arms, trying to check every inch of him. Maddox didn’t cry, didn’t seem upset, but he did look a little confused about what was going on.

“He wasn’t hurt,” Sandy insisted.

Laurel shook her head. “But the blood.”

“It’s mine.” Sandy lifted the sleeve of her T-shirt, and Laurel saw the angry gash on her friend’s arm.

That gave Laurel a new burst of emotions. Concern and the sickening dread that she’d put her friend in danger. “I’m so sorry.”

Sandy shrugged. “I just got grazed by a bullet, that’s all. Nothing serious. The medic will stitch me up, but I wanted him to check out Maddox first.”