Security Blanket (14 page)

For Lucky, this was a nightmare.

Marin’s father was ready to kill him and Kinley, and now Howard was literally dragging Marin away from the crime scene. God knows what the man would do to her when she didn’t cooperate with his plan to protect Dexter.

And Marin wouldn’t cooperate.

Lucky was certain that it was that lack of cooperation that would get her killed. Because despite Howard’s assurance that he wouldn’t hurt her, the man would obviously do anything to protect his precious son. Lucky understood that on some level. He loved Noah and would protect him. But not like this.

“Stop,” Lucky warned Howard, and he stepped toward the man cautiously. Lucky didn’t want Marin’s father accidentally firing that gun and hitting her.

But Howard didn’t stop.

Marin didn’t stop struggling, either.

“Don’t come any closer,” Howard threatened Lucky. “You and your sister better stay put, or Marin will pay the price. I’ll kill her if you try to escape.”

Marin dug in her heels and punched at him, trying to knock the gun from his hand. Cursing, Howard finally gave up and pushed her at Lucky. The impact sent them both crashing into a wooden post.

Howard aimed his gun again, this time at Marin.

“Put down your weapon,” Howard warned him, “or I’ll shoot her.”

Lucky wanted to believe it was a bluff, but he could tell from the stony look in Howard’s eyes that it wasn’t. Howard had chosen which child to protect.

It wasn’t Marin.

“You’re doing this for nothing,” Lucky insisted.

“Put down the gun,” Howard repeated. He took a step closer to them. At this distance, he wouldn’t miss, and the shot would be fatal.

Lucky dropped his gun onto the floor and inched himself in front of Marin and Kinley. “Dexter is dead.” It was a bluff. A calculated one.

Howard shook his head and stepped even closer. “You’re lying.”

“No. I’m not. A little while ago Sheriff Whitley found a body at the drive-in. It’s Dexter. He died when he set the explosions to kill us.”

Marin’s father froze.

“Think about it,” Lucky continued, hoping that if this was a bluff, it’d stand up to scrutiny. “You haven’t heard from Dexter since the explosion, have you?”

“That doesn’t mean he’s dead.”

No, it didn’t. But Lucky had put enough doubts in Howard’s head. With his hand shaking, Howard unclipped his cell phone from his belt and pressed a button.

The seconds crawled by.

Because the barn had gone deadly silent, Lucky could hear the rings to Dexter’s number. No one answered.

Howard’s concern kicked up considerably, and while volleying nervous glances between them, he pressed in another set of numbers, looking for someone who could verify Dexter’s whereabouts.

Just in case Dexter happened to be alive, Lucky got ready to launch himself at Howard. It would be a risk, of course, but doing nothing would be even a bigger risk. Even if Howard changed his mind about killing Marin, there was no chance he’d let him and Kinley go.

Lucky kept a close watch on Howard’s body language while he waited for an opportunity to strike. He glanced at Marin and hopefully conveyed that when the time came, he wanted her to get down.

Marin shook her head, just a little, but enough to let him know that she wasn’t going to let him do this alone.

Hell.

“Think of Noah,” he mouthed. “He needs you.”

It was the second time tonight he’d used the little boy to get her to cooperate, but if this was the only way to save her life, then Lucky didn’t feel the least bit guilty. He wanted Noah’s mom alive so she could raise him.

“Sheriff Whitley,” Howard said when the person on the other end of the line answered the call. “Tell me about the body you found at the drive-in.”

Lucky shut out everything else but Howard Sheppard. He watched his face, and Lucky knew the exact moment that the sheriff confirmed exactly whose body had been found.

A hoarse sob tore from Howard’s throat. A wounded, helpless sound. But Lucky didn’t let it distract him. Nor did he let it allow him any sympathy for the man who’d been about to kill them all.

He launched himself at Howard, plowing into him with full force and knocking him to the ground. Howard’s phone went flying.

His gun didn’t.

Howard somehow managed to keep a firm grip on it. He could fire at any second, and the bullet could hit Marin or Kinley.

“Get out here now, Sheriff!” Lucky shouted so that Whitley would hear him.

Lucky heard Marin move, first to recover her gun, and then to join the battle. Not good. He wanted her far away from this, but Marin obviously wouldn’t have that. She pushed at her father, trying to force them apart.

Howard threw out his hand, and the gun. Lucky was certain he lost ten years of his life when he saw the barrel aimed at Marin.

“Get down,” Lucky yelled.

The imminent threat gave him the extra jolt of adrenaline he needed. Despite being bashed in the head, Lucky gathered every ounce of strength he had, grabbed on to Howard’s right wrist and slammed his hand against the barn floor. It took three hard jolts.

Then, the gun skittered across the floor.

Lucky didn’t waste any time. He drew back his fist and landed a punch to Howard’s jaw. Howard stopped moving, stopped fighting.

He surrendered.

“Make sure the sheriff is on his way out here,” Lucky instructed Marin. He grabbed Howard by his shoulders and flipped the man onto his stomach. “And then untie Kinley so I can use those ropes.”

He didn’t want to risk Howard having second thoughts and trying to come at them again. Lucky didn’t want to have to shoot the man, especially not in front of Marin.

With the cell phone sandwiched between her shoulder and her ear, Marin worked frantically to set Kinley free. Once Marin had her unbound, she tossed him the rope. Lucky reached up to catch it when he heard something.

He whirled around toward the sound. It’d come from the back of the barn, from the path he’d taken between the stacks of hay.

Someone was there in the darkness, directly behind Marin. Because she was still working to free his sister’s feet, she probably hadn’t heard the sound or noticed the other person.

Lucky aimed his gun at the newcomer and tried to make sure Howard didn’t get free. He was obviously having second thoughts about his surrender because he began to struggle.

“Marin,” Lucky warned. “Watch out.”

She, too, spun around, just as their visitor stepped from the shadows. The illumination from the flashlight was more than enough for him to recognize the person.

Brenna Martel.

She had a gun clutched in her right hand, which she held just beneath a bulky blanket.

Lucky’s heart dropped to his knees when he saw what Brenna had in that blanket.

Noah.

M
ARIN FELT THE SCREAM
rise in her throat.

Her son wasn’t moving.

Noah was just lying there bundled in the blanket in Brenna’s arms. It took Marin several terrifying seconds to realize that he was asleep, that Brenna hadn’t hurt him.

Both Lucky and Marin bolted toward Brenna, but Brenna merely raised her gun. “I wouldn’t do that,” she warned, her voice hardly louder than a whisper. It didn’t need to be any louder for them to understand that Brenna meant business.

And that she had the ultimate bargaining tool.

“Give me Noah,” Lucky insisted.

Marin tried to demand the same, but her mouth was suddenly so dry that she couldn’t speak.

Her father, however, had no trouble responding to the situation. Without Lucky bearing down on him, he got up from the floor.

Brenna shifted the gun in Howard’s direction. “You’re not going anywhere. Back on the floor. While you’re at it, I want the key to the front door.”

Her father actually looked ready to argue, and that infuriated Marin. And terrified her.

“Do as she says,” Lucky warned Howard, giving him a chilling glare that seemed much more threatening than Brenna’s gun.

Mumbling something under his breath, her father tossed the keys in Brenna’s direction. They landed, clanging, just at her feet.

Howard sat back on the floor. He’d be able to strike easily from this position. If he’d been on their side, Marin wouldn’t have minded that, but she had no idea what her father would do if cornered.

“Did you hurt my grandmother?” Marin asked Brenna.

“No.” Brenna picked up the key, slipped it into her pocket and checked her watch. “I didn’t hurt anyone, not even the police officer guarding the place. I covered my face with a stocking cap so he wouldn’t see who I was and then sneaked up on him and held him at gunpoint. I tied him up after I forced him to disengage the security system. I found your grandmother, tied her up and took Noah.”

Marin wasn’t sure she could believe her, but she held onto the possibility that her grandmother was safe. She had to be alive and well.

“Please,” Marin said to Brenna, “give me my son.”

“I won’t harm him,” Brenna promised though she didn’t seem convincing. Actually, she seemed disoriented. Her eyes were red and puffy. “I just wanted him here to make sure you would cooperate.”

Oh, she’d cooperate, all right. First chance she got, she would get Noah away from this woman.

“Dexter’s dead,” Brenna whispered a moment later.

“Yes,” Marin confirmed. “I think he died while trying to kill us.” This wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have right now. All she wanted to do was run to her son and get him out of Brenna’s arms.

Brenna shook head. Then, the tears welled up in her eyes. “Dexter didn’t mean to hurt me.” Just as quickly though, she blinked those tears away and shot Howard a look that could kill. “But you wanted to hurt me. You were going to murder Kinley, Marin and Lucky and set me up to take the fall. Thanks a lot, you miserable piece of slime.”

Howard didn’t deny it. In fact, he seemed defiant.

“I can’t let any of you live,” Brenna continued. She glanced at Howard. “Especially you.” And then another glance at Kinley. “And you.”

“Kinley has nothing to do with this,” Lucky insisted.

“She has everything to do with it. Dexter slept with her. He cheated on me—”

“He broke things off with you,” Kinley volunteered. “I would have never gotten involved with him while he was still with you.”

The pain and tears in Brenna’s eyes instantly went away, and in their place was raw anger. Marin had already been terrified for her son, but that look took her beyond that. It took every ounce of her willpower not to launch herself at Brenna.

“Don’t,” she heard Lucky say. Obviously, he knew what she was thinking. He had the same need to protect Noah.

“So, what are you going to do?” Howard snarled.

“I’m leaving.”

“Leaving?” he questioned. “And what makes you think I won’t come after you?”

“Noah,” Brenna answered without a shred of doubt in her voice. “He lives if all of you stay put. It’s as simple as that.”

Mercy. Brenna would use Noah to save herself.

“You mean if we stay put and die?” Howard countered.

“I mean if you’re willing to sacrifice yourself for the life of a baby. For your grandson,” Brenna added. She looked at Kinley. “Your death will be quick. Painless. Because in five minutes or so, this place will be a fireball. That’ll happen with or without Noah here inside. Your decision.”

“Oh, God.” Marin pressed her fingers to her mouth and tried to figure out how to get away from this. “Please don’t hurt Noah.”

“Don’t worry,” Brenna said almost calmly. “I’ll make sure he’s raised by a good family.”

And with that, she started to back out of the barn.

“You don’t have to do this,” Lucky said.

He took a step toward her, but Brenna lifted her gun. She didn’t quite aim it at Noah, but she sure as heck implied that’s what she would do.

“I do,” Brenna said, spearing Howard’s gaze. “Don’t I?”

“What does she mean?” Marin demanded when her father didn’t say anything.

“I’m a wanted woman, thanks to your dear ol’ dad. The man I love is dead. I’m flat broke. I don’t even have the components to the chemical weapon that I helped create. Why? Because Dexter sold them on the black market to make some money, and when he did that, he leaked my identity to Howard.”

“Brenna Martel is the other investor that the Feds are looking for,” Howard supplied. “She used every penny of a trust fund her grandmother set up for her.” That helped put the puzzle pieces together.

Brenna continued, “I’ll be wanted for murder of the security guard who was killed in the explosion at the research facility once the authorities find out I’m the one who actually set the explosives. I’ll be looking at the death penalty.”

So Brenna had nothing to lose.

“Without money, where will you go?” Marin hoped it would make Brenna rethink this lethal plan.

“Somewhere I can start fresh.” Brenna took another step back. It wouldn’t be long before she was out that door. With Noah as a hostage, there was no way Lucky could stop her with his gun.

Plus, seconds were ticking away. It wouldn’t be long before the explosives went off. And as much as Marin wanted to live, she didn’t want her son anywhere near the place if it blew up.

“Wait,” Lucky said to Marin. “Let everyone leave. Give Noah to Marin. I’ll go with you. I’ll be your hostage. And everyone here will be sworn to secrecy. No one will know you’re the investor. I’ll use my contacts in the Justice Department to help you clear your name.”

But that didn’t stop Brenna. She continued to move back. Faster now. While volleying her attention between them and her watch.

How much time did they have? A minute, maybe two? Was that enough time to get Noah from Brenna and save themselves?

Marin didn’t think so.

Knowing she had to do something, fast, Marin glanced at Lucky. He looked at her at the same moment. A dozen things passed between them, and with that look, he promised her that he would save her son.

Even if it cost them their lives.

Marin nodded. And braced herself to do whatever it took to get Noah to safety.

A deep growl came from Lucky’s throat. It was the only warning she got before he charged at Brenna. The woman had just glanced at her watch again. It took her several seconds to re-aim her gun. She managed to do that, just as Lucky got to her and wrenched Noah from her arms.