Chapter 28
Layton trembled as Tony Harris marched her through the house. She knew where the home office was, having just shown the property recently, but of course, she didn’t actually live here. He was quickly about to figure that out.
Her head still throbbed from where he’d hit her, but her fight-or-flight response was kicking in. She needed to run. Get away from him. Leave the area as fast as possible.
Hadn’t Aaron once said that it was hard to shoot at a moving target? This guy wasn’t some Special Forces trained sniper. He had a handgun. If she got away from close range, it wouldn’t matter as much if he took a shot. She hoped.
Layton tried to recall the exact layout of the property. A front door. Another off the kitchen that led to the garage. There were windows in the master bedroom above the garage roof. She could exit through those if absolutely necessary, but she might not be able to open them in time. The salty ocean air had eroded the metal tracks and made them stick more than she’d like. They’d noticed it at her showing the other day. The quickest exit was through a door, and he was blocking the one they’d just come through.
If she somehow did get back out the patio doors, she’d have to run straight for the forest. She could hide in there for some time, but she knew he wouldn’t stop looking for her.
His gaze swept left and right as they moved into the living room. “Where’s the bag?” Harris bit out.
“Um—”
He grabbed her arm, squeezing tightly. “Let’s not play games, Ms. O’Connell.”
“I’ll check the office first. If it’s not there, I probably left it in the bedroom.”
“That’s more like it,” he said, seeming slightly jumpy again. “Damn it,” he cursed, feeling his pockets. “Where are my cigarettes?” Finally finding his lighter and a pack, he lit one up, breathing a sigh of relief. He must’ve smoked on the drive over, she realized. That’s why he’d smelled more strongly.
She tucked away that information in the back of her mind. He had a gun and a cigarette lighter. She had no weapon and didn’t think she could wrestle the gun away from him. Is she had to, she could light something on fire, trapping him to make her escape. But how would she get the lighter away from him?
The idea of burning down a home she’d listed was a touch mad, but at this point, she was desperate and almost out of options.
Harris shoved her along, and Layton moved quickly down the hallway. As she went into the home office, she pretended to look around. “It must be in the bedroom.”
He was watching her, assessing. “Ladies first,” he sneered.
Trembling, she slid past him and slowly walked down the hall. If he trapped her in the bedroom, she didn’t think she’d get out of here alive. He’d realize there was no bag and then probably rape and kill her. “Oh! I think I left it in the garage,” she suddenly said, stopping. “I was carrying a bunch of things and had to set it down.”
Harris stopped behind her, suddenly shoving the gun into her spine. “You better not be playing me, Ms. O’Connell.” It was slightly weird how he kept addressing her that way. Not that they were necessarily on a first-name basis, but he seemed to enjoy bossing her around. “Move!” he said, and she quickly turned around, hurrying toward the kitchen. When she reached the door to the garage, he suddenly pressed closer, his body trapping her there against the solid wood. One hand fisted her hair, yanking her head back, and he pressed the gun to her temple as she softly cried out. “This is your last chance. I’m done wasting my time.”
“Oh—okay. I’m sure it’s in here,” she assured him. Tears filled her eyes, and she tried to think of a plan, an opportunity to escape. Her hands shaking, she turned the doorknob. Harris eased up his grip, moving with her as the door opened. There were no windows inside the garage, and she was thankful she remembered the general layout.
Harris slightly loosened his grip as she took a step down, and then she suddenly flipped on the lights and pressed the buttons to open all the garage doors. The noise was slightly jarring in the silence of the house, and he seemed surprised for a beat, loosening his hold. Layton screamed as rage coursed through her, and she elbowed him hard in the chest before running.
He was cursing as he nearly fell down the steps, and she screamed as he took a shot, the mirror on the vehicle parked inside shattering. “Come back here!” he roared, but she ducked around the large SUV, making a run for the trees. She heard him crashing into something behind her in his haste, but Layton didn’t look back. He shot at her two more times, and she cried out, falling to the ground.
Her leg stung, blood gushing out, and she desperately tried to stand up as he ran toward her.
***
Hudson’s hands clenched the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles were white. The property was an hour away, and he’d sped along the highway toward the home, not caring how many laws he was breaking. His only priority was to get to his girl.
“We’re almost there,” Aaron said beside him, his gaze scanning the road. “Ten minutes out.”
Wyatt and Austin were in the vehicle behind them, and Sawyer and Ryan were not too far back in a third SUV. While Hudson had stopped to get weapons, he wasn’t sure if his teammates were armed. No matter. The six of them were deadly without the use of firearms, and they had the advantage of surprise. Tony Harris had no idea they were coming.
Aaron’s phone buzzed, and he lifted it to his ear. “Yeah? I’ll let him know. Roger that.”
“Let me know what?”
“Traffic cams picked up the plate. Harris was headed north. Looks like there’s a damn good chance he’s exactly where we think he is.”
Hudson grunted, adrenaline coursing through him. He knew Harris had taken Layton to the secluded property. He’d bet his life on it. The guy had found her through her own website. Tracked her to the open house. He had a perfect list of possibilities of where to take her from her own listings.
“I’m sure he’s there. It’s private. Secluded. And she has access to it.”
The minutes ticked by longer than he wanted. “Turn left,” Aaron said abruptly. “This is the road.”
Hudson slowed down, taking the turn carefully. As much as he wanted to come roaring in there, tires squealing and weapon drawn, they didn’t know what type of situation they’d be walking into. Were the homeowners there possibly being held hostage? Did Harris have accomplices they were unaware of?
Wyatt’s vehicle was right behind his, and Hudson slowed to a stop before they reached the address. There weren’t any other homes around, and Hudson hated how isolated the place was knowing that Layton was here.
The men climbed out of their vehicles, briefly conferring, before they began hustling toward the house. Wyatt and Austin were going to head around back. Aaron would provide cover. And Hudson? He’d go in through the damn front door. Sawyer and Ryan were minutes away to provide additional backup.
Hudson took a deep breath, readying to move as his heart thundered, when suddenly it sounded like garage doors were opening. “Someone’s trying to leave,” Wyatt said urgently.
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. “No!” Hudson yelled, running toward the home. It was hidden behind the trees, and he couldn’t see what was happening. Layton didn’t own a gun, and that meant—
Something shattered in the garage, and he surged forward, leaping over some bushes as he ran up the driveway. His teammates were at his side, Wyatt yelling out orders. Hudson didn’t even hear what he said. As he drew his weapon, he saw a blonde woman fleeing from the garage, screaming in fear. Layton.
He wanted to call out to her but didn’t want to distract her from her escape. He was both so close and yet too far away to help her. Tony Harris stumbled from the garage, nearly tripping on something he’d knocked over. He raised his gun, taking two more shots, and Hudson’s heart stopped as Layton fell to the ground. Blood pooled on her leg, bright red against her skin. She was trying to stand up, still trying to get away, and Harris was closing in on her.
Hudson lifted his weapon, firing in a steady stream to hit Harris as he ran toward Layton.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Layton was screaming, and Hudson took out Harris with a single gunshot to the chest. The man stumbled, blood darkening his shirt. He fell to the ground in a lifeless heap, and as Austin and Wyatt ran to kick away his weapon and make sure he was no longer a threat, Hudson rushed to Layton, collecting her in his arms.
“Hudson,” she cried as she realized it was him.
“One tango down,” Austin said in a clipped tone. Aaron was already on his cell phone, calling 911 and giving the dispatchers the address.
Hudson’s gaze ran over Layton as he ripped off his tee shirt, pressing it firmly against the gunshot wound on her leg. She whimpered but didn’t pull away, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Are you hurt anywhere else?” he asked urgently.
She looked at him, her face pale and voice shaky. “No. I’m okay. So is the baby. He shot me in the leg, but I’ll be all right. I think the bullet just grazed me.”
Austin was suddenly there with him, helping Hudson to stop the bleeding as he told them Aaron ran back to grab a first aid kit from the car.
Layton was shaking, and Hudson leaned closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he tried to soothe her. “I thought I lost you,” he said, his voice strained. “When we showed up at the open house, and saw your things—” He cut off. The look on her face slayed him, and he cupped her cheek, letting Austin handle the gunshot wound.
“You found me,” she assured him. “I don’t know how, but you did.”
“I love you,” Hudson said in a choked voice, looking into her teary blue eyes. “I think I’ve loved you all along, princess. I should’ve told you sooner than this.”
“I love you, too,” she said, her voice full of emotion. “I love you so much.”
“Marry me,” he said suddenly, grabbing on to one of her hands. It was so much smaller than his own, but the feel of it in his felt perfect. “I want us to be a family. You, Caroline, the baby, and me. I want to get married and buy a house together. Live our happily ever after.”
“Of course I’ll marry you,” she said, smiling through her tears. “And I might even know a good realtor we can use,” she teased.
“Thank God,” he said, kissing her passionately in front of his friends. He heard the sound of car doors slamming and knew his other teammates had arrived to back them up. Sirens were beginning to sound in the distance, but all was right in his world. Layton was okay and had agreed to be his wife. Life was pretty damn perfect.