Chapter Seventeen #2
Brody didn’t waste time. “Tarrant has a hostage, a woman who’s done nothing to him. An innocent. He’s demanding a meeting with you, Eloise and Langley. No cops. Just the three of you along with Remi and me.”
A long pause. Then Christina exhaled sharply. “That SOB.”
Brody agreed with that label. “Tarrant’s given us one hour to call him back with confirmation, or he starts shooting the hostage. One shot for every passing minute.”
She muttered a curse under her breath before her tone sharpened. “All right. If Tarrant wants a fight, he’ll get one. Where does he want to meet?”
He released the breath he’d been holding. Brody had hoped that Christina’s hatred and need for revenge was enough to spur her to action, and it apparently had been.
“Tarrant hasn’t given me that info yet,” Brody said, “but you’ll know as soon as I do. For now, let’s plan on meeting up in the parking lot of the Lost Canyon police station.”
“Fine. I just need a word with my nanny, and then I’ll be there in a half hour,” Christina added before she ended the call.
Brody nodded to himself. That was one down. Now he had to get Eloise and Langley in line.
And figure out how to turn this setup into Tarrant’s downfall.
Brody barely had time to process Christina’s agreement before he was dialing the next number.
Eloise picked up on the third ring. “Tell me you have Tarrant,” she demanded. “Tell me he’s dead.”
“Not yet,” Brody said. “But Tarrant has a hostage and is threatening to kill her.”
Eloise let out a soft curse.
Brody continued, his voice tight with frustration. “He’s demanding a meeting. You, Christina and Langley. No cops, no backup. Just the three of you and Remi and me.”
“When and where?” Eloise cut in before he could finish the last word.
Brody paused for half a beat. She hadn’t asked why, hadn’t hesitated.
She was ready.
“He hasn’t given the location yet,” Brody told her. “We’re supposed to call him back in an hour to confirm, and then he’ll tell us.”
“He won’t walk away from this,” Eloise murmured, her voice calm, almost satisfied. “One way or another, he’s meeting his maker.”
Brody didn’t disagree. He gave her the same instructions he’d given Christina—head to the Lost Canyon PD station as soon as she could.
“I’ll be there,” Eloise simply said, and she hung up.
Brody let out a slow breath, barely able to shake the tension from his shoulders before one of the babies stirred. He turned just as Remi moved toward the bassinet and scooped up the little boy. The baby nestled against her, tiny fingers gripping the fabric of her shirt.
Brody’s chest tightened. Seeing her with his son was a gut punch. A reminder of what was at stake. His boys would never be safe as long as Tarrant was still out there.
This had to end.
And the final piece to this was Langley.
Brody made the call to the doctor and then gritted his teeth when the phone rang and rang before going to voice mail. He didn’t have time for the man’s cowardice. Brody kept his voice cold, clipped.
“If you don’t call me back in the next five minutes, Langley, officers will be dispatched to arrest you for conspiracy to commit murder.” He ended the call, knowing the bluff would work.
Sure enough, his phone rang less than a minute later.
“I didn’t do anything!” Langley blurted before Brody could even speak. “You can’t seriously think I had anything to do with this—”
“Shut up and listen,” Brody snapped, his patience gone. “Tarrant has a hostage. He’s calling for a meeting. You, Christina, Eloise, Remi and me. No other cops. No backup. Just the five of us and the man who wants you dead.”
Langley sputtered, something between a protest and outright fear. “It’s a trap. Tarrant will try to kill us.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Brody bit out.
“But here’s what’s going to happen. You will get in your car, drive straight to the Lost Canyon police station, and if you’re not there in forty-five minutes, I’ll send a full team to drag you out of whatever hole you’re hiding in.
Then I’ll make damn sure you’re charged and convicted of conspiracy to commit murder. ”
Langley breathed heavily into the phone, probably weighing his options. Brody didn’t care what the man was thinking.
“Forty-five minutes,” Brody repeated. “No excuses.” Then he hung up.
He silently cursed and scrubbed his hand over his face. Remi was still cradling the baby, her expression just as troubled as his, no doubt, was.
“Did he agree?” she asked softly.
He nodded and hoped what he was about to say was the truth. “He’ll be there. He’s more afraid of me than he is Tarrant.”
Brody let out a breath and stepped toward Remi, brushing a kiss against his son’s forehead. His chest tightened. His heart filled with love. He’d nearly lost this little boy before he’d even known he existed. He wasn’t going to fail him now.
He turned to Remi, cupping her face as he kissed her, slow and deep. A moment to ground him before the storm ahead.
When he pulled back, her gaze stayed locked on his. “That feels a little like a goodbye kiss,” she murmured.
Brody held her stare. “You know that I don’t want you coming with me.”
“Yes, but you also know I’m going,” she answered.
He huffed. “If I could talk you out of it, I would. Since I can’t, I need to focus on the precautions we have to take.”
He picked up his phone again, already running through the logistics in his head.
“I want another team of deputies at the ranch,” he said, texting Jolene so she could start the arrangements. “This could be a ploy to get to the babies. Tarrant might think he can use them to force me into clearing his name.”
Remi’s nod was quick, letting him know she had already reached the same conclusion. “We also need backup close to wherever this meeting is going down. A team that can move in fast.”
“I’m on it.” Brody added that to the text to Jolene.
Within minutes, he had a pair of deputies on the way to the ranch and two more on standby, ready to deploy as soon as they had a location. At least the easier parts were taken care of.
Now came a harder part.
Brody tapped out a quick message to his mom, telling her to come to the nursery. Only a couple of minutes later, Sandra hurried in, her eyes flicking between him and Remi, immediately picking up on the tension.
“I couldn’t sleep, and I heard a text come in. What’s wrong?” she asked, her gaze shifting to the babies.
Brody hated the worry in her voice, but there was no sugarcoating this. “There’s another threat. I need you to stay here with the boys. The house will be on lockdown and heavily guarded, but I want you to stay away from the windows.”
Sandra’s face tightened. “Brody, you’re scaring me.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, and he meant it. “It can’t be helped.”
She stared at him a moment, then let out a shaky breath. “Okay.”
He kissed her forehead before he stepped back so that Remi could pass the baby over. Sandra cradled him close, swaying.
Brody went to the crib and pressed a kiss to his other son’s tiny forehead, his chest clenching as the little boy slept on, blissfully unaware of the danger still looming over them.
He straightened, his jaw set. “We’ll be back.”
Sandra didn’t ask where they were going, didn’t demand explanations. She just nodded again, her faith in him absolute.
Remi was already moving, and Brody followed her out of the room, pulling the door shut behind them. They climbed the stairs quickly, heading for his office, where he kept the weapons and gear they’d need for what was coming next.
Once he was in his office, he went straight to the storage cabinet, grabbing the two Kevlar vests. He tossed one to Remi, who caught it and strapped it on.
“Backup weapon?” she asked.
Brody pulled open the drawer containing his extra firearms, selecting a compact Glock for her. He passed it over, along with an extra magazine. “Take this.”
She checked the chamber and tucked it into her waistband, then grabbed spare ammo, securing it in her pockets.
Brody did the same, sliding an extra clip into his vest, then checking his rifle. Everything about this felt like preparing for battle, and in a way it was.
“We should have snipers on the perimeter,” Remi said. “Hidden support. If Tarrant sees a uniform, he’ll start shooting.”
Brody nodded, his mind already running through strategy. “I’ll have deputies take up positions near the site. No visible presence, just eyes on the ground in case this turns into a bloodbath.”
But he prayed it didn’t come down to that. Yes, Tarrant had called the shots for this meeting, but that didn’t mean the man was going to win.
Brody made the call to Tarrant, and he put it on Speaker. “I’ve done what you demanded,” Brody said.
“Good,” Tarrant replied. “I’ve picked the spot. The construction site of that fancy little inn near your ranch. Should be easy for you to find.”
Brody clenched his jaw. That place had been under construction for months. A half-built structure with plenty of places for an ambush.
“I need proof of life,” Brody demanded.
A second later, his phone dinged with an incoming image. He opened it, his stomach twisting at what he saw. Maria, tied to a support beam, her face pale with terror.
“Get everyone here fast,” Tarrant said, his voice laced with that sickening amusement. “The first bullet goes in her in thirty-nine minutes. Ticktock.”
And the line went dead.