Chapter 15
Bailey stood in the backyard of the house she’d once shared with Clark, shivering in the cold. The new owners were apparently not home. Or if they were, they didn’t notice or object to Todd White digging in the hard dirt under the oak tree.
White cursed under his breath as he used all his weight to dig into the partially frozen ground. The cloudy sky cast a gloom over the area. While Todd was preoccupied with his task, she took one small step backward. Then another. She didn’t move too much, as she didn’t want to draw his attention.
He’d stuck the gun in his pocket in order to free up his hands to dig. She could try to make a run for it, but being seven months pregnant, she wasn’t sure she’d get far enough to avoid being shot in the back.
Standing there doing nothing, though, wasn’t working for her either. There had to be a way to escape. Glancing around, she didn’t see anyone watching them. It was as if a man digging in the yard happened every day.
She eased back another step, angling her path so she was behind him more than beside him.
“If I had known he’d buried the cash weeks ago, I’d already have the money,” Todd muttered harshly as he jabbed the tip of the spade shovel into the earth. “Stupid jerk should have kept his greedy paws to himself.”
Wasn’t Todd just as greedy? It didn’t matter because she was unable to force words through her frozen throat. He had kept her alive this long only to make sure the money was where she’d said it was.
The moment he’d unearthed whatever Clark had buried in the ground, her usefulness was over.
Another shiver coursed through her. Fear or cold or something else, she didn’t know. Taking another small step backward, she cast a quick glance over her shoulder, gauging the distance.
Maybe if she managed to reach the front of the house, she would be able to flag someone down for help. Before getting shot? Swallowing hard, she tried not to envision being struck by a bullet. Worse, her baby dying in her womb.
Lord Jesus, help me! Save me and my baby!
The tip of Todd’s shovel hit something metallic. She froze in the act of taking another step back. Until that moment, she’d been worried her husband had found a dead cat. Now she knew otherwise. Yet Todd didn’t so much as glance at her. All his attention was focused on the buried cash.
He dropped to his knees, using the shovel to dig around the metallic box with fervor. This was it. She’d have to make her move now or never.
Moving slow, she turned. Hearing nothing from Todd, she broke into a run. So much for bed rest, she thought, sprinting around to the front of the house. Waving her arms wildly, she glanced around for help.
But she saw no one.
It was too late to turn back. She continued pushing forward, listening for the sound of Todd following her. Then she noticed someone running toward her from between two houses across the street.
“Help!” She waved her arms. “Help me!”
Then she saw Archie’s reddish coat and realized the man was Trevor. Relief washed over her, yet she knew they weren’t out of the woods yet.
“He—has a—gun!” The words came out between gasping breaths.
She’d never been one to go jogging even before she’d gotten pregnant.
Running at this point in her pregnancy was no easy task.
She felt and probably looked like an elephant swaying from side to side as she put on a burst of speed to close the gap.
“Get down!” Trevor reached out to grab her arm, pulling her to the ground just as a crack of gunfire rang out. She ducked, her breath heaving in and out of her lungs as she glanced over her shoulder.
Todd stood there with a box tucked under his arm. He fired again, then ran toward the black truck.
“Archie, stay! Guard!” Trevor darted forward, clearly intending to reach the truck before Todd did. “Stop!”
Todd didn’t stop. He turned and brought his weapon up. Trevor leaped forward, knocking his arm upward just as he pulled the trigger.
Bailey’s heart practically stopped in her chest, but then blue and red lights lit up the sky.
The police were on the way. Or at least, she hoped they were the real police and not Officer Riley.
She fumbled in her purse for the disposable phone, watching in horror as Todd and Trevor fell against the side of the pickup, struggling for control over the weapon.
The box Todd had carried hit the ground with a distinct thud.
Before she found her phone, the squad pulled up. She held her breath until she saw the officer was an older guy, not Riley. He joined the fray, grabbing the weapon from Todd’s hand and tossing it away. When Todd realized he was busted, he let out a scream of frustration.
“I’m only taking back what’s ours!” he shouted.
“Todd White, you’re under arrest for kidnapping and attempted murder, and that’s just for starters.” The burly cop slapped handcuffs around Todd’s wrists. Trevor took a few steps backward, glaring at Todd.
She bowed her head, looping her arm over Archie. It was over. Then a wave of nausea hit hard.
Nope, it wasn’t over. Not completely. She closed her eyes, willing the nausea to go away. But it only got worse. Along with the intense pounding in her temples.
Her blood pressure was likely sky high. She pressed her face against Archie’s soft fur, fighting to relax.
“Bailey? What’s wrong?” Trevor rested his hand on her shoulder. “Are you hurt?”
“Sick,” she whispered. “My blood pressure . . .”
“Burt!” Trevor called. “We need to get Bailey to the hospital ASAP!”
“I can’t. I have White tucked in the back seat. Hold on, I’ll call for assistance.”
Taking a slow, deep breath, she lifted her head to see the burly officer speaking into his radio, requesting an ambulance.
Trevor knelt beside her, his expression etched with concern. “What can I do?”
“Nothing.” Tears pricked her eyes as she imagined needing to deliver her baby early. Her tiny daughter maybe even needing to be put on a ventilator. “Maybe you could pray for me? For us?”
“Lord Jesus, please hold Bailey and her baby in Your loving arms,” Trevor whispered. “Continue to keep them safe in Your care. Amen.”
“Amen.” She swallowed against the need to throw up, wondering how long it would take the ambulance to get there.
Red flashing lights raced toward them. Grateful, she stayed put, sitting on the cold hard earth next to Archie. The dog licked her cheek, making her smile.
The burly cop gestured the EMTs toward her. They hauled a gurney out of the back of the ambulance and ran toward her.
“Hey, Trevor,” the male EMT greeted him by name. “What’s going on?”
“This is Bailey Adams. She’s seven months pregnant and has been diagnosed with preeclampsia,” Trevor informed them. “We believe her blood pressure has spiked and would like her transported to the hospital right away.”
“Understood,” the female EMT said. “Ms. Adams, can you get up on the gurney? Or would you like us to carry you?”
“I can do it.” Standing and walking wasn’t going to make her condition any worse.
Bailey was determined to get to the gurney, but Trevor slid his arm around her waist, helping her to her feet.
Then he swung her up into his arms and carried her to the gurney, gently easing her down. She managed a grateful smile. “Thanks.”
“Archie and I are riding along,” Trevor’s voice was firm. “We know how to stay out of the way.”
She noticed the two EMTs glanced at each other. The female looked as if she wanted to argue, but the tall man nodded. “Trevor is an EMT. He’ll be fine.”
“Okay, then I’ll drive.” The woman didn’t look happy but didn’t argue. “Let’s get her inside.”
Bailey allowed them to strap her onto the gurney, staring up at the cloudy sky as they wheeled her across the snow-covered ground to the ambulance. Turning her head, she caught a glimpse of Todd White scowling at her from the back of the squad.
The threat of being shot was over. She couldn’t deny being relieved Todd had been caught and arrested. She rested her hand on her belly.
Too bad the worst danger wasn’t over. Her mad dash for safety had brought another threat.
And all she could do now was try to relax and pray.
Trevor climbed into the back of the ambulance. “Come, Archie.”
His K9 didn’t hesitate to jump up. He drew Archie out of the way, watching with a sense of doom as his former EMT colleague, Jimmy Knapp, took Bailey’s blood pressure.
Up front, the female EMT he didn’t know slid in behind the wheel, started the engine, and pulled away from the side of the road.
The hospital wasn’t too far, but it was clear Bailey’s blood pressure was sky high.
So much for the new medication helping to keep her under control.
Granted, being kidnapped at gunpoint wasn’t exactly helpful.
He’d failed to keep Bailey safe, much less on bed rest. He swallowed hard as he reviewed the high numbers on the screen.
If her pressures remained this high, he felt certain they’d induce labor.
Even if her baby was only a little over thirty weeks gestation.
If only he could have gotten there sooner. Maybe she wouldn’t have had to run for her life, putting her baby in jeopardy.
Curling his fingers into fists, he strove to remain calm. He reminded himself that Bailey would soon be in good hands back at the emergency department. And that those jerks Todd White and Jeff Riley would never hurt her again.
Disheartening to realize the danger was related to money.
He and his siblings were blessed to have the trust their parents had set up for them, but they didn’t use it for anything beyond their regular living expenses.
That and running the ranch, which was no small task caring for eleven dogs and four horses.
Their last veterinary bill had been two thousand dollars.