Chapter Eleven
A smile crept over Cummings’s face when he didn’t see anyone behind the one guard.
That meant his man had done the job. Now, all he had to do was get out of here with the little bastard and leave no witnesses.
Babies are a valuable commodity that he could sell and add to his current financial rebuild.
“Let him go, Baxter.”
He scoffed, turning his smile into a maniacal laugh. No one but these four fools had known that Cummings had his men cut the power as the storm struck. All their systems went down just long enough for him to break into the house. “Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do?”
“Don’t make me kill you right here.” Mike had killed people in this position, but there was a baby at risk at this point.
Baxter had everything to lose by surrendering, so Mike knew it wouldn’t be easy.
His main priority would be getting little Ethan to safety.
Nothing else mattered. His job has been to protect the family, and he’d already failed once today. He wouldn’t let it happen again.
“You won’t. I’ll kill the boy.” Cummings brought the baby closer to his body with the gun aimed at the boy’s midsection. Any gunshot wound would be fatal to the little guy at that range, so Mike had to think of a plan, and quickly.
“I’ll kill them all.”
“I don’t negotiate with terrorists.” The housekeeper was passed out on the floor behind Cummings. Gage’s mother, Grace, was tied up in the corner of the room with a giant bruise on her face. Mike bet it came from the butt of the gun. His eyes returned back to the target.
“Where’s everyone else?”
“A couple are dead and the others are chasing the cows in the field. My ride will be here any second and we’ll be leaving with the baby.”
“Do you mean the guy in the pickup?”
“How did you know? Lucky guess. I know you wouldn’t have spotted him in this weather.”
“No?”
“Well. I don’t think he’ll be coming, since he sped off in the opposite direction.”
“Bullshit. Shut the fuck up before I cut my losses.”
“You mean your only bargaining chip? You hurt him and there’s nothing to stop me from tearing right through your chest.”
Mike slowly stepped around to the side, forcing Cummings to sidestep as well.
They circled each other until Cummings’s hip had butted the arm of the sofa and that split second gave Mike his chance.
He took his shot, striking Cummings dead in between the eyes.
The baby fell onto the sofa, bouncing twice but luckily not rolling off.
The blast had been loud and through a brief break in the rain, caught Bill and James by surprise as they made their way back to the main house.
They took the stairs two at the time, brandishing their weapons.
They flung open the door to see Mike untying Grace Gibson while she held onto little Ethan.
“What the fuck happened here? Where are Gage and Hope? How did this bastard get in here?”
“I could ask you assholes those questions. Gage and Hope are on their way to the hospital in Austin. We were ambushed on the road. Gage sent me here to protect Ethan. Where were you two? Where were the guards Gage had out there?”
“When the storm hit, the power went out. We had to go around and reset the generators. A pole came down on one of the fences, letting out the frightened cattle. The rest of the crew is still rounding them up. I don’t know where Greig and Moran are. They were supposed to be guarding the house.”
“I’m guessing they’re dead. At least that’s what Cummings implied. I have no idea what was going on or how many guys he has with him. There were no other vehicles in the drive when I pulled up.”
“Oh God. How are Gage and Hope?” Grace cried out.
“We need to get her to the hospital,” Mike said, looking down at the housekeeper.
Gage’s mother shook her head and then kicked the housekeeper in her side. With a scoff, she said, “Leave her there. The bitch worked for Cummings. She came up and struck me and then let him into the house. I didn’t have a chance to even fight back or lock Ethan away.”
They lifted the woman onto her feet and slammed her into the chair that Grace had been on. Mike took one look at her and knew something was up. “She’s not the housekeeper Gage hired. I saw her credentials from Colt McCain myself.”
“And she came when they knew you’d all be out today. Shit. I can’t believe it.” The woman began to regain consciousness, and Mike grabbed her by her hair, tugging her head back. “Tell us what’s going on and we’ll see you don’t get the death penalty.”
“What? I didn’t mean to do it. I…I…the cartel.
They can be ruthless. They told me to help Cummings out with upcoming shipments, and my husband’s debts would disappear,” she cried, but she didn’t shed a tear.
Mike had been used to this type of shit.
They sent the women and children to the front lines, thinking they wouldn’t be harmed and that the target would be unsuspecting, but Mike knew better.
“Bill, do a cursory sweep of the area. If you don’t find the two guards dead, then they soon will be.”
“Understood. James, come with me. We need to get the rest of the guys with us. How many more men are with Cummings?”
“Just my husband and me. The cartel doesn’t want to be a part of this unless it makes them money.
Gibson doesn’t get them a dollar. Cummings was supposed to travel with more shipments for them, be the middleman, and then I was supposed to be his secretary.
Then he gave me these documents and told me it was a part of the deal. ”
“And you think I’m supposed to buy that shit? I wasn’t born yesterday, lady. You’ve got the heart of a stone-cold killer, and it bleeds through your eyes. Now, what’s your real name and who is your husband?”
“Anna Sparks. My husband is Dallas Sparks.”
“Cummings’s lawyer.”
“I need to make a call. You move, and I’ll put a bullet through your skull, no questions asked. I’ve met evil bitches like you before and I’ve killed them as well.”
Mike brought up Alex’s number on his phone and dialed. “Hey, I’m on the way to the hospital. Gage asked that I be informed. What the hell is going on?”
“I don’t have time to explain, but Cummings is dead on Gage’s floor, and his accomplice is on the run. I have Anna Sparks tied up until you get here, or she tries something fucking stupid. We’re still looking for the other guards that were supposed to be here.”
Bill and James came back inside. “One second.” Mike turned the guys and asked, “Well?”
“They’re not here and neither is their car.”
“Okay. Grieg and Moran bolted. Send someone here to deal with this mess, but you get to the hospital and secure Gage and Hope. I have a feeling the hospital isn’t safe.”
“On it. I’ll send a team right now. With the storms raging like this, I don’t know how long it’s going to take.”
Mike glanced back at Grace and saw the fatigue and strain on her body. He didn’t know what else they did to her, but she definitely needed to see a doctor for the head injury. “I need a medic for Gage’s mom as well.”
“Of course. How’s the baby?”
“He’s good with his grandma.”
Mike ended the call and then took the baby from Grace. “I’ll look after him for now. We’re going to need to get to the hospital as well, but we’ll have to deal with this shitshow right here first.”
“I’m thirsty,” Grace groaned.
“I’ll get a drink for you.” Bill went into the kitchen and then came right back. “Mike. We have a problem.”
“What is it?” he asked, keeping Ethan happy while never taking his eyes off the imposter.
“Can you smell this?” He passed the baby back to Grace and then took the glass.
“Almonds in lemonade?” His mind tried to figure out what that meant. “That’s cyanide,” he shouted out, staring at the woman that was tied up. She didn’t look an ounce bit filled with remorse.
“Son of a bitch.” The entire kitchen had been filled with mostly prepared foods.
“There was no guarantee that only the lemonade had been poisoned. We need to dump it all. I don’t want anyone to even sample it.
The groceries from the store are still in my trunk.
There’s a case of water bottles and Gatorade. ”
“Okay, I’ll run and get it.”
“No. Send James. You watch that bitch out there. He’s used to wrangling heifers, but that’s one sick, twisted bitch out there.”
“Got it.”
As they tossed all the food on the counter in the garbage, Mike blurted out, “Where is the real Ms. Rhoades?”
“Good question. Let’s ask this bitch.” They both stormed out of the kitchen and up to the woman in her chair.
Mike confronted the woman with his hands on the armrests of her chair as he glared in her face. “Where the fuck is the real Ms. Rhoades?”
“Trapped in Cummings’s apartment.” There had been no true fear in her eyes. She answered as if she couldn’t give two fucks about the woman.
“Why didn’t he just kill her too?” Bill questioned.
Mike stood up and crossed his arms and answered for her. “Because I bet he plans on selling her, doesn’t he?”
She shrugged off the question, remaining completely unaffected. “There’s a lot of money in sex trafficking.”
“Damn, see? I told you she was heartless. I wonder how many cases her husband has taken that involve that same issue.”
“How many did he sell?” Mike added.
“He’s not into that.” That was the first time she spoke with inflection. She either had to be na?ve or willingly ignorant.
“Whatever lies you want to tell yourself,” Mike scoffed, rolling his eyes.
Sirens blared through the fast-approaching rain.
Bill’s phone rang and he put it on speaker. “What’s going on, Chris?”
“We’ve got almost all of them wrangled and in the barn, but we’re missing two.”
“Report back. Maybe someone will find them grazing somewhere in the morning.”
“It’s still early. Is there something wrong?”
“Yes.”
“We’re on our way.”
The police, fire, and ambulance arrived. “The body’s over here. This wench was his accomplice, and Grace needs to be seen,” Bill said, shaking the sheriff’s hand.
“I was almost to the hospital when I got the call. I spun around and flew here. Who did the honors?”
“That would be me. He had Ethan Gibson held hostage with a gun to the baby. I took my opening.”
“And you are?” the sheriff asked Mike.
Bill stepped up and said, “This is the security guard Gage hired to protect Hope and Ethan. The other one was sent to the hospital with them.”
“Yes, I was alerted that there was one man who was shot in the shoulder.”
Grace called out as the medic came to look at her. “I don’t need a doctor. I need to know how my son and daughter are doing.”
“We’ll get you to the hospital, Grace,” the sheriff exclaimed. He had known her for decades. Her love for her family was absolute and everyone in their small town who had visited her diner knew it.
“Mike, can you pack the baby a bag?” she asked him, putting on her shoes and grabbing her purse.
“Yes, ma’am.” He left the room and made quick work of getting the baby’s things together. After spending so much time with the little guy, he’d been well aware of all the things he needed and liked.
“Ma’am…Grace. We need you to ride in the ambulance. Don’t fight us on this. Your injury is worse than you believe it is.”
“Fine, but only Mike is allowed to take Ethan.”
“I’ll make sure to lock up after they leave,” Bill said.
“Oh, and the power company will be by sometime tonight to fix the downed pole,” the sheriff added.
“Where is it at?” James asked.
“About a mile off the beaten track. The storm didn’t take it out. Someone else did.”
“Hey, don’t forget that the real Ms. Rhoades is at Cummings’s apartment.”
“She is?” the sheriff asked.
“Yes. Okay. I’ll send a couple of officers over there to retrieve her.”
Ten minutes later, Mike carried the baby to the car, strapped him in the seat, and then drove off toward the hospital.
The officers waited for the coroner to retrieve the body and to take Mrs. Sparks in custody.
They put out a warrant for Dallas Sparks’s arrest and the questioning of Grieg and Moran, who had seemingly disappeared.