LITMIR.BIZ

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the deputy that he’s out of the picture right now.”

      “You’re not going out there,” Cameron told her before the gunman had even finished.

      “Figured you’d feel that way, but just think about those little kids. Do I hear them crying? Bet they’re real scared, but they’re gonna get a lot more scared when I start shooting again. Because once I start, I won’t stop until I’ve ripped your place to shreds. You got thirty seconds, or the bullets start up again.”

      Lauren sucked in her breath so hard that she nearly choked, and she managed to get to her feet.

      “No.” Cameron hurried toward her, catching on to her and pulling her down against the fridge. He also took his phone from her and hit the end call button. “He’ll gun you down the moment you step outside.”

      She shook her head, not disputing that since she figured that was exactly what would happen. Someone wanted her dead.

      “But if I don’t go out there, he’ll shoot into the house,” she reminded Cameron, though she was certain he hadn’t forgotten that.

      “He’ll do it anyway.” He took hold of her chin, lifting it and forcing eye contact. Brief eye contact, just enough for her to see the determination in his eyes before he went back to the window to keep watch. “Think it through. He’ll have to kill me, too, so he can escape. In fact, this plan could be about me. A way to draw me out while using you. Because that snake knows I won’t let you go to your death.”

      That last part was definitely true. Cameron wasn’t a coward, and he was married to that badge he had clipped to his holster. He would put his own life ahead of hers or anyone else’s that he needed to protect.

      She tried to figure out if that was indeed what the gunman had in mind, but the thoughts were flying through her head, making it hard to think. The only thing that was coming through loud and clear was that she had to do something, anything, to save the babies.

      Cameron glanced around, too, as if trying to sort out what to do, and he finally tipped his head to the front of the house. “Take your gun and go to the window in there. Stay to the side, but if you get a shot, take it.”

      She didn’t thank him. In fact, Lauren didn’t say anything for fear he would change his mind. As she was leaving, she heard him make a quick call to Gabriel to tell him to do something to eliminate the guy in the ditch.

      Lauren’s pulse was thudding so hard now that it was hard to hear, and her feet felt heavy, as if she was trudging through mud. Still, she moved as fast as she could and tried to ignore the sounds of the babies crying. She had to focus, had to do her part to make this right. Then she could deal with the fallout of the baby swap and everything else that her homecoming would cause.

      There were three windows in the living room. A huge one that faced the front and two side ones that had a view of the barn. She went to the one that she hoped would give her the best vantage point.

      It did.

      She immediately caught a glimpse of the gunman, and he was lifting his rifle, pointing it right at the house. That put her heart in her throat. She hadn’t needed anything to add to the urgency of their situation, but that did it anyway.

      Lauren didn’t waste even a second. She broke the glass with the barrel of her gun and took aim. The gunman shifted his position, trying to turn his weapon at her. But it was too late.

      She fired.

      And she was right on target. The bullet slammed into the guy’s chest. He stayed there, frozen and crouched, his rifle ready, but neither he nor his gun moved. So, Lauren shot him again.

      He finally dropped like a stone.

      Despite the fact that she’d probably just killed a man, she only felt relief and not the emotion of having just taken a life. That was because if he’d been given the chance, he would have killed them all.

      She heard the footsteps, hurrying toward her. Cameron. From his angle in the kitchen, he probably hadn’t been able to see the fall, but he certainly saw it now. There was no relief on his face, though, because they heard something else.

      Another shot.

      This one hadn’t come from the barn. It had come from the front of the house, and it wasn’t a single shot, either. Three more quickly followed.

      There was no trace of relief now for Lauren. Because she knew her brothers were in the general direction of that fresh round of bullets. Maybe the gunman’s partner had figured out what had gone on by the barn and was now trying to take out anyone that he could.

      Lauren turned to run to the front window, but Cameron moved in front of her. “Watch the guy you shot and make sure he doesn’t get up.”

      She was about to tell him that she doubted that could happen, but there was more gunfire. Then Cameron cursed when he looked out the front window.

      “Change of plans,” he said. “Get down now.”

      There was more than enough urgency in his voice for Lauren to drop to the floor, but she’d barely had time to do that when Cameron threw open the front door. The security system started to beep, indicating the alarm was about to go off. He ignored that, though, aimed his gun and fired. He got off four rounds before he stopped pulling the trigger.

      Lauren waited, praying and afraid to ask what had happened. Several moments later she heard something she actually wanted to hear.

      Gabriel’s voice.

      “Is everyone okay?” her brother called out.

      Since the babies were still fussing, Lauren knew they were alive, but she got up to hurry to the nursery to make sure. But she stopped when she saw the chaos in front of Cameron’s house.

      Two men dressed in camo were sprawled out by the ditch. The one nearest the house was clearly dead, but the other one was still moving around. Both Jameson and Gabriel had their weapons drawn and were closing in on him.

      Her stomach sank. Lauren hadn’t even known about the third gunman. He could have attacked them from the front while the thug by the barn was keeping them occupied. Thank God Cameron and her brothers had spotted him and stopped him from doing any more harm.

      “I had to shoot him,” Cameron said. He pressed in the numbers on the security key pad to stop the beeping. “I didn’t have a choice.”

      It took her a moment to realize why that sounded like an apology. It was because two of their attackers were dead, and the third one was injured. Maybe even dying. Dead men wouldn’t be able to tell them the person or the reason behind what had just happened.

      “Stay inside,” Cameron added. “But keep watch to make sure there aren’t others.”

      Lauren hadn’t exactly relaxed, but that put her back on high alert again. So did the fact that Cameron hurried outside. Where he could be gunned down like her brothers if there were other thugs hiding.

      Even though Cameron had told her to stay inside, Lauren got her gun ready and stepped into the doorway so she’d have a better view of the yard and road. Her brothers were already by the injured man by the time Cameron reached them. She could see them talking, but she couldn’t hear what they were saying.

      But she had no trouble seeing the alarm on Cameron’s face.

      Whatever the man had said to him had caused Cameron’s shoulders to snap back. Her brothers had similar reactions, and Gabriel took out his phone as he made his way to the house. Cameron and Jameson were right behind him. That was when Lauren realized the injured man was no longer moving.

      Gabriel made eye contact with her, and while he continued his phone conversation, he caught on to her arm and maneuvered her back inside the house.

      “What about the man?” she asked.

      “He’s dead,” Cameron told her the moment he reached the porch.

      The sickening feeling of dread

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