LITMIR.BIZ

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deal that put out enough warmth to keep the stall nice and toasty. A plan began to form even as he shrugged out of his coat. He maneuvered his way around to the heifer and rubbed her head to reassure her. She knew him and didn’t seem nervous around him. Aaron prayed for an easy birth. Her moaning and bellowing continued. He looked up to see Pete had moved closer, his hard eyes flat. Waiting. Every so often they would flick toward the door. Good. Aaron’s words had him thinking someone would show up.

      Aaron knew as soon as he delivered the calf he was dead. While he worked with the mama and baby, he thought, planned and prayed. He pulled the calving chains from the bag he’d dropped on the ground. Pete lifted the gun. “What are you doing?”

      “They’re to help pull the calf out if I need them. I might not, but I need to have them nearby.”

      Pete stayed silent, but watchful.

      Aaron worked with the heifer, soothing her and rubbing her belly, feeling the baby move. Thankfully, it wasn’t breech any longer. It had turned the right way and from here on out, the heifer would do most of the work. Aaron would assist while he went through the plan over and over in his head.

      Finally, after a number of hard contractions and bellows from the soon-to-be mama, he saw the calf’s legs poking out and slipped on a clean pair of gloves to help the baby out into the world. “Hand me those chains, would you?”

      “I’m not here to help.”

      That’s what he figured the man would say. Aaron gritted his teeth and left the chains on the bag. He didn’t really need them anyway. He wrapped his hands around the baby’s legs and heard the heifer give another moan, waited on the next contraction, then pulled. While the mother let out one last bellowing yell, the calf slipped onto the fresh hay and Aaron worked to clear its nose. He then teased a nostril with a piece of straw to make it sneeze. It obliged and Aaron went to work on the afterbirth. Once he had everything finished, he rolled his head and glanced at his captor from the corner of his eye.

      Pete had moved closer, the gun now trained on Aaron. Aaron casually pulled the gloves from his hands and dumped them in the trash bag he’d brought out.

      He stood as though to stretch, but instead, in one smooth move, spun, grabbed the heater and swung it around into Pete’s head. The man didn’t even cry out. He simply slumped to the ground, the weapon landing with a thump on the hay. Aaron grabbed the calving chains and tied the man up. Heart pounding, adrenaline surging, he stood back and looked at his handiwork. A long gash in the man’s head bled freely, but Aaron didn’t think he’d done too much damage. And Pete might manage to get out of the chains eventually, but it would take him a bit of time. Hopefully, he and the others would be long gone by then and law enforcement would have things under control.

      Breathing heavily, Aaron pulled Pete from the stall then went back and grabbed his coat. He shoved his hands into the sleeves, grabbed Pete’s gun, then slipped back out of the stall shutting the mama and baby in behind him. He stuck Pete’s gun in his shoulder holster.

      A phone, he needed a phone.

      He patted the man down, searched his pockets and came up empty. Great. There was a phone in the office.

      He raced to it and twisted the knob. Locked. And he didn’t have his keys. Aaron stepped back, lifted a foot and kicked. The door shook, but held. Three more kicks and it swung open. He grabbed the handset from the base and turned it on. Listened.

      To nothing.

      He groaned. They’d cut the landline.

      He stopped and pressed a hand against his forehead. Think, think. Consider your options.

      And came up with one.

      Overpower Jed, get the others out before Cody came back. Or Pete woke up. It wasn’t a great plan—or even a plan at all—it was just what he knew he had to do.

      Aaron slipped out of the barn and up to the house. He figured boss man would be in the den or at least near it to keep an eye on Lance, Zoe and Sophia. He’d go in the front door as he figured it was probably still unlocked. His rushing adrenaline made him shaky and clumsy. He took a deep breath. He wasn’t a cop, this wasn’t his deal. He was perfectly happy to leave catching the bad guys and rescuing people to Clay and the deputies, but today it fell to him.

      He wanted to hurry, but had to be careful. If he got caught this time, there wouldn’t be a third chance for escape. They didn’t need him as Pete had just proven while in the barn. He and Lance were collateral damage. He couldn’t believe Pete had bought his story about neighbors coming to check on the cow. Most likely, they’d have heard her and figured she was giving birth and Aaron was there to help. Birth was a noisy affair, and the neighbors knew that. Aaron’s hunch that Pete wouldn’t know that had paid off.

      At the front door, he paused, placed a hand on the knob and twisted slowly. Nothing happened, so he cracked it enough to see inside. The foyer, the living area to the left, dining to the right. The den was straight ahead. He slipped inside and shut the door behind him.

      He listened, ear tuned to the slightest sound, muscles bunched and ready to act. Sounded like Jed was on the phone. He glanced out the window and thought he saw a vehicle down the drive. Cody coming back?

      Heart racing, he moved until he could see Lance still on the couch with Zoe. Sophia sat between them. He caught Lance’s eye. Lance blinked but made no other indication that he’d seen Aaron.

      “Fine. I’ll take care of it. I’ll deliver them both tonight. And you’d better have the rest of my money.”

      Aaron raised the gun.

      Lance shifted. “Hey, when are we going to get something to eat? Sophia needs some food even if you’re not going to feed the rest of us.”

      Jed stepped into view, the back of his head toward Aaron. He pointed to Zoe. “Go fix something.”

      Zoe moved to stand when Aaron stepped up behind Jed and placed his gun against the man’s head. “Move and you die.” The man froze. “Put the weapon on the counter.” Jed did. With his free hand, Aaron took the gun and held it. He nodded to Zoe. “Cut Lance loose.”

      She raced into the kitchen and came back with a knife. She cut the tape and Lance stood. Jed twitched like he wanted to try something. Aaron pressed the gun harder. “Don’t.” The man stilled.

      “Hey, Jed, Pete? I got the part,” Cody called as the back door slammed behind him.

FOUR

      Zoe froze, but didn’t have time to stand there for long. Jed started to call out, but Lance’s fist shot out and caught him in the jaw. Aaron brought the gun down on the back of his head for good measure and the man crumpled to the floor. Lance took the gun from Aaron. “Get them out of here. I’ll deal with Cody.”

      But Cody appeared in the small hallway between the kitchen and the den before Lance could get there. Cody stood for a brief moment, his jaw swinging as he took in the scene, but Zoe didn’t stop in her rush to get Sophia out of the house. She reached the large bookcase next to the front door and pulled Sophia next to it praying it was out of the line of fire. She could feel her child’s body trembling, but she never made a sound.

      “Hey!” She saw Cody’s hand lift, the gun aimed at Lance. Lance dropped and rolled in front of the counter and out of sight. Aaron fired his weapon and she saw Cody spin into the wall then hit the floor. Zoe moved away from the bookcase and toward the door, pulling Sophia with her. She looked back to see Cody roll and bring his weapon up again, firing even as Lance aimed at him and pulled the trigger. She dropped to the floor covering Sophia’s body with hers. The loud cracks made her ears ring.

      “I’m going to kill you! All of you! I don’t care about the money anymore, you’re all dead!” Pete’s bellow came from the kitchen somewhere behind Cody. She heard the door slam once again. Lance leveled his weapon toward the kitchen and fired back. She wanted to get Sophia out, but was afraid to move. Afraid

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