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  Daniel Brodie was a former marine. He might be a little out of shape, but he was gun-savvy and he was smart. Ian trusted his dad to back him up when the time came.

  And he had a hole card up his sleeve. What his dad had said about knowing someone on the Spokane PD had reminded him of a detective named Gray Hawkins he had worked with in Seattle. Family problems had forced Gray to move to Spokane. He’d been on the job here a couple of years.

  Ian phoned him, told him he and his father were going into a situation that might require some backup and asked his friend to help.

  “If this goes sideways, I need you to step in. There’s a kid involved, so her safety is first and foremost.”

  “Are you sure you want to handle it this way, Ian? We could bring in some of our people, call in SWAT, do whatever it takes.”

  “Too risky. This guy is completely unpredictable. For now, I just need to know you’ll be ready.”

  “You know my ass is on the line if you screw this up.”

  Ian just grunted. “Then I guess it’d be better if I didn’t. I’ll let you know the location as soon as I’ve got it.” He signed off before Gray had time to ask him any more questions.

  Now that they were ready, the waiting began. It wasn’t until ten p.m. that Bandini called to give Meri the drop site. She put her cell on speaker as Joey talked.

  “You got the money?” he asked.

  “I’ve got it. Put Lily on the phone, Joey. I need to be sure she’s okay.”

  “You can talk to her tonight.”

  “Joey, please . . .”

  “Shut up and listen. There’s a place called Sekani Park. It’s not that far from the house you’re in. There’s a parking lot on East Upriver Drive, sits right on the water.”

  Ian knew where the park was. He’d been raised in the area. He nodded to Meri.

  “Okay,” she said.

  “Be there at midnight. One more thing. I see any sign of a cop or those two jokers who live in the house, and you’ll never see your kid again. You got it?”

  Meri’s face went pale. “No police. No one but me, I promise.”

  Joey ended the call.

  Ian swore foully. “I can’t wait to get my hands on that bastard.”

  “Promise me you won’t do anything until we get Lily.”

  Ian’s chest went tight. He reached out and touched Meri’s pale cheek. “Lily comes first. You don’t have to worry about that.” His jaw hardened. “Then Joey Bandini is going down.”

  * * *

  “I want my mama. I wanna go home.”

  “Didn’t I tell you to shut up? I’m your father, okay? You’re supposed to do what I say.”

  “You’re not my father! Ian’s my father! I want to go home!”

  “Ian’s some joker your mother is screwing. Now shut up before I put a piece of tape over your mouth.”

  Lily’s face puckered up as tears threatened to surface.

  “Do it, and I swear to God you’ll be sorry.”

  She turned and pressed her cheek against the wall, managed to keep from crying. Where was Mama? Where was Ian? She knew Ian wasn’t really her daddy, but sometimes she pretended he was.

  She didn’t know this awful man who had grabbed her out in the barn and carried her away. She had seen him talking to her mom a couple of times, but that didn’t mean he was her father. And she’d never even seen the big ugly man with no hair.

  “Look, your mother’s coming to get you tonight. Okay? She’ll be taking you home.” He glanced away. “And good riddance,” he mumbled.

  “What time is it?” asked the big ugly man.

  “Eleven o’clock. Time to go.”

  “You think she’ll bring the money?”

  “Like I said, if she doesn’t have it, her boyfriend or the old man’ll give it to her. That house is worth a lot of dough. Fifty thousand shouldn’t be that hard to get hold of.”

  Lily listened, but she didn’t really understand what the men were talking about. All she knew was she wanted her mama to come and get her. And she wanted to go home. She wanted to see the kittens and she wanted to be with Ian and Mr. Brodie.

  Lily closed her eyes and said the prayer she and her mama said together every night before they went to bed. “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep.” She recited the rest of the prayer and added at the end, “And, God, please help me get back home. Amen.”

  Then she started to cry and hoped the men wouldn’t see.

  * * *

  Meri watched Ian and Daniel prepare. It was clear the men knew what they were doing. They were father and son, but beyond that, Daniel had been in the military and Ian had been a policeman, and a private detective, he’d said. Ian had told her they both knew the park fairly well, remembered the parking lot along the river. And they had used Google Earth to get a closer look at places with good vantage points.

  The plan was for Daniel to go in on the high side of the road, climb to the spot they had chosen, and cover her as she met with Joey in the parking lot. Ian would park out of sight a ways off, drop down on the south side and move along the riverbank, cover her from below.

  Once Meri had given Bandini the money, the exchange had been made, and Lily was safely out of harm’s way, he and his father would take the men into custody.

  Meri looked at the clock on the wall above the sink in the kitchen.

  Midnight was getting close.

  But thinking of her little girl and what could be happening to her, she found the hour wasn’t nearly close enough.

  Chapter Ten

  A waxing moon slid in and out between the clouds, casting enough light that Daniel should be able to find his target, not enough that he and Ian would be easily seen. The night was quiet except for a slight, temperate breeze that drifted through the dry grass and branches of the cottonwoods lining the Spokane River.

  Ian checked his watch as he moved along the riverbank, careful to stay out of sight below the walking trail at the water’s edge. He was getting close to the parking area. By the time he reached his location, Daniel should be in position deep in the cover of the pines on the opposite side of East Upriver Road.

  Headlights moved along the ribbon of asphalt winding through the park. Meri signaled to turn, letting him know she was there, and pulled into the empty parking lot. She stopped close to the riverbank, killed the engine, and turned off her headlights, sat in the car to wait.

  Only a few minutes passed before another car approached and pulled off the road into the lot from the opposite end. An old, rattle-trap Ford stopped thirty feet from Meri’s brown Chevy.

  Both front doors of the Ford swung open and two men got out of the car. Ian recognized Joey Bandini from the picture he had seen in the file—roughly six feet tall, slender and black haired. The other man was big, thick through the chest and shoulders, his bald head gleaming in a patch of moonlight shining down through a hole in the clouds.

  Something else flashed for an instant in the darkness. Sonofabitch. Both men carried semiautomatic pistols in their hands.

  Ian’s tension ratcheted up another notch. Dressed completely in black, his face darkened with grease paint, he moved silently, Glock in hand, staying low and out of sight.

  He had spoken to Hawkins as soon as he had reached the park. Though he hadn’t told Meri, Gray had convinced him to have a team on standby, ready to go in as soon as Lily was out of danger. The police would be waiting, set to go on Gray’s command.

  Ian moved through the shadows along the water, slowed, and elbow-crawled to the top of the bank. Using the base of a tree as cover, he positioned himself and sighted his pistol on Bandini. His dad would be focused on Kowalski.

  Ian could hear them now; Meri was talking to Joey. She was still twenty feet away from Bandini, following Ian’s instructions.

  “I have your money, Joey. Where’s Lily?”

  Bandini turned to Kowalski, tipped his head toward the car. “Get the kid.”

  Kowalski shoved his pistol i
nto the waistband of his pants, lumbered over, and opened the back door of the Ford. There was a brief scuffle as he tried to drag Lily out of the car and she refused to come.

  “Lily! It’s Mama! Do what the man tells you!”

  “Mama!”

  “Mama’s here to get you. Just do what the man says!”

  Lily settled down and Kowalski pulled her out of the back seat. Meri winced at the brutal grip he had on her small arm, and Ian clenched his jaw.

  Meri held up the canvas bag. “It’s all yours, Joey. Fifty thousand dollars. Just let her go.”

  “You think I’m stupid? Toss it over here. I’m not letting the kid go till I know the money’s in the bag.”

  Meri tossed the canvas satchel toward Joey. Kowalski sauntered over and picked it up, unzipped the bag as he lumbered back.

  “You were right, Joey. She brought it. There’s a lot of money in here. Give her the kid and let’s go.”

  “Lily—come to Mama. Just start walking, sweetheart. Time to go home.”

  The child had only gone a few paces when Joey stepped forward and caught her arm, dragged her back against his chest. The gun gleamed in his hand, and Ian’s control slipped.

  If Bandini harmed a single hair on that little girl’s head—

  “You know, Meri, maybe I didn’t ask for enough,” Joey said. “You got your hands on fifty thousand without a hitch. I’m thinking maybe you could get me fifty more.”

  “Are you crazy, Joey? I borrowed that from a friend. He isn’t going to give me anything more.”

  “By friend you mean the guy you’ve been putting out for? Your bedroom skills must have really improved if he was willing to fork up fifty grand for a piece of ass.”

  Ian clamped down on a surge of fury. It took sheer force of will to keep from squeezing the trigger and putting a slug in the center of Bandini’s chest.

  Meri took a step in Joey’s direction and Ian’s heart rate kicked up.

  “Let her go, Joey,” she said. “I mean it.”

  “You don’t tell me what to do, bitch! You never did.” He slung an arm around Lily’s thin shoulders. Ian could tell how scared the child was. “You want the kid, come and get her.”

  The look in Bandini’s eyes said he wanted more than money. He wanted payback for some imaginary wrong he’d suffered because of Meri. She started walking toward her daughter, and Ian bit back a curse.

  “No, Mama!” Realizing Joey’s intention, Lily slammed her foot down on Joey’s boot, which only made him smile, but as she moved, her body jerked, her head shot up and cracked into Joey’s chin, causing him to bite his tongue.

  “Motherfuck—”

  Joey’s grip faltered, Lily took off running toward her mother, and a gunshot echoed from the top of the hill. Both men spun toward the threat and started shooting. Daniel’s second round hit Kowalski in the leg and he started firing madly toward the unseen man on the mountain.

  Joey whirled and aimed his pistol at Meri, and Ian pulled the trigger on his Glock, putting a round in Bandini’s shoulder, slamming him backward, the gun flying out of his hand, disappearing into the darkness.

  Hovering protectively over Lily, Meri ran till they reached the safety of her car, climbed inside, and ducked down out of sight.

  Kowalski was down, grabbing his bloody leg and moaning. Ian was on him, kicking the gun away, rolling him over, jamming his hands up behind his back and tightening a pair of nylon ties around his thick wrists. He moved to Bandini, who lay flat on his back, gasping for breath, cursing and bleeding, but hurting too badly to cause him any more trouble.

  Daniel appeared, rifle in hand. He swung the stock up against his shoulder, aiming the barrel downward, covering the two men on the ground.

  “I’m shot!” Bandini whined. “I need a doctor!”

  “If I had my way,” Daniel growled as he grabbed the canvas bag full of money and slung the strap over his shoulder, “I’d just dump you in the river and let the fish take care of you.”

  Bandini moaned.

  Adrenaline still pumping through him, Ian pressed the send button on his cell phone, heard Gray’s voice on the other end of the line. “Time for the cavalry,” he said. “They’re all yours, Detective Hawkins.”

  At the first sound of sirens echoing in the distance, Ian turned and strode toward Meri. She came out of the car and flew into his arms.

  “Ian! Oh my God!”

  He kissed the top of her head, held her close against him, felt a wave of relief stronger than anything he had ever felt before. “Lily okay?”

  Meri nodded. “She’s fine.”

  “It’s over, honey. The police’ll take care of Bandini. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

  Meri clung to him, and as his hold tightened around her, a sense of rightness settled over him. Things were changing in a way he hadn’t expected. His life was changing, but in these last few moments, he had realized he was ready for that change.

  He felt a faint jolt as Lily’s small body collided with his and she wrapped herself around him. Ian reached down and lifted her up against his chest. “You okay, sweetheart?”

  Lily nodded. “I knew you and Mama would come.”

  Ian kissed her cheek. “You were right, baby. Everything’s going to be okay.”

  When Lily nodded, he set her back on her feet. Meri took hold of her daughter’s hand and released a shaky breath.

  “Thank you, Ian. I’ll never be able to repay the kindness you’ve shown us. Thank you for everything.”

  Ian caught her chin, leaned down and very softly kissed her. “I love you, Meri. You don’t owe me a thing.”

  * * *

  Meri spent the night and all the next day at Daniel’s. The police had been there, taking report after report. A doctor had looked at Lily and found her to be okay.

  Meri had spent almost no time with Ian. Instead, she moved around the house as if in a daze, wondering if he had really said he loved her.

  And if he had, did he love her in the same way she loved him? With all her heart and soul?

  She had to ask him and yet she was afraid of the answer, afraid to let herself hope there might be a future for them. A future that included Lily.

  It wasn’t until that night after supper that she sought him out. “Ian, I . . . I need to talk to you.”

  He nodded, his gorgeous blue eyes on her face. “We definitely need to talk. I’ll be leaving in a couple of days and there are things I need to say, things we need to work out.”

  Her eyes burned. He was going to offer her the job of taking care of his father, try again to persuade her to stay here, where he believed she would have a good home. As much as she cared for Daniel, she needed to make a life of her own. And she had hoped, in some tiny part of her heart, that she meant as much to him as he meant to her.

  “Let’s walk out to the pond, okay? It’s nice and quiet out there.”

  She just nodded. Her heart was squeezing. She should have left as she’d planned. If it hadn’t been for the police and their reports . . .

  He stopped in the shadows behind the barn, drew her into his arms and kissed her. She could feel the tears welling, tried but couldn’t keep them from slipping over onto her cheeks.

  “You’re crying.” Worry darkened his features. “Why are you crying?”

  Meri swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I can’t stay here, Ian. And I’m not sure your father even needs me anymore. I think Heddy will take very good care of him. I think they’ll be perfect for each other.”

  “So do I.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  She brushed at the wetness on her cheeks. “Then what . . . what did you want to talk to me about?”

  “Do you remember what I said last night?”

  She remembered. The words were etched into her heart. “You said . . . you love me. I understand you probably didn’t mean to say that. Things were happening. You were worried about Lily and me.”

  “I meant exactl
y what I said. I love you, Meri. I want you and Lily to be part of my life.”

  Her throat closed up.

  “Do you love me, Meri? Because I’m over the moon in love with you.”

  “Oh God, Ian.” Meri threw her arms around his neck and clung to him, just hung on and let the tears roll down her cheeks. “I love you. I love you so much.”

  She felt his muscles relax as relief slid through him. Ian eased her away enough to kiss her, then dug into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a blue velvet box.

  “I wish I had time to do this right. Propose to you over some fancy dinner in Seattle, but I’m afraid you’ll slip away from me, and I couldn’t stand for that to happen.”

  He opened the box and held it out to her. “This is my mother’s wedding ring. Dad wanted me to have it. Will you marry me, honey? I love you so damned much.”

  “Oh, Ian, yes! Yes, I’ll marry you.” Her hand shook as Ian slipped the ring on her finger. The small, perfectly cut diamond looked just right on her hand.

  Ian kissed her, a long, slow, deep, heart-shattering kiss she felt all the way to her soul.

  “Meri . . .” he whispered, holding her in his arms as they stood there looking at each other in the moonlight shining over the water.

  “Are you sure, Ian? Are you sure this is what you want?”

  “Honey, nothing I’ve ever done has felt as right as this.” Ian brought her hand up and kissed her ring finger. “Let’s go in and tell Dad and Lily.” He smiled. “But don’t be surprised if they already know.”

  Meri laughed as they walked hand-in-hand back to the house.

  Epilogue

  They were living in Seattle, Ian back to work at Brodie Security. Since his main office was in Bellevue, he and Meri were looking at homes in the area.

  They were married. Meri had no real family and he hadn’t seen any point in waiting. His own family had turned out in force for the wedding. Even his cousins, Dylan, Nick, and Rafe had flown down from Alaska.

  Once he got his head on straight, it hadn’t taken him long to figure out what he wanted. To realize his dad was right—he was in love with Meriwether Jones, and she was the perfect woman for him. Seeing her face up to a pair of vicious thugs like a lioness protecting her cub had only intensified his feelings.