Resnick swore, and it set Sam off. He closed the distance between them and slammed Resnick against the wall in the hallway.

“You stay away from her. You leave here and you forget you ever knew she existed, you got me?”

“I can’t do that, Sam. You know that.”

“Do it for me.”

Resnick blew out his breath and sagged. “Goddamn it, Sam. What a time to call in a favor.”

Sam let go of his shirt. “We have to get moving. Sophie is out there. She probably thinks I’m set to turn her in.”

The peal of Sam’s cell phone stopped him as he strode down the hall. Seeing Rio’s number on the LCD, he jerked it to his ear.

“Sam here.”

“Sam, we need to talk. I have a situation.”

Shit. Fear slithered down his spine and his grip tightened on the phone.

“Can it wait? Sophie took off. Dolphin and Steele have gone after her. Garrett and I need to go as well.”

“No, it can’t wait.”

Sam glanced up at Garrett.

“I’ll go after her,” Garrett said.

“I can help,” Resnick offered.

Garrett shook his head. “You show your face, she’ll run hard in the other direction. You stay here with Sam until we can get you the hell out of here.”

“I feel so valued,” Resnick said dryly.

Garrett ignored him and hurried out the door.

Sam turned away and put the phone back to his ear. “Talk to me, Rio. Make it fast.”

“It’s bad, Sam. Your father had a heart attack.”

Sam stumbled and had to catch himself on the kitchen cabinets. “What?”

“He’s in ICU. They’re monitoring him closely.”

There was a pause.

“What else? Just say it,” Sam demanded.

God, don’t let him die. Don’t let his dad die.

“Your mom’s gone missing.”

“What? What the hell? What do you mean she’s gone missing? She’d never be anywhere but at Dad’s side.”

“I know. Goddamn it I know, Sam. I’m sorry. I’ve let you down. I still don’t know how the hell it happened. I wouldn’t even let her ride in the ambulance with him to the hospital. I told her that she and Rusty weren’t to go anywhere without me. Period. I took them myself. My men are here in the family room. I requested something private. We have tight security around the intensive care unit. I have someone at all possible entries. Your mom was allowed in to see him a couple of hours ago. She came out and Donovan went in. She seemed to be okay. She spoke to Rusty for a few minutes and then excused herself to go to the restroom. I sent a man with her. He stood outside the door. When they didn’t return, I found him dead inside one of the stalls and your mom was nowhere to be found. I’m going over hospital surveillance now, and I have the rest of my team turning the hospital inside out.”

“Jesus. Son of a bitch!”

He’d never felt more out of control in his life. Everything was crumbling around him and he felt helpless to stop it.

“I want this son of a bitch,” Rio seethed. “The bastard preys on helpless women. First Sophie and now Marlene. He killed one of my men.”

“I don’t know what he wants, but I expect we’ll find out shortly,” Sam said. “I just hope to hell he’ll want to negotiate.”

His gut knotted and he wanted to puke. His hand shook around the phone, and he mashed it against his ear to keep from dropping it.

“Make sure Rusty and my father are safe. Do whatever you have to do. I want you to keep me posted on his condition. And for God’s sake sit on Donovan and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“I’ll guard them with my life,” Rio said softly. “I’m sorry I let you down, Sam.”

Sam closed his eyes and slowly pulled the phone away from his ear.

“Is everything okay, Sam?”

He turned to see Resnick standing a few feet away, his hands shoved into his pockets.

“He has her,” he said hoarsely. “That bastard has my mother. My father is in the hospital with a heart attack, and that son of a bitch took her when she went to the bathroom.”

Resnick ran a hand back and forth over his head. “Christ, Sam, I’m sorry.”

Sam’s fist curled into a tight fist and he rammed it into the cabinet. The wood splintered and pain shot through his hand.

“I have to go find Sophie. Then I have to go to my dad. Then I’m going after this son of a bitch.”

He stared Resnick down, letting the full force of his fury bleed into his expression.

“You stay the hell out of my way. Make damn sure no one makes a move on Mouton. Last thing I want is for you guys to finally decide to make a move and have my mother caught in the cross fire.”

Resnick pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes out of his breast pocket and hastily shoved one into his mouth. He lit it and sucked in a deep breath. Then he exhaled, blowing a steady stream of smoke from his lungs.

“I can only buy you so much time, Sam. We can’t allow whoever it is in charge—whether it’s Alex or Tomas—to sell a fucking nuclear weapon to some shithole third world country with a terrorist agenda.”

“I’ll bring him down. Or I’ll die trying.”

Resnick nodded and sucked on his cigarette again. He paced around the living room in agitation, taking jerky drags and spewing the smoke in noisy exhalations.

Sam checked his sidearm, then reached for the rifle lying on the counter. He shoved his earpiece in and positioned the mic in front of his mouth.

“Report in. Any sign of Sophie yet? I’m coming out.”

“Negative,” Steele responded. “We’re looking.”

Sam swore and shoved out of the door.


SOPHIE huddled between two of the three large stone outcroppings and forced herself to slow her breathing. Her pulse thudded like a hammer, until all she could hear was her heartbeat and each breath, in and out.

She’d climbed over the tall stone face and slipped behind it in an effort to find a hiding place. Unless someone climbed up the same way she had, no one would find her here. She was protected on all sides and had enough room to stretch out in the craggy moss. It was damp and chilly, but she’d be safe here.

All she had to do was be patient. Sam would search for her. They’d fan out, cover the territory surrounding the cabin, and they’d gradually move outward until she was behind the search radius. If she could outlast them and they didn’t find her, she could double back and escape undetected.

Her plan was brilliant, and she wasn’t out running like a headless chicken, but it was only brilliant if it worked.

She stifled the hysterical laughter that threatened to bubble up. She’d had plenty of experience running. Hiding like some fugitive. But she hadn’t imagined having to flee the man she’d trusted to protect her.

She drew her legs farther into her, molding them against her belly. She dropped her head to her knees as anger worked over her skin, hot and itchy.

If she hadn’t gone to Sam, she wouldn’t have felt hope. She wouldn’t have touched the sun for one brief, shining moment, only to have that warmth and joy extinguished.

She’d been a fool, and now she not only had to keep ahead of her uncle, but she had to keep from being taken into custody and having God knows what done with her by whatever agency Resnick represented. If he represented one at all.

Goddamn them. Damn them all. Especially Sam.

Whoever Resnick was, the U.S. government wanted her father enough that they’d do whatever it took to achieve their goal. She was expendable. Her child was expendable. They might suspect her father was dead, but they didn’t know it. Not yet. And while they could do nothing with the knowledge that she’d killed him, they could certainly use the information that he was dead to their advantage.

She leaned against the cool rock face and closed her eyes wearily. Just last night she’d lain in Sam’s arms and summoned the courage to confess that she’d killed a man in cold blood. She already had so much working against her in Sam’s eyes. What would he think about the mother of his child being a killer?

Then she’d woken up feeling certain that everything would be okay. Sam would understand. He wouldn’t judge her. She would confess everything to him, he’d take the necessary steps to take her uncle out, and then she could live in safety—finally—with her child. Sam’s child. They could be a family.

Only Sam had never had any intention of them being anything.

For hours she sat there, until her muscles screamed in protest. Her bladder ached and she grew twitchier with each passing minute. Still, she wouldn’t move. Not yet. She’d wait until nightfall if it killed her.

She dozed lightly, her sleep interrupted every time she heard the slightest sound. Her neck was sore and her back was killing her. She had to shift her position.

Inch by inch, she adjusted, until she stretched her legs across the small area shielded by the rocks. A sigh of relief whispered past her lips as she curled on her side.

She looked upward to the sky, watching thin, wispy clouds roll by and the blue grow pale as the sun began to set. It wouldn’t be much longer now. Her patience would be rewarded.

She slept again, and when she woke this time, she was surprised by the darkness surrounding her. She’d slept longer than she’d thought she would, and now she was disoriented as to time. It was well past dusk and already stars had popped above her. Maybe Sam had given up, or broadened the search radius such that he would be miles away by now.

She rolled to her knees, braced her palms on the ground and slowly pushed herself upward. Her knees creaked, her back popped, and her wound protested the strain she was putting on it.