Delores Fossen: Josh

Once he reached the truck, he used the keypad to unlock it, and even though it’d be a tight fit, he threw open the door and pushed them inside and onto the floor of the truck. The women stayed there, still sobbing, still praying in Spanish.

But Jaycee didn’t stay down. She immediately threw open the glove compartment and pulled out a Colt .45 and some extra ammunition.

“Was that man your brother?” she asked, tipping her head toward the house.

“Cousin. His brothers were on the hill.”

She rolled down the window and got the Colt ready in case she had to fire. “Please tell me they all know what they’re doing.”

Josh did the same with his own weapon. “They do.”

Grayson might have been sheriff of a small town, but Josh knew that he and his brothers had dealt with plenty of trouble over the past couple years.

Unfortunately, this was trouble of a different kind.

They waited, their attention pinned to the road ahead, their breaths bursting in and out. Josh hadn’t checked the time when Grayson had given him that ten-minute rule, but he knew the minutes were ticking away.

“I don’t want to leave them here,” Josh said, more to himself than to Jaycee.

“Agreed. We have to get those other women out.” Her gaze met his, and he saw her bottom lip tremble. “I think they kill the birth mothers once they’re finished with them.”

Oh, man. That did not help. Because there was no way he could drive back to safety when others were in danger.

Except Jaycee and these women were in danger, too.

And so were their babies.

Even though he didn’t want his thoughts to go there, Josh couldn’t stop them this time. “Why didn’t you tell me about the baby?”

“I would have, but I didn’t get the chance. I was kidnapped immediately after the doctor confirmed that I was pregnant.” She had such a fierce grip on the Colt that her knuckles were turning white. “Are you going to ask me if the baby’s really yours?”

“Don’t have to.” Josh looked away from her and put his attention back where it belonged—watching the area for any sign of one of those guards. “The baby’s mine. You have a lot of faults, but lying’s not one of them.”

Any response she might have had to that was cut off when they saw Mason. He was flat-out running, and he was carrying a woman with a huge pregnant belly.

“I don’t know her name,” Jaycee said, “but I’m pretty sure she’s the one in labor.”

Josh looked for any signs of injury or blood. Didn’t see any. Thank God. He jumped out of the truck and hurried over to his cousin.

“Take her,” Mason growled and dumped her into Josh’s arms. He turned as if to run back and help his brothers, but his phone vibrated, and cursing, Mason yanked it from his pocket.

Josh heard the footsteps behind him and reeled around as best he could, but it was only Jaycee.

“Here, I can help,” she said, and she eased the moaning woman from Josh’s arms to a standing position. Jaycee looped her arm around her waist and got her moving to the truck.

Josh was about to head there, too, but Mason’s profanity stopped him. It wasn’t unusual for Mason to curse. He wasn’t a very friendly sort, but this bout of profanity was worse than his norm.

“The guards have one of the captives at gunpoint in the yard,” Mason explained. “Get these women out of here now in case shots are fired.”

“We can help,” Jaycee repeated.

Mason shook his head, turned and delivered the rest from over his shoulder. “One of the gunmen escaped out back. He could be headed your way.”

There wasn’t much color in Jaycee’s face, but those words rid her of what little she had. She hurried, dragging the woman toward the truck.

“Go with them now, Josh!” Mason insisted.

That and the pregnant woman’s sounds of pain spurred Josh to move. Jaycee maneuvered her into the truck, and the others helped pull her onto the seat.

“I can ride in the back,” Jaycee said.

“You’ll do no such thing,” Josh argued. “Get inside and stay down.”

She did. Well, she got in anyway. But she didn’t stay down. Jaycee aimed the Colt at the bend of the road where Mason had darted out of sight. It was probably the route a gunman would take if he was coming after them.

Josh started the engine, threw the truck into Reverse and had just put his foot on the accelerator when he heard the sound. Not a shot from a rifle. Not this.

No.

It was much louder, and it literally shook the ground beneath them.

Something had exploded.

Chapter Four

Jaycee felt the vibration of the blast and saw the fear and concern jolt through Josh. It went through her, too, and she wanted to go back and try to save the others.

But that could be dangerous for the women Josh and the others had already managed to rescue.

Plus, the woman stretched out across Marita, Blanca and Jaycee’s laps was clearly in labor. She was moaning and clutching her stomach. Jaycee had never been around anyone in labor, but she figured the woman was close to delivering.

Josh glanced at the woman, then at Jaycee. The worry and questions were still etched on his face, and she had to wonder what this was doing to him. Agents suffering from posttraumatic stress didn’t usually have an easy time in a gunfight.

Or the shock of something totally unexpected—like fatherhood.

But Josh had gotten a double dose of both today. Hopefully, he’d be able to keep it together. She hoped the same for herself, too. She didn’t have the nerves of steel that Josh had once accused her of having.

He’d accused her of a lot of things.

And sadly, most were accurate.

“Hang on,” Jaycee told the woman in labor when she made another of those loud moans. “You’re safe, and we’ll be at the hospital soon.”

Jaycee hoped that was true on both counts. Josh was certainly driving as fast as he could, and both of them were keeping watch for those guards. So far, no one was following them.

Including any of Josh’s cousins.

She prayed they hadn’t been hurt, or worse, in the explosion.

“What’s your name?” Jaycee asked the woman in labor. She’d need to give it to the doctor, but talking might also distract her from the pain. If that was possible.

“Grace Levitt,” she answered through a sharp breath.

“All right, Grace, just hang in there a few minutes longer.” Jaycee tried to sound calm. Failed miserably. But after everything she’d been through, she wondered if she would ever be calm again. Normal seemed way too far out of reach.

Jaycee put her hand on Grace’s stomach so she could feel the contractions and time them. Yet something else the doctors would want to know. And Jaycee felt a contraction almost immediately.

Grace clamped her hand on Jaycee’s shoulder. Her bruising grip was paired with more moans. Louder this time. And she lifted her hips. Jaycee didn’t have to tell Josh to hurry. He no doubt knew they might have to deliver this baby in the cramped space.

The contraction finally subsided. Jaycee didn’t have a watch, so she had to use the clock on the truck’s dashboard to keep time. Barely two minutes had passed before Grace had another contraction.

Josh’s phone buzzed, the sound shooting through the truck, and he managed to fish it from his pocket despite the fact that Marita was squished against him.

“Grayson,” Josh answered, sandwiching the phone against his ear and shoulder. There was still no relief in Josh’s expression, but thankfully at least one of his cousins was alive.

Jaycee couldn’t hear what Grayson was saying. Couldn’t tell if the news was good or bad. She could only wait and keep watch. They were getting close to the town of Silver Creek now, but that didn’t mean the guards couldn’t catch up with them and start shooting.