Margaret Daley - The Baby Rescue

OPERATION BABY RESCUE

To rescue an abducted infant from a baby-smuggling ring, U.S. marshal Colton Phillips has to work with FBI agent Lisette Sutton. But their tactics couldn’t be more different. The too-pretty agent goes by the book, whereas Colton breaks rules to get the job done. Colton vows to keep his heart out of the job, but his unwanted attraction to Lisette lowers his guard. Now Lisette—and an innocent child—are in grave danger, and Colton will stop at nothing to save them.

Witness Protection: Hiding in plain sight

“We’ll need all the help we can get on this case,” Colton said. “A child’s life is involved.”

He pulled out onto the highway, the road slick with the fresh snow. “From what I’ve read about you,” he continued, “you’ve worked on a lot of cases involving children. Why?”

“As a teenager I worked at a day-care center,” Lisette said. “At church every Sunday, I took care of the babies. I loved it.”

“Then why did you go into law enforcement? Why not a teacher or something?”

“Because I wanted to be like my…” Her voice faltered, and she went quiet.

Colton glanced at her. Her expression was closed, distant, her gaze slanting away from him. He’d hit upon a sensitive subject she didn’t want to discuss, which made him only more curious.

* * *

MARGARET DALEY

feels she has been blessed. She has been married more than thirty years to her husband, Mike, whom she met in college. He is a terrific support and her best friend. They have one son, Shaun. Margaret has been writing for many years and loves to tell a story. When she was a little girl, she would play with her dolls and make up stories about their lives. Now she writes these stories down. She especially enjoys weaving stories about families and how faith in God can sustain a person when things get tough. When she isn’t writing, she is fortunate to be a teacher for students with special needs. Margaret has taught for more than twenty years and loves working with her students. She has also been a Special Olympics coach and has participated in many sports with her students.

The Baby Rescue

Margaret Daley

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

—John 3:16

To Marcella, who has supported me throughout my writing career

Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

DEAR READER

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

EXCERPT

ONE

Ice spattered the windshield and laid a thin layer on the streets and sidewalks. Trees began to sag with the extra weight on their limbs. U.S. Deputy Marshal Colton Phillips leaned forward and inspected the roiling dark gray clouds moving in from the west. At least the roads were still passable; the weather lately had been warm in St. Louis, especially for February.

But he didn’t have much time to get his witness to the St. Louis Downtown Airport. He was meant to transport the man to his temporary new home in Denver. The pilot of the U.S. Marshals Service’s jet had called earlier to warn Colton that, due to the weather, the airport would most likely shut down within forty minutes. Which didn’t leave him much time to make the flight.

Colton kept his gaze trained on the lead black SUV in front of his own. He kept some distance between them in case Josh McCall, the marshal driving, had to stop suddenly on the slippery road. Colton had memorized the route to the airport as well as alternative ones in case of trouble. And the more time ticked down and the slower the traffic went, the tenser Colton became.

When they reached a stoplight, he glanced in his rearview mirror at Don Saunders, the low-life criminal who had bargained his way into the Witness Protection Program in exchange for information on a child-smuggling organization. His skin crawled at the sight of Saunders’s smug look.

Weasel was too kind of a description for his witness. Scumbag fit the man better. Behind Don’s cold, small dark eyes, Colton didn’t glimpse much intelligence, but what the criminal lacked in that area he made up for with a bulky frame over six and a half feet tall and a rock-hard muscular physique. According to the records, Saunders lifted weights in his spare time between illegal activities—the last being the kidnapping of Annie Duncan and her two-year-old daughter, Sophia.

It wasn’t his job to question why a creep like Don Saunders would get into WitSec after what he’d done. But it didn’t stop Colton’s gut from clenching at the expression on Saunders’s face as they slowly wended their way through the traffic toward the airport.

At a four-way stop, Colton waited his turn to proceed, scanning the area. His gaze latched on to the other Denver U.S. Marshal, Quinn Parker, who accompanied him in the backseat next to their witness, his attention glued on Saunders. At least Colton didn’t have to worry about the criminal trying to escape while he was driving them. Parker was by-the-book, down to the last detail. His job was to keep Saunders in place while Colton drove or at this moment crept.

The lead SUV crossed the intersection, and Colton pulled up to the corner, his brakes gripping the street but not enough to stop without sliding a few feet.

He looked both ways while Don Saunders mumbled, “You need to go back to driving school.”

Colton gritted his teeth and ignored the man’s comment—one of many complaints he’d expounded on in the short time Colton had been in his presence. Deputy U.S. Marshals Josh McCall and Serena Summers had briefed him and Parker on Saunders’s activities that led to his being put in WitSec. The man claimed the death of Annie Duncan’s husband was just the tip of a huge organization.

An old Mustang approached from the right, slowing down. Colton eased his foot down on the accelerator and started across. The driver of the Mustang suddenly picked up speed, running the stop sign and fishtailing around the corner into the lane ahead of him. Colton slammed on his brakes to avoid hitting the guy. Again Colton lost control for a few seconds as the back end of the SUV swung around partway before coming to a stop. He quickly checked in the rearview mirror behind him, catching sight of Saunders on the right side in back.

With his hands secured behind him, Saunders jerked forward, the seat belt halting his forward motion. The man let out a few choice words. “You’re supposed to protect me, not get me killed in a wreck.”

“Okay, Parker?” Colton glanced over his shoulder at the other marshal.

“Fine,” he muttered, his attention on Saunders, his hand on his gun.

Colton corrected the SUV’s direction, then continued forward, falling in behind the Mustang still traveling between him and the lead car. His gut rumbled with tension. He hated it when an operation didn’t go exactly as planned. He smiled, thinking back to the perfect operations he had participated in. Not many. That was why he always expected the unexpected.