All those litigation skills weren’t going to do her much good right now as she struggled to find a toehold on her way down from the second-story balcony, which was actually more like a third story, if she counted the fact that the house was built on stilts. Hugh had his hands full with Joshua. Asking for his help would be—
Hugh planted a palm on her butt. How he’d managed to scale partway up again with a baby in his vest and a hand free to help her, she didn’t know. But the broad steady support gave her just the help she needed to regain her grip and footing.
His deep bass voice drifted up to her softly. “Slow and easy. Slow and easy.”
Then his hand was gone and she was on her own again. She could—she would—do this. An inch at a time, she shimmied the rest of the way down until the earth was close enough for her to let go.
Ooof. The ground was harder than she’d expected. Her bottom would be bruised for sure, but at least she was in one piece.
Hugh extended a hand and she was on her feet again. She clasped his fingers for a reassuring second before nodding. With her eyes, she let him know. Ready as I’ll ever be.
He carried Joshua in the front of his vest now, not as easy to maneuver, but he’d said he would have more latitude in keeping Joshua quiet if need be. Although God help them if Joshua decided to cry or scream. It wasn’t as if they could explain things to the little one in a way he could understand.
Skirting around trees and darting from cover to cover felt damn creepy. No lights. No sense of direction. And no way to see what she might be stepping on next.
Shuddering, she kept as close to Hugh’s back as possible, trusting that wherever he put his feet would be safe. Night creatures scuttled through the undergrowth. The trees rustled overhead, the wind whistling until she could have sworn it all came together to play some kind of tune through the branches.
And then she realized Hugh was humming ever so softly to Joshua. She couldn’t recognize the song, it was so low, nearly imperceptible, but obviously enough to keep Joshua content for the moment, thank God.
Hugh had told her it was only a quarter mile to where they needed to go, but the distance felt like an eternity, when there were armed guards posted. Not to mention the security cameras. Hugh had said he hadn’t been able to determine if they were running off generator power or not. But it was best to assume the cameras were operational.
Eyes locked on Hugh’s broad back, she followed and listened, taking some reassurance of her own from the soft crooning of his voice. Until it stopped. His body tensed into a block of stock-still ice. She froze in her tracks as well.
Footsteps sounded, snapping sticks and scrunching leaves. She stayed immobile, as Hugh did, even though the urge to run pulsed so heavily through her veins, her vision blurred. Keep eyes averted, she reminded herself. No matter how much she wanted to look around and see where the threat was coming from, she was better off not looking at the person. There was truth to the notion that someone could feel a person’s eyes on them.
The footsteps halted.
Her heart sped up so fast and loud, she could have sworn it echoed in the trees, and oh God, what if Joshua cried now? She forced herself to breathe steadily, in and out, to keep from fainting.
The guard started walking again, the crunch of footsteps growing fainter, farther away, then gone altogether. She grabbed Hugh’s vest to keep from sinking weak-kneed to the ground. He reached back to pat her hand before easing forward, humming again.
Three trees later, the barn came into view, with a couple of vehicles parking alongside, including Jocelyn’s. It even had the angel dangling from the rearview mirror.
Hugh dipped his head toward her. “The vans in the barn look to be in better shape, but I’m concerned there may be alarms. I think we should hedge our bets and take one of these.”
“Jocelyn’s?” she whispered.
“Yeah, my thought too. At least we know it works.”
And the fact that Jocelyn had chosen it when there were clearly sleeker options available doused her with a fresh slap of clammy fear. Why would she hide her assets and mislead them about her ability to travel freely?
Hugh passed over Joshua. “Take the kid and duck down between the barn and the Jeep while I fill it up with one of the gas cans.”
Tucking Joshua close, she crouched out of sight while she listened for Hugh—and didn’t hear him. God, the man had ghostly footsteps. She drank in the comfort of his training in big heaping gulps of air.
The scent of gasoline drifted by and she realized he must already be filling the tank. Soon, they would be racing away. Stealing a car. Deliberately ramming a gate. Then driving off on a hope and a prayer that they wouldn’t run into more trouble before they reached a civilization that was currently far from civilized.
But at least she wasn’t stuck underneath a hotel building anymore.
Hysteria built and she fought back the urge to laugh. Giggles bubbled up inside her until her eyes burned with tears. It had to be from the fuel’s fumes, because she refused to break down. She would hold up her end until she dropped. No quitting.
Hugh materialized beside her, so silent she hadn’t heard him approach. “You and Joshua sit in back. Buckle both of you in, then drape yourself over him to keep both of you down and out of the line of fire. Especially when we ram the gate. It’s not the perfect scenario for securing him, but it’s the best we can do without an infant seat.”
“Too bad her ‘nephew’ didn’t leave one of those lying around where we could see it.” Because from what Hugh had told her he’d discovered in that cottage, there had to be plenty of kiddy gear stashed all over this place to accommodate their baby-smuggling ring.
As a lawyer, she shuddered to think of the horror those children could land into, their identities taken off the grid and thrust into a world where no one was accountable for their well-being. Child prostitution and slave traffickers preyed on even well-meaning organizations that flew under the radar. The legal system and channels weren’t perfect, but they were a damn sight better than anything going on here. What a realization that such horror could be happening here, in this oceanside hideaway scented with frangipani and night-blooming jasmine.
She snapped the seat belt over Joshua’s lap, tightening the strap over his frighteningly vulnerable body. Then buckled herself in as well, securing the pillowcase full of baby supplies under the seat in front of her. While she understood Hugh’s reasoning and knew that the force of ramming the gate could wrench Joshua from her arms, she still ached to hold him.