Since he knew from experience that sleep wasn’t going to come his way anytime soon, he let his feet carry him past his quarters to the cottage next door. Seeking out Rachel Flores was becoming more and more of a habit over the past days. They were pretty much on the same shift…>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.
The Jeep tilted as Hugh settled behind the wheel. He cranked the engine… and it caught. First try. Jocelyn’s place might not be brand-spanking-new looking, but apparently she kept her machinery in good mechanical condition. The engine hummed as smoothly as Hugh’s voice had.
Easing the vehicle forward, he drove slowly at first, no revving or grinding gears or spitting rocks. He increased the speed at a steady pace so the noise almost seemed to blend with the jungle night sounds.
He steered clear of the main house as long as possible, but even from her low vantage point, Amelia could see that eventually they would have to drive within sight of Jocelyn’s home. Going straight to the beach wasn’t an option, as Hugh had told her the entire place was fenced in. The front gate was the weakest vantage point for breaking out.
A car backfired in the distance. Then again.
Hugh cursed and nailed the gas.
Not a car backfiring, she realized. Someone was shooting at them. The windshield shattered. An inch farther to the left and the bullet would have hit Hugh.
She locked her arms tighter around Joshua. He squealed in protest, but keeping him quiet was pretty much a moot point now. Or would that be mute? God, there she went getting hysterical again.
“Brace yourself,” Hugh said. “We’re going through the gate.”
“Can you give me a three count?”
“One. Two—”
Bang!
The Jeep jolted on impact, slamming her side back against the seat. She held her breath for a suspended second as he revved the gas and she wondered if they would make it—
Through.
Hugh ducked as parts of the shattered gate flew over the Jeep. They’d made it through. They had wheels and a tank full of gas.
“You two okay back there?”
“We’re fine. We’re completely okay? You?”
“I’m good,” he answered, his words clipped. “Stay down though.”
Her elation faded as she heard the sound of sirens, alarms from the compound. How soon before some of those other cars came after them, driven by people who knew the lay of the land better?
The Jeep jostled over the rough terrain, branches smacking the roll bars as they sped through the jungle. She had no idea how long he drove like a bat out of hell, but she kept herself draped over Joshua as he whimpered, protecting him, talking softly to him, even singing in her awful off-key voice. She thought she heard another car in the distance, the sound seeming louder. Maybe?
“Hugh—” she shouted.
“Roger,” he barked back. “I got ’em in the rearview mirror.”
“What’re we going to do?” Fear crushed her chest as she stared into Joshua’s eyes. What impossible decisions a parent had to make to protect a child. This had to be a special hell for Hugh, after losing his wife and daughter. How could his big generous heart cope if anything were to happen to them now, despite his superhuman efforts?