Moonlight Road (Virgin River #11)(102)

“As far as I know, Aiden isn’t planning to come here,” Erin said. “He’s gone to Eureka with his brother and won’t be back at his brother’s house before dinnertime. I’m to go back over there later.”

“Let’s give him a little time to miss you,” she said.

Erin leaned forward. “Don’t take that chance, Annalee. If you wait till people start to worry about us, you might have waited too long. I gave you a nice little nest egg. Take off before you have a trail of cops on your behind.” As if on cue, the phone rang. And rang and rang and rang. When it went to voice mail, Erin said, “Really. Don’t press your luck. Or, if you need some more money, maybe I should just do it so you can leave…”

“Ordinarily I’d go for that idea, but typically there’s a break point where people start to wonder what’s up with the big withdrawals. In my experience, fifty thousand is on the high but safe side. Let’s give darling Aiden a little time. Besides…I wouldn’t mind seeing him just once more…”

“You do understand that if that was him trying to reach me, he’ll come, but not without help. Law-enforcement help. Annalee, be smart. You can shoot us or even drag us both out of here at gunpoint, but you’ll never get away. If you go now before anyone knows what’s going on, you might even make it.”

“It’s so nice of you to be concerned, but I think everything will work out fine. We’ll give him a little more time.”

Marcie winced and a little groan escaped her. This was escalating.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Erin said.

“Hold it.”

“I have to go now!”

“Wet yourself, see if I care. Can’t you stay focused?”

“How long do you propose to wait for Aiden? Because I need to get my sister medical attention!”

Annalee glanced at her watch. “Maybe a little while longer. Don’t worry—I’ll be out of your hair before long. If things go well, I’ll have enough money to stay out of your hair.”

But Erin was worried. She wasn’t sure who might come bursting in the door first—Ian or Aiden. Or maybe Aiden with law enforcement. If it got that complicated and messy, not only were people going to get shot or taken hostage for a getaway by a panicked Annalee, it might push Marcie too far into a danger zone for delivering the baby safely. As Erin understood Marcie’s situation, the danger was to Marcie and the baby.

She could not face that. Would not.

She leaned close to Marcie and gently stroked her hair away from her face. “If I create a diversion, can you get out?” she whispered.

“No whispering!” Annalee shouted.

Marcie groaned; a deep and low growl came out of her. And then suddenly there was a small flood as her water broke and began to flow from her body, wetting the couch beneath both her and Erin and dripping onto the floor. “No,” Marcie said weakly. “Don’t think so, no.”

“Jesus Christ, I thought you were faking about having to pee,” Annalee said. “That’s disgusting! Shame on you!”

Seventeen

Erin glanced at her watch. It was five o’clock. Ian should be arriving soon and Aiden would be back at Luke’s to receive the news that Erin had gone to the cabin. Things were going to shortly start coming apart at the seams and there was one whacko woman in control of a gun.

And Marcie’s water had broken. Although Erin didn’t know much about childbirth, she knew this meant something significant. “What does it mean?” she asked her sister.

“I gotta have a doctor and an operating room pretty soon or we’re toast. He’s all upside down and backward, Erin. He can’t come out.”

Erin got sharply to her feet. She glared at Annalee. “All right, toots—this meeting is over. My sister’s water broke and we’re in motion now. Take off.”

Annalee likewise got to her feet, waving the little gun. “Hey, sit down! I told you what we’re doing here!”

“I heard,” Erin said. “You’re making a big mistake because it’s just about time for a whole bunch of people to come running and find out why this very pregnant woman and I aren’t answering the phone or checking in as promised. Go—you’ll thank me someday.”

“I’ll shoot,” she warned.

“I guess that’s up to you,” Erin said. “I’m getting towels!” She stalked purposefully toward the bathroom and was frankly a little surprised when no bullet hit her in the back. She kept going. She ran through the door that joined the bathroom to the bedroom, grabbed the can of bear repellent and tucked it under her arm. She picked up her handy soup pot and metal spoon and peeked out the other door into the great room.

No Annalee. Good. She’d followed Erin.

She pulled closed the bedroom door as she entered the great room, then dashed to pull the bathroom door closed, as well. Then she stood between the two doors and began to bang the spoon inside the pot and yell at the top of her lungs. She kept both doors in her peripheral vision and when she saw one of them begin to cautiously open just a crack, she dropped the pot and spoon and armed herself with the repellent.

Erin thought there was a fair chance she’d be shot, but she really didn’t have any other choice. With luck, the gun was of a small caliber and the aim would be bad. Even if she was killed or incapacitated, she’d have done some serious damage to Annalee in the process and Marcie would be able to get to the phone.