He Can Fall (She Can... #4.5)(11)

“Where’ve you been, Lincoln?” Carl asked.

Lincoln grabbed a scone from the basket. “Checking the outbuildings.”

“The kid got away. Dennis went after her,” Win said. “He should be back any minute.”

“How long’s he been gone? I know he’s out of shape, but how long can it take to catch a little kid?” Carl stopped midchew and stared at Amanda. “And where is her husband?”

“Shit. With all the commotion, I forgot about him,” Win said.

Carl washed his mouthful down with a swig of coffee. “You searched his room, right?”

“Yeah, no sign of him.” Win broke off a chunk of biscuit.

“When Dennis gets back here with the kid, we have to find him.” Carl refilled his mug from the coffeepot. “We can’t have any loose ends.”

Win walked to the window. “We should take that sweet SUV out there.”

“That was my thinking,” Carl agreed. He glanced back toward Amanda. “Which one of you owns it?”

There was no point lying. It would only make them angry.

“The SUV is ours,” she said.

“The keys will be in their room.” Carl wrapped his hands around his mug.

Win turned to Lincoln. “You want to go out and look for Uncle Dennis or do you want me to do it?”

“The last thing I want to do is go out in the fucking snow again.” Lincoln’s eyes hardened.

“Somebody’s going to have to find them.” Carl didn’t look like he wanted it to be him. “I’m done fucking around. The first person who moves gets a load of buckshot in the gut.”

“I’ll do it.” Win touched his wet jacket and frowned. Without putting it on, he opened the back door. Cold wind whipped a cloud of swirling snow powder into the doorway. “Be right back.”

“Keep a lookout for that missing guy while you’re out there,” Carl called after him.

Win checked the magazine on his gun. “I will.”





CHAPTER SIX

Had Mia’s father somehow been paroled early? Why else would four gunmen take over the inn?

Sean dusted snow off his legs. “Do you like living with your grandpa?”

“Grandpa’s nice.” Mia took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. Her fingers were cold as Popsicles already. “No one turns the heat off. There’s lots of food too.”

“Where did you live before you came here?” Sean surveyed their surroundings. They were only a quarter mile from the inn. There was no way he could start a fire for her. The smoke would give away her location. If Mia was right, there were three more armed and dangerous men who would be looking for her.

He had to move fast, before exposure took the child as surely as the violent criminals back at the inn.

“I lived with my mommy and daddy until she died.” Mia kicked a pinecone. With a cloud of white powder, it tumbled across the snow and landed against a tree trunk. “It was just me and Daddy for a while, until he went away. Some lady took me to stay with some strangers. I didn’t like it. I was happy when Grandpa came and brought me here.”

Sean’s heart nearly stopped. So much trauma for such a young child to bear. Did she know her father was in prison?

Through their joined hands, he felt a shiver pass through her body. What was he going to do? He looked down at her pale, uncomplaining face. Leggings, a sweater, and Uggs weren’t going to keep hypothermia at bay for long. The boots looked warm, but they weren’t the waterproof variety. Sean pulled his fleece over his head and tugged it onto Mia’s tiny frame. The fabric fell past her knees. “Sorry about the smell. I was sweaty.”

She sniffed. Her nose wrinkled, and she shrugged. “It’s warm.”

But giving Mia his top layer left Sean in an Under Armour tee, sweatpants, and a thin synthetic crewneck. The fabric had allowed his sweat to evaporate, so at least he wasn’t wet. But he could feel the chill seeping through the two thin layers.

“We should keep moving.” He picked her up and brushed the snow off her boots to keep her feet as dry as possible.

“OK,” Mia said, wrapping her arms and legs around his body monkey-style.

“The nearest neighbor is fifteen miles by road. Do you have any idea how far it is through the woods?”

“We can’t go that way. There’s a big river.”

“Does it freeze like the lake?”

Mia shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

Shit.

Sean looked toward the inn, then out at the forest. He wanted to go to Amanda. To save her from the remaining men who threatened her. The need to protect his wife was burrowed into his bone marrow. But what would he do with the child? How could he keep her safe and warm while he engaged the enemy? What if he was shot or killed? Who would take Mia to safety? She wouldn’t survive long in the winter woods.

In his years as an army Ranger, he’d never faced a decision this difficult.

But there wasn’t really a decision. He couldn’t take any risks with the child. Amanda would want him to protect Mia at all costs.

“OK. Here’s the plan. I carry you to your neighbor’s house and call for help.”

“No.” Mia’s voice rose. Fear lit her eyes, and she leaned away from him. “No. No. No.”