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Lori sobbed, “I do. Spencer assured me he’d come to no harm.”
“No harm? He’s been kidnapped by some lethal superagents.”
“What?” Lori stepped back.
Mike heaved out a breath. “No, he hasn’t, Claire. I guess Correll thought all he’d have to deal with was the local sheriff’s department. He hired some dirtbag out of Denver to do the job.”
“Oh, my God.” Claire’s knees weakened and she put a hand against the car to steady herself. “I don’t know if that’s better or worse.”
“Better, much better.” Mike unlocked the doors. “Now let’s get going and rescue Ethan.”
Mike punched some numbers into the GPS and turned to Lori, whom he’d put in the passenger seat beside him. “Does this guy know your car?”
“No. Spencer sent him a picture of me, that’s it.”
They followed the directions the GPS intoned, which took them deeper into the mountains. From one ridge, Mike pointed out some lights. “That’s probably it, nothing else around here.”
He parked the car on an access road and said, “We walk in from here. Claire, you’re not coming to the cabin with us. You wait at a distance.”
She nodded. She didn’t want to upset his plan. She just wanted to be there for Ethan.
“Do you know how to use a gun?” He pulled a second weapon from his coat and held the butt toward her.
“After all we’ve been through the past few days, I can’t believe you’re asking me that now.” She gripped the handle. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
They all exited the car and hiked down the access road with Lori leading the way.
The cabin up ahead played peekaboo with the trees, and Mike took her arm. “You stay right here, behind this tree. Don’t go into that cabin. Don’t go anywhere near it.”
She grabbed his pockets. “Save my little boy.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” He pressed a quick kiss on her mouth and turned, pushing Lori in front of him.
From her hiding place, she heard Lori call out, “It’s me. I have the meds.”
Claire leaned against the tree, her hair clinging to the bark. Mike must’ve remembered that she’d told him about Ethan’s asthma scare.
What happened next literally flashed before her eyes in a matter of seconds.
A rectangular patch of light appeared, and then Mike crowded the door behind Lori. There was a shout and then a flash and a bang. Another bang and a long, high scream.
Claire’s feet sprouted wings and she flew through the trees to reach the cabin. She tripped over Lori, collapsed at the entrance, rocking and whimpering, blood oozing through the fingers she had clamped to her shoulder.
On her hands and knees, Claire crawled through the door and cried out when her hand met the boot of a man lying on the floor, a puddle of blood beneath his head.
Then her gaze locked on to the tall man in the center of the room, cradling her son in his arms.
Crying out, she launched to her feet and threw herself at both of them. She wrapped her arms around Mike and rested her head against Ethan’s legs.
“Mommy?”
“I’m right here, Ethan. Are you okay?”
“I’m okay.” He rubbed his sleepy eyes and yanked on Mike’s beard. “Mommy, is this Santa?”
“Yes, baby.” She pressed her lips against the back of Mike’s hand. “This is our Santa.”
Epilogue
“Dude, you really didn’t miss that much. Ali-Watkins got out of the limo and we swarmed him, dragged him to the staging area we’d set up and disarmed him—or de-vested him.”
Mike narrowed his eyes at the young agent, Liam McCabe, stuffing a shrimp puff into his mouth. “Why do people of your generation feel it necessary to call everyone dude?”
Claire grabbed Mike’s hand. “You’re becoming the crotchety old retiree already. Watch yourself.”
“Just trying to make you feel better about missing the takedown, du...Mike.” Liam pointed to the TV, where Ethan was sitting with Jack and Lola’s older son, Eddie, and their twins. “Hey, hey, that’s Katie’s game.”
“What do you mean?” Claire left Mike’s side and sauntered up behind the kids. She tousled Ethan’s hair as she took in the cartoonish images of the video game playing out across the screen. “How is this Katie’s game?”
