Will heard Taylor say quite clearly, “Ohfuck.”
Will drew his weapon, holding it at low ready.“MacAllister?” Something in the tone of Taylor’s voice had raisedthe hair on Will’s nape. It brought to mind too many alarming —though as yet unrealized — images: Taylor looking down to see he’dbeen mortally wounded, Taylor realizing he’d just pulled the pin ona grenade, Taylor —
“Brandt, you’d better get in here.” Taylor’s voiceinterrupted Will’s alarmed speculations.
Will was already on his way down the hall.
Taylor blocked the doorway. He was holding a shotgunin one hand and his weapon in the other, but neither was trained onthe room’s occupant.
There was no noise from within the room at all.Jesus. Was it not Hedwig? Had Hedwig been shot in the altercation?Or worse, had someone who was not Hedwig been injured in thealtercation?
Will came up behind Taylor, trying to see past himinto the room. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
Taylor retreated another inch — actually stepping onWill’s toes. Will manfully managed not to yell. In their entirethree years of partnership, he had never known Taylor to retreat somuch as a centimeter. From anything.
He put a steadying hand on Taylor’s back. “What’sthe matter?”
Taylor jerked his head as though it should beobvious what the matter was. Will stared past him. There was achunk of plaster on the floor where one of the shotgun blasts hadtaken out a section of the ceiling. The woman was not dead. Shedidn’t even appear to be injured. She was sitting on the foot ofthe bed. At first glimpse, Will thought it was not Hedwig. She’ddyed her long, lank hair blonde again, but that was her only effortat disguise. She looked older, her face was a little fuller, andshe was not wearing her glasses, but it was unmistakably KelilaHedwig.
Will threw Taylor a quick, questioning look.Taylor’s profile was grim.
Will turned back to their prisoner. Studied her moreclosely. She was wearing a big, white, voluminous nightgown, andher skinny arms were wrapped protectively around her midriff.Around her basketball-sized midriff.
“Oh shit.” Will turned back to Taylor. Taylor wasshaking his head, repudiating what was only too obvious. “She’spregnant?”
Chapter Two
“That’s justgreat,” Will said. He sounded uncharacteristically put out. “Howthe hell did that happen?”
“Don’t look at me.”
Will muttered something that could have been, “Dumbquestion.”
Taylor acknowledged the words absently. Now what? Inall his envisioning of possible scenarios, this one had notoccurred. He glanced doubtfully at Will, who was looking unusuallyruffled, dark brown hair standing up in tufts like someone hadtried to grab fistfuls of it out by the roots. Beneath the navybulletproof vest, the sleeve of his yellow T-shirt was torn,revealing a hard brown bicep. He had a scrape over one blue eye.Otherwise he looked unharmed. He was still breathing hard, but nowonder if the sounds from downstairs had been anything to goby.
Their prisoner seemed to pick up on Taylor’sthoughts. “What have you done to Reuben?” She had a light, girlishvoice. It was more like the voice of a hair salon receptionist thana terrorist. She peered nearsightedly at them with wide, pale eyesthat reminded Taylor of a frightened white rabbit.
“Nothing too serious from the sound of it.” From theway Ramirez was shouting threats and obscenities, he sounded prettyhealthy to Taylor. Hedwig looked unconvinced.
She licked pale lips. “You’re really marshals?”
“DSS. Bureau of Diplomatic Security.” The lawenforcement arm of the State Department, if someone wanted to gettechnical.
Hedwig shrugged as though it were all the samething. Had it been all the same thing when she’d gunned down HenryTorres in that underground parking lot?
“It’s just the two of you?” She watched themwarily.
“That’s right. But don’t get any ideas.” Taylorhanded Hedwig’s shotgun to Will. Some girls had a thing for shoes;some girls had a thing for double gauge. His was not to reasonwhy.
Will’s gaze held his for a moment, his eyes darkwith emotion. That would be Will fretting over the idea of Taylornearly coming down with a case of lead poisoning. Taylor sighedinwardly. Will needed to get over it. Especially if he wasn’t goingto be around to watch Taylor’s back anymore. He holstered his ownweapon.
“Were you followed?” Hedwig looked from Taylor toWill.
“Why would we be?” He drew his handcuffs andapproached the bed. Hedwig awkwardly levered herself up, herexpression defiant.
Taylor stopped. “Seriously? Didn’t we just dothis?”
In answer, she tucked her hands behind her back.
“Oh for —” He looked at Will. Will, damn him, lookedlike he was trying not to laugh. Like this was funny? Well, maybeone day. Not at the moment. “Feel free to jump in here anytime,Brandt.”
“Why? You’re doing fine.”
Taylor looked back at Hedwig. She bared her teeth athim. No shit. Bared her tiny white teeth like Monty Python’s Rabbitof Caerbannog. Like something raised in an underground den — whichwas probably not far from the truth.
“Listen, little girl. We can do this the civilizedway, or I can knock you on your ass and do it the other way. Whydon’t you think about that kid you’re carrying?”
“I am thinking about him!”
The dark side of Planned Parenthood.
“We need to call for backup,” Will said.
He was right, as much as Taylor hated to admit it.This was already way more complicated than he’d anticipated, andtransporting a pregnant female prisoner from New Mexico to LosAngeles…
“No.” Astonishingly, Hedwig caught his arm.“Please no.”
Taylor took advantage of her distraction to grab herright arm, turning her to snap the cuff on her wrist. She began tostruggle. “Front or back?” he asked Will.
Will looked blank. “Front or back what?”
“Cuffing her. Do I cuff her in front or inback?”
“How should I know? You’re the one with the niecesand nephews.”
“So far I haven’t had to arrest any of them.”
William grimaced. “There’s protocol on this,right?”
“I assume.” He’d also assumed Will would be familiarwith the protocol. Will was generally better at dealing with thegentler sex. Not that their prisoner exactly qualified.
Taylor stepped forward, using a standing leg sweepto knock Hedwig’s feet out from under her. She overbalanced anddropped down on the bed again, bouncing a little, puffing angrily.She glared up at him as he snapped the second cuff on her.
It had to be the pregnancy
