Three days ago? It seemed much longer.
She felt bad that protecting her had become such a monstrous job. Logically, she knew it wasn’t her fault Colin had put the stupid account information in her diaper bag. And her brother and Tim had skimmed the money from their employer in the first place.
Five million. She still couldn’t quite comprehend that much money.
A contraction tightened her belly and she drew in a slow, deep breath. No stress, remember? She repeated her mantra as Marc navigated the busy Madison traffic.
When Marc passed the hotel, a niggle of fear encroached her inner peace. “What’s wrong?”
“Just taking precautions,” Marc responded.
She frowned when she noticed the silent look Marc and Ryker exchanged. Being wedged as she was between Ryker and Aaron’s car seat, she couldn’t see behind them.
“Are we being followed?”
“Please try not to worry.” Ryker rested his hand on her knee. “We’re just being careful.”
No, there was more to it. The tension between the men had risen sharply over the past five minutes.
Breathe in—count to ten. Breathe out—count to ten.
It wasn’t working. Marc took a quick left turn, then a right. The jerky movements weren’t helping her discomfort.
“Head out of town,” Ryker said. “It’ll be easier to pick up a tail with fewer cars on the road.”
“I’m trying.” Marc seemed to be concentrating on the road before him.
“I wanna get out,” Aaron cried, picking up on the tension between the adults. “I hav’ta go to the bathroom.”
She did too, but had been doing her best to ignore the urge. “Soon, Aaron.”
Aaron kicked his feet and she suppressed a sigh. Remaining calm and peaceful under these circumstances was impossible.
The cars thinned out around them, and just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Marc pressed the accelerator, picking up speed.
“What is it?”
“Black SUV with tinted windows, but could be nothing,” Duncan said. “We’re just trying to put distance between us and them.”
Oh no, not again. Please, not again!
Marc increased their speed another notch, making her wonder if the black SUV was keeping pace. She wanted to turn in her seat to look out the window, but couldn’t.
Another contraction tightened across her belly and she caught her breath at the intensity of it. It was stronger than the Braxton-Hicks she’d been experiencing until now.
Please, God, keep my baby safe!
She breathed through the contraction, trying to imagine the sound of ocean waves hitting the sandy shore. She had one of those white-noise machines and the wave sound was her favorite.
“They’re closing the gap. We need to call for backup.” Marc picked up his phone from the center console and handed it to Duncan. “Call 911 first, then I’ll get in touch with the FBI field office.”
While Duncan spoke into the phone in a low, urgent tone, she reached for Ryker’s hand. “Pray with me.” She looked up at him. “Please?”
“Of course.” He cleared his throat. “Dear Lord, keep all of us safe in Your care.”
“Guide us on Your chosen path,” she added, “and show us the way to escape these men. Amen.”
“Amen,” Ryker echoed.
For several long moments there was nothing but silence, then suddenly Marc shouted, “Brace yourselves!”
Before she had a chance to react, something hard hit the back of their SUV, jarring them. Marc fought to keep control of the wheel, even as he picked up speed. He moved from one lane to the other, in an attempt to avoid the vehicle behind them.
Another contraction tightened her stomach and she felt a stab of fear.
What if this wasn’t false labor? What if she was about to have her baby five and a half weeks early? She told herself that less than six weeks wasn’t the end of the world, but that was under normal circumstances.
And these were anything but.
FOURTEEN
The crunch of metal hitting metal was jarring. The vehicle rocked a bit, but Marc kept it under control. Ryker clenched his jaw, hating how vulnerable they were. It was disturbing to know Olivia and Aaron were in danger. The police needed to get here, and soon!
“Mommy, I’m scared.” Aaron began to cry.
“Shh, we’re okay.” Olivia’s tone lacked conviction as she reassured her son.
Marc hit the accelerator, hard, doing his best to get them away from the SUV behind them.
“Is there a place we can go to get away? An off-ramp, maybe?” Ryker knew it wasn’t likely. The highway up ahead only showed woods flanking the road.
They’d left the city limits far behind.
“I’m trying.” Marc continued pushing the speed even faster, which was also worrisome if they were to be hit from behind again. If Marc lost control of the vehicle, they could all die.
“The police are on the way,” Duncan said.
“They better be.” Ryker couldn’t help turning to look back at the SUV. Marc had gotten some distance away, but their attackers were doing their best to close the gap. “Step on it, Marc.”
“I am.” Marc sounded tense, too.
Olivia moaned softly under her breath and he felt a stab of fear. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She bit the word out between clenched teeth and the way she held on to her stomach was concerning.
“More Braxton-Hicks contractions?” He didn’t want to believe she was truly in labor. It wasn’t time for the baby to be born yet.
“I don’t think so.” Her voice was strained. “These might be real.”
“Real?” Duncan twisted in his seat to face them. “No way.”
Olivia didn’t answer, clearly concentrating on what she was experiencing. The fact that she didn’t continue to talk to Aaron said volumes.
“You need to get us out of danger, Marc.” Ryker hated feeling helpless, and sitting next to Olivia without being the one behind the wheel was driving him nuts.
“I’m trying,” Marc repeated as he shifted their car into the left lane to go around a pickup truck. The driver shot them a dirty look, which Marc ignored. The SUV followed them into the left lane, keeping pace.
Ryker swallowed hard and silently repeated the prayer he and Olivia had shared moments ago.
Dear Lord,
