“Don’t make me kill you right here.” Mike had killed people in this position, but there was a baby at risk at this point. Baxter had everything to lose by surrendering, so Mike knew it wouldn’t be easy. His main priority would be getting little Johnathan to safety. Nothing else mattered. His job has been to protect the family, and he’d already failed once today. He wouldn’t let it happen again.
“You won’t. I’ll kill the boy.” Cummings brought the baby closer to his body with the gun aimed at the boy’s midsection. Any gunshot wound would be fatal to the little guy at that range, so Mike had to think of a plan, and quickly.
“I’ll kill them all.”
“I don’t negotiate with terrorists.” The housekeeper was passed out on the floor behind Cummings. Gage’s mother, Grace, was tied up in the corner of the room with a giant bruise on her face. Mike bet it came from the butt of the gun. His eyes returned back to the target.
“Where’s everyone else?”
“A couple are dead and the others are chasing the cows in the field. My ride will be here any second and we’ll be leaving with the baby.”
“Do you mean the guy in the pickup?”
“How did you know? Lucky guess. I know you wouldn’t have spotted him in this weather.”
“No?”
“Well. I don’t think he’ll be coming, since he sped off in the opposite direction.”
“Bullshit. Shut the fuck up before I cut my losses.”
“You mean your only bargaining chip? You hurt him and there’s nothing to stop me from tearing right through your chest.”
Mike slowly stepped around to the side, forcing Cummings to sidestep as well. They circled each other until Cummings’s hip had butted the arm of the sofa and that split second gave Mike his chance. He took his shot, striking Cummings dead in between the eyes. The baby fell onto the sofa, bouncing twice but luckily not rolling off.
The blast had been loud and through a brief break in the rain, caught Bill and James by surprise as they made their way back to the main house. They took the stairs two at the time, brandishing their weapons. They flung open the door to see Mike untying Grace Gibson while she held onto little Johnathan.
“What the fuck happened here? Where are Gage and Hope? How did this bastard get in here?”
“I could ask you assholes those questions. Gage and Hope are on their way to the hospital in Austin. We were ambushed on the road. Gage sent me here to protect Johnathan. Where were you two? Where were the guards Gage had out there?”
“When the storm hit, the power went out. We had to go around and reset the generators. A pole came down on one of the fences, letting out the frightened cattle. The rest of the crew is still rounding them up. I don’t know where Greig and Moran are. They were supposed to be guarding the house.”
“I’m guessing they’re dead. At least that’s what Cummings implied. I have no idea what was going on or how many guys he has with him. There were no other vehicles in the drive when I pulled up.”
“Oh God. How are Gage and Hope?” Grace cried out.
“We need to get her to the hospital,” Mike said, looking down at the housekeeper.
“Leave her there. The bitch worked for Cummings. She came up and struck me and then let him into the house. I didn’t have a chance to even fight back or lock Johnathan away.”
They lifted the woman onto her feet and slammed her into the chair that Grace had been on. Mike took one look at her and knew something was up. “She’s not the housekeeper Gage hired. I saw her credentials from Colt McCain myself.”
“And she came when they knew you’d all be out today. Shit. I can’t believe it.” The woman began to regain consciousness and Mike grabbed her by her hair, tugging her head back. “Tell us what’s going on and we’ll see you don’t get the death penalty.”
“What? I didn’t mean to do it. I…I…the cartel. They can be ruthless. They told me to help Cummings out with upcoming shipments, and my husband’s debts would disappear,” she cried, but she didn’t shed a tear. Mike had been used to this type of shit. They sent the women and children to the front lines, thinking they wouldn’t be harmed and that the target would be unsuspecting, but Mike knew better.
“Bill, do a cursory sweep of the area. If you don’t find the two guards dead, then they soon will be.”
“Understood. James, come with me. We need to get the rest of the guys with us. How many more men are with Cummings?”
“Just my husband and me. The cartel doesn’t want to be a part of this unless it makes them money. Gibson doesn’t get them a dollar. Cummings was supposed to travel with more shipments for them, be the middleman, and then I was supposed to be his secretary. Then he gave me these documents and told me it was a part of the deal.”