Page 12 of Ransom for His Secret Son

“Yeah,” he verified. “Now we know exactly what they want.”

Remi exhaled, slow and deliberate. “And what are we going to do?”

Brody studied the baby, so small, swaddled in the bassinet. Then he glanced at the text again.

He looked Remi straight in the eyes. “We’ll do whatever it takes to rescue the baby.”

Chapter Four

Remi stepped out of the hospital, automatically checking the area for any threats. She didn’t see any, thank God. Apparently, neither did Brody, who was right by her side. He was holding the baby, but that look in his eyes was all cop.

Well, with a massive dose of worry thrown in.

But the worry was inevitable, and Remi was feeling plenty of it, too.

She reminded herself that precautions were in place. The proof of that was the cruiser waiting for them. It was parked right by the curb, and there were two uniformed deputies patrolling the parking lot. Remi had no doubt there’d be more precautions once they got to Brody’s house, because the stakes were sky-high right now with a baby’s life at risk.

Two babies. Twins. She was having a hard enough time wrapping her mind around that alone, but there was obviously a whole lot more to it. The babies were pawns to exact someone’s version of justice.

And she and Brody were to be the judge, jury and executioners.

If you want your other son, find Tarrant Eddington. Bring me his head on a silver platter. Then we’ll talk. Her stomach twisted.

Yeah, that was a lot to absorb. A lot to get started on, and she took the next step. A literal one. She got into the passenger seat while Brody settled the baby into the carrier in the back. One of his deputies had obviously already put in the base for the carrier because it snapped into place. The baby would be secure during the drive, but afterward, well, that could be a different story if someone wanted to use both this baby and his twin to force her and Brody to go after Tarrant.

That was a lot to process.

Brody was clearly doing battle to process all of this as well. His jaw was tight, and his eyes were shadowed in the dim glow from the overhead light. He didn’t say a word as he got in the driver’s seat, started the engine and pulled away from the hospital.

Remi stared out the window, the night pressing in like a smothering weight. The town slipped past in a blur of dark storefronts and empty streets, quiet except for the hum of the engine.

Lost Canyon.

She’d been born and raised here, but this was her first time back since Miranda’s funeral. She’d lost the right to call Lost Canyon her home after keeping that fatal secret, and even if she succeeded, even if she got Brody’s other son and brought a twisted criminal to justice, that wouldn’t be enough for her to come home.

For Brody to forgive her.

Or for her to forgive herself.

Sometimes, penance lasted a lifetime. But then, so did grief. She could see it still etched on Brody’s face and in his eyes.

He continued the silent treatment as they drove out of town. The road immediately narrowed, and instead of the shops and such, they were flanked by open fields and barbed-wire fences. They passed by a building she’d never seen before, but she knew it was the shell of what was supposed to be an inn. In the silhouette of darkness, it looked more like an industrial building, and ironically, it was Brody’s nearest neighbor.

A moment later, the headlights caught the sign for Walker Ranch before he turned down a gravel driveway. The two-story Victorian-style house just ahead was over a hundred years old but well kept. A porch light flickered on as they pulled up, casting shadows across the yard. Casting shadows on Holt Callahan, too. The lanky, sandy-haired deputy was leaning against a cruiser in front of the house, and Brody pulled to a stop behind him.

Brody killed the engine, and for a moment neither of them moved. Remi finally broke the silence and decided to take another of those steps. An air clearing of sorts.

“We don’t have to like each other,” she spelled out. “But we do have to find Tarrant. And the other baby.”

Brody’s jaw clenched, but he nodded. Then he opened the door and got out. “Is my mother okay?” he asked the deputy.

Holt nodded. “Fine. She’s inside.”

“Good. Do you have a go bag with you?”

“I do,” Holt verified. “You want me to stay here tonight?”

“Yes. Take the guest room on the second floor. It’s at the end of the hall. I might have to go out…and find someone, and I don’t want my mother or the baby left alone. Understand?”