Page 52 of Ransom for His Secret Son

Tarrant let the silence stretch long enough for Remi’s stomach to twist. Then finally he said, “I don’t know exactly where the kid is, but I’ve got an idea of where he might be.”

Brody’s fingers flexed against the wheel. “What does that mean?”

“It means I have three problems right now, Sheriff.” Tarrant’s voice was almost playful. “Eloise, Christina and Langley. I want one of them gone.”

Remi’s breath caught, and she saw Brody’s jaw clench. “You want me to kill one of them,” Brody said flatly.

Tarrant didn’t hesitate. “Do that, and I’ll tell you where I think you’ll find your son.”

A sick feeling lodged itself in Remi’s chest. Tarrant was testing them. Seeing how far Brody was willing to go.

For a long, gut-wrenching moment, Brody didn’t respond.

Then, he shoved open the driver’s door, moving fast. Remi twisted in her seat, watching as Brody stormed toward Langley who was still outside the gate and grabbed him by the arm. The doctor yelped as Brody hauled him into the back seat.

“Say your name,” Brody ordered, shoving the phone toward Langley. “Say it loud.”

Langley swallowed hard. His eyes were wide with fear, and he was frantically shaking his head. “Dr. Curt Langley.”

Remi barely saw Brody shift his hand before the gunshot blasted through the confined space, an ear-splitting crack that slammed into her skull. The bullet tore not through Langley but the seat.

Langley let out a strangled gasp, his body jerking.

Remi’s heart pounded as Brody leaned in. “Play dead,” he warned the man in a whisper.

Langley gave the slightest nod, going still.

Tarrant’s laughter crackled over the phone. “Hell, Sheriff. Didn’t think you had it in you. Of course, I don’t know for sure you actually did kill the doc, but I’m impressed. Now, I want to see the body,” he tacked onto that, and his voice had taken on a boatload of skepticism.

Brody’s expression was stone. “You’ll get the body when you give me the name of the person who has my son.”

There was a pause. Tarrant exhaled, muttering a curse. “I don’t have a name,” he admitted. “Could be Langley, could be someone else. I don’t know.”

“Give. Me. Something,” Brody demanded. “Then you’ll get the body and my promise to back off. Don’t give me anything, I come after you with guns blazing. You don’t want to mess with me, Tarrant. You don’t want to be in between me and my son, or your head will be on that silver platter by nightfall.”

Silence for a long time. “All right. Don’t blow a fuse. I was going to keep my end of the bargain, but like I said, no name. What I do have is an address. My old place with Lila. Our little love nest, of sorts. But it’s the one place I haven’t had a chance to check out. I’m not certain that the kid is there. He might be, though, with a nanny or somebody taking care of him.”

Remi’s breath caught. Might. That sounded like a long shot.

Or a trap.

“Give me the address,” Brody insisted.

Another pause but shorter this time. “All right, I will, and I say this with complete sincerity. I want you to find the kid and back the hell off. I don’t want to be anywhere on your radar after this.”

“The address,” Brody snarled.

“All right. Hold your horses. It’s 121 Water’s Edge, Salado Creek Trail,” Tarrant barked out.

Right before the line went dead.

Brody didn’t hesitate. He pushed Langley out of the cruiser, got back behind the wheel and threw the vehicle into gear, tires screeching as they sped off.

Remi’s fingers flew over the GPS, plugging in the address Tarrant had given them. “Fifteen minutes out,” she said once the map had loaded.

Beside her, Brody’s grip tightened on the wheel, his attention nailed to the road.

Violet’s voice crackled over the phone. “Damn it, Brody, at least wait until I have backup in place. The trace failed. This could be a setup.”