Page 69 of Ransom for His Secret Son

But there was no movement. No sound. Not at first. Then, the deep hum of another engine cut through the silence.

A second car pulled up: Eloise. Zeke was behind the wheel. He stopped next to Christina’s vehicle, and as soon as he put it in Park, Christina turned her attention back to the inn.

“He’s cowering inside,” Christina yelled, voice sharp with rage. “Too scared to show his face.”

Brody clenched his jaw, gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles whitened. “Hell,” he muttered. “Stand down, Christina,” he called out to the woman.

But Christina clearly wasn’t done. “I want my damn shot at him now,” she yelled, and before Brody or Remi could react she flung open her car door and stepped out, taking cover behind it. Then she raised a gun and aimed it straight at the inn.

Remi’s breath hitched. Brody muttered a curse.

Still, nothing from Tarrant. No movement. But the low rumble of another engine made Remi shift her focus.

A third vehicle approached, its headlights cutting across the gravel lot before flicking off. The moonlight hit the windshield just right, and Remi saw Dr. Langley’s face. He was pale, his expression rigid with fear.

The doctor didn’t get out. He just sat there, gripping the wheel.

More movement caught Remi’s eye. Not from the inn, though. Eloise pushed open her car door. She stepped out smoothly, her movements controlled, deliberate. Unlike Langley, she wasn’t trembling with fear.

Instead, she was furious.

“I want my shot, too,” Eloise called out, her voice carrying through the still night air. Mirroring Christina, the woman ducked down behind the cover of her car door, and Remi saw Zeke scramble across the seat, no doubt doing his best to try to protect his boss.

Tarrant still didn’t respond.

Remi swallowed hard, every nerve on edge. It felt like the world was holding its breath. Brody stayed quiet, but she could feel the tension rolling off him. This wasn’t just a standoff anymore. It was a powder keg, and Tarrant was the lit fuse just waiting to blow.

The sharp crackle of a bullhorn cut through the night, making Remi flinch. She exchanged a quick glance with Brody, and he shook his head. They couldn’t see Tarrant, but he was close. Judging from that sound they’d just heard, he was hidden somewhere inside the inn.

“As promised,” Tarrant’s voice rang out, dripping with amusement. “Each of you gets your shot at me. But I’ve decided to change the rules a little.”

Remi cursed. Of course he had.

“Before we start the fun, I want to hear something first. A confession.” A beat of silence followed before Tarrant added, “Who did it? Who set Walker and his little PI on my tail by using his brats?”

Remi’s stomach twisted at his words. She knew what he was doing. Trying to pit them against one another, stir paranoia.

And it might work.

She didn’t trust Christina, Eloise or Langley, and she knew Brody didn’t either. Any one of them could have orchestrated this nightmare. But the problem was they didn’t know which one. And if the real culprit felt cornered, there was a good chance they’d start shooting.

Brody’s fingers flexed around his gun, his body coiled beside her, but he didn’t move. He was waiting. Watching.

Langley’s window slid down, his voice raw with desperation as he shouted, “I’m innocent. I had nothing to do with this.”

Tarrant’s dark chuckle came through the bullhorn. “Maybe not this time, Doc. But let’s not pretend you’re some saint. You helped me two years ago when I needed Grace to destroy that evidence. I wouldn’t have gotten my hands on that embryo if it weren’t for you.”

Langley’s mouth opened, then snapped shut. He didn’t deny it. Well, that was one mystery solved. It wouldn’t help them much now, though.

“I paid you, Tarrant,” Langley yelled. “I’ve been paying you. That should count for something. I don’t deserve to be here.”

Tarrant’s silence stretched for a long beat before he finally said, “Well, now. You make a fair point.” His voice took on a mocking lilt. “Maybe I should be showing you a little appreciation, Doc. Tell you what—you get the first shot at me.”

Langley made a strangled noise. “I don’t want the first shot at you.”

Tarrant ignored him. “Come on, Doc. You think I haven’t noticed the way you squirm? The way you’d sell out anyone to save your own skin? Now, grab your gun that I know you brought with you, and take your shot. If not, I’ll get a freebie one at you. And FYI, I won’t miss. I’ll kill you right where you’re cowering in your car.”

A shadow moved in the gaping hole of the inn’s entrance, and Remi’s stomach tightened as Tarrant stepped into view. He looked like a member of a SWAT. He was vested-up, wearing bulletproof leg guards and a tactical helmet, every inch of him covered in black. A gun was in his hand, but it wasn’t aimed at them.